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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

• Miraya Corsetina  + (Who is Miraya Corsetina? That is a good qu …
  Who is Miraya Corsetina? That is a good question, one that does not find any solid answers from the woman's family, with surprisingly sparse information for someone from such a prominent commoner family. All that anyone knows is that Miraya is named after her own mother, making her Mirari Corsetina's sister. Surprisingly elegant for a woman of her social rank and quite artful with a sabre, Miraya is a recent Arx arrival who seems to always be outside doing something. The people of the Lower Boroughs know her to be kind and to have a flourish to her speech that makes Miraya something of a folkloric figure, a lady of the gutter.
  a folkloric figure, a lady of the gutter.)
• Wighard Harrow  + (Wighard grew up in Arx an only child and only his father looking after him. He learned how to do different menial labors before leaving his house at the age of 20.)
• Wilhelmina Fairchild  + (Wilhelmina is born in the surroundings of …
  Wilhelmina is born in the surroundings of Farhaven. Her commoner parents, a soldier father and an armorsmith mother, did their best to teach her good manners in the hope it could lead her somewhere. Beside the house chores and the maintenance of the very little farm her family had, she was sent to learn about etiquette and decorum which was a bit out of the place given her status. As she grew up, and hit teenage, she was praised for her good looks. Upon noticing that some people would be nicer to her when she placed a good smile with the correct word, one idea struck her. She traveled to Arx to try to make a living at court as a courtier.
  y to make a living at court as a courtier.)
• Wilhem Whisper  + (Wilhem was born the youngest of 9 sons, of …
  Wilhem was born the youngest of 9 sons, of a merchant family in the Tyde lands. Coming out distinctly 'different' than his siblings, he was marked at a young age. He was mostly left to his own devices, his older brothers (and sisters) all off doing important things. Wilhem stayed with his mother, learning to sew, and hunt the small birds that dotted the island with his kiddy bow. And just generally.... Enjoyed life as a child, like only a late born well to do merchant child could. That is, until when he was 10, and his family supported the Tyde in rebellion. His brothers went off to war, sailing with the fleet, a deadly collection of vessals. One after the other, they were put low, scattered by a storm, and picked off by swarms of Thraxian vessals. Once the war was over, as the last remaining son of the family, he was forced to assume the blood debt of all the others. An exorbitant amount was put on his head, so he would likely never leave thralldom. By the age of 13, he was being passed around, sold as a Thrall for various Thraxian ladies. The clothing he made was becoming the latest fashion, and higher and higher he went, owned by ever increasingly influential noble women. That is, until Margot Tyde put out that all family thralls were given freedom. Wilhem took the opportunity to become a free man again, and, having spent some time wishing to be a whisper, was sent to Arx to complete his training. He's here to assist and aide the Whispers, and House Tyde in any way he can. His skill with cloth is top notch, and he's still a fair shot, and sneaky bastard. Rough around the edges, from a life spent away from court, he'll need some refinement, certainly.
  rt, he'll need some refinement, certainly.)
• Wilhemina Viret  + (Wilhemina's always been a devout woman, un …
  Wilhemina's always been a devout woman, unsurprisingly born in a village close to Sanctum, known as the birth place of the Faith. Orphaned in her teens after her parents were found dead in the woods - deemed to be an animal attack - she learned self-reliance at an early age. A studious sort, she was ambitious in her pursuit of knowledge and a greater understanding of the world and the past. Delving into the intricacies of law and of course, theology. Yet, she knew that swearing herself to the gods wasn't a decision to take lightly, and it was a journey she'd need to take one step at a time. She worked as a lawyer for many years before officially taking her Godsworn oaths, eventually travelling to Arx. She's a steadfast yet subtle presence. Not known to engage much socially beyond her duties.
  to engage much socially beyond her duties.)
• Wil Viret  + (Wilhemina's always been a devout woman, un …
  Wilhemina's always been a devout woman, unsurprisingly born in a village close to Sanctum, known as the birth place of the Faith. Orphaned in her teens after her parents were found dead in the woods - deemed to be an animal attack - she learned self-reliance at an early age. A studious sort, she was ambitious in her pursuit of knowledge and a greater understanding of the world and the past. Delving into the intricacies of law and of course, theology. Yet, she knew that swearing herself to the gods wasn't a decision to take lightly, and it was a journey she'd need to take one step at a time. She worked as a lawyer for many years before officially taking her Godsworn oaths, eventually travelling to Arx. She's a steadfast yet subtle presence. Not known to engage much socially beyond her duties.
  to engage much socially beyond her duties.)
• Fiachra Greenmarch  + (With a father crippled in battle prior to …
  With a father crippled in battle prior to his birth, and a mother who fell to illness when he was but five, Fiachra grew up with the kind of fierce independence expected from those who had self-responsibility thrust upon them from youth. He always had a strong affinity for the Greenwood, and came to know its paths and all the variety of flora and fauna that called it home. Over time, he became a skilled woodsman and aided in the defence of the lands that his clan had held for centuries against all threats. Honestly, he probably would have been content living out his days there, but change is inevitable, especially as a nephew of the Greenmarch chief, Marcel. When the Greenmarch Abandoned bent their knee and became members of the Compact, the ability to be flexible in one's worldview became a trait necessary for survival. In truth, of all his immediate family members, it's probably his younger sister that most embodies that particular quality. She's headed now to Arx to embrace this new world of opportunity that has opened up to them, and their father has tasked Fiachra with accompanying Eirlys to keep watch over her.
  ccompanying Eirlys to keep watch over her.)
