Lionel Stoutheart

Born: 1326 DR

Age: 46

Hometown: Hillbrooke, eighteen miles east of Yartar

Lionel Stoutheart II is the Lord of Hillbrooke, the latest in a long line of rulers. Lionel is in his mid-40s and is a proficient fighter.

As a youth, Lionel was rebellious and resisted being groomed for rulership of Hillbrooke by his father, Derek. In 1345 DR, when he was 19, Lionel, had a particularly heated argument with his father. He left Hillbrooke, intending to make his own way in the Realms apart from his father and his hometown.

Lionel eventually arrived in Waterdeep and looked for a way to earn coin. He eventually joined up with a company of bounty hunters. He kept his true identity hidden, not wanting to be treated any differently.

The leader of this company was Thorgrim Nashkellan, a human fighter. Thorgrim was a Harborman from the Mere of Dead Men and lived up to the Harborman reputation. Formerly a caravan guard in high demand Thorgrim had left that life behind and become a bounty hunter. He was eventually to become someone very important to Lionel but upon their first meeting they did not get along. Thorgrim thought Lionel was young and brash, while Lionel thought Thorgrim was too cautious and too by the book.

Lionel hunted bounties with the band for several years, enjoying the freedom and wealth this life gave him. He thought rarely of Hillbrooke and his former life there. He chafed under Thorgrim’s direction but followed him nonetheless, actually learning a lot about combat from the older man.

In 1350 Thorgrim and his company were on their way to Neverwinter to retrieve a fugitive from Waterdeep being held for them. They approached a small farming village to find shelter for the night, planning to continue on to Neverwinter the next day. They were on the outskirts of the village when they were ambushed by the villagers. Obviously of no match for the bounty hunters, they were quickly subdued. Recognizing that the villagers were not acting on their own but under coercion, Thorgrim questioned the villagers and was told what had been happening in the villager.

Three days previous a demon had been foolishly summoned by an inexperienced wizard who had recently taken up residence in the town. The demon had broken loose of the summoning circle the wizard had prepared, killed the wizard and proceeded to subjugate the town, forcing the villagers to bring it what little material wealth they had and when that was exhausted, was forcing the villagers to kill travelers and bring the loot to the demon. The demon had set himself up a makeshift throne room in the mayor’s house. Thorgrim directed Lavalius, the company’s resident mage, to try and scry into the mayor’s house to confirm the demon was there. Immediately recognizing the scrying, the demon reversed it, learned where Thorgrim and his band were, and summoned in soldiers from the Abyss, surrounding the bounty hunters. Caught off guard, the bounty hunters fought desperately for their lives but quickly lost ground. Despite fighting fiercely, the demon soldiers had the upper hand and within a few minutes only Thorgrim and Lionel were still alive and were slowly being forced toward the door of the mayor’s house. Both Thorgrim and Lionel realized that the demon soldiers were trapping them between themselves and the summoned demon inside the house. Sure enough, the summoned demon inside burst through the door and announced that the two mortals would quickly die at the hands of Terazon. Desperately, Lionel and Thorgrim fought back and began to circle, hoping to keep their three remaining enemies off balance. After a few minutes the two demon soldiers were finally destroyed. Turning to face Terazon, the two warriors surged forward and engaged the demon. The battle raged across the village, and slowly they gained the upper hand, weakening the demon with hit after hit, and shrugging off the wounds Terazon inflicted on them. It was pure adrenaline and fear driving them forward. Finally, Terazon fell to one knee, gasping for breath. Not hesitating, Lionel delivered the killing stroke, his sword buried to the hilt in the demon’s chest. Roaring in fury, Terazon surged to both feet and roared to the heavens. As his body began to dissipate, forcing him back to the Abyss, Terazon promised revenge and eternal torment upon Lionel and his descendants.

The grateful villagers sheltered Thorgrim and Lionel that night and tended to their wounds. The next day, Thorgrim and Lionel continued on to Neverwinter to collect their bounty and were dismayed to find that the fugitive had escaped. Candahar Formulgrint, their employer, was not going to be happy. The journey to Waterdeep was a hard one for Thorgrim. Most of the members of the band had been men he was very close with; they had formerly guarded caravans together. Thorgrim felt deeply a burden of guilt and held himself responsible for the death of his men.

After arriving back in Waterdeep a few days later, their prediction was correct. Candahar was not happy that Thorgrim’s delay had not only let their bounty get away but he also held Thorgrim responsible for the deaths of the other members of the band. Candahar fired both Thorgrim and Lionel right there on the spot and told them that if either one ever set foot in Waterdeep ever again he would make sure that they were locked away for a long, long time.

With his life as a bounty hunter suddenly at a tragic end, Lionel decided that it was a good time to return home. He told Thorgrim his plan and only then revealed his true identity, asking Thorgrim to join him on his trip home. Thorgrim declined; his own guilt combined with Candahar’s condemnation weighed heavily on him, and Lionel was a reminder of what he had lost. Thorgrim decided to head south and see Baldur’s Gate, and perhaps go as far as Tethyr. Lionel told Thorgrim that if he ever found his way back north to come to Hillbrooke; he would always have a place there.

