Editing Order of Aecus 13th Age/Bernd the Blackfriar (section)

== Background==

Bernd was abandoned by his parents on the steps of St Fergus' Monastery on the edge  of the [[Great Desolation]],* on the western edge of the Empire. There was no suggestion as to who they could have been, or why they abandoned him, but with the care of the elderly monks, Bernd grew to accept that this was doubtless for the best. He was raised in the faith of the gods of light, according to the teachings of St Malchus, founder of the [[Order of the Setting Sun]]. However, one by one, the monks passed away, until only Brother Justus, the Infirmarian was left in charge of the teenage Bernd. Justus taught him much of herb lore, and began to initiate Bernd into the Order. 

Seeing an opportunity for profit, the High Church bureaucracy decided to sell the monastic land to a local merchant lord, promising to relocate the two to a smaller, more comfortable retreat in the [[Elfinwald]]. This turned out to be a poky, draughty hermitage, full of damp and with rotting thatch. Despite their best efforts to patch the place up and make it liveable, a it was washed away in a flood, leaving the two homeless. Bernd took to the life of an itinerant preacher well for one who had spent most of his life within the confines of a monastery, and became known for his inspirational preaching and generally pleasant demeanour. Unfortunately, the road was not so kind to Justus, who died one particularly cold winter after catching pneumonia.

On his deathbed, Justus requested that Bernd travel to the Capital of the Empire, to the Great Cathedral City of the High Priestess, in order to complete his initiation as a priest of Light and a member of the Order of the Setting Sun. His teachers there found him to be earnest, knowledgeable about the scriptures and eager to learn, but felt that his understanding of church dogma was out of date. The teachings of St Malchus had fallen out of favour with the church hierarchy and, whilst he was able to complete his religious training, Bernd remained faithful to what he had learned from Brother Justus and the other monks. This did him few favours with the bishops, and instead of being placed in a parish church, as would be expected for someone of his grade and wisdom, he was given his staff of office and given a mission to teach the faithful of the Elfinwald*.

His wanderings through the forest have often brought him in contact with the followers of the High Druid. He has a mixed relationship with these, seeing them as part of his mission field and often finding himself sharing a bothy with one or more of them. However, he feels that their dedication to the natural order and the survival of the fittest is often at odds with his desire to be a friend to the poor and weak. 


Unique thing: Bernd is the last surviving member of an order of warrior clerics who were instrumental in the defeat of the Lich King during the last age. The order has dwindled over the last century, as the church hierarchy has become complacent regarding such an ancient and possibly mythical threat as the Lich King.

'''Icon relationships:'''
*Lich King: 1 (Negative) Bernd is the last of the Black Friars, an order of priests who guarded the Empire against the undead forces of the Lich King and other unholy enemies.
*High Druid: 1 (conflicted) Bernd has an appreciation of the ways of the wild as he wanders the forest, but sees the benefits of civilisation and taming the land in protecting people from the dangers of the wild. Survival of the fittest would be the downfall of the poor people he sees as his mission field.
*The Priestess: 1 (Conflicted) Bernd is an ordained priest who spends his life helping the downtrodden and spreading the word of the gods of Light. However, he does not always see eye-to-eye with the church hierarchy, who view him as an eccentric throwback to a more primitive Rite and feel his style does not fit in with the modern church.