The War Council
The War Council is the name taken up by the adventuring party that defeated the lich Dagobert during the The War of the Broken Crypt and stabilized the Empire during its time of crisis. They arose from commoners to renowned heroes, famous across the realm. In total, there were six original members of the War Council: Caspar Edelweiss, Garon von Rallus, Gerhardt of Aufheim, Noro Codsworth, Tom Chumsky, and Ivan Pines. The War Council was closely associated with Karl Graelingard, an exiled prince whom they helped take the throne of the Holmgardian Empire. The War Council had several companions during their adventuring years, including the van Richten brothers, Hamit Shalmanaz, Sigurd Lupercal, and Mannheim Thorm.
Caspar Edelweiss:
Caspar Edelweiss was the youngest of the War Council. Hailing from the village of Langasfjorda, he had a difficult relationship with his family, especially his older brother Erin. He became a devout follower of Tyr and became renowned for his charisma and religious visions. Despite his peasant origin, he attracted like-minded warriors and performed many miracles during the War, chief among them his acquisition of the Hammer of Tyr. He ultimately far surpassed his older brother in both deeds and virtue and became one of Karl's most trusted advisors, known by his nickname, the Hammer of Tyr. He would go on to lead the Ashen Crusade and disappear under mysterious circumstances; his deeds did much to unify the Tyrians during Karl's reign.
Gerhardt of Aufheim
Gerhardt of Aufheim, a survivor of the Sack of Aufheim, came to the south in refuge from an orcish incursion that destroyed his home. Having seen battle, he became a natural leader for the inexperienced folk of the People's Crusade, finding kinship in the hardy people of Carsgarde and the few remaining dwarves in the Barrowmark, especially Hamit Shalmanaz. He was key to the exploration of Tznchundel and became renowned Dwemerphile. He was given a Jarldom in the Thyssenmark near his old home and led the people of Carsgarde north, founding the city of Neuheim in close collaboration with the dwarves who would go on to create Prythian.His children would become staunch Karlists.
Garon von Rallus
Garon von Rallus is a half-orc monk from the Northern Empire who trained with the Order of the Heavenly Mind in Wissenfestung. He encountered the nascent War Council while battling for coin in the sparring pits of Carovin's slum, and proved to be an intelligent if occasionally self-interested addition to the party. He tutored Karl, Gerhardt, and Caspar and chronicled the events of the War of the Broken Crypt. Towards the end of the war, he secreted away the Shard of Sanguine within the Oroboritic fortress of Jormunthal, where it remained safe until it was stolen by the Hand of Tyr. He then advocated for the status of half-orcs in the Empire and furthered scholasticism, before becoming a key part of the plot to restore the Karlists.
Noro Codworth
Noro Codsworth came to the War Council already an experienced Tyrian inquisitor. An aloof yet charismatic individual, he masterminded the formation of the Flagellants, which ultimately became the Ragnarist faction of the Empire. He was renowned for stirring up acts of religious zealotry and mobilized vast numbers of warriors to the cause, helping the Empire rebuild its strength at a great cost to its long-term stability. He died on a rain-soaked battlefield at Barrowgarde, becoming a martyr and a saint; his long-reaching legacy is still felt to this day, for his son, Noro the Younger, became the founding member of the Hand of Tyr and was therefore responsible for the events of the Great Conspiracy.
Tom Chumsky
A simple, rather frightening man with a deceptively big heart, Tom was the town headsman for a mining town in the Westmark - until his sister fell afoul of the Tyrian Inquisition and he was asked to execute his own sister. He fled, joining the People's Crusade and travelling to Carovin. Embracing his Lupercal lineage, he devoured the heart of a primal wolf-spirit and became a skin wolf, the most prominent in many years. He was a vicious front-line fighter who sacrificed everything for his companions. In the end, the horror of the war and the ruination of his family was a heavy burden; he retired to a remote estate in the Westmark among halflings, providing occasional counsel for other shapechangers before voluntarily sacrificing himself to Alaric.
Ivan Pines (Mordekainen)
Undoubtedly the most controversial member of the War Council, Ivan was struck off the record in an act of damnatio memoriae due to his treachery. Ivan was a bastard child of the ruling house of Aldberg. A nobleman with a keen grasp of arcana, he became a battlewizard for the War Council, a pyromancer obsessed with revenge. At times, he acted as the judge, jury, and executioner of the council, and was indifferent to inflicting suffering. Though he was instrumental in defeating Dagobert, he promptly stole his phylactery and seized Aldberg in a rebellion - only barely was Dagobert prevented from returning. The depth of his depravity became clearer as it was found that nearly betrayed the party to the forces of Sanguine. He was later deposed by Karl and banished to Barovia where he redeemed himself somewhat, before dying in obscurity.
by Copilot
The Companions:
Ilyanov van Richten: Ilyanov, brother of the great scholar Rudolph van Richten, is a Lornish monster hunter of the Custodial Order. He was the mightiest of all the companions of the War Council, accompanying them for the last year of the War of the Broken Crypt. Trained in dark magicks and hemomancy, Ilyanov was sent to investigate the Barrowmark after rumours of a lich reached Darkon; he joined the Council shortly after the battle of Barrowgarde, and was indispensible to the slayting of both Wachter and Dagobert. In his later years, he continued to battle the remnants of Sanguine's corruption in the Empire, and mentored the Custodian Ealin.
Children
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