Donovan Thynedar
keatonic — Wed, 06/12/2013 - 10:16
Title: Donovan Thynedar
By: Garet Maevers as told by Donovan Thynedar
Date: 1057
Character Name: Donovan Erios Thynedar
Titles: Servant of the Light, Knight of the Azure Cross, Lord Preceptor of the Phoenix Guard, and First Knight of Mar ‘Eva Arato.
Birthdate: 20th May, 970 N.E. (1021 Haven Reckoning)
Date of Death: N/A
Physical Description: Donovan is a man in his mid thirties with sharp blue eyes and short black hair. He is tall for a human (6'3"), broad shouldered, and thickly muscled. His skin is weathered and streaks of gray hair are visible at his temples. His movements are fluid, and though short of graceful, they betray his training as a warrior. The only anomalies to his form are his hands, which are uncharacteristically soft (a side effect of his abilities as a healer).
Behaviors: Patient and diplomatic, Donovan frequently attempts to resolve conflicts with words. He is usually in good spirits and faces danger with a wry humor that masks the seriousness of his disposition. His dual nature as both a warrior and healer creates a strange balance of resolve and compassion. Donovan will exhaust peaceful options, desperately clinging to the hope that some accord might be reached. However, when he is finally convinced that the only option is conflict, he becomes a terror. Beneath the surface he is unshakably devoted to his duty, and that devotion adds a cold ruthlessness to his actions of the field of battle. As soon as his duty is fulfilled, Donovan’s more peaceful nature returns.
This dichotomy in his personality can manifest in a very specific mindset. When faced with the death of his wife Donovan lost all real hope, and in so doing lost the balance of his compassion. His behavior became icy, savage, and mechanical. People called him "The Shadowhammer", and he was a fearsome combination of rage and cunning. While Donovan recovered his balance with the assistance of Prince Morad, the trials of Final Haven have proven that he may be capable of becoming the Shadowhammer once again.
Raised as a healer, Donovan tries to mend people in both body and mind. Having embraced the Wadigi philosophy, he can often appear unconcerned or naïve. In truth, he has just gained a faith in the ability of the people of Haven to overcome all odds. In rare, unguarded moments his true nature (gentle, jovial, and more akin to a poet or philosopher) can be seen.
Allies and Enemies: Though Donovan counts all Havenites as his allies, he works closely with Duke Corbyn Gravesbane and Arthos VanShriek. His enemies include Ulzahuk the Fallen, Florin, Narnian, Pentaguishine, and all minions of Darkness.
Notes/ Character History:
Donovan Erios Thynedar was born on a cool autumn morning to Alena and Stephon Thynedar in the year 970 N.E. (Eldestan Reckoning). Their first and only child, Donovan was a healthy and active baby whose pleasant disposition spoiled his mother and forever colored her opinion of the behavior of young children. Unusually quiet and even-tempered, Donovan only fussed on the rare occasions that his mother was in poor spirits.
Donovan’s warm, outgoing manner developed even further during his childhood, as did an insatiable curiosity about the world around him. A friendly child, his parents often had to politely excuse his ceaseless questions and unsolicited conversations with strangers. Given the noble station of the Thynedar family, it was not uncommon to see young Donovan perched on the lap of a Baron or Duchess as they endured another of his famous inquisitions. It was said King Laric Morad himself referred to Donovan as "…a remarkably pleasant young boy, at least in short doses."
Despite having many close friends, Donovan was often seen riding around the Thynedar estate on his horse Falchion. He spent many a summer afternoon daydreaming alongside the river Elendar or reading in the shade of his father’s trees. Seeming to enjoy the solace of nature, Donovan would often wander off for a few days and have "adventures" in the woods. Donovan had a few non-imaginary close calls in the forest, but never noticed Ladian (Stephon’s grizzled squire) hiding just out of sight, making sure that he was safe.
As he grew into a young man, Donovan’s curiosity turned towards academic matters. He was educated at the School of Elenguard, where he received the finest education that Eldesta had to offer. When the time came for him to continue on to a university, a polite but intense disagreement erupted in the Thynedar family.
Stephon, a member of the Phoenix Knights, had encouraged his son at an early age to pursue a military career. Despite a profound respect for his father, Donovan wanted nothing to do with the military and was more interested in following his mother’s footsteps. Alena was a healer of great skill, and Donovan had often watched with reverent awe as his mother used her power to mend the flesh of the injured and heal the ills of the sick. Ignoring his father’s wishes, Donovan intended on developing his healing abilities and joining his mother in the service of the people. He had inherited the gift from his mother, and by the age of 17 had already gained great skill as a healer. His path appeared to be set, and Donovan set his sights on becoming the greatest healer in the kingdom.
Then came the day that everything changed.
Donovan had been riding on a spring day when he noticed a messenger on the path to the estate. Hoping for a letter from one of his friends, Donovan had started towards the messenger at a leisurely trot when the messenger collapsed onto the road. Acting on instinct, Donovan kicked Falchion into a run and sped toward the fallen messenger. Leaping from his horse, Donovan turned the messenger over and immediately began channeling the Light for healing.
