Monday, April 30, 2012

Cassias Bloodhelm

Appearing only in my first book, and then only mentioned by name, Cassias is the Great Grandfather of Tarkil Bloodhelm.  He and his younger sister were the only survivors of a tragic fire which consumed the original keep on the hill that now stands outside of Bloodhelm proper.  The fire also killed the rest of the family along with all the staff, save the stable master.  The history goes the children were sleeping in the hay loft of the barn when the fire broke out through out the compound. (They like to pretend they were peasants.)  The stable master knew they were there, grabbed them up, and rode out on a charger, saving them from certain death.  Because of this, all Bloodhelm stable masters are treated with great respect, even by the hardest of Bloodhelm heirs.

Cassias lived to be 83 years old, his sister 90 years old.  He was a fair ruler, deferring to the will of the High King often and without question.  Many believe he was trying to regain the honor of Peter which he felt was slipping.  He was a good man with the sword and loved his horses.  He was a dark blond, with light, freckled skin, even into his twilight years, and of lithe frame.  He was soft spoken, but stern and hard when he needed to be.  A painting of him hangs near the entrance of the Bloodhelm manor, riding a horse across a field.

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