Aeron Cyrill

Sir Aeron Cyrill was the son and heir of Baron Aidan Cyrill of Swindon, Lord of Pendragon Hold. Aeron was a naive, whimsical nobleman before his kidnapping, after which he was drawn into a deep sorrow that only the rise of the Fifth Crusade drew him forth from. Aeron rose to be a great knight of the Fifth Crusade; under their ranks, he would meet the heroes who saved him again as the Dawn's Herald when the Fifth Crusade brought charges against them before the King. Aeron readily agreed to pay back his life debt to Lemuel and his companions, and spoke on their behalf in their trial. Aeron courted Dulcinea Gardner before her disappearance, along with Isolde Thorne and Eileen Thrussell.

After the trial of the Dawn's Herald, and the subsequent death of the High Marshal of the Crusade, the Fifth Crusade returned east to New Highmarch, the Crusader's Castle and lofty Caer Sól. Aeron continued to blame the Infernal Pact for Dulcinea's disappearance, and under the new leadership of Nordagon of Deminster, Aeron became a Knight-Lieutenant of the Crusade and eventually acting High-Captain of Bregate while his father gathered forces in Swindon. The Fifth Crusade was poised to strike Caer Cythraul, yet its mission was usurped by Sir Elric Thrussell, who would later usurp Aeron's first lady love. Instead, the Fifth Crusade was called to return to Caer Sól yet again, and amidst the fall of the Hinterlands, Aeron Cyrill lead the knights ever closer to the holy city. The night before the final march, Nordagon of Deminster departed with a band of crusaders who had grown to distrust the corrupted Bregatian nobility and clergy. They traveled to Blackbridge, and Aeron was left the highest-ranking crusader. When they arrived at Caer Sól, they witnessed the rise of Caer Tenebris and were subsequently twisted into the Black Crusade. Aeron became its fell High Marshal; he claimed Eileen Thrussell as his dread bride and devoted himself to leadership of Ashtoreth's dark army from the Black Castle.

History
In 5E.1521, while the noble scion was courting Dulcinea Gardner, the maiden was kidnapped by agents of the Infernal Pact seeking vengeance on her House for betraying Aeron's Pact, to serve Tegwen's mission by finding a maiden of royal blood, and to keep Aeron Cyrill from ascending above his place in the Bregatian court. Aeron Cyrill felt compelled to investigate and looked to the mysterious House Thorne, who had a history of diabolism; he met with Lady Isolde Thorne, and quickly became taken with the young woman. That was his downfall; not long after, her over-protective brother witnessed his meetings with her and his suspicion of the Thorne family; and so Isolde's brother kidnapped Aeron. Taken by Farquhar Thorne to a dungeon beneath the Thorne Manor in Bregate, Aeron was subjected to wicked torture at the hands of the diabolists, along with several other prisoners; the young scion, previously a handsome fop and debutant, was deeply traumatized by the encounter.

The light at the end of the tunnel came when Aeron was rescued by the Heroes of Blackbridge, who safely absconded with the Cyrill son to his father's estate. The Baron of Swindon rewarded the adventurers, who were themselves deeply affected by the battle beneath Thorne Estate and the horrors they witnessed. The Heroes of Blackbridge fell apart shortly after; in the aftermath of Farquhar's slaying, the Fifth Crusade was formed, and seeking to overcome his trauma, Aeron joined the Fifth Crusade with his father. When the Fifth Crusade brought charges against the Dawn's Herald for the murder of Matthew Averill of Hambor, Aeron journeyed to Agrawel with Reiner Faron in his father's stead. There, he agreed to compurgate for the Dawn's Herald against the High Marshal. After agreeing to swear upon the Dawn's Herald's oath, Aeron Cyrill was seen at the royal ball held in honor of the Duke of Bregate's safe arrival, where Edmund Trencavel played matchmaker for the young man - Aeron was taken with Lady Eileen Thrussell, and the wizard of Westmoor convinced the young crusader to approach her. Afterwards, the two were seen dancing and seemed to continue courting.

Sir Aeron soon bid Lady Eileen farewell, however; the Dawn's Herald were acquitted of murder, and the night of their trial, Reiner Faron sacrificed his life to restore the comatose and dying Princess Calanthe Arvendon. Without its High Marshal, the Fifth Crusade were called by the Cardinals to return east to the Crusader's Castle and await the selection of the next High Marshal. They chose Reiner's intended successor, Nordagon of Deminster, who had taken up his blade, Caledfwlch. Aeron was named Knight-Lieutenant of the Crusade, and the Crusade marched ever on, returning to Bregate to destroy Caer Cythraul. While Nordagon of Deminster grew suspicious of the Bregatian court, especially Aeronwen, Sir Aeron was merely delighted to be home. He was only briefly reunited with his father; the Branding followed, and Aidan Cyrill joined with the Yellow Rose, departing to Swindon to gather his armies. The Fifth Crusade would never get the chance to join with the supposed holy mission of the Yellow Rose, nor would they get the chance to enter Caer Cythraul.

The Sons of Rhydderch usurped the mission to Caer Cythraul and ousted the leadership of the infernal stronghold, while the Sunscourge Heresy soon saw the Fifth Crusade recalled to Caer Sól to fulfill its purpose of protecting Noslith's clergy. Aidan Cyrill was called to serve as High Captain, and considered rejoining the Crusade, but decided to join with the army of the Yellow Rose, sending his son in his stead to Caer Sól. The Fifth Crusade failed to fulfill its purpose; ultimately, the Cardinals were slain by the time the knights had arrived, and Caer Sól was already in the process of being corrupted into the floating city of Caer Tenebris. The knights witnessed its dark rise before Ashtoreth used her godly powers to twist the crusaders all into her wicked servants, dubbing them her Black Crusade, with Aeron Cyrill its leader. Aeron Cyrill traveled to New Highmarch and claimed the Crusader's Castle after traveling to Swindon and taking his lady wife into undeath with him, much to her horror. From then on, Aeron Cyrill became the dark High Marshal of the Black Crusade, while his father became the fallen baron of Swindon and his sister escaped to the Last Kingdom.