Donovan noticed the grievous wounds an instant before he noticed that the messenger was a young woman nearly his age. He could hardly see her face under the blood that ushered from a cut on her forehead, but when he touched her with the healing power of the Light he felt a beauty he had never known before. Her life was clinging by the merest of threads, but he could sense a spirit within her of surpassing kindness and strength. He poured every ounce of energy he could find into her weakened form, but still she slipped further into the void. Desperate, Donovan reached out into the world, drawing Light from the things around him. Finally, when he felt that he could give her nothing else, he found a reservoir of Light that he had never known before. Immediately he seized upon it and used it to restore the girl to health, not realizing that the store of Light he had found was his own. Suddenly pale and weak himself, he collapsed onto the roadside alongside the messenger. As her eyes fluttered open, Donovan’s slowly slid closed.
When he awoke, Donovan saw the face of his mother looking down on him with a mixture of pride, concern, and relief playing across her face. He looked up to find himself in his room with his father and Ladian standing at the foot of his bed and the messenger looking nervously over his mother’s shoulder. She had cleaned up the blood, and for the first time he saw her face. She was fair of skin, and though her features were fine, they were certainly far from delicate. Donovan had always thought many of the powdered ladies of the court to be pretty, but this girl had a sort of primal beauty that was only enhanced by her fierce green eyes. She regarded him with a sort of anger, but there was clearly worry there as well. As his mother stood and announced to the room that he would be fine, the anger in the girl’s eyes melted into relief for an instant, but then flared into anger yet again. She nodded once, spun on her heel, and stalked out of the room.
His father and Ladian left the room, talking about how Falchion had thrown a shoe on his wild run down the road and arguing about which one of them had taught him to ride. His mother drew the blinds to cut the evening light and made for the door. When Donovan asked her about the girl, she smiled slightly and sat on the bed next to him. She explained that Donovan had done something that was a part of healing, but not something that was often used. He had used the Light of his very being to restore her, and in doing so he had given her a part of himself. Donovan sat perplexed as his mother explained that this girl knew him now, knew more of him than anyone; she knew his very soul.
The reality of what he had done settled upon him, and Donovan asked his mother if there was any way he could fix it, if there was any way he could stem the hate he saw in her eyes. Alena was befuddled for a moment, but then laughed at her son’s misunderstanding. She explained to him that what he saw was not hatred of him, but hatred of the thought of losing him. In knowing him utterly, this strange messenger girl had come to love him. Her name was Ilyenne, his mother explained, and it would probably be good if he got to know her.
Ilyenne, prior to her encounter with a group of brigands, had been a messenger in the King’s service. She was a few months younger than Donovan, and came from a family of apothecaries in the city of Elenguard. She, like Donovan, had opted not to follow her father’s vocation and was instead saving her money to attend the Phoenix Academy.
Open to anyone, the Phoenix Academy served as the recruitment point for the Order of the Phoenix, the most prestigious of Eldesta’s military organizations. Ilyenne spoke passionately about her desire to serve King and country, and was overjoyed when she discovered that Donovan’s father was a member of the Phoenix Knights. Donovan saw in her the fire of a true believer, and he also saw that same beauty he first witnessed on the road when he healed her. They spent a great amount of time together, and though he often joked that she had some unfair advantage over him, Donovan came to love Ilyenne.
So much, in fact, that he approached his father about funding her education at the Phoenix Academy. His father agreed, but reminded Donovan that a military life meant more time apart than together and many long nights of worry. Remembering his mother’s vigils when his father was in the field, Donovan made a decision. Ilyenne’s dream was to attend the Phoenix Academy, and since she was going to go, he would just have to go along as well.
His father smiled a victorious smile and signed the letter of credit.
Over the next few years, Donovan and Ilyenne marched in lock step through their training at the Phoenix Academy. She was faster on foot, a better shot with the bow, and knew more about the forest than he, while he was more able on horseback, better with the sword, and had a greater knowledge of tactics and strategy. Their unique combination of love and competition fueled them to excel, and both of them outperformed their classmates by a significant measure. They were both granted a place within the Phoenix Guard on the same day, and later they were both raised to knighthood in the same ceremony.
They were stationed together at Harrison’s Pass, where for two years they served as comrades during the day and acted as lovers at night. Opting not to be married until after their first tour, Donovan and Ilyenne were among the garrison at Harrison’s Pass when the forces of Ulzahuk the Fallen descended on Eldesta. For one of them, it meant the end of their service to the kingdom, for the other, it was only the beginning.
Ilyenne had taken her Black Talon Company on a mission into the wastes, pursuing a gang of goblins that had tried to assault the keep. It was as routine as any mission in the Pass could be, and though there was always pressing danger, they had become familiar with the ways of the wastes and were as prepared as they could be for the enemies they faced.
When the bells rang in alarm two days later, Donovan rushed to the wall expecting another incursion of raiders or goblins to come crawling out of the wastes. What he saw stole the breath from his chest and nearly obscured the horizon. As far as the eye could see, massive creatures marched across the wastes. Some were like great gray trolls, others more lizard or serpent-like, but all were arrayed against the Order of the Phoenix and poised to do battle. In the center of the creatures, a man floated in the air surrounded by a sickly green light. The creatures followed his every command, and he announced in a thunderous voice that his name was Ulzahuk the Fallen.
Without further comment the creatures began their advance on the keep, and Donovan sprang into action. He deployed his Azure Shield Company across the center of the wall and ordered them to offer aid to the archers of the Blazing Rain. Sheets of steel and fire arced out into the wastes, felling a goodly number of the creatures as they approached, but there was an unearthly power about these foes. Their eyes glinted with the same green light that burned around Ulzahuk himself, and within moments the creatures were at the walls of the keep.
