Sir Cedric

Sir Cedric is a character in The Vivacious Deadlock.

Description:
A heavily-built man with light blue eyes, dirty blonde hair and, naturally, a short, messy beard. Cedric wears an ornate suit of plate armor that's been modified with a mix of strategically-placed chainmail, steel mesh and minor enchantments so that he can move quite freely, to the point of almost never having to take it off. It's probably extremely heavy, but Cedric can take it. The armor is scarred but still remains quite shiny, and it's marked with some red trim, perhaps in tribute to Valthen. (More on that later.) The armor has two sizable pauldrons that are engraved with a dragon and what appears to be a very tough-looking unicorn. There's no helmet (his face has to be visible, after all), so the armor has a raised metal 'collar' in the back that offers some protection for the back of his neck. One might expect him to have a cape, but the space on his back is occupied by a large leather strap to sheathe...

Weapons and Abilities:
...a big sword is not creative by the name of Sigrar. Although it's more like a two-handed sword, or perhaps a slab of metal with a handle and an edge, Cedric can wield Sigrar with one hand with as much speed, power and control as a regular sword in the hands of a regular swordsman. (A regular sword in the hands of Cedric would most likely just break after a few swings.)

Cedric doesn't need a shield.

In addition, Valthen has granted Cedric enhanced strength, speed, stamina, reflexes and total mastery over his brand of fire magic. Cedric can swing his sword to throw arcs of fire, create thermals to jump higher, heat up his blade and armor without melting them, and the whole predictable variety of other fire-related abilities.

Biography:
Sir Sigmund the Valiant's son Cedric had always been exactly that – the son of his father, and another person as an afterthought. In a way, it was understandable that he was so often overshadowed; after all, Sigmund's name was a lot to live up to.

A young Sigmund had been a trusted friend of a noble named Strathmire for years, even to the point of going with Strathmire when he ran away to begin his own kingdom on a small plot of unclaimed land. Although the newly-crowned King Strathmire had a small kingdom and a smaller band of knights, Sigmund's reputation for strength and wisdom earned Strathmire and his kingdom a lot of respect over the years – enough so that neighboring kingdoms largely left it alone. The small kingdom grew steadily for many long years, though it was never very powerful or notably prosperous. And when news of old Sir Sigmund's death in a skirmish with some mercenaries reached the ears of other kingdoms, people suddenly noticed how weak Strathmire's kingdom really was. Sigmund's son Cedric began training to replace his father, but he had only just barely reached knighthood when the kingdom received warning that Lord Arches was planning to capture the kingdom's land for his own. Cedric traveled to the nearest temple to offer tribute to Valthen, god of war and fire, in exchange for the power to defeat his enemies and save his kingdom. Valthen ignored Cedric, and when the kingdom was attacked, Cedric was defeated, Strathmire was killed and the kingdom fell.

With his pride injured and feeling the need to be affirmed as powerful, Cedric went to Arches and asked to join his knights. But between his inexperience and his quick defeat in battle, he was once again turned down. More angry than anything else, he went back to Valthen. And this time, Valthen answered.

Valthen didn't care about Cedric's lack of strength so much as his lack of loyalty. He was ready and willing to join up with the knights who had invaded the kingdom his father helped build, just to be continually sided with the strongest. Cedric thought about himself first, said Valthen, and his allies later. And that was the reason Cedric wanted power – not to overcome foes, or protect anyone, but to validate himself.

But Sir Cedric's life had been difficult; his father overshadowed him even after death, and he had to fight for a small, defenseless kingdom. Valthen didn't blame Cedric for needing to prove himself, or for becoming jealous and egotistical, and – perhaps, Valthen noted, against his better judgment – he was willing to give Cedric a second chance. He wanted to see how Cedric handled power.

So Valthen enchanted Sir Cedric, improving his strength and speed; he enchanted his armor, making it strong and light; and he enchanted Cedric's father's sword, Sigrar, making it larger and stronger. He also granted Cedric the full extent of the fire-based magic he could pass on to a human, with the caveat that he would be watched by Valthen until he decided whether or not Sir Cedric was worthy.

Cedric's first act as Legendary Hero was to laugh in the face of Lord Arches's knights.

About a week of dragonslaying, fighting corrupt kings and generally showing off later, The Spectator took note of the rumors of a powerful knight who appeared out of nowhere, and whisked Cedric away to join the Vivacious Deadlock.

Theme Song:
Through the Fire and Flames - Dragonforce