This is the first in a series of articles detailing NPC knights that can be used in your tournaments. Will they become fast friends or bitter rivals?

Sir Roslyn Truehart also appears in the “Duke’s Tourney: Day #” -series of posts, as the playtest knight of Michele Pelkonen.

Appearance

At 24, Roslyn possesses a formidable, athletic presence. She is tall and broad-shouldered, carrying the heavy weight of her armor with effortless ease. She keeps her auburn hair cropped short for the comfort of her helm.

There is a fierce intensity in her green eyes — she doesn’t just walk; she marches with the momentum of someone who expects the world to yield to her.

Backstory

The youngest daughter of a minor lord, Roslyn’s father and mother were most often away at court. Thus, it was mainly the girl’s doting grandfather who raised her, indulging her, but never outright spoiling her. He allowed his tomboy granddaughter to play at being a knight and then train as one, when her athletic prowess impressed the old sergeant-at-arms. The grandfather gave his blessing to the teenager to become a knight, gifting his blade, the Hart Blade, to her, before he passed on.

Rather than marry for land, Roslyn spent her dowry on a warhorse and armor, equipping herself as an adventuring knight. She has since participated in adventures, tournaments, and battles, eschewing garrison duty and other boring offers.

During one particular sharp border skirmish, she met her traveling companion, Sir Gareth Ironwill. The two complement one another; Roslyn’s restless energy tempered by Gareth’s prudence, and vice versa. She has come to Dolmenwood to participate in the Duke’s Tourney, hoping a strong showing will earn her a place in a Noble House. If not, there is always the mysterious wood itself — and more fame to be won within it.

The Great Deed: Slaying Edmund the Bloody and Breaking his Scarlet Cloaks

The villagers of Oakhaven hired Roslyn to protect them against the notorious robber knight, Edmund the Bloody, and his host of brigands, the Scarlet Cloaks. Even though she found herself as the lone defender of the village, she stayed true to her word and faced the arriving brigands at the edge of the village, one against many.

Intrigued by the sight of a lone female knight demanding that his warband leave the village alone, Edmund chose to parley rather than attack straight away. He pointed out the heavy disparity of numbers, predicting her death if she stayed, then offered her a place at his side as the brigand queen to his brigand king. Roslyn laughed at him. Then she spurred her warhorse to charge straight at Edmund.

Her charge caught the brigands by surprise. Her lance struck true, piercing Edmund’s black heart. She then cut down six of the outlaws before the rest broke and fled, leaving Oakhaven in peace.

Encountering Rosalyn

Players may encounter Roslyn at The Duke’s Tourney or on the road to Castle Brackenwold, where she travels with Sir Gareth Ironwill. Her squire is Llewella (Level 1 Knight); the young woman is fiercely devoted to her knight, and Roslyn sees some of herself in the eager squire.

Her train includes her warhorse, two riding horses, and two pack horses, as well as all of a knight’s essential equipment (see p. 47 of Knights of the Wood: The Duke’s Tourney for the complete list). The total value of this gear is perhaps 340-350 gp on the resell market. The value of Roslyn’s horses may be negotiated separately, assuming a buyer can be found.

Roslyn’s “Hart Blade” is a family heirloom and her most prized possession. She will go to any lengths to recover it should anyone take it from her.

(Currently, we do not list any enchanted items for Roslyn, as it depends how common they are in each campaign. The Dolmenwood Monster Book implies that each 5th level knight would already have an arcane armor and an arcane sword. If that is true for your campaign, then Roslyn ought to have them as well, even though she cannot use them during the Duke’s Tourney due to the tourney rules.)

Running Roslyn

Roslyn needs to prove herself constantly — not from insecurity, but from genuine hunger for glory. She always prefers the bold option, often to Gareth’s visible discomfort. She and Gareth are most useful as a pressure valve: when players are cautious, Roslyn pushes; when they are reckless, Gareth pulls back. Her competitive streak makes her a natural foil for any PC knight with tournament ambitions.

Sir Roslyn is a new NPC knights expanding on the 40 tournament opponents found in Knights of the Wood: The Duke’s Tourney, our medieval tournament supplement written specifically for Dolmenwood but easily adapted to any OSR game. Pick up the full book for complete jousting, mêlée, hunting, and feast mechanics — plus a stable of fully realized knights ready to challenge your players across every event of the Duke’s Tourney.

Want to create your own tournament opponents? Our free Dolmenwood Knight Opponent Generator lets you build a full roster of NPC knights in seconds.