Many of the larger beasts began using boulders against the wall itself, and the keep at Harrison’s Pass shuddered under the force of their assault. The Azure Shields were repelling creatures from the wall with all the force they could muster, and the Blazing Rain were peppering the invaders with arrows, but the sheer number of the creatures threatened to overcome the keep’s defenders. With hope fading, a sickening crack sounded across the battlefield and the creatures bellowed a roar of triumph. For the first time, the wall at Harrison’s Pass had been breached.
Donovan ordered the Azure Shields to follow and leapt into the breach. He landed in front of the creatures still shouting their victory and severed the heads of the first two before they noticed his arrival. As his men fell in behind him, Donovan marched out of the gap and began to set up a shield wall around the vulnerable breach. The creatures responded by rolling their boulders at his men, and he quickly realized that there were only two options from this position on the field. Two options, and since Donovan refused to retreat; the choice was a simple one. He gave the order: "Forward the charge."
Fighting for every foot, the Azure Shields began to creep forward onto the battlefield. Thanks to the deadly accuracy of the Blazing Rain they were able to fight without being overwhelmed, and they made slow, steady progress away from the wall. More men filled the breach behind them, and as they extended the line more of the Phoenix Guard joined the fight. The tide of the battle seemed to be turning, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Ulzahuk.
Howling his frustration, Ulzahuk hovered above the lines of Phoenix Guardsmen and began hurling balls of green fire into the fray. Seemingly not caring who he struck, Ulzahuk leveled beasts and guardsmen alike in his rage of foul energy. When the troll he was fighting was hit with one of Ulzahuk’s blasts, Donovan was thrown across the field and into part of the wall. Slumping to the ground, Donovan gazed through glazed eyes at Ulzahuk hovering almost directly above him. The man was old beyond reckoning, perhaps undead, and clothed in white robes. He chanted continuously, and wore an amulet that looked like a crane set against a simple cross.
Recognition snapped Donovan out of his stupor, and cold fury clamped down on him like a vise. The amulet Ulzahuk wore was Ilyenne’s, a gift from her father and the symbol of her family. Donovan rose, cut through a half-dozen beasts without thought, and returned to the breach. He climbed wordlessly up the rubble and reached the top of the wall as Ulzahuk unleashed another barrage of green flame onto the defenders gathered there. His nimbus of flame consumed every arrow that came near Ulzahuk, and he hovered some distance away from the wall. On the field below, the Azure Shields were losing ground again, denied the protection of the Blazing Rain by Ulzahuk’s onslaught.
Donovan crouched on one of the battlements and waited.
When Ulzahuk channeled his flame into the gouts he turned against the wall, the nimbus around him seemed to lessen slightly. Donovan braced himself on a rampart, and when Ulzahuk moved to channel once again, threw himself off of the wall at the floating sorcerer. Bringing his sword down with all his might, Donovan hoped it would be enough.
Witnesses say that Donovan appeared to strike at the green aura around Ulzahuk and remain there for an instant, both men suspended in air as some contest of energy was resolved. What resulted was a flash of blue-white light followed by an explosion of green fire. Healers later found Donovan, burned almost beyond recognition, in a smoking crater nearly a quarter league from the wall. He was clutching the slagged remains of his sword in one hand and an amulet in the other.
Though healing was able to patch his body back together without scars, Donovan was never the same. He began leading more and more dangerous missions into the waste, earning honors and promotions but also generating concern among his superiors. He was earning a reputation among the Phoenix Guard as a man who knew only one mission: to destroy everything within the wastes.
One day a scouting mission returned with Lightstorm, Ilyenne’s sword. Donovan accepted it without question and returned to the waste. He was gone nearly a month, but returned with several tomes that detailed the arts of necromancy and spell casting. He claimed to have retrieved them from Ulzahuk’s tower. His armor had been reduced to scrap, and he refused to answer any questions about what he encountered in the tower, save to say that there was nothing there that would trouble anyone ever again.
The men had several names for him during the years he stalked the wastes, but the one that he received the day Ulzahuk the Fallen died under his blade was the one that stuck. They called him the Shadowhammer, and they whispered that he was simply waiting to die.
On his return from the wastes one day, Donovan found a scroll waiting for him on his nightstand. It bore his father’s sigil, and when he opened it a heavy ring fell into his hand. The scroll proclaimed that if he was reading this, then Stephon Thynedar was dead. More importantly, the Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights had decreed that Donovan take up his father’s station as Knight Protector of his Royal Highness Prince Aldan Morad. Placing his father’s ring on his finger, Donovan took up his sword and rode to the capital.
Prince Aldan was 12 years old when Donovan came into his service, and the two men would have a profound effect on each other. Aldan’s good nature mirrored the one Donovan had lost, and over time the young prince began to melt the icy walls Donovan had erected since the loss of Ilyenne. Donovan taught Aldan the principles of command in addition to instilling in him a sense of duty that aided him greatly when he ascended to the throne four years later.
Donovan, by then restored to the man he once was, was named to the high council of Phoenix Knights. He traveled through the kingdom searching for the best and most talented to attend the Phoenix Academy, often paying for their education personally. At the age of 34 Donovan Thynedar was named Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights and commander of the Order of the Phoenix. His friend, King Aldan Morad, appointed him after the previous Preceptor died peacefully in his sleep.
Donovan had served as Preceptor for a little over a year when a frantic message from King Morad brought him to the palace at Elenguard in the middle of the night. The royal sages had foreseen a great wave of destruction sweeping over the land. They could not tell its origin, but they feared that it must come from the wastes. King Morad begged Donovan to take the fastest horse he could find and carry his infant son, Addison, away to the west. Donovan agreed, seeing the fear in his friend’s eyes and knowing the relief it would bring him to believe his child might be saved.
That very night, Donovan saddled the King’s best horse and rode to the west with Prince Addison’s tiny form clutched against his chest. He rode fast and far, but no one could outrun the Cataclysm…
A timeline of Donovan’s life:
Note: Eldestan years are numbered in N.E. or "New Era" dates, measuring time from the founding of the Crimson Empire. To convert New Era dates into Phanterran dates add 51 to the N.E. year.
20th May, 970 NE: Donovan Erios Thynedar is born to Stephon and Alena Thynedar in the Eldestan province of Grenel.
17th August – 1st September, 978 NE: Donovan Thynedar goes missing for two weeks. He is later found "adventuring" with several other children five miles from the Thynedar estate.
21st May, 987 NE: Donovan Thynedar saves Ilyenne Dewar on the road outside the Thynedar estate.
1st September, 988 NE: Donovan Thynedar and Ilyenne Dewar are enrolled in the Phoenix Academy.
6th June, 991 NE: Donovan Thynedar and Ilyenne Dewar graduate from the Phoenix Academy and are inducted as squires into the Phoenix Knights.
12th June, 991 NE: Donovan Thynedar and Ilyenne Dewar are married in a secret private ceremony.
12th January, 993 NE: Donovan and Ilyenne Thynedar attain their knighthood. Stephon Thynedar presents them each with blades forged by Lambic’s Father. Donovan receives "Steelheart," Ilyenne receives "Lightstorm".
1st February, 993 NE: Sir Donovan and Lady Ilyenne Thynedar are stationed at Harrison’s Pass. Donovan is given command of the Azure Shields, Ilyenne commands the Black Talons.
2nd November, 995 NE: Lady Ilyenne Dewar (Thynedar) leads an expedition into the wastes to investigate rumors of large troop movements.
5th November, 995 NE: Ulzahuk the Fallen attacks Harrison’s Pass. Sir Donovan Thynedar is severely wounded after slaying Ulzahuk. Steelheart is destroyed in the process.
19th November, 995 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar recovers from his injuries, delegates a new commander for the Azure Shields, and heads into the Wastes.
19th November, 995 NE – 3rd March, 996 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar makes repeated trips into the Wastes, often returning on the brink of death. Scouting teams regularly find him battered and bleeding among a host of slain demons. The first reports of a "tower of vile magics" reach Eldesta.
4th March, 996 NE: A Black Talon unit finds Lightstorm in the Wastes and returns it to Sir Donovan Thynedar. He immediately enters the Wastes.
5th March, 996 NE – 10th September, 996 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar is missing in the Wastes and presumed dead. In early fall, Black Talon scouting teams begin to follow a trail of fallen creatures through the wastes. On 9 September they find the remains of a large force of demons. In the morning of 10 September the scouts reach a huge debris field that appears to be a fallen tower. Sir Donovan Thynedar is found sitting among the debris with a satchel full of books. The books and tower are found to have belonged to Ulzahuk the Fallen.
18th September, 996 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar and the Black Talon scouting team return to Harrison’s Pass. Many of the men begin to refer to Sir Donovan as "The Shadowhammer."
19th September, 996 NE – 29th December, 997 NE: The Shadowhammer Period. Sir Donovan Thynedar returns to the Wastes time and again, each time returning wounded and scarred. The Shadowhammer legend spreads.
23rd December, 997 NE: Lord Sir Stephon Thynedar dies at his home in Grenel.
29th December, 997 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar receives his new orders and journeys to Eldesta to become the Champion of Prince Aldan Morad.
1st January, 998 NE – 28th January, 1002 NE: Sir Donovan serves as Champion to Prince Aldan Morad in the capital city of Elenguard.
29th January, 1002 NE: King August Morad of Eldesta dies of a prolonged illness. Prince Aldan Morad ascends to the throne. Sir Donovan Thynedar is released from his duties and awarded a position on the High Council of the Phoenix Knights.
30th January, 1002 NE – 8th May, 1004 NE: Sir Donovan votes on council matters in absentia and instead wanders the kingdom. He personally recruits many new members to the Phoenix, often funding the education of those unable to afford academy tuition.
9th May, 1004 NE: Lord Sir Frederic Oraco, Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights and Commander of the Order of the Phoenix, dies peacefully in his sleep at the age of 83.
10th May, 1004 NE: King Aldan Morad of Eldesta names Sir Donovan Thynedar as the next Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights.
11th May, 1004 NE – 20th September, 1005 NE: Lord Sir Donovan Thynedar serves as Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights and Commander of the Order of the Phoenix.
21st September, 1005 NE: King Aldan Morad Summons Lord Sir Donovan Thynedar to Elenguard and entrusts him with Prince Addison Morad. Lord Sir Donovan rides east on the king’s best horse.
22nd September, 1005 NE: The Cataclysm strikes Eldesta.