Parting ways with Thorgrim, Lionel set out on the long journey home, arriving in Hillbrooke a few days after leaving Waterdeep. Winter was starting to set in, and Lionel was greeted with open arms by his father. It was good to be home again.

For the next three years, he spent most of his time with his father, who was not in the best of health. His experiences away from home made him see his father in a new light and their relationship strengthened greatly and the two grew close as father and son. Over time, Derek gave more and more responsibility to Lionel.

One year after returning home, Lionel was in the Shalean Inn when a fight broke out between a human woman and two men. It started as a shouting match after the men would not pay the female her winnings at darts. Lionel watched in amazement as the shouts escalated into an exchange of blows. Fearing the woman would be seriously hurt he rushed over to break up the fight. Grabbing the woman’s upraised arm he was caught off guard when the woman quickly reversed his grip, twisted his arm behind his back and pushed Lionel at the two men, who shoved him out of the way and went back at the woman. The fight was quickly over, with both men unconscious on the floor, a table and chairs busted up, and glass and ale all over the floor. The woman threw a small bag of coins at Shal, the innkeeper, to pay him for damages and then left the inn.

Lionel’s curiosity was piqued. He rushed after the woman and caught up with her. Seeing her raise her fists, Lionel held up his hands and said he only wanted to talk. She calmed and introduced herself as Brenna. That talk soon progressed to spending time together, including driving a band of orcs from the nearby Darkening Woods. Brenna was a fighter who worked for the highest bidder as a mercenary, was used to spending most of her time alone, and was the complete opposite of Lionel. Yet something sparked between them and Brenna spent more and more of her time in Hillbrooke until they were finally married in 1353. That same year, Derek, Lionel’s father, passed away. Lionel became the new Lord of Hillbrooke, and Brenna the new Lady of Hillbrooke. Lionel’s mother had passed away in 1352.

In 1355 a child was born to Lionel and Brenna. This child was Lionel and Brenna’s pride and joy. The next few years were good ones. Hillbrooke was booming economically because of the nearby iron mines, which contained iron of exceptional quality, Lionel had become a skilled diplomat and traveled frequently to Waterdeep, Neverwinter, and Yartar, working to increase law and order in the Savage North. Many dignitaries visited Hillbrooke and were hosted by the Lord and Lady of Hillbrooke.

When their child was nine years old, Brenna disappeared from the room she shared with Lionel. A handmaiden was approaching the room when she heard a scream, some shouts, and then the sound of air being loudly popped. Throwing open the door, she found Brenna’s clothes lying on the floor but the Lady of Hillbrooke was nowhere to be seen. To this day no one knows what occurred in that room.

Brenna's disappearance took a heavy toll on Lionel and he withdrew emotionally and physically from everyone, including his child. Finally, a year later he sent his child away to the Academy in Neverwinter. His friend, Aribeth de Tylmarande, promised to watch over the child.

Two years later, in 1367, miners working deep in the Hillbrooke mines stumbled across a room with a metal door in one wall. It seemed older, far older than any one of them could imagine. Curious as to why a door was here and how it could be here, they foolishly opened it. A worked stone hallway revealed itself, and foul, fetid air poured out. Venturing cautiously into the hallway, the miners hadn’t gone very far when they were suddenly attacked by undead coming out of the dark. Ghouls and shadows attacked and slaughtered many of the miners before the ones who had stayed behind could get the door shut and resealed. Nonetheless, many undead and made it out of the hallway and into the mines. They spread through all of the levels, killing many of the miners. A few of the miners made it out of the mines and back to Hillbrooke where they collapsed on to the ground, screaming about the undead chasing them. Gregor Aylomen, the Captain of the Guard, took several soldiers and headed for the mines. They stopped them, with the assistance of Thorgrim, who was coming to visit Lionel. Gregor was killed, leaving behind his wife, Ladmora. Thorgrim became the new Captain of the Guard.

Lionel, after consulting with a few of the townspeople, ordered the mines closed and sealed. Since this was the town’s major source of income, many of the townspeople protested, imploring Lionel to send out a call for help from nearby Yartar. Lionel refused and to this day, in 1372, the mines remain closed.

The once prosperous town has suffered and many have moved away. However, just as many stayed, due to their loyalty to their hometown and loyalty to Lionel.

Fortunately, Lionel followed the wisdom of his ancestors and had amassed a small fortune in the coffers of Stoutheart Keep. He has depleted this fortune keeping the town alive. While Hillbrooke is on a trade route from Silverymoon to Yartar, and the Shalean Inn does very brisk business from traveling merchants and adventurers, this is not enough to return the town to what it was before the mines were closed down. Travelers have noticed that the town is starting to lack in upkeep and many residents have moved away. The town guard, although loyal to Lionel (in part due to Captain Thorgrim's loyalty) is becoming disgruntled at the wear and tear on their equipment that isn't getting repaired since the sole smith in town moved away two years previous. William Sazder has offered the services of his smith but is price gouging Lionel, who refuses to pay Sazder's exorbitant fees.

Without the trade income generated by the mines, Hillbrooke is fated to become a ghost town.

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