Julian Steurt
Baron of Adlerturm
Alchemist of the Third Circle
1014 AC
"Dinnae teach yer Granny tae suck eggs!”
I. Appearance
Julian is a physically imposing man standing 6’6” and tipping the scales at 220 pounds. Steurt dresses is traditional Kaelic clothing; kilt stockings with garter flashes, brogue shoes, a kilt and sporran, a shirt, tie, waistcoat (vest) and tweed jacket. He is always impeccably dressed and gets his clothes from the finest tailors in Glenmoorloch. He usually dresses in his favorite colors of yellow and red.
Steurt is clean shaven and keeps his hair neatly trimmed, after once having a Bugbear grab him by his hair and temporarily control him in a hand to hand fight some years back. He is not known to wear jewellery of any sort and the only hint of his social station is the exceptional quality of his clothing.
II. Personality & Quirks
Julian is a strict disciplinarian who demands and commands obedience from his subjects. He is a product of Glantrian military training. He is regimented and very structured with a keen attention to detail. He dislikes surprises and tends to tackle issues or problems like a commander might on a battlefield. Julian looks for the same attributes in his subordinates and as a result has employed many veterans of the Glantrian Military in his Baronial administration. As an officer of the Glantrian military Julian learned to work with others of different ethnicities and thus does not have any personal bias toward the other ethnic groups of Glantri.
Unlike many of his fellow nobles Julian sees no real social distinction between an arcaner and a mundaner. To him magic is a tool, for him a tool of warfare as much as a finely crafted sword is to others. Julian spends little of his time in arcane matters and thus has progressed little as a wizard since leaving the military. What little he does is related to brewing potions or creating the occasional magical weapon or magical item.
Julian in private moments has a sharp biting sense of humor and enjoys the company of his friends and former comrades of Brannart’s Division. He lives full time in Adlerturm and does not keep a residence in Glantri City and manages every aspect of his Barony through his subordinates. He can occasionally be seen in the taverns of the town of Adlerturm relaxing with a whiskey or two and talking with the people of his Barony. He feels comfortable with the people and never wants to lose touch with the people he rules. Though he is noble and a wizard of Glantri, Julian believes that does not make him naturally superior, only more powerful. He demands respect and obedience not simply because of his title, but for his service to Glantri, his natural leadership skills, and the fact he can best most any man in one on one combat. Be it magical, with a weapon, or by hand.
III. History & Background
Julian was born in 974 in the village of Blair Atholl in the Principality of Klantyre. His father worked at the famous Blair Athol Distillery which is one of more renowned distilleries in Klantyre. Julian as he got older found his considerable size to advantage in fighting and grew up loving to wrestle or box with anyone foolish enough to fight him. During a random screenings done annually by the village mage Julian was found to have magical talent. The family was unable to afford having their son sent to the Great School so Julian’s magical ability was untapped through his childhood. Julian continued to study anything and everything related to warfare, reading all the texts he could manage to have the village Wizard procure for him, as well as continuing to hone his own skills as a fighter. His dream was to join the Glantrian Army so when Julian turned 14, he ran away from home and travelled to Glenmoorloch, lied about his age and joined Brannart's Division as a foot soldier.
Julian’s size belied his age and for 11 months he served as a warrior in the 4th Banner until one day when Julian was summoned to his Captain’s tent. Julian nervously obeyed the summons only to be told the two of them had been in turn summoned to the General’s quarters at once. Once the two arrived in the quarters of the General, the General proceeded to read a letter he received the previous day. The letter, written by a Klantrian wizard, described a remarkable boy matching Julian’s description that had strong magical ability yet didn’t have the resources to receive proper instruction. The wizard strongly suspected the lad had joined the Army since he was a student of war and had the makings of a great warrior. Julian bowed his head and admitted that lad was him and that he was indeed underage. Julian expected to be sent back home to Blair Atholl and spend the rest of his life working in the distillery. The Captain spoke up and told the General that Julian was one of the best natural leaders and gifted warriors he had seen in his years with the Division. The General then made young Julian an offer. If Julian wished, the General would sponsor the lad to the Great School for three years after which he would reach the legal age of 18. At that point Julian would be assigned to the elite magical 1st Banner. Julian accepted the offer and the next day was given TDY orders and an assignment to the Great School of Magic in Glantri City.
Julian sailed through his 3 years at the Great School learning all he could pertaining to military applications of spell craft. He learned all the available offensive and defensive spells available to him and left the Great School in 992 to return to Sablestone and his new assignment with the 1st Banner the famous ‘Johnny Walker Reds’. He served as a combat mage in the 1st Banner for 3 years before receiving his first promotion to Sergeant. With the promotion came another assignment to the Great School where he studied advanced military theory and also developed an interest in alchemy. Over the next decade Julian proved to be one of the most invaluable of the Banner’s NCO’s and upon retirement of the Reds Captain in 1002 Julian was promoted to Captain. He was sent again to the Great School where he completed his undergraduate studies and graduated the Great School. During his studies he became friends and drinking buddies with Cesare Fulvina the son of the Viscount of Verazzano who upon learning of his interest in alchemy sponsored Julian into the Secret Craft of Alchemy.
