Carnelian

"For Freedom and Glory!"

Carnelian, also known as Carn, is the firstborn of Mekellos and a Champion of Cadien. He is a remarkable warrior with regenerative abilities. A handsome man, he is six foot five, with snow white hair, and violet-coloured eyes.

## Abilities

### Titles

Regenerating Beauty II - Carn can regenerate from any beauty-disfiguring injury.

Blademaster II - Carn is a legendary warrior, and a whirlwind with a sword, capable of taking on over a dozen foes at a time.

### Artifacts

* Ring of Dexterity.
* Sword of Carn.

## History

### The Heir of Konrad

Born in Year 2 AA, Carn is the firstborn of Mekellos, who at the time was possessing a blacksmith known as Konrad. Konrad had become the chieftain of the village of Thyma, and as the firstborn, Carn was groomed to be his successor. Eventually Mekellos left Konrad, in pursuit of new host, and although Konrad briefly fell into a depression, he was able to recover and go on to be a loving father to his kids.

### The Destruction of Thyma

In 15 AA, Thyma was attacked by a large tribe of raiders. Carn's mother attempted to lead her four children out, while his father stayed behind and bought time for them to escape. However, their mother was killed in an ambush outside Thyma's secondary gate, and Carn's younger sister Alys ran back into the village.

Carn went after her, and arrived just in time to see his father die in battle. Alys, a witch, let loose her suppressed magical talent, burning raider and civilian alike. Carn himself was blasted with fire, but was fortunate enough to fall into a trough of water. He sustained only light burns, which his regenerative abilities were able to heal. He woke up some time later, and stumbled out of the village where he passed out from smoke inhalation.

Carn later awoke under the care of a man named Yorn and what remained of Thyma's survivors. A few days later, a pair of druids found them, and revealed that they had discovered Carn's younger brother Brundt, and taken him to the village of Morganstead. The Druids could not accompany them, however, and instead went elsewhere.

However, upon arriving in Morganstead, it was revealed that a Ketrefan warband had arrived and seized Brundt while the druids were away. Believing that the chieftain had given Brundt up willingly, Carn flew into a rage and stabbed him in the gut. A fight broke out between the villagers of Morganstead and the survivors of Thyma, before eventually the Thymans retreated. As punishment for needlessly getting innocent people killed, Carn was exiled by the band.

### Outlaw

Carn became an outlaw, moving from village to village. He thieved and begged, doing whatever it took to stay alive. Eventually he got his hands on a sword, and took to mercenary work.

### Evenstar

In 20 AA, Carn accepted a job to escort a caravan to Ketrefa. However, the caravan was ambushed en route. Carn and a few others were able to escape, and made their way to the town of Evenstar. There, Carn met a sorceress by the name of Aurielle, and the two made a plan to recover the caravan. Then the local priest appeared and claimed Carn's arrival had been foretold by prophecy; that he was destined to defeat the bandits and become the village's new chieftain. Neither Carn nor Aurielle believed this, but Carn was willing to use it to recruit enough helping hands.

Carn defeated the bandits, only to discover that Yorn and the survivors of Thyma had been among them. Yorn condemned Carn, blaming him for the fact that they had to resort to a life of banditry. Carn however deflected the blame and killed him. Carn and Aurielle then returned to the village and deposed the Chieftain, who had been plotting Carn's death.

However, rather than take charge of the village as the priest foretold, Carn ordered them to instead hold an election. He and Aurielle then took to the road.

### The Redspears

Carn and Aurielle founded a mercenary company known as the Redspears, finding work among the various freehold chieftains and petty kings of the Highlands. The two formed a close bond. In 22 AA, Carn found the Ring of Dexterity in a troll den. In 23 AA, they participated in the Siege of Jalka, successfully defending the town against an invasion from a neighbouring kingdom. After the battle was over, however, Aurielle had to leave on a quest for personal discovery. They would not see each other again for years.

### Depression

After Aurielle's departure, Carn eventually came to the conclusion that she wasn't coming back. He lost his will to lead, which in turn made his mercenary company perform worse, and created a vicious cycle which continued to sap his morale and cause a depression. Eventually he left the company behind and resorted to his old life as a wandering mercenary, leading to an unhealthy sense of self-loathing on top of it all.

### Return to Thyma

In 26 AA, a disheveled Carn returned to Thyma, which had been rebuilt and resettled by neighbouring settlements, in order to get its copper mines operating again. He knelt in the prayer at the village shrine, asking the gods rhetorical questions, and declaring himself a failure who was unworthy of their time.

Then the village priest, who went by the name of Lothar, approached him. Lothar claimed to have heard the voice of Cadien, and told Carn of his destiny. Brundt still lived, and if Carn wished to reunite with his family, he would need to raise an army and attack Ketrefa. Carn did not believe this, however, and it took Cadien directly speaking into his mind to convince him. The priest then offered Carn a magical sword, which would later become known as the Sword of Carn.

Using the sword, Carn defeated a Ketrefan warband that had come to the village. After killing their leader, Carn declared that he would lead them against Ketrefa. He took the name Carnelian, and took up the battlecry "for Freedom and Glory!"