Ganelon the Doomed

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Ganelon the Doomed, so named for a curse levied upon him by Inza Magdova Kulchevich, is a character from the novel Spectre of the Black Rose. He disrupted Azrael Dak's plot to seize control of Sithicus.[1] He was healed by The Bloody Cobbler and, in turn, Ganelon healed Piotr.[2] Ganelon now walks the land as the adventuring hero he was destined to be. However, this came at a dire cost: to be forever separated from his love, Helain[3], for the stipulations of his curse say that he will kill by his own hand everything, and everyone, he loves.[4]

History

Ganelon was a miner at the Veidrava Salt Mine and a friend of Ambrose, Ogier, and Kern. The love of his life, Helain, was afflicted by Ashen Fever and eventually became mad from it. However, even after the physical symptoms of the ailment were cured, her worsening madness kept her bedridden, thus demanding regular care from Ambrose and Ganelon. The conflict between working at the mines and Ganelon's adventurer|adventuresome aspirations made his spirit somewhat irresolute. However, he remained devoted enough to never stray far.[5]

In 752 BC, Helain was driven to flight by a dispute between Ambrose and Ganelon following Ambrose' dispatch of a Politskarae agent named Markel and the revelation of a Thorn of the White Rose spy. Ganelon gave chase but could hardly keep up (thanks to a leg wound[6] earlier inflicted (unknown to Ganelon) by the meddling Bloody Cobbler[7]. Ganelon nonethless kept following her path, but he inadvertently stumbled upon the lair of several werebats. The Bloody Cobbler intervened and saved Ganelon. At the Cobbler's insistence, Ganelon equipped the Cobbler's gift of a leg brace formerly belonging to the recently deceased Gesmas Malaturno, thereby gaining Malaturno's preternatural insight. Finally, the Cobbler informed Ganelon of where to go to find Helain, so long as Ganelon swore an oath to keep the information secret.[8] This was the Lair of the Whispering Beast[9]

On Helain's trail, Ganelon encountered the maimed and mad Bratu. Not able to render aid nor having the time to chase after the Vistana, Ganelon resumed his journey for a time before encountering Inza and the Wanderers. At Inza's insistence, the Wanderers captured Ganelon and interrogated him for the location of the Whispering Beast's lair. Although Inza resorted to deception and torture, Ganelon remained steadfast in his oath to the Blood Cobbler. The Whispering Beast eventually liberated Ganelon from Inza's clutches. Before he could escape, Inza levied a powerful curse on Ganelon, to kill everything he loved by his own hand.[10]

Brought back to the Whispering Beast's lair, Ganelon encountered not only the Beast but also the White Rose. The latter two proposed a deal to Ganelon: to heal Helain in return for Ganelon taking the thralls out to retrieve red rose petals. Ganelon reluctantly agreed.[11]

Ganelon's search for red roses brought him to Malocchio's Dream Garden, an abominable area of verdant growth built upon the bony remains of the unresting dead. Despite Ganelon's carefulness, the harvest of the flowers from the corpse roses took several of the mad peoples' lives, including that of Bratu. In addition, Ganelon's trespass was noticed by Malocchio Aderre. Aderre agreed to spare Ganelon's life. However, Aderre required Ganelon to disrupt the rituals of Azrael Dak at the Veidrava Salt Mines. To aid Ganelon, Malocchio gave him a bag of poppy seeds (an allergen and poison to Azrael) and a a special magical crystal orb to destroy the salt shadows[12]

At Veidrava, Ganelon met an imprisoned Bloody Cobbler and set him free, receiving one of the Cobbler's blades in return. At the Black Chapel, Ganelon poisoned the ritual sacraments before he encountered his old friends Ambrose, Kern, and Ogier. Possessed by salt shadows, Ganelon's former friends moved to restrain him. In the skirmish, Ganelon was able to activate the orb, releasing a blast of light destroyed all the salt shadows within the Black Chapel. However, Ganelon witnessed the effects of Inza's curse: the light incinerated his three former friends. Meanwhile, the poison rocked Azrael's body, breaking his ritual and freeing the shadows. A mountain of said shadows rose into the air and plummeted upon Nedragaard Keep, bringing about the Hour of Screaming Shadows.[13]

Following the events described in Spectre of the Black Rose, Ganelon became a wandering adventurer.[3] in 753 BC, he used his magic blade to heal Piotr's maimed hand.[2]

Current Sketch

Ganelon wanders the land, acting both as a healer of the sick and a killer of the hopelessly irredeemable. the severed ear given by the Whispering Beast grants him the power to make the mad lucid. The knife given to him by the Bloody Cobbler allows Ganelon to not only cut down the wicked but also to alleviate injuries of both body and soul of their victims.[3] Like the Wanderers, he hunts Inza and proves to be a continual thorn in her side.[1]

Though he is called doomed by the Vistani, he is called "the Blessed" by the many people he has helped.[14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gazetteer IV p. 157
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Heroes of Light p. 98
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Spectre of the Black Rose p. 310-311
  4. ↑ SotBR p. 185
  5. ↑ SotBR p. 45-50
  6. ↑ SotBR p. 140-148
  7. ↑ SotBR p. 63-64
  8. ↑ SotBR p. 152-164
  9. ↑ SotBR p. 176
  10. ↑ SotBR p. 172-185
  11. ↑ SotBR p. 203-218
  12. ↑ SotBR p. 232-251
  13. ↑ SotBR p. 286-296, 299-301
  14. ↑ Gazetteer IV p. 114

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

Heroes of Light

Heroes of Light - pp93,98


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