Robert Bernières
Robert Bernières was a mortal Dark Age crusader who joined the Order of the Poor Knights of the Passion of the Cross of Acre.
Biography
Crusading should have been a great adventure for young Robert Bernières. It was the chance to fight for God and the pope and win a place in Heaven, and also an opportunity for an unremarkable middle son of a Marcher lord to win himself some wealth or land. With those thoughts firmly in his mind, Robert set off for the Holy Land on the Fifth Crusade.
As the months turned into years, the idealistic young lad changed into a bitter, battle-seasoned warrior. After years of conflict, he began to ask what he was really fighting for and to contemplate a return to England. That night, a lone Saracen warrior attacked the soldier's camp, slaughtering dozens before they even left their beds. As Robert swiftly mounted his horse and prepared to face the attacker, he whispered a small prayer for the strength to defeat this devil warrior. God answered his prayer. Robert's body burned with unexpected strength and, after a short duel with the surprised killer, Robert neatly removed his head form his shoulders. The body was dust before it hit the ground.
Robert fell to his knees, thanked the Lord and committed his life to serving Him against the Devil. The only problem was that not a single one of his friends would believe his tale of that night. They ascribed his stories of the demon warrior to a soldier's normal hyperbole and laughed it off. Word of his tale spread, however, and reached more sympathetic ears. Within the year he was a member of the Poor Knights of the Passion of the Cross of Acre.
His career since has taken him all across Europe in the service of the Knights and the Inquisition. In his decades of service with the order, he has fought creatures far more fearsome than that devilish warrior and come close to dying more often than he can count without disrobing to look at his scars. When the chance came to return to England for the first time in ten years, he accepted without hesitation.
Given a free hand to establish the Poor Knights, he chose to return home to the Welsh Marches and establish a chapter-house for the training of new members of the order there. The constant warfare that wracks the land would make an excellent training ground, he reasoned. It was easy enough to find an abandoned castle in his brother's lands and arrange a favorable deal leveraging family connections and the order's considerable wealth. Now he is the leading proponent of direct action against the Devil's works in the British Isles. That often puts him in conflict with Simpkin Cotter and Abbot Albert, who prefer to wait and research before moving. Robert is not a patient man and has chosen to start his own purges in Wales. His growing success is boosting his confidence in his plans.
Image
Robert would be a good-looking, healthy man in his late 30s if it weren't for the network of scar tissue that covers his face and much of his body. Some scars look like sword wounds, others like the marks of animal claws. He makes little attempt to conceal them, wearing his hair close cropped. Robert has spent his life in uniform and is getting too old to old to break that habit now.
Influence
As a knight and a noble, Robert has a great deal of personal clout with the citizens nearby. His influence within the Inquisition is considerable as well, but largely limited to his own order. Robert doesn't play politics when he can avoid it; he leaves such things to Simpkin Cotter and Bertramus von Murnau.
Character Sheet
Order: Poor Knights of the Passion of the Cross of Acre
Nature: Defender
Demeanor: Celebrant
Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5
Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 1
Mental: Perception 2, Intelligence 3, Wits 3
Talents: Alertness 4, Athletics 4, Brawl 4, Dodge 3, Intimidation 2, Leadership 4
Skills: Animal Ken 2, Archery 3, Etiquette 3, Melee 4, Ride 3, Stealth 2, Survival 4
Knowledges: Academics 1, Investigation 2, Linguistics 2, Medicine 1, Occult 2, Politics 3, Seneschal 3, Theology 1
Backgrounds: Allies 2, Chapter-House 5, Contacts 1, Influence 3, Rank 4, Resources 4, Retainers 2
Orisons: The Hierophant, Mortal Compass, Sanguine Hymn
Endowments: (Investitures) Catechumen, Transfiguration of the Flesh, Flight of Angels, Auto Da Fé; (Legacies) Noblesse Oblige
Curses: (Interdictions) Solemn Oath (honesty), Call of Duty; (Stigmata) Lashed in Judgment
Virtues: Faith 3, Wisdom 1, Zeal 4
Piety: 6
Willpower: 5
References
- DA: Dark Ages: British Isles, p. 129-130