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This page provides a simple browsing interface for finding entities described by a property and a named value. Other available search interfaces include the page property search, and the ask query builder.

List of results

• Thorley Sandreef  + (Sir Thorley Sandreef is a sailor from the …
  Sir Thorley Sandreef is a sailor from the Westrock Reach. He was born and raised in the shadow of Lightsreach Keep as an orphan adopted by the Sandreef family. For most of his life he'd been looked at with knowing looks, pity, and sometimes derision for how much he looked like the former Duke of Westrock Reach. Thorley shrugged off most of it, and spent his life learning to sail the merchant boats that the Westrock Reach was known for. In his late teens he met his wife-- Abigail. They married after a short romance. Less than a year later, they had a daughter, Lysa. For six years, the pair built upon a partnership, but she and their daughter died when one of their merchant vessels were attacked by pirates on their way to trade with the Laurents. He took to his drink after that. For nearly a decade, he lost himself into the abyss of the bottle, drowning in the darkness and content to do so. That is until the old duke became ill and for some reason the duke's nephew, Ryhalt Farshaw, approached Thorley. Ryhalt pulled Thorley out of the drink, and had him squired to the Sword of Westrock Reach. In 1002, when Duke Warwick perished, and Duke Ryhalt came to power, the old sword retired and Thorley became Sir Thorley, Sword of Westrock. For whatever reason he know serves Duke Ryhalt as faithfully as he can. Having started his knighthood late in life he's not as polished as most Valardin Knights, but he tries.
  ed as most Valardin Knights, but he tries.)
• Thorley Farwatch  + (Sir Thorley Sandreef is a sailor from the …
  Sir Thorley Sandreef is a sailor from the Westrock Reach. He was born and raised in the shadow of Lightsreach Keep as an orphan adopted by the Sandreef family. For most of his life he'd been looked at with knowing looks, pity, and sometimes derision for how much he looked like the former Duke of Westrock Reach. Thorley shrugged off most of it, and spent his life learning to sail the merchant boats that the Westrock Reach was known for. In his late teens he met his wife-- Abigail. They married after a short romance. Less than a year later, they had a daughter, Lysa. For six years, the pair built upon a partnership, but she and their daughter died when one of their merchant vessels were attacked by pirates on their way to trade with the Laurents. He took to his drink after that. For nearly a decade, he lost himself into the abyss of the bottle, drowning in the darkness and content to do so. That is until the old duke became ill and for some reason the duke's nephew, Ryhalt Farshaw, approached Thorley. Ryhalt pulled Thorley out of the drink, and had him squired to the Sword of Westrock Reach. In 1002, when Duke Warwick perished, and Duke Ryhalt came to power, the old sword retired and Thorley became Sir Thorley, Sword of Westrock. For whatever reason he know serves Duke Ryhalt as faithfully as he can. Having started his knighthood late in life he's not as polished as most Valardin Knights, but he tries.
  ed as most Valardin Knights, but he tries.)
• Svoli Volkov  + (Sister to Aahana, Svoli steadfastly claims …
  Sister to Aahana, Svoli steadfastly claims to be the elder twin, despite being the smaller of the pair and their births only being a short span apart. Svoli is most certainly harder to understand than her sibling. She is the proud daughter of the brazen and ferocious Horselords of Volkov and, as with her elder brother, her heart lies in that wild heritage. But even the traditions did not explain away her nature. It was whispered within the nomadic tribe that their Horselord's child - one of the twin girls he had sired - had an unusual way about her. People, she would disregard, seeming almost to look through those who attempted to engage her as a youngster. But animals she would converse with freely. While other little girls sought company and playmates, or were taught the typical skills of womanhood, Svoli would wander off into the wilds as she pleased, disappearing for days at a time and returning with, when pressed to converse, tales of the creatures she claimed to have befriended. The steeds those of House Volkov stake much of their livelihood upon are an extended part of Svoli's personal family - she speaks to each of them, and know them for their quirks and subtle differences in temperament. While her family may consider her something of a dolt in social aspects, she more than makes up for it with her uncanny understanding of and control over many varieties of beast, not only those of equine origin. More often than not, this means Svoli is regarded with wary uncertainty by most; a feral, unsettling oddity to the minds of even her own people. She has, of course, done nothing to dismiss her reputation. It's perfectly possible she hasn't even noticed. Her affinities aside, she has come to grudgingly concede learning the more civilised aspects of her family's trade, as well as cultivating and rearing them. Politics and courting are of no import to her, and she still far prefers her solitude in the wilds to the overwhelming bustle of Arx. But times change and one must adapt. As for her brother's decision in bending the knee, following the death of her father, Svoli is indifferent. She only hopes that this change in political stance will mean that fewer wild beasts will be unnecessarily hunted. Her love for animals could become a serious concern for some, as in certain situations her ferocity in defending them can turn violent - such justice of course being reserved for those animals closest to her, or those she may feel empathetic toward at the time.
  he may feel empathetic toward at the time.)
• Skaldia Harrow  + (Skaldia is the younger of twins born to th …
  Skaldia is the younger of twins born to the Harrow line, following after Scipio as the sixth of the seven siblings. Born in the Lowers to Herman and Mathilda, Iron Guardsmen both, and raised after their deaths by their grandfather and older siblings. Skaldia was often restless even as a child. While not as outwardly boisterous as her older siblings, she took to the family practice of service and martial prowess with no less enthusiasm. Frequently overlooked by the more boisterous family members and preferring the peace of the woods over the noise of the family home, her love of animals and the woods began early, nursing injured birds and befriending wayward rabbits, as a young girl more than one 'family dinner' was pardoned by Skaldia before it ever reached the table. Though practicality and acceptance of Death's place in the cycle of life tempered her desire to save the animals, it became that which would guide her to become part of the Lodge of Petrichor at a young age.
  of the Lodge of Petrichor at a young age.)
• Skye Blackshore  + (Skye Blackshore came into this world on a …
  Skye Blackshore came into this world on a rocking ship in the middle of a storm that almost split her father's ship in two. Lady Florence Blackshore was sick from the rocking and had to give birth to the fiery little baby that roared her way into this world. That moment in time seemed to set a precedence because she took her toddler years by storming, making her mother fear that the little girl would pitch overboard if she took her eyes off her. She used her two older brothers to help reign the little hellion in. Her father, Lord Cornelius Blackshore, served as a naval architect for House Thrax so his duties took him all over the Mourning Isles. To Skye, he was the hero who loved his wife deeply and took them with him wherever he went so he wouldn't have to be parted. While she did find land when he would consult with the different ports, she spent most of her childhood on the water. She dressed like breeches and chased after her two brothers. Her mother desperately tried to get her to be a little lady but the tom boy inside Skye would have none of that. Her mother's declining health and father's distracted parenting left the girl more often than not to hang on the sailors on her father's ship and learn a host of profanity that no little girl should know. When she turned eleven, Skye's life took a drastic change. Her mother's waning health got bad enough that Cornelius could not in good conscious keep her on the boat. He deposited mother and daughter at his family estate and then took her brothers with him so in one fatal swoop, the little girl lost most of her family to the sea. Her mother and her took residence in the tower at Blackshore Keep, Skye becoming a nursemaid to her ailing mother. The frustrated pre-teen only got relief in the library that had all kinds of books on nautical subjects and her father's journals on his early ship designs. She memorized the drawings, started to make some of her own. Her absentee father came when his schedule would permit but it was months at a time that she would not see him. Instead Uncle Oswald, the Baron of Blackshore, took the authority figure. His strict discipline insured that this wild hoyden turned into a beautiful young lady. While at first, he was a gruff, but loving uncle. Over time, as his madness set in, he was prone to vicious displays of violence that scared the young lady. It wasn't until Blackshore Keep was destroyed by dragon fire that she was forced to come to the city after taking her mother's ashes to her childhood home. Count Turo Navegant, her cousin, took the young lady in as his ward. While attempts were made to find other members of the Blackshore family, none could be found. Skye still holds out hope that her father and brothers will be found, but as time passes that hope has started to fade. Recently Skye was named heir to Blackshore, making her Baroness. An expedition sponsored by the Society of the Explorers, lead by Sparte Fatchforth, found that while 5-mile radius around Blackshore Keep was destroyed, there is still viable 95-mile radius of land that can be rebuilt on. She has established an outdoor shrine to the gods and dock at the future site of New Hope. In the coming year, once things have settled, she will start the journey of rebuilding her barony. Perhaps find a husband that will marry into the family and help her breed the next generation of Blackshore.
  r breed the next generation of Blackshore.)
