Hugo von Schwarzburg
Sir Hugo Friederich von Schwarzburg (a.k.a. The Cylops, The Black Knight of the Hollow, the Sword of Schwarzburg, (Former) Baron of Blackcastle)
Sir Hugo is an impoverished nobleman and the sole survivor of House Schwarzburg. He is well-known as a sellsword and would-be warlord, and while his moral compass has shifted he has not forgotten his knightly vows.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Prime physical condition from years of fighting and traveling in heavy armor. His body bears the scar of many a fight with both human and monster, and constant training with his squire helps him to remain in good shape.
Facial Features
Many jagged scars of various lengths, including a vertical one on the left side giving his mouth a permanent sneer. eyepatch covering right eye, half of his left ear cut off and missing. His hair and beard are dark brown and shot through with strands of gray.
Special abilities
Inhuman strength, speed, and durability conferred by his armor. The upper threshold of this enhancement is unclear.
Apparel & Accessories
Formal clothing: A worn, yet well-made gambeson of deep green, the black castle sigil of his house stitched on to the front, with leather breeches and boots of the same material. A green emerald ring with the same signet, done in onyx inlay. A dark green cloak gathered about his shoulders, fashioned with a tower-shaped clasp.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Sir Hugo Friederich Von Schwarzburg aka "Sir Hugo the Homeless" is the fourth-born son of a family of minor nobility, an old house rich in honor, yet poor in coin. House Schwarzburg had served with honor as trusted bannermen in their ancestral seat of Blackcastle to House Falgon, the Lords Paramount of the West in Ardyn for countless generations. As a boy, he served as both a squire and a page to his father’s liege Lord before earning his spurs at the age of seventeen. Though of only very minor nobility, he still enjoyed a lifestyle far more privileged than the common folk. Much of his time was spent hunting or participating in the lists of the grand tourneys, showing great promise in both the joust and melee.
This all changed when his liege Lord Falgon threw in his lot with a pretender to the throne, challenging the rule of King Gustav XI, the reigning monarch, a weak-willed, weak-minded and evil man, in favor of his bastard brother Edgard of Alberton, a far more capable ruler who simply lacked the proper pedigree. After several years of pitched battles, the rebels were finally routed and their forces handily defeated with the help of foreign auxiliaries in the Battle of Lockshire, a bloodbath in which Hugo would have surely perished had he not been sent away at the last moment on his father’s order. The old man had correctly guessed that his ancient line would have been otherwise extinguished as both himself and his three eldest sons perished on the field that day.
In the aftermath, House Schwarzburg was marked as a traitor to the throne, and its lands, incomes, and even the fortress Blackcastle were seized, distributed among the Loyalist houses. His sisters were forcibly married off to supporters of the King, as was young Hugo's own betrothed. As the sole male survivor of the house, he was marked an outlaw and fled the country on horseback in the night, carrying only his arms and armor. Relatively safe outside the borders, he can only return home under the pain of death. Still, he dreams of one day retaking Blackcastle.
As a noble in exile with no inheritance or connections and few prospects, he took to fighting with the free companies of the east and became hired blade, a man as hard as the steel that he wore. The castle training of an anointed knight was highly valued, and he excelled in many a hard-fought campaign. But Hugo has no taste for blood and feels such mercenary acts to be a stain upon the honor of his ancestors. Without land, title, or income, he has little choice. He wanders the land as an errant knight - killing bandits, and monsters, guarding merchant caravans, rescuing maidens, and fighting in the occasional tourney, yet time and time again he finds himself on a foreign field fighting for coin rather than cause
Morality & Philosophy
Hugo takes his vows as a knight seriously. Though his lands and title were taken, honor still remains. He lives the code of chivalry as much as his circumstances will allow, and often will help those who need it without regard to personal reward - though the Gods know he could use the coin. His ultimate goal lies in regaining back what belongs to his family by right. His impoverished, exile status makes him a pariah among the nobility, yet an educated upbringing often alienates him from the common folk. Foreign hedge-knights are not often trusted by anyone so he tends to move from place to place, hence the sobriquet "Sir Hugo the Homeless", a once-hated nickname he has come to embrace.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Upholding his knightly vows and regaining the lost holdings of House Schwarzburg that are his by birthright. He seeks to avenge the deaths of his father and kinsmen, and to achieve glory and recognition.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes Red wine
Virtues & Personality perks
In many ways, Sir Hugo typifies what it means to be a knight. Brave, bold, and courageous, he has fought countless battles with little regard for his own safety or reward. He is honor bound to the laws of chivalry and in spite of his fluctuating moral compass, he will not betray them. Possessing a nobleman's education, he is well-versed in the art of war and courtly behavior, though having little occasion to use the latter. He has proven himself a competent battlefield commander and leader of men with knowledge of tactics and siegecraft.
Vices & Personality flaws
Proud, Arrogant, Alcoholic, Haughty, Bloodthirsty, Belligerent, Ill-tempered. Sir Hugo is quick to start (or end) a fight and long to hold a grudge. His cursed breastplate amplifies these negative traits significantly, contributing to a mental decline while his strength and vigor have been boosted considerably. Hugo is a man of his times and holds the belief of his innate superiority to the common folk simply on the virtue of his noble blood, in spite of the fact that many lowborn individuals vastly exceed his own meager wealth.
Social
Family Ties
Out of the once-mighty House Schwarzburg, only Hugo and his elder sister Hilde remain. He is the grand-nephew of Count Georg Wallingford through his late mother, Lady Sabine of Breakwater. Fathered a bastard child with the Imperial Princess Andromeda..
Religious Views
A devotee of the Blood Goddess Calypso
Speech
A heavy German accent with an aristocratic inflection. His voice is booming and carries well even over the din of battle, enabling him to shout out commands and rally his troops. As the curse of his armor continues to wear upon him, his tone grows devoid of emotion.
Wealth & Financial state
Through his mercenary pursuits he has amassed a significant amount of coin and treasure. He possesses several suits of armor and multiple horses along with numerous high-quality weaponry.
Impoverished exile knight of dubious foreign origins, in service to Count Georg Wallingford of Breakwater
Character Location
Alignment
Corrupted Lawful Good
Species
Ethnicity
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Baron of Blackcastle (formerly)
Head and heir of House Schwarzburg
Knight (Sir)
Age
37
Date of Birth
May 5
Circumstances of Birth
The last of 5 children, with his mother Sabine dying in childbirth
Birthplace
Blackcastle, Schwarzburg
Family
Children
Current Residence
Breakwater
Gender
Male
Eyes
Brown (right) Solid white (left)
Hair
Iron gray, formerly jet black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale white, formerly bronze
Height
6'2" (in armor)
Weight
250 lbs
Quotes & Catchphrases
"Come, and meet my reaper."
Belief/Deity
Calypso
Aligned Organization
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