Cedric Goodfellow

Cedric Harold Vermilion Poppy Goodfellow, 6th Viscount Marchamp is a human paladin of Helion and initiate of the Holy Order of the Dawn. He is the youngest son of Lord Carrigan and Lady Rosalind Goodfellow, Marquis and Marquess of Marrony.

Appearance
Cedric Goodfellow is a handsome human male with a boyish face, blue eyes and a mane of rich blonde hair. The beginnings of a golden moustache are forming above his dashing smile. He is rarely seen without his expensive suit of gilded armour, complete with a close helm adorned with white feathers and a tabard displaying the colours of his coat of arms. He wields a longsword with an amber-studded hilt.

Personality
Cedric is characterised by his flamboyant, debonair nature that teeters on the arrogant. He is prone to winking at others, a habit that sometimes makes them uncomfortable.

As the son of a well-respected Armathainian marquis, Cedric is under a serious pressure to succeed. Since his elder brother disappeared and his other brother turned to the faith, Cedric has been the sole heir to his father's estate and the province of Marrony, and as such feels the weight of his family's expectations.

Beneath this, however, lies a genuine, personal urge. Ever since his wet nurse told him the stories of Geraint the Gallant and Saladin Silvershield as a babe, Cedric has been motivated by a singular urge to prove himself and his valour as a Knight Radiant of Armathain. He is willing to undertake any task, however gruelling, if it furthers his pursuit of the glory and honour of those legendary heroes he strives to emulate. It is this ideal that underlines his courage in the face of danger, and since the beginning of his adventures he has displayed a willingness to put his life on the line in the interests of others. For example, when he heard a girl's screams coming from the Fenmarrow Forest, he dived straight into the shrubbery to rescue her, despite the presence of vicious goblins in the trees.

Biography
Cedric Goodfellow is the third son of Lord Carrigan Goodfellow and Lady Rosalind Goodfellow of High HillMarquis and Marquess of the province of Marrony in Armathain. Cedric’s parents were distant, and he lived in awe and sometimes fear of his formidable father, instead relying on the household for affection and tutelage. Growing up around riches and luxury, Cedric had a sheltered upbringing, and became fascinated by tales of knightly heroism that his wet-nurse told him.

Cedric grew up with two older brothers (Mortdecai and Rycroft) and a younger sister, Cassandra; Cedric got on the best with the latter, as his elder brothers saw Cedric’s obsession with fantasy stories and damsels in distress as childish folly, and thus treated him with indifference or disdain.

When Cedric was 14, Mortdecai, an aspiring knight, disappeared, causing strain on the family. Lord Carrigan had intended to send Mortdecai to the capital, Drassonne, to squire for Ser Henry Caswell - as Mortdecai had disappeared and Rycroft had recently joined the priesthood, Cedric was sent instead. He squired alongside a half-elf boy named Halynor Doqaris, and their friendship helped settle the extreme nerves both boys felt upon their first few weeks in the city.

Cedric loved the sun and opulence of the capital, which distracted from the tough, often tedious work he had to do for Ser Henry. He remained optimistic, fuelled by his desire to become a knight like his mentor, inspired by the tourneys that he watched from the sidelines as Ser Henry defeated opponent after opponent. During a tourney, Cedric partook in the squire's melee, but his sword was snapped by his opponent, causing him to fail and embarrass himself in front of the Grand Duke. Ser Henry took Cedric aside and delivered a firm but effective lesson on determination in the face of unequal odds - a pep talk that proved a transformative moment for the young squire.

However, one night, Cedric's aspirations were dashed. Ser Henry's prized signet ring went missing; stolen and sold by Halynor to provide for his ailing father back in Silverwood. The panicked Halynor confided in Cedric, but was swiftly apprehended by the Grand Duke's guards. Cedric, in a fit of despair at the potential loss of his friend, spoke up and took the blame. He was tried for theft and expelled from the city, disgraced. However, Ser Henry, who suspected the truth behind the affair, stopped Cedric at the gate. Although powerless to contradict a duchal mandate, he gifted Cedric with a custom-made longsword with a shard of amber in its pommel - to replace his broken sword - and sent him on his way.

