Großkomtur Mathau Evatt

Großkomtur Mathau Evatt (b. 2475, Salzenmund) is a Border Prince. He is a member of the Inner Circle of the Knights Manann, and like the rest of his order, were dedicated to defending the trade routes, both by sea and river from roving bands. Each major town or trade station sitting on such a route is typically manned by a knight or two, aided by Order Sergeants; sworn men who are allowed to fight alongside the Knights in combat to make up numbers. The knights themselves frequently take up arms on Imperial Naval vessels to assist in the defense against Nord and Orcish raiders, as well as any enterprising Pirates or Bretonni Admirals attempting to take a prize of war. On the other hand, should a merchant vessel owner pay enough, it is likely that a Knight may take up protection on that vessel, depending on intent and type of cargo; that it doesn't interfere with normal duties, and that the payment is worth it; as a small order lacking the prestige of the more famous orders, sponsorship is fairly rare, and so as to remain impartial, long term sponsorships by private investors looking to benefit from the Knights Manann are looked upon with suspicion.

However, the knights themselves are often of the nobility, or have the riches to outfit the Knights in the spectacular suits of armour, as well as aid the order in general, this generally means they lack many sea worthy skillsets; although this is picked up with the amount of time they spend on the ships; and naval combat command is typically left to the trained Captains and Privateers which make up Imperial Naval power; instead the knights lead boarding parties, defenses, as well as Beachhead assaults. The order sergeants on the other hand frequently grew up with in the life; and consequently come up with the instincts of a gutter fighter, with the lightness of foot in battle, while doubling up as a crew member whenever there is need.

Equipment for the order sergeants are typically light vests, wooden shields (often aged off-cuts stolen/donated by Shipwrights), and spears, cutlasses as well as numerous improvised weapons. Some townships known to share a decent relationship with the College of Engineering occasionally have access to explosives but it is a wary shipmaster who takes the experimental weaponry aboard. Due to cost, and difficulty in keeping powder stores dry (the magazines are typically out of bounds for all non Navy personnel for obvious reasons), the Sergeants typically make use of Bows and Crossbows, handguns though are fairly rare.

The Knights themselves don't appear particularly knightly while at sea; heavy armour pulls a fallen knight into the water while being particularly easy to succumb to rust, a horse is a lot to take on board a ship and provide for, and they rarely have access to the amount of finery and grooming that Knights from the Reiksguard, Panther or Blazing Sun orders can afford to waste time on when salty wind makes their hair dry and spindly, rocking boats leads to easy cuts for a risk of infection, and the relentless wind and sun causes serious exposure tans.

On land though, they are the epitome of Knightly valour and appearance; glorious suits of full plate armour, blue lacquered and with Sea Green/Turquoise Trim, the intertwined seaweed design picked out in pure seafoam white while the horses caparisons are similarly lacquered and dyed; the Inner Circle's horses individualised out by a chain skirt of highly polished Sea Gromril, mined from a seam of Gromril found only in the harbour of Barak Varr, gifted to the order after extended services to the Dwarfs of that hold for many years. Weaponry is similarly spectacular; rather than the typical lances, the order use immense two or three pronged tridents and carry into battle whaling spears and javelins, or even bows; despite this fairly incongruous appearance, there is no doubting their efficacy. The shields of the Order typically show one the Symbols of Manann, or a Trident; Knights who have served aboard vessels occasionally cover their shields in netting woven with glass or iron nails; useful as another weapon, it can leave festering wounds and is fairly vicious when used to shield bash. All knights at sea or on horse carry a cutlass, however.

Mathau Evatt was one such Knight; originally the fourth son of seven boys and four girls who still needed their dowries paying for, his inheritence was looking to be so minor as to not be worth it. So, persuading his father, a medium sized Nordland Merchant, to part with more money than he would have normally got was difficult, but eventually achieved; sent to train with the order, Mathau proved to be a slow learner for combat and military tactics, but as he progressed through long service, his value as an accountant was established; the coffers began to fill with wealth. Despite being a slow learner, he was still comparatively well skilled, a match for many within his own order, however he was just never an instinctive bladesman, leader or naval officer, but still did his service as and when called for it. Few could fault him, but few could praise him aside from making the Knights Manann wealthier than ever before. That proved to be worth very little in the martial order, even though the wealth itself was appreciated.

And so, the first seeds of displeasure were sown. However with only 9 years I. the order, he could do little. Upon attaining 20 years within the order, and feeling that such continual work on the finances deserved a reward, Mathau was given the position of an Inner Circle Knight; one which many of his peers felt should be given to a more combat worthy soldier; during several campaigns, this distrust was apparent; orders were misinterpreted, or delayed, exhortations as a leader by Mathau failed to inspire his men, and all other all and sundry minor failures to defer to his rank led to his distrust in his inferiors.

Disappointed with the Order, he with a few of his closest allies within the order have set out to form a new outpost for the Order; a half dozen knights who hebhas personally selected and trained along with a half century of order sergeants and their families have come with. Granted the title of Grosskomtur, or Grand Commander for the expedition, and with much wealth granted by the Hochkomtur, the land he has chosen was as much by chance; following the river he found a group of Villagers, who said they had travelled into the Swamplands called The Bracken Mere to make offerings to some wild animal pest that plagued their village. With the Broken Crags a short distance away, he has has set up camp situated in a natural easily defended trade route; the camp is gradually becoming more and more static; the gold and promise of even the odd gromril ore has hired Dwarf and masons and outcasts to finish building his keep; but also to utilise the natural fault lines in the mountains to lead to the springs which feed the River Azril from where their old skills as boatsmen can be put to use.

The spread of money and gradual increase in trade to the new settlement called "The Five Tines" based on its confluence of 5 trade routes, has seen a slow but steady increase of mercenaries and settlers looking for security or work. With the former established town of Rivermouth in ruin and plagued by said animal pests within a short distance ruining their lives, it is thought that Mathau is going to lead a vast hunt to sweep aside the pest or pests, and attempt to use his Dwarfish Engineers to redirect the river flow out of the Marshes and thus drain the Mere, making it habitable and traversible.

Back in the Empire though, rumours of the Orders financial collapse has seen many people associated with the Knights Manaan to be seeking information regarding Mathau Evatt, while rumours of an awakened immense Lightning Daemon from the excavations in the Crags are causing fear. And despite the insistence of the Knights at the ludicrous idea of the Ghouls, and that the gnawed human remains are of wild animals, people and livestock in and around the Thornwood continue to go missing. Meanwhile, the Grosskomtur's attitude is beginning to destabilise slightly; one adventurer was hanged for continual insistence of using non-nautical vernacular in the presence of Evatt; mistaking his bookish nature, the former Republican Guard of Remas was hung with little more than a showtrial; the uncouth cavalier attitude the Tilean held probably hadn't helped, but almost all visitors to the Landlord (that being the unassuming title he has taken) are now advised to particularly brush up on such terminology lest they risk his anger; and with over 150 trained, well paid, and consequently well motivated men at his beck and call, is possibly not the brightest idea. Of course, over 30 years of distrust with the Knights Manaan has lead to him not trusting those under his command; considered ironic due to their devotion to him - or rather the money, but he is the man with the money after all.