• Sloane Starling  + (Sloane is a commoner whose family probably …
  Sloane is a commoner whose family probably died in a plague or in a shav attack or some war or another. Regardless, she travels alone, having settled for some years in Bastion the great seat of House Grayson to ply her trade. A barkeep, a caretaker, nothing has brought Sloane quite as much infamy as her fortune telling reputation. She promises that with nothing more than a touch and a card she can predict a person's future. It's surely nothing more than a way to entertain travelers during a snowy winter's eve - or on one occasion, spark a fight. Sloane hated the drudgery of working day in and day out to keep a roof over her head and food in her belly. She craved more. And when that craving became overpowering, she picked up her belongings and moved to Arx, there to apply for training as a Whisper and find a life of luxury and affluence.
  r and find a life of luxury and affluence.)
• Sylvi Thrax  + (Slyvi has always been a sickly child, ever …
  Slyvi has always been a sickly child, ever since the day she was born. It was considered a small miracle that she had managed to survive her first few years at all. She frequently fell ill, and was confined to a bed as often as not. Because she was so rarely able to move, she found herself escaping into books in the family library. In her time, she grew fascinated with the secrets of the world around her. The unexplained mysteries of the time of the Reckoning capturing her interest in particular. Unfortunately, she didn't socialize much at a young age, relying on visitors at her bedside for company, of which there were very few outside of her family, but she always loved to receive visitors, anybody to tell her stories about the things that were happening outside of the walls that she was too weak to see for herself. As years went by, she managed to gain more strength, she began to explore the library on her own, finding new and exciting books. She spent most of her teenage years in the library, searching through every corner for anything of note. Finally able to move freely through her home, she began meeting everybody, and learning what would be expected of her as a Thrax Princess, but she always tried to find ways out of rather awkward situations. She knew her place was among the Scholars of Vellichor, and that was where she found herself as often as she was able. She distracted herself with studies while her life was torn apart by conflict and death, just trying her best to keep busy and out of the way. She very nearly missed hearing about her brother's return to Arx, and decided it was time to go back out to find him. After convincing her family that she was healthy enough to travel, she made her preparations.Relocating to Arx would be perfect for a family reunion. And of course the archives of Arx are unmatched anywhere else in the world. Certainly there will be plenty for her to discover in time.
  ill be plenty for her to discover in time.)
• Macda Grayson  + (So here is the thing about growing up in B …
  So here is the thing about growing up in Bastion, as a daughter of Grayson, in the House of Grayson. Everything around you has a great deal of weight to it. The weight of expectation. The weight of history. The weight of legend. Especially for a little girl who has been named so obviously for a Hero of Yore, as Macda was: Macdon's tale being a favorite of her father's, she grew up hearing ever more elaborate ballads of it, around the table and among the others. And here is the thing about growing up under all that weight. You either bend, twist into the shape that they want you to mold into, or you don't. Macda was pressed, shaped, and folded -- until she could be pressed, shaped, and folded no more, and burst into her teen years like a geyser of rebellion. Skinned knees, scored knuckles, on one memorable occasion a lord's son's broken teeth, mud tracked everywhere: these are aspects of childhood, maybe, but aspects of childhood that most young people leave behind eventually. At 16, Macda was living out loud, recklessly making more scrapes for herself than ever. Ride hell for leather, start brawls in the pub, dangle your little sister over a brook by her feet, sing bawdy songs in the street at the top of your voice at two o'clock in the morning: life is too short to be well-behaved. With age came temperance because if it hadn't, she might've driven her family to throw her out. Love is the tie that binds duty even to the least dutiful daughter of a house, and Macda was never short love. She loved fiercely, just sometimes stupidly and without as much guilt as most people develop over the course of their young lives. Acting without thinking was second nature. Thinking... took time to develop. Macda is sure she'll never stop being a hellion. It is not in her to grow into a lady of dignity. But there's a way to be a grown adult person about it. A way to recognize boundaries and limits. Sometimes she is still working on it, but she really does mean well.
  king on it, but she really does mean well.)
• Gisele Aurum  + (So many Aurums join the ranks of the Schol …
  So many Aurums join the ranks of the Scholars that it was no surprise to the family when Gisele pledged herself as an acolyte. What did surprise them was her leaving the order instead of continuing on with her training. She's been reticent to speak of why but claims to be satisfied with the course her life took afterward: she opened a small shop that sold books and writing materials to the public. It has never been a booming business, not exactly, but between sales and the work she does illuminating manuscripts for select clients, she's made enough to keep a roof over her head and food on the table.
  roof over her head and food on the table.)
• Sabella Grayson  + (So the family story goes, Sabella's mother …
  So the family story goes, Sabella's mother was at the theatre when the infant princess decided to make her way into the world, and so compelled, she was named for a character in the evening's performance, Sabella Langlier, a wealthy heiress in love with a troubled knight. Perhaps performing is in her blood, or perhaps her fate was guided by too many tellings of the same tale. Whatever the case may be, Sabella tends toward drama as a personality trait. She can shed tears on demand that could soften even the blackest heart, her smile incites men to violence as they compete for her favor, and even the faintest sigh has servants scurrying to make things right. Sabella doesn't see anything wrong with wanting her life to be more like the performances she can't seem to get enough of, she's in line for the throne after all... if dozens of Graysons with a better claim all mysteriously died, of course - and how exciting would that be! After the events of the King's Rest, Sabelle maneuvered her way into being relocated to Arx for her greatest role yet - maintaining a pretty, charming face for the Grayson family amidst the turmoil of politics. And perhaps at the same time, she can hone her craft by getting involved with the Blackrose Theater in Arx - surely there are mummers out there in need of an enthusiastic patron, after all.
  need of an enthusiastic patron, after all.)
• Solomon Venwich  + (Some children grow up wanting to be heroes …
  Some children grow up wanting to be heroes, and Solomon wasn't any different. Born to a pair of commoners in the Lower Boroughs of Arx, they started him early on the tales of those worth remembering. Trips to the Hall of Heroes were frequent when he was old enough to actually understand the stories being told, and with a little bit of youthful wonder he was convinced that one day he'd be able to become just like them. He wanted to be a Knight, to fight for the weak and defend those that needed defending. And he was certain he was going to do it, too. But Solomon was a rowdy child, with a loud voice and an inability to keep his opinions to himself. He didn't like it, uncertain of how to actually stop himself from getting into trouble, but his major problem was that the other people around him didn't like it much either. By ten he'd made a reputation as the punching bag his peers would use whenever something didn't go their way. Or, just as likely, whenever Solomon drove them to it. So he fought, and he fought, and he fought. And at no point did he actually get better. For the next few years he spent every day training, fighting, and working to better his lot, but in the end, he just didn't have the body for it. That made him bitter. He was already an ill-tempered child, but once he realized that his potential to actually do something was fading away faster than he could catch it, he internalized that anger. He never stopped fighting, but he never stopped losing either. If he's anything, he knows how to to take a beating. By his mid-teens something shifted in him. The mouthiness never stopped, but people started hitting him less as a result of it. Turns out, he has something of a knack for fixing people up. He figured it out early, mostly by force, as he refused to find a Mercy to fix those broken bones or fingers that he'd developed on his own. But it progressively got harder for him to avoid having to help people, as the violence in the Lowers proved to be a perfect testing ground for bandaging, balancing humours, and general practice. Over the next few years he got good at it, extremely good, and now it serves him to trade his practice for booze and passes for those beatings he still somehow manages to accrue. If there's one thing that drives him more than anything else, it's that for some reason or another the people he helps usually make it. Save for the particularly bad wounds or vital areas being destroyed, his patients pull through. He was never a particularly pious person, embittered by the destruction of his dreams early on, but he's quite proud of the fact that the infected wounds he treats clear up, the broken bones he effectively sets heal properly, and the worst-case scenarios sometimes turn out to be completely fine. If anything, it's his only point of pride, and he's quick to make sure everyone knows about it.
  uick to make sure everyone knows about it.)
