Hargrave Decker

Lord Hargrave Decker

Lord Hargrave Decker is the current ruler of Focosgost, a position he's held since the coup he lead in 1493.

History

Hargrave Decker was born in Focosgost 1457. Aspiring to be a soldier from a young age, Decker was put off by Focos's historical pacifism, worried that he would waste his life if he chose to join the Focos Guard. Instead, Decker moved to nearby Neverwinter in 1474, which was in the midst of rebuilding itself following the Chaos. Decker, as one of the first members of the new Neverwinter Guard, served with distinction, helping to retake the northern districts of the city from its orcish occupiers.
During the Great Dragon War, Decker fought with the Neverwinter Guard in numerous skirmishes with the Cult of the Dragon, before fighting as a commander at both the Battle of Hardbuckler and the Battle at the Well of Dragons.

The Decker Coup

In the year following the Great Dragon War, Decker returned to his native Focosgost. In Focosgost, the lord of the city was chosen by the Council of Guilds following the death of the previous ruler. The new lord was the member of the city who possessed the most "merit" or accomplishments, proving that they were the best the city had to offer. Decker argued that waiting until the previous lord had died was foolish, as he obviously possessed the most merit, being the only Gost to fight in the Great Dragon War with any distinction. Decker argued that the current city's lord, Joakim Ferox, had proven himself weak and lacking in merit for his pacifist role in the Great Dragon War, and petitioned the Council of Guilds to remove him.
The Council of Guilds refused, but Decker was undeterred. Behind the scenes, Decker pleaded with Lord Protector Dagult Neverember of Neverwinter for aid, claiming Focosgost by its laws was rightfully his. Sensing an opportunity to unify Neverwinter's neighbors, Neverember agreed to help, supplying Decker with funds and members of the Neverwinter Guard thinly disguised as mercenaries, as well as actual mercenaries. Decker used those funds to supplement his force with actual mercenaries, furthering hiding Neverwinter's involvement.
On the 11th of Kythorn 1493, Decker began the siege of Focosgost, beginning the Decker Coup. On the 15th, the walls were breached, and Lord Joakim Ferox surrendered shortly thereafter to spare the city any more bloodshed. A few days later, Decker was crowned the new Lord of Focos.

Lord of Focos

Following his crowning as Lord, Decker began curtailing the powers of the Council of Guilds and strengthening his own executive power. For the next several years, Decker would constantly be dealing with attacks and protests organized by the Free Focos Movement, an underground organization committed to ousting him from rule. These attacks would grow increasingly more violent, leading to the arrest of many Gosts, some of whom had no connection to the movement. Decker also continued strengthing the ties between his city and Neverwinter.
On the 22nd of Eleasis, 1496, Decker arrived in Neverwinter for the formal creation of the Neveren Alliance, a new political alliance joining Neverwinter with many of its neighbors. However, the gala thrown in the alliance's honor was disrupted by an attack of Twilight Monastery monks, under the control of the aboleth S'gothgah and posing as members of the Free Focos Movement. Decker escaped the attack, and upon returning to Focosgost, redoubled his efforts on hunting down the perceived insurrectionists, which only fanned the flames of conflict within the city, as guardsmen and protestors clashing in the streets became more frequent.
Following the end of the Banesmark Crisis, conflict in Focosgost began to die down, spurred on by the return of Krisella Ferox to the city in 1497. Krisella managed to reign in the Free Focos Movement, converting it into a largely political alliance, and situated herself as Decker's largest political rival, stymieing many of his initiatives and policies.

Current Location

Focosgost

Species

Human

Year of Birth

1457 CR 41 Years old

Gender

Male

Aligned Organization

Neveren Alliance

Ruled Locations

• Focosgost