Guerrand DiThon (320 AC - 351 AC) was an Ergothian noble who lived just before the War of the Lance. He preferred the nickname Rand with his friends. His skin, eyes, and hair were dark, making him look like a pure blood noble despite his mother being from a light skinned immigrant family. He was contemplative and fastidious in all his dealings. Be became a Red Robe Wizard of High Sorcery after apprenticing under Justarius. He briefly served on the Conclave of Wizards. He participated in the creation of the first Bastion and eventually was appointed High Defender of it. He died in 351 AC while attempting to stop his nemesis Lyim Rhistadt.
Guerrand's familiar was a proud, hooded, black-backed Ergothian sea gull, the largest, most strikingly beautiful and intelligent of all seabirds. Zagarus was fond of using the full personal description. The bird lived to be quite old before dying in battle.
Guerrand was known to posses a shard of magic mirror. The full mirror was created by Belize and it was confiscated by the Orders when Belize was found to be a renegade. Anyone could step into the mirror fragment and enter another plane of existence. The plane was vast, white, and filled with fog. One could exit the plane by envisioning any mirror they had seen before, which opened a one way portal through that mirror. They could only exit through fragment if someone outside called to them. The fragment could also be used as a scrying device.
He was not known to possess any other magical items. The Gauntlet of Ventyr attempted to posses him, but Guerrand rejected it's control.
History[]
Early Life[]
Guerrand was born in Castle DiThon, in the DiThon Fiefdom, on the south shore of Northern Ergoth. His father was Rejik De Thon, of a long noble Ergothian family, and Rejik's second wife Zena. Zena was a commoner, a blond, blue eyed, and fair skinned descendent of a "newcomer" family. This was powerful gossip at the time but had no impact on the family's noble standing. Guerrand had a younger brother, Quinn, and very young sister, Kirah, of the same mother. He also had a half-brother, Cormac, 19 years older than himself, from Rejik's first wife. Guerrand's mother died in childbirth of his sister and his father died a couple years later.
Guerrand and his siblings were raised by his older brother Cormac with Cormac's two children, Honora and Bram, who were roughly the same age. Cormac raised Guerrand and Quinn to be cavaliers like himself and his father. Quinn enjoyed the life of a soldier and excelled at it but Guerrand never did. He continued his lessons half-heartedly and spent is free time reading the books in his father's library. He found a number of tomes on magic and taught himself how to cast spells over time. His first successful spell was Find Familiar, which summoned a seagull that he named Zagarus. Guerrand hid this from his family since Cormac hated magic and was it was barely tolerated in the fiefdom. The only person to figure out Guerrand's hobby was his little sister Kirah, who managed to keep it a secret.
Apprenticeship[]
Guerrand's brother Quinn was betrothed for financial and political reasons to the largest merchant family in Northern Ergoth. When Quinn died returning from a campaign, Cormac declared that Guerrand would be married instead. Guerrand refused. After he brought his brother's killers to justice, he left his home to travel to Wayreth.
He presented himself to the Masters of the three orders and they were surprised and impressed that he was self taught. After explanation, Guerrand chose to join the Red Robes and Justarius opted to take him as an apprentice. At the same time, Master of the Red Robes Belize took Lyim as an apprentice. Lyim and Guerrand were both tasked with traveling to Palanthas so they travelled together. On arrival they met Esme, Justarius's senior apprentice, and were tasked with finding their master's homes in the city. Over the course of their apprenticeship they would both vie for her affections.
In the following months, they all remained friends while studying magic. Guerrand came to believe someone was trying to kill him. With Justarius's help he found that his brother Cormac was planning to war with the merchant family of Ergoth after both marriage offers fell through. Lyim offered to go since Guerrand was not allowed. Lyim made friends with Guerrand's sister Kirah and succeeded in interrupting the plan. During that time, Guerrand and Esme searched the home of Belize, hoping to find evidence that he was trying to kill Guerrand. Instead they found evidence that Belize had been practicing forbidden magic and had a plan to enter the Lost Citadel.