• Sparzla none  + (Some fifteen years ago there was a mighty …
  Some fifteen years ago there was a mighty fierce winter storm, and a strange looking ship from far distant shores was brought in on the unrelenting winds - only to be smashed to smithereens against the welcoming rocky arms of the Bay of Thrax. There were no known survivors, only a few broken pieces washed up on the shores. A little while later, a little girl, hardly more than a toddler, was left abandoned in a tavern. As she refused to speak, and seemed both mute and deaf, the only clue to her origins was the exotic garments she was wrapped in. With noone to speak for her she was given over to the Tragedy orphanage, and some time later the clothes were gone. As it turned out there was nothing wrong with her ears, though she stayed seemingly mute for far longer. She grew quickly, and always seemed to be hungry. Eventually she discovered she could find more to eat by her own power outside the orphanage walls than she could waiting inside, and one day she simply stopped going back. She started out doing odd jobs, but with her size and strength those were often more combat oriented than not - and usually shady. At one point she decided to try and go against the growing tide and got herself in as an apprentice to a local smith, Sumakre. It was two good years, but then he started acting strange. Nervous, fretful, almost scared of the dark. Sometimes he said he'd found something he shouldn't have, and he'd go on weird rambles to her about not looking into things needlessly. He started drinking, and money started getting scarce. Then one day he told her to stay away from the smithy for the next week or so, as he'd gotten a special order for his eyes only, and that this was the big one that would turn their luck around. She did as told - and the next night the smithy was ablaze. Sumakre's body was found inside, a charred skeleton broken by something more than just fire. Whispers went around about smiling shadows. It's been less than a year since, and Sparzla's been sort of adrift ever since. She is back to taking the odd jobs, part-time bouncer at local taverns, makeshift bodyguard, grim-faced looming muscle.
  hift bodyguard, grim-faced looming muscle.)
• Solene Valardin  + (Some little boys and girls receive dolls o …
  Some little boys and girls receive dolls or painted blocks for their earliest birthdays. Others receive thick books filled with stories of knights and honor and the the solemn promise that one parent or another would be there to read one story a knight to their daughter? Do you want to guess which of the two fit Solene's upbringing? Some children are allowed to run through the woods or over the plains, swinging sticks and growing their imagination as they battle mythical gnolls instead of just their friends. Others are given their first set of armor and a dagger as soon as they are able to stand with that much weight. Solene was the latter. Some younglings attend the services of the Faith when there's a holy day, or when they have some need to speak to a priest. Not Solene, she was sent to the chapel ever morning and night. If nothing else she was to give thanks for waking and having the chance to sleep once more. All of this made for a rather serious you know knight who took her share of prizes from tournaments among squires, and was knighted without a blemish to be found on her record. She spent a few years among her family, rising to lead patrols and skirmish with the shavs. But something about it didn't feel right. Without the least bit of arrogance she told her parents she was meant for more. She felt a calling. Not one to make hurried decisions, especially ones that permanently change her life, Solene spoke with the local Templars and began working as a disciple of Gloria. She'd service their armor, ride with them, and each activity lead to a greater feeling of fulfillment. By 25 Solene was sure and she gave up her title and took her oaths to the Faith. Since then Solene has served with distinction. It's not just the use of her weapon that has helped her grow, but the way she learns a lesson from each new outing and comes back time-tested and tempered, wrapping her zealotry in an impenetrable shell of experience. It's how she's taken her time with the templars to learn to be more than a weapon, but how to lead and form plans as well.
  n, but how to lead and form plans as well.)
• Rook Grayward  + (Some men always hunger for something more. …
  Some men always hunger for something more. Rook knows he should have been born to nobility, to exercise the sort of power and control derived from that accident of birth, but he's not about to let that stop him. He had at least the minimal good fortune to be born to wealthy merchant vassals of House Grayson, allowing the ambitious young man to deftly dodge all attempts to saddle him with the family business and smoothly transition to the capital city of Arx to move ever closer to power. Once there, it was a simple matter of charming the right people in the right places, saying all the right things to the potential patrons to become a well-liked courtier at court. Rook's burning ambition to make a name for himself was not about to be satisfied with being a liked courtier, and he has steadily expanded his circles of acquaintances to continually include potentially useful individuals to make ever elusive power all the more obtainable. Whether he's doing work with the Whisper House acting as an escort for high born noblewomen, or acting as a patron of the arts for the Black Rose Mummers, Rook seems to have a hand in just about everything.
  s to have a hand in just about everything.)
• Rook Valardin  + (Some men always hunger for something more. …
  Some men always hunger for something more. Rook knows he should have been born to nobility, to exercise the sort of power and control derived from that accident of birth, but he's not about to let that stop him. He had at least the minimal good fortune to be born to wealthy merchant vassals of House Grayson, allowing the ambitious young man to deftly dodge all attempts to saddle him with the family business and smoothly transition to the capital city of Arx to move ever closer to power. Once there, it was a simple matter of charming the right people in the right places, saying all the right things to the potential patrons to become a well-liked courtier at court. Rook's burning ambition to make a name for himself was not about to be satisfied with being a liked courtier, and he has steadily expanded his circles of acquaintances to continually include potentially useful individuals to make ever elusive power all the more obtainable. Whether he's doing work with the Whisper House acting as an escort for high born noblewomen, or acting as a patron of the arts for the Black Rose Mummers, Rook seems to have a hand in just about everything.
  s to have a hand in just about everything.)
• Rook Champagne  + (Some men always hunger for something more. …
  Some men always hunger for something more. Rook knows he should have been born to nobility, to exercise the sort of power and control derived from that accident of birth, but he's not about to let that stop him. He had at least the minimal good fortune to be born to wealthy merchant vassals of House Grayson, allowing the ambitious young man to deftly dodge all attempts to saddle him with the family business and smoothly transition to the capital city of Arx to move ever closer to power. Once there, it was a simple matter of charming the right people in the right places, saying all the right things to the potential patrons to become a well-liked courtier at court. Rook's burning ambition to make a name for himself was not about to be satisfied with being a liked courtier, and he has steadily expanded his circles of acquaintances to continually include potentially useful individuals to make ever elusive power all the more obtainable. Whether he's doing work with the Whisper House acting as an escort for high born noblewomen, or acting as a patron of the arts for the Black Rose Mummers, Rook seems to have a hand in just about everything.
  s to have a hand in just about everything.)
• Margot Tyde  + (Some nobles are raised to meet the expecta …
  Some nobles are raised to meet the expectations of their house out of pride or obligation, striving to be the perfect scion cast in the mold of their ancestors. Lady Margot Tyde, on the other hand, was raised believing that her life literally depended upon how well she could hold up to the Thraxian ideal for a noblewoman. Her father, Duke Titus Tyde, was the second most powerful noble inside the Mourning Isles and rebelled against his liege, Prince Donrai Thrax. As little more than a child, she remembers the utter destruction of her house as House Thrax crushed her family, putting everyone she knew and loved to the sword... save her. As her family's holdings passed to the control of House Thrax, and its vassals all bent the knee, no explanation was ever offered for why her life was spared. It was made privately clear that she would be raised as a ward of House Thrax and her continued status as both a noble and non-corpse was largely dependent upon her behavior. But Lady Margot Tyde is certainly a survivor. To survive, she relentless pursued Thrax's ideal for noblewomen. A true lady of Thrax is the charming diplomat, the convincing apologist for Thraxian excesses that wins concessions where brutish threats fail. A true lady of Thrax skillfully supports the lords and sways others to the cause, but demurs from wielding political power in her own hand. A true lady of Thrax disarms foes with clever games of charm, needing no other weapons. A true lady of Thrax should be ambitious for the success of her house, with a carefully cultivated fire, even as she defers the prizes to men. All this was expected of her, and Lady Margot became what she needed to be, never giving a single dangerous hint of the sort of desire for revenge that would have doomed her while living among the men that killed her family. She would do anything to survive. Anything to succeed.
  anything to survive. Anything to succeed.)
• Sable Greenmarch  + (Some of Sable's earliest memories are of t …
  Some of Sable's earliest memories are of tending to her mother's arrows. Archery is in her blood; her mother was a huntress, and her mother was a huntress, and so on and so forth. As soon as she could hold and draw a bow, she knew what she was and where she wanted to be: a huntress, in the woods. The Greenwood was her home for many years. She saw numerous battles with other shav'arvani and Valardinians both. In truth, she still sees House Valardin as more foe than friend, though she has, of course, bent the knee. She would have stayed in the woods forever, but a bad break of her leg that never quite healed properly has curtailed her activities somewhat. She's still good with a bow, however, and she can make them quite well. The city intrigues her, and while she'll never be entirely comfortable in urban environments, it was time for a change.
  an environments, it was time for a change.)
