Sir Alaric

Sir Alaric, Knight of the Realm

When the orcs came pouring in from the west, he was the one seen holding for five days, and his name is the one the campfires kept. Ever since, wherever he goes, people ask him for the battle, and he gives it to them, a little more beautiful each time. From telling it so often, the finest blade in the realm has come to live on admiration more than effort. His sword has known no other war. Alone, he falls silent, and his gaze drifts far away.

Describe him

He walks in the way you walk into a friend's house, and the tavern welcomes him the same way. His voice is warm, his laugh honest, and he always has a hand free for a shoulder. The ladies can't take their eyes off him; he smiles at them kindly and goes to sit with the carters. He buys a round gladly, the second one rarely. And when someone asks for the battle, he sets down his tankard, and the whole room goes quiet before he does.

Play him

Make him welcoming, always the first to offer a hand. A clap on the shoulder to bring you along, a story from the battle to lift flagging spirits. Let him agree to an adventure for next to nothing, a good cause, good company. Then, just once, let the players catch him alone, staring into nothing, without telling them whether it is nostalgia or melancholy. Hold underneath a question he asks no one: is there still a blade behind the story? Perhaps that is why he follows you so quickly.

What he says (rarely)

"Come on, come on! I'll tell you about the third day on the way, it's the best one."
"My lady, you are charming. But they're waiting for me at the tavern, I promised them the fifth day."
(without turning around, when he hears you approach) "You know what no one ever tells about battles? The sixth day."