Bayscourge

Scholars and bounty hunters who study brigands list Bayscourge as more dangerous than typical highwaymen because he trains his men like a reduced company of soldiers. The magistrate of Rivenford once posted a proclamation offering lenience to those who would betray him; a taciturn tracker named Halpert of Niv answered with a different tactic, slipping into Bayscourge's camp to learn his routes and signalling patrols. Halpert's reports suggest Bayscourge avoids strongholds and prefers ambushes in narrow passes where his formations can make the difference. Rumor has it a small cabal within the Order of the Green Mantlet still keeps an eye on him — not to restore his honor, but to ensure he never grows powerful enough to challenge the order itself.

Bayscourge stands slightly taller than a typical human (about 6'2"), broad-shouldered and compactly muscled from years of saddle work. His helm is a mismatched scrap of plate with a crudely filed visor and a notch across the brim; beneath it, his beard is kept short and singed in places. His torso is armored in a patchwork of dented half-plate and a faded green surcoat cut down into a robber's jerkin. A heavy kite shield hangs from his back, rimmed with rivets and stained by old blood, and a long bastard sword with a nicked fuller swings at his hip. His left gauntlet bears the iron brand of his former order, half-obscured by leather straps and soot. Weather-beaten boots, a cloak pinned to one shoulder, and a leather bandolier of throwing knives complete the look. Textures: scratched, pitted metal; oil-dark leather; coarse wool; a face lined with salt-and-pepper stubble and a white scar crossing the left cheek.