• Ysabel Gilden  + (Some people are born to great feats of mar …
  Some people are born to great feats of martial pursuits, others to inspired diplomacy and etiquette. Then there are those like Ysabel who simply see the world as one big library. Rarely seen without a book in hand, from the time she was very young, Ysebel could not bear to not try to take apart any situation, any object, simply to learn how it works. Nothing sates her curiosity in full, because there's always more questions, always more to understand. The world wouldn't be so vast, after all, if it wasn't filled with secrets and meant to be understood. Her place as the youngest sibling of a Barony like Caith meant she had more than enough free time to find herself holed up somewhere with a book, or climbing into some cave just to see what was in there. Once, on a trip to Lenosia, Ysabel found herself without any particular duties or need to be noticed, so she made her way into a vast library. She expected no one else to be there, but the youngest Velenosa princess, Isolde, was there, hiding away, reading. The two found each other companionable, usually quietly reading, occasionally engaging in lively debates throughout her trip. That night was the Mirror's Masquerade, and... something happened. Ysabel watched as her new friend danced, and for some reason, knew she had to figure out what just was going on.She knew there was more in the world happening than what she could find in her books. After Alessandra disappeared, and stories of contact with the Nox'alfar reached Caith, Ysabel knew that Arx was her destiny, hoping to help the family there, and reconnect with the Velenosa family to begin the work she knows needs to be done, hoping a position as a lady in waiting will afford her the opportunity to continue her quest for discovery.
  unity to continue her quest for discovery.)
• Darian Malespero  + (Some people have rotten luck, and they cru …
  Some people have rotten luck, and they crumble beneath the weight of all that bad luck. But not Darian. Despite being the youngest son of a now defunct and dead noble family he has never let these facts get him down. When he was young, roughly five or so as near as he can remember, his family as a whole was slaughtered. It was messy, and there was no pretense at hiding the fact they were kiled for a reason instead of it being just casual accidents. Darian could not tell you how it was he managed to survive, and escape, what was the ruins of the rest of his family. Eventually he resurfaced on another island, the ward of another noble family. THe knew he was an orphan, and although he wasn't treated badly he was not given all the nice trappings of the birth children of that family either. He worked for his keep, joining the family militia, training to be a soldier with them, even learning some ways of ship-board war when it was required. Despite all this hardship he remained positive, he new that one day he'd get what he was searching for. THe set sail with many of his brothers-in-arms to fight in Setarco, seeing things there that he would swear were not real if it had been months before. But he saw them, and it has opened his eyes to a great many things, a reality that life was once more changing for him. After the battles, during the clean up efforts he parted ways with the family that had sheltered him since he was a child, setting sail for Nilanza and the rumors that he heard about the remains of what was House Argento's holdings. It was there that he met the Marquessa, and was extended an invitation that seems impossible for him to refuse. Swearing his heart to the family, as well as his sword-arm, he went to work helping to rebuild, eventually sailing for Arx itself.
  ebuild, eventually sailing for Arx itself.)
• Dominique Wyrmguard  + (Some say that there is no family more hono …
  Some say that there is no family more honorable in all of the Oathlands, no vassal house more loyal to Valardin, no truer knights than the sons and daughters of House Wyrmguard. Marquessa Dominique Wyrmguard attempts to embody this well. She regrets the circumstances surrounding her inheriting the title so young, with her famous father perishing at the Tragedy at Sanctum to a surprise attack by bloodthirsty shavs, but she has been preparing her whole life for the moment she would find the burden of rule. Raised on the ideals of chivalry and just rulership, her march stands as one of the oldest and most stalwart backers of House Valardin against the Abandoned that threaten all of the Compact. Her childhood was spent with one lesson after another from her father about the way that terrible men can abuse power and imbued in her an ironclad devotion to high minded principles. Unapologetically idealistic, she realizes that a very black and white approach makes her a poor fit for the treacherous political waters of Arx and is happy to defer the games to her sister Desiree, but never loses sight that the burden of the difficult final decisions must fall upon her shoulders.
  al decisions must fall upon her shoulders.)
• Gwendolen Blackram  + (Some time before her birth, Gwendolen's pa …
  Some time before her birth, Gwendolen's parents struck out from their ancestral home at the Cloudspine and set out to make their names on the frontier. When her mother's pregnancy became apparent, they still persisted with their nomadic lifestyle. Gwendolen was born amid their quest for fame and fortune. Long periods of time spent in the wilderness and among the village-folk did little for the girl's noble graces, but they did imbue her with practical knowledge. From a young age, she learned to ride a horse, hunt animals, and survive without the amenities of a city. Some time later, when Gwendolen was a teenager, her family decided to return to their former lives in the Cloudspine. They had not achieved notoriety, and instead earned the ire of their relatives for shirking their noble duties. Gwendolen was taken in by her grandmother and formally educated, but she didn't take the lessons well. Instead, she entertained herself with stories of adventure and came to idolize the figure of the knight-errant. At the age of 14, Gwendolen forced herself into the company of passing knights in the hope that they'd take her on as a squire. Her opportunity came some years later, when she was old enough to participate in the hunts. A passing knight, known only as Sir Wymar, was impressed with her ability and took her as his shield-bearer. During her time with Sir Wymar, Gwendolen became well-acquainted with the wider Oathlands. She put her survival skills to use and proved herself a valuable asset to her mentor. In return, he educated her in matters of chivalry and swordplay. One day, when traveling the road between Greenhaven and Highhill, the two were set upon by a band of shavs. Gwendolen took up a spear from Wymar's pack and pack and aided him in combat. She spotted a shav preparing to strike her mentor from the side, and quickly ran him through. Sir Wymar dispatched the other two with his sword. Following the battle, the old knight dubbed her on the field. By the time that Gwendolen left her mentor's employ, she was a proud knight. When she returned to the Cloudspine, she enlisted in her family's army. Gwendolen proved herself a capable soldier, and became intimately familiar with the heft of a halberd. Her unit saw combat during the construction of the Great Road, often deployed to combat bands of hostile Abandoned. Gwendolen earned a name with herself during a skirmish that took place in a peasant village. A host of shavs appeared in the night and began to set houses alight. The watchmen roused their comrades from slumber and Gwendolen took command, leading her retinue into combat. They were far outnumbered and pushed back into the center of the village, where they formed a barricade and held out. Gwendolen sent one runner to call for reinforcements, which arrived at the break of dawn. They pushed back the raiders in the morning, and her unit was finally relieved after hours of fighting. Tale of their stand must have reached the ears of her fellow knights. In the month that followed, while Gwendolen recovered from her injuries, she received an invitation to be inducted into the King's Own. She was more than eager to accept.
  's Own. She was more than eager to accept.)
• Miska el-Can  + (Sometimes the story changes, but it usuall …
  Sometimes the story changes, but it usually goes something like this: Miska doesn't know where her mother came from. Either she was Lady of House Pravus at the time seeking to quell some raids by an Abandoned tribe along Setara's shores, or she was one of the Abandoned from the Saffron Chain trying to sell Dust on the Setaran shores. As far as Miska knows, neither one got her special treatment where she lived, in the City of Chains, so one was as good as the either and neither was worth talking about. Her father was a Eurusi slaver that earned a gold star on his record for having captured two ships at once (he was a small-time slaver at the time). Miska would live out most of her life in the City of Chains, learning the harsh lessons of a slave and doing the tasks of one. She, at least, was a favored slave. Pretty, quick-witted, able to make a deal and thus make her father's family richer. And so while life was rough, she witnessed rougher. At least she was never sent to the fighting pits. But one more thing she had: a facility for languages. It was her ability to pick up and speak the tongues of the Arvani, the shavs of the Saffron Chain, and the Eurusi that would have her sent back from Skal'daja by the age of eighteen. She's spent the rest of her years in the Saffron Chain, moving from one outpost or ship to another, treating with one shav clan or another, to keep the slaves flowing into the great markets. All this changed when House Pravus crushed the slavers' fleet and freed so many Eurusi. Miska found herself being ushered to Setarco and later to Arx. She found herself being told she was free to make her own choices, choose her own life. And she was free to contemplate what that even meant. For Miska, it meant starting with more of what she knew: learning markets, making deals, and taking care of the basic hierarchy of needs. That's how she fell in with the Grayhopes; they offered her a roof, protection, food. They offered her time to find out if she was just another Eurusi refugee, a prodigal, or a princess.