Despite Justarius's intervention, they traveled to the Stonecliff Monument near Guerrand's home to stop Belize. With Lyim's help, Guerrand and Esme stopped Belize but Lyim's arm was transformed into a snake in the process. Justarius admitted his mistake and declared that Guerrand and Esme were clearly ready to finish their apprenticeship and take the Test of High Sorcery. Justarius was promoted to Master of the Red Robes and Belize was tried and executed for crimes against High Sorcery.
Career[]
Due to their bravery in stopping Belize, Guerrand and Esme are asked to join the Conclave immediately after taking their Tests. The gods of magic demand that better precautions be made to guard the Lost Citadel. Over the next year, the Conclave builds Bastion, a fortress to block the entrance to the Lost Citadel. After they finish creating it the Masters of the three orders finish the magic, place the fortress in a demiplane adjacent to the Plane of Shadow, and appoint a sentinel from each order to guard it.
Guerrand and Esme, who had been romantically involved for a while, step down from their positions on the Conclave and travel. They settle in the small village of Harrowdown-on-the-Schallsea, on the north coast of New Sea, for a few years. The help restore the vitality of the village and improve the public perception of wizards. When Esme gets word that her father is dying, she decides to go home and mitigate the damage. Guerrand decides to stay. They do not see each other again.
A few years later, after some of the Sentinels resign, the three Masters asked Guerrand to become the fifth Sentinel of Bastion. Specifically, they change the organizational structure to make him the High Defender, and lead the other two Sentinels. He accepts. After some initial conflict, the situation works well.
Lyim, still with a snake arm, discovers that the only cure is to go back to the Lost Citadel where he got the snake arm in the first place. He petitions Guerrand and is refused. So he creates a plague in Guerrand's home town to lure him away and breaks into Bastion. He possesses one of the Sentinels and uses the cover to open the gate to the Lost Citadel. He restores his arm before the Sentinels stop him. Guerrand rescues the other Sentinels but his familiar Zagarus is killed. Lyim escapes. The gods of magic, upset with the breach, destroy Bastion and demand that something better be done to guard the Lost Citadel. Guerrand steps down as High Defender and recommends the black robe Sentinel Dagamier be promoted to the position.
Guerrand moved back home and cautiously worked toward restoring the DiThon Fiefdom to it's former glory. After his brother Cormac dies, Guerrand's nephew Bram takes over as Lord of the fiefdom. Guerrand is able to be more public about his magic and works as Bram's advisor. Guerrand reveals to Bram, now that everyone else involved had passed away, that he may be part fey. Guerrand helps Bram speak with the local fairy king to confirm that Bram' mother is actually a Tuatha Dundarael (i.e., a brownie of the local clan). Bram leaves to learn about his heritage. Guerrand and Kirah stay to run the castle for two years until Bram returns.
Death[]
Lyim prepared for a war against magic. Guerrand, like most wizards, noticed that magic began to fail. When Bram returned, Guerrand took him to meet the three Masters and the Sentinels at the new Bastion. They confirmed that Lyim was the cause of the problems and asked Guerrand and Bram to kill the renegade wizard before things got worse. They believed that Bram's magic, which was not effected by Lyim's interference, and Guerrand's personal connection would be a successful combination. Bram hid in Guerrands magic mirror and discovered that Kirah, who they refused to bring along, had also hidden there. Guerrand confronted Lyim and released Bram. In the ensuing fight Kirah was released and taken hostage -before she switched sides. After being captured and escaping, they attack Lyim again. Guerrand managed to cut off Lyim's arm, bearing the Gauntlet of Ventyr, before falling to his death. This causes the destruction of the palace that Lyim is staying in but does not stop the attack against the Tower of Wayreth. Guerrand was able to die at peace because he chose to put magic before personal power, as he was warned in his Test of High Sorcery, subsequent visions, and interaction with Nuitari.