Hail!
Below is the story of the paladin Dennizon Dragonsworn.
THE TALE OF DENNIZON DRAGONSWORN, PALADIN
Dennizon Dragonsworn, a Paladin of the most noble Order of the White Tree, is the last of a once proud line of paladins from an age gone by. Dennizon was one of the High Councilors of the Republic of Immortalis, a great kingdom of a bygone age, in his prime, and is remembered mainly for his joint rule there. However, he did not start out upon such a lofty perch.
Initially Dennizon was a rogue practicing the arts of magic in a little village where a vast underground complex of ancient ruins was located. Travelers from across the lands came to delve the depths of these ruins, but it was a dangerous quest because of the dead and demon kind that wondered those ancient halls. Dennizon was an opportunist who would plunder the corpses of those who fell, and even trap and rob those who were not careful in their surroundings. One day, a noble warrior was traversing those cavernous depths and Dennizon tried to accost him. This warrior was none other than the noble Lord Mystic of Immortalis. They fought, but Lord Mystic was the victor. He did not kill Dennizon, however, though he surely deserved it. Instead, Lord Mystic offered Dennizon a better way for one of his potential. Dennizon, beaten and humbled, agreed to follow Lord Mystic back to the capital of the Republic of Immortalis as a prisoner, where he would be presented to the High Council, of whom Lord Mystic was a member.
When Dennizon was presented before the High Council he was found guilty of grievous crimes worthy of death. There was one High Councilor however, Albertus, who, at the request of Lord Mystic, offered to stay the sentence of death if Dennizon was willing to commit his life to service in the Council Guard; an elite military unit whose purpose was to protect the High Council and execute their will. Dennizon agreed, and under the Albertus’ tutelage he became the First Knight of the Council Guard over time.
The years passed and Dennizon eventually joined the order of a fellow knight of the guard, one Dannato, who was a Paladin of great courage, honor, and prowess with the blade. This order, the Order of the White Tree, built upon the character Dennizon had begun to develop in the Council Guard, and created a man of principle who valued justice, honor, and fought for the oppressed. Indeed, it was this trial that turned Dennizon into a man, where before he had merely been a childish rogue on the path to perdition.
Years passed until eventually Lord Mystic retired from the High Council, and it was Dennizon who was asked by Albertus himself to fill that void of leadership. Although he did not seek to lead, Dennizon was convinced of the great importance that resided in a stable High Council. Therefore, he accepted the position and ruled jointly with Albertus, Vadrigald, Farseer, Kitana, Silencer, Ghostkillah, and Lord Jurek over the years.
The lands of the Republic of Immortalis knew peace for decades, but alas, tragedy eventually befell the land. Hordes of the undead swept across the land in a terrible battle, and the capital itself fell. Of the High Councilors, only Dennizon and Albertus survived, and they escaped with what refugees they could to the lands of Uma far to the north. For years they struggled to rebuild, and they did indeed make some progress, but it was not to last.
An evil king by the name of Constantine ruled the lands in which they lived, and he eventually came to see the exiled people of Immortalis as a threat to his power and rule. Moreover, he was jealous of the loyalty Albertus and Dennizon managed to inspire in the people around them. So it was that through an act of great treachery Constantine summoned Albertus and Dennizon, along with the entire remnant of the Council Guard, to a diplomatic meeting where they were to supposively be given a shire of land in which Immortalis could be refounded. What they found, however, was an army of assassins lying in wait. The numbers were overwhelming, and Albertus and Dennizon fought valiantly, but it quickly became apparent that there would be no victory in this fight. Dannato, now First Knight himself, forced the two High Councilors to flee to safety while he and the Council Guard remained behind to fight and allow them time to escape. Both Councilors resisted fleeing, but Albertus, ever wise, reminded Dennizon that the remnant of their people would need them now more than ever, and they should not be left without any leadership. As they fled, the last they ever saw of the Council Guard was Dannato standing firm upon a small hill with only 4 of his fellow knights of the Council Guard against a swarm of Constantine’s men.
Dennizon and Albertus took their remaining people and began to wander in exile for many years, but the recovery they had hoped for never came. One by one the last of the people of Immortalis died away, until at last it was only Dennizon and Albertus who remained. For years now they have wandered together, the aged sorcerer and the road-worn paladin, and as they travel they seek to right wrongs, uphold justice, and protect the weak. And in Dennizon Dragonsworn, the noble Order of the White Tree carries on.