  Eurusi refugee, a prodigal, or a princess.)
• Alecstazi Thrax  + (Son of Donrai's youngest brother Weylan Th …
  Son of Donrai's youngest brother Weylan Thrax, Alecstazi was born into power. Or at least within the aura of it. Even as a child he was measured, perceptive and quick to learn the art that was surviving in Donrai's court. He studied his uncle well, and modeled himself after the most successful courtiers in the Mourning Isles. He did not speak unless spoken to, his answers were short, accurate and politely given. He studied the way of the sword and hid his dislike of boats, because showing weakness was not the path to victory. And victory? Meant surviving. Alecstazi was twelve years old when the Tyde Rebellion began and Donrai's fury threatened to turn the seas permanently red. Too young to fight, Alecstazi studied the battle reports, drank up stories of the fighting, listening at Donrai's knee. Three years later, he was horrified to discover that his father, Weylan and his older brother Rotan were traitors, working to try to smuggle some of the last remaining Tyde children to freedom. He immediately called for guards and told his uncle of his father and elder brother's crimes. The sentence was to be death, but at Alecstazi's suggestion, he had them made thralls instead. Death is a swift punishment with no chance to really atone for one's betrayals, he reasoned. Thralldom... well. Isn't that the worse punishment? Apparently, Donrai agreed. Alecstazi earned his uncle's favor and was able to navigate that into being allowed (with no small amount of eye rolling) to cultivate a small number of cavalry soldiers in Maelstrom. Again, he argued, if ever there was a need to fight on the mainland, better to have an idea and some preparedness than be caught flatfooted and landlocked. He enjoyed the benefits of Donrai's favor, cultivating his persona at court, continuing his education in martial training, tactics and doing his cavalry drills. When the old man died and Victus defeated Dagon, that was a blow that left him reeling. He's continued to work towards the betterment of Maelstrom, though the direction the fealty has been taking, the move away from tradition has been growing more and more concerning. This last proclamation, about the end of thralldom, well. Things have got to stop. It is time for Alecstazi to head to Arx and see for himself what is going on.
  Arx and see for himself what is going on.)
• Alecstazi Halfshav  + (Son of Donrai's youngest brother Weylan Th …
  Son of Donrai's youngest brother Weylan Thrax, Alecstazi was born into power. Or at least within the aura of it. Even as a child he was measured, perceptive and quick to learn the art that was surviving in Donrai's court. He studied his uncle well, and modeled himself after the most successful courtiers in the Mourning Isles. He did not speak unless spoken to, his answers were short, accurate and politely given. He studied the way of the sword and hid his dislike of boats, because showing weakness was not the path to victory. And victory? Meant surviving. Alecstazi was twelve years old when the Tyde Rebellion began and Donrai's fury threatened to turn the seas permanently red. Too young to fight, Alecstazi studied the battle reports, drank up stories of the fighting, listening at Donrai's knee. Three years later, he was horrified to discover that his father, Weylan and his older brother Rotan were traitors, working to try to smuggle some of the last remaining Tyde children to freedom. He immediately called for guards and told his uncle of his father and elder brother's crimes. The sentence was to be death, but at Alecstazi's suggestion, he had them made thralls instead. Death is a swift punishment with no chance to really atone for one's betrayals, he reasoned. Thralldom... well. Isn't that the worse punishment? Apparently, Donrai agreed. Alecstazi earned his uncle's favor and was able to navigate that into being allowed (with no small amount of eye rolling) to cultivate a small number of cavalry soldiers in Maelstrom. Again, he argued, if ever there was a need to fight on the mainland, better to have an idea and some preparedness than be caught flatfooted and landlocked. He enjoyed the benefits of Donrai's favor, cultivating his persona at court, continuing his education in martial training, tactics and doing his cavalry drills. When the old man died and Victus defeated Dagon, that was a blow that left him reeling. He's continued to work towards the betterment of Maelstrom, though the direction the fealty has been taking, the move away from tradition has been growing more and more concerning. This last proclamation, about the end of thralldom, well. Things have got to stop. It is time for Alecstazi to head to Arx and see for himself what is going on.
  Arx and see for himself what is going on.)

• Adalmus Nightgold  + (Son of Rognan Nightgold, cousin to Mydas.)

• Flynt Myrt  + (Son of a commoner, who enlisted on a merchant ship and sailed the world in order to escape abuse at home.)
• Ciriel Whitehawk  + (Son of a local blacksmith, he was always f …
  Son of a local blacksmith, he was always frustrated with the kind of work that was done in his father's shop. Working schedule did not permit for anything more than tools, horseshoes and nails. He always had the passion for anything out of the ordinary, anything clever. Be it practical or not. After his father's retirement he took over the shop and took a wife. Soon after there was an accident and all that was left of his previous self, was his passion for novelty trinkets and odd items. Alienated from his previous life an unable to practice his trade, he decided to go on the road and pursue his passion.
  to go on the road and pursue his passion.)
• Katryn Blanchard  + (Song and story, legend and hymn: what make …
  Song and story, legend and hymn: what makes a knight in the Oathlands grin? Prayer and focus, derring and do, she raises her spear and charges true! Raised as a daughter of a cadet branch of the Blanchard family, Katryn had few marital ambitions, even though they were to what she ought to have been born. Though her duty was to her family, even as a very young girl, she embraced legend and tale, dreaming of paladins. Boldness was her favored trait in the heroes she worshipped, but not only bravery but the panoply and pomp of knighthood. Parades lured her whenever there was one, and whenever she could wheedle campaign tales from soldiers and cavalrymen around the holding, she would carefully sit by the fire and illustrate them with colored ink and paper, her imagination free-wheeling far beyond the truth of the matter into the fantastic. The embrace of religion need not be the embrace of dourness. There is a beauty in service, and a wondrous inspiration that can come of serving something greater than you are, and it was these that drew Katryn to the Church. It was a sad parting, from her family, but not an unexpected one, for her many hours at prayer and illustration were consistent, and any ambitions her family might have had to make an advantageous match were thwarted by the driven passion of Katryn's own will. As a young templar, she cut her teeth in conflicts with the Shav'Arvani, and the glowing pennants of her optimism were cut with the shade of reality; in her years of service since she has taken her oath, she has come to understand the darker side of war, the parts of the story soaked in blood and sorrow. But never has she lost the glamour of the knight, nor the brilliance of her dreams of Gloria. Story and legend, power and song, how does a Templar right what's wrong? Faith and fierceness, honor beheld, she stands and fights til the enemy's felled.
  stands and fights til the enemy's felled.)
• Sorina Bianchi  + (Sorina's history is not particularly well- …
  Sorina's history is not particularly well-known, save for the titles and positions which she's fulfilled on behalf of other families and other Houses. A ladies' maid here, a seamstress there. Once, even a governess at a great estate in Lenosia. A less than impressive career, some might say -- or perhaps her true talents have simply gone unused and unnoticed up until now. That her life began in the Lyceum, at least, can be of little doubt. Her accent is too obvious for that. Since having been selected by Lord Giulio Mazetti -- now Count Giulio Corvini -- as part of his entourage, she has served as gracious hostess and planner, as well as from time to time entertaining with poetry and song. She has even participated in several plays -- typically minor comedies or tragedies. She's quite good at it, really, and took to each of her theatrical roles well. (Of course, there have always been rumors about why the Mazetti lord might hire someone to serve in such a capacity when he rarely hosts parties' but it is minor gossip at best.) With his recent marriage, Sorina has been assigned to Countess Ilinca Corvini as a lady-in-waiting, ostensibly to help teach the nuances of the Compact's society to the new Countess.
  the Compact's society to the new Countess.)