By: Garet Maevers as told by Donovan Thynedar
Date: 1057
Character Name: Donovan Erios Thynedar
Titles: Servant of the Light, Knight of the Azure Cross, Lord Preceptor of the Phoenix Guard, and First Knight of Mar ‘Eva Arato.
Birthdate: 20th May, 970 N.E. (1021 Haven Reckoning)
Date of Death: N/A
Physical Description: Donovan is a man in his mid thirties with sharp blue eyes and short black hair. He is tall for a human (6'3"), broad shouldered, and thickly muscled. His skin is weathered and streaks of gray hair are visible at his temples. His movements are fluid, and though short of graceful, they betray his training as a warrior. The only anomalies to his form are his hands, which are uncharacteristically soft (a side effect of his abilities as a healer).
Behaviors: Patient and diplomatic, Donovan frequently attempts to resolve conflicts with words. He is usually in good spirits and faces danger with a wry humor that masks the seriousness of his disposition. His dual nature as both a warrior and healer creates a strange balance of resolve and compassion. Donovan will exhaust peaceful options, desperately clinging to the hope that some accord might be reached. However, when he is finally convinced that the only option is conflict, he becomes a terror. Beneath the surface he is unshakably devoted to his duty, and that devotion adds a cold ruthlessness to his actions of the field of battle. As soon as his duty is fulfilled, Donovan’s more peaceful nature returns.
This dichotomy in his personality can manifest in a very specific mindset. When faced with the death of his wife Donovan lost all real hope, and in so doing lost the balance of his compassion. His behavior became icy, savage, and mechanical. People called him "The Shadowhammer", and he was a fearsome combination of rage and cunning. While Donovan recovered his balance with the assistance of Prince Morad, the trials of Final Haven have proven that he may be capable of becoming the Shadowhammer once again.
Raised as a healer, Donovan tries to mend people in both body and mind. Having embraced the Wadigi philosophy, he can often appear unconcerned or naïve. In truth, he has just gained a faith in the ability of the people of Haven to overcome all odds. In rare, unguarded moments his true nature (gentle, jovial, and more akin to a poet or philosopher) can be seen.
Allies and Enemies: Though Donovan counts all Havenites as his allies, he works closely with Duke Corbyn Gravesbane and Arthos VanShriek. His enemies include Ulzahuk the Fallen, Florin, Narnian, Pentaguishine, and all minions of Darkness.
Notes/ Character History:
Donovan Erios Thynedar was born on a cool autumn morning to Alena and Stephon Thynedar in the year 970 N.E. (Eldestan Reckoning). Their first and only child, Donovan was a healthy and active baby whose pleasant disposition spoiled his mother and forever colored her opinion of the behavior of young children. Unusually quiet and even-tempered, Donovan only fussed on the rare occasions that his mother was in poor spirits.
Donovan’s warm, outgoing manner developed even further during his childhood, as did an insatiable curiosity about the world around him. A friendly child, his parents often had to politely excuse his ceaseless questions and unsolicited conversations with strangers. Given the noble station of the Thynedar family, it was not uncommon to see young Donovan perched on the lap of a Baron or Duchess as they endured another of his famous inquisitions. It was said King Laric Morad himself referred to Donovan as "…a remarkably pleasant young boy, at least in short doses."
Despite having many close friends, Donovan was often seen riding around the Thynedar estate on his horse Falchion. He spent many a summer afternoon daydreaming alongside the river Elendar or reading in the shade of his father’s trees. Seeming to enjoy the solace of nature, Donovan would often wander off for a few days and have "adventures" in the woods. Donovan had a few non-imaginary close calls in the forest, but never noticed Ladian (Stephon’s grizzled squire) hiding just out of sight, making sure that he was safe.
As he grew into a young man, Donovan’s curiosity turned towards academic matters. He was educated at the School of Elenguard, where he received the finest education that Eldesta had to offer. When the time came for him to continue on to a university, a polite but intense disagreement erupted in the Thynedar family.
Stephon, a member of the Phoenix Knights, had encouraged his son at an early age to pursue a military career. Despite a profound respect for his father, Donovan wanted nothing to do with the military and was more interested in following his mother’s footsteps. Alena was a healer of great skill, and Donovan had often watched with reverent awe as his mother used her power to mend the flesh of the injured and heal the ills of the sick. Ignoring his father’s wishes, Donovan intended on developing his healing abilities and joining his mother in the service of the people. He had inherited the gift from his mother, and by the age of 17 had already gained great skill as a healer. His path appeared to be set, and Donovan set his sights on becoming the greatest healer in the kingdom.
Then came the day that everything changed.
Donovan had been riding on a spring day when he noticed a messenger on the path to the estate. Hoping for a letter from one of his friends, Donovan had started towards the messenger at a leisurely trot when the messenger collapsed onto the road. Acting on instinct, Donovan kicked Falchion into a run and sped toward the fallen messenger. Leaping from his horse, Donovan turned the messenger over and immediately began channeling the Light for healing.
