Ramon DuGaston

"'Fear not my friends, the Calvary is here.'"Thurgood Braddock, otherwise known as Ramon DuGaston, is a member of the High Dragons Adventurer's company.

Appearance
Standing a lean even 6’0” the old man is more muscle than fat. Keeping in shape is very important for a man of his age so he often runs in the forest and swims against the rivers. Ramon sports a large bushy moustache worn on top of a smile. The corners of his mouth are marked with deep laugh lines, while the rest of his face is wrinkled. While his hair has gone grey the man still has some left atop his head. What little hair he has left is worn about three inches at the top and shaved at the sides. His eyes are a mud brown, his wrinkled skin is sun tanned by years of traveling. He speaks with a Free Marcher’s accent, but claims it is only because he has become acclimated to their speech.

Ramon’s plate armor is disappointingly simple. The corners of his pauldron and pads are rusted. At first the rust was a product of Ramon not having materials to properly clean his armor, but after awhile it would come to become the bizarre knight’s calling card. For some poor farmers in the Ferelden countryside the sight of a man atop a mule wearing rusted armor is a sign of hope. When out of combat Ramon can usually be found wearing old and sun worn clothes of a nobleman. His once Blue and white trousers are now a monotone of grey. Ramon also wears a beret with a distinct green plume.

Armament

 * Sword - Affectionately named “Comeuppance”, this blade has been with Ramon for decades. It's black leather sheath and handle grip betraying the blades age. Its sharpness however is unquestionable.
 * Shield - Steel Kite Shield with the fake DuGaston heraldry painted on the front. (A Boar on a field of blue)
 * Spear - A simple wooden pole tipped with sharp steel head.

Abilities

 * Taunt - Ramon is quite creative when it comes to insulting his foes. Among his favorite taunts are Inbred Knave and Bottom Weasel.
 * Shield Bash - Forming his first shield wall at the age of ten, Ramon is familiar with the weight of a shield
 * War Horn - A gift from a poor musician who Ramon had rescued from a gang of thugs, when the old man blows into this device it is both motivating and terrifying.

General

 * Singing

Physical

 * Riding Mounts

Communication

 * Persuasion
 * Storytelling

Knowledge

 * Knowledge of Lore

Combat

 * Sword Fighting
 * Spear Fighting


 * Heavy Armor
 * Mounted Combat

Biography
Ramon DuGaston was born Thurgood Braddock in the small village of Fortingham on 21st day of Cloudreach, of the 89th year of the Blessed Age. His mother Elizabeth died in childbirth leaving her husband the Town Sheriff Richard Braddock alone to raise the boy. A retired Orlesian soldier Richard swore that he would raise his son to be an honorable man, whom his late wife could be proud of. Throughout his son’s childhood Richard would tell him countless tales of knights, soldiers, and Chevaliers. Thurgood took a particular interest in the tales of Chevaliers. He would often spend hours playing Chevaliers and Tevinters with his boyhood friends. Thurgood looked at his father like a hero, having served at the side of noble warriors. Thurgood would beg for his father to teach him how to fight and by age ten Thurgood was better trained than most of the men in the village militia.

At age fourteen Richard arranged for his son to be married to the daughter of a wealthy merchant. A seventeen year old girl named Elane was to be Thurgood’s betrothed. On their first meeting Elane had insulted Thurgood for his fascination with Chevaliers and his believing in Griffins and Qunari, she would then eat his food and break his favorite wooden sword. Thurgood begged his father not to force him to marry that atrocious girl but Richard was convinced he was doing his son a favor, even if he couldn't see it now. At seventeen Thurgood began working as his father’s deputy accompanying him wherever crime was or wherever the lord of Fortingham sent them. For the next two decades Thurgood would proudly serve as deputy and as a Sergeant in the town’s militia. During these years Thurgood would practice jousting with some of the noble sons. While he was never the best he was quite good and always a worthy opponent. His wife Elane however was not impressed with his jousting prowess, she constantly told him that jousting was a waste of time.

When Thurgood turned 38 his father passed away of natural causes, leaving his son the mantel of Sheriff. Not long after Thurgood’s promotion the former lord of Fortingham died and was usurped by Anthony Fawkes. Anthony was a cruel bastard enforcing a zero tolerance policy on poachers and treating neighboring Dalish clans with out right hostility. Thurgood refused to collect taxes on those who truly could not afford to pay, and he would not prosecute starving poachers. Needless to say this angered the lord and he took every possible chance to demean Thurgood and to make his life a living hell. On top of this Thurgood’s bitch of a wife still treated him like garbage. So one night after being sent out on another humiliating errand by his lord and then being thoroughly chewed out by his lady something inside him broke. The man could no longer bear to exist. All he could think about was his father’s tales of Chevaliers wandering the countryside righting wrongs and doing good deeds. Thurgood realized that there was nothing stopping him from doing just that. So the sheriff donned his armor, grabbed his sword, shield, spear, and hopped on his horse and began riding away from Fortingham village. That was the moment when Thurgood stopped being Thurgood and became Ramon DuGaston, the errant Chevalier.

Ramon DuGaston was a character Thurgood had created in his childhood. An honorable Chevalier from the DuGaston family. The DuGaston’s hold ownership of The Isle of Pratt far away from the southern coast of Orlais. Disconnected from the rest of the empire the DuGaston’s are rather reclusive and naturally not well acquainted with the courtly intrigues of the game. As such few people have heard of the non existent house DuGaston or their mythical Isle of Pratt. Ramon has left his ancestral home to follow the path of an errant chevalier bringing justice for those who can not win it themselves.

Immigrating to Ferelden in order to put distance between himself and his home province, Ramon began wandering from village to village introducing himself as Chevalier and began looking for people in need of assistance. After years of helping poor and downtrodden farmers deal with their bandit and other pest problems, Ramon had started to build a bit of a name for himself. Whispers of a strange man in old rusted armor began to circulate around countryside taverns.

About two years into his adventuring Ramon had stumbled across a group of highwaymen that had just murdered two people and were taking an inventory of their goods. Knowing his duty Ramon does battle with the group of thieves. After a tough three on one fight Ramon emerges bloody but victorious. However as Ramon slew the last bandit he hears something from the back of the wagon. A girl no older then ten is sitting there crying. Ramon comforts the child wishing he could have saved her parents. The girl told him her name was Rosa, and that she had no other family to turn to. So Ramon took the child under his wing and trained her to be his squire. For the last decade the two have been inseparable. Rosa has developed into a formidable fighter in her own right.

At age 46 when Ramon visited Denerim he met a man named Guy. An underrated musician playing nightly at the Drunken Drake, Guy had found himself in debt to a petty criminal. One night after a performance the ganger ambushed Guy and threatened to cut off his fingers if he didn't pay his debt. Luckily for Guy, Ramon and his trustee squire were there to intervene and laid a thorough beating on the thug. Having beat the criminal bloody Ramon demanded him to flee denerim. Guy was extremely Grateful for the intervention Ramon and Rosa and then offered to buy the two a pint back inside the pub. They spoke for awhile Ramon recounting his fantastic tales of chivalry. While Guy was not convinced of his being a Chevalier he saw the man had a good heart. So Guy began composing The Ballad of the Knight of Rust. Most people who hear the song assume that Ramon DuGaston is a fictional character.

When Ramon heard about the chantry’s Adventurer’s Guild, he leapt at the opportunity to join. In his eyes it seemed like the perfect collimation of all of his favorite things, helping people, serving the chantry, and most important of all adventure. While virtually nobody in the guild actually believes the old man’s story about being a Chevalier, his reputation for being a formidable warrior and an ally to the small folk of Ferelden speaks for itself, and many feel it is best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. In truth it matters very little who Ramon was before he was Ramon.

Friendships

 * Guy Thomas - A poet and a bard by trade, Guy has chronicled some of the adventures of the Brave Knight of Rust. While he is in no way convinced by his fantastic tales of being an Orlesian Chevalier. He has seen first hand the man’s nobility and commitment to fight for those who can not fight for themselves.

Family

 * Elane Braddock - Elane is a portly woman, who is as mean spirited as she is ugly. At fourteen Ramon entered into an arranged marriage with the daughter of a wealthy merchant. The young Ramon really didn't want to marry the horrendous girl, but Ramon’s father forced him to. They would be together for 25 years, until Ramon ran away from her.
 * Richard Braddock - The former Sheriff of Fortingham, Richard was a soldier in the orlesian army before settling down in the Free Marches. He fed his son stories of noble Chevaliers and great Orlesian heroes. When Richard passed away at the age of 68 the title of Sheriff fell upon Ramon.

Romance

 * N/A - Ramon is a perfect gentleman adhering to a strict knightly code. He would not bed a woman out of wedlock. He believes in proper courtship and romance.

Allies

 * Squire Rosa - At the age of twelve Rosa’s parents were murdered by highwaymen. Left for dead by the bandits. Ramon took the girl with him and trained her to serve as his squire. For the next decade Ramon taught Rosa the ways of the Chevalier, he told her stories of the great Aveline the first woman to be a Chevalier. Ramon taught her how to fight just as his father had taught him. The old man loves her like a daughter, she is without question the most important person in his life. Rosa actually believes Ramon is a real Chevalier, telling her otherwise is a guaranteed way to start a fight.

Rivals

 * Elane Braddock - See Above
 * Lord Anthony Fawkes - The lord of Fortingham is not a polite man. When Ramon served him as sheriff of Fortinghamt, the man would go out of his way to make Ramon’s life hell. Instead of keeping the peace Ramon found most of his time running stupid errands for the lord only to be told to do it over again. Worst of all Fawkes had forced him to serve as both his sheriff and court jester. One day Ramon had enough and decided to abandon his position as Sheriff of Fortingham.

Personality
While Ramon may not be the wisest, fastest, or even the best looking of men, there could be no doubt he has a good heart. While not educated on the matters of magic, science, or mathematics, Ramon wields his wit with cunning efficiency. When in the company of his fellow warriors, Ramon is a boisterous bundle of joy, drinking and singing tales of adventure. Additionally the old man is quite the entertainer, a skilled storyteller Ramon likes nothing more than reciting the glorious legends of Chevaliers, and the exaggerated exploits of his own budding myth. Ramon is also a singer, but the old man’s style is not for everyone and is a required taste. Ramon cares deeply for the plight of the common man, he fights for those who cannot fend for themselves. Ramon’s adventurous spirit drives him to wander from place to place. The old man holds himself strictly to the Chevalier code of honor.

Ramon fears two things in life boredom and commitment. Boredom, having once lived a life of soul crushing monotony, Ramon finds himself always restless, always looking forward to the next adventure. The old man also fears commitment. The thought of being stuck has always been a great concern for the Knight of Rust, his arranged marriage was a harsh lesson in how cruel commitment can be.

Ramon refuses to accept reality for what it really is. While he is technically aware that his name isn't really Ramon and he isn't a Chevalier, he simply denies the truth to himself. This outlook while borderline insane leaves the old man with an optimistic air. The world is much brighter for Ramon then it is for Thurgood.

Ramon is a proud and faithful Andrastian.