Magnus Thane
Pronunciation: MACH-nus THAYN
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| Age | 30 |
| Birth Year | NRC 500 |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Human |
| Homeland | Marmo |
Physical Description
Despite his youthfulness, Magnus Thane has a stern demeanour. His face is slightly crude in build but not un-handsome. His thick black eyebrows and piercing brown gaze easily add to the effect of his icy features. Broad shouldered and very muscular from a life of hardship, combat and a natural talent for developing strength and mass, he is exceptionally tall and strong which when combined with his armor, booming low voice, and judgmental gaze gives him an intimidating presence. His skin is rather pale and his hair usually cut short. Most of the time the baron is clean shaven, though such aesthetics at times must be skipped due to the demands of his trade. A few bruises and minor scars can be found here and there, but these lingering traces of conflict are negligible compared to much more unfortunate knights and mercenaries.
| Height | 6’6” | Hair Color | Black |
| Weight | 200lbs | Eye Color | Brown |
| Build | Muscular | Skin Color | Pale |
Clothing and Armor
His attire gives Magnus Thane his nickname “The Black Baron”. It is pitch black, barring some silver ornamentation here and there. He wears full plate armor and a full helmet in battle. His cape has a red inside and black on the outside. His buckle is silver and ornamented with a skull, while the belt itself is made of black leather. His scabbard once again is a combination of black and silver. His clothing underneath is light, durable, and black once more. All symbols linking him to Marmo have been removed. Black and silver are the determining colors in his attire though his cape or additional clothing and robes are not occasionally crimson instead of black.
Weapon DescriptionThane’s main weapon is a magical bastard sword. It is rune-encrusted and baroquely designed. It is the “Darksword of Khone”, only weldable by the rightful heir. Its design and inscriptions hint at its origins. His shield displays the typical skull-emblem his equipment tends to show. Besides shield and sword, he also has a typical multipurpose dagger as used by many soldiers and noblemen. It is black hilted with a silver nob but lacks decoration. Besides this, he also has a lance with a little black flag with silver lines on the edges and the skull symbol in the center. At the side of his horse is also a small crossbow with some arrows in a small quiver.
| Class | Knight/Mercenary |
| Occupation | Former Knight of Marmo of the Order of the Basilisk, Mercenary |
| Guild Membership | Mercenaries’' Guild (6) |
| Weapons | Bastard sword; “The Darksword of Khone”, Dagger, Lance, Small Crossbow |
| Armor | Full Plate Armor and Full Helmet, Tower Shield |
| Equipment | Clothing, general mercenary and traveling supplies, basic personal belongings/mementos |
| Horse | Nightraid |
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Magic Items and Enchantments
- “The Darksword of Khone” - By no means the most powerful of magical items it has proved to have a certain degree of an invigorating effect on the wielder and is able to hurt even magical beings or magical defenses. His ancestors have never been able to fully utilize the sword’s potential, but Thane fervently believes he will unlock all its secrets.
Magnus Thane had a good education in the ways of politics and war from his father. A cunning tactician, he is also a pragmatic and cynical warlord. He has mastered the application of “real” politics which makes him a realist both when fighting, leading or plotting. As a warrior he has been trained in the arts of knights and nobility, having honed his skills further as a mercenary first and later a mercenary commander, hiring himself and his “Shadow Elite” out to the highest bidder. Thane has a good knowledge of history, especially political and military history but also etiquette, the ways of the aristocracy, knighthood and the mercenary-life. Despite his brutish and intimidating appearance, Baron Thane is in fact rather eloquent and has a distinct sophisticated edge about him. He is capable of out-talking others using facts of history, culture, philosophy and common sense. He does so devoid of morality as he is more than willing to take things out of context to get his way and come out on top in an important discussion. Due to his size, voice and skill in combat he has also developed a knack for intimidation, allowing him to rally cowardly troops, extract information easily and to let the factor of morale turn into his favor during battle.
