Artur Jakartai

Greyhawk Character

Artur Jakartai
Artur Jakartai, as depicted in the Dungeon #113 (2004). Art by Jake Parker.
General info
Home:	Furyondy
Alignment:	Lawful good
Gender:	Male
Species:	Human
Class:	Fighter 11 (CoG:FFF) or Paladin 17 (LGG) or Fighter 11/ Knight of Holy Shielding 3 (DNG#113
Dates
Age:	b.c. 556 CY

Artur Jakartai is the count of the County of Crystalreach in Furyondy, and a former Knight of Holy Shielding. He resides at Grabford, capital of the county.

Description

Artur is a huge man, standing seven feet tall and weighing 355 pounds (in 582 CY – see CoG:FFF.73). Excepting his size, Artur is rather nondescript in appearance, with lightly-tanned skin, and brown hair and eyes. He is very wise, but not particularly intelligent. Though his attempts to express himself are often clumsy, Artur is an exceedingly decent fellow – loyal, courageous, modest, and honorable. A devotee of Hieroneous, Artur prefers the company of commoners and warriors to that of his fellow nobles. He is fond of dwarves and good ale.

Relationships

Artur harbored a deep love for his superior Knight of Holy Shielding, Lady Valderesse Sharn, until her death in the Great Northern Crusade of 586-588 CY. He is extremely loyal to his liege, King Belvor III of Furyondy. He still feels resent for many of the Shield Land nobles who were in power when that nation was invaded.

Artur is served by Curtlem the Calloused, a skilled dwarven engineer at Greatwall, which was the capital of Crystalreach during Iuz's occupation. Artur is represented at Belvor's Noble Council by Jalquayne, a priest of Heironeous.

Most of the other great nobles of Furyondy find Artur's social awkwardness endearing, save for Countess Kyaren Rhavelle of the Gold County, who thinks him vulgar.

History

Artur was born circa 556 CY (CoG:FFF.73), probably in the Shield Lands. At some point, he joined the Knights of Holy Shielding. When he was twenty-one years old, Artur met Valderesse Sharn at his coming-of-age celebration. He was instantly smitten with Valderesse, one year his senior, and the pair would almost have certainly been married if not for the events of 579 CY. That year, the Shield Lands are invaded by the Horned Society and the Bandit realms of Wormhall and Warfields jointly invade the Shield Lands. By 581 CY, only the city of Critwall remains under Shield Land control. Hundreds of Knights of Holy Shielding are sent beyond Critwall to plead their nation's case and gather support from various other nations throughout the Flanaess. By 582 CY, Valderesse, Artur, and four other Shield Knights relocate to Greyhawk to do the same. By that time, Artur has slain red dragons, fire giants, and a lich—the latter single-handedly (CoG:FFF.73).

During the Greyhawk Wars (582-584 CY), the demigod Iuz seizes control of the Horned Society and Bandit Kingdoms, and therefore the Shield Lands, as well. After the signing of the Pact of Greyhawk which ends the wars, support for the reclamation of the Shield Lands becomes even more difficult to find, as many feel those lands forever lost. The result is that the Shield Knights under Valderesse's command are forced to spend the next two years working as mercenaries throughout the Flanaess. In Planting of 586 CY, Canon Hazen of Veluna and King Belvor III of Furyondy declare the Great Northern Crusade, an effort to reclaim lands lost to Iuz. Valderesse, Artur, and the rest of her command rally to the side of Lady Katerina Walworth, Knight Commander of the Shield Lands and Lady High Marshall of the Great Northern Crusade. Artur and his companions see action at the Battle of Grabford in 588. However, at the Battle of Crockport which follows, Valderesse falls to a priest of the Old One (DNG#113.94). Arthur enters a battle-frenzy as a result, which leads to madness for a time. Artur is eventually brought back to Littleberg, where he receives magical treatment for his affliction, said to have been caused by the same priest who killed Valderesse. Artur finishes out the rest of the campaign in Furyondy.

Valderesse's death leads to Artur's departure from the Knights of Holy Shielding. He burns many bridges with the Order and the Shield Land's Council of Lords during his madness, and in his grief, blames former Knight Commander Earl Holmer and the Council for their handling of the invasion of the Shield Lands, which ultimately means they are also to blame for the death of his beloved. Upon the end of the Crusade, Artur is appointed Count of Crystalreach by King Belvor II, to replace Count Paulus Halpern, who is thought to have been slain during Iuz's invasion.

Gallery

Bibliography

• Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.
• LaRue, Rick. "Valor is Our Blood!" Dungeon #113. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2004.
• Niles, Douglas, and Carl Sargent. The City of Greyhawk. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
• Sargent, Carl. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995. Published online. PDF by William Allman with maps. Original RTF archived:Wizards.com. WGR7 or WGRx

———. The Marklands. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic	Type	Description	Product	Page/Card/Image
Artur Jakartai (Count)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [F11][Pa16][3e Pal17],	The City of Greyhawk: Folks, Feuds and Factions	73, 74
Artur Jakartai (Count)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [F11][Pa16][3e Pal17],	From the Ashes: Campaign Book	11, 12
Artur Jakartai (Count)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [F11][Pa16][3e Pal17],	From the Ashes: References Card	#13
Artur Jakartai (Count)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [F11][Pa16][3e Pal17],	Living Greyhawk Gazetteer	45, 46, 47
Artur Jakartai (Count)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [F11][Pa16][3e Pal17],	WGM1 Borderwatch	2, 6, 7, 10, 19, 22, 24, 25, 32
Artur Jakartai (Count)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [F11][Pa16][3e Pal17],	WGR4 The Marklands	11, 17, 20, 21, 22, 26, 36, 38, 39
Artur Jakartai (Count)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [F11][Pa16][3e Pal17],	WGR5 Iuz the Evil	34
Artur Jakartai (Count)	Non-player character	Male, Human, [F11][Pa16][3e Pal17],	WGR6 City of Skulls	13, 62, 63