Callum Ulthredson

Grandmaster of the Order of the Burning Lance

Callum Ulthredson is the Grandmaster of the Order of the Burning Lance. He was born and raised in the city of Tommen's March, in The Halsingly March of the Kingdom of Brisland. His father was an un-landed knight in service to the earl, and Callum was trained to fulfill the same role. Finding this future to be an unfulfilling prospect, the young man soon set his sights on greater aspirations.

Life in the March was too quiet. Maybe five hundred years ago I would have been happy there, but it's too peaceful now. If I was going to live by the sword, I didn't want to live with it in the sheath. A sword is intended to be tempered in battle and sheathed in blood.

Callum Ulthredson

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Early Years

By the time he was fourteen, Callum knew that settling for a life of guarding a border province with a friendly neighbor did not suit him. He yearned for the thrill of battle. In his studies, he read of the great deeds of the Order of the Burning Lance. He was especially drawn to tales of how they aided in the conquering of his own homeland, and after how they were instrumental in taming the wilds beyond. Most interesting to him was how they set out to other lands, playing roles in the formation of the Kingdom of Teugoras and other feats in lands beyond. He wished to travel the world. The exotic battles in distant lands undertaken by the Order were tales of legend, and he wished to carve out his own legend.

Joining the Order

The Burning Lance still has a strong presence in the Halsingly March to this day, so when the young Callum decided to seek them out at the age of sixteen - in 828 I.R. - he needed look no further than their barracks-temple within his home city of Tommen's March. He enlisted with the Order as a squire, pledging an oath to serve the Order, the Temple of the Divines, and Savas.
Callum quickly rose through the ranks. He had already had intense education and training as the son of a knight, so his training as a squire among the Order served only to indoctrinate him to their ways. He served as a squire for two years, during this time journeying to the border between The Marsden Empire and the Vostani Confederation. He cut his teeth in the deep forests against the Vostani, and quickly earned a reputation as a fierce warrior. Officially knighted at the age of eighteen in 830 I.R., he was immediately given command of a unit of mounted skirmishers.

He rode upon the mists themselves. Nay, he seemed formed of the mists. It must have been the breath of Belgeth herself that bore him from the underworld.

A Vostani warrior's account of a raid by Callum's Cohort.

The Demon in the Forest

Callum's Cohort, as they would soon be called, was a small group of two dozen mounted skirmishers. Lightly armed and armored, these young men - all of them newly knighted brothers of the Order - were given tasks such as scouting for the enemy and hunting game. During larger engagements, they would harass the flanks of the enemy and pursue retreating forces. While Callum excelled in his new command and reveled in this exciting new life he had always dreamed of, he still felt like his skills were not being exploited to their fullest potential.
During a routine scouting patrol, Callum and a dozen of his skirmishers came upon a small encampment of Vostani warriors in the night. The warriors were winding down after an evening of hard drinking and had not set out a picket. Seeing an opportunity to strike a blow at the enemy, Callum and his men charged in and butchered the unsuspecting foes. Not equipped to transport prisoners back to the Order's own camp, Callum ordered the execution of any survivors except for one man. This started a trend for young Callum of always leaving one man alive to tell the tale of his deeds. In the year following, Callum's Cohort would undertake a number of daring raids and ambushes that struck fear into the heart of the Vostani.

The Spoils of War

Having proven his ability as both a leader and a ferocious warrior, Callum soon found his purse full of coin as reward for his exemplary performance in the field. This unexpected boon sparked a new ambition in the nineteen-year-old commander: wealth. He had been under no illusion that the Order was aiding The Marsden Empire in exchange for coin as much as it was for the continued partnership between the Temple of the Divines and the Empire. Seeing this pass down to his own hands however made the potential gains of a life with the Burning Lance suddenly hit home.

In the years to come, Callum was eventually promoted to the rank of Brother-Paladin and given charge of a unit of heavy horse. He continued to excel, leading charge after charge into lines of the enemy. He left the forests of the Vostian Confederation behind and traveled even further abroad. He even bloodied his sword against the Yemites in the southern deserts across the sea; proving time after time that he was not only a fierce warrior, but also an accomplished leader. By the time he was the age of thirty in 842 I.R., he had already been made a Keeper of the Truth and had joined the Inner Circle of the brotherhood. When the old Grandmaster of the Order died in battle against the marauding north-men of Illyria far to the west, the Inner Circle was called to a conclave at the Order's home fortress in the Frostcap Mountains of Brisland. After one of the shortest conclaves in the history of the order, Callum Ulthredson was elected Grandmaster of the Order of the Burning lance.

Ethnicity

Rikenian

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Grandmaster of the Order of the Burning Lance.

Year of Birth

812 H.E. 2385 Years old

Birthplace

Tommen's March

Current Residence

Transient

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Medium length, russet brown

Height

5'10"

Weight

185 lbs

Other Affiliations

• Orders-Militant
• Temple of the Divines