Kaziah Parchwood

The wandering sellsword Kaziah Parchwood has had a fairly strange but, considering the circumstances, fairly lucky life. He was apparently born outside of the small hamlet of Bitterbridge in the Stormlands.  His biological parents were out of the picture; his father executed for crimes unknown, and his mother vanished after giving him up for what amounts to adoption.  The only parental figure he knew was a traveling Septon named Greeley who agreed to raise him and had him assist his ministry as it traveled in a random manner throughout the realm.  Raised to be a Septon, he was nevertheless pushed into a much more violent life as a sellsword through the twists and turns of fate, and now sets his sights on clawing his way up in the world from out of the social dustbin and into a position of more influence.

## Appearance

Kaziah is slightly taller than average at 5'10 and possessed of a sturdy athetic build.  Blonde hair reaches down to his shoulders and a matching beard that is slightly ill kept covers his face.  A knife wound from a brief but violent scuffle has left a scar across the bridge of his nose and if someone were to look closely they would notice a small tattoo of a seven pointed star in the webbing between the thumb and forefinger of his left hand.

## History

### Early Life

Kaziah never knew his parents, he was told by the man who raised him that his father was executed for unknown crimes and his mother disappeared after giving her son
over to the man.  The man who raised him, the wandering priest Septon Greeley, attempted to provide what semblance of an education that he could while on the road from town to town, and this resulted in Kaziah developing a healthy respect for the Seven-in-one God and becoming devout enough to believe that one day he would take up a wandering ministry of his own and follow in his adopted fathers footsteps.

### A Fateful Encounter

This would not come to pass, however.  On his 20th nameday, he had a very intense and disturbing dream wherein the massive smokey visage of a heavily armed and armored ancient knight spoke directly to his mind.  The landscape around them shimmered and shifted, coming into focus just long enough to tug at his memories and then swirling away before he could make any connections.  He was commanded by this entity to seek out challenges to his skills and train his body and mind in the ways of the Warrior.  He was told that dark days were again coming to the world, and that his destiny was to rise up as a defender of the realms of Man.  The dream came to an end, but it would not be the last for Kaziah whether waking or asleep.  The voice of what he came to believe was the Warrior became a familiar presence in Kaziah’s mind, and he set off on his own with the blessing of Septon Greeley to find his way in the world and meet his destiny.

### The Journey Begins

He signed up at first with various mercenary groups, his naturally athletic physique and apparent gift for combat allowed him to train hard and effectively, rising up quickly and realizing before long that these small bands of “mercenaries” were quite often nothing more than upjumped bandits; and as his increasing skill caused the conviction he already felt in the path that he had chosen grow into zeal, he left them crippled or slain by the wayside for their crimes and moral duplicity.  He believes that the Warrior guides his steps, and that in order to maneuver himself into a position where he can fulfill his destiny, he knows that he will need to associate himself with people much more high born than himself.  With that in mind, he has begun to head towards Summerhall; a place that, if the rumors on the wind were to be believed, would soon hold a grand tournament that would be known throughout the realm.  If he is to prove himself to the realm and the nobility that governs it, his first step will be to prove his prowess there.