Donovan noticed the grievous wounds an instant before he noticed that the messenger was a young woman nearly his age. He could hardly see her face under the blood that ushered from a cut on her forehead, but when he touched her with the healing power of the Light he felt a beauty he had never known before. Her life was clinging by the merest of threads, but he could sense a spirit within her of surpassing kindness and strength. He poured every ounce of energy he could find into her weakened form, but still she slipped further into the void. Desperate, Donovan reached out into the world, drawing Light from the things around him. Finally, when he felt that he could give her nothing else, he found a reservoir of Light that he had never known before. Immediately he seized upon it and used it to restore the girl to health, not realizing that the store of Light he had found was his own. Suddenly pale and weak himself, he collapsed onto the roadside alongside the messenger. As her eyes fluttered open, Donovan’s slowly slid closed.
When he awoke, Donovan saw the face of his mother looking down on him with a mixture of pride, concern, and relief playing across her face. He looked up to find himself in his room with his father and Ladian standing at the foot of his bed and the messenger looking nervously over his mother’s shoulder. She had cleaned up the blood, and for the first time he saw her face. She was fair of skin, and though her features were fine, they were certainly far from delicate. Donovan had always thought many of the powdered ladies of the court to be pretty, but this girl had a sort of primal beauty that was only enhanced by her fierce green eyes. She regarded him with a sort of anger, but there was clearly worry there as well. As his mother stood and announced to the room that he would be fine, the anger in the girl’s eyes melted into relief for an instant, but then flared into anger yet again. She nodded once, spun on her heel, and stalked out of the room.
His father and Ladian left the room, talking about how Falchion had thrown a shoe on his wild run down the road and arguing about which one of them had taught him to ride. His mother drew the blinds to cut the evening light and made for the door. When Donovan asked her about the girl, she smiled slightly and sat on the bed next to him. She explained that Donovan had done something that was a part of healing, but not something that was often used. He had used the Light of his very being to restore her, and in doing so he had given her a part of himself. Donovan sat perplexed as his mother explained that this girl knew him now, knew more of him than anyone; she knew his very soul.
The reality of what he had done settled upon him, and Donovan asked his mother if there was any way he could fix it, if there was any way he could stem the hate he saw in her eyes. Alena was befuddled for a moment, but then laughed at her son’s misunderstanding. She explained to him that what he saw was not hatred of him, but hatred of the thought of losing him. In knowing him utterly, this strange messenger girl had come to love him. Her name was Ilyenne, his mother explained, and it would probably be good if he got to know her.
Ilyenne, prior to her encounter with a group of brigands, had been a messenger in the King’s service. She was a few months younger than Donovan, and came from a family of apothecaries in the city of Elenguard. She, like Donovan, had opted not to follow her father’s vocation and was instead saving her money to attend the Phoenix Academy.
Open to anyone, the Phoenix Academy served as the recruitment point for the Order of the Phoenix, the most prestigious of Eldesta’s military organizations. Ilyenne spoke passionately about her desire to serve King and country, and was overjoyed when she discovered that Donovan’s father was a member of the Phoenix Knights. Donovan saw in her the fire of a true believer, and he also saw that same beauty he first witnessed on the road when he healed her. They spent a great amount of time together, and though he often joked that she had some unfair advantage over him, Donovan came to love Ilyenne.
So much, in fact, that he approached his father about funding her education at the Phoenix Academy. His father agreed, but reminded Donovan that a military life meant more time apart than together and many long nights of worry. Remembering his mother’s vigils when his father was in the field, Donovan made a decision. Ilyenne’s dream was to attend the Phoenix Academy, and since she was going to go, he would just have to go along as well.
His father smiled a victorious smile and signed the letter of credit.
Over the next few years, Donovan and Ilyenne marched in lock step through their training at the Phoenix Academy. She was faster on foot, a better shot with the bow, and knew more about the forest than he, while he was more able on horseback, better with the sword, and had a greater knowledge of tactics and strategy. Their unique combination of love and competition fueled them to excel, and both of them outperformed their classmates by a significant measure. They were both granted a place within the Phoenix Guard on the same day, and later they were both raised to knighthood in the same ceremony.
They were stationed together at Harrison’s Pass, where for two years they served as comrades during the day and acted as lovers at night. Opting not to be married until after their first tour, Donovan and Ilyenne were among the garrison at Harrison’s Pass when the forces of Ulzahuk the Fallen descended on Eldesta. For one of them, it meant the end of their service to the kingdom, for the other, it was only the beginning.
Ilyenne had taken her Black Talon Company on a mission into the wastes, pursuing a gang of goblins that had tried to assault the keep. It was as routine as any mission in the Pass could be, and though there was always pressing danger, they had become familiar with the ways of the wastes and were as prepared as they could be for the enemies they faced.
When the bells rang in alarm two days later, Donovan rushed to the wall expecting another incursion of raiders or goblins to come crawling out of the wastes. What he saw stole the breath from his chest and nearly obscured the horizon. As far as the eye could see, massive creatures marched across the wastes. Some were like great gray trolls, others more lizard or serpent-like, but all were arrayed against the Order of the Phoenix and poised to do battle. In the center of the creatures, a man floated in the air surrounded by a sickly green light. The creatures followed his every command, and he announced in a thunderous voice that his name was Ulzahuk the Fallen.
Without further comment the creatures began their advance on the keep, and Donovan sprang into action. He deployed his Azure Shield Company across the center of the wall and ordered them to offer aid to the archers of the Blazing Rain. Sheets of steel and fire arced out into the wastes, felling a goodly number of the creatures as they approached, but there was an unearthly power about these foes. Their eyes glinted with the same green light that burned around Ulzahuk himself, and within moments the creatures were at the walls of the keep.