• Fiachra Valardin  + (With a father crippled in battle prior to …
  With a father crippled in battle prior to his birth, and a mother who fell to illness when he was but five, Fiachra grew up with the kind of fierce independence expected from those who had self-responsibility thrust upon them from youth. He always had a strong affinity for the Greenwood, and came to know its paths and all the variety of flora and fauna that called it home. Over time, he became a skilled woodsman and aided in the defence of the lands that his clan had held for centuries against all threats. Honestly, he probably would have been content living out his days there, but change is inevitable, especially as a nephew of the Greenmarch chief, Marcel. When the Greenmarch Abandoned bent their knee and became members of the Compact, the ability to be flexible in one's worldview became a trait necessary for survival. In truth, of all his immediate family members, it's probably his younger sister that most embodies that particular quality. She's headed now to Arx to embrace this new world of opportunity that has opened up to them, and their father has tasked Fiachra with accompanying Eirlys to keep watch over her.
  ccompanying Eirlys to keep watch over her.)
• Cufre Harrow  + (With ancestors who were Prodigal and growi …
  With ancestors who were Prodigal and growing up in the Lower Boroughs, life was far from easy for Cufre. Despite the hardships that the family faced, her ancestors and older siblings did willingly serve the Crown in the form of the Iron Guard. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, all the way down to Felicia older sister Amantha. Service has been something which the family has conducted with stringent adherence to the simple concept: to integrate and find acceptance, one must be willing to serve. And serve the family has, for a number of generations in concurrence. Cufre did not choose to follow in the family tradition of service in the Iron Guard, but instead recently opened a shop in the Lower Burroughs known as the Heart of Glass Glaziers, her 'service' more private in terms of trying to improve the family's fortune. This does not mean she is without aspirations, particularly with Death's rediscovery and admission into the Pantheon, the youngest Harrow sister finds herself increasingly intrigued with the Harlequin's of Death and service to Death in particular.
  Death and service to Death in particular.)
• Felicia Harrow  + (With ancestors who were Prodigal and growi …
  With ancestors who were Prodigal and growing up in the Lower Boroughs, life was far from easy for Felicia. Despite the hardships that the family faced, she and her ancestors did willingly serve the Crown in the form of the Iron Guard. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, all the way down to Felicia and one of her other siblings. Service has been something which the family has conducted with stringent adherence to the simple concept: to integrate and find acceptance, one must be willing to serve. And serve the family has, for a number of generations in concurrence. It was only recent history when a fire broke out in the Ward of the Crown one evening while Felicia and a small number of the Iron Guard were on patrol. A home within the palace's ward was on fire and the majority of the Iron Guard in her presence froze. Notably at least one of them ran off to raise the alarm, but the rest stood marvelling at the flames. Felicia didn't have time for that, she wanted to get home and attend to her little garden, and have a stiff drink. She put boot to door and disappeared inside. Over the course of nearly ten minutes and multiple trips, Felicia was able to recover at least a half dozen nobles from indoors ranging from small children to adults. Covered in soot and reeking of smoke, Felicia had put herself at enormous personal risk on a whim. As happens when people of merit put themselves at risk for little noticeable gain, it gained the notice of some. In this case it was someone intimately familiar with the Ward of the Crown and that at least held a tacit relationship with the Iron Guard through mutual service. The First Captain at the time of the King's Own, Rymarr, reached out to Felicia. An offer was made, an offer was questioned. She was no knight and the King's Own were a collection of talented knights of varying degrees of skill but most assuredly known for their many acts of bravery and valor throughout the centuries. Rudimentary training was provided by a number of noteworthy names within the King's Own, prior to Felicia taking her oath. Bringing her to speed for the Silver Swords, instilling in her the importance of their duty, their professionalism, and ultimately the demand for their unified front again threats to the Crown. The price was high, without a doubt, but Felicia became Dame Felicia Harrow. Cast aside some of her obligations and ties beyond the King's Own, but in doing so earned the ability to call herself a knight of the King's Own. Which has also had the fortunate side effect of rarely wanting for at least basic needs. The palace baths? Too die for. Palace food? Amazing. The past few months has been completely worth the need to lay her life on the line in protection of the Sovereign.
  n the line in protection of the Sovereign.)