PersonalityCynical, rational and pragmatic. Thane has a dry and bitter view on the world. Truth is perspective, morality imposed by the strong. Order and chaos are the true conflict and good versus evil are dependent upon personal opinion. Magnus Thane is self-disciplined, stern, calm and frequently pondering, even daydreaming. The Black Baron will try to uphold his word though and believes in law and order. Upholding his own code of honor, styled after that typical of Marmo chivalry, Thane is not entirely devoid of morals. However he is a realist in his actions and always thinks longterm. He is ruthless, but not cruel. He is efficient, but not yet completely heartless. A bit melancholic, nostalgic and conservative, Thane believes in many old fashioned ideals such as duty, loyalty, marriage, family, courage, and the likes. In the name of his cause, ideals, and ambitions, he is willing to go to great lengths. Strong willed and even stubborn, he can be egotistic and proud at times. He is an elitist whose world has been shattered and grudge bearing by nature has not forgiven those he believes have wronged him, his father, Emperor Beld, Lord Ashram, the House of Thane, and the Kingdom of Marmo. Loyal to his comrades, followers and friends, he is pitiless towards his enemies. Enormously ambitious, he will not stop until a new order has risen and the wrongs he perceives as done onto Marmo and his family have been avenged.
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Quotes: “Order through power. Peace through tyranny. Unity through vision. All shall bow down to the elite. To me!”
HistoryMagnus Thane is the son of a banished noble, Maximillian Thane. Maximillian was a competent and famous Alanian noble, banished to the territory of Marmo, accused of high treason. His punishment was extended to his wife and children, and the entire family was deported to the dark island. Magnus was the last of their children, and he was born on Marmo. In the next four years following his birth, his mother and older siblings would perish in the harsh environment of Marmo, leaving Magnus alone in the care of his father. It is from his father that Magnus has inherited an intense hatred for his father’s enemies. The memory of his relatives would fade and his focus would solely come to lie on his father, who would be an example to him.
An accomplished politician, Maximillian sought out the closest thing to a government on Marmo; the council. They accepted him as an advisor, and with this position, Maximillian was able to raise Magnus in as secure an environment possible on Marmo. However, the politics on Marmo were in turmoil, as a hero named Beld had declared himself Emperor of Marmo from within the Dark Forest. The council was terrified of losing their power, but Maximillian would later chose the winning side. When the council eventually fell to Beld, Maximillian Thane would become a loyal follower of Dark Emperor Beld and assist in organizing the campaign against Marmo’s enemies.
Raised in these fierce lands, his father’s female aide, a dark elf that due to some strange debt remained with his father, looked after him. A concubine, adviser and bodyguard to Maximillian, she was a ruthless and sadistic woman. To Magnus this woman is more his mother than the young and fair noblewoman he remembered only vaguely. She was cold, strict and brutal like all dark elves yet somewhere she did have a certain love for her protégé His relationship with this ‘stepmother’ caused him to have a certain insight in the dark elf psyche most people do not have. On the longterm it would give him even a certain albeit limited reputation among that evil race. A powerful Shaman, his ‘stepmother’ proved her use in the war but would also foster Maximillian a daughter when Magnus was eight. His half-sister inherited her mother’s talent for magic. And Magnus actually got along reasonably well with her. He would not admit it but he did develop a certain affection for his half-sister.
From childhood Magnus had been raised to be cruel, calculating and cunning. His father taught him the constant danger of treachery and the universal law of ‘survival of the fittest’. Never should one totally lower ones guard. The lands of Marmo were dangerous and treacherous, even as a child Magnus had to do his utmost best to survive.
As long as his father lived he was taught his techniques, his knowledge of politics and lore but he was also thankfully forced to learn from other Marmo warriors. Maximillian saw it as his legacy. All that he was and had been would live on in Magnus who would have to re-establish a new bloodline.
