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[Chris]

There are two ways to become a knight. Through deed, or through training. Training is the most common as many boys are sent to the academy to train to be squires, in hopes that some knight will take them and let them earn their way to the knight hood.

Sometimes, a brave, selfless act for the kingdom can also earn you your knighthood. Though this is rare.

Dalton’s father, Leonard, had once been a squire. He had done very well in the academy, and was expected to be one of the youngest knights ever. An injury, however, during a tournament (he was trampled by a horse, leaving both him, and the horse, lame in one leg) made him unable to enter the knighthood. Being too old for the seminary (most parents’ second choice for their child), he found a master Cartographer in the city who was in need of an apprentice. Despite his skill with cartography, Leonard dreamed of battle and glory often finding himself drawing maps of fierce battles and warriors rather than far off lands.

When Dalton was born, his father trained him every day for knighthood. This training was intermixed with his drawings of battles for tactics and anatomy (Anatomy skill). Dalton admired his father’s wisdom and knowledge of the world, so during his training towards knighthood studied the maps his father drew. Promising that when he was in far off wars he would send maps of showing the locations of his battles home to his father. (Cartography)

Dalton’s Mother passed away during his 10th year, not giving him any brothers or sisters.

When Dalton was old enough he was sent to the knights to formalize his combat training. From age 12 to almost 16 Dalton studied with the knights, hoping to earn the right to be picked as a squire (Swords, shield and first aid). During Dalton’s fifteenth year his father passed away. However, by the week before his 16th birthday no knight had yet chosen Dalton for his squire.

There were many reasons Dalton was passed over. His understanding of anatomy surpassed that of some knights, was one reason. But the most important reason was that his father was never a knight. The knights often called Dalton “Gimpy” because of his father.

Dalton knew if he was not chosen by a knight by the time he was 16 he wouldn’t be chosen as a squire at all. He would be turned back to the world to learn a trade, and his father’s dream would die.

Luck may have smiled on Dalton Cambridge exactly one week before his sixteenth birthday. The captain of the guard, Michael Majin, approached the knights and asked that one of them venture to the old settlement of __________(GM will have to name the area). Maps of the area had been lost since it had been destroyed in _________( GM will have to come up with why we think it was destroyed).

None of the knights stepped forward to volunteer for the mission. The tournament would take place in two days and there was no way any of them would be back in time to participate. Dalton stepped forward and volunteered. The captain of the guard started to chew him out about “Knowing his place”, when Stephan Carpenter, one of the prominent knights stepped forward and whispered something to Majin.

Majin’s face changed from angry to stern as he offered Dalton one minute to plead why he should be allowed to go. Citing his father was a cartographer and that he was old enough to be a knight, though would probably never be chosen, this was his one chance to do something for the service of the kingdom.

Majin, waved his hand and said, fine, since this job was obviously beneath his other knights Dalton could go, with the comment that if Dalton had not earned his knight hood by his return he would be forced to leave and pursue other employment.

Dalton was awoken in the middle of the night by a group of knights and taken to the gatehouse. Puzzled he asked why he was leaving now and not in the morning like planned.

Majin seemed to float out of the shadows with a firm smirk on his face, neither happy nor upset. “Some people still think a knight is going on this mission. We’d like them to keep thinking that. Now, here is what you’re to do when you get to the forest….“

It was explained to Dalton that he was to map the area around the old settlement, determine a good site for a new settlement, and estimate what threat there may be to a new colony.