• Luciano Fidante  + (Spare child syndrom was a thing others tal …
  Spare child syndrom was a thing others talked about, not the first born, not in line to anything, a cousin of a cousin, or just a random branch of the family. These were issues that others had, never Luciano. While not being the oldest, or in line for any title or land, he has made the best of his life and has enjoyed every moment of is, and the freedom not having any of those things afforded him. When he was young he set sail with a distant cousin, working aboard his merchant ship in the short hops between islands, and then back to Tor. His education began there, and it continued there for years to come. He worked his way up in position on the ship, learned how to navigate, to tie knots, to read the temperment of the sea. Eventually he was gifted his own ship, and the title of captain that came along with it. Unlike the ships he served on growing up, he did not turn his hand towards being nothing more than a merchant. He took up arms, he went exploring, went after pirates that would attack merchant ships. He lived the exciting life that one would imagine, both the goods and the bads. With the trials and tribulations that are facing both family, the Lyceum and the Compact as a whole, he has been called to Arx by the current Duchess to pitch in.
  to Arx by the current Duchess to pitch in.)
• Rendyl Blackram  + (Spawned from a branch off of the main line …
  Spawned from a branch off of the main line of the Blackram family, Rendyl was born a bastard in the Cloudspine, the son of a lord and a common woman. He was afforded some care from his father - never officially acknowledged as a son, but he and his mother never struggled for a day they lived in the Stoneburner Hills. A small stipend of gold allowed him to live along the wealthier edge of the common folk, supplied with a soldier's education in combat so that he could serve in the troop commanded by his lord father. He even recieved training in the family art of greatsword combat while his comrades stuck to their pikes. Despite the comforts afforded to him, Rendyl was mostly known in the Cloudspine for being a nuisance - a pest, afforded protection by the unspoken fact that he lived under his father's watch. Well, that is to say, he DID live under it. He disappeared shortly after turning twenty. Promoted to command a small unit, he brought his score of pikemen out beyond the walls of Cloudspine for a tracking exercise. He instructed his men to wait five minutes before pursuing him. Unfortunately, they never found him - instead, Rendyl's men were slaughtered by the Abandoned hiding in the forests. Though the commander was presumed dead, he was never found. Bits and pieces of the story regarding his years away from the Cloudspine have filtered out over time, but Rendyl has never been eager to speak of it himself. He was taken for a noble - kidnapped, his sword stolen, intended to be ransomed - though if such a thing occured, there's no record of it among the Blackrams. He returned to the Cloudspine one day, though he was.. changed. He had been lively and jovial, beloved among the soliders despite his elevated status. His mother said the Shavs had stolen the light from his eyes. He doesn't deny that his experience affected him - only the severity to which it did. His father was apparently quite moved by what had happened - the day Rendyl return was the first day his father had publicly acknowledged him as a son. He took him in more closely - the bastard had turned out to be his only child, and he relished the opportunity to play father on his second chance. The two were inseperable for a good while. The boy proved himself worthy in combat with his lord father, and was eventually legitimized, taken as a knight of house Blackram. The boy's father took him on a celebratory hunt shortly after the occasion - revelling in the fact that his boy was once again brave enough to venture beyond the walls of the Cloudspine. Fate was not kind to Rendyl, however - and his father, too, was ambushed in the hills. He refused to let the northern Abandoned take his son again, choosing instead to fight while the younger man fled. Thus leaves Rendyl with his father's name and assets, the small branch he had fell from now left with him as the lone inheritor. Thankfully, it was enough to take him to Arx, in pursuit of a place among the other Blackrams under the new Marquis.
  the other Blackrams under the new Marquis.)
• Raemond Dredcall  + (Spending much of his youth as the runt of …
  Spending much of his youth as the runt of the family, Raemond was bullied as a child well into his adolescence. Despite the opposition, he trained with his cousins and pushed as hard and harder than they, striving to rise above them in any way he could. As he grew and time blessed him with a frame to match his ambitions, Raemond wasn't above crushing those that sought to hold him down, and he grew with an especial dislike of oppression. An excellent swordsman and an experienced sailor, Raemond has used his tactical mind for his people on more than one occassion, and was never above brutal tactics to see the job done. There is nothing too under-handed that couldn't be used as an advantage, and in his career as a soldier he's proved how true this is again and again.
  s proved how true this is again and again.)
• Staci Silvman  + (Staci's mother married down, not much bute …
  Staci's mother married down, not much butenough to make a difference. She grew up as a merchant's daughter. As the eldest she had a bit more responable and her mother wished her to better the family name. Taught reading, writing and figures Staci was on her way towards being taken on as a scribe when disaster struck the village and her family. The only to survive of her family she became one of many refugees.
  er family she became one of many refugees.)
• Courage Pie  + (Stanley 'Courage' Pie was born a farmer, l …
  Stanley 'Courage' Pie was born a farmer, lived a farmer and would probably have died a farmer on Fidante land if it wasn't for the Valorous Few recruiter who came through his village. He was the only one to join up, and his reason had absolutely nothing to do with being sick of being the butt of everyone's jokes and wanting to get away from it all. No sir.
  d wanting to get away from it all. No sir.)
• Stygia Ulbran  + (Stygia was born and raised in the docks of …
  Stygia was born and raised in the docks of Arx though for much of her life she stuck to the shadows and flew low and under the notice of most of the Lowers. Her mother worked at a tavern and it was rough, but not rougher than most stories that start down there. All of her young life she was fed tales of success and adventure from sailors passing through so it was no surprise when she turned old enough to pass for old enough that she bolted to the sea. She remained there for a number of years, though she's been back in the area for nearly a year now, picking up where she left off as a tavern frequent, staying low in the shadows. She has made the docks her home, not taking any more long voyages but instead cultivating her reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
  reputation as a force to be reckoned with.)
• Styx Whisper  + (Styx was known to be a studious kid from a …
  Styx was known to be a studious kid from a young age; She was always interested in technical and how-to books, asking adventures and knights stories about their travels and their oaths. But the one theme that stuck was the gods and the Mirror. She'd often ask why people were afraid of mirrors, they only reflect back what's already in front of them after all. When she became older, she found out a good way to learn from others is by being a messenger and being a diplomat, why ask people when you can get them to tell you out of their own will? Up to this point, her life didn't lead her into any real issues or complications until one night she dreamt of a mirror. A large, wide imposing mirror that you'd mistake for rippling if you stared at it for too long. In this dream, she walked up and placed her hand on the mirror glass, but instead of touching something solid she fell through, she closed her eyes as she melted into the mirror not knowing what would happen. Then she opened her eyes, and she was on the floor of her room, disorientated and confused about what happened. Ever since that night, she's been doing what she can to learn more about this mirror, and what it meant for her.
  ut this mirror, and what it meant for her.)
• Sunniva Harthall  + (Sunniva grew up fostered in the Laurent Ho …
  Sunniva grew up fostered in the Laurent Household not as a blood relative but a ward that the Duke took into his household and made one of his own family. Granted the family name she was raised as a sibling since before she can remember. The ideals of the house became her own and a powerful force in creating who she later became. She was oft by herself, reading a book, painting or taking walks on her own. A gentle child she had little use for the shows of prowess or strength that many can be given to. Instead she spent her time learning the native plant life and eventually learning how they applied to healing. Her place in the family also gave rise to her tutelage in caring for the household both in organizing, throwing events, etiquette and performing. All practical useful things in a noblewoman's role who is set to be the center of the household's heart. Though her heart was set in the care of others she found there were ways she could do so even by merely speaking and sharing company - how just the compassionate presence of another can change the demeanor of a person. When she was eighteen, she began her courtship to Lord Orvyn Harthall, set up between the Duke and the Marquis of Harthall the two were familiar with each other from the Valadrin gatherings. It began with simple visits and over time Sunniva became fond of the Lord Harthall. He indulged her own interests and she found his own quiet reserve to be something of an appeal, a gentle hand and a warm smile. She could have done far worse and knew it. They were married in the late Spring of 1004, with the intention of traveling on his merchant vessel to see other harbors. They got five or six months into their travels when word finally found them that the current heir, Orvyn's brother was broken in a horse riding accident which several days later claimed his life. This brought their tour to an end and the two returned together, Orvyn now the intended heir and no longer able to see to the ships he loved. Sunniva grieved for the change of position and what had done to her husband in tethering his free spirit. Sunniva and Orvyn spent years preparing, learning and understanding the state of House Harthall and its holdings, adjusting and attending functions so that they could be known and it was definitely more of a need than they would realize. The Marquis passed for sudden reasons, a brain aneurysm. It put Orvyn directly in his place and Sunniva who never thought to care for more than her immediate family took hold of Harthall and carefully steered it as best she could.
  nd carefully steered it as best she could.)