Though the dark elf witch that aided his father tried to learn him some mystical arts, Magnus failed miserably at developing any mystical abilities. He simply didn’t have a talent for it. He did however learn much from her on the more magical side of the land; bits of dark elven lore and legends long forgotten by most. He even caught a bit of the dark elven tongue, something that would make negotiations in his later life fare more easily. The time of study would prove as strict as life in general, there was little time for freedom or games and the watchful eyes of his mentors and protectors but also the enemies of his father were constantly upon him.
When Magnus was ten, the Marmo empire would expand its reach into Lodoss, taking Kanon, along with parts of Valis and Alania. At the end of the campaigning in Kanon, Maximillian and his son were offered a barony as a reward. Thus the House of Thane was established once more and in memory of their ancient domain, the name of Khone was given to it.
By the time he reached what was seen as adulthood, Thane was already a strong and respected man with a calm demeanour. He had killed his first man years before. Life on Marmo, the political climate due to the war and the occupation, but also the seen and unseen enemies of his father and himself had forced him more than once to use violence, torture and slaughter to survive. Like his father, Magnus Thane had stopped caring about little things like compassion and morality a long time ago. Though still lacking the experience of many of his peers, he was knighted as trained and educated men were scarce and needed. Besides, Maximillian’s position almost made it necessary for Magnus to join the other Knights. Magnus didn’t mind as he was eager to reap glory, wealthy and power. That he had to kill to do so was not even a downside as it would enable him to test and hone his skills.
Seeing his first action during the campaigns in Kanon, he proved his mettle in single combat dispatching his share of enemies. Near the end of the campaign, Magnus would truly gain the respect of his father and his lord by dueling and slaying a renowned baron who had treacherously wounded Maximillian. Brutally slaying the man without any sense of remorse, he offered the man’s head to his father.
Near the end of the fifteen year occupation of Marmo, battles with the Kanon Free Army took their toll on the Barony of Khone. As the army swept through their land, Maximillian Thane was slain by Prince Reona, the rightful heir to the Kanon throne and leader of the Free Army. His mother was assumed dead. The Barony of Khone was lost once more and any hope of bringing glory and power to the Thane dynasty was seemingly crushed. After the fall of Marmo and the exodus led by Lord Ashram, Thane and a group of Marmo knights, soldiers, and families were left stranded. Other similar bands and groups from Marmo also stayed behind by choice or necessity. During this time, to make matters worse, Magnus lost all contact with his half-sister who disappeared and was assumed killed.
Magnus Thane now dreams vividly of restoring Marmo to power. His hate and bitterness has been growing daily as he hopes to avenge his relatives. Becoming a mercenary by necessity, he quickly gained a reputation for himself. The black armoured mercenary managed to unite mercenaries around him, including former Marmo followers and a remnant of his own retainers. Known quickly as “The Black Baron” due to his black attire and ruthless application of violence, the mercenary company under him has been traveling throughout the continent, honoring contracts to the letter but with no true loyalty to their employers. Once a contract is finished they are up for the highest bidder once more. Baron Thane refused to be tied down to one faction and fervently gathered favors and riches, recruiting men as he went and taking any opportunity to increase his personal prestige and power.
Both respected and feared, the continental aristocracy sees in Thane a pawn for they believe him to be nothing more than a man hungry for coin, a typical mercenary albeit a particularly successful one. This in fact just makes him more sought out as rulers, aristocrats and men of power frequently enter conflict, require manpower for limited campaigns against neighbours or for protection against gathering foes. Thane however gathers his resources for a more in depth purpose. His goal is clear, he wishes to reclaim and reforge Marmo at any costs. After amassing enough wealth, Magnus Thane managed to strike a deal with a group of dark elves who would add their strength to his war band. Currently Magnus Thane is in Marmo still, trying to rally the allies he needs to achieve his goals, frequently going forth to participate in a lucrative deals as he knows all too well, he’ll need much coin if his dark designs are to come to fruition.
