Michael Blackmorn

Michael Blackmorn is the youngest son of Jon Blackmorn and Elynn Whitehall. A former Knight of Rosegarde, he was severely wounded during the Tolvan uprising and although his remains were never found, it is believed that he was slain by Edwin Tolvan in cold blood. The truth of the matter is a closely-guarded secret, known only by a member of the Crimson Hart, a large mercenary company owned by Victoriea Holfmann.

Description
Tall and slender, he has been described as comely by the women of Rosegarde and has his father's steel-grey eyes. Though he is not so powerfully-built as his elder brother, the young man has clearly dedicated himself to training in the ways of combat, appearing quite athletic. His long, chestnut hair is often hastily tied back. He was easily identified on the field of battle by his suit of darkened plate armor, the twin black wolves of house Blackmorn emblazoned on a silver shield in the center of his breastplate.

Early Years
Born late in the year 603 K.C. Michael was the third child born to Jon Blackmorn and his wife, Elynn. At the age of eight, Michael began his service as a page to Sir Varic Soren and would later serve as his squire. Unlike his elder brother, Michael's education was more focused on the martial aspects, including both strategic warfare and horsemanship. Groomed at an early age to lead men into battle, by the age of fifteen, he entered his first tournament and though he finished first runner-up in the joust, he won the melee against Sir Everett Gray, defeating the older Knight after more than five minutes of single combat.

Knighthood
At the age of sixteen, Michael was Knighted in a ceremony at Rosegarde and formally inducted into the prestigious order known as the Knights of the Rose Guard. He would later rise to a position of leadership at the age of just seventeen after proving himself numerous times in combat against the forsaken.

The Tolvan Uprising
Sir Michael had been left in command of Rosegarde while the lords of Osric's Anvil lay siege to Stone Hearth. Furious at Edwin Tolvan's betrayal, Michael sent word to his elder brother and his Uncle, who in turn sent for more members of the Crimson Hart to ride to Stone Hearth and lift the siege. By the time the reinforcements arrived, much of Stone Hearth had been put to the torch and Tolvan's host was on its way to Rosegarde. What followed was a mockery of the code of chivalry and the ethics of warfare. Believing Tolvan and his son had come to discuss the terms of  a possible surrender, Michael opened the gates and was immediately attacked by a number of Tolvan's Knights, and severely wounded. Despite the bloodshed that ensued, his sister Lorrain managed to escape the carnage and reach Chillwind point where she alerted their Uncle. Believing him dead, Lorrain Blackmorn's testimony sent Edric Blackmorn into a rage, at which point he assembled a large host and rode South, intent on destroying the house of Tolvan for its betrayal.

Prisoner of War
Held for ransom, Sir Michael spent the next several days recovering from his wounds. When Edwin Tolvan received word that Edric had not been slain and was in fact marching on Rosegarde with a great host, he ordered the Knight moved under escort to the dungeons at Osric's Anvil.

With his family believing him to be dead, Sir Michael would spend the next year and a half being moved from dungeon to dungeon by the handful of men who survived his brother's wrath. During the civil war in Wolf's Crossing, he was discovered by Whitehall loyalists--near dead from malnutrition in a small cell in Pinewood, a tiny village just sixty miles from Osric's Anvil. Taken to Leone, he witnessed his brother's execution from a tower cell, where he has remained ever since.