[hider=Sir Duncan Goldenheir, the Lion of Dawn]
[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a1/90/bd/a190bdcbb1a60d28f2578bc65f3c72b7.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][i]Sword, steel, and faith win wars.[/i][/center]

[color=gold][b]Name;[/b][/color] Sir Duncan Goldenheir, also known as the Lion of Dawn

[color=gold][b]Age;[/b][/color] 31

[color=gold][b]Gender;[/b][/color] Male

[color=gold][b]Race;[/b][/color] Human

[color=gold][b]Country of Origin;[/b][/color] Ethora

[b][color=gold]Personality;[/color][/b] Sir Duncan is a good, honest man, and one that many will attest is one of the most dutiful in the realm. Raised by the Knights of Andal, he was cultivated to be the epitome of chivalry and virtue, and as a result, one thing Sir Duncan prides himself in above all else, is that he is a man of his word—when he swears an oath to someone, he will do everything within his power to keep it. This has made Sir Duncan incredibly loyal to the lords and ladies to which he has been sworn to in the past, regardless of whether he approves of their views or aims either morally or holistically. For that is what Sir Duncan believes to be the most integral aspect of being a knight—for if you cannot trust the word of a sworn oath-bound knight, who can you trust in this world?

Other than this, Sir Duncan is stoic and respectful. He offers advice when it is solicited, or rather, when others are wise enough to ask, but many years of experience have taught him that it is best to not waste your breath on those who will not listen. Sir Duncan respects those who are humble, yet wise, those who show strength, yet know when to employ mercy, those who are courageous, but do not let this courage be tainted by arrogance. He is a man who honors the scales of justice, one who believes any perversion of the law weakens the fabric of society for all. Above all, however, as a Knight of Andal, his faith drives him onward. Sir Duncan lives, kills, and conquests in the name of Andal, blazing his path forward, striving into the dark unknown, touting Andal's ideals of order, honor, and truth as his guardians. 

[b][color=gold]History;[/color][/b] Somewhere on the North-eastern shores of Ethora, steeped into the rocky and sheer coastal cliffs, lies a great, spiraling stone monastery, which is home to the Knights of Andal. The Knights of Andal are an order of Knights, and supporting monks and stewards of course, who ride in the name of Andal, who they believe to be the most important of the Council of Nine. They believe it was Andal's wisdom that created all the good in humanity, and the rest, the greed, envy, and lust, all of it is because Andal did not have a bigger hand in our creation. Thus they deem it their duty to ride in the name of Andal, to highlight the good qualities he has imparted upon us, show that his influence was not in vain, that the good, the truth, the just, still exist in this world, and in doing so they hope to become beacons of Andal's truth for all to see. For they believe the hardships of Aerion could all be rectified if we all learned to be a little more like the great Andal himself—just, true, and honorable.

On the Day of the Lord's Light, a holiday which the Knights of Andal upkeep that sports much drinking and feasting and festivities in the name of their esteemed god, one of the monks in the monastery found a baby, seemingly a newborn, left unattended, wrapped in a golden cloth, at the top of the great stone steps that lead up to the monastery entrance. Whether the baby was left their by divine will or simply a mother looking for a home for a baby they could not care for is not known (although the uncertainty only adds to Sir Duncan's legend), but the Knights of Andal took in this baby as one of their own, claiming that the fact that he was left on their door step on the Day of the Lord's Light was a sign, a sign that he was to be Andal's Chosen, a champion of all that was good and just in the world. And so they named him Duncan, to honor Sir Duncan Illywin, who was the founder of the Knights of Andal, and gave him the surname of Goldenheir, for he would be heir to the new, golden world, that which would be fashioned in Andal's image, that the Knights of Andal intended to create.

Thus, they raised Duncan as one of their own. Duncan spent years in those stone courtyards, through cloudy days and those filled with sun, sparring, training, and learning the ins and outs of swordplay. He spent hours in the monastery rooms, learning from old, aging monks the teachings of Andal, the tenants of chivalry, and other basic skills, like reading and basic arithmetic. As was customary, after years of learning, Duncan was made a squire at 15, and he was assigned to the tutelage of Sir Joshua Greer. As Sir Joshua's squire, Duncan would look after his horse, clean his weapons, and accompany him to the battlefield, as his sort of coming-of-knighthood initiation. Duncan was a loyal squire for three years, until his eighteenth birthday, when he was dubbed a Knight for his actions at the Battle of Chokecherry Hill. The Knights of Andal had faced off against a sect of swell swords who had taken over the small trading settlement, and Sir Joshua Greer was slain in battle. Duncan famously fended off three swellswords by his self, and dragged Sir Joshua's body off the battle field, slinging it atop his horse so that the noble man may have been afforded a proper, righteous burial in the eyes of Andal. 

