NPC - Derek Spikebeard

NPC - Derek Spikebeard

Derek Spikebeard is a cad and a villain. So say the merchants of the lands south and east of Geoff, but to the farmers of that ravished land he is something of a hero. The son of a farmer himself Derek left before the giants and their allied horrors descended from their mountainous homes to plunder and destroy. He was strong and wiry, quick and steady in the face of danger. It made him a good candidate for a guardsman of the eastern bandit lords who always needed more swordfodder in their continual internecine conflicts. Derek joined the company of Lord Stonetower whose lands bordered the Rift Canyon and who fought the Rovers of the Barrens  as often as his own neighboring lords

The fighting grew to open warfare during the time of Bandit Kings' War in 578cy and Derek survived more battles in a year than had been seen in the last fifty. From a novice, untrained with weapons or armor, he became a bannerman, then a sergeant in the service of Lord Stonetower. Then came the Beastmen from the Rift in such numbers as had never been seen before. They overwhelmed several of the Bandit Kings till many keeps and castles became islands in an ocean of death and fire. Derek accompanied the expedition which struck deep into the Rift and found the black rock and the cavern of darkness that lead to a fortress beneath the earth built by no human hand. Few returned from that expedition. Derek and a dozen others alone and none would speak of what they had seen.

Derek now wore the armor of slain Lord Stonewater who fell beneath the Rift and bore his sword, a powerful blade that drank the blood of any it touched. With his small band of survivors he made his way through the bands of beastmen, cutting them down when he had to, avoiding them when he could. In the south he waylaid a shipment of ale from the first passing merchant he came across. From there his depredations grew in scale as did his band of followers. From north to south he robs and waylays. Along the eastern coast he sometimes takes ship to the ports of the Great Kingdom to sell his goods, but in the west he returns to his homeland and recruits men as the Chieftains of old had done. In his homeland he is generous with his coin and well-liked by the people who are more than happy to give him safehaven when he needs it and thumb their noses at the merchants and Lords of the surrounding lands.