Targan Carlisle, Earl of Trethclyde

Targan Carlisle, titled the Earl of Trethclyde (informally known as the 'Black Dog of Trethclyde'), is the younger brother of King Maendon of Erayis, a major political force in that kingdom, as well as its current heir. He is famous among Erayans for his heroisms against Stormtir to the south, and among foreigners as a bloodthirsty man who lusts for the pain of others. After he brutally murdered his own eldest son, he departed to serve as a mercenary in foreign lands under the "suggestion" of his brother, the King.

## Appearance & Personality

The Black Dog of Trethclyde, as he is known, is a handsome man, tall, fit, with bright blue eyes which cause much discomfort among others. He is usually smiling, and laughs and jests a great deal. This merry demeanor is a trap, however: he is a cruel man, who is never as happy as when he is torturing others. He is prone to fits of rage, and his wroth is truly frightening to behold. To his countrymen, he is a hero, a valiant warrior and fearless leader of men, while to his enemies, he is a beast in human flesh, the stuff of nightmares.

When one considers the Earl of Trethclyde, the first talent one thinks of is his prodigious skill in the art of torture. In this, he is considered one of the finest- if that word may be used- in Orlandis, as his countless victims can attest. He is also quite skilled in the art of violence in general, and as a swordsman, he is among the greatest of this age. For all his faults, none can deny his valor in battle, or his courage. Yet he also possesses a cunning mind, though he prefers to think of the here and now, than the distant future.

## Biography

Targan was born the last in a long string of miscarriages and sickly infants, the toll of which caused his mother's death by fever not long after his birth. His father died not lot after that as well, and his older brother Maendon was thus crowned the new King of Erayis. Maendon shunned Targan during the latter's childhood, perhaps because he felt Targan was at fault for their mother's death. The boy grew up without mother, father, or friends, and took instead to find his amusements.

As time passed, Targan, before then living in his elder's shadow, began to build his reputation, for better or worse. At the age of 21, Targan led a royal force against the rebellious Earl of Trethclyde, earning victory in a bloody storming of the castle. He hung the Earl from the ramparts upside-down, with the Earl dying only after the sixth day of this torment. For this victory, he was granted the defunct rebel's titles, and became the new Earl of Trethclyde. His renown only grew from there, and he became known for his fierce hatred of the Stormbroken, taking every opportunity to smash their raiding parties. He flayed every stormbroken he could get his hands on, and posted their skins on posts all along the western coast of his fiefdom as a warning to their kin.

Yet for all his heroisms, news of his sadistic deeds began to spread, and King Maendon grew increasingly displeased with his behavior. Targan went through wife after wife, whose deaths, it was rumored, were not accidental. He had an icy relationship with his children, the oldest of whom were his sons Fergus and Malcolm. Matters finally came to a head when Fergus, his 19-year old heir, confronted him over another burst of violence on Targan's part. The argument grew heated, and, angered by his son's insolence, Targan beat him to death with an iron rod as his wife, his children, and his entire court watched. He then made his now oldest son Malcolm drag his dead brother out of his sight. This ended whatever patience the King had for his brother, and he banished the earl from Erayis. Now, Targan is 41 years old, and is currenty serving in a mercenary company in a foreign land.