Lord Knight John Culwyn

John Culwyn is the third son of a petty Knight from Culwyn Manor outside of Dragonspur, and like his brothers, he learned both of his father's trades, farming and soldiering. With two older brothers, it was obvious that there was no future for him at home, so John, determined to make a future for himself, chose to strike out on his own when he turned nineteen. A letter of introduction from his father was sufficient to gain him a place as a minor officer in the Spur Elites where he applied himself diligently, but the favorable impression his efforts made on his commanders was undermined when he began spending his spare time in the company of the Lieutenant General's head servant, who was known by all to be a cleric of Kantor. This new devotion to religion was frowned upon, because of the risk it represented to the garrison as a whole: if the Lord of Lust found out about it, he would kill every tenth man. In fact, the young man's earnest and hard-working attitude had won the L. General's approval, however, and he was able to keep his place in the garrison with the protection afforded by that relationship.

Eventually, the other soldiers grew accustomed to Culwyn's dedication to religion, and the fact that he truly believed in the "holy ordering of man's estate," and their acceptance was reinforced by his obvious devotion to the Lord of Soldiers. At one point, Yuri Ack-Sembar asked John if he had considered making a secret career for himself in the clergy, and even went so far as to offer to induct the soldier as a Servant-Brother in the church of Kantor, but Culwyn declined, preferring to continue in service to the Spur Elites. This loyalty was rewarded when John was elevated to the rank of Knight for his service in the Liberation. (Unlike a common soldier, a knight may bear chivalric devices by special license from his lord, and also wears his lord's arms embroidered upon a surcoat.) The wisdom of that choice was confirmed just two months later as John (among others) escorted Lord Mayor Naglor Ack-Osbern's niece Eleanor and her retinue to their family manor. The party was set upon by a sizable group of brigands while stopped for the noon meal. Sir John acquitted himself well in that battle, slaying two of the outlaws and capturing their leader, which induced the remainder to flee. (For these actions, John was rewarded with the gift of a greatsword of exceptional quality.) Since that time, Sir John has continued to impress his superiors with his moral behavior, dedication to duty, and martial prowess. Indeed, John once again distinguished himself in the Battle of King's Field, rallying the unit which he commanded and turning their flight into a victory. For this deed, he was granted the rank of Lord Knight.

Lately, however, Culwyn has touched upon the fringes of a new feeling within himself - ambition. In the past year, John has had the opportunity to observe the nobility of Dragonspur carefully, and has realized that he is not much different from them (truthfully, in some cases he is the better example of "knightly virtue.") Moreover, his move upwards through the social ranks has given him a taste for titles. These confusing new feelings have caused considerable guilt for John, and he tries to drive them away with penance and prayer, but to no avail. Lying awake in the darkest hours of the night, John secretly dreamed of a full-on Lordship of Dragonspur bestowed for good and noble deeds. It was the guilt over these feelings that led Sir John to volunteer to join Payn, Malcall, and Tharivol in their battle with the Wyvern Riders of the Lord of Sloth, where he was slain. Due to his extreme valor and past service, however, Sir John was raised by the temple of Kantor. Whether his brush with oblivion has rid him of the feelings of ambition that troubled him so much remains to be seen.