Upon returning to his division at Sablestone Julian, at the age of 28 was promoted to the rank of Captain and given command of the 1st Banner of Brannart’s Division. The next years were quiet ones as the enfoeffment of Sablestone ended years of banditry and violence in the region. However the peace did not last long as war came to Glantri, when war was declared with Alphatia in 1005. Sablestone, being in the west of Glantri and away from expected points of Alphatia advance became one of the largest training centers for all the new recruits and draftees entering the Glantrian military. By 1007 there were 12 Glantrian divisions at Sablestone training and watching the western border with Sind, which had been conquered by the Master. In 1007 the Orc King Thar invaded southern Glantri with a force in the tens of thousands. Soon Thar overwhelmed or pushed back the southern Divisions and laid siege to Glantri City. Orders soon arrived for the Sablestone Corp to move east and help relieve Glantri City. Leaving a small screening force of 2 banners to watch the border with Sind Julian and the rest of the Sablestone forces marched to east to relieve the Capital. Upon arriving at the Capital they met forces recalled from the Tchernovodsk region and attacked the besieging forces. Julian and the rest of the 1st Banner were the spear point of the western hinge of the attack and they distinguished themselves in bitter fighting during which Julian personally slew 4 Hill Giants and 3 Trolls. The ‘Reds’ under Julian led the pursuit of Thar all the way back to the Broken Lands. For his superior leadership and personal bravery in the battle Julian was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class by Prince Jaggar.
After Thar was driven back to the Broken Lands and Glantrian losses were calculated plans were drawn up for a second draft to replace losses during the campaign. However before the orders for a 2nd draft could be issued it became very apparent that Thyatis would not be able to stop the Alphatians and that the Alphatians were going to be coming to Glantri. Julian was reassigned from Brannart’s Division (now the 4th Glantrian Division) to Glantri City where he was made an assistant to the head of Military Wizard Instruction at the Great School. While in Glantri City Julian made use of his time and did some post-graduate work at the Great School. He served at the Great School for a year before getting a new assignment, command of his own division. Julian was given command of the new 85th Division which was assigned to the general reserve at Fort Nordling. He spent the rest of the war trying to whip up the recruits of the predominantly Kaelic division into combat shape. Fortunately for Glantri the Alphatians were defeated before they could invade Glantri and in 1010 the last of the reserve division including the 85th were demobilized.
Julian declined a staff position with the 4th Division and retired from the Glantrian Military in early 1010 and accepted a teaching position at the Great School. Around this time Julian decided that he wanted to become a noble and run his own dominion and set to using his charm, his fame, and name to cultivating relationships with the influential at the Capital. Timing is everything sometimes for not 6 months later, in the fall of 1010 the Baron of Adlerturm died suddenly and without a heir and the Barony of Adlerturm, one of the richest of all Glantrian dominions came open for an awards festival. No fewer than 12 wizards declared their candidacies for the position. Three months of brutal campaigning ensued during which several of the candidates disappeared and one was found dead.
After the three months there were three wizards left standing, Julian, a Flaem, and an Elf. Julian received the votes necessary at the Council while the other two were passed to the Parliament were both later received the necessary votes. The matter was to be solved at the Dueling Court at the Great School of Magic. During the ensuing duel the Flaem and Julian teamed up to incapacitate the Elf then turned upon each other. Julian managed to hold off the superior magic of the Flaem long enough until the Flaem made a tactical error and Julian paralyzed him with a ray of paralyzation. Julian was declared the winner and new Baron of Adlerturm.
Since becoming the Baron of Adlerturm Julian has devoted all his time and energy to managing his Barony with all the precision of a military unit. In four short years he has won the respect of his people. In 1013 Julian married Friede Walenz (M5), daughter of a prominent Adlerturm family, and they are now expecting their first child. Julian has recently sponsored his nephew to the Great School of Magic and upon her Graduation will declare her his heir. After 20 years serving in the Grand Army Julian is enjoying a middle age filled with peace, quiet, and prosperity.
IV. Web of Intrigue
Julian has expressed that he has no interest in seeking higher nobility if such titles come open in the future. He has no interest in what goes on at the Capital, but for matters that might come to Parliament regarding the Grand Army. As no such issues have come before the Parliament since he became a noble, Julian has removed himself from any possible alliances or cabals at the Capital. Julian does not keep a residence at the Capital unlike most nobles; he simply wants to rule his dominion. He instructs his spokesman to support Crownguard in all matters not related to military matters. Only then would Julian come to speak for himself, and he would vote his conscious on the issue regardless of political allegiances.
One man Julian is closely is Sir Duncan McGregor, the commander of Skullhorn Pass Camp and leader of the Followers of the Claymore. They are aware of his views regarding arcaner and mundaner and believe he might come to support them if approached the right way. Sir Duncan has decided to let the matter of Julian ride for now and not press him until the shattered organization is rebuilt and ready for action again.
V. Statistics & Style of Magic
Statistics: 13th-level Wizard, 3rd Circle Alchemist; Str 16, Int 15, Wis 9, Dex 9, Con 18, Cha 13; AL - Neutral
Languages: Kaelic, Thyatan, Flaem
Weapon Proficiencies: Staff (Expert), Sling (skilled), dagger (basic)
Skills: Military Tactics (I+1), Leadership (Cha +1), Horse Riding (Dex), Alternative Magics (I), Alchemy (I), Law and Justice of Glantri (W)
Julian is a formidable battlemage both as a wizard and as a warrior. He knows all common offensive and defensive magical spells, and several special spells crafted by military wizards for military wizards. In addition Steurt is a powerful and brave warrior and enjoys hand to hand combat as much as blasting opponents with spells.
(Sir Duncan McGregor to new recruits of the Followers of the Claymore)