Zawisza Czarny

Name	Zawisza Czarny
Race	Undead
Type	The Black Knight
Faction	Dark Forces
Premiere	Desideratum: Blood Bonds
Relative(s)	N/A

Zawisza Czarny

"You best me in combat? HA! Nie dziel skóry na niedźwiedziu!"

Biography

Pre-Desideratum: Blood Bonds

Zawisza Czarny ([zaˈvʲiʂa ˈt͡ʂarn̪ɨ] or Zawisza the Black; c. 1379 – 12 June 1428), was born in Stary Garbów in the Kingdom of Poland into a local noble family (of the Sulima). His father, Mikołaj, was the castellan of Konary-Sieradz (konarsko-sieradzki), while his mother was named Dorota. He had two younger brothers- Jan called “Farurej”, the starost of Spisz; and Piotr called “Kruczek”. In 1397, Zawisza married Barbara of the Piława clan, the niece of Bishop of Kraków Piotr Wysz, and together, they had four sons. He was always a strong and courageous man, and always followed a strict code of honor. He was called “Zawisza the Black” because of his thick black hair, but when he became a knight, he had a custom set of armor made for him.

A fine knight he made, always standing up for Christianity and honor. He fought in many battles and in 1412 he participated in the conference between Sigismund, Wladyslaw II and Tvrtko II of Bosnia at Buda, where he won the tournament held there, with 1,500 knights present. The mighty man stood against all opposition, always championing for what he saw as the most ethical of ideals. He also was a diplomat, becoming an envoy for the Polish king Władysław II and Hungarian-Bohemian king Sigismund of Luxembourg. He helped with peace treaties and openly voiced his disdain for condemnation of church reformations.

Zawisza also slew monsters of many kinds as they attacked villages, and gained a reputation as a monster hunter as much as a warrior. Eventually, the Polish knight was called to battle the Turks. In 1428, with his retinue as a commander of a light cavalry banner of 500 horsemen, he joined the forces of Sigismund in the king's war against the Ottoman Turks. During that disastrous campaign he fought them at the Siege of Golubac on the Danube in modern-day Serbia. Sigismund's army was defeated and had to retreat across the Danube, with only a few boats to ferry the troops over to safety. Zawisza's banner was guarding the retreating army. Being a man of importance, he was personally sent for by King Sigismund. Disheartened by the king's apparent cowardice, he allegedly refused to retreat, saying, “There is no boat big enough to lift my honor.” He was slain and saved countless lives of his fellow warriors.

However, he found no peace in death. His very spirit refused to leave the Physical World, fearful of what would become of it without his help. Rising as a wight, he continued the fight for justice, and hid from his countrymen. Still, he protected Poland from demons, monsters, and other undead. As time passed, he found himself wrapped up in wars against the Nightbred, and specifically, Vlad Țepeș. While he could slay vampires with ease, he realized that against the growing armies, he would need one as well. By this time, Lord Ivor and the Countess Elizabeth Báthory had become involved and Zawisza began to utilize shadow magicks. He turned his back on the Inner Light feeling that it did not grant the power required, and still maintained his honor even by utilizing curses. Zawisza travelled Europe, visiting the tombs of kings and warriors and either enlisting the pre-existing wights, or placing his cursed armor on their corpses, making them his own soldiers.

Now, a vast undead army began to grow and it attracted other undead that hated the Nightbred. Nachzehrers, liches, gjengangers, strigoi and others flocked to his banner. Wearing his massive black armor he led these forces into battle for a righteous cause with shadow as his tool. He was forevermore an obstacle against the Nightbred in Europe. When he heard of Vlad’s demise at the hands of Calis Van Gothen, he was pleased. Yet the Countess was still an issue and she became his target. Blood Knights and wights would war from time to time in Europe until recently, the Countess and her forces seemed to vanish. Puzzled, Zawisza hunted and interrogated Nightbred until he learned of Lord Ivor’s attempt to bring Nuit into the world. He and his army set sail upon ghost ships and landed at Portland, Oregon.

Desideratum: Blood Bonds

In Desideratum: Blood Bonds, Zawisza faces off against Absinthe Van Gothen in the Shanghai Tunnels. After arriving in Portland, Zawisza and the wights unloaded their tainted armaments. These weapons and armor absorb the soul of whatever mortal touches them, and as they made their way towards the tunnels, they subverted the humans they crossed. Zawisza entered through a different access than Absinthe, but the two wound up colliding in the dungeons of the tunnels. With such immense brawn and power, the Black Knight proved a difficult fight for the Night Stalker. Taking strong swings with a massive sword, Zawisza collapsed some of the support pillars. Acting quickly, Abby used potions acquired from Hobs Hornswaggle at the House of Haggle in order to boost her own inherent powers. With timing, agility, and finesse, she managed to outmaneuver the wight. Using the magical fire-sword, Dyrnwyn, she sliced him in half, finally bringing an end to this powerful knight’s ancient history and removing him from the corporeal world.

Appearance

Zawisza is an undead knight, large of build and heavily armored. He has glowing blue eyes.

Abilities

• Unholy Strength
• Unholy Endurance
• Shadow Magic
• Cursed Blade

Notes and Trivia

Zawisza has a bad end associated with Absinthe Van Gothen, called Wight Wife.