[Garrin] Birth, Betrayal, and the Journey to Ternadan

[Oath]

[spoiler=Click for Family Tree][/spoiler]
Family History

The history of the house of Ravenhorst is shorter than that of many other noble families. To start from the beginning, we must look to another family entirely. The Prescott family, they had a fairly sizable estate among the vast plains, primarily amassing wealth from the vineyards they owned. However, the family ran into a problem. The head of the household, Graham Prescott only had daughters. Three of them, in fact. They each married a man from a different family. One day, while traveling, Graham was attacked by a group of brigands and killed. With no rightful heir, the three husbands of the three daughters fought for the Prescott family's holdings. Through a series of rather brutal encounters, one of the men, Kyne Ravenhorst came out on top. Upon taking control of the Prescott family, the first thing that Kyne did was change the estate's name to Ravenhorst, he was not a Prescott. A white and red checkered background with a raven in the foreground, the Ravenhorst house's coat of arms, was now plastered onto the goods that they sold. (lozengy argent and gules, and a sable raven volant with wings addorsed and elevated) The message was clear; the Prescott family was no more.

Kyne had three children, Erich, the eldest son, Fitz, the middle child who died of illness while he was young, and the youngest, a daughter named Lily. Lily married into the Eisenburg family, a well to do family with some small holdings near Goldthrone. Erich married a woman named Kenna from the surrounding area, and continued the Ravenhorst family line.

On the Ravenhorst side of the family, Erich had two sons. His eldest, Geron, and his younger Malik. Malik was 15 years or so younger. Geron studied hard to learn as much as he could about the process of making wine, trying to innovate new methods, and figure out better ways to transport his goods to see them reaching further across the empire. Malik, his brother was more of the sellsword type, but they always worked together. When Geron had to go out of town, you could see Malik right by his side, defending him from threats unknown. They were close. Malik understood that he had no place being the head of a house, he didn't know the first thing about being a noble. He just knew how to fight, and protect what he cared about.

Geron married and had two children, Vikel, a son, and Clarissa, a daughter, while Malik married a local girl named Ruby, and has a son Gerrad.

Garrin's History/Some family affairs.

Garrin is the son of Clairissa, a lady of the noble house of Ravenhorst. Being born into a noble family is generally a blessing, But in Garrin's case it was a birth surrounded by scandal. His mother was young, and unmarried. Garrin's father was a wandering Elvish minstrel, who gave a different name in every town. Young Clairissa was drawn in by the man's charms. His poetry, his song. Before she knew it, he had vanished, and Garrin was on his way into the world. Her father, Geron Ravenhorst was less than pleased with the situation, but still looked upon his daughter with love. Garrin was named after his grandfather, and Geron dotted on the young boy as any grandfather would. Geron's son, and Clairissa's older brother Vikel looked upon the situation with nothing but disgust. As far as he was concerned, his family had been tainted. The blood of an elf ran through his nephew's veins. Even worse, his father approved. Garrin was treated like one of the family, and afforded every opportunity to pursue things that interested him as a small child, as limited as they may be.

The "Tainted Blood Incident" runs two fold. Vikel's wife Mirabelle took her own life five years after Garrin was born, she was carrying a child at the time of her suicide. The common sentiment is that the child was not Vikel's, they had been married a long time but had yet to produce a child. Word floating around is that Vikel was impotent, so they all figured that Mirabelle was not a faithful wife. Her suicide drove Vikel to the depths of despair. He was unsure of what to do, and Geron's actions towards the "traitor" Clarissa, and the "impure" Garrin drove Vikel mad.

Two years to the day after the death of his wife, Geron dropped dead after a night of drinking, and the following morning Vikel claimed the title as head of the Ravenhorst house. His first order of business was kicking Clarissa and her spawn out of the family estate. She was a traitor, and her child impure. Neither deserved to represent the Ravenhorst family name. The body was never examined, but rumor has it that Geron was poisoned.

