Cornelius Dragomir
<!-- MERGED FROM: People/Cornelius Dragomir.md; OneNote/Hannu's Notebook/Perheet/Dragomir/Cornelius Dragomir.md; FGU Bridge/campaign_history.md (verbatim duplicate of People file, replaced with pointer there) -->Overview
Briefly: Cornelius is a fallen paladin, a death knight, undead. Sayton is dead, and the pact with Sayton has ended. Cornelius is free to do as he wishes. But what does he wish?
Current State (Post-Fall)
At night, Cornelius is doomed to relive his suffering over and over — the cause that originally led to his fall. He doesn't need sleep or food, doesn't feel cold. He knows he's dead, but has rationalized a reason for why he still exists. He knows it's his punishment for his deeds, his burden, because he hasn't yet finished what he started.
Psychology
All his reasoning rests on this: he still believes he was justified in killing his family, or that it was at least warranted. He doesn't let himself go back to that moment, but his nightly experiences force him to live through the events over and over.
By day he tells himself:
- I acted on the information I had
- a paladin must do what others cannot
- grief is not guilt
Cornelius also still believes he's fundamentally good, and that everyone else who acts against him is evil. He interprets resistance as an admission of guilt, and kindness as evidence of weakness or manipulation.
Background (Birth to Fall)
Cornelius Dragomir was once a paladin of Helm.
Early Life
Born in the year 966 into an influential family that owned large tracts of land in the north. Cornelius was the youngest child of his family and was never especially popular. His parents sent Cornelius to Sundabar, to the temple of Helm, which they hoped would give direction to his life.
Helm's Tenets
As a former paladin of Helm, Cornelius was bound by these tenets:
- Never betray your trust
- Be vigilant. Stand, wait and watch carefully
- Be fair and diligent in conduct of orders
- Protect the weak, poor, injured and young and do not sacrifice them for others or yourself
- Always follow orders providing those orders follow the dictates of Helm
Current Status in Campaign
Per FGU Bridge/campaign_history.md:
- Sayton is dead
- Cornelius is free to do as he wishes
- Elara (a paladin of Lathander) is traveling to Sundabar to find out about Cornelius and his history, so the party can try to turn him back toward the light