Maximilian Steingard
Maximilian Steingard
Fallen Paladin of Skyhammer
| Born | 479 (age 42) |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Race | Human |
| Class | Paladin |
| Last Seen | Hell |
Maximilian Steingard is a fallen Archbishop of Skyhammer. He is best known for defecting from the church and attempting to overthrow it, in order to stop it from making human sacrifices to keep the hordes of Hell at bay. He is the brother of Jordan Steingard and the son of Jostan Steingard.
Recent Events
Sleeping Giants
Jordan Steingard and Lyla Hellebore accompanied a mute man to a small home outside of Kittiwake's Edge, where a short scrying ritual was performed that allowed Jordan to spy on Maximilian from afar. During the scrying process, however, Jordan discovered that his old companion, Ford Bertrom, had just arrived to meet Max in person.[1]
During Ford's meeting with Max, it was unveiled that the Church of Skyhammer was making human sacrifices on a regular basis, in order to keep the fiends of the Nine Hells imprisoned. While a noble cause, Max believed it went against what Skyhammer stood for, and that its people should be fighting the fiends directly, not using sacrifice to fuel the infernal locks. Thus, he intended to somehow destroy the Arcane Bridge that resided underneath Skyhammer. He believed that this would bring the sacrifices to a halt.
In exchange for all of this information, Max asked Ford to perform a search and rescue mission for him. A powerful wizard named Bigby was recently captured by the Vesperan government, and resided in a prison somewhere in Vesper. If Ford could find and free him, he was sure to join Max's cause and assist with the research in destroying the Arcane Bridge.[2]
Later, Max encountered Eva Thomsen in Kittiwake's Edge. He seemed to know that she was coming to execute him, and he accepted his fate. Just as Eva was about to kill Max, Athanatos appeared from the shadows and killed Eva instead. Max was confused at first, but then recognized Athanatos as "Keras". She referred to him as a nickname as well, "Shield".[3]
When the Risen uttered The Second Wish, Max was attending a meeting in Hell. Others present at the meeting with Athanatos, Erki Timbers, James Madsen, and Jostan Steingard. All five of them were trapped in Hell, with seemingly no way to escape.[4]