Many of the larger beasts began using boulders against the wall itself, and the keep at Harrison’s Pass shuddered under the force of their assault. The Azure Shields were repelling creatures from the wall with all the force they could muster, and the Blazing Rain were peppering the invaders with arrows, but the sheer number of the creatures threatened to overcome the keep’s defenders. With hope fading, a sickening crack sounded across the battlefield and the creatures bellowed a roar of triumph. For the first time, the wall at Harrison’s Pass had been breached.
Donovan ordered the Azure Shields to follow and leapt into the breach. He landed in front of the creatures still shouting their victory and severed the heads of the first two before they noticed his arrival. As his men fell in behind him, Donovan marched out of the gap and began to set up a shield wall around the vulnerable breach. The creatures responded by rolling their boulders at his men, and he quickly realized that there were only two options from this position on the field. Two options, and since Donovan refused to retreat; the choice was a simple one. He gave the order: "Forward the charge."
Fighting for every foot, the Azure Shields began to creep forward onto the battlefield. Thanks to the deadly accuracy of the Blazing Rain they were able to fight without being overwhelmed, and they made slow, steady progress away from the wall. More men filled the breach behind them, and as they extended the line more of the Phoenix Guard joined the fight. The tide of the battle seemed to be turning, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Ulzahuk.
Howling his frustration, Ulzahuk hovered above the lines of Phoenix Guardsmen and began hurling balls of green fire into the fray. Seemingly not caring who he struck, Ulzahuk leveled beasts and guardsmen alike in his rage of foul energy. When the troll he was fighting was hit with one of Ulzahuk’s blasts, Donovan was thrown across the field and into part of the wall. Slumping to the ground, Donovan gazed through glazed eyes at Ulzahuk hovering almost directly above him. The man was old beyond reckoning, perhaps undead, and clothed in white robes. He chanted continuously, and wore an amulet that looked like a crane set against a simple cross.
Recognition snapped Donovan out of his stupor, and cold fury clamped down on him like a vise. The amulet Ulzahuk wore was Ilyenne’s, a gift from her father and the symbol of her family. Donovan rose, cut through a half-dozen beasts without thought, and returned to the breach. He climbed wordlessly up the rubble and reached the top of the wall as Ulzahuk unleashed another barrage of green flame onto the defenders gathered there. His nimbus of flame consumed every arrow that came near Ulzahuk, and he hovered some distance away from the wall. On the field below, the Azure Shields were losing ground again, denied the protection of the Blazing Rain by Ulzahuk’s onslaught.
Donovan crouched on one of the battlements and waited.
When Ulzahuk channeled his flame into the gouts he turned against the wall, the nimbus around him seemed to lessen slightly. Donovan braced himself on a rampart, and when Ulzahuk moved to channel once again, threw himself off of the wall at the floating sorcerer. Bringing his sword down with all his might, Donovan hoped it would be enough.
Witnesses say that Donovan appeared to strike at the green aura around Ulzahuk and remain there for an instant, both men suspended in air as some contest of energy was resolved. What resulted was a flash of blue-white light followed by an explosion of green fire. Healers later found Donovan, burned almost beyond recognition, in a smoking crater nearly a quarter league from the wall. He was clutching the slagged remains of his sword in one hand and an amulet in the other.
Though healing was able to patch his body back together without scars, Donovan was never the same. He began leading more and more dangerous missions into the waste, earning honors and promotions but also generating concern among his superiors. He was earning a reputation among the Phoenix Guard as a man who knew only one mission: to destroy everything within the wastes.
One day a scouting mission returned with Lightstorm, Ilyenne’s sword. Donovan accepted it without question and returned to the waste. He was gone nearly a month, but returned with several tomes that detailed the arts of necromancy and spell casting. He claimed to have retrieved them from Ulzahuk’s tower. His armor had been reduced to scrap, and he refused to answer any questions about what he encountered in the tower, save to say that there was nothing there that would trouble anyone ever again.
The men had several names for him during the years he stalked the wastes, but the one that he received the day Ulzahuk the Fallen died under his blade was the one that stuck. They called him the Shadowhammer, and they whispered that he was simply waiting to die.
On his return from the wastes one day, Donovan found a scroll waiting for him on his nightstand. It bore his father’s sigil, and when he opened it a heavy ring fell into his hand. The scroll proclaimed that if he was reading this, then Stephon Thynedar was dead. More importantly, the Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights had decreed that Donovan take up his father’s station as Knight Protector of his Royal Highness Prince Aldan Morad. Placing his father’s ring on his finger, Donovan took up his sword and rode to the capital.
Prince Aldan was 12 years old when Donovan came into his service, and the two men would have a profound effect on each other. Aldan’s good nature mirrored the one Donovan had lost, and over time the young prince began to melt the icy walls Donovan had erected since the loss of Ilyenne. Donovan taught Aldan the principles of command in addition to instilling in him a sense of duty that aided him greatly when he ascended to the throne four years later.
Donovan, by then restored to the man he once was, was named to the high council of Phoenix Knights. He traveled through the kingdom searching for the best and most talented to attend the Phoenix Academy, often paying for their education personally. At the age of 34 Donovan Thynedar was named Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights and commander of the Order of the Phoenix. His friend, King Aldan Morad, appointed him after the previous Preceptor died peacefully in his sleep.