• Amantha Harrow  + (With ancestors who were Prodigal and growi …
  With ancestors who were Prodigal and growing up in the Lower Boroughs, life was far from easy for Amantha. Despite the hardships that the family faced, she and her ancestors did willingly serve the Crown in the form of the Iron Guard. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, both parents and older sister Felicia forging the path ahead of Amantha. Service has been something which the family has conducted with stringent adherence to the simple concept: to integrate and find acceptance, one must be willing to serve. And serve the family has, for a number of generations in concurrence. Amantha went from living in the shadow of her older sister, to nominal head of the household when Felicia broke with the family tradition to become one of the King's Own. She rules the roost of the Lower Burrough's Harrow's, balancing her duties with the Iron Guard with her own aspirations of some day joining the Mercies.
  pirations of some day joining the Mercies.)
• Arya Gilden  + (With older children to be saddled with tra …
  With older children to be saddled with training to lead the House and younger children to be coddled, Arya was often left to her own devices, just as she preferred it. With such liberty, she was able to cultivate her own interests; the pursuit of the fantastical, and fiction-writing thereof. Hours would drift past as she lost herself in her own imagination, penning tales of talking creatures, woods with secrets unknown, and battles between forces of light and darkness. Oh sure, she learned to socialize and she likes a bit of courtly gossip as much as the next young noblewoman, but the unreal has always been her passion. Thus, when word began to circulate through the noble houses of the return of magic and visitors from other lands, she wasted no time setting off for Arx with a sturdy quill and an iron will, determined to seek out the fantastical happening all around herself right under the very nose of the Compact - and she'll write it all.
  of the Compact - and she'll write it all.)
• Cornelius Blackshore  + (With other heirs apparent, it was clear wh …
  With other heirs apparent, it was clear when Cornelius was born that he would never inherit Blackshore Isle. However, he was groomed to serve his brother Oswald by the stern, unforgiving hand of his father. Mother was nothing more than a glittering show piece that was valued only by her ability to engage their social peers in the drawing room. He never found any maternal warmth from her. Under the harsh rule of a Thraxian warlord, Cornelius quickly learned to navigate among some of the most ruthless warriors of the Compact. Cornelius met Lady Florence Gilden, his future wife, at a society event. She was nothing like what he was used to. Fragile, vulnerable and so trusting. It was easy to sweep her off her feet, and convince her to marry him. Of course her family had misgivings that he was ten years her senior and only after her dowry, but he managed to convince the idealistic artist that he had only eyes for her. They were married after a quick courtship. It was her dowry that allowed him to launch his career as a naval architect for House Thrax. Serving Donrai was never easy, and his back bears the scars of a few missed gambles but overall he managed to get the High Lord to sponsor his ideas. When his first son, Romulius, was born while his brother had yet to produce an heir, other ambitions caused him to stop more often to visit Oswald. Florence never liked him so he was careful to balance those two when they were together. The next few years passed quickly, his fortunes ebbed and flowed depending on his investments. Dycard and Skye were born. His family thrived on their many travels as he gave his duty to the Compact. While Florence's health seemed to wane as time passed, others would remark that he was the consummate family man. Cornelius will tell you it was a difficult decision to leave his wife with his brother, but her wasting illness got to the point where she needed more medical care. He managed to convince Oswald to take his wife in. Then he placed his daughter there to assist with her care. Of course, he kept his sons by his side to make sure they would learn the business. There were times that he perhaps in reflection were harsh, but he only was trying to raise them to be warriors that would thrive under Donrai's rule. As a staunch traditionalist, he managed to gather popularity among his peers. All the pieces were in place. His daughter had gained favor with Oswald, his oldest son was being groomed to be the heir of Blackshore. Dycard was a bit of a disappointment, being more of a dandy than a warrior, but perhaps in time he would find his place in society. Then it happened, the reavers attacked their ship. Cornelius bravely fought off the pirates, creating an escape route. He yelled at his oldest son to come, but the foolish man wouldn't leave Dycard. The window of opportunity was closing. Suddenly Cornelius had to face a decision to escape or be taken by the pirates with his sons. In a split second, Cornelius chose escape, promising himself that he would return with troops to free Romulius and Dycard. He traveled back to Blackshore Isle to rally his brother, only to find the isle in ruins. Everyone was dead. Without the means himself to rescue his family, Cornelius was forced to lean back on his wits. To lean on others more powerful than himself, slowly rebuilding his connections.
  imself, slowly rebuilding his connections.)
• Antonia Amadeo  + (With the Princess of Velenosa being establ …
  With the Princess of Velenosa being established, Antonia has been placed in the new appointment to ensure that Saoirse represents a vision of the future, a new Arx, enlightened and prosperous. Antonia's external sole mission is to ensure the prosperity and elevation of Saoirse in all things, especially fashion and event planning. For her own devices, gatherings serve as an opportunity to learn more about the attendees, interactions and associations that Durate may find worthwhile.
  ociations that Durate may find worthwhile.)
• Ripley Thornburn  + (Within the city of Arx there are the Ulbra …
  Within the city of Arx there are the Ulbrans, the Cullers, the Grayhopes and there's the Thornburns. Ripley is one of the latter, that family with a long history of dedication to Crown and to crafting. Ripley is no different and took to the forge and the working of metal just like his father and some of his siblings. Sandwiched between Eithne and Aurora in the heirarchy of the offspring, he took the middle road when it came to crafting and long fingers were far better at making pieces of jewelery than armor or