LN female human aristocrat 2/knight 4/magewright 2
Lady Urik Rowan was a Brelish general who lost a string of battles and still won the nation’s heart when she destroyed a horrific eldritch machine.
Rowan was raised as a child of privilege, attending the small private Quinrest military academy in Sharn, and was commissioned in 966. Within six years, she rose to the command of a Brelish legion that included both mudstained veterans and a company of aristocratic dragoons born to the saddle. Still, Rowan was not liked—some considered her too aloof, others called her the bitch-general. She proved willing to destroy companies if it would win her a crucial piece of ground, and many believed she cared more for advancement than for her troops.
In fact, Rowan’s journals show that she felt her failures and the troop losses keenly, but thought she had to comply with orders, no matter the cost, and maintain a bold public face. Nevertheless, her unorthodox tactics and heavy use of wands were experiments that cost the lives of hundreds of soldiers. Some have never forgiven her for those experiments, but they were clearly the foundation for her later successes. The only “victory” of her early years was at the battle of Marguul Pass, when she took command after General Minyu’s death and prevented a worse rout. Even so, her reputation and this episode did nothing to endear her to the nation.
Rowan’s controversial leadership resulted in her spending much of the war stationed far from the front lines in Droaam. Thus, she was on hand when that area rose in revolt. Once again, Lady Rowan suffered a string of defeats, but given her desperate lack of troops and resources and the overwhelming power of the monsters arrayed against her, that was not surprising.
She was responsible for a series of brilliant maneuvers using light infantry, Brelish Rangers, and her handpicked and self-trained company of wands. Her efforts stymied Droaamite advances that allowed hundreds of Brelish citizens to escape Droaam who would have otherwise perished.
Rowan’s greatest renown stemmed from her actions at the Battle of Butterfi eld in late 987. The last remaining sizable settlement of humans in Droaam, located in the foothills west of the Greywalls, Butterfield had been serving as a gathering point for fleeing refugees. King Boranel ordered the final evacuation, and countless slow-moving citizens, most dragging their last remaining worldly possessions, clogged the pass beyond Butterfield. A powerful force of ogres and gnolls moved in for the slaughter. Panic spread when word reached the humans that six hill giants bore an eldritch machine before the Droaamite columns that turned all weapons within a one-mile radius into bane weapons against humans.
Rowan used a combination of hit-and-run tactics, leveled bombards, and sharpshooting to harass the monsters, kill the giants, and destroy the eldritch machine. Though few of her troops survived the engagement, nearly all of the refugees cleared the pass and reached safety.
Source: The Forge of War
