Occult HorrorTancred du Forgietan
Human
Born on the eve of an ominous star, the scion of the du Morvannoux family was educated in art, politics, economics, and of course, warfare. As the one who would one day take over his family's lands and the village of Trosylvia. As a way of averting his supposed fate from birth, Tancred would join the Knights of the Eternal Order; a holy group of paladins who serve Kelemvor, Lord of the Dead. Things would change for the worse as a malevolent mist enshrouded the Duchy of Strigrad.
Tancred was barely appointed ruler of Trosylvia when the hordes of undead began to encroach from the direction of Lord Vladislav Radovich's hold. The young Lord du Morvannoux did what he could with the meager forces he had, but eventually, his lands were cut off and a lengthy siege of his small castle commenced. However, he stalwartly held firm, but it could not last for very long.
Tancred's hold was breached rather quickly. The defenders were slaughtered and raised in turn. He himself was dragged to his own castle's great hall, where he was met by the Lady of House Batory: Natasha. She "congratulated" Tancred for lasting as long as he did, and offered him what she called the "Red Ascension." (a profane ritual to make one a vampire) As a paladin of Kelemvor, Tancred rebuked this offer and was promptly slain with the ceremonial blade of the du Morvannoux family piercing his chest. The blade itself, snapped off into his chest, and his throat slit by the broken and sharpened ricasso. All things faded as everything went dark...
Tancred awoke what seemed like moments later. Limping along and seeing that his hold was naught but ruins torn down and his clothes were tattered. His arms and armor rusting from improper care. Clutching his chest, Tancred became increasingly alarmed by the fact that he had the snapped-off blade of his family's ancestral sword embedded within, along with his heart no longer beating, and now realized he was not breathing or blinking. Panicked, he fled from village to village; along the way being hunted by both surviving Kelemvorites, other paladins, scared villagers, and the minions of the undead lords of the land. By some divine miracle/intervention, he ran into the mountains that separate his now cursed homeland and the free kingdoms-where he now barely scrapes by with odd jobs.
Tancred, taking the moniker "du Forgietan," to hide his true identity, lives amongst the dregs of society. To the average passer-by, he looks like a former soldier or a mercenary who has fallen on hard times.
by Tancred du Forgietan