Sellsword Leonhard

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 **Sellsword** **Leonhard** is a character in the Elder Scrolls series. He lived through the events of Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim.

## Early Life

### Birth and Childhood

Leonhard was born in High Rock in the year 3E 384. He grew up a poor farmer a few miles outside of Daggerfall city, and struggled to get by along with his parents. Leonhard's father, Fathis, was a reserved man who spent little time with his son, and was often found drinking plenty of mead. Fathis physically abused Leonhard whenever he was drunk. Ironically, Leonhard was a spitting image of the father that neglected him. Leonhard struggled without a prominent father figure in his life. However, Leonhard's mother was much closer to him. The two spent most of their time together tending the field, cooking, cleaning, and going into the city. Often, the two would go into town to sell crops, shop, and to admire the scenery.

Leonhard's hobbies mostly included reading about history, and going for walks through the woods near his family's farm.

### Teenage Years - c. 3E 398-401

When Leonhard was fourteen, he went into Daggerfall City with his mother and found a broadsword at a local blacksmith that he begged for. Leonhard's mother decided to buy the elementary broadsword. The sword had a simple iron blade with a leather grip, thus lacking any sort of extraordinary characteristics.

Leonhard decided to work on learning how to use the sword, and was mediocre at first. A wooden dummy was placed behind the barn of his residence that he would regularly swing at with different tactics and methods. Leonhard became familiar with how to swing the broadsword, but didn't possess any sort of finesse.

After three years of teaching himself the broadsword, Leonhard decided to go into town one day armed with it sheathed on his hip. Leonhard told his mother he was going to go spend his allowance he saved up to perhaps buy a new book, or maybe something else he wanted.

Unbeknownst to his mother, Leonhard lied. He wanted to go to the local tavern for a drink, and maybe have some fun. There was a tavern around the corner from the main gate in Daggerfall City that his father frequented. Leonhard stepped in, wearing his work clothes and his sword still hanging on his hip. The door opened, and an aroma of alcohol and merry men laughing were the first things Leonhard noticed. Many many were at the bar laughing and yelling. A bartender was working diligently to suit everyones' needs, and there were three men on a platform playing music for everyone to enjoy.

Leonhard walked up to the bar, and was greeted by the ragged bartender. His beard had ample gray in it, showing his age.

"What can I get you? Hey, aren't you Fathis's kid?" the bartender asked.

"What does it matter? Just set me up with some ale." Leonhard replied in a stern manner. The bartender obviously was overstepping his boundaries by mentioning Leonhard's father.

The bartender returned a moment later with a mug full of ale. The young Leonhard took it, and tossed a few drakes to the bartender. He took a sip, and found he enjoyed the taste. Soon, Leonhard downed the entire mug of ale.

Suddenly, Leonhard felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around face-to-face with a burly dunmer twice his height.

"You're in my seat, fetcher." he said in a gravely voice.

"So what if I am? There's plenty of other seats if you want to sit down and have a drink." Leonhard replied, trying to look like he wasn't nervous.

The bar's atmosphere became silent, and the two stared at one another. Leonhard rested his hand on his broadsword's handle.

The bartender walked up to the two, and stood between them.

"You can either give him the seat, or I'm kicking both of you out." he commanded.

"Why does he have the right to take my seat?" Leonhard scoffed.

"Because I'm a regular, you s'wit." the buff Dunmer replied once again.

Leonhard stood up, and looked the Dunmer in the eyes.

"I'm not giving my seat up for some degenerate whose people lost to a pack of lizards. Want my seat that bad? Take it from me." Leonhard spit in his face.

The Dunmer man roared, and struck Leonhard across the face. The adolescent was thrown across the bar by his strength, and hit the wall. Leonhard stood up slowly, brandishing a few cuts. He drew his broadsword, and the crowd stepped away from them. The Dunmer and Leonhard both circled eachother, and the Dunmer drew his dagger out.

"My people may have been sacked by the Argonians, but at least I'm not the byproduct of the Ayleids mixing with putrid Men." The Dunmer interjected.

