Bertrand Croulus

In the aftermath of the Blackspear War, Bertrand Croulus disappeared from the circles of adventuring, and in time, word spread that the once active and indomitable swordsman had retired from the battlefield. Rumor proved to be true, though incomplete. For a decade following the end of the Blackspear war, Bertrand was much involved in affairs outside of High Reaches, making efforts to build up humanity's presence across the continent, taking an active hand in instruction and education, training, and bettering of the lives of many of those who were far flung and beyond the protection of High Reaches. The movement came to be called the "Croulus Crusade", or the "Crimson Crusade", depending on who did the telling, though he never himself called it such.

In the Summer of 2876, a large attack by Karr threatened the annual Coalition Games hosted in High Reaches. Members of "the crusade" were on hand, having given safe escort to merchants from outlying towns and farms beyond High Reaches. Bertrand ordered them to raise the alarm, and move to harass at the flanks, to keep the Karr ranks from spreading and utilizing the initiative and mobility inherent to their nature. After vigorous debate, Bertrand himself took the center alone, to meet the Karr vanguard and it's leader.

The events of that moment are lost to history, but what is known is that by the time the Field Force, members of GLAD and participants from the game had turned the tide and broken the attack, with aid of the members of the Crusade, Bertrand was found sitting in the saddle, overlooking the battlefield. The Karr vanguard laid broken across the ground around him, including their towering leader. As those who had he had personally recruited and trained came to celebrate with him, he fell out of the saddle unceremoniously.

Though dirty and scuffed, Bertrand lacked any mortal wound that would have caused his death, instead it was assumed that he had died from heart failure, the conclusion of a condition that developed during the strain of the Blackspear War and was ultimately the very condition that forced his retirement years earlier. Confirmation came from his charge, a young man Bertrand had personally trained and raised, familiar with Bertrand in his last decade of life.

Though only forty-five years old, Bertrand touched the lives of many across the face of Eramere and his legacy remains as steadfast as he himself always insisted upon being.