I've rustled up a character sheet.
Appearance: This fresco was painted at a time earlier in Asher's life. Currently, he has quite a paunch, and greying hair. Despite only being 40, Asher is already showing signs of age.
Name: Knight Asher of Many Banners
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Role in Society: Knight
Occupation: Member of the militant arm of the Knights Hospitallier
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Role in Society: Knight
Occupation: Member of the militant arm of the Knights Hospitallier
Asher is notorious for his exceptional bravery and fortitude in defending a hospital located in the arid lands outside of his kingdom.
Surrounded by a large number of hostile zealots and with only a crumbling garrison and a group of unarmed, unarmored nurses at his hands, Asher held the entire force off long enough to force their retreat. In his defense of his hospital, not one of the sick and wounded charged to him died. Some say that, at the end of his ordeal, a bright light surrounded the hospital and engulfed Asher in a wreath of holy virtue. As the zealots retreated, the first of the Knights Hospitallier relief force arrived, shocked at the tenacity with which Asher's hospital was defended.
Surrounded by a large number of hostile zealots and with only a crumbling garrison and a group of unarmed, unarmored nurses at his hands, Asher held the entire force off long enough to force their retreat. In his defense of his hospital, not one of the sick and wounded charged to him died. Some say that, at the end of his ordeal, a bright light surrounded the hospital and engulfed Asher in a wreath of holy virtue. As the zealots retreated, the first of the Knights Hospitallier relief force arrived, shocked at the tenacity with which Asher's hospital was defended.
Appearance: This fresco was painted at a time earlier in Asher's life. Currently, he has quite a paunch, and greying hair. Despite only being 40, Asher is already showing signs of age.
Personality: Amicable and gentle at heart, Asher certainly bears the personality of a father, to both his men and his children. Asher holds contempt for fools and layabouts, however, and holds a strong sense of discipline. With a strong sense of duty, Asher is difficult to convince not to continue on in the face of certain death.
Skills: Personal hygiene and equipment maintenance (learned by rote, effectively a master)
Basic first aid and medicine (expert)
Combat under the Accords of the Marquis du Fonte: swords, shields, and spears (Master)
Combat under old "Chappy" Kiuper: street-fighting, improvised weaponry, pankration (apprentice)
Defensive Strategy (expert)
Combat Flaws:
Sun-Baked Eyes: Being the veteran of quite a bit of desert travel, Asher's kinesthetic sense and perceptive abilities have taken a heavy toll. In essence, Asher is far-sighted.
Age Before Beauty: Being a 40-year-old man, Asher is not in his prime anymore. He suffers from a light cough, aching bones, and all the existential issues of a man nearing a mid-life crisis.
The Only Offense is a Good Defense:Asher has troubles planning offensive strategies and applying tactics mid-battle.
Personality Flaws:
Dang Kids!: Being a father of three, Asher grows extremely impatient around young people, and tries to gently force them into doing what he wants.
Long Arm of the Law: Being a high-ranking soldier of the Ybellan military, Asher holds the laws set by the nobles as gospel. Thieves, murderers, and general lawbreakers will be viewed with suspicion at best.
A Father to his Men: Asher is extremely defensive of all the people under his supervision. A threat to the doctors, civilians, soldiers, and family members following him will be dealt with through unnecessary force and cruelty.
Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder: Asher's many years of experience cause him to stay on the defensive even in peaceful times. When immensely stressed, he may even start suffering from flashbacks of the fateful battle that gave him his legendary status.
Skills: Personal hygiene and equipment maintenance (learned by rote, effectively a master)
Basic first aid and medicine (expert)
Combat under the Accords of the Marquis du Fonte: swords, shields, and spears (Master)
Combat under old "Chappy" Kiuper: street-fighting, improvised weaponry, pankration (apprentice)
Defensive Strategy (expert)
Combat Flaws:
Sun-Baked Eyes: Being the veteran of quite a bit of desert travel, Asher's kinesthetic sense and perceptive abilities have taken a heavy toll. In essence, Asher is far-sighted.
Age Before Beauty: Being a 40-year-old man, Asher is not in his prime anymore. He suffers from a light cough, aching bones, and all the existential issues of a man nearing a mid-life crisis.