Leonhard ran forward, and slashed at the Dunmer, who managed to roll out of the way in time. The Dunmer man then cut Leonhard across the back, causing the boy to yelp in pain. Leonhard turned around, and blocked the dagger from plunging into his body. The two were locked in place as they struggled to lean against one another. Leonhard slowly leaned forward, as his blade was better suited against a miniscule dagger. Leonhard managed to kick the Dunmer in the groin, who then fell over in pain. He stabbed through the Dunmer's chest in a fit of rage. Leonhard quickly realized his mistake, and drew his blade with a pallid color on his face. The Dunmer coughed up a violent amount of blood, and fell backwards onto the floor.

"Curse you, you filthy n'wah." he coughed, through his blood-filled throat.

The men in the bar were all silent, some terrified of what they just witnessed. One even fainted with a loud thud on the oakwood floor.

The bartender was breathing heavily, clearly infuriated. He stared at Leonhard, then bolted out the door. The bartender bellowed as loud as he could for the guards.

"Guards! Guards! Murder! By the Nine Divines, this Breton murdered someone!" was heard around the block. Many citizens ran around in chaos. The young Breton immediately ran away, and towards the front gate. A few guards noticed, and chased after him.

"Halt! Halt! In the name of the King of Daggerfall, halt!" the guards demanded behind Leonhard, as he focused on sprinting as fast as possible. Leonhard ran out of the main gate, and stole a horse from a nearby stable. He rode on his horse as fast as he possibly could to get back home with tears in his blue eyes.

Leonhard arrived to his home after losing the guards in Daggerfall City. His mother was tending in the field, and his father was sitting on a stump downing some alcohol. Leonhard springed off his horse and dashed towards his mother sobbing. He explained to her about what happened, and his mother nearly fainted after learning her son was a murderer.

Fathis walked up in his white collared shirt, brown pants and shoes. There were yellow sweat stains under his armpits, and a stench of ale to him.

"What in the name of Akatosh is going on, boy?" Fathis hollered, slightly intoxicated.

"Fathis, Leonhard killed a Dunmer! The guards are coming this way! What do we do?" Leonhard's mother cried.

Then, Fathis walked up to Leonhard, and struck him with his bottle of ale on the right side of the boy's face. The glass broke with a loud crash, and a piece of opaque maroon glass was buried in Leonhard's eye. Leonhard fell to his knees and screamed in agony. Leonhard's mother stepped back, and screamed in terror. Fathis then delivered a blow to the other side of Leonhard's face, which caused his son to fall into the green grass. Leonhard's blood tainted the blades a dark shade of red.

"I'm sick of dealing with you, you waste of skin. Get out of my life, and get out of your mother's, too!" Fathis yelled at the top of his lungs. He walked inside their home, and the door slammed behind him. Leonhard's mother quickly tended to her son, who was still upset.

"I forgive you for what you did. You had to do what you had to do. There are very bad people in the city." Leonhard's mother explained, sobbing as well. "I want you to go. Your father has hurt you enough in this life. I fear he'll hurt you even more than this."

"Mother, I refuse to leave! I love you too much to abandon you! I'll endure the beatings as I have the last seventeen years just so I can stay with you!" Leonhard argued, gasping for air.

Leonhard's mother helped stand him up, and walked with him inside their house. After sitting him down, Leonhard's mother went to fetch some medical supplies. Fathis walked in from another room into the kitchen and saw them.

"Get that mongrel out of here before I make his eye look like a stubbed toe. He's not fit to live here any longer." Fathis firmly stated. He walked over to them, and raised a fist. Leonhard's mother stepped between the two men.

"Fix his eye, and send him on his way tomorrow morning." Fathis muttered to his wife. Leonhard's mother nodded silently in submission.

Leonhard awoke in his familiar bed, with a bandage around his damaged eye. His mother sitting on a stool next to him, who was waiting for him to awaken.

"I put you to sleep with magic, and I removed the glass. Your eye is done for, I'm afraid. I argued as much as I could with your father for him to let you stay. There's nothing I can do." she announced.

