Conrad of Gerwhich

Conrad of Gerwhich is a variant human paladin and a Vindicated warrior. Growing up as a humble peasant in the meek town of Gerwhich, Conrad worked under his father's watch as a cobbler until his father became a member of the royal guard. He was able to pursue other passions and activities thanks to their increased wealth, which led to him being involved with the town's local church. The church's religion spread like wildfire, their intentions becoming more and more clear with each passing day. One day his father didn't return home, and Conrad found him deep within an abandoned cellar in a puddle of his own blood. With his dying words, he granted his son his blade and sent him off to avenge him. Conrad murdered the cultists who killed him, and afterwards devoted his time to serving the church as a pastor. He took it upon himself to become a crusader of the Way of the Bloodened Blade, and marched forth in a series of crusades in the name of their God Emperor. After a series of grueling crusades, the warrior sought the High World as the next land he would spread his religion throughout.
== History (Before the High World) ==
=== Beginnings in Gerwhich ===
In the rural town of Gerwhich, a young Conrad lived with his family in a shabby home. His family was very lower-class, barely making ends meet with their monthly wages. While his father worked as a cobbler out in the streets, his mother homeshooled the young boy because a normal education would dwindle their earnings considerably. Conrad was not completely devoid of a social life however, for he would often meet with the neighbor's kids and play with them in the streets of Gerwhich. 
When he wasn't being taught by his mother and playing with his friends, Conrad would study under his father as a cobbler. It wasn't the most interesting occupation, but Conrad did it to help his family however he could. He did have a natural skill for the craft it seemed, but Conrad lacked a conviction and passion for it. He hadn't found his calling just yet. 
When Conrad was fourteen, his father proved his worth at local trials being held to recruit new members of the Gerwhich royal guard. Soon after his promotion, Conrad's family finally escaped the struggles of the lower class and could finally afford the pristine education they wanted for Conrad.
=== The Word of Tarzek ===
Conrad's education led to a lot of opportunities he wouldn't have been able to be apart of prior, such as helping set up town festivals and brief internships with town scholars. But one of the greatest opportunities Conrad ever had was being able to participate in setting up a newly formed church right beside his hometown. Known as the Word of Tarzek, it seemed very unassuming and generous at first. The priest and fellow cardinals were very kind and friendly, and the text they spoke of seemed spiritually enlightening to Conrad and the few people of Gerwhich that attended church. As time passed, the church's teachings began to spread throughout the town like wildfire. People were deeply impacted by the gospel of the benevolent Tarzek, and Gerwhich became a town deeply rooted in it's teachings and beliefs. For Conrad, he found peace and purpose as a pastor that spread the Word of Tarzek, for he wanted to gift others with the same solace and peace he was given. 
A year went by, and Conrad's father hadn't returned to the house for over a day now. Usually he would inform his family if he had to be out for more a night, but this wasn't the case. Conrad went to his father's post and saw bloody footprints leading away from the gate, with a blood smear across the wall behind him. Conrad followed the mysterious trail to a broken down shack in the forest near town, with the bloody footprints ending atop the entrance to a cellar. The cellar lead to a dark, dingy dungeon where ominous chanting could be heard in the distance. 
Eventually, the young Conrad found his father dying in a bloody puddle against the stoned wall. His father told his son of the men who attacked him, stating they were "false Tarzekians" who did not truly follow or understand Tarzek's texts. In his final moments, he professed his pride in his son and gifted him his sword, telling him to show the world what it meant to be a true Tarzekian. With newfound purpose Conrad marched on until he found the cultists that killed his father, tearing them apart and leaving the cellar a bloody mess. 
That night, he buried his father outside of the town and told his mother what had happened. For the next week Conrad was in a sullen depression, processing his grief while watching his mother sulk in hers. The pain was too great to stay in Gerwhich, and so Conrad decided to become a missionary for the Word of Tarzek. He left his home at the crack of dawn, wanting to do what his father told him in his final moments and show the world what it meant to be a Tarzekian.
=== The Way of the Bloodened Blade ===
Conrad would venture the lands far from Gerwhich, hoping to pass the Word of Tarzek to other cultures and spread its reach. The young missionary would prove to be successful in this, but it became a stale act the more Conrad did it. Once more, the young man lacked purpose and clarity in his occupation, and as the days went on he began to believe that he was fated to live out his days helping others find peace instead of finding his own. 
When the missionary became 19, Conrad sought to visit the fabled homeland of where the great Tarzek once lived. Traveling overseas, he found the ruined fortress of the great Tarzek, and found something that rattled his beliefs to their very core; the religion was a front. In truth, God Emperor Tarzek was a feared and mighty warlord that founded the Way of the Bloodened Blade, a path of knightship where soaking your blade and self in the blood of your enemies would yield eternal peace and worship in the afterlife. Conrad was distraught, but with this his mind changed. It explained the rush he felt tearing apart those cultists, and the text's focus on self actualization and peace. Tarzek's true intention was to promote peace and purpose through bloodshed and conquest, and to Conrad he felt this could be his actual purpose; not just spreading and loving Tarzek's teachings, but becoming a true Tarzekian and following his ways to their extreme. 
From that point on, Conrad donned his family armor and ventured forth as a crusader in Tarzek's name. His bloodlust and skill was unparalleled, a true nightmare on the battlefield that struck fear into the hearts of those who saw him. His message had changed, and soon other Tarzekians took up the role of being a crusader and fought alongside him in various battles and wars. Blood stained their armor and blades, and Conrad would feel the purpose he was seeking for the second time in his life; not through kindness and genorosity, but by brutally slaying foes for the goal of seeking peace and eternal rewards past death.
== History in the High World ==
=== Formation of the High World Guardians ===
Decades would pass, and Conrad caught wind of a pilgrimmage to the High World. He had heard of the land's splendor and opportunity, but also knew it was in need of religious direction and salvation. The Tarzekian crusader decided it was time to set sail to the High World in order to spread the word of the glorious God Emperor Tarzek.
=== Purpose After Loss ===
=== Reunion ===