Donovan had served as Preceptor for a little over a year when a frantic message from King Morad brought him to the palace at Elenguard in the middle of the night. The royal sages had foreseen a great wave of destruction sweeping over the land. They could not tell its origin, but they feared that it must come from the wastes. King Morad begged Donovan to take the fastest horse he could find and carry his infant son, Addison, away to the west. Donovan agreed, seeing the fear in his friend’s eyes and knowing the relief it would bring him to believe his child might be saved.
That very night, Donovan saddled the King’s best horse and rode to the west with Prince Addison’s tiny form clutched against his chest. He rode fast and far, but no one could outrun the Cataclysm…
A timeline of Donovan’s life:
Note: Eldestan years are numbered in N.E. or "New Era" dates, measuring time from the founding of the Crimson Empire. To convert New Era dates into Phanterran dates add 51 to the N.E. year.
20th May, 970 NE: Donovan Erios Thynedar is born to Stephon and Alena Thynedar in the Eldestan province of Grenel.
17th August – 1st September, 978 NE: Donovan Thynedar goes missing for two weeks. He is later found "adventuring" with several other children five miles from the Thynedar estate.
21st May, 987 NE: Donovan Thynedar saves Ilyenne Dewar on the road outside the Thynedar estate.
1st September, 988 NE: Donovan Thynedar and Ilyenne Dewar are enrolled in the Phoenix Academy.
6th June, 991 NE: Donovan Thynedar and Ilyenne Dewar graduate from the Phoenix Academy and are inducted as squires into the Phoenix Knights.
12th June, 991 NE: Donovan Thynedar and Ilyenne Dewar are married in a secret private ceremony.
12th January, 993 NE: Donovan and Ilyenne Thynedar attain their knighthood. Stephon Thynedar presents them each with blades forged by Lambic’s Father. Donovan receives "Steelheart," Ilyenne receives "Lightstorm".
1st February, 993 NE: Sir Donovan and Lady Ilyenne Thynedar are stationed at Harrison’s Pass. Donovan is given command of the Azure Shields, Ilyenne commands the Black Talons.
2nd November, 995 NE: Lady Ilyenne Dewar (Thynedar) leads an expedition into the wastes to investigate rumors of large troop movements.
5th November, 995 NE: Ulzahuk the Fallen attacks Harrison’s Pass. Sir Donovan Thynedar is severely wounded after slaying Ulzahuk. Steelheart is destroyed in the process.
19th November, 995 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar recovers from his injuries, delegates a new commander for the Azure Shields, and heads into the Wastes.
19th November, 995 NE – 3rd March, 996 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar makes repeated trips into the Wastes, often returning on the brink of death. Scouting teams regularly find him battered and bleeding among a host of slain demons. The first reports of a "tower of vile magics" reach Eldesta.
4th March, 996 NE: A Black Talon unit finds Lightstorm in the Wastes and returns it to Sir Donovan Thynedar. He immediately enters the Wastes.
5th March, 996 NE – 10th September, 996 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar is missing in the Wastes and presumed dead. In early fall, Black Talon scouting teams begin to follow a trail of fallen creatures through the wastes. On 9 September they find the remains of a large force of demons. In the morning of 10 September the scouts reach a huge debris field that appears to be a fallen tower. Sir Donovan Thynedar is found sitting among the debris with a satchel full of books. The books and tower are found to have belonged to Ulzahuk the Fallen.
18th September, 996 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar and the Black Talon scouting team return to Harrison’s Pass. Many of the men begin to refer to Sir Donovan as "The Shadowhammer."
19th September, 996 NE – 29th December, 997 NE: The Shadowhammer Period. Sir Donovan Thynedar returns to the Wastes time and again, each time returning wounded and scarred. The Shadowhammer legend spreads.
23rd December, 997 NE: Lord Sir Stephon Thynedar dies at his home in Grenel.
29th December, 997 NE: Sir Donovan Thynedar receives his new orders and journeys to Eldesta to become the Champion of Prince Aldan Morad.
1st January, 998 NE – 28th January, 1002 NE: Sir Donovan serves as Champion to Prince Aldan Morad in the capital city of Elenguard.
29th January, 1002 NE: King August Morad of Eldesta dies of a prolonged illness. Prince Aldan Morad ascends to the throne. Sir Donovan Thynedar is released from his duties and awarded a position on the High Council of the Phoenix Knights.
30th January, 1002 NE – 8th May, 1004 NE: Sir Donovan votes on council matters in absentia and instead wanders the kingdom. He personally recruits many new members to the Phoenix, often funding the education of those unable to afford academy tuition.
9th May, 1004 NE: Lord Sir Frederic Oraco, Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights and Commander of the Order of the Phoenix, dies peacefully in his sleep at the age of 83.
10th May, 1004 NE: King Aldan Morad of Eldesta names Sir Donovan Thynedar as the next Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights.
11th May, 1004 NE – 20th September, 1005 NE: Lord Sir Donovan Thynedar serves as Preceptor of the Phoenix Knights and Commander of the Order of the Phoenix.
21st September, 1005 NE: King Aldan Morad Summons Lord Sir Donovan Thynedar to Elenguard and entrusts him with Prince Addison Morad. Lord Sir Donovan rides east on the king’s best horse.
22nd September, 1005 NE: The Cataclysm strikes Eldesta.