Ser Davien Bower

Ser Davien Bower is a temple knight, and a supporting character in the Chronicles of Paladin Wainwright.

A sergeant in the Order of Adavarion, Bower is a farmboy with a perspective as basic as it is narrow. While largely present for a laugh, the rare occasion he stops smiling is invariably followed by trouble.

History
Born to a washerwoman in upper Laedia, Davien came into the world with nothing but his fists, and he quickly learned to use them. The first ten years of his life were spent finding trouble, an effort that cost his single mother several jobs. All that saved him from life as a farmhand (or a criminal) was a chance encounter with a Temple knight. The grizzled veteran witnessed a skinny farm boy best three boys far his senior in defense of a peasant girl--an act that got him beaten when he refused to apologize. His spiteful courage in the face of injustice earned him a squireship, a high honor for a peasant boy. It was an opportunity he used to the fullest, graduating from the Academy with relative ease and quickly setting himself apart as a leader. His lack of concern for the mage threat made little difference in his choice of career; Bower was a hammer in need of a nail, and the colors of the Order presented him the chance to seek some out.

Personality
You can take the farm boy out of the country but you can't get him to stop making lewd jokes, and that's what Bower's good at. If it exists, odds are, he will find a way to laugh at it, no matter how gruesome the subject matter. It's a skill that's put to the test late in the game, and even then, he manages. His habit of making light of things is a point of tension for most people around him, but when things get serious, he is more than able to deal with problems. Despite his humble beginnings, Bower is not stupid, and deeply dislikes being treated like he is.

His seemingly clownish behavior belies a destructive temper, a fact exemplified by his sidearm, a morning star. It takes an angry person to bludgeon someone to death, but when push comes to shove, Bower is more than ready to do so.

The Chronicles of Paladin Wainwright
Nothing like being late on your first day. Thanks to Petya, Dick arrives at the Temple checkpoint half a day behind schedule. He is met at the gate by Bower, who wastes no time in dressing him down, to his annoyance. Finding out that the tousled farm boy is in fact his superior is a shock he is not prepared for. As a local, Bower serves as a valuable source of information, both on current events and the general opinion on the neighboring barbarians. When it comes out that Dick has gotten himself tangled up with one of them, the sergeant is a surprisingly good sport, reluctantly helping cover for him to avoid trouble. As the story progresses, Bower becomes a valuable ally, keeping Dick both grounded and appropriately off-balance while silently having his back.

Bower is on the front lines when the Deathseekers attack, witnessing firsthand the atrocities they are capable of. He successfully holds a number of them off until Petya arrives to intercede, and is gravely wounded in the process. Aside from Dick, he is the only knight to survive the raid. The consequences of this remain to be seen, but one thing is certain: nothing will be the same again.

Dick
If there's anything a poor kid hates, it's a rich kid, and Dick is unfortunately a textbook example of the latter. That Bower outranks him is an affront to the arrogant knight, a fact that he himself relishes in. While initially antagonistic towards each other, the two eventually form a tentative bond, with Dick's proud and proper facade a constant target for Bower's teasing. He takes every opportunity to point out when Dick is being obtuse or pretentious, offering a grounded perspective for him to consider even as he tweaks his nose. The reluctant fondness he holds for the lordling inspires him to break rules in order to aid him--a choice with consequences on all sides.

Willard Graham
Graham and Bower have been partners for years, a fact that has worn on their working relationship. The weathered, cranky Graham can hardly stand Bower's presence, which only encourages him to bother him even more for a reaction. Though Bower takes great pleasure in pestering his senior, he holds a genuine affection for the man, stemming from years spent on the same squad. His death spurs Bower to take action against the Deathseekers, nearly costing his life in the effort of avenging him.

Kathryn Quartermaine
The two have a strange relationship, which is not explored overmuch in the story. Quatermaine shows a snide sort of fondness for Bower that is reluctantly returned, with the two trading insults and crass remarks with the ease of a pair of siblings. While the true extent of their interaction is unknown in-story, it should be noted that in an office defined by rank, Quatermaine calls him Davy...and he calls her Katie. That alone speaks volumes.

Aodhan Brandt
That Bower of all his squad is the sergeant implies a level of trust that is hard-earned from a man like Brandt. Bower reports to him directly, showing a curt professionalism in his presence that is almost out-of-character. Despite this apparent respect, he does not hesitate to make derisive remarks out of earshot, and readily goes against him to protect Dick. His apparent absence from the raid did not escape Bower's notice.

Petya
Bower has a narrow opinion on the Riverki, largely defined by gossip and stereotypes. So when Petya rushes to his rescue, knowing nothing of him, he is understandably shocked. Their interactions are minimal, but seeing Dick's oft-mentioned love, he is surprised to realize that he is everything the man described.

Din
If Bower remembers meeting Din, it's only in silhouette, as his arrival was in the twilight hour of what may have been the end of his life. Neither knowing the other was their enemy, Din struggled to keep Bower alive until help arrived. Any further developments remain to be seen.

Trivia

 * Bower is the only character to refer to Dick by that name.
 * He is to date the only character to wield a mace.
 * One of a dozen mixed-race characters, but one of the few unaware of the fact. His unknown father is assumed to be Caspaini, due to his somewhat darker complexion. Despite this, he has freckles, care of his Laedish mother.
 * Bower was originally intended as a casualty in the raid, along with the other knights. His survival was a late-game change that may yet affect the plot.