In the shadowed annals of the Mountainbreaker family's lineage, Hemish was a distant kin, born among the rugged expanse of Kalamar's northern reaches. The Siegeboar lineage entwined itself within the dark narrative of Rivermond's subjugation by the Silver Dominion, reaping lands and titles in the wake of the grim annexation. As time wore on, Hemish's kin grew entangled in the tapestry of Rivermond's aristocracy, witnessing the Dominion's oppressive grasp tightening on the realm. Amidst the encroaching tyranny, one of the family's sons dared to defy.
Hemish emerged as a figure known for both ferocity in battle and chivalry in spirit. He donned his armor and unsheathed his sword, aligning himself with the enigmatic Order of the Grail Knights—a clandestine faction bound by an oath to the ethereal spirits of the Gylder River that serpentined through Rivermond's heart. The annals have lost sight of Hemish's journey within the Order, except for scant parchments documenting his involvement in the brief but brutal Grail War—a conflict that unraveled the Order at the hands of the Dominion Church. Records fade into the abyss with Hemish's kin, hinting at their capture by the Church.
The truth, however, deviates from the historical scripts. Hemish and his family fled, lured by promises of sanctuary in the mining city of Whitechapel, within the Greenfield barony. Lord Arthur Steinheart extended hospitality, a false façade that soon crumbled. Deception led them to a desolate corner of an abandoned mine, a forsaken abyss where Hemish and his kin were cast into eternal imprisonment. Bereft of sustenance or solace, they descended into a descent of madness within the stygian depths. Desperation birthed savagery, and Hemish, driven to the brink, consumed the flesh of his own kin, forever staining his soul.
Centuries passed, and Hemish's prison was unwittingly unlocked by oblivious miners. Emerging into a world he no longer recognized, he fled to a desolate watchtower near the halmet of Hillburg. In the shadows, Hemish, now a grotesque imitation of his former self, became an unwitting protector of the hamlet. Locals dubbed him "The Pike Knight," after his favorite type of fish and became a creature shrouded in myth and dread.
Living in the depths beneath the watchtower, Hemish sustained himself on the offerings left by the villagers – fish, a bitter reminder of his past sins. Despite his ghoulish appearance, the remnants of his noble nature lingered. He guarded Hillburg, turning hapless hunters and adventurers into unwilling subjects of his ghoulish court, while keeping his true nature hidden from the villagers. Concealed from the world, he ruled over his coterie of ghoulish thralls, sparing the hamlet's denizens from harm.
But fate, cruel and unrelenting, sent a group of intrepid adventurers to his lair. Unlike previous visitors, they posed a formidable challenge, carving through the ranks of his ghoulish court until they faced Hemish himself. A clash ensued, resulting in the severance of Hemish's head. Believing that the terror was vanquished, the adventurers departed, unaware of the unending curse bestowed upon Hemish. The people of Hillburg were grieving after hearing the news despite hearing of the Pike Knight's true nature.
His torment continues, cursed with a perpetual state of undeath, his wounds, regardless of how severe are destined to heal unceasingly. Denied the solace of death until he finds absolution in the eyes of his river patron, Hemish wanders the lands, oblivious to his monstrous nature. Blinded by delusions of chivalry, he roams Rivermond, unaware that he has become an everlasting specter haunting the realm he once swore to protect.