Aegorn Blackwood

Aegorn Blackwood was a former Knight of the Thorn, who later went on to form the outlaw group known as The Black Fingers. He was a deadly swordsman, known to be merciless and relentless in battle. He gained the title *Aegorn the Avenger*posthumously, after poisoning King Tal'fyr II for the  murder of his two sons and daughter. The King of Cloaks, Antoine Cobalt, named his own outlaw company after Aegorn fifty years after his death.

## Character & Appearance

Aegorn was a tall man, burly and built like a horse. He had long brown hair, tied into a ponytail down his back, which was more often than not covered by his helm. His beard never grew past stubble, until the death of his children, where he grew his facial hair out so much he became indistinguishable. In fact, many that knew him say he changed his appearance entirely after the murder of his sons and daughter, shaving off his hair and allowing himself to become dirty and dishevelled. It is said that to disguise himself completely, he even plucked out his own left eye, replacing it with an eyepatch. He was known to have been a wise man, but a hardened warrior with a quick temper.

## History

Aegorn was born and raised in Providence, the son of a noble knight and common farmwoman. He was raised by his father alone, after his mother passed of illness. When he was old enough to enlist to fight, Aegorn did, and quickly grew to become a valued member of the city guard. While he was not out at war like his father, Aegorn learned the responsibilties of a soldier. He was tasked with enforcing peace and justice amongst the lower tiers of the capital, at the king's behest. He rose through the ranks quickly, gaining position as a lieutenant within only two years. Noting his skill, Aegorn was granted entry into The Citadel to begin training as a Knight of the Thorn at only nineteen.

By twenty-two years old, Aegorn had completed his training, and was one of thirty men sent to safeguard Brook's Reach from the threat of House Westergard invaders during the The Throne War. While on duty, Aegorn met a woman named Loren, the beautiful maid of Brook's Reach castle. They quickly fell in love, meeting in secret by the river outside the castle a few times each week.Eventually, Loren fell pregnant, ashamed to tell her lord of her misdeeds. Aegorn approached Lord Talfjord, and confessed his love for his maid. Surprisingly, Talfjord allowed the two to be married, and even suggested Aegorn take her back to Providence when his duty to protect him had ended.

And so, when House Westergard surrendered to the crown three years later, the Knights of the Thorn stationed across the lands were allowed to return home. Aegorn, with a three year old son and pregnant wife, opted to remain at Brook's Reach, and pledge his sword to Lord Talfjord for his hospitality and kindness toward him. He remained there as a bodyguard to his lord, and produced another son and a daughter with Loren. Aegorn led a comfortable life for the following twelve years, until King Tal'fyr II noted his outstanding absence, and sent a messenger to bring him back to Providence. When he refused, King Tal'fyr sent thirty men to Brook's Reach to force him home. He refused again, and this time the Knights of the Thorn exacted their own form of justice.

They put an arrow in Loren and hanged both of their sons, as Aegorn, and the rest of the castle, were forced to watch. They believed without his family, he would have no reason to stay. Before killing his four year old daughter, the men assured him a promotion in rank when he returned to Providence, out of the kindness of King Tal'fyr II. Enraged by the slaughter commited on his grounds, Lord Talfjord ordered his men to take up arms against the knights, and so they were sent back to Providence as bodies on a merchant's wagon. Following the destruction of his family at the king's hand, Aegorn left Brook's Reach, and found comradery within a group he later named The Black Fingers, a group of seven men and women deemed criminals by the crown. It was around this time Aegorn shaved off his hair, grew out his beard and plucked his own eye out with a dirk. He became indistinguishable as the man he once was, and so he and his companions made their way to Providence disguised as merchants and farmers.

After devising a plan, Aegorn attempted to exact his revenge upon the king. The Black Fingers took out two of the city watch on their nightly patrol, disgused themselves in their garb, before doing the same to two Knights of the Thorn. With four of the seven members in disguise, they approached the city proper; where the king often dabbled in gambling and prostitution in the capital's finest brothels. Aegorn managed to find the king, and attempted to slice him in the throat with a poisoned sword. The wound would not be enough to kill him, and the poison that coated his weapon would make him die a slow and painful death.

However, the assassination deemed unsuccessful, as the guards managed to put their own spears through Aegorn before he could stab the king. With his dying breath he licked his blade and reached forward, kissing his grace upon the mouth. Unaware of the poison he had ingested, King Tal'fyr II died a week later for reasons unknown. Nobody, not even the priests that examined his corpse, could discover the cause of death. Aegorn gained the title *Aegorn the Avenger* amongst Westergard loyalists. They believed, after hearing about the attempt, that he had killed the king through some dark magics from beyond the grave.