Christopher Dewfort

## Biography

One of the first settlers in the budding town of Woebrook. Christopher was instrumental in rebuilding in the aftermath of the fight against The Devouerer of The Henge. He devised a way to re-install a lesser version of The Henge Ward to protect the town from future monsters. The Dewfort family was revered in the town for generations in light of his accomplishments.

Christopher became increasingly reclusive later in life, and by the time of his death he had slipped out of public life entirely and into the quiet isolation of the back rooms of the old town church.

After Christopher Dewforts death, one of the remaining Town Protectors started the tradition of throwing sweets and candies in the river to remember the sacrifices Christopher had to make to put the River Ward in place.

## Relationships

First Noteworthy Ancestor of Cecil Dewfort.

## Secrets

Over the years as the River Ward continued to work its magic, destroying monsters presented by the town's protectors, Christopher discovered a flaw in his lesser Henge Ward spell. He realized it would only remain active for a limited number of uses before losing it efficacy, at which time the ritual would have to be performed again. He was able to determine that the Ward could only destroy one more creature before losing its potency. It was at this time that he also discovered a massive vine-like creature that had enslaved and devoured a local child.

He didn't want to alarm the townspeople by telling them that they were not as safe as they believed, and he couldn't face the reality of having to perform the ritual again in his lifetime. The mental horrors and terrible guilt of invoking the Lesser Henge Ward were too much for his old heart to bear, and he wouldn't dare put this burden on any of his descendants. But, on the other hand, he had a monster in his clutches.

Cecil held a meeting with the town's protectors and told them about his unfortunate discovery regarding the River Ward. He also told them about the vine-like monster he had ensnared. It was agreed that the threat to the towns existence posed by the vine-like creature was not significant enough to justify using the last remaining magic of the River Ward to destroy it. The Ward's power should be saved for a creature that cannot be destroyed any other way, and would otherwise jeopardize the existence of Woebrook or the world.

Faced with this dilemma, Christopher and the protectors hid the vine-like creature underneath the cemetery behind the church, and sealed it there with a collection of spells that would only leave it free for one night a year. They took to calling this creature "The River Monster." In hopes that, if only this title survived, anyone who attempts to kill the creature wouldn't dare think that a beast called "The River Monster" could be killed by bringing it into contact with the enchanted waters of the nearly expended River Ward.

Knowing only of the River Ward as a means by which to destroy the vine-like monster, it was passed down through generations in the Dewfort family:

> "The River Monster *should* not be killed, and its existence must remain a secret. The people of Woebrook cannot know that monster exists, and the remaining magic of the River Ward is dwindling. The Ward must be preserved, its final use saved until there is no other option- for this world contains bigger threats than the one that lies beneath the old church. And no one should have to do what I've had to do to install that Ward ever again."
>
>

To ensure that his descendants would not forget this important secret, he started the Dewfort Ledger to keep track of the souls lost in keeping this town safe.
Over many generations, this sentiment mutated into something more along the lines of:

> "The River Monster *can't* be killed. We keep it's existence a secret within the family. The River is magical and is very important for this town. It must be respected and preserved to keep us safe. It's for everyone in the town's own good."
>
>

This unfortunately lead to a misunderstanding regarding the creatures immortality/ strength and power. Along with this daisy chain of miscommunication, details of The River Ward were also lost and the spell's existence was all but forgotten by modern residents of Woebrook.

Details of how to perform The Henge Ward and the Lesser Henge Ward can still be found in Christopher Dewforts old notebooks deep in the archives of the old church. (now the library)