Sir Galwas, the Undying Knight
Few names are spoken with greater reverence in the Duchy of Everwatch than that of Sir Galwas. For over twenty years he served amongst the Knights Ducal, earning a quiet reputation as an utterly dependable man rather than a celebrated hero. He neither sought tournaments nor courtly honours, believing that a knight's worth was measured by the villages still standing when the battle had passed. When Castle Everwatch fell, Sir Galwas remained beside his Duke until the very end. Witnesses who survived the slaughter recalled seeing the pair fighting back to back within the castle's great hall as wave after wave of Orcs, Hobgoblins, and other creatures overwhelmed the defenders. Neither man accepted surrender.
Both fell where they stood. Yet Sir Galwas did not find peace. Whether through divine providence, the terrible strength of his oath, or some mystery known only to the gods, his body rose again with the coming of the following night. He remembered nothing of hunger. Nothing of fear. Nothing of pain. He remembered only his oath.
"I swear allegiance, loyalty and fealty to the legitimate rulers of the Duchy of Everwatch... I will strive to defend the weak and oppose evil..."
Unable to distinguish that he himself had died, Sir Galwas mounted his warhorse and continued his patrols exactly as he had done in life. For weeks he rode the ruined borderlands. Humanoid scouts vanished without trace. Orc patrols were found butchered where they camped. Goblin raiding parties simply disappeared into the forests. Survivors spoke in terrified whispers of a silent knight in battered silver armour riding beneath the moon, whose eyes shone with a pale, unnatural light and whose sword struck with relentless purpose. To the humanoids he became known as The Wraith Rider of Everwatch.
To the refugees he became something else entirely. Many believed Pelor himself had sent one final guardian to protect the broken frontier. Only later did adventurers discover the truth. Tracking the mysterious warrior across the devastated countryside, they found Sir Galwas still faithfully patrolling the roads, challenging travellers with the ancient watchwords of the Duchy and attacking only those he recognised as servants of evil. Though his body had become undead, neither his honour nor his purpose had been corrupted. Recognising the miracle before them, the companions undertook a perilous quest that ultimately earned them a Wish.
Rather than destroy the Undying Knight, they chose to restore him. When the spell was cast, the corruption of death finally released its hold. Sir Galwas awoke once more amongst the living with little memory of the weeks that had passed, though he confessed to strange dreams of endless roads, moonlit patrols, and the distant cries of people he believed he had failed to save. Today he once again serves Duchess Katalin as one of the first rebuilt Knights Ducal.
He speaks little of his death. Less still of what followed. Those who ask are usually answered with the same quiet words: "An oath does not end because the heart stops beating."
Amongst the Knights Ducal his story has already become legend. New recruits are taught that loyalty is measured not by words spoken in comfort, but by actions taken when all hope has vanished. Above the rebuilt gates of Castle Everwatch, newly carved into the stone by order of Duchess Katalin, are the words that have since become the unofficial motto of the Order: