Ser Leofryck

Ser Leofryck, son of Riobard is the leader of the Knight's Templar in Caeldonia. He is a fearless warrior, putting a lot of stock in his personal faith, and less so in his church. He leads the Templars as he sees fit, trying to mold them into a group of extremely efficient warriors, while also making them as empathetic as possible. He wants the Knight's Templar to be as chivalristic as it is portrayed to be. This course of leadership has led many of his men to deeply respect him, as a saviour of the order. Even the Grand Marshal respects his vision, which is why he was named Knight's Commander. Leofryck wants his mission in Caeldonia to be accomplished without bloodshed, though he doubts that will happen with Bishop Chapman at the helm of the priests. Many of his men will follow a priest before their own commander...
==Biography==
Leofryck’s story starts a long time ago, 36 years ago to be exact. He was born far to the north, in a land ridden with war. The wars fought here were not between kingdoms, but between land owners, great lords who could be either very benevolent or extremely malevolent. Leofryck was born to the most benevolent lord of them all, Lord Riobard II. Riobard’s lands were vast, and his people were happy, and other lords, large and small, looked to him for inspiration. Chivalry was the name of the game with Riobard, and peasants, lords, and ladies everywhere respected him for it. And once Leofryck was born to him, Riobard’s life changed. Before Leofryck, Riobard had had no sons, and only two daughters. Riobard’s sole purpose in life became raising Leofryck in the ways of chivalry, and teaching his son to always do good by people. Because of their close relationship, Leofryck came to love, and respect, his father above all other living men. He trained hard, studied hard, and fought hard to become just like his father. And by the time Leofryck became a man, all this had paid off. He was the spitting image of his father, and had become one of the most talented fighters in the land. The day soon came where Leofryck was able to test his mettle in true battle. The wars were still raging in the land, and one of the minor lords had overstepped his bounds by trying to invade Riobard’s lands. The war that sprung from this was short, but bloody. It took only a week to route the invasion force, but the number of dead was well into the hundreds of thousands. Leofryck had been at the forefront of the killing, captaining his lord father’s troops. Afterwards, Leofryck was said to never be the same. He became much more solemn, and he lost some of the youthful jollity that used to follow him around. Yet, the young man tried his hardest to remain as unchanged as possible. The few wars that followed that initial one saw Leofryck become more acquainted with death. He found a respect for it, and he blocked the grief it caused him to see fellow men die out of his heart. He became a stone cold killer, but an enthusiastic lover. His demeanor on and off the battlefield became almost like split personalities, which was actually the optimal way to live life as a warrior.Leofryck’s life was perfect. He had a good home, was good at what he did, and was the heir to an immense responsibility that he felt he was ready for. However, all that would change when the christian missionaries arrived in town. At first, it was a small gathering of preaching brothers whom were working their hardest to convert the town. However, as more and more people in the town accepted the church and all it had to say, eventually more and more of the preacher brethren came and soon, the town was infested with Christians. To Lord Riobard, it was either convert, or be threatened with usurpation. Little did the great lord know, that his son, the newly knighted Leofryck, had already been converted body and soul to the church. He became the most devout follower of the church in the city. Even his father was a little taken aback by his son's new behavior. Then, one day, Ser Leofryck found his true calling.
When one of the church brothers told Leofryck he could fight for the church, the young man took up the sword immediately in the name of god. Given his reputation as a fighter, the church immediately sent him on crusades into lands the church felt needed to be cleansed of savagery. Indeed, they did. The populace had not found god. Nay, they had never heard of god. The crusaders were never truly... welcomed. Rather, they stormed into these pagan lands, burning what they could find, and slaughtering anyone whom put up a fight. Ser Leofryck had been at the forefront of the massacres in these lands. As an impressionable lad, he had felt he was doing the right thing. And that did not change for many, many years.
  It has been almost four and ten years since Leofryck went on his first crusade. Ser Leofryck is now known as Knight Commander Leofryck, and is currently accompanying another crusade into another pagan land. The Knight Commander has seen enough bloodshed for one life. He has shed enough blood to fill all the seas of the world, and he's shed enough blood to have died a dozen times over. He has the scars to prove it, most notably the facial one he received on a crusade into a land of fire worshipers. Yet the grizzled man keeps fighting. Even as a Knight Commander, Leofryck still finds himself at the frontlines. He is getting tired of killing people just for their beliefs. However, he must appease the church. He must appease God. Although Leofryck may be the actual leader of the force, there is a figurehead in place. A Bishop, whom is seeking to increase his standing with the church. His name, is Wermund Chapman. Wermund is hypocrisy incarnate. He professes to be a man without sin, but Knight Commander Leofryck has already walked in on him sleeping with about four unclean women, just since the voyage began. However, the old knight had seen all this and more from men even higher up than Wermund. Ser Leofryck knows his church is corrupt. He just doesn't know what he can do about it. And so, with that train of thought, the Knight Commander, the Bishop, and his large force of christian invaders arrive in the lands of Caeldonia.
==Physical Description==
Leofryck is a tall, bulky man. He is wide, but thin. He has a dark mane of hair, that you will rarely see down in his eyes. His hair is always brushed back, and will generally sport a ponytail. His face is an otherwise comely one except for the severe burns to the left side of it. The skin there is smooth, but extremely patchy, as is characteristic of burn scars. At times, sores will appear on this side of his face. These sores are large, red, and always weeping It gives the appearance of his face being freshly burned. The sores will generally only be active for a day or two before they scab over, and eventually heal.
==Apparel==
Leofryck is rarely found without armor on. Whether it be plate and mail, surcoat and mail, or anything in between, the man never goes anywhere without the extra protection. He wears an eye-patch over his left eye, to keep people from staring any more than they have to.
==Weapons==
Growing up as the son of a great lord, Leofryck was constantly training to master his combat skills. Sword, shield, lance, dagger, bow, even the axe, Leofryck trained with them all. But, he found his calling in the sword. Leofryck battered every other boy in the practice yard, and killed every enemy who came before him on the battlefield. His weapon of choice is a heavy bastard sword, masterfully forged specifically for him on his 18th nameday. Leofryck is also very lenient to the shield, and will commonly use one in battle.
==Other skills==
===Charisma:===
Leofryck is extremely charismatic, generally being able to peacefully negotiate even the most volatile of situations.
===Riding:===
Years of practice and actual combat riding has made Leofryck an expert horseback rider, probably the best a human can get.
===Strategy:===
Leofryck’s education consisted of countless hours of battle strategy. Because of this, Leofryck has become an extremely adept strategian.
===Scribing:===
Leofryck’s education led him to be able to read and write like the best of them. This was a rather rare skill in Leofryck’s homeland, and truly set him a cut above the common rabble.
===Fitness:===
Years of training, and fighting, have let Leofryck develop the swiftness required to be an effective fighter. His level of fitness means Leofryck can run faster, jump higher, and strike harder than the common man, and even most common soldiers.