Aldos Verran

Sir Aldos Verran

"Aldos is the only man I know who can gut a bandit with one hand and insult his cousin’s cooking with the other. If he ever stops laughing, it means the end is near." — Sorek Redmarch

Full Name: Sir Aldos Verran Title: Knight-Champion of Southmere Age: 52 Height: 6'4" Weight: 270 lbs Appearance: Towering and broad-shouldered, Aldos is bald as a polished helm and sports a legendary mustache that could win a duel on its own. No living soul recalls the last time he had hair, nor the last day his upper lip felt sunlight.
Affiliation: Barony Southmere (County Blackvale, Duchy Grevandar)
Lord Served: Baron Cadaras Kendal – friend, not master
Residence: Southmere Hall

Personality and Demeanor

Sir Aldos is sardonic, sharp-eyed, and strong enough to pull the ears off a bugbear—and may have done just that, if the tavern tales are true. While most knights in the Duchy Grevandar wear their pride like plate mail, Aldos prefers well-earned scars and dry wit.
He speaks plainly, even to nobles from outside the barony, and takes a dim view of inflated Titles or flowery speech. That said, he is deeply loyal to Baron Cadaras Kendal, whom he considers a brother in all but name. Their bond was forged decades ago in the muddy border skirmishes of their youth and has only grown stronger over tankards and hard decisions.

"If Aldos bows to you, you’ve either earned it—or he’s hiding the fact he’s about to lift you over his shoulder." — Sir Beringer of the West

Family

Aldos is married to Mira Verran, a former field medic turned herbalist and quartermaster of Southmere’s militia. The two share a famously blunt love, often teasing each other like soldiers before a brawl.
They have two sons:

• Taren Verran (27): A knight in service to Countess Zara Vallytrex. Though Blackvale gossip suggests Zara’s knights sometimes double as “companions,” Taren’s reputation is unsullied—and his father’s glare has likely helped keep it that way.
• Jeren Verran (22): Works logistics and town security within Southmere. More tactician than warrior, but no less sharp.

Reputation and Role

As Knight-Commander, Aldos is responsible for overseeing Southmere’s militia and personal guard, including Baron Kendal’s family escort. He rarely dons full armor unless the situation truly demands it—his presence alone tends to keep problems small.
He is known across Blackvale for ending a barroom brawl with a broken stool and a bad pun, and for once hauling an entire wounded wagon back to camp when the oxen bolted.

Trivia

• No one can verify Aldos’s age by appearance—his physique looks frozen in time somewhere between "impossibly sturdy" and "oak tree with sarcasm."
• Has an unspoken rivalry with Baron Cron's armsmaster, mostly involving drinking contests and insults too clever to be immediately understood.
• Keeps an old drinking horn engraved with "S.R. owes me two chickens and a cloak"—a joke from his early years with Sorek Redmarch.

"He’s not a legend because of stories. He’s a legend because they’re all true—just worse." — Count Lavinio Bordella