During this time, Malik had moved off of the estate grounds, just being there when Geron needed him. He had his own small house with Ruby, and his first child Gerrad had just entered the world. The news of his brother's death hit him hard, and Malik was unsure of what to do. He did know however, that he did not desire the leadership of the house for himself. Thus, he began plotting, thinking of a way that Gerrad could take over the Ravenhorst house.

Several years later, Garrin began to train with a blade. Only twelve years of age, but he had to figure out some way to earn money. He didn't get much in the way of formal education, but he did have a sense of wit about him. By the age of 14, Garrin could handle himself in a fight against people larger than he. He didn't do anything fancy, but he had clearly paid attention to his training. As the years passed, he would go and help those who were in need of a sword. Otherwise he was a simple day laborer, doing what he could to ease the burden he had placed on his mother.

Around the time that Garrin turned twenty, his mother received an offer from Fredrich and Rachelle Eisenburg, some distant family members, that had heard after all of these years the actions that Vikel had taken and asked if she and her son would like to come to the capital. Though their quarters may leave something to be desired, family was family, and they could not bear to see Clairissa left out in the cold all that time. They accepted the offer, and went off to Goldthrone. Once arriving at Goldthrone, Garrin became a city guard. It wasn't exactly a glorious position, but it was something that worked for him. He continued upon that mundane path for several years. Living without complaint, doing what he was asked to do and defending the town, the surrounding area, and its people during their times of need.

However, when he was twenty six, he found a curious little hole in the wall called the "Wolverine Den" run by a rather jovial halfling who always had a story to tell. How much of it was true, nobody could say but the man could spin a great tale. It was a place that Garrin would frequent, during his time off. The brew was cheap and the stories were always a great time. The halfling could prattle on for hours and hours, but never once did his stories become dull. He'd notice when patrons were down, and try to cheer them up. One such moment changed Garrin's life. He had been wondering if he should really be content with being a guard all of his life. Even if it was in name only, he was a member of a noble house. Perhaps he should try to do something greater. He confessed his worries to the barkeep, who listened intently. After hearing Garrin's worries, with a twinkle in his clouded eyes, he pointed skyward with a single finger, speaking in his normal, happy tone. "When you don't know what to do, just know that the Golden Gods can help you work everything out. It's what worked for me." The halfing then let out a hearty laugh, but what he said was true.

Garrin began to work closely with a shrine dedicated to Iomedae, The Light of the Sword during his free time and continued on his path of being a guard. More often than not, he found himself being put in charge of a small group of young blood, eager to do what they could to help their home. He would often be sent to the outlying areas to protect the smaller villages from things they could not handle themselves, whether it was the wildlife encroaching a bit too far into human lands, a band of brigands, or a roving group of goblins that had somehow evaded decimation, Garrin was there.

Unbeknownst to Garrin, he was being watched. The Inquisition had been keeping their eyes on him as he rose from your every day city guard to a man that could lead a group of bright eyed teens into a battle against whatever threat may come their way, and see everyone out to the other side. It seemed almost as if he had some sort of divine power, a potential that was untapped. Truth be told, the Inquisition had seen better days, they were quickly becoming short staffed and it was difficult to just recruit people off of the streets. It took a certain type of individual to do the type of work that the Inquisition was accustomed to.

In time, those in the Inquisition came knocking on Garrin's door. They knew what he had done, and believed he was capable of much more. He was approached by a few men and asked if he could assist them with a task in the service of Iomedae. It wasn't more than a day's ride from Goldthrone, so Garrin agreed. After they left town, it was revealed that an unsanctioned mage was practicing the dark arts. The orders were to force the mage to cease his magical activity by any means necessary. To Garrin, this was a chance to improve his life. To live up to his noble origins.

