Colby Holman

Colby was the first Pendragon to carry the sword during the Golden Age of the Slayer Dragons, though historians would later place the beginning of the era some two years before he took up the sword.

Early Life

Colby was born on the Agras Plain to a simple farming community whose name has since been lost to history. At the age of ten his family brought him to Arindell so that he could begin training for the Trials.

At the age of 17, having already completed many of the requirements of a full-fledged Slayer Dragon (though not many of the later, more difficult challenges) he became Squire Dragon to Saures Velt, the main candidate to replace the then-carrying Pendragon Landon Aldis. Saures would die of an illness before taking up the sword, leaving Colby to become Pendragon in his place.

Anointment and Time as Slayer Dragon

Anointed at the age of 30, Colby was well-liked among the people of Arindell, but was reputed rambunctious and quick to act. While slow-tempered, he was always fast to respond. 'Energetic' was the term often applied to him.

He spent only 7 years as a Slayer Dragon but earned quite a reputation in battle none the less. His small frame and slight build led opponents to doubt his remarkable agility and speed.

As Pendragon

In A.Y. 1300, Colby was officially anointed as the 11th Pendragon of Slayer Dragons, though he had fulfilled the role for some years to help the aging Landon Aldis. Colby even carried the sword in certain ceremonial functions.

Colby would carry the sword for 25 years and fight in many more battles, redefining the role of Pendragon from military leader to front-line combatant.

Death

Though he had repeatedly distinguished himself in war, it was not an enemy commander or soldier who would finally claim Colby's life, but Alliance citizens.

Over the previous century, the city of Arindell had expanded rapidly as workers labored to finish the elaborate structures used by the government and the Slayer Dragons. Now, with the city complete, industry had fallen and unemployment was a major issue.

Organized criminal gangs from the Sword Coast and Sindall had set up shop in the city, which enraged Colby. He did not want to see Arindell devolve into a wretched cesspool of crime and poverty.

While he enacted many measures to improve conditions, they were mostly short-sighted and ineffective. His vision, and good intentions, would later make him known as the first Pendragon of the Golden Age of the Slayer Dragons.

At the age of 62, Colby still appeared young and slight. With his programs to improve the city failing, he began to walk the streets at night. Shedding his regalia, he would dress in simple clothes and hide the sword beneath a cloak, traveling through the worst parts of Arindell to deliver vigilante-style justice (although it is important to note, that as Pendragon, he had all the authority he needed for such activities).

He harrassed the various street gangs as a faceless nightstalker, seldom revealing his face and never calling on the authority of his station. One particular evening, he was cornered in an old warehouse by a large group of criminals. He had broken in to destroy a large shipment of illegal narcotics, and when they cornered him, one witness said, "He simply threw back his hood and ordered them all to stand down. None recognized him, so they mockingly asked under whose authority they were to stand down. He merely smiled, and drew the sword".

The sound of Echbalder leaving its sheath is unmistakable, but the gang charged him, as many as forty in all (various accounts through the Ages would put the number both much higher and much lower) and he met them with the energy and vigor that made him famous.

At the end of the battle, 39 lay dead, and Colby, lacking his customary armor, was mortally wounded. Though the doctors thought there was a good chance he would survive the night and perhaps many days after (possibly even to full recovery), he passed the sword to Adam Souza and passed peacefully. Despite his many injuries, all those present at the time saw he left the world confident that he had made it better.