Nideric Loggerhart

Nideric Loggerhart, born Klaus Loggerhart, is a wealthy Duke from the Fallen Empire of Einsiedeln. He is known for his eccentric personality, shrewd business tactics, and obsession with gardening and architecture. He also practices magic, reads, and travels the world in his free time. He has inherited a large fortune thanks to the family mapmaking business Loggerhart Maps, which he now leads personally. Nideric Loggerhart rules House Loggerhart's territory from Loggerhart Manor, atop Giant's Table. Nideric is also inflicted with a curse, which he voluntarily took on to save his life. At full moons, he turns into an uncontrollable and deadly monster called a werewolf. After surviving the Solemnity, Nideric invited other survivors to live with him in the safety of Giant's Table. Now, he seeks to rebuild the lands underneath the Table, rebuild the family mapmaking business, and guide his followers into the future.

Background
Nideric Loggerhart is from the well-known Loggerhart family of Einsiedeln. The family has a long history in the former Empire of Einsiedeln and beyond. One of the most wealthy peasant families in the nation, the Loggerharts amassed a fortune through their well-known mapping business Loggerhart Maps. Over generations, the family was able to acquire a large parcel of land on the northwestern island, between the cities of Preashin, Foan, and Neitlien. There, they built Loggerhard Manor, and turned their estate into an immaculate garden. However, the events of the larger empire would greatly affect the family’s future fortunes.

In the nearby Einsiedeln capital of Ferelden, House Ascania led a civil war against House Ostricia, sieging the city and overthrowing the Ostrician king. Unrest would crop up throughout the empire, even in the Loggerharts’ backyard. However, the new dynasty’s rise would work in the family’s favor. The Loggerharts had never been fans of King Mecedies, and were happy to see the Ostrician dynasty fall. They had also always maintained good relations with House Ascania, and had helped fund their war against the Ostricians. Queen Petra and her husband rewarded the Loggerharts greatly with tax exemptions and mapmaking contracts. Twenty years after House Ascania’s victory, Klaus Loggerhart would be born.

Early Life
Nideric Loggerhart was born as Klaus Loggerhart 30 years before the Solemnity. As a kid, Klaus came to be friends with the young Crown Prince Yeilden. Both shared a fascination with the arcane, but while Klaus saw it as a hobby, it became an obsession to the Crown Prince. Eventually, this obsession would tear apart their friendship, and this would greatly affect Klaus’ worldview. As a young man, Klaus was known for his rebellious attitude, questioning authority constantly and spreading somewhat radical views. He came to see the monarchy as a problem, perhaps out of bitterness toward Yeilden. Despite his initial reluctance to help in the family business, he proved to have a talent for mapmaking. Klaus, having no qualms about dirty dealings, bought accurate charts of the coastlines of the world from pirates and merchants alike. Using this data, he was able to produce the most accurate map of the world ever seen.

Klaus’s relationship with his father Geleon was tense and distant. However, he had a warm relationship with his mother Windreta and especially with his grandfather Nideric Senior. Nideric Sr. taught Klaus all about gardening and architecture, and persuaded the family to give Klaus more freedom. Nideric Sr. was also the rebellious type, and encouraged Klaus to find his own path rather than the one given by his parents. Nideric Sr. was Klaus’s hero and mentor, and Nideric Sr. helped and advised Klaus throughout his life.

As he grew older, Klaus became a prominent businessman in the former Empire of Einsiedeln, and grew the mapmaking business to new heights. Although his radical views somewhat softened with time, his obsession with gardening did not wilt one bit. (Little gardening joke for ya). He spent most of his free time perfecting the Loggerhart Gardens, and bringing friends on tours of the property. His love of gardening naturally expanded to architecture as well, and he personally built houses for members of his family on the Manor grounds. His obsession with gardening and architecture was almost paranoid in nature. Klaus made extensive and disruptive  modifications to the main Manor, much to the chagrin of the rest of the family. Klaus also studied magic while he wasn’t gardening or building, and even served as a Royal Magician for a brief stint. Life was good for Klaus Loggerhart. However, his entire world would be changed when the solemnity hit.

