ir Clisto, Knight of the Holy Blade, of Yorkir Clisto, Knight of the Holy Blade, of Yorkwing thy mace upon Castle Seversword
and ye wilst see where I live in York. Or, if ye prefer to learn the Nine Points of Knightly Virtue, Ye Olde Code of Chivalry or the Knightly Rules for Chivalrous Love,
tap thy lance upon those words as well.
ood day Lords and Ladies. I am Clisto Seversword, formally Clisto Radcliff, from the house of Radcliff. I am here to tell ye
about my illustrious background. Many of ye have wanted to hear this
history, so I shall comply to thy wishes and tell it now:
was born in a carriage on the first quarter moon in the month of August on the 9th day in the year of our lord 1169AD, to a well-to-do family in Yorkshire, England. I was one of twins. 'Twas during the reign of King Henry II. My father was of noble blood, in that he was a Marque, and my mother a Scottish lass, who had by marriage to my father, became a Duchess. The fact she was of Scottish decent was hidden by my father, in that he taught her French to mask her heritage from ridicule. My childhood was one of great joy and I grew up with all I could ever have wanted. But, even as a child, I would always ask that part of what I had be given to those less fortunate then I. Before the age of 9, my parents saw to it that I was well educated by the best tutors in the ways of philosophy, art and literature. However, that was only part of my education. At the age of 9, I became a squire. In doing so, I gained the opportunity to learn all I could about the use of various weapons. And, over the years, I became very proficient in many of them. I learned to specialize in the broadsword, mace, staff, battleaxe, great sword and lance. At the age of 17, I left my family in York and began a life as a mercenary. I wanted to do my part to uphold thy Kings laws by bringing in any malicious rogues that the sheriff's men could not find so they could face his majesties justice. This also paid extremely well, probably due to the high risk of death. Of course, I had wealth enough as it was. Nevertheless, I wanted to make a living like normal people, and not use my status to have things handed to me.
wo years later, this profession had earned me the title of "Lord" and the nickname of "Seversword" because I had captured a notorious thief which no one else seemed to be able to do, while at the same time procuring a magical sword which harbored the special powers of good. I named her “Darnella” and the church called it the “Holy Blade”. Thus, at this time I was called the “Knight of the Holy Blade of York”. 'Twas not long afterward, that I had entered into the Kings tournament, winning it and was henceforth dubbed a Knight after the proper 24 hours of prayer in the church and given the title of "Sir" by the now new King, Richard I, better known by all as "Richard Coeur de Lion" (the Lionhearted). Not long after that, at the age of 21 I followed and fought along side Richard in the Third Crusade in 1189 against the infidel Saladin. Since then, I have vowed to continue to fight and uphold the laws of England and the Church, along with whom ever shall have reigned, to the best of my abilities, and have done so still for the past 8 and a quarter centuries. Aye, I am 835 years old when I travel into the future time of 2004. It wasn’t until one night on the battlefield after a long day of fighting, that I noticed a wound I had received that evening heal before my very eyes. This had taken me by surprise and was something I never expected. Yet, I remembered my mother telling me once when I was a boy, that when I got older, I would discover something very special about myself. After returning home from the crusades some months later, I asked my mother who told me something special happened the exact moment I was born. I was blessed for some reason with “Immortality” and that I would do great things for this gift.
ruthfully, over this vast span of time there were a few monarchs whom I did not happen to agree with. The first was King John, Richard's brother. He had his brother captured in Austria by Leopold and held for ransom so he could take over the throne. John was never for England. John was for John. And the second was Queen Mary I. Eldest daughter to King Henry VIII and step sister to Queen Elizabeth I. Mary was, I am sad to say, destructive and mean to all her people. She had slayed many of the Protestants at the chopping block or burning them at the stake just for their religion. But, let it be known, although I might not have agreed with the way these two ruled, I still hold my country of England in its highest regard and protected her with all of my dying loyalty and devotion.
oday I live back in York within the walls of my own castle with a full staff, hearty militia and land as far as my eyes can see. This compliment being that of 1 First knight, 37 Elite heavly armored knights with lance, 352 foot soldiers, 49 Longbow men, 44 Crossbow
men and numerous squires and other agents. Many more are at my disposal if needed. Various other staff from cooks, blacksmiths, stable hands, washer women to servants help run my Keep on a daily basis. My only sorrow has been the death of my wife. My son, now age 16, has had to grow up without a mother for years. He is now my squire and serves me well. It wasn’t until around the late 1400’s while traveling to the city as ambassador to the king, that eight of my men and I heard the sounds of clashing steel. We came upon a small group of men trying to fend off a larger group. They were doing well, but were looking tired and starting to falter. I gave the order to engage in the battle to help them, whoever they were. After all, there was an unfair advantage, something a knight of the olde code finds as cowardess. As we engaged, some of the larger group ran, while others fought to their deaths. Once the battle was over, one of the other men came over and introduced himself as Sir Magnus as well as the others with him. Among them were,Darius, Pangloss MacKay,Shabbaz, and Lord Raven. He said they were called the Outlanders. I then told them who I was, and they showed surprise. They had heard of Sir Clisto in stories and deeds, but have never met. From that point on we had become good friends, especially since I had also been a mercenary earlier in my life. I am the Ancient Knight to whom the Outlanders now come to for advice and wisdom. In these somewhat quieter times, I am once again on the lookout for that one special beauty of nature to fill my life from what I lost so long ago. But, should the time ever arise that my sword shall be needed, I will not hesitate to trod off into battle for my country and its leader, with all the heraldry and valiant effort I can wield.