"I understand..." Leonhard trailed off, disheartened.

"Go to Wayrest. Nobody will know what you did there." Leonhard's mother handed him a small leather pouch which was surprisingly heavy. She also handed him a bag with clothes and another pair of shoes in it. "Know that I love you very much." Leonhard's mother whispered, behind tears.

The two hugged, and Leonhard walked outside with the supplies. He followed the trail from his house to the road, and ran into his father sitting on the same stump as before. Fathis stood up, and looked at his son.

"You're gonna be caught in the dark if you don't get going." he said nonchalantly.

The two stared for a moment longer, and Leonhard walked the opposite direction of Daggerfall City with the sunset beating on his back.

## Daggerfall - 3E 405

### A New Chapter

How long has it been since he left his home, Leonhard wondered. Four years? He belived that was how

    long it's been. If only he could return to see his mother. The boy was now a young man who decided to make it by in life with mercenary work in Wayrest: a large province in the Iliac Bay, much like Daggerfall is. The young man donned an eyepatch over his right eye he purchased from a doctor in Wayrest. Leonhard also acquired the name "Sellsword Leonhard" as he was known to the citizens of Wayrest. Leonhard often hung around a tavern known as The Fox and The Bard. Leonhard didn't drink often, but he mostly sat on a bench off to the side of everyone else. After being a spry and pure boy, Leonhard hardened into a quiet and stoic mercenary with a strong bass voice.

The mercenary work did enough to allow Leonhard to rent a room as long as necessary at the tavern, and the bartender known simply as Lionel kept the sellsword well fed. Leonhard often was sent on fetch quests, ordered to deliver letters, and even helped a Bosmer save his daughter from a group of bandits holed up in a cave.

After using his iron broadsword for many years, Leonhard worked on upgrading to a higher quality. The mercenary bought Elven-made longsword from a caravan with a golden hilt and steel blade infused with the highest quality of metal from the Summerset Isles. Leonhard paid about a month's wages to acquire the sword, but it has served him well in the past few years. Additionally, he acquired a stalwart tower shield to block any incoming blows from his enemies. The man wore chainmail armor of average quality, nothing too special. It was simply enough to keep Leonhard from getting killed. Finally, he wore a cloak with a turquoise fabric and fur pauldrons. Leonhard enjoyed wearing it as it kept him warm in the colder months, and kept dust off of him during the summers he spends in Sentinel, a province in Hammerfell.

"Leonhard, do you enjoy being a mercenary?" Lionel asked him one day when Leonhard was at the bar one early morning eating some bread and drinking a glass of water.

"It definitely keeps me interested, and it keeps me alive. You do a great job feeding this freelance warrior." Leonhard grinned.

"I don't mean to intrude, but I've known you for three years... how did you lose your eye?" Lionel asked, timidly. His black hair shined against the candles lighting up the room.

"Frankly, it's not worth delving into. It's a long story, and I vowed not to waste resources worrying about the man who did it to me." Leonhard replied, taking a sip of water out of his glass.

"Well, I understand. I'd love to know why if you ever want to enlighten me one day. Also, thank you for letting me know I take good care of you. It's only fair since you pay me for it!" Lionel chuckled.

   After the Breton and Bosmer spoke for a while, the door opened to the bar. There was a leaf-green Argonian with a waraxe on his back and a miniscule amount of armor on his person. The reptile walked with a sway to his tail, and sat down next to Leonhard.

"Give me your bessst Cyrodiilic Brandy, pleassse." he hissed with a rough voice.

"Right away, sir." Lionel responded, with an empty mug in hand that he placed in front of the lizard. He returned in a moment with an opaque maroon-colored jug. As Lionel poured the Argonian's drink, Leonhard couldn't help but stare at the jug.

"Got a name, Argonian?" Leonhard interrupted.

"The Dunmer called me 'Stands-In-Fieldsss,' but you may refer to me as 'Caligusss the Ssserpent since I'm very cunning." the lizard replied without even looking at Leonhard.

"Why don't you look at me when I talk to you?" Leonhard questioned further.

