Veit Kaufmann

Sir Kaufmann is a knight in the court of Baron Ulrichstein and currently serves as the Bailiff of Luckau. Sir Kaufmann is a steady man, never quick to either condemn or praise. He has been a steady hand over his lands and they have prospered under him. His dislike for the petty games of court, even in this remote barony, means that he rarely visits Ulrichstein - preferring to send his oldest son Eckerd, who is a squire in the baron's court.

• Born: Winter 389
• Parents: Julian (M, 354-412) and Lea (F, 367-399)
• Knighted: Summer 459
• Issue:

  • Helena (F, 442-), Married
  • Squire Eckerd (M, 444-)
  • Elif (F, 447-460)
  • Georg (M, 449-)
• Holdings: Manor, 6.5 km² (1600 acres)

Veit grew up the son of a trapper who lived near a small mining camp. His father would sell meats and furs to the miners who rarely cared on whose lands he killed them. The local lord upon whose land the camp sat did not care either as long as the ore continued to flow. Veit spent a great deal of time running his father's wares into the camp and selling them. He became well known to the sons of the other miners who envied his “carefree” life. He was their recognized leader and on days off he would lead them through the woods hunting small game.

During one of these excursions the gang of boys stumbled upon an goblin scouting party. Veit immediately sent the younger boys back to camp, while him and three others harried the goblins. Only Veit had a boy - but all of the boys had spears and slings. When the men from the village finally found them the four goblins were dead, but one of the boys was seriously injured. Veit led the miners back to the goblin encampment and carried himself well in the battle. Phillip, the young boy who was injured ended up losing his arm from that goblin dart, but he lived only because Veit knew how to clean and care for wounds.

Veit grew into manhood and became a huntsman and trapper like his father. After he helped the miners kill the goblins he was well-regarded by the other men of the camp. In 407 he married Phillip's eldest sister Fenja, who gave birth to three children Leona (F, 408), Selma (F, 410), and Ensar (M, 413). In the deepest part of Winter 414, while Veit was away hunting a elk, the goblins came down to raid again. This time the outcome was far different as his father, wife, and all three of his kids were killed during the raid. The miners rushed to the smoke from the burning buildings, but only managed to kill a few stragglers who stayed behind.

This attack prompted the Reeve to clear out the goblin encampments, so he paid a sellsword (Tobias Kuhn) to raise a company of mercenaries to accomplish this task. During early Summer 416 Veit was hired as the scout for this new company. For 13 years the company harried and hunted the goblins in the forest. Each time they they wipes out the nearby encampments the goblins would come down during the winter and rebuild them. Each winter Veit would spend his days tracking the goblins while the company stayed in the mining camp. He would mark the new encampments so that come Summer they could be destroyed.

Finally, in 431 Sir Tobias led his company into the Iron Mountains to shatter the goblin tribe that was sending the raiders. During the battle Veit saw Sir Tobias pulled off his mount and rushed to his defense. For the rest of the battle he stood over his unconscious body and defended him from attack. By nightfall, the goblins were defeated and the few survivors fled north. Veit spent the evening binding wounds and applying polstices as his father taught him.

Sir Tobias and the surviving members of the company left the mining camp during the Summer of 432. Veit went back to hunting and trapping in the woods. He was deeply affected by not only the slaughter of the battlefield, but finally had the time to mourn his family.

So, he was surprised when Sir Tobias along with several knights and their retainers showed up at his house in 437. Sir Tobias simply stated that he was newly named the Baron of Ulrichstein and needed his services once again. There was nothing holding him here but memories, so he packed up his things and left with the knights.

Veit was very surprised when they reached Ulrichstein and Baron Ulrichstein knighted him. Veit had no difficulty swearing fealty to this man, but did not like the idea of holding lands and being responsible for the people of it. The Baron had already mapped out several towns along the Aland River that were defensible against the dangers of the Elfe Wald.

Sir Veit was granted lands east of Luckau, which is the most northern town in the barony. In addition he was named the Bailiff of Luckau and charged with defending not only the town, but securing the entirety of the northern border.

The village of Luckau is comprised mostly of the hardiest of the men and women that followed Sir Tobias and his men. A few stragglers have settled in the village, but given its isolated position it has not grown as swiftly as the other villages. Sir Veit has arranged for a stout wall around the village and held numerous tournaments to keep the steel of his men sharp. He pays for several additional huntsmen from his privy purse to watch the woods to the north and east.