The Heroes of Thyrion: The Crusader

taken from the original game manual

The Crusader

The Paladin

The Assassin

The Necromancer

The Crusader

In my visions, I have seen four mismatched heroes who seek to destroy Eidolon. The following pages chronicle my visions, imparting what I have seen of each. I know none of their names, but by observing them time and again in my dreams, I have come to know the heart of each. The first figure of my visions is a Crusader.

The Crusader is a holy man and a healer. Armed with both his faith and an array of mystical weapons, he is a staunch opponent of Eidolon. His superb defensive skills and mystical powers make him extremely hardy and resistant, and will serve him in good stead on his upcoming quest.

Profile of the Crusader

Raised in a small, wind-swept monastery in the southern hills of Blackmarsh, the Crusader is familiar with hardships of all kinds. He was taken into the monastery at an early age, after being abandoned by unknown parents at the monastery’s stone gates. With only the most barren of surroundings to distract his attention, the Crusader attacked his studies with the utmost fervor. This singular lack of distractions has molded a distinct, earnest and intense personality; few can match his single-minded pursuit of knowledge, or his remarkable force of will.

The Crusader was not taught to destroy, but rather to heal. Healing, however, is sometimes a painful process: the canker that resists salves and balms must be burned or excised. As the first year of Eidolon’s reign drew to a close, the Crusader realized the nature of Thyrion’s blight: it could not be quelled by peaceful means, but rather must be driven from the land. To this end he increased his already rigorous regimen of study, practicing martial skills in addition to the skills of the healer.

One day, as the Crusader drilled in the monastery yard with his great Warhammer, the looming figure of a Golem trudged past the ancient stone gates. Never before had Eidolon’s minions ventured so far into the countryside. The Crusader realized that Eidolon had started a new campaign: he sought to rein in the wayward country folk, driving home his point by force of arms. The Crusader donned his armor and put aside his healer’s herbs, knowing the time for action had finally arrived.

The Crusader's Abilities

Though not the most formidable of adversaries, the Crusader has several abilities that greatly aid his chances of survival. Indeed, the Crusader is perhaps the hardiest of the four heroes, armed only with the favor of his god to protect him.

The Crusader has the power to periodically heal himself, though this power is not completely under his own control. As he fights the enemies of Thyrion, he is constantly learning and gaining insights. It is during his most intense combats, and hence his most intense periods of learning, that his body is apt to be completely restored. In this way, the Crusader’s god rewards action over sloth.

Occasionally, when the Crusader slays an enemy, a magical sphere appears over the corpse of his foe. This sphere represents the vitality and power of the enemy. By collecting this sphere the Crusader is able to partake of his opponent’s power and add it to his own. For a brief time his strength is superhuman, and he can perform feats of unlikely heroism. Eventually this power fades, however, and the Crusader returns to normal strength.

The Crusader's Weapons

Though his skills are those of a healer, the Crusader is nevertheless a formidable opponent. In my visions I have seen him wielding a wide array of weapons, and always to good effect.

	Warhammer The Warhammer is a powerful weapon, and particularly effective in the Crusader’s capable hands. He swings it with both speed and power, laying low the minions of Eidolon who dare to venture close. When augmented by the Tome of Power, the Warhammer is more formidable still. Under the spell of the magical book, the Crusader can hurl his Warhammer a great distance, smiting enemies from afar and enshrouding them in a storm of lightning. The hammer returns to his hands after every cast, be it hit or miss, passing through obstacles that would appear to block its return path.

	Ice Mace At times I have seen the Crusader bearing an Ice Mace, a curious weapon indeed. This weapon fires small, jagged ice projectiles that can harm enemies at a great distance. Enemies slain by the Ice Mace are frozen solid. The Tome of Power completely transforms the Ice Mace’s function. Instead of firing an ice projectile, the Mace instead causes a blizzard of frozen shards to pelt its target from above. This attack is extremely powerful, and difficult to avoid as well.

	Meteor Staff Another weapon in the Crusader’s fascinating arsenal is the Meteor Staff. In its unpowered state it fires a torrent of boulders. When it hits its target, these rocks explode into smaller, but equally damaging fragments. Augmented by the Tome of Power, the Meteor Staff produces extraordinarily powerful whirlwinds that can pick up a victim and send him flying in any direction. These whirlwinds are heavily laden with rocks, which fly out from the vortex now and again without warning. The Meteor Staff is hardly a subtle weapon, but it makes up for this deficiency with its overwhelming power.

	Lightbringer Lightbringer is a holy relic, and the most powerful of the Crusader’s weapons. Even in its normal state, the relic is deadly: it issues forth a ray of holy light that sears and dissolves everything in its path. This ray burns evil and corruption. While some might aspire to holiness, no man or creature is true enough to stand in its path unscathed. Like each adventurer’s most powerful weapon, the Lightbringer cannot be found fully intact. Instead, two separate parts must be gathered together after they are located on his travels. Only then will the Crusader be able to harness the full power of this weapon. The Tome of Power does not change the fundamental effect of the ray, but rather, augments it. Instead of a single beam of light, the powered Lightbringer generates three