Edward Blackthorne

Allison Blackthorne (sister)

Balin Blackthorne (brother)

Henry Blackthorne (son)

Edgar Blackthorne (son)

Edwin Blackthorne (son)

Sir **Edward Blackthorne,** called *Blackshanks*, was the eldest son of Lord Allister Blackthorne, and heir apparent to House Blackthorne for his whole life until his death in 551AE. He was an aggressive militant whose vendetta against the Brecilidian High Elves dangerously destabilized the peace that his father had achieved with the rival nation.

Edward had three sons; Henry Blackthorne, born in 549AE, and twins Edgar and Edwin born in 551AE shortly after their father's death.

## Appearance & Character

Edward was a thin, rangy man with a long narrow face and a pointed nose. He wore his red-gold hair cut short, and part to one side. He had an oiled, curled mustache and pointed chin-beard.

From the time "Blankshanks" was a teenager, he swiftly gained a reputation as a troublemaker and playboy. He ran with his fraternity-like group of like-minded nobles known as Blackshank's Boys where they engaged in ribald acts of violence and drunken depravity against those unfortunate enough to cross their path. He was unkind and uncouth to peasants, and "pushy" with women. His "prankster" attitude, crossed with the ideologues around him, crystallized his casual bigotry against High Elves into genuine racism. Despite all this he always stayed in his father's good graces, and could simply fall back behind being a rich man's son to protect him from consequences--until the end.

## Skills & Abilities

Blackshanks was a talented sword and lance, the most gifted among the "Boys" and skilled enough to impress several war-veterans within his family.

## History

Edward was the middle child and eldest son of Allister Blackthorne's union with Phaedra Platanaget. From a young age, his family's wealth and status was impressed upon him; unlike his more cynical brother Balin, Edward's mind was ignited by the tales of old glory and the family's status. As a boy he was sent to squire for the legendary but aging knight Vortigern Thormund, where e formed a fraternity-like clique with his fellow squire group; each member got a nickname, with leader Edward Blackthorne becoming "Blackshanks," Hans Rookwood becoming "Birdseed," and runt of the group Harris Hawthorne becoming "Bad-Hat Harry." With their fathers nowhere in sight, and their master knight a dementia-addled wreck, the Boys had no-one to curtail their behaviour and soon began to run rampant through whatever town or city was unfortunate enough to host them. Tales of their depraved antics grew so bad that peasants began to fear hosting the group; over time, they gathered new members, fellow tearaway squires, and their antics became less prank-driven and more dark and violent as they grew into men.

At one particular Everglow Tourney, the boys ran afoul of visiting Brecilidian King Argiliac after harassing one of his daughters. Allister was confronted on this and had to make his son apologize to the Hrow King's face. Edward capitulated, forced to own up to his antics for the first time in years. He laughed it off afterwards, but remembered the humilation with bitter feeling.

Some years later, Edward was knighted. At the ceremony he forcibly deflowered Vortigern's maiden granddaughter with Birdseed and Bad-Hat Harry standing watch outside the tent. The girl, Astoria Umbridge was soon found to be pregnant. To avoid scandal, Edward's father persuaded House Umbridge to agree to a matrimony. Allister was irritated by this; but not on behalf of the girl, but rather because he had thought to use the marriage to press his claim on the Great Riverford, which was now an opportunity wasted. Edward's marriage to Astoria was a fraught one. Astoria felt the injustice of her situation extremely sharply and was not hesitant to loudly, and occasionally violently, take her husband to task on it; however, she frequently switched her anger to moments of cloying affection. Blackshanks found his wild bride to be complementary at first, bragging to his Boys about her, but over time he began to find her exhausting and lost interest in her. The couple had three sons together before Edward's death.

Edward caught wind of some trouble along the Brecilidian coastline to do with piracy against shipping vessels. He assembled his Boys and sailed North under the pretence of intervening. However, when the Blackthorne ships arrived, they switched sides and assisted the pirates with their raiding. It was another one of Blackshank's Boys' famous "pranks." However, even as the High Elf embassies cried out in outrage, Edward was interested to see that there was a large contingent of Westerners who congratulated him and praised his actions in attacking Brecilidia as a legitimate political statement. Soon Edward had enlisted veterans of the old Brecilidian Wars, such as Evaine Blackthorne and his great-uncle Sir Morgyn Blackthorne, in a legimate organized attack on the shores of Cinderfell.

Edward's forces landed on the Cinderfell shores and pressed inland where they met a detachment of Brecilidian outriders, led by a knight in gleaming silver plate. In the ensuing fight, Morgyn was shot to pieces with High Elven arrows, and Birdseed Rookwood was ripped from his horse and trampled to death; Evaine, aging & no longer able to sustain combat, begged Edward to flee but was ignored.

The Brecilidian leader found Edward in the melee and they duelled. Blackshanks held his ground well at first, but the knight overwhelmed him steadily. With a devastating flourish, the knight sliced off Blackshank's arms. As the defeated Blackthorne dropped to his knees before the victor, the knight raised his visor and revealed himself as not a "him" but the daughter of King Argiliac who Edward had offended years ago--the Princess Lorelai. Confronted by this symbol of humiliation Edward cried, and stated that this had all been just a joke, there would be no war, he did not truly hate the high elven people; but the Princess shut his mouth by feeding him three feet of sharp High Elven steel.

## Legacy

The diplomatic damage done by Edward's actions were irreversible, undoing his father's peacemaking and setting Brecilidia and House Blackthorne on the path to war once again. Edward's actions were blamed on his father's blind eye, but also on the streak of aggressive anti-Elven racism in the West caused by years of fighting and still held by many Veteran Blackthornes who would not be happy until the High Elven people were subjugated. On the Western side, too, the slaying of the Blackthorne heir was enough to provoke fury regardless of the context and was used as a key reason to restart hostilities.

Of Blackshank's Boys, Evaine Blackthorne lived by escaping; similarly Bad-Hat Harry dropped his axe as soon as the battle went awry and fled the field, going on to become Lord Harris Hawthorne. The organization died with its leader and was not fondly remembered.

Edward had three sons by his wife; all three would go on to succeed his father Allister as Lord following the latter's death. Henry Blackthorne was the first of these in 556AE, following by Edgar in 581AE, then finally Edwin in 583AE. Edward's brother Balin served as Regent and Hand to all the sons, ensuring a stable hand on the control of House Blackthorne as they sank slowly into another war.

## Trivia

-Named in part for King Edward "Longshanks," with his status and behaviour more resembling that King's descendant The Black Prince.