Garrin waited outside as the actual Inquisition members attempted to subdue the mage, peeking in from time to time. The mage refused to comply and managed to slip by as the other members tried to encircle him. A little grease goes a long way. As the mage bolted out through the doorway, Garrin was ready. Without mercy, he ran the mage through. The mage collapsed as soon as the blow hit him and Garrin watched as he bled out.

When the group went back to Goldthrone, Garrin was taken to the Inquisitors HQ. He accepted their offer to join and became somewhat of a "yes man" he followed orders, even if he wasn't sure that they were the right decisions. He never voiced his concerns, and did what needed to be done. It would let him go places in the world, make a name for himself.

Over the years he has been involved with the Inquisition, Garrin has seen his fair share of horror. He had ended the lives of many, either by the sword or through imprisonment for crimes that they may or may not have committed. He followed orders without regard to his own feelings on the matter.

Hersey Plot (Currently ongoing, not entirely related to GoG but something I like.)

With the banishment of Clarissa and Garrin, and the suicide of his wife, Vikel was left without an heir, a position that was quite vulnerable. If he were to meet an untimely end, or become otherwise incapable of running the house, rule would fall to Malik's side of the family. Vikel wasn't getting any younger, and was rather troubled by his lack of an heir. He went around sleeping with whoever was willing, in a desperate attempt to father a son. As long as it was an heir that had his own blood, it didn't matter who the mother was as long as she was human.

With his eyes turned away from the state of his estate, it was the perfect opening for Gerrod. He had heard that Garrin had become a member of the Inqusition, so he quickly went to work building a hidden shrine on the grounds of the Ravenhorst manor. It was a slow process, that is taking place over time and is not yet complete. The shrine being built in secret is for Gormurg, the Blood Drinker. When the time is right, Gerrod will report this heresy to the church, and hope that Garrin is dispatched to deal with what has happened. A fitting end to the man that had forsaken his own family. Gerrod would be on hand to sweep in and scoop up the title of Lord of Ravenhorst, of course. This plot that is underway is not known by Garrin.

The Iron Tempest (currently Ongoing)

On the other side of the family, Maximilian Eisenburg has founded a mercenary guild called The Iron Tempest. His motivations in doing so, was that he was not the heir to anything, and wanted to perhaps see a bit more of the world with companions in tow. Perhaps with some acts of derring-do to have some stories to tell at the local pubs. Currently the members are:

• Maximilian Eisenburg (founder, leader)
• Cedrick Eisenburg
• Johnathan Hart
• Cordelia Hart
• Samuel Hart

Essentially, all of the members of their side of the family that don't have anything to inherit, so they are a little more free than their siblings that are stuck learning the in and out of the family business.

The Iron Tempest runs on two primary rules:

• Don't do jobs that will tarnish the name of the family, and the guild
  
• Don't kill in cold blood

They are pretty straight forward and easy to follow. Of course any group that fights is bound to run into a few situations where they have to kill other people, but those people will tend to be villainous, rather than an upstanding citizen.


Events leading to Garrin entering the Guild of Galas'nor

Tragedy struck. The temple that Garrin had been working so closely with had drawn the wrath of many. They were strict, and had little tolerance for hersey. One stormy night, the temple was ransacked. Everyone inside was murdered, the temple itself burned to the ground, all valuables missing or destroyed.

Garrin was devastated. The place he had felt the most valuable at had been stripped from him, and he felt as if it was his fault. His reputation preceded him, and he was perhaps the most hated Inquisitor around. Garrin had put away or killed many heretics, and constantly received threats against his person. He generally ignored them and went about his business, he was a fairly cautious man in general.

He was extended an offer from his relatives to join the Iron Tempest, but he rejected it. He didn't want to bring unnecessary danger into their lives, they already faced enough from the threats they were employed to deal with. They didn't need any unwanted attention. It was something regretful, but Garrin knew in the end it was not the right choice to stay. He had enjoyed many years of the occasional adventure with his family, and hearing about what they were doing when he was off on business with the Inquisition. However, it was time for him to carve a new path. One that didn't call danger down upon his friends, family, and citizens who happened to be in the line of fire.

