Sir Theobald was the taciturn captain of the guard of Baron Argus in Ritornello from about 2982 AEP. A veteran of the western marches, he died at his post when the bomb-dragonfly fell on Ritornello in the first year of the Hiatus.
| Type | Character |
| Office | Captain of the baronial guard of Ritornello |
| Origin | Western marches of the Empire; assigned from Narsileon |
| Spanish entry | Sir Theobald |
Character
The Decadian archive records him in one line: “Capitán de la guardia: Sir Theobald, caballero taciturno” (“Captain of the guard: Sir Theobald, taciturn knight”). He was silent by temperament, not discretion, speaking only to command. His soldiers learned to read his silences: one meant approval, two doubt, three “we will investigate”. No portrait exists; baronial guard captains rarely received one.
Western marches
For two decades he served on the western marches (the Irthuin frontier with the barbarian kingdoms of the far west, held lightly before the Reconquest of Bellatrix), in at least three major campaigns:
- the defense of the Pass of Vexin (~2965 AEP), a barbarian incursion repelled with heavy losses on both sides;
- the expedition to the Lurnia ranges (~2970 AEP), punitive action against raiding clans;
- the long patrol of Veris (~2974–2977 AEP), three years of continuous frontier presence.
Veris left him a horizontal scar over the left eye (an axe wound, or a ritual truce cut with a barbarian chieftain) and an aversion to superfluous words.
Ritornello
Around 2982 AEP he was transferred to the Burdock Valley. The diocese of Narsileon presented him to Argus with a letter, preserved in fragment: “Veteran proven on the frontier, loyal to the chain of command, not given to intrigue, knows the creatures of the underground from colleagues’ accounts but not from his own experience.” He had never descended into the dungeon.
Argus received him with dry cordiality, recognized a kindred temperament, and gave him operational command. Theobald made the guard a professional military body:
- regular patrols with shift rotation recorded as the “Veris model”;
- weekly inspection of the gray castle and outer palisade;
- upkeep of the two siege scorpions flanking the main gate;
- basic drill for local militia;
- briefing adventurers contracted by the baron, logging their declared routes and receiving the formal tithe on return.
The guard respected him because he had done what he asked and did not ask the impossible.
Loyalty
His loyalty was total and structural: to the office and the chain of command, not to Argus personally. At least twice he refused bribes from the Benevolent Brotherhood. The first time he reported the offer without naming the emissaries, protecting his informant network; the second time he arrested the emissary.
Death
The dragonfly carrying the bomb egg (the Egg of Ritornelo, operated by Kerbog Khan) descended on Ritornello in the first year of the Hiatus. The baron was away on inspection; Theobald was organizing the morning shift change. Survivors agree he was in the west tower, overlooking the main gate, and called to arms, one of the few orders he ever gave aloud, before the egg opened. The flames found him there; the tower collapsed in the fire and his body was not recovered. The returning baron recognized the spot by the tower’s remains and kept silence.
Memory
The few records of the diocese of Narsileon cite him briefly: “Capitán que murió en su puesto. Cuerpo no recuperado. Servicio honorable.” (“Captain who died at his post. Body not recovered. Honorable service.“) Soldiers who were on outer patrol that morning scattered during the Hiatus: some joined the exarchates of Narsileon as veterans, others stayed in the valley as woodsmen. By unconfirmed rumor, one or two still pay silent respect where the west tower stood.
See also
- Imperial Church — the Decadian Orthodoxy under whose apparatus he served
- Drusus IX the Pale — remote imperial authority