The Only Offense is a Good Defense:Asher has troubles planning offensive strategies and applying tactics mid-battle.
Personality Flaws:
Dang Kids!: Being a father of three, Asher grows extremely impatient around young people, and tries to gently force them into doing what he wants.
Long Arm of the Law: Being a high-ranking soldier of the Ybellan military, Asher holds the laws set by the nobles as gospel. Thieves, murderers, and general lawbreakers will be viewed with suspicion at best.
A Father to his Men: Asher is extremely defensive of all the people under his supervision. A threat to the doctors, civilians, soldiers, and family members following him will be dealt with through unnecessary force and cruelty.
Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder: Asher's many years of experience cause him to stay on the defensive even in peaceful times. When immensely stressed, he may even start suffering from flashbacks of the fateful battle that gave him his legendary status.
Will of Steel: Asher has been granted impossible endurance. Even bleeding copiously and suffering from multiple broken limbs, Asher is still capable of standing and fighting as if he was at his prime.
The Flesh is Unwilling: Asher's skin is unusually tough, and capable of blunting blows as efficiently as leather.
Stamina of the Bull: Asher's lungs will always find themselves full of breath. Asher is capable of fighting in pitched combat for hours at a time.
The Gift of Gab: Asher has been granted a compelling voice. Though he can't convince someone to do anything outside of their own free will, he can handily convince people of what they have already been thinking. Intimidation, joking, and rallying are all Asher's best methods of conversation.
The Flesh is Unwilling: Asher's skin is unusually tough, and capable of blunting blows as efficiently as leather.
Stamina of the Bull: Asher's lungs will always find themselves full of breath. Asher is capable of fighting in pitched combat for hours at a time.
The Gift of Gab: Asher has been granted a compelling voice. Though he can't convince someone to do anything outside of their own free will, he can handily convince people of what they have already been thinking. Intimidation, joking, and rallying are all Asher's best methods of conversation.
Born in a fiefdom of the Marquis du Fonte, Asher was the son of a seminoble knight of Ybella. Acting as the squire to his own older brother, Asher learned the academia of the knight from a young age. Through what education his family could afford, Asher learned to be chivalrous, brave, and most importantly durable.
The Marquis du Fonte was an old friend of the royal family of Adriett, and held the right to form his own force. Being a man who knew that the correct path to profits was through one's own workers, the Marquis formed the Knights Hospitallier. This order was more a relief force than an army, but funded with the best equipment and training money could afford. Staffed with small amounts of professional soldiers, trained healers, and the Marquis's hand-picked elite officers, the Knights Hospitallier are a force to be reckoned with. All knights under the Marquis's reign are required to collaborate with the Knights Hospitallier, and are only permitted a leave of absence once their age and injuries prove too troublesome to keep them around.
When he turned old enough to become a man and be enlisted, Asher gladly pledged allegiance to his Marquis, and was assigned to the Knights Hospitallier. As soon as he was sworn, Asher was given a suit of armor and a trusty steed, and was shipped off directly to the Hospitalliers' latest location.
As a vanguard of the Knights Hospitallier, Asher travelled far and wide across Ybella to areas in need, protecting the healers and nurses wherever they went. Through his adventures, Asher found himself a family in his knight-brothers.
Though a Knight's life is to die in the field, Asher found a family in the many camp followers, who were friends and family of the professional healers and knights in the order. Asher met his future wife, a woman named Isabel. She was the daughter of one of the elder healers in the order, and had learned much from her travels with the order. With Isabel, Asher sired three children. Though they have grown to adulthood long ago, they still travel with the order on their eternal quest. They will only be allowed to return to Asher's family home once Asher himself is relieved of his duty.
The single greatest undertaking the Knights Hospitallier undertook was a march into the vast desert just south of the Marquis's territory. There, organized crime ran rampant outside of the watchful eyes of the nobility. Through a twisted camaraderie in crime, one particular band of criminals had developed a terrifying religion. They invented new gods to worship, and named themselves the Orakh Raiders, after their patron god. The false god Orakh demanded sacrifices of blood and riches, and the Raiders were all too happy to take what they wanted from the peasantry.
