Quatrième semaine sur la route, et l'humeur de Ser Gyles Hawthorne était aussi mauvaise que possible. Je deviens trop vieux pour de longs voyages, semble-t-il. Mais il y a des darkspawn à tuer, et du butin à rassembler, donc je ne peux pas me contenter de gâcher cette opportunité, pensa-t-il. Il tenait un palaver avec un de ses hommes, un éclaireur nommé Harding, qui venait de Ferelden. La compagnie de Gyles avait cessé de marcher et la plupart des hommes mangeaient le souper, une soupe avec de la viande de cerf, des champignons et des racines.
"Le fort frontalier de Tevinter n'est pas si loin, commandant. À deux heures d'ici, le scout Harding a dit à Gyles. "Les gardes devraient être là."
« Espérons-le. J'aimerais avoir un abri et une cheminée chaude après quelques semaines de tentes dans la nature" Gyles a dit légèrement. "Dînez et retournez à la formation, Harding, et envoyez Michael. C'est son tour." Cela faisait des semaines que lui et sa compagnie d'une cinquantaine d'hommes avaient vu un village, et qu'il avait un pauvre bordel. Le long du chemin vers le nord vers le territoire de Tevinter, il avait recruté une cinquantaine d'hommes, tous originaires de différentes nations et villages. La plupart étaient Fereldan et certains étaient d'Orlais. Quelques-unes des recrues étaient même des Marches Libres ou Rivain, mais heureusement toutes étaient des soldats capables et savaient quelle fin d'une épée à tenir.
Au début, ils s'étaient vexés et se méfiés, mais au cours des derniers mois ils avaient été ensemble les hommes avaient développé des liens entre eux que seuls les soldats connaissaient, et Gyles pour heureux pour cela. Gyles avait remarqué que si un homme ne se battait pas pour lui-même mais pour son unité et ses camarades, même une petite compagnie pouvait tenir son terrain contre une grande armée ennemie. Bien sûr, l'entreprise a également besoin de formation et de forage au-delà de la mesure, et les fournitures ont également aidé. Mais Gyles avait toute sa confiance envers ses hommes.
Après le repas, ils ont emballé leurs marchandises et ont commencé à marcher vers l'avant, et en quelques heures la compagnie a atteint le fort frontière. Un jeune homme, apparemment au début de la vingtaine, apparut au sommet de la porte. "La moitié!" Il cria à Ser Gyles, qui roulait comme le premier homme de la compagnie : « Qui es-tu, et dans quel domaine? »
"Le nom est Gyles Hawthorne de Ferelden, et n'oubliez pas d'ajouter un ser quand vous m'adressez si nous conversons plus tard. J'ai entendu dire que les directeurs auraient besoin d'aide, et qu'ils paieraient bien ceux qui les ont aidés. J'ai envoyé ma réponse à votre commandant il y a quelques mois, mais ma compagnie et moi avons été légèrement retardés par une petite bataille à Orlais. »
"Je vois. Attendez un instant, j'irai confirmer de mon capitaine » a dit le jeune homme, et en quelques secondes, il était parti.
Une quinzaine de minutes plus tard, les portes s'ouvraient, et la compagnie entrait dans le fort. Gyles regarda autour, et remarqua un cercle autour d'un jeune gardien gris elfique. Il a sauté du dos de son défunt et a marché jusqu'au groupe. "Qui commande ici, directeur?"
Name: Ser Gyles Hawthorne (nicknamed One-Eyed Gyles)
Age: 49
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Allegiance: Gyles' allegiance is mostly with himself and his companions. Gyles often trusts those who he fights with and earn his respect.
Class/Sub-class: Warrior / Champion
Banner: A stylized black spades with roses on a snow-white field.
Appearance:
Ser Gyles is a muscular man and about six feet two tall. His hair and beard are raven black, although his hair is cropped. He has strikingly blue eye, as he has lost his left eye in the battle of Ostagar. Gyles has a lot of scars, and across his face there's a long, pale scar. Gyles is highly accomplished swordsman, mostly using a shield and a bastard sword. During the Fifth Blight he was also taught how to use a longbow to certain degree. Due to martial life and some elvish lineage, Gyles still looks younger than his years.
Abilities:
Assault: Because the darkspawn and other foes need a shield to a face occasionally. Several times. In a row.
Shield Mastery: Hiding behind a shield, eh? Craven! *Clunk!*
Melee Archer: Bodkin arrows and longbows never fail in close quarters, trust me!
Threaten: Threats and grunts are the new form of motivation!
Motivate: When war cries just don't cut it.
Pommel Strike: The blade isn't the only part of the sword that can hurt you.
Two-Handed Sweep: Why hit just one enemy when there's an option to hit many?
Personality:
One-Eyed Gyles is a veteran of dozens of campaigns and battles. He knows the dirty tricks of the battlefield, but he has a code of honor he follows due to his knightly origins. Strong in body and mind, he is decisive and determinant. He is a man who's words and orders men follow. To the public he seems like a great commander and a natural-born fighter. Personally, he has seen much bloodshed and chaos during his years as a mercenary and his experiences has left a mark on him. Gyles doesn't like to talk about his past dealings or inner feelings.
History:
A native Fereldan and born to lower nobility, Gyles became a knight and served in King Cailan's army for a few years. Gaining experience as an officer in a cavalry company, he fought in the doomed battle of Ostagar, but could escape with a fragment of his company. Around ninety men out of hundred of his company died at Ostagar. Gyles lost his left eye in the battle and was feverish for a few days. A refuge healer helped him to recover and assume command of the company.
Escaping the darkspawn horde, the company headed northwards, gathering survivors and refugees along the way, passing Lothering just before the town was raided by the darkspawn. Soon, Gyles had a rag tag company of cavalrymen, infantry, engineers and longbowmen. Gyles started a small-scale guerrilla campaign against darkspawn, targeting mostly small scouting units.
During the war, Gyles' company was very successful. After the war, Gyles found his family dead and lands devastated. On the other hand, he had found leading men and warfare highly exciting. Barreling around Ferelden for a two years offering his services to many lords, he was refused by almost every lord. Taking what money and riches he had left, Gyles set out to the northern Thedas, pursuing a career of a mercenary and founded the Black Hearts Company.
Many years later, he retired his command of the Black Hearts Company to a younger captain called Lucas Castellano and came back to Ferelden. After two decades of mercenary work, he bought a small holdfast and a farm. He thought he had left his past life behind him, but only one bad harvest later Gyles lost his estates and was sent drifting. Soon he heard that his old enemy, the darkspawn had resurfaced in the north. He faces an opportunity for one last campaign, as the southerners have started to mass an army to drive back the darkspawn crawling from the north. Maybe he can use his old sellsword contacts and experiences as a instructor to bolster the ranks of the allied army?