Eternal General
by Marco Dalmonte English translation by Gary Davies(FUKYUU DAISHOU, HENG SHANG)
Patron of War and Battle, Patron of Discipline
Level, Alignment, Sphere: 7th (Temporal), LN, Matter
Symbol: a charging black knight with a levelled lance
Portfolio: war, battle, discipline, loyalty, victory, pragmatism, soldiers and mercenaries
Worshipped in: Alphatia, Bellissaria, Esterhold, Ochalea, Patera (Myoshima), Skothar (Jen, Thonia)
Appearance: a fighter in translucent full plate armour, with the visor raised that shows a semi transparent face marked by numerous scars, with his skin (or fur) dry and lined, a bandage over the left eye and a spark of unstoppable fury in the other. Appearing usually in the saddle of a heavy warhorse (or a war-tiger) of dirty black fur, and marked by battle, with a broadsword attached to his saddle and a lance in hand.
History: during his mortal life, The Eternal General practically lived on the battlefield from when he lost his parents because of the war. The circumstances therefore made him more pragmatic and opportunistic since his adolescence, forcing him to join a company of mercenaries for survival. From that moment the young Guthbrand (the mortal name of the General, a human of the Kingdom of Thonia in northern Skothar) became an expert in the arts of war, serving as a mercenary in the armies of numerous nations in various parts of Mystara during the VII century BC, and with the passing of time he also discovered that this was the life he enjoyed the most. Attaining a certain fame and experience after years of service to the Alphatian crown in the war of conquest of Thyatis, Guthbrand swore fealty to a lawful church for pure opportunism: having always faithfully serving any other master, but his status of paladin that was conferred by his service to the church brought numerous advantages and relatively few obligations. Afterwards, he also chose to continue to always fight for attempting to become Immortal was equally pragmatic, seeing that it was the only way of defeating death, an apparently unbeatable adversary that interfered with his lifestyle. Guthbrand was thus reincarnated by his patron in other warriors belonging to different races and cultures: first of all he was a Nentsunian pirate, later an able Alphatian battle mage and finally a Myoshiman rakasta cleric, cultures whose codes of honour and discipline remarkably intrigued Guthbrand, as that once he achieved Immortality (in the VI century BC) he decided to also sponsor the samurai nobles of the Empire of Myoshima (where he is known as Fukyuu Daishou, the tradition in Myoshiman of his Immortal name).
Personality: The Eternal General has only one principle: always being in the middle of the action. He has no interest in the motives that are behind any battle: the important thing is taking part in battle and winning. For the General the ends always justifies the means, and the only acceptable aim for a soldier is the defeat of the enemy and triumph in battle. He isn’t brutal, unmerciful or cruel: he simply doesn’t give any importance to the fate of those that are involved in battle, since the important thing is that they had fought, despite the victims. The Eternal General preaches to his followers the loyalty to his companions and the obedience to the commanders, but only on the basis of the fact that order and discipline are two winning weapons in the conduction of a battle, and that their union was a strength when dealing with fighting. The Eternal General is the embodiment of the perfect soldier (or samurai) who fights until the last following the orders of their superiors, without moral impediments or hesitation. His mythic figure was worshipped in a special way in the kingdom of Thonia (his homeland), Surshield and Randel (the most militaristic states of the Alphatian Empire), as well as by the rakasta of Myoshima and by the lupin shar-pei. He doesn’t have any stable allies or enemies of long standing: he is limited to compete with the recognised Immortal patrons of battle and war for taking the position, in particular is a rival of Vanya, Thor and Halav.
Patron: unknown [presumed: Maat]
Allies: none
Enemies: rivalry with Vanya, Thor and Halav
Alignment of followers: Lawful or Neutral; clerics must be Lawful
Favourite weapon: bastard sword or katana (allowed all bludgeoning weapons, broadsword and cavalry lance)
Clerics’ skills and powers: +1 bonus to Strength, +2 bonus to riding skill (not free)
Paladins’ skills and powers: +1 bonus to Strength
Domains: Matter, Law, War, Strength
Preferred weapon: bastard sword
Source: IM3