Erwald Ironhawk

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Erwald Ironhawk
Species: human
Appearances
Lynn Abbey's Ultima Saga
Location: Hawksnest
The Forge of Virtue
Location: Hawksnest
The Temper of Wisdom
Location: Hawksnest

This article or section is about the Ultima Saga series of novels. The information within may not apply to Ultima V or other Ultima games.


Erwald Ironhawk is the lord of Hawksnest. He is married to Lady Barbara. They have two children, Jordan and Darrel Hawson. They have also taken in two children of a former Peer as wards, Balthan Wanderson and Althea.

Dramatis Personae[edit]

The landlord of Hawksnest, the father of Jordan and Darrel, and the guardian of Althea, he is himself a younger son of a wealthy, mercantile clan. Although he had an appetite for reckless adventure and glory in his youth, he's matured into a responsible landlord who cherishes tradition and dislikes surprises, especially from the younger generation. Before marrying and taking possession of Hawksnest, Erwald received enlightment at four Shrines of Virtue, an accomplishment which places him high in the supposedly unstructured ranks of Britannia's Peers of Virtue.
– from Dramatis Personae (Ultima Saga: The Temper of Wisdom)

Background[edit]

Born Erwald Chandeller, his father was a paladin-merchant who became rich on the wine trade in Trinsic. When he married Lady Barbara, they inherited the rich land around the Rosignel estate. Thye built a new estatehouse, took the surname Ironhawk, and renamed the estate (and the land) Hawksnest.

Erwald is a Virtue Peer, having earned enlightment in Honor, Justice, Valor, Honesty, and Spirituality.

Although normally even-tempered, Erwald is a hard man who does not believe in showing weakness. He believes little in Compassion, and shows this in his raising of the children. They had no toys, which Ironhawk said was coddling; instead, Jordan was trained in the skills he would need to be a Peer, and Darrel (when he could be made to mind) in the skills necessary to become a merchant. Similarly, while he taught his sons that Humility was a virtue, he privately held that humility led to humbleness, which led to meekness, which was only a step from submissiveness, which could not exist in one who valued Honor and Valor.

Although he kept it in check, Ironhawk was subject to fits of rage, known as berserkerang. During these fits, he could hardly control himself, and could severly injure someone without even knowing it. Few knew of his condition, but all feared to raise his ire.

Trivia[edit]

  • The Dramatis Personae lists Lord Ironhawk with only four virtues, and the text of The Forge of Virtue seems to give him five. It is possible that he did not receive enlightment in Spirituality, although he reached the shrine.

References[edit]