• Syd Volkov  + (Syd's one of those people who's done a lit …
  Syd's one of those people who's done a little bit of everything. He served his time under the Horse Lord, fighting to defend his family name. He's bred the horses the Volkovs are known for. He can cook a little, he can paint a little, he knows a bit of carpentry, and on and on the list goes. He was married for some untold number of decades, but his wife awaits him in the next life now. Never one for many of the trappings of high society and noble politics, he is known as somewhat of a private person, and even moreso after his wife's passing. He comes to the city of Arx simply following the younger, more spritely members of his clan, offering his own wacky brand of sage advice, whether solicited or not.
  of sage advice, whether solicited or not.)
• Sylvie Rubino-Zaffria  + (Sylvie was born the only child of the powe …
  Sylvie was born the only child of the powerful Zaffria family. It is fairly known that she was a doted on and indulged child, raised as the acknowledged heir to her father Duke Marco Zaffria, co-ruler of the city-state of Gemecitta. A rather brilliant if mercurial child, it is said that it was only desperation that drove Marco to agree to marry his only daughter to Rubino's heir and eldest son, Zaccheri, though it was a lovely celebration for nobles and commoners alike. It was a passion-filled two years of marriage, with just as many public fights as there were displays of affection. Yet, after two years, Zaccheri died suddenly and left Sylvie a widow and his younger brother, Valkieri, the heir. With a future that seems destined to be intertwined, Sylvie was sent with Valkieri to Arx to represent their houses. Valkieri soon ascended to the title of Duke after a tragic, unforeseen accident on his father's part and Sylvie's father soon announced his abdication of his title right after. They seemed to alternate between ruling together and in contention thereafter. That is, until one day, Sylvie seemed to evacuate the city as the Bringers of Silence gathered to approach and abdicate her own title in favor of her cousin Dafne, without word of warning or without being seen again, even when Valkieri died in Gemecitta months later. No real sight or word of Sylvie had passed in the city or the Compact, until 1016; now, as the moon hangs in the sky during bright summer days, she has returned to Arx and has taken up residence not within the palazzo of Gemecitta, but in the Nox'alfar embassy, with the explanation that she has become part of their court since she left her title and life behind a decade ago.
  ft her title and life behind a decade ago.)
• Tabitha Mercier  + (Tabitha was born the second child of Bened …
  Tabitha was born the second child of Benedict Mercier, raised alongside three siblings within their manor in Clemenstone Vale. From a young age her parents could sense she was different from most children: she cried far more often, she laughed far more often, and she rarely slept. She was tiring to raise, but developed a close bond with both of her parents, and they doted on her shamelessly. Her relationships with her siblings, on the other hand, were far more complicated. Her older brother was outright jealous of her arrival, and picked on her relentlessly. As they grew up Tabitha gradually began to understand her brother's nature and envy, but all her attempts to comfort him were spurned. One day, after a quarrel over a broken hairpin, her brother cut her long hair in retribution as she slept. The parents were not amused, and her brother Ephraim was banished from the manor. It was the last time she had a conversation with him... Tabitha got along well with her younger siblings, Priscilla and Horatio, and began to flourish as an artist when she grew into a teenager. Her father would begin to show her portraits to guests who would visit the manor, and soon they expressed interest in buying them. She was allowed to travel with her father and his retinue whenever she desired, and made ample use of her time seeking inspiration for her paintings. Now a full-fledged adult, Tabitha has left Clemenstone Vale for Arx, seeking new muses and wanting to know just what happened to her little brother...
  ust what happened to her little brother...)
• Tabitha Whitehawk  + (Tabitha was born the second child of Bened …
  Tabitha was born the second child of Benedict Mercier, raised alongside three siblings within their manor in Clemenstone Vale. From a young age her parents could sense she was different from most children: she cried far more often, she laughed far more often, and she rarely slept. She was tiring to raise, but developed a close bond with both of her parents, and they doted on her shamelessly. Her relationships with her siblings, on the other hand, were far more complicated. Her older brother was outright jealous of her arrival, and picked on her relentlessly. As they grew up Tabitha gradually began to understand her brother's nature and envy, but all her attempts to comfort him were spurned. One day, after a quarrel over a broken hairpin, her brother cut her long hair in retribution as she slept. The parents were not amused, and her brother Ephraim was banished from the manor. It was the last time she had a conversation with him... Tabitha got along well with her younger siblings, Sapphira and Horatio, and began to flourish as an artist when she grew into a teenager. Her father would begin to show her portraits to guests who would visit the manor, and soon they expressed interest in buying them. She was allowed to travel with her father and his retinue whenever she desired, and made ample use of her time seeking inspiration for her paintings. Now a full-fledged adult, Tabitha has left Clemenstone Vale for Arx, seeking new muses and wanting to know just what happened to her little brother...
  ust what happened to her little brother...)
• Tabitha Ashford  + (Tabitha was born the second child of Bened …
  Tabitha was born the second child of Benedict Mercier, raised alongside three siblings within their manor in Clemenstone Vale. From a young age her parents could sense she was different from most children: she cried far more often, she laughed far more often, and she rarely slept. She was tiring to raise, but developed a close bond with both of her parents, and they doted on her shamelessly. Her relationships with her siblings, on the other hand, were far more complicated. Her older brother was outright jealous of her arrival, and picked on her relentlessly. As they grew up Tabitha gradually began to understand her brother's nature and envy, but all her attempts to comfort him were spurned. One day, after a quarrel over a broken hairpin, her brother cut her long hair in retribution as she slept. The parents were not amused, and her brother Ephraim was banished from the manor. It was the last time she had a conversation with him... Tabitha got along well with her younger siblings, Sapphira and Horatio, and began to flourish as an artist when she grew into a teenager. Her father would begin to show her portraits to guests who would visit the manor, and soon they expressed interest in buying them. She was allowed to travel with her father and his retinue whenever she desired, and made ample use of her time seeking inspiration for her paintings. Now a full-fledged adult, Tabitha has left Clemenstone Vale for Arx, seeking new muses and wanting to know just what happened to her little brother...
  ust what happened to her little brother...)
• Takruid none  + (Takruid was born and raised in a small tow …
  Takruid was born and raised in a small town of Three Trees. As with most people from a small town it takes a good bit of hardwork to get by. Takruid got through it by picking up odd jobs here and there before taking an apprenticeship with the local butcher. That how's he ended up being the go to for hunters and trappers alike, cleaning their kills for those around town not as willing to hunt their supper.
  town not as willing to hunt their supper.)
• Talia Crucible  + (Talia was a delicate baby, born to a groom …
  Talia was a delicate baby, born to a groom in the stables of Bastion. She hardly cried even on entering the world, a weakness of the lungs that saw her sheltered indoors growing up. The kindness of the Graysons extended to their servants. Her brother, Tristan, was a shadow in the stables and a close companion to the crown prince. Stuck inside, she could only watch, but she was given a place in the castle to learn, her lessons ever practical and her education focused on things that would server her well towards finding a path in life. Needlework, embroidery, this is what she was taught. She was fine at it, just perfectly adequate for the purpose of creating clothing for those in Bastion. Yet, not quite three years ago, the young woman blossomed into her craft. Suddenly, she was churning out amazing designs, sought after by the nobles near and wide. It is this demand that has seen a patron sponsor her journey to Arx to find her place in the city of the court.
  o find her place in the city of the court.)
