Commander Rodrec Sampala

Commander of the Noori Guard

His Royal Highness Commander Rodrec Sampala (a.k.a. Rodrigo)

Rodrec is a member of the Sampala royal family in The Western Peninsula, and is second cousin to the King himself. He is currently 8th in line to the throne of The Western Peninsula.
A custom of the royal family is sending members (usually fairly low ranking ones) out to the satellite cities to serve the people and governors there. Usually, they are accepted as esteemed guests and can be strong figureheads of the cities which they are sent to.
Rodrec Sampala was sent to Noor as per this custom when he was fourteen years old, and has served the city since then, climbing the ranks of the Noori Guard, the army of the northern satellite city. He met his wife, Irmela, in the city and lives with her in it's higher tiers along with his two daughters, Jule and Katja.
He first encountered The Party while escorting them to Noor. Unfortunately they were ambushed by lizardfolk and kobolds, who dragged Rodrec away to the old lair of an ancient green dragon who once flew above the peninsula. As it looked certain that he would be sacrificed by a shaman of the lizardfolk, the party burst into the temple and killed the shaman - saving Rodrec.
They took him to Nerat, where he was healed by Novam Palek, a priest of Paladine, again with the help of the party. He then accompanied them to Noor to warn Governor Godfrey Parnack of the rising threat of the cult of Orcus.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Rodrec was born in Warres. His father, Mivar Sampala, is a cousin of King Guster Sampala II, and his mother, Virisa Sampala, married into the family from a powerful Imperial family near Gredan's strait. His early life was largely dominated by personal martial training and training in military tactics, interspersed with royal functions. He learned techniques quickly, and it was clear that as his parents, he was a kind and caring boy, although not the most intelligent among the other children.
For a while in childhood he was relatively high on the succession rankings among his family, so had been taught in statecraft. However, as his relatives continued to have children and heirs, it became clear that he was very unlikely to ever take the throne.
Governor Godfrey Parnack had recently been appointed as the governor of Noor by King Melker, and commonly there were teething problems in the appointment of new governors. It occurred to him, then, that sending a member of the royal family along with Parnack would serve as a gesture of solidarity and good will to the people of Noor - and as such he ordered his nephew Mivar to send Rodrec along with Parnack. Rodrec was initially devastated, and fought against the ruling before he realised that he had no real power and this was his lot in life. His mother and father were also devastated, but realised that there was nothing that they could do to fight it.
So he was sent to Noor at age 14. He was immediately brought in to the Noori guard as a Lieutenant, which enraged many of the more veteran members of the guard who did not enjoy being ordered around by snooty teenager. Luckily for Rodrec, his natural charm and kindness shone through, as did his martial prowess and tactical mind, and he quickly established himself amongst the Noori military.
In Noor, he met his wife Irmela, who was at the time a sergeant in the Noori Guard. They quickly fell in love and married before anyone in his family could do anything about it. As a royal, the preference would have been to marry him to a noble woman - something he was well aware of. This drew ire from other royals, including King Melker.
He has been involved in countless military manoeuvres in the continent - defences of the Berstock trees, negotiation with workers and the quelling of rebellions. He has travelled the area around Noor more than most alive today, and it appears to those that travel with him that he has met all it's citizens at least once. He has ran into near mortal danger on many occasions, but the people of the continent are always willing to offer him help.
Six years ago, he was granted rank of Commander, and is second only to General Ernst Hessel in their hierarchy - and he cannot be accused of getting there by nepotism, with great contributions to the wellbeing of the people of the continent.
In recent times, he has been in charge of the 'Guardianship Attachment', a part of the force tasked with protection of miners and troops being brought to Noor to help deal with the current escalating attacks from the denizens of the wilds.

Education

Rodrec's studies were mostly martial, and have grown him into a formidable warrior and tactician. He was trained for a while in statecraft until it was clear he would never be king, at which point he was shifted back into the studies of military and war.
He always took to these, rather than academic pursuits.
As a result, despite his martial prowess, he is never accused of being the smartest of the royals.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Rodrec was instrumental in the formation of Midwater. The Governor had favoured the building of a bridge, but owing to attacks from cueyatl and gnolls it never came to fruition. It was Rodrec who suggested that the already existing villiage of Midwater be expanded and offered a ferry service over the Elrick River. He led the defence of the town, and helped develop it into the service that it is today.
His contribution to the wealth of his family and the continent as a whole cannot be understated - as he has led the Noori Guard into a well oiled machine, protecting the miners and the profits which they generate. He is the youngest person ever to be promoted to the rank of Commander of the guard.

Failures & Embarrassments

Rodrec's greatest failure occured recently, with the almost complete loss of one of the largest caravans of mercenaries and miners to date. He, and The Party were the only survivors, although even then he only survived with their intervention. The loss of this caravan is bound to set back Noor significantly, and the loss of life is likely to plague him forever.

Intellectual Characteristics

While martially very talented, he is often thought of as a 'simple man', and has not much interest or ability in more academic matters. He is by no means stupid, he simply favours the things he is good at.
He is known as kind hearted although ruthless when it comes to protecting those he cares about. He is quick to trust, and slow to anger.

Morality & Philosophy

Rodrec seems primarily concerned with the welfare of those in his charge. He sees profit as secondary, and everything he does is in service to those who see him as a protector and a leader. It is his strong view that collaboration and flat hierarchy is the key to governance.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

His drive is to serve the lower folk of The Peninsula. He developed, over the years, a close friendship with Governor Godfrey Parnack who he would've gladly laid down his life for. Their relationship has, however, in recent times become much more strained.
Primarily however, his devotion is to his wife Irmela, and his daughters Jule and Katja.

Likes & Dislikes

Despite the harsh environment and apparent lack of beauty, Rodrec appears to have grown to love Noor, possibly more to do with its people rather than the place specifically. He has not been back to visit Warres in many years - as he has a harsh dislike of politics, scheming and distrust that one must adopt in the capital. He enjoys the simplicity of life in Noor and it's people, albeit with the ever present risk of attack and death.

Virtues & Personality perks

Rodrec is kind, and is known as being so. He puts others needs before his own, and is fiercely loyal to those he cares about or those who have done right by him, regardless of whether or not he likes them. He is honourable, and known to be a man of his word.
This is coupled with tactical prowess and impressive fighting ability, which although he is kind he has no qualms about bringing to the fore in times of need.

Vices & Personality flaws

As much as he is kind, Rodrec is also known by some to be quick to trust and not the most analytical of behaviour and motives, making him an easy target to be taken advantage of by those who would wish to do so.

Social

Religious Views

Privately, Rodrec keeps to worship of Paladine despite King Guster Sampala II ruling Reorx as the primary deity of the western peninsula. He also pays homage to Kiri - Jolith and has been seen to pray to him before or after battles from time to time.
He is not, however, an overly religious man and rarely if ever speaks of his views.

Current Location

Noor

Date of Birth

14th of the First, 1790 FC

Year of Birth

1790 TC 44 Years old

Birthplace

Warres

Current Residence

Noor

Gender

Male

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Thick, shoulder length brown hair

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned White

Height

~5'11"

Aligned Organization

The Noori Guard

Other Affiliations

• The Sampalan Kingdom