Since then, Sir Duncan Goldenheir has served honorably as knight, known as a guardian of the meek, and protector of those who cannot protect themselves, and as a result of his tenacious pursuit of justice he has become one of, if not the most, prominently known Knight of Andal. His deeds precede him, and his fiercesome fighting style has created a legend that perhaps by this point outlives actuality, with many referring to him as the Lion of Dawn. Now, as one of the most respected Knights of his region, he has been summoned to help represent Ethora to the Order of Ekilore. So he forges on forwards, the Great Lord Andal as his guide.

[color=gold][b]Weapon Preference;[/b][/color] Nothing beats good, old, reliable iron steel and stone hilt; Sir Duncan's steel sword, whose hilt bears the Roaring Golden Lion which serves as the Sigil of the Knights of Andal, which he has named "Order."

[b][color=gold]Side;[/color][/b] Knights
[/hider]

The ship's mast-head, a great, snarling golden lion, rolled through the waves, with the hull of the ship cutting the ocean's currents, skiffs rolling off of it. Sir Duncan Goldenheir stood at the bow of the ship, his squire Alistair at his side, gazing off into the distance at the once inscrutable land mass that was beginning to crystallize and clarify itself as it drew closer into the ship's view. The Tower of Oculus' smooth marble was becoming perfectly visible by now, and it's unparalleled height was unmistakable, even at this distance. The Tower of Oculus' grandeur, to Duncan, was unmatched in all of Aerion, and he believed that no man could have ever created such a display of power. He believed it was some divine show of force, one that the people of the lands had long forgotten who had delivered it, and could not fathom the possibility that any man had created such an obelisk. 

"By the Great Lord Andal..." Sir Duncan muttered to himself, in awe of the Tower. 

"I've always heard the stories of it, but to see it, with my own two eyes..." said Alistair, trailing off in thought, "... Well, to actually see it, that's an entirely different thing."

Sir Duncan nodded in concordance, his eyes roving all the way up the pillar, trying desperately to see where it ended, but to no avail. 

"Sir Duncan?"

"Yes, Alistair."

"Be careful," Alistair said, his eyes filled with all the naivety and compassion that Sir Duncan remembered from his own youth, "You know, when you're in there with them. I shudder to think about what sort of sorcerery lies within such a structure."

Sir Duncan gave the boy a smile of understanding. He liked Alistair, he was a good lad, one that reminded him of himself—always concerned with the wellbeing of others. It was for this reason Sir Duncan had chosen to squire the boy, even though others had shown much more potential with the sword than Alistair. Alistair had a big heart, and Sir Duncan had taken to liking him over the boy's cohorts for this reason.

"Not to worry lad. The Monks of Ekilore are some of the most esteemed that Aerion has ever seen. They are noble in their own way, always looking out for the good of the realm. Besides," he continued, giving him a reassuring smile, "I've got the Great Lord Andal as my guide." 

---

The path up the tower had been breathtaking. Sir Duncan had heard tales of the view from the Tower of Occulus, but seeing it... as Alistair had put it, was an entirely different thing. The sunlight glittered through its great glass panes, and the sea that surrounded them and its' waves raged on, like a torturous beauty. He stood in the company of two others, one who he recognized as Sir Roland Grey, and the other whomst he did not yet know. Sir Roland, if he was not mistaken, was a member of the Lionsguard and he had heard much of his deeds, or rather his boasting of his deeds. It was one of the worst kept secrets in the realm that Sir Roland was a man whose ego eclipsed all others, but Sir Duncan was not one to let the talk of others sully a man's reputation before he even met him. 

"Greetings, friends. I am Sir Duncan Goldenheir, Knight of the Knights of Andal, Andal's Chosen. May Andal's Blessings be upon the both of you," he said, using his usual customary greeting. He turned to Sir Roland, "Ah, Sir Roland. I have heard much of your bravery in the Lionsguard. I trust you are doing well."