Mad Jack

"Once, I believed that Good and Evil were as clear a distinction as between Black and White. I charged into war, like a pawn on a chessboard, and only now I realize that shades of Black and White always operate in a haze of Gray. In the end, every side gets blood on their hands whether they want it or not"

- Mad Jack reminiscing on his time in war.

Biography
Shay "Mad Jack" MacDonald is a Human Paladin from the small farming village of Providence, Iron River.

Early Life
Born in the year 977, Shay MacDonald is the firstborn son of Sean and Iris MacDonald in a small farm cottage in Providence, just a few miles from the Iron River. He and his younger brother, Gillie, were very close in his early years and were inseparable, whether they were working on the farm alongside their father, fishing along with one of the many runoffs of the Iron River, or exploring what their town and area had to offer to their curiosity.

Over the years, his will to protect those he cares for was unmatched, especially for his brother and mother. His father, while a hardworking man, would come home from the local tavern after a stressful day of work and take his frustrations out on his family. On many occasions, Shay would take the brunt of both beatings from his father, which were more fierce for sparing Gillie from the abuse.

One day, at the age of 16, Shay and his brother arrived home from fishing at a nearby creek when they heard a commotion coming from within the cottage. Immediately, Shay stormed into the house, finding his father, holding his mother up against the wall with a knife to her neck. In a fit of blinding rage, Shay grabbed his father's sword from the mantle of the hearth, and with one swift strike, stabbed Sean MacDonald through the abdomen, staring into his eyes as he fell to the floor, dead. Although, the look on his father's face was odd to Shay, as his expression was that of understanding and sorrow. He then turned himself in at the local Guard Post, where they, as punishment, conscripted him into the Army of the Empire of A Thousand Spires to fight as a spearman in The Holy War.

The Holy War
In this conflict between the Prime and Infernal planes would be the proving grounds for Shay, as he fought like a madman, thus giving him the name, "Mad Jack."