Gheylen Vatallio-Erastes
Born 1294 AK to a moderately-prosperous family in Cameri. Studied medicine at the University of Auditore, under a bond of indenture obligating him to ten years service as a field surgeon for the Eighth Grand Regiment, which he served from 1317 to 1326. Saw combat in Kjelslund, and was commended for his courage on several occasions. On completing his indenture, he married Sophon Vatallio-Erastes (now the Vice-Scholarch of Abjuration) and moved to Kalamak where he took a post as a staff physician for the Collegium Coniuratio. Came to Gildenschloss in 1336 AK after Sophon was appointed Vice-Scholarch of Abjuration, and was employed as a physician in the Hospital of Ekirena. Appointed Chief Physician in 1341 AK after the retirement of his predecessor, Lord-Scion Erwijn Zaal.
Involvement with the Oath of the Long Watch
Whilst serving as a field surgeon attached to the First Cohort Arcane in Kjelslund, Gheylen met an orcish mercenary named Eli Alaricsson, who was acting as a bodyguard to the conjurer Carlo Landolfi-Erastes. During the course of one particular battle, Gheylen's field hospital was overrun by Balthan forces; Carlo managed to open a teleportation circle to evacuate the wounded, whilst Eli somehow singlehandedly held the gate against dozens of Balthan soldiers - "fighting more like a force of nature than a person". Eli was unable to make it through the portal before it closed, and was assumed to be dead - but miraculously returned (albeit exhausted and badly wounded) the next night, having fought his way out of the camp and traveled twenty miles through hostile territory without stopping to rest. Eli later confided in Gheylen that he was a paladin of the "Order of the Long Watch", an organisation sworn to the defence of the world against various ancient evils, and claimed that the violence of the war in Kjelslund was being stirred up and taken advantage of by cultists of something that he referred to as the "Lion", which the violence was pushing towards awakening. He explained that the Oath of the Long Watch had been fighting a shadow war against these cults for centuries, and convinced Gheylen to promise to help the Long Watch should his assistance be required in the future. Gheylen heard nothing from Eli until late 1343, when Eli contacted him via sending, and asked him to meet him at the Laughing Fox Inn in the village of Rosendam in the Sternespass. They met there, and Eli gave him a sealed wooden box, which he was told not to open under any circumstances, but to return to the Inn every month; Gheylen was to return the box to Eli if he was there, or else pass it to a person who presented a particular token. Several months later, he was approached by a kenku - thought to have been Echoed Murmur - who presented the token of the Long Watch and demanded the box. Whilst Gheylen was in the process of establishing what was going on, Eli appeared to enter the inn; the kenku claimed that this "Eli" was an imposter, and grabbed the box. "Eli" spotted the fleeing kenku and shouted that they were a thief; and then a fight broke out, during which Gheylen made himself scarce. Gheylen claimed that a few minutes later he was accosted by the same kenku, who angrily asked him a number of questions about the box, including whether he had opened or tampered with it in any way, before giving the (now open and empty) box back to him, and instructing him to hide it and not to talk to anyone about what he had seen that night. Gheylen buried the box in the woods near Rosendam, and tried to put the incident behind him - until several months later, he encountered Echoed Murmur with a party of adventurers, now in the pay of the Queensknife.Relationships
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Honorary & Occupational Titles
Chief Physician, Hospital of Ekirena (1341AK)
Year of Birth
1294
50 Years old
Birthplace
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Sophon Vatallio-Erastes
(Husband)
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Pronouns
he/him
Belief/Deity
Ekirena
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