Heldannic Knights NPCs -- Meinhard & Schnorkelmeister
by Bruce Heard Siegfried Meinhard: Brother
Siegfried received the responsibility of governing Landfall after
the removal of Lernal the Swill, the previous ruler. Siegfried
started out as a typical Hattian recruit, eager and devout, but his
years of service eroded his character, gradually permitting his
natural weaknesses to claim the best of what made him a knight on
the first place. From the inflexible, dedicated warrior he was,
Siegfried became more motivated by greed and personal
advancement.
His natural traits took over in earnest when he first experienced
the true personal power of governorship in a corrupt city. He has
been able to conceal his nefarious deeds thus far with careful
planning. He also managed to surround himself with several knights
of the same ilk and even a few corrupt Chaplains of the Hammer.
Together, they rule Landfall and keep it as rotten as ever. Worse,
they've allowed thieves guilds back in Landfall, provided they,
under assumed names, deposit a part of their gains to the accounts
of Siegfried and his toadies, also under assumed names.
He makes generous use of hired spies to watch the thieves and
occasionally catches one guild or another failing to pay their
dues. The offending guild is promptly demolished, in the most
brutal ways and with great publicity lest anyone in Freiburg
questions his efforts to uphold Heldannic Law. Siegfried uses
several networks of spies watching each other, the thieves, his
underlings, and key figures in Freiburg to such an extent that
occasionally he himself gets entangled in his own web of
intrigue.
Siegfried directly supports the efforts of Inge Gottfried (qv)
but for the wrong reasons. He believes her efforts will cause
confusion and disorder among the knights, which would help him
conceal his doings in Landfall. Eventually, in the case of a
Heldannic collapse, he intends to hold on to Landfall and rule it
as his own. Already, he has saved a fair amount of gold and
contacted local agitators and known rebels to form an army (under
yet another assumed name), supposedly to overthrow the Heldannic
Knights. He has tried hiring Karl von Schnorkelmeister (qv) -
unsuccessfully. For fear that the banished knight would one day
reveal his ill-fated request, Siegfried has turned lose several of
his hirelings to stalk the old mariner and kill him.
Famous Words: "Rule them. Squeeze them. Pry the roots of all evils
from their twisted, gnarled hands. It is for Vanya's greatest
glory."
Rank: Grand Knight. Born: AC 967 in Hattias. Hair: bald. Eyes:
black. Height: 5'10". A scar runs down his right jaw. Siegfried has
allowed himself to grow a bit too fat for a knight, but this is
deceptive as he remains an able swordsman capable of a certain
bravery if there is something to be gained.
Karl von Schnorkelmeister: Brother Karl, better known by his crew
as "Herr Kapitän", has had an uneven career in the Heldannic
navy. Up until Dalgaard Gustavsson (qv) wrenched her away from
him, Karl had been the commander of the illustrious
Sturmkondor.
Karl came from northern Hattias with few preconceived ideas about
Heldanners and the Order. He became involved with shipping, first
as an officer and later as a ship captain. He had distinguished
himself at sea numerous times, but somehow his ships always seemed
to sink or crash under his feet. In all cases, the unfortunate
sinking had not been caused by his actions, and the Order
maintained his service up until recently. Although the crew
respected their courageous captain, most in the Heldannic navy
fanned the rumour he bore a jinx, and often worried about when it
might return to haunt them.
Earlier in his career, Karl had questioned the navy policy that
only those who took the Oath of Service should be permitted aboard
Heldannic warbirds. His thinking changed dramatically when,
following the disastrous battle with the Simbasta, he was ordered
to fly the Sturmkondor back to Freiburg with minimal crew and
military on board. He picked up a group of straggling men-at-arms,
indentured soldiers native of Heldannic Territories, to beef up
security aboard the warbird. Once aboard, their sergeant, Dalgaard
Gustavsson (qv) got to the ship's skygem and threatened to remove
it unless the rest of the crew surrendered. Soon afterward, the
mutineers dropped him off along with the rest of the crew and took
off with the skyship.
Since then, Karl harbours a hatred of native Heldanners and a
natural suspicion of anything non-Hattian. He now fully supports
the views and actions of Sigmund Treitel (qv) in this regard.
Unfortunately, as his quest to atone for his error and the loss of
the Sturmkondor, the Order commanded him to seek out and dispatch
Dalgaard and his companions, by any means of his own. Until then,
he remains banished from the Order and shunned by all.
Famous Words: "I will hunt them on the seas. I will hunt them in
the skies. And as Vanya is my witness I will die a thousand deaths
before I give up."
Rank: Knight Banneret. Born: AC 973 in Hattias. Hair: short,
black, bald on the top; small goatee. Eyes: blue, wears a monocle.
Height: 5'10", medium build. Karl's left arm is a wooden,
gnomish-built prosthesis. It looks even stiffer and clumsier than
Karl himself, but it can bend at the joints and its leather-gloved
hand can manipulate simple objects with lurching, mechanical
movements. Karl was allowed to keep his weapons and armour, but not
the outfit bearing the symbols of the Order.