Though many nobles had formed armies to cleanse Ybella of crime, it was the Knights Hospitallier that became most known for it. Through healing and supporting the communities ravaged by the Orakh Raiders, any territory gained by the order was territory that stayed loyal. Through this inexhaustible source of happy, supportive, healthy peasants, the Marquis du Fonte's coffers overflowed with the riches gained from their toils. However, all good things must have their tribulations.
Deep in the heart of the Dry Season, Asher and his company (Isabel and kids included) came under attack from the Orakh Raiders. Asher's brother-knights fought valiantly, but were ultimately defeated through the Raiders' superior tactics and numbers. Through luck alone, Asher was the only able-bodied warrior left out of the whole company, facing down twenty seasoned Raiders. With the life of his family at stake, Asher drove himself into a chilling martial trance, and began what would later be known as The Battle of the Single Shield.
Though he was one man against twenty, Asher used the ingenuity of his allies and his own training to create a defense against the Raiders. Medicine was hastily converted into poisons and bombs. Crutches were formed into stakes. The sick and dying rose for the first time in days to fight to the last breath. At the head of it all was Asher, belting out calls for morale and scything down any Raiders that dared come near.
The battle lasted for three days, each day more desperate than the last. Each day, the Raiders charged the crude palisade formed by Asher's forces. Each day, Asher's defenses wiped out a sizeable portion of the Raiders' forces. On the final day, the last of the Raiders fled, for a relief force of brother-knight scouts had arrived. What the scouts found was a fortress of cripples, doctors, mothers, and Asher. As soon as he knew his friends and family were safe, Asher succumbed to the three days of battle he had been through, and slept. For a full day, he slept like a corpse, causing his rescuers to fear he had died just as help arrived.
When Asher woke up, he spoke of a miraculous dream. In it, a shadowy figure that referred to itself as the Jergal commended him for his unceasing bravery and ingenuity. Jergal, wishing to reward Asher for his superhuman bravery, unveiled the secrets of Deep Magic to him. Sure enough, Asher showed signs of being Touched by Jergal.
Then, as a Hospitallier's life is to die in the support of others, he returned to servitude in the order. His faithful wife and children trailing behind him, Asher petitioned the Marquis du Fonte himself to ensure that the Orakh Raiders be stopped. Hearing the stories told of Asher's bravery through the rumor mill, the Marquis granted Asher the freedom to form his own branch of the Knights Hospitallier. And, sure enough, he did.
With a legendary reputation behind him and the glow of one chosen by the gods at his forefront, gaining forces was simple. Hospitalliers from all across the Marquis's holdings flocked to pledge allegiance to Asher and fight under his banner. Seeing the astonishing diversity of his subjects, Asher opted to do away with his own family's banner, and instead utilize one formed of the homes each of his men came under. Thus, the Order of the Many Banners was formed. Though the Order numbers only six, Asher included, they comprise many of the strongest, most faithful, bravest men of the Knights Hospitallier. With the aid of his subjects and his loving family, Asher spends his days in the lawless outskirt deserts of Ybella, hunting scofflaws and bringing hope to the civilized people living within.
The Marquis du Fonte was an old friend of the royal family of Adriett, and held the right to form his own force. Being a man who knew that the correct path to profits was through one's own workers, the Marquis formed the Knights Hospitallier. This order was more a relief force than an army, but funded with the best equipment and training money could afford. Staffed with small amounts of professional soldiers, trained healers, and the Marquis's hand-picked elite officers, the Knights Hospitallier are a force to be reckoned with. All knights under the Marquis's reign are required to collaborate with the Knights Hospitallier, and are only permitted a leave of absence once their age and injuries prove too troublesome to keep them around.
When he turned old enough to become a man and be enlisted, Asher gladly pledged allegiance to his Marquis, and was assigned to the Knights Hospitallier. As soon as he was sworn, Asher was given a suit of armor and a trusty steed, and was shipped off directly to the Hospitalliers' latest location.