Garrin set his sights on a foreign land. He had heard rumors of a group of people that were all quite strong, and known for their easy going attitude. His enemies would be unlikely to find him in such a distant location, and those he knew in Goldthrone would be safe. All he knew was that they hailed from a city called Ternadan.  He went around town, giving his farewells to various people. Osco, the halfling that had led him down this path to begin with, the guards he had worked with, and his family members. He promised Maximilian that he would stay in touch, the letters may take time to travel but would get there eventually.

After taking care of the affairs that needed to be attended to, Garrin booked passage on a ship to travel to Ternadan. A bustling city, rumored to house one of the most powerful adventuring guilds. As the boat left the harbor, Garrin looked longingly back at the city that had served as his home for a good portion of his life. "Farewell, Goldthrone. Perhaps I shall lay my eyes upon you once more in the future."

Being from a distant land, Garrin was unsure where to start. It didn't take long for him to find his lead though. He asked a group of people in a bar if they knew where he could find a famous adventuring guild, and they all laughed. "Of course we do. The Guild of Galas'nor is always making a ruckus of some sort in town. If you look, you will find them." Surely, a man with talents like himself could find a way to fit in. There would have to be tasks that he was well suited for, so he continued his search. It didn't take long to come into contact with the Guild.

After a small amount of conversation, and some obligatory paperwork, Garrin was approved. He had the Guild's emblem emblazoned on his breastplate, and settled into his new room. It wasn't much, but it was comfortable, and functional. The two things he desired most in his own quarters. The air around the Guild was quite unfamiliar to him. Instead of the depressing, somber atmosphere that usually surrounded all matters relating to the Inquisition, the Guild seemed to be so full of life. Always having fun, people always smiling, being friendly, eating, drinking, celebrating, even when there was no cause for celebration. Every single day at the Guild of Galas'nor felt like a holiday, and soon that spirit began to infect Garrin as well. He became relaxed, and enjoyed every day. He was still a serious customer when it came to his job, it would be foolish to let his guard down in combat after all. But in his day to day life, he was much more jovial, still showing his serious streak from time to time.

A few weeks had passed since Garrin had joined the Guild, and the atmosphere was starting to feel normal. There seemed to always be someone up to something, and they were more than willing to talk about whatever was going on. As a stranger in an even stranger land, Garrin really appreciated the willingness of the other members of the Guild to show him around town, and help him feel at home. He hoped that someday there would be a person newer than he to show the ropes, or find some other way to repay the kindness that everyone had shown for a complete outsider. He did not expect people to be some welcoming, especially considering the environment where he had come from. Even the most loyal of Inquisitors were always under the watchful eye of someone else and slight missteps could end careers. He started to wonder how he put up with his old life for so many years. And how others could manage to stay, and try to rebuild after everything that had happened. His end goal had not changed, but his path to acquiring it certainly felt like it had undergone tremendous change.

Due to his nature, Garrin prefers any sort of job that is investigative in nature, or has some sort of mystery to solve. A simple hack and slash, while something he is proficient at is something that he feels is best left to other people. He did expect to need to fight, and trained daily to keep his skills sharp, after all most tasks that go beyond the guard to an adventuring guild tend to be dangerous in some aspect. He knew that much from the stories from the Iron Tempest and the few missions he had gone on with them. He looked forward to his first adventures with his new companions.

At the present time, his aspirations are to gain enough power to build his own landed branch of the Ravenhorst family, reclaiming the name that had been stolen from him as a child for nothing that was the fault of his own. And to continue to do as much as he can to provide support in any mission that the Guild of Galas'nor undertakes while upholding his personal beliefs and keeping an eye out for any obvious hersey. Such as the outright worship of evil Gods, destruction of church related properties, and dark magic rituals.

TL:DR - Ronin, read a book!