"Becaussse I don't like your kind. Men, Mer, both of you. All you do isss cause my people trouble. Let me enjoy my drink before I leave Wayressst." Caligus snapped.

"Settle down, you two. It's a Morndas morning, and we all know we just want to relax." Lionel suggested.

Leonhard looked at Lionel, then glanced at Caligus. He liked Caligus's abrasive nature.

"So, Caligus... were you a slave?" Leonhard broke the silence.

Caligus suddenly snapped his head at Leonhard and hissed violently. Leonhard didn't flinch.

"I take that as a yes." Leonhard responded.

"I was enslaved by a Dunmer plantation owner for twelve yearsss. I worked in the fieldsss, tending to his cropsss." Caligus answered, in a surprisingly calm tone.

"I'm sorry to hear about that. It must have been difficult. What's a slave doing in the Iliac Bay?" Leonhard pondered.

"Well, I essscaped. I hopped in the back of a passsssing carriage one dark night. Then, I hopped snuck onto a boat. I didn't care when it went, I jussst wanted out of Morrowind. Luckily, the boat docked in Hammerfell, and I came here to Wayressst. I heard the local arena pays good coin." Caligus explained.

"You came to a good place for coin, lizard. You look armed for it, too." Lionel added in his squeaky Bosmer voice.

"I, myself, am a mercenary. I've lived in this tavern for the last three or so years." Leonhard elaborated.

"I apologize about my earlier behavior. I am a hot-headed man, and I hold prejuidccce towards anyone but fellow lizards."

"Well, I accept your apology. My name is Leonhard, by the way. I'm glad to meet you." Leonhard expressed, shaking hands with Caligus. "So about the Wayrest Arena... what's the pay?" Leonhard questioned.

"I heard it's upwards of 30,000 drakes." Lionel yelled, as he was under some cabinets looking for cups to clean.

Leonhard's eye lit up.

"30,000 drakes... I could travel to Akavir and back with that much!" he exclaimed.

"Yesss, that's why I came here. I wanted the gold to go back to Morrowind and help my fellow kin out. I want to buy the plantation and emancccipate my family. I don't normally tell people about myssself, but I like you guysss." Caligus revealed.

"That's the most generous thing I've ever heard in my fourty-six years..." Lionel admired.

"I must agree. It's a very compassionate act, and I'm willing to help." Leonhard informed Caligus.

"Really? I could ussse the help. Two people in the arena is a higher chanccce of victory!" Caligus exclaimed. He almost jumped out of his stool.  "What's your combat experience?" Caligus asked Leonhard.

"I am self taught in the blade, and have seven years of experience. I've killed ten men in the last three years." Leonhard said.

"I honessstly took this axe in the night and stole the iron cuirass, pauldrons, and gauntlets from the ship I stowawayed in." Caligus told the two men.

"My expertise is in slowly wearing down my enemies with alcohol, then I laugh as they stumble around in a drunken mess. Sometimes I grab the coins they leave on the bar as compensation for damages." Lionel giggled, now cleaning another glass.

Caligus and Leonhard both agreed that training would be necessary before entering the Wayrest Arena Tournament. They decided to set out and acquire newfound strength in the three months they had before they fought for their lives to save the ones that Caligus loved.

### Willpower

The Breton and Argonian stepped outside of the town walls in the snowy morning. Their breath visible due to the temperature, and their cloaks the only form of warmth at their disposal. The white fields rolled for miles in every direction, except for a few farms on the road leading directly out of Wayrest.

"It's cold enough to form icecicles on my tail...where are we going to train?" Caligus questioned Leonhard as they walked down the road.

"I set up some dummies about a mile or two down the road. We'll have to go through some trees to get to it." Leonhard answered, still looking forward.

"Well, I hope it's indoorsss." Caligus replied.

Leonhard chuckled.

"If the cold bothers you this much, I don't think you'll do well in the tournament. What's the weather compared to being stabbed through your chest, or being maimed?" Leonhard patronized.

"I'll toughen up. Living in Morrowind for so long has made me used to the warmth, that's all." Caligus explained.