As a vanguard of the Knights Hospitallier, Asher travelled far and wide across Ybella to areas in need, protecting the healers and nurses wherever they went. Through his adventures, Asher found himself a family in his knight-brothers.
Though a Knight's life is to die in the field, Asher found a family in the many camp followers, who were friends and family of the professional healers and knights in the order. Asher met his future wife, a woman named Isabel. She was the daughter of one of the elder healers in the order, and had learned much from her travels with the order. With Isabel, Asher sired three children. Though they have grown to adulthood long ago, they still travel with the order on their eternal quest. They will only be allowed to return to Asher's family home once Asher himself is relieved of his duty.
The single greatest undertaking the Knights Hospitallier undertook was a march into the vast desert just south of the Marquis's territory. There, organized crime ran rampant outside of the watchful eyes of the nobility. Through a twisted camaraderie in crime, one particular band of criminals had developed a terrifying religion. They invented new gods to worship, and named themselves the Orakh Raiders, after their patron god. The false god Orakh demanded sacrifices of blood and riches, and the Raiders were all too happy to take what they wanted from the peasantry.
Though many nobles had formed armies to cleanse Ybella of crime, it was the Knights Hospitallier that became most known for it. Through healing and supporting the communities ravaged by the Orakh Raiders, any territory gained by the order was territory that stayed loyal. Through this inexhaustible source of happy, supportive, healthy peasants, the Marquis du Fonte's coffers overflowed with the riches gained from their toils. However, all good things must have their tribulations.
Deep in the heart of the Dry Season, Asher and his company (Isabel and kids included) came under attack from the Orakh Raiders. Asher's brother-knights fought valiantly, but were ultimately defeated through the Raiders' superior tactics and numbers. Through luck alone, Asher was the only able-bodied warrior left out of the whole company, facing down twenty seasoned Raiders. With the life of his family at stake, Asher drove himself into a chilling martial trance, and began what would later be known as The Battle of the Single Shield.
Though he was one man against twenty, Asher used the ingenuity of his allies and his own training to create a defense against the Raiders. Medicine was hastily converted into poisons and bombs. Crutches were formed into stakes. The sick and dying rose for the first time in days to fight to the last breath. At the head of it all was Asher, belting out calls for morale and scything down any Raiders that dared come near.
The battle lasted for three days, each day more desperate than the last. Each day, the Raiders charged the crude palisade formed by Asher's forces. Each day, Asher's defenses wiped out a sizeable portion of the Raiders' forces. On the final day, the last of the Raiders fled, for a relief force of brother-knight scouts had arrived. What the scouts found was a fortress of cripples, doctors, mothers, and Asher. As soon as he knew his friends and family were safe, Asher succumbed to the three days of battle he had been through, and slept. For a full day, he slept like a corpse, causing his rescuers to fear he had died just as help arrived.
When Asher woke up, he spoke of a miraculous dream. In it, a shadowy figure that referred to itself as the Jergal commended him for his unceasing bravery and ingenuity. Jergal, wishing to reward Asher for his superhuman bravery, unveiled the secrets of Deep Magic to him. Sure enough, Asher showed signs of being Touched by Jergal.
Then, as a Hospitallier's life is to die in the support of others, he returned to servitude in the order. His faithful wife and children trailing behind him, Asher petitioned the Marquis du Fonte himself to ensure that the Orakh Raiders be stopped. Hearing the stories told of Asher's bravery through the rumor mill, the Marquis granted Asher the freedom to form his own branch of the Knights Hospitallier. And, sure enough, he did.
With a legendary reputation behind him and the glow of one chosen by the gods at his forefront, gaining forces was simple. Hospitalliers from all across the Marquis's holdings flocked to pledge allegiance to Asher and fight under his banner. Seeing the astonishing diversity of his subjects, Asher opted to do away with his own family's banner, and instead utilize one formed of the homes each of his men came under. Thus, the Order of the Many Banners was formed. Though the Order numbers only six, Asher included, they comprise many of the strongest, most faithful, bravest men of the Knights Hospitallier. With the aid of his subjects and his loving family, Asher spends his days in the lawless outskirt deserts of Ybella, hunting scofflaws and bringing hope to the civilized people living within.
