Bartalome el Piadoso

Inquisitor Bartalome Dendali (a.k.a. The Pious)

Bartalome Dendali (or as he was called in his order, Bartalome el Piadoso) was a Tallian Paladin who worked for the Church of the All-Divine, acting as an inquisitor for them to hunt down mages who were unsanctioned by the church and to prosecute them. Ultimately, he would be marked as an Oathbreaker by the gods of Talamh for his lust for gold and persecution of innocent people.

History

Early Life

Bartalome was born Tiosium, Tallia, in 1A 5792, to a poor farming family. Early on in life he began to grow close to the church elders of Amagus, who fascinated him with their knowledge. In the 5807, at the age of 15, he became an acolyte of his local church. He studied the words of Amagus and philosophy over the years, envying the kings of Tallia for their power and wealth while he remained poor. Over his years as an acolyte, he would quietly steal tithe money for himself. 5812, he reached the age of 20 and completed proper training to become a local Paladin. He would spend three years at home, until the united Church of the All-Divine called for members in the Wallingwish Islands, to which they offered to pay well. Thus, Bartalome moved on from his home in Tallia and set sail to the Wallingwish Islands, hungry for good pay for his services.

As an Inquisitor

Arriving in New Wallingwish in the year 5815, he was soon deemed an inquisitor for the church. At first, his duties involved hunting down death cults, like that of Morganine and Loxelel. He would be paid good salaries and felt he was honoring Amagus for these things. Sometime in 5821, he would meet the Hapsburgs, a noble family of Half-Elves. Occasionally the family would commission him to deal with thieves and other problems they faced. They would pay him graciously. Thus, he established a standing relationship with the Hapsburgs until 5840.
However, it would be soon that he would discover they were people who practiced the magical arts. Though he kept it a secret, he would ultimately be faced with a choice: the church was being given money by rich tobacco-owning lords to capture and turn in unauthorized mages. Bartalome knew the Hapsburgs did not have permission by the church for their use of magic. He went to the Hapsburgs and asked them to sanction themselves, but they refused. Instead, they plead with him to keep them safe, as they knew it would lead to persecution.
Bartalome would ultimately find the prize of money to be more appealing. In 5841, him and a team of other inquisitors stormed the Hapsburg residence in Port Royal and arrested the family, including their young son Alexandroth. Bartalome thus led the family to the stake and was paid handsomely by his superiors. With a large sum of gold in his hands, he watched the inquisitors set fire to the Hapsburg parents, with them dying in the fire. However, as Alexandroth was being burnt, a horde of ravens soon started to attack the proceedings. Alexandroth would be saved by the ravens while the inquisitors, audience, and Bartalome were attacked. When the horde left, Bartalome discovered Alexandroth was gone. Then, he came to his knees as he felt a terrible darkness come over to him: he had broken his Paladin's oath.

Life as an Oathbreaker

Very quickly, Bartalome tried to cut all ties from the church, feeling the judgement of the gods there coming upon him whenever he entered their buildings. In 5842 he ran from the colony of New Wallingwish to Carallinia, where he knew there was less influence by the church. However, the judgement never left him. Nightmares would come to him, his life would become more and more stressful. He knew his soul, once he died, would be sent to the Judgement Court of Amagus when he died and would be brought to the Nine Hells to suffer forever. Which is why he had a plan: he wanted to avoid death at all costs.
Bartalome began to obsess over the Fountain of Youth, a legend in Carallinia. He figured if he could drink eternal youth, he would never need to face the judgement of Amagus, as he could live his first life forever. He came across a dusty map for the Fountain of Youth sometime in 2A 54, and then assembled a team of Tallian sailors and soldiers to help him look. Sailing for two years, the confusing navigation finally paid off as they found Bootstrap's Blunder in 5856. However, a Hydra attacked their ship in the harsh waters, sinking everyone to their death but him. He would proceed to be sent to Davy Jones' Locker as the only living member of his crew, using his Lay of Hands ability to preserve his life.
In the Locker, he realized his Oathbreaker powers could command his dead crew and raised them back up as revenants. A few weeks later, he would stumble across a group of adventurers also in Davy Jones' Locker, and recognized one of them: it was Alexandroth Hapsburg, now as a grown man. Alexandroth ambushed him with a party of adventurers, wishing for revenge against the old man. However, Bartalome commanded all of his dead soldiers to attack the adventurers, leading to a duel that would determine his destiny.
He would win in a duel against Alexandroth using his smites. However, a 10-year old half-elf druid named Tursi from the party managed to burn him alive, heating his metal plate armor. When taken down, Alexandroth got back up and slit the throat of the man. Bartalome's soul would be left in Davy Jones' Locker, being keelhauled for the rest of eternity.

Truly an ironic and fitting death for this man so zealous. Burnt and incapacitated, like the mages he persecuted.

Physical Description

Facial Features

Bartalome has a curled mustache and a full beard, being a style of choice that was popular in Tallia. One of his eyes appears to have a small scar underneath of it, while his lip seems to have small burnt marks on it due to battling mages.

Apparel & Accessories

Bartalome dresses like a Conquistador in heavy platemail armor, allowing him to be protected in his self-righteous quests. He also carries on him a flintlock pistol, for emergency protection. On him is a Holy Symbol of Amagus, and notes on the holy words of that god. He also has a map to the Fountain of Youth on his person.

Specialized Equipment

He carries a Longsword of the Divines, a powerful sword that allows him to access radiant energy to slay his foes. It was gifted to him by the Church of the All-Divines as a tool for his work in prosecuting mages. Though he is now an Oathbreaker, he still uses the sword for his own personal agenda.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Because Bartalome is a man of indulgence, anything he does is ultimately to benefit his own well being. He is also a man who fears his own death, as he knows the judgement of Amagus is cruel. Therefore, he has been searching for ways to extend his own life so that he may avoid that judgement.

Virtues & Personality perks

Despite his selfishness, he still takes the words of Amagus to heart. He still values any remaining friends and will protect his allies before himself in battle. He will also heal the sick and weary, use some of his money to help orphans and widows, and feed those who need it.

Vices & Personality flaws

Bartalome is a greedy man and one who will hurt anyone for gold in his pocket. He indulges in wealth and possessions. Any good things he does do is for his own gain and for self image. He only uses the powers the gods gifted him for perverting their will to his own. So in a sense, he is self-righteous and self-serving.

Bartalome in his youth, dressed in his inquisitor's armor of plate mail.

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Life

5792 ME 5856 ME 64 years old

Circumstances of Death

Burnt alive and incapacitated in a different dimension, throat then slit.

Birthplace

Tiosium, Tallia

Gender

Male

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Grey

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tan

Height

5'9''

Weight

152 lbs.

Aligned Organization

Church of the All-Divine

Related Plots

• Chapter 7 - Echos of the Past
• Chapter 8 - Dangers Present