Leonard

Biodata

Background / History

Leonard fought in the Second War and led the Fourth Assault Squad. After the destruction of the Second Fleet, Norwington troops were reassigned among other families’ forces, placing his squad under House Stormsong. Leonard was the squad’s only member originally from Norwington lands; the other soldiers came from Stormsong territory 31 47.

Near the end of a pirate extermination campaign, remnants of the pirate forces attacked his squad. Leonard requested aid from the Tidesages at Sage Keep, but the Tidesage Conclave prioritized pursuing the main pirate force for military glory. A Norwington supply unit rescued the squad instead. His men subsequently resolved not to join House Stormsong’s military organization, although Lashius broke with them after receiving an offer of a substantial salary 47.

Leonard remained loyal to the Norwington Family and became deputy captain of Aldrius’s guard. He also helped the lord handle local military matters, including the recurring trogg attacks around Morris Town 6 13.

Appearance

• Thick eyebrows and honest-looking eyes, as described by Byron 14.
• Resolute facial features, noted when he learns that the trogg prisoners are exhausting the food supplies 19.
• A longsword strapped to his back when he joins Rowan’s expedition 6.

Personality

Leonard is cautious, composed, and protective. He regards Rowan’s safety as his foremost responsibility, warning against attacking nearly a hundred troggs with only thirty men and recommending reinforcements rather than a reckless assault. Once battle begins, however, he follows Rowan’s orders promptly—even when a sudden head-on collision appears dangerously risky 13 14 35.

His respect for Rowan initially rests on sworn loyalty to Aldrius rather than confidence in Rowan’s judgment. In private, he considers the young master an immature child. Rowan’s unconventional victory over the troggs embarrasses him, and the successful steam-powered warship later convinces him that “genius” is the only fitting description 14 31.

Leonard frequently answers Byron’s impulsiveness with cold looks, blunt warnings, and dry teasing. Beneath that stern manner, he shares his companion’s less respectable amusements, including reading an erotic book while waiting outside Proudmoore Keep. His loyalty nevertheless has a firm moral basis: he rejects Lashius’s emphasis on salary and rank in favor of conscience and glory 7 8 15 47.

Abilities & Skills

Arms Warrior Combat

Leonard’s specialization emphasizes technique rather than raw strength 36.

• Heavy Strike — follows a Charge against Lambert, catching the pirate off guard while Byron attacks from the other side 35.
• Cleave — used during the renewed assault on Lambert 36.
• Execute — prepared as a finishing blow against Gorlick before Rowan intervenes; later used against the stunned Lambert 15 36.
• Hamstring — breaks both of Lambert’s legs after Leonard penetrates his fury defense 36.
• Limit: Lambert’s Enrage-enhanced blows numb Leonard’s hands and nearly knock his greatsword from his grip, exposing his disadvantage in a direct contest of force 36.

Combat Mobility

• Heroic Leap — carries him ten meters from Rowan’s warship onto the pirate flagship, landing directly in front of Lambert 35.
• Charge — rapidly closes the distance to Lambert before a Heavy Strike 35.

Defensive Technique

• Blade in Hand, Life in Hand — places Leonard in a defensive stance that allows him to withstand Lambert’s frenzied assault 36.
• Coordinated capture — exploits Byron’s blinding and stunning attacks to disable Lambert, then binds the pirate with rope and carries him back aboard Rowan’s ship 36.

Seamanship

Leonard handles the helm during the battle against Lambert’s fleet 33 34 35.

• Turns the warship to bring its eighteen-gun broadside to bear 33.
• Recognizes the enemy’s sea fog as evidence of a Tidesage and uses the ship’s speed to escape the fog-covered area 34.
• Executes Rowan’s order to turn the ramming prow toward the approaching pirate flagship 35.
• Questions whether thirty-six cannons will reduce the vessel’s speed, identifying maneuverability as a critical concern before the voyage 31.

Military Command and Reconnaissance

• Assesses troop numbers and terrain, concluding that twenty soldiers and ten militia cannot safely assault the trogg-held mine tunnels 13.
• Uses a North Mountain map, examines trampled brush, and marks suspected trogg entrances during reconnaissance with Byron 14.
• Arranges for soldiers to pose as farmers near the bait granary, making Rowan’s poisoned-flour trap appear credible 15.
• Checks the recovered blast-furnace shipment against Ellen’s manifest and confirms that all twenty-five crates are present 40.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Longsword — carried on his back at the expedition’s departure and used to knock Gorlick down 6 15.
• Greatsword — taken from the warship’s weapon rack for boarding and fighting Lambert 35 36.
• Two daggers — carried during reconnaissance; he lends one to Byron to mark a tree near a trogg-used mine 14.
• North Mountain map — consulted while surveying the troggs’ territory 14.
• Waterskin containing Alterac Sake — drinks from it while watching the bait granary and refuses Byron a share 15.

Relationships

• Lord Aldrius — lord and employer. Leonard serves in his personal guard, assists with military affairs, and has sworn allegiance to his family 6 13 14.
• Rowan Norwington — protected charge. Leonard’s initial doubts give way to admiration, and he pledges to protect Rowan with his life before their anti-pirate voyage 14 31.
• Byron — fellow guard and former squad comrade. Their partnership combines frequent insults and teasing with effective battlefield cooperation 7 15 35 36 47.
• Lashius — former comrade who joined House Stormsong for higher pay. Leonard rejects his invitation to follow and later confronts his contempt for the Norwington Family 47.
• Gorlick — defeated trogg leader. Leonard nearly kills him before Rowan orders him spared, then later shackles him for transfer to the North Mountain Mine 15 20.
• Lambert — pirate opponent and captive. Leonard fights him alongside Byron, disables both his legs, and brings him aboard Rowan’s warship 35 36.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Morris Town Expedition

• Joins Rowan’s expedition as guard deputy and restrains Byron after the paladin insults their employer 6 7.
• Accompanies Rowan’s shipyard inspection, then returns with a wagon convoy of iron ore needed for the steam-engine project 8 11.

Trogg Campaign

• Brings thirty soldiers and militia to the damaged smelter, explains why earlier campaigns failed, and investigates the mines with Byron 13 14.
• Helps stage the poisoned-flour trap and stops Gorlick’s charge during the subsequent attack 15.
• Raises the prisoners’ food consumption with Rowan and shackles Gorlick once the trogg leader submits to mining work 19 20.

Pirate Battle and Recovery

• Obtains twenty A4 Shipbreaker Cannons from Norwington Estate, bringing back an IOU for 3,000 gold coins with them 21 31.
• Serves as helmsman during the naval engagement, then boards the pirate flagship and helps capture Lambert 33 34 35 36.
• Knocks Stuart unconscious and throws him into the sea on Rowan’s orders after the Tidesage reveals the pirates’ hiring arrangements 38.
• Locates the stolen blast-furnace crates and transports the equipment back to Morris Town after the battle 40 42.

Proudmoore Keep Council

• Escorts Aldrius and Rowan to the council meeting concerning the family’s alleged coastal-defense violations 47.
• Defends the Norwington Family when Lashius mocks its weakness and warns that opposing House Stormsong will bring it down 47.

Notable Quotes

“Our job right now is to keep Young Master Rowan safe. Everything else is secondary.” 14

“Then let’s board, young master. Leonard will protect you with his life.” 31

“Even if the Norwington Family truly falls into decline, our consciences will be clear. You do it for money. We do it for glory.” 47