Reluctant to return home and face his family, Cedric found himself wandering from place to place, before he came across a convoy of missionaries from the Church of Helion. The bishop, Father Reed, who led the convoy offered to allow Cedric to travel with them for a while, and over the course of the journey Cedric confided his story to him. Father Reed saw potential in the young warrior and pointed him towards the Holy City of Kallantium in the heart of Cyrenos, where the Holy Order of the Dawn - an order of chivalry dedicated to the sun god - is based. Cedric took Reed's advice, and booked a ship from Port Landry to Kallantium at the earliest opportunity.

The new city was a hail of sights, colours and sounds: magnificence beyond any even Cedric had seen. He went straight to the Solar Citadel and enlisted as an initiate of the Order. His tasks began humble - maintaining the Citadel altars, running errands for the monks, cleaning the knight's bedpans - but Cedric worked hard for this new chance at glory. Finally, he was able to don his armour again, and worked his way up in the Order's esteem until he became an official annex of the Order. He was granted a small property in the city, as well as his own squire, Septimus Krane, a half-elven butler named Godfrey Gilhorn, and a gnomish minstrel named Mushroom who, despite being employed to cook for Cedric, began composing an epic ballad chronicling his exploits, something that Cedric both enjoyed and encouraged.

Finally, the day came when Cardinal Rassian himself gave Cedric a mission: to delve into the heart of the Alagost swamps and brave the myriad creatures within...

Session 1: Goblin Ambush (C1x1)
Cedric and his retainers travelled to the town of Stonecross in Alagost and hired a party of bodyguards - Arashi Fulgar, Dilern Lousseaghymn, John and Malaxus - to escort him to his destination: Correnwald, a backwater town in the Fenmarrow Forest. The group headed into the swamp, but their driver, Arvin, was killed during a goblin ambush. Cedric and his party defeated their attackers and made plans to continue on foot; however, a woman's scream from the woods prompted Cedric to rush into the trees to rescue her. He discovered a trapped pathway to a cave where the goblins had made their lair, and the party delved inside, dispatching the guards without alerting the cave's inhabitants. However, at the foot of a subterranean waterfall, a leathery octopus-like creature dropped onto Cedric's head, blocking off his airways and beginning to suffocate him...

Session 2: The Cave and the Crocodile (C1x2)
Cedric was freed from the creature's grasp by John, although the preceding pummelling carried over to Cedric and knocked him unconscious. However, the stress unlocked within him divine magic, and he utilised his Shield of Faith when dealing with the goblins in the eating cave. He was shot through the leg by an arrow, felling him again and leaving him with a temporary limp, but a potion of healing applied by Malaxus revived him and healed the wound.

In Spittlebrick's lair, Cedric was knocked out a third time by a bomb hurled by the goblin chieftain. He, Arashi and Malaxus remained unconscious as John killed Spittlebrick's pet crocodile and beat the chief into submission. Finally, he was healed by a second potion of healing found within Spittlebrick's hoard.

Kills

 * 1) Needlefang goblin - javelin

Paladin Abilities

 * Divine Sense
 * Lay on Hands (10HP)
 * Fighting Style - Defence (+1 to AC)
 * Divine Smite

Paladin Spells
As a 2nd-level paladin, Cedric has access to 1st-level paladin spells with two 1st-level spell slots. He can prepare up to 3 of these spells per day.

1st level

 * Bless
 * Command
 * Cure Wounds (P)
 * Detect Evil and Good
 * Detect Magic
 * Detect Poison and Disease
 * Divine Favor
 * Heroism (P)
 * Protection from Evil and Good
 * Purify Food and Drink
 * Shield of Faith (P)
 * Thunderous Smite
 * Wrathful Smite



Quests

 * Cedric's main goal is to earn a knighthood, something that he has wanted since birth. He wishes to return home as someone to be proud of.
 * Cedric was issued a Writ of Commission by Cardinal Rassian, the contents of which he has yet to reveal to the party. However, what they do know is that the mission is of a clerical endeavour, and entails a journey to the town of Correnwald in the Fenmarrow Forest.

Current Items

 * Longsword: a beautifully crafted sword with an amber in its pommel. A gift from Ser Henry Caswell upon Cedric's dismissal from his care.
 * Symbol of Helion: Cedric bears a sun-shaped talisman as a symbol of his devotion to Helion and the Holy Order of the Dawn. It functions as a spellcasting focus for his paladin spells.
 * Writ of Commission: a scroll from Cardinal Rassian ordering Cedric's mission to Correnwald.