Havelock Gantress

**Havelock Gantress**

### Affiliations

Church of Irori, Circle of Mirrandrar, Babel Adventuring Guild, Academy of Irori

### Occupation

Adventurer, Scholar, Ruin-Seeker, Lawbringer

## Physical Description

### Eye Color

Green

Havelock has always been fascinated by ancient ruins and forgotten magic, and studied at some of the great academies of Babel. While he was a keen student and loved to learn, he yearned to explore for himself and make new discoveries. In the course of one expedition, he triggered a long-dormant magical trap. The magic cursed him, draining his life force and causing him to wither away. He would have wasted away to nothing, had an adventuring party sponsored by the church of Irori not found him unconscious in the ruins; their cleric kept him alive and took him to an Iroran temple to be healed. The curse's progression was halted, but he suffered strange aftereffects; he seems other than human now, tougher, smarter, and possessed of strange elemental powers, though at the cost of his reflexes and force of personality. Most disturbingly, it seems to have given him strange powers over time and curses. His salvation taught Havelock the value of teamwork and a greater sense of discipline, while the church's teachings on the value of knowledge resonated immensely. Now a devout Iroran, he seeks to join an adventuring party to uncover the land's ancient mysteries and ensure they are used for good.

Havelock is the founder of the Iroran Academy and one of its major teachers. Early on in his career, he swore a solemn oath to Irori that he would give freely of his wealth to help others along their path to enlightenment. The Academy is the fulfillment of that oath, an institution of higher learning available free of charge to deserving students.

Havelock' curse flared up in the course of a hard-fought battle in the Arena. The resurgent magical energy would have killed him but for a renewed burst of energy from Irori. The combination of divine and infernal energy empowered Havelock, causing him to ascend to mythic status. Smarter, faster, and stronger than ever before, Havelock serves as a mortal champion of his god. Havelock is now a wellspring of Lawful energy, and his body is being reshaped as he ascends to greater closeness with cosmic Law.

*Relationships*

* Darius the Maker, his cohort- a young dwarf seeking enlightenment through crafting. Havelock is protective of Darius, but understands that seeking danger is part of his path to enlightenment.
* The Seekers of Truth, his followers- a growing group of Iroran scholars and researchers.
* The Blades of Order, another subset of his followers- the original members are warriors and crusaders from across Etera who joined Havelock in the war on Behemoth. Since then, they've started expanding and recruiting, becoming an order that forms the core of the Circle of Mirrandrar's military and law enforcement forces.

## Striking the Behemoth

Havelock was in his study in the Iroran Academy when the messenger came, poring over ancient tomes. Without looking up, he sighed. "You know, there's really no good literature written in Abyssal. Demons may be very inventive when it comes to torment, but damned if they can write decent prose. Nothing like the *Epistles of Mephistopheles*, I'll tell you that much." He looked up and blinked, realizing the messenger was not who he expected. "Sorry, didn't see you weren't Johanna. How can I help you?" He takes the letter and reads it, scarcely realizing the messenger is already gone. The code is trivial to crack, and he ponders the message. He feels a tug in his mind, and a voice commands him. **"You will aid them. Behemoth represents a dangerous and destabilizing influence, a force of chaos and disorder. Bringing it down will strike a blow for Order, and your participation will help you grow and learn. Go alone, for this trial is yours alone."** In a back corner of his mind, another voice scratches in Infernal. *"Yes, strike them down, slaughter them, feed on their fear. Subjugate the barbarians, break them on the rack of Law ascendant."* He pushes the devil out of his mind and bows, though no one is there. "Of course, Lord Irori. I hear and I go." He tells Darius and the Seekers he may be gone for some time. He brings only the essentials: weapons, armor, adventuring equipment, and a selection of books on Behemoth, its defenses, and past attempts to attack it.

Once at camp, Havelock provided aid of a more scholarly sort. He researched Behemoth extensively, seeking any hints of weaknesses and drawing lessons from past failures. He offered tactical and planning advice to commanders, turning his quick mind to uncovering flaws in their thinking. His alchemical skills were put to good use brewing up potions and extracts to train the soldiers with. More prosaically, he translated for commanders who spoke different languages, helping them to communicate with each other, and gave inspiring speeches when morale seemed to be wavering, drawing on the history and cultures of the many places the recruits hailed from to inspire them on to greater deeds.

The delegate finds him once again reading. Havelock puts a marker in his book and stands up. "Hello. You must be the delegate I've heard so much about. Havelock Gantress, though I expect you know that. Quite an undertaking, attacking Behemoth. No one has succeeded in razing it in the past." He adopts a professorial tone, drawn from long experience teaching students. "The first order of business is, of course, finding out where it is. You'll want diviners for that, and perhaps aerial scouts. The important thing is to have eyes on the city the whole time. Now, the city has no farms or other food sources, so it's dependent on its raiders for supplies. Once you have the city under surveillance, watch for the raiding parties and ambush them. The goal is to make them hungry and desperate, for desperate people make foolish choices. Don't send massive armies- small forces only, not outnumbering the raiders more than two to one, but prepared and waiting to ambush. You need to eradicate each group, so that they can't bring back any supplies, but allow one or two raiders to escape each time so they can report back. They'll tell the city what's happening, but most importantly the city won't realize the true scale of the enemy they face. Eventually, they will be driven to sally forth en masse from the beast, since they can't control its movement, in a few larger hordes rather than small raider bands. They will believe that these larger groups will be enough to overcome their unknown opposition. Once they're on the ground and away, it's our chance- teleport the armies in and catch them away from the beast, and they will fall. Hungry, ill-supplied, and expecting a small militia, they will be no match for the full force of the assembled army. After we've eradicated the main forces, it should be relatively easier to send aerial troops to mop up the city itself." He nods along to himself. "Yes, I think that will do nicely." As the delegate leaves, he turns back to his books.

### Battle for Our Lives

It had not, in fact, done nicely. The battle was a disaster thus far; the raiders were far more prepared and far more powerful than expected. Havelock had joined one of the strike teams to coordinate and assist, but the mutated raiders had broken them and forced a rout. Now they were cut off from the main front, separated from their allies, and fighting for their lives. His powers unsuited for a stand up fight, Havelock led a small band in hit-and-run attacks against the raiders.

*Stay moving. Stay centered. Stay focused.* Havelock dances from foe to foe, never lingering or slowing. He slices an orcs's head from its shoulders, then teleports away moments before the lashing tentacles sprouting from the stump would take his own. He draws on his curse-born powers, drinking deep of the anomalous energy. A quick step here, seconds before the gnoll starts to swing his axe. A leap to safety there, before the fireball is even cast. He moves faster and faster, surrounded by fragmented images of himself. A step, covering fifty feet, and his sword is through the wizard's chest. A blink, and he's across the field, taking an archer's arm off still holding the bow. He hears the devil's voice in his mind, and he shouts its defiance into the faces of the monsters around him. With blade, extract, and magic, he cuts a swathe through the mutated horrors.

It's not enough. There are too many of them. Havelock is surrounded, hungry maws tearing at his flesh, searing pain from envenomed claws blurring his mind. He teleports away, catching his breath, regrouping for the next attack. They need more adventurers, or this will all be for naught.

### The Final Battle

As the titans clash, Havelock takes command of a detachment of warriors for the last time. It was a motley assortment- crusaders from the church of Irori and other Lawful churches, soldiers whose units had been slaughtered and yet still held to their oaths, even a few lower-ranking Hellknights. They trusted him, he had led them this far. He takes position at the fore and speaks.

"My friends, the end of this war is upon us. Together, we have fought these long months. . Together, we held held the line against the tide of horror. Together, we watched friends die and did not falter. Together, we did our duty to our lords, our gods, and our people. Now, it all comes down to this moment. One final battle for Etera, one final push against the darkness. If the coalition fails, it has all been for naught. If the battle is lost, so too is the war. But if we win, if we carry the day, it will all have been worth it. We fill forever excise the cancer of Behemoth from the land. Though some of us will fall in the attempt, by our deaths the triumph of the Law will be assured. This is our time, my friends. Together, we will strike a blow for order and reason. Together, we will stand against chaos and disorder. Together, we will triumph! Onwards, for the Law and for Etera!"

With a roar of prayer to all the gods of law, they charge into battle once more.