The Solemnity
One night, the entire Loggerhart family was invited into Ferelden for a banquet. However, Klaus, even obsessed with his gardening work, stayed home to plant a new set of tulips. After retiring for the day, Klaus returned to his room and kept reading his book on magical energy. Klaus came to believe that there was a strong and ancient source of arcane energy laying dormant underneath the Manor grounds, and this magic was what allowed his gardens to bloom so beautifully. While reading in bed, he heard a sudden defining noise, like the sound of ten thousand thunderbolts. Klaus jolted up, and sprinted to his window. Over the horizon to the east, he could see a giant wave of arcane energy emanating from the city of Ferelden.

In an instant, the energy overwhelmed the Loggerhart Manor. All the other buildings on the property were ripped to shreds, but the Manor stood its ground. Likely thanks to Klaus’s extensive modifications, the Loggerhart Manor was heavily damaged but still stood. The same could not be said for the gardens around the Manor. All the plants and trees were instantly destroyed, and cracks began forming in the ground. The very earth began to move, and rose into the air. Klaus Loggerhart quickly attempted to shield himself using magic, but was unable to fully hold back the arcane energy. Suffering major bodily damage, Klaus used every spell he could think of to save himself. However, nothing worked. Dying on his floor and being corrupted by arcane energy, Klaus turned to his very last resort. He crawled toward his cabinet of magical goods, and found the Full Moon Cheese spattered on the floor. He scooped it up and ate as much as he could. Although the cream would save his life, it would have very lasting effects.

Post-Solemnity
Ever since the Solemnity, Klaus has been working to rebuild his old life. His entire family was seemingly wiped out in the blast, leaving him to be the last known Loggerhart left. This loss devastated Klaus, but he has since been able to move on and continue his life. The Loggerhart Manor and grounds were permanently changed. Klaus’s suspicions about the land were correct, it did indeed house a source of dormant magical energy below. This magical energy was housed in the forms of seven ancient and mysterious pillars. The Solemnity triggered these pillars to life, causing them to rise up from the ground, bringing the Manor grounds with them. Loggerhart Manor now stood atop a strange mountain, which locals have taken to calling “Giant’s Table”. Seeing the devastation around and arcane monsters roaming the countryside, Klaus invited survivors to live atop his perched oasis.

Giant’s Table now stands as the home of the Loggerhart family and survivors of the Solemnity, a paradise in the clouds. However, Klaus himself has not recovered from those days' events. The Full Moon Cheese saved his life, but at a grave cost. Klaus is now a werewolf, transforming under a full moon into a mindless and violent monster. Luckily, Loggerhart Manor is perched on top of the highest point on Giant’s Table, where Klaus can be contained while in werewolf-form. His status as a werewolf has also granted him an unnaturally long life, with the possibility of living for hundreds of years more. However, most would argue that the downsides of his infliction greatly outweigh the benefits.

Many who met Klaus spread rumors that the Solemnity corrupted his mind, because he is known for his eccentric and obsessive personality. However, evidence of this has not yet been found. Now, Klaus has begun building new houses atop Giant’s Table for more people to live and work from, and has begun rebuilding his lost gardens. Soon, Klaus hopes to venture below Giant’s Table and garden those lands as well. The family mapmaking business has also since been revived, and Klaus continues to draw and paint new maps for the worlds’ use. The Loggerhart family, despite it having only one known member, has been granted nobility by Princess Emelia. Klaus still is not the biggest fan of the noble system and the monarchy, now seeing it as the cause of the downfall of the old Empire. However, he has changed quite a bit since his youth, and now believes he can help fix the system from the inside. Upon his ascension to Duke, he took the name of his beloved deceased grandfather, becoming Duke Nideric Loggerhart. The lands surrounding the family home are now a part of Duke Nideric’s territory, and the former rebellious peasant has become a respected noble in the Fallen Empire of Einsiedeln.