• Taliene Deepwood  + (Taliene Valardin was a child of the White …
  Taliene Valardin was a child of the White City, and grew up pampered amongst the old stones of an ancient fortress that has never fallen to a siege. The youngest daughter of a cadet branch of the House, Taliene was raised a little differently than her siblings. By agreement, she was sent young to Gemecitta, fostering with her grandparents. Though raised far from Sanctum, as a trueborn daughter of Valardin, expectations for greatness were heaped on her. She turned a brilliant and precocious mind to learning as much as she could. Like Talwyn, she loved to lose herself in books. Her days were filled with whispering parchment, books of history, songs, lineages, battles, and more. Like Terese, she pursued all things martial, war, swordplay, the art of conflict. But she was like neither of them, something essential keeping her apart. A strange, bright alloy of her elder siblings. Talwyn and Terese were visiting Taliene in Gemecitta when the Tragedy fell on Sanctum. She had invited them to attend her first falconry exhibition and in accepting, they were spared. Eventually they all returned to Sanctum to rebuild. Taliene began to study war in earnest with Sanctum's best tutors and strategic minds. She showed promise, surprising tutors who frequently discounted the colt-like girl who wouldn't meet their eyes. She was rapt for tales of war from Knights and soldiers and enthusiastic in worship of Limerance, and might have become a knight herself, or Godsworn, but tread a different path. In Sanctum, she grew from a rangy, awkward girl into a striking young woman, long and tall, who learned to harness her natural grace into all the pursuits expected of a scion of Valardin: martial training, artistry, scholarship. Despite being raised in the Lyceum, she found she was not meant for political maneuvering of any sort, but did recognize the value of her blood to forge ties with the Crownlands. She learned her lessons and traveled as much as possible. A quick mind is her blade, her body its expression, her insight into others her armor. As is often the case with younger princes and princesses, she was married out of Valardin to ensure ties to other fealties. For Taliene, Valardin to the Crownlands by marriage into Deepwood. It is hard to say if the marriage would have been a good one, Bennet died fighting in the Saffron Chain, They produced no offspring, but Taliene remained in Deepwood, learning from Marquis Rymarr until his death. She is taking great strides on the path of learning how and when to bend, when to attack, when to send a scout instead of a warrior, when to take a loss to ensure a greater victory.
  o take a loss to ensure a greater victory.)
• Tallius Penrose  + (Tallius Oakheart is the only son of Arnell …
  Tallius Oakheart is the only son of Arnell and Dellia, northern shavs who were granted the family name Oakheart when they bent the knee and became prodigals, shortly after discovering that Dellia was with child. Swearing oath to the House of Redrain, the pair settled in a village on the southern edges of Redrain territory. Tallius took after his father, and learned the crafts of hunting and fletching, becoming a skilled archer from a very young age. He spent much of his childhood in the woods near the village hunting and collecting pieces of wood, learning to carve during the winter months. It was a good, if simple, life and he grew up happy in that small village. Unfortunately, war came to the village, in the form of the advance of the armies of Tolomar Brand. When the village was overrun, Arnell and Dellia stood with many of the other elders of the village, fighting fiercely to try and buy time. When Tallius attempted to stay and fight, his father commanded him to go, pushing the bow he had helped Tallius to build into his hands and telling him to watch after the others. Knowing he would never see his parents again, he embraced them for the last time and joined those fleeing. The journey was arduous and long, and beset constantly by the attacks of the foul creatures of the invading horde, but eventually the refugees stole through and achieved the safety of Arx. Of the thirty who fled the village, only a handful remained, Tallius and his childhood friend Petal amongst them. The scars of the battle, and of the long flight to the dubious safety of Arx, are etched deep into Tallius.
  fety of Arx, are etched deep into Tallius.)
• Talwyn Valardin  + (Talwyn Valardin was a child of the White C …
  Talwyn Valardin was a child of the White City, and grew up pampered amongst the old stones of an ancient fortress that has never fallen to a siege. The son of a cadet branch of the house, the weight of expectation was as distant upon him as the might of the rest of the Compact. He was sheltered, but well educated, and his education was partly so extensive because he showed such an aptitude for it. Books and stories fired his imagination; song and poem fired his heart. As a boy, this was where he found his freedom, upon the written page, and he spent so much time in the library at Sanctum that it was generally anticipated that he would not be one for the court, but for the Faith. Yet as he grew older, the gods did not seem to call him anywhere near as much as other things. Romantic literature, songs of derring do and chivalry, travelogues, anything that was about the world beyond -- music that freed the spirit and the feet for dancing. It might have been than in a world where the Faith was more relaxed a priest might have been able to catch his attention and harness him towards disciplehood, but his youth was powerful with the need to be free, and at Sanctum, that freedom was far, far from temple walls. So he learned, and learned well, but always his eye wandered towards the harp strings, or the section of the library where stories and histories were kept. Music brought out a passion in him, as little else did, and fired his imagination. He learned to play several instruments, and began to write companion pieces to popular novels. With his musicality, his popularity grew, and he developed as a student of both the social game and as a performer. As a young man among Sanctum's elite, he became not only well-known, but a Person to Know. But a chance trip with his sister to visit relations in the Lyceum was all that saved him from the disaster of the Tragedy at Sanctum, and in its wake, he saw the youth of his generation struggling to come to grips with the weight of new responsibility, and Talwyn worked to express that in musical composition. Not for him the poetic scansion of the lyricist, but the purity of instrumental composition. He became one of the most well-known of composers as well as one of the most well-known of gentlemen, always the height of fashion, in demand and, of course, by the time he set forth to join his family in Arx to serve House Valardin, an extremely eligible bachelor whether he wanted to be or not.
  e bachelor whether he wanted to be or not.)
• Talwyn Saik  + (Talwyn Valardin was a child of the White C …
  Talwyn Valardin was a child of the White City, and grew up pampered amongst the old stones of an ancient fortress that has never fallen to a siege. The son of a cadet branch of the house, the weight of expectation was as distant upon him as the might of the rest of the Compact. He was sheltered, but well educated, and his education was partly so extensive because he showed such an aptitude for it. Books and stories fired his imagination; song and poem fired his heart. As a boy, this was where he found his freedom, upon the written page, and he spent so much time in the library at Sanctum that it was generally anticipated that he would not be one for the court, but for the Faith. Yet as he grew older, the gods did not seem to call him anywhere near as much as other things. Romantic literature, songs of derring do and chivalry, travelogues, anything that was about the world beyond -- music that freed the spirit and the feet for dancing. It might have been than in a world where the Faith was more relaxed a priest might have been able to catch his attention and harness him towards disciplehood, but his youth was powerful with the need to be free, and at Sanctum, that freedom was far, far from temple walls. So he learned, and learned well, but always his eye wandered towards the harp strings, or the section of the library where stories and histories were kept. Music brought out a passion in him, as little else did, and fired his imagination. He learned to play several instruments, and began to write companion pieces to popular novels. With his musicality, his popularity grew, and he developed as a student of both the social game and as a performer. As a young man among Sanctum's elite, he became not only well-known, but a Person to Know. But a chance trip with his sister to visit relations in the Lyceum was all that saved him from the disaster of the Tragedy at Sanctum, and in its wake, he saw the youth of his generation struggling to come to grips with the weight of new responsibility, and Talwyn worked to express that in musical composition. Not for him the poetic scansion of the lyricist, but the purity of instrumental composition. He became one of the most well-known of composers as well as one of the most well-known of gentlemen, always the height of fashion, in demand and, of course, by the time he set forth to join his family in Arx to serve House Valardin, an extremely eligible bachelor whether he wanted to be or not.
  e bachelor whether he wanted to be or not.)
• Tania Peake  + (Tania was born in the lower boroughs near …
  Tania was born in the lower boroughs near the docks to an unnamed father. Her mother worked as a jeweller on the dockside and made trinkets from the bounty of the sea. Her father was a sailor, she was told, but he ran out on them both when Tania was still little. Although her mother tried to provide as best she could, she didn't want to choose between her dream and providing Tania with a good life, so she was fostered with a local tavernkeeper. From a young age she learned to scrub mugs and plates, and grew accustomed to the rowdy element of the city. Rather than being hardened by it, she grew attached to the patrons and celebrated their unique character of spirit. Although the tavern she worked at burned down, she still pursues work as a barmaid at locations all over Arx.
  rk as a barmaid at locations all over Arx.)
• Tanith Grayhope  + (Tanith is one of the many Grayhope 'cousin …
  Tanith is one of the many Grayhope 'cousins', she's worked for one family business or another since she was a teen. She has been employed at the Murder in some capacity or another, from dishwasher to server to cook, and so on. Now she mans the bar, an illustrious position if ever there was one, and doubles as the muscle when things get exciting. Her hobbies include bottle-smashing, embroidery, arm-wrestling, and learning about new kinds of bludgeoning weapons (or what can make a good bludgeoning weapon), and baking.
  ke a good bludgeoning weapon), and baking.)