Markan Gowager

Disgraced General of the Spellbreakers

Markan Gowager, once an esteemed and honoured general of the Spellbreaker order, was remarked as having had one of the most successful military careers in the history of the Order. He was profoundly committed to his duty, and to safeguarding the core tenets upon which his order was formed. He was exiled as a scapegoat to preserve the peace, but in his exile, undertook the most important mission of his life. He would find redemption in the Abyss, a most unlikely of places, and earn his respite.  

Humble Beginnings

As a squire, he was remarkably committed, and he rose through the ranks due to his bravery and conviction. As he grew older and promotions greater, he was given the option of climbing the second-highest rung of the Spellbreaker military ladder - that of the Spear-General, charged with the protection of Spellbreaker interests in mid-Eidos. This territory and its importance were not lost on him or the Divine - but his duty in various campaigns across the continent had earned him her personal favour, and he accepted.  

General of Northern Eidos

Within a few years he had made a name of being a fierce, firm, but fair General of these lands. He would not give mercy to true wrong-doers, but allowed those simply down-on-their-luck and petty criminals a modicum of mercy - serving in his army as auxiliary troops and workers. This earned him a reputation of being honorific and merciful. He was committed not only to the protection of his ideals, but also the protection of innocents, and he firmly believed that Spellbreaker order was the most peaceful and correct way to ensure security across Eidos.   That is, until, Klaarta Dunn. Markan was assigned there, a few years into his role of leadership, to "cover-up" a Spellbreaker plot - feeding resources into a small-time cult which they would spin as having Staldor roots. The following plague was meant to be reasonably well-contained, and the excuse used to rally forces against the Staldors in the south. Markan, at first, was able to rationalise that the Staldors were a threat to Spellbreaker security and order, and set out to ensure the plot was successfully contained and followed-through. However, as he saw first-hand exactly how out of control the Boneplague had gotten, and how the inhabitants of tens of villages South of the Neck had suffered, his resolve began to crumble. His Divine wanted all those in Klaarta Dunn executed or put under arrest to be hidden away; but he would regularly turn a blind eye to fleeing groups of refugees. When it was determined that the cause of the Bone Plague's destructive tendency was the extra demonic magic given by the Filthmonger, Baal'zure, he resolved to exterminate the Greater Demon of Plagues and put an end to the plague altogether.   However, a group of adventurers seeking an answer to this issue facing the continent beat him and his army to it - having conducted their own investigation. Whether blessed by Divine providence or sheer luck, they managed to banish Baal'zure back to the Abyssal Realms, and the plague with him. When they exited the hideout of the cultists, Markan confronted them, a whole army of Spellbreakers at his back and a Greater Golem he had requisitioned to demolish Baal'zure's very essence. Whilst he at first intended to either execute the adventurers for their meddling in these affairs, or at the very least interrogate them, an impassioned outcry from the party - including a Staldor barbarian, even - convinced him to let them go, and face the consequences of refusing, for truly the first time in his life, his sworn duty as a Spellbreaker.  

Disgraced and Demoted

Markan's punishment was anything but light. For failing to uphold his orders, Markan had his dominant sword-arm cut off. He was branded on his forehead, and left hand with a symbol of excommunication; and exiled from all Spellbreaker-held lands, forced, now, to seek refuge in secluded Elven territories that lay outside Spellbreaker jurisdiction. The official stance - as it was difficult for many to believe the Spellbreaker plot - was that Markan had been conspiring with the Staldors to bring down the Spellbreaker order. Those who believed in the plot would give him sanctuary, but in the months that followed, he was so severely dishonoured that he would not even dare show his face. It was then, despite his instincts to cut his losses, that he investigated rumours that Baal'zure may still be having influence from beyond the Abyssal Realms; and his influence stretched out, growing with each day. Whilst it could take decades or even centuries before he was risen again, he would one day rise again to terrorize innocents.   Markan reached out to those adventurers whose lives he had spared, and implored them to seek an end to Baal'zure, once and for all - by travelling into the Abyssal Realms and shattering his very soul. They grudgingly agreed to help him, and Markan ordered them to seek him out when they were ready - for he would accompany them, and see Baal'zure's soul put to ash before his very eyes.  

Path of Penance

As the party made progress on their quest, they eventually were apprehended by Megane and brought to the Trial of Six Heresies. Markan was summoned, somewhat forcefully, to take part as a witness. There, he spoke the truth on why he let the party go at Klaarta Dunn, and their current goal. It was then that the true cause of the Boneplague was revealed - a dissident sect within the Chantry which sought to utilise it as a weapon against the Staldor Empire. However, when it spiralled out of control, a scapegoat was required, and hence, why Markan was exiled and branded. The party were hence acquitted of heresy, but were ordered to complete their original mission - with Markan now obligated to follow. This lined up well with his goals at any rate, since the group were now ready to embark on a journey to Ewrorin.   Whilst Megane took something of a day-to-day leadership role with the party, Markan remained their guide and counsel, passing information when it was relevant to their task. At Ewrorin, he would accompany the party on some of their goals, and sought aid from the centaurs alongside Brox Bearmane and Stradivar, the latter of whom was revealed to be a vigilante. Markan brokered the alliance and then, with some time to spare, pursued a loose end with Crawn - both reconnecting with figures of their past. Whilst Crawn made amends with a tiefling with whom he had a complicated relationship, Markan was candid with his son, and both gained a powerful reason to not only enter the Abyss, but return from its depths. Markan once more donned Spellbreaker armour and marched with Galath and Megane on Elyria's palace, a small army of Spellbreaker rebels at their back. With her death, he was the first to enter the Abyssal portal, and cross the line between realms.   In the Abyss, Markan took leadership and drove the party onwards with his years of frantic learning to prepare for this very moment. He begrudgingly accepted the deal with Graz'zt as a necessary evil, and continued to support the party's efforts as they traversed multiple layers of the Abyss. Galath's death hit him almost as hard as it hit Megane, having been a comrade of his for many years and having learned to respect his unorthodox methods. With a resounding statement - "Baal'zurre must die" - Markan lead the group into the demon's lair, and there, the party shattered Baal'zurre's soul, preventing his return. Thanks to Graz'zt holding to his end of the bargain, they were returned back to the mortal realm.  

Redeemed

Markan was offered a commission back into the Chantry and a rescinding of his exile, and whilst tempted, he ultimately declined. Instead, he returned home with his son, and finally took part in his life the way he always wanted. He taught his son the wisdom he had learned and been taught over the years of service to the Chantry. Though his physical wounds and pain would deaden in time, he would never forget those who were lost along the way, and the innumerable sacrifices undertaken for the good of Eidos. He would also struggle against a burning desire to always prepare for the next catastrophe. He and Megane spoke often, guiding her as he once had in her new role as a general of the continent. More than once, he made the pilgrimage north to witness the new society Brox was building.