Geoffrey Sampson

## Overview

Geoffrey Sampson is the Lord of Tilden. He is described as a kind-hearted, valiant, and persistent pacifist who rules his county of Tilden with grace and tact.

## History

### Childhood

When Geoffrey and Julia were young, their mother fell into insanity due to her disease of lysteria, which caused her to lash out and cause physical harm to herself and her children. For this reason she had to be locked away in the Fire Temple in order to undergo healing by the flame priestesses, a temple where many suffering from mental blights were "sent to burn in the fires of Hathra". The lack of a mother figure caused the family to separate from one another, and word of Lady Sampson's condition was fought tooth and nail to be kept from the public, as it would threaten Geoffrey's future lordship, an effort so grueling that it caused a bottle of emotions to form within the family. Despite these tensions, Geoffrey remained hopeful, being the "light of the family". He formed a close bond with his father, which broke him when Lord Sampson was killed in a hunting accident in 1224 when Geoffrey was 20 years old. Feeling unstable in his position, Geoffrey offered his twin sister the position of lord alongside him, a move that is rare within the lordship system of Carda.

### Battle of Fort Tilden

Prior to the Battle of Fort Tilden, Geoffrey was aware that two great armies were coming to sack the Fort, which had already been on the radar of the Roses for decades prior to the rebellion. On the eve of battle, Geoffrey spoke with his sister Julia regarding the question of whether to cede the strategically favorable fort or defending it to the last breath, a question over which he argued for the latter. When the rebel army arrived, led by the Arwyns and the Kauls, the Sampsons were caught off-guard, not expecting the force to be led by the Arwyns. Although Julia did not reserve trust for the Arwyns, Geoffrey entertained the rebels, still wary of their intentions. To ease the tension, the rebel army stood down in an eased position, and Lord Arwyn requested a private audience with Geoffrey Sampson alone, even without other commanders such as Lord Kaul. Geoffrey gave Lord Arwyn a seat at his table alongside Julia, where Arwyn attempted to convince the Sampsons to allow them to defend the fort from the advancing army, noting that "the Royal Family and their vassals have never shown mercy even to their own". Geoffrey was still wary of their intentions, however he allowed the massive army to defend the fort if it meant that the Sampsons could retain it. His reasoning was a simple process of elimination, as the rebel army had a powerful figure on their side that was, as he said, more likely to maintain an alliance with the Sampsons if they were compliant with the rebels. However, there were risks involved, such as the reliability of Arwyn's word. Lord Arwyn was very convincing, however, and when the enemy army arrived with a never-before-seen formation and tactic, the alliance between the Sampsons and the rebels still overpowered the advancing defenders.

### Death

After the decisive battle was won and the defenders had retreated, the rebels hosted a victory feast at the fort which soon turned the tide of the war in the other direction. With the acquisition of Fort Tilden, the rebels won a major strategic point which acted as a pivot location for the war, being in a straight line to immediate royal territory and control of Walter's Pike, as well as vassals loyal to Fort Tilden. However, the rebels were betrayed when Lord Arwyn poisoned the Sampsons, Chevan Athalon, and Mercedes Bendor at the feast, turning the tide of war back to a strong advantage for the loyalists.