Erick Bonestihl's page

Erick was born in the Nobles Quarter section of Aurialys, but unlike those of his generation, he was not destined to stay there. Erick's parents were minor, but wealthy, nobles. Unfortunately, they had mad enemies. Exactly who it was, Erick never found out, but his father was framed for treason, and their wealth taken away, his father hung, and his mother turned out on the streets.
His mother, unable to bear the shame, threw herself from the lighthouse onto the shoals below. Erick was left to the mercies of the city's orphanages, his family's dishonor slowly sending him to worse and worse orphanages, until he finally ended up in the Dragon's Teeth, where no doubt he'd have grown up to be a criminal, had not fate intervened once again, perhaps to make up for it's last cruel touch.
Garvin Marshant, an Emissary of the Order of the Rose was sent to the city by his order chapterhouse to see to settling issues between nobles, as things had been getting more and more bloody as time went on with the infighting.

Sir Marshant was in the habit of hiring street urchins for use in the cities he frequented, sending them on errands, asking them about local information, and watching people for him. He hired the young Erick, and was impressed by Erick's quick mind and developing prowess. Hearing about his past from someone else, he took the boy on as a squire, and thus Erick went on an odyssey that would span the next 10 years, squire to Marshant.

They spent two years in Garlan, helping to avoid a major outbreak of violence in the area. It was while living here and working with Sir Marshant that Erick met Tendir Quickfingers, a young gnomish gunsmith. She found Erick's fascination with firearms charming, and the boys unceasing curiosity very gnomish. She even eventually taught the boy the forbidden knowledge of gunsmithing, and gave him a dragon enscribed revolver as a fare travel present when he and his master left.

There was also a period of three years spent in Seng, working with the new Empress who had just won back the throne after an attempted coup. During his stay there, Erick learned to use armor and weapons like none he'd ever seen before, but he still dressed like he was in Aurialys, blending the two in a manner no-one had seen till then or since.

Finally, 18, Marshant took him to an Order Chapterhouse, to have him fully inducted into a Cavalier Order. But rather than sponsor him to his own order in Marshant sponsored him to the Order of the Tome, which was a much better fit for the questing mind of the young cavalier.

Erick found the Order of the Tome much more to his frame of mind than the Order of the Rose, and gained skills rapidly under their tutelage and training. His breadth of knowledge spread rapidly, and his training finally came together. He'd never been very good at animals, although he learned the minimum necessary to get by, even learning to fight from horseback (despite never quite catching on to how to convince them he was a friend).

Having completed his journeyman requirements, and now an official Cavalier of the Order of the Tome, Erick had returned to his birth city a much older, wiser, and calmer man than the angry and vengeful boy who left. He continues to travel on order business, and also seeking more answers on those who betrayed his family and why. He has made a decent enough name for himself as a Cavalier, even if an odd one who doesn't like horses

Erick has been sent to the exotic continent of Mazatil, to the famed city of Opal by his order to uncover some information on a traitor who stole a large sum of gold from the order's coffers and took passage there. Word is that this man is setting himself up as a plantation owner in the upper reaches of the Blue Hills where few questions are asked. This is a debt of honor with the order, and even if no money can be recovered this man's life is forfeit

Huh, ten minutes... what is he, 13? 14? Erick wonders idly as he drives his elbow sideways into the pickpocket's face, sending the boy to the street on his arse, blood streaming from his nose. The same hand draws a heavy flintlock from his waist, the heavy iron barrel pressing between the boys eyes. "You probably don't know what this is, boy, but I promise you it can turn your head into mush before you can move. Now, do you want me to bust you in the nose again, or do you want to earn some copper for an afternoon's work?"

The boy pales, not knowing what the thing pressed to his face is, but the elbow had moved so fast that he hadn't even realized he was being hit until he was on the ground. "E..eh... earn copper... sir..."

The man nods, returning the pistol to it's holster. He digs a copper out of his pouch, and tosses it on the boy's chest. "I need a guide, your resume is acceptable. Now get up and wipe your nose." He's lucky I realized he was a kid, thought he was a halfling in that hood, almost broke his jaw. The man snorts as the boy gets up, biting the copper coin. "Now, there was a half-orc in a set of red armor that came through here in the last 20 minutes, dragging a girl about your age, human. Dragged her right off the ship I was on. Local guards didn't do anything. I figure he payed them off, but I don't see any guards here, so I need to find that half-orc."

The boy blinks. "Oh, him, yeah, I saw him. The girl was crying." The boy shrugs, not an unusual sight. "He's probably heading to sell her. I could help you buy her back for the right price?"

Erick leans down on the boy, nose inches from the boys, and his eyes go hard. "Boy, you took my coin. You lead me to where you think he's going, or I'll take that coin out of your hide. You take a man's coin, you do your job."

The boy gulps and nods rapidly, eyeing the daggers and sword and strange weapon, and the double armor the man wears. He wipes the blood off his mouth and starts moving through the crowd, kicking and punching people out of his way.

Erick follows along, one hand on his pistol. Behind them, the locals begin to move in the same direction, sensing the entertainment value of impending violence.

Two blocks over, the boy points to a tavern. "He's gotta be in there, that's where the slavers are buying today." Erick eyes the boy for a second, then nods. "You wait out here, and don't make me chase you down. If he's there, I'll give you a silver for a job well done."

The boy's eyes go wide, and he nods, as Erick enters the tavern. There's some laughter from inside, and then the mother of all sounds, like thunder. Smoke comes from the doorway, smelling of demons and devils, sulfur and brimstone. Then the sounds of fighting. The sounds don't last long. Erick exits the tavern shortly thereafter, leading a girl by the hand.

As he steps into the street, a tiefling woman appears in the doorway. "Hey, that's my property. I already paid for it."

Erick looks over his shoulder. "She wasn't his to sell. You can get your money back from him. His armor should cover your expenses, and when he wakes up, if he does, you can sell him. He's big and strong, he can work hard, and he's a coward, since he only takes on little girls, so he won't fight back too hard."

The tiefling eyes the man, then looks over her shoulder, then laughs. "Little girls are worth more, but since he's free, I guess I'll make about the same profit. Interesting weapon you got there. Wanna sell it?"

"No."

The crowd exchanges purses with silver and copper, those who took the long shot stranger happy they won, those who bet on the local favorite gritting their teeth.

Erick was born in the Cudgel sector of Sasserine, but unlike those of his generation, he was not destined to stay there. Erick's parents were minor, but wealthy, nobles. Unfortunately, they had mad enemies. Exactly who it was, Erick never found out, but his father was framed for treason, and their wealth taken away, his father hung, and his mother turned out on the streets.
His mother, unable to bear the shame, threw herself from the lighthouse onto the shoals below. Erick was left to the mercies of the city's orphanages, his family's dishonor slowly sending him to worse and worse orphanages, until he finally ended up in the Shadowshores, where no doubt he'd have grown up to be a criminal, had not fate intervened once again, perhaps to make up for it's last cruel touch.
Garvin Marshant, a Chelexian Emissary of the Order of the Rose was sent to the city by his order chapterhouse to see to settling the unstable city in the chaos of the post restoration. Sir Marshant was in the habit of hiring street urchins for use in the cities he frequented, sending them on errands, asking them about local information, and watching people for him.

He hired the young Erick, and was impressed by Erick's quick mind and developing prowess. Hearing about his past from someone else, he took the boy on as a squire, and thus Erick went on an odyssey that would span the next 10 years, squire to Marshant.

They spent two years in Alkenstar, helping to avoid a major outbreak of violence in the area. It was while living here and working with Sir Marshant that Erick met Tendir Quickfingers, a young gnomish gunsmith. She found Erick's fascination with firearms charming, and the boys unceasing curiosity very gnomish. She even eventually taught the boy the forbidden knowledge of gunsmithing, and gave him a dragon-throated pistol as a fare travel present when he and his master left Alkenstar.

There was also a period of three years spent in Tien, working with the new Empress who had just won back the throne after several hundred years of there being no-one on the throne. During his stay there, Erick learned to use armor and weapons like none he'd ever seen before, but he still dressed like he was in Alkenstar, blending the two in a manner no-one had seen till then or since.

Finally, 18, Marshant took him to an Order Chapterhouse, to have him fully inducted into a Cavalier Order. But rather than sponsor him to his own order in Cheliax, the Chelexian Blue Rose, Marshant sponsored him to the Order of the Tome in Andoran, which was a much better fit for the questing mind of the young cavalier. This was especially true as the boy had issues with the idea that history changes every 30 days, and that books should be burned.

Erick found the Andoran Order of the Tome much more to his frame of mind than the Chelexian Order of the Rose, and gained skills rapidly under their tutelage and training. His breadth of knowledge spread rapidly, and his training finally came together. He'd never been very good at animals, although he learned the minimum necessary to get by, even learning to fight from horseback (despite never quite catching on to how to convince them he was a friend).

Having completed his journeyman requirements, and now an official Cavalier of the Order of the Tome, Erick has returned to his birth city a much older, wiser, and calmer man than the angry and vengeful boy who left. Not that he won't look for those who ruined his family, but rather than burn the city down to do so, he plans to just demolish select bits of it as needed while earning a living.

He has since found out his parents were sold into slavery, and it's left him with a bad taste in his mouth for slavers, not that he had a good taste for them before.