Eric

Eric, or the Cavalier, was a fighter and an adventurer from Earth and the Realm (no relation). He was a companion of the barbarian Bobby, the monk Diana, the ranger Hank, the wizard Presto, and the rogue Sheila.

Personality
Eric came across as very pompous and sarcastic, as well as pessimistic, and so he often irritated people. However, he was good at heart and actually cared a lot for his friends, and would occasionally show his true colors when trying to protect them. He feared being mocked or laughed at by others, so used his cutting words as a way to shield himself. While he was charismatic, he lacked bravery.

Description
Over his mail, he wore a yellow tabard and red cloak.

Abilities
Eric both fought, and defended himself and his companions, with his powerful shield, with which he could bash or disarm a foe. It could also produce force fields.

Possessions
His primary possession was a large griffon shield. He wore elven chain mail, a cloak of resistance, and gauntlets of ogre power +2. The Cavalier also carried a bag of holding. He also had a waterskin, trail rations for a day, flint and steel, and three torches.

History
Eric and his friends were originally from Earth, where they were in something called "the ninth grade". However, they were later trapped in the Realm and later some place they called "the Forgotten Realms", evidently not knowing the difference. Aiding by a mysterious entity known as the Dungeon Master, they battled monsters sent at them by the villainous Venger and tried to defeat him for good while struggling to find a way home.

The Victims of Tiamat
Living long before the mid-to-late 14 century DR, he was among a band of young adventurers who were all trying to find a way back to their distant home. However, it was said they were all slain horribly by Tiamat, together with their miniature unicorn. By 1369 DR, the Adventurer Mart in Athkatla, Amn, displayed paintings of his two friends, Hank and Bobby.

The Grand Tour of the Realms
In the 1360s DR, Eric and his friends visited the town of Shadowdale in Faerûn so that Presto could ask the great sage Elminster to take him on as an apprentice. While drinking in the Old Skull Inn, they spotted Elminster, but Eric dismissed him as old and insisted that wizards often told lies to make themselves appear more important. When Presto lost his nerve, Eric taunted him by making chicken noises, yet stood beside him to declare his suitability to Elminster.

Thus, Elminster whisked Presto away on a whirlwind tour of the Realms, and he came back traumatized and beaten and decided it best not to be his apprentice. Nevertheless, Presto had ideas for future adventures with his friends.

At this time, Eric was a middle-aged adult and wore a blue cloak over his dark-brown clothing.

The High Sun Games
In the late 1490s DR, Eric and his friends, all adults now and without unicorn, were one of five teams competing in the High Sun Games in the newly built arena in Neverwinter. They evaded the displacer beast and even got to the center of the maze and safely inside the sanctuary cage at the end, winning that round. However, the Red Wizard of Thay Sofina used the horn of beckoning death above the arena soon after, so their fate is unknown.

Went to Waterdeep
Aged only 15, Eric and friends were camping in a forest one night when the Dungeon Master arrived to check on them, soon abandoning them again with promises of finding snacks, such as the spicy fried potatoes they liked. Hank grew annoyed at this and their lack of progress on getting back to Earth; he had a new plan, but Eric and the others were tired and were accepting their new life. But then driders and darkmantles ambushed them, and they fought their way out and into a mysterious portal that opened. It dumped them from a height into the streets of Waterdeep, now in daytime and autumn. They were met by a girl who was pleased her spell had worked.

Background
First appearing in the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon series of 1983–1985, the characters Hank, Eric, Diana, Presto, Sheila, and Bobby were teenagers from Earth who were transported to a place called 'the Realm'—which is not in any way, shape, or form related to the Forgotten Realms setting or the world of Toril. Despite this, since the end of that series, they have made no less than four cameo appearances in Forgotten Realms sources, before having a comic series of their own set in the Realms (plural), Saturday Morning Adventures, which either mistakenly or deliberately retcons their adventures as being in "the Forgotten Realms" (a strictly real-world term for the setting).

As such, their five appearances in the Realms (plural) are contradictory and spread over more than a century of time, with them having different apparent ages and, in one case, being seemingly killed before their next chronological appearance. Short of a storyline involving cloning and/or time travel, these are difficult to reconcile. However, it should be noted that in The Grand Tour and Honor Among Thieves they are older, slightly different in appearance, and not actually named, so they might be considered copies or homages. In any case, for completeness, each appearance is included here.

However, to maintain focus on the Realms (plural) and avoid further confusion, only information from Forgotten Realms sources is included here and the Realm is considered not to be a part of the Realms.

In Honor Among Thieves, Eric was played by actor Trevor Kaneswaran.