Few figures inspire more unease amongst adventurers than Sir Spike of Torlynn. Stories describe a knight clad in blood darkened plate, carrying a shield fashioned from dragon scales and devil hide, wielding a sword that always appears stained with fresh blood. A terrible scar circles his neck, leading many to believe he once suffered a mortal wound that somehow failed to kill him. Whether these stories are true entirely depends on who is telling them. What remains consistent though is his prupose, he appears where trust is being broken.
Most accounts begin in the same way; a company of adventurers, a military patrol, a caravan, a mercenary band, a family, a village. Someone is preparing to abandon another, to betray a companion, to sacrifice another for personal gain. Shortly thereafter, sometimes days other times moments, Sir Spike appears. Occasionally only after the betrayal has already occurred. No one knows how it is he finds them, but many wish that he did not.
Witnesses describe a heavily armored knight of average height. His armor is old but meticulously maintained, dark stains mark the steel. A battered shield hangs at his side, his sword appears unnaturally sharp. But most unsettling of all, is his scar, a thick seam of ruined flesh circles his neck entirely, seemingly like it was haphazardly sewn back together. Those who notice often struggle to forget it, and the knight never attempts to hide it.
Spike is not known to attack indiscriminately, nor does he seem interested in wealth, territory, influence, or power. Most reports describe him as quiet, patient, or observent. He often watches events unfold before acting. Some claim he asks questions, others that he already knows the answer. Many who encounter him describe the same sensation, the feeling of judgement.
Some believe Sir Spike is a spirit of justice, a wandering knight who punishes oathbreakers and traitors. Most believe is little more than a murderous revenant searching for any excuses to kill. Neither fully accounts for the stories surrounding him however. There are accounts of criminals being executed, also stories of guilty individuals being spared. No clear pattern has ever truly been identified, that uncertainty makes him all the more feared. Adventurers speak of him more often than most, many companies have their own version of the tale; a companion left behind during a retreat, a wounded scout abandoned in enemy territory, a porter sacrificed to buy time, a guard paid to remain silent, the details vary. The ending though, does not. Spike's sudden appearance is widely considered a bad omen, not because he brings misfortune, but because his arrival often means someone is about to make a choice they will regret.
Many superstitions have formed around the knight, amongst those beliefs; never abandon a companion while he watches, never speak a false oath in his presence, never mock a coward lest you be tested yourself, never take payment for betraying an ally, never leave the dead behind without good reason. Whether any of these beliefs hold true remain uncertain, most prefer simply to not test them.
Despite his fearsome reputation one detail appears in an unusual number of stories, witnesses claim Sir Spike offers a choice. A warning, an opportunity, simply a chance to do the right thing. Surprisingly, not everyone accepts. Those who do oft survive, those who do not however become cautionary tales. Many monsters hunt the innocent, many villains seek power. Spike is interested in neither, whatever he truly is, his only concern seems to be with betrayal. Some will call him justice, some will call him vengeance, but all simply hope that they never give him a reason to learn their name.