Former Paladin-in-training.
Background[]
Middleborn and oldest son of the noble merchant house Corvin. Tristam was groomed to join the knights from a young age to bring honor and prestige to his house.
House Corvin[]
A lesser house of the Talingarde nobility, House Corvin was a small merchant house. With the rise of House Darius to power, and the sole worship of Mitra, house Corvin's religious views became somewhat questionable. House Corvin, rather than worshipping Mitra solely and above all others, worshipped the whole pantheon of gods according to each of their domains.
In an effort to bring their house into a better light, the oldest son of house Corvin was pledged to join the Mitran paladin order, the knights of Alerion, from a young age.
Despite the political play of the paladin-hood, the House's lack of correct worship practices brought the attention of the Mitran church's witch hunter sect. The Undying Fire's witch hunters found the house to be a drain on the rest of society, potentially encouraging worship of other gods alongside or above Mitra, and therefore being an anarchic force that would wear away at the perfect balance of Talingarde society.
Defiant in the face of heretical accusations, the members of house Corvin stood by their beliefs and methods and refused to submit to the witch hunter's demands to declare their worship solely to Mitra. The contention eventually came to a head, with the entirety of house Corvin being found guilty of heresy. Every member of the house was put to the flame and the Corvin Estate was also put to the torch, burning it to the ground.
Tristam was the only member of house Corvin to be spared
the flames due to his affiliation with and impending oath to the knights of Alerion. He was not present to witness the destruction of his house. Returning to his family's burnt estate had a profound effect upon Tristam, causing him so suffer from extremely disturbing nightmares.
In his dreams Tristam saw his family burn. During these intense dreams Tristam heard his family speaking out to him. They pleaded with him to avenge them by fulfilling the oath he had made prior to joining the Knights. To bring honor and prestige to House Corvin.
Spurred on by these reoccurring dreams Tristam blackened his armor with ash and proceeded to the castle to try and fulfill his oath.
Incarceration[]
In the castle courtyard Tristam issued a challenge to House Darius, the church of Mitra and it's witch hunters to face him and prove their might and honor in combat. Initially the guards tried to subdue him, but as he was nearly a paladin he put up more than a small fight. Guards were sent to both the castle and the church, bringing a number of witch hunters and paladins from his very order.
Tristam injured and slew a number of guards before the paladins arrived sundered his weapon surrounded him and wrestled him to the ground. He was then bound and brought before the court where he was charged with a long list of offenses including public disturbance, desertion, dueling in public, dueling to the death, attempted murder, murder, and high treason to kick it off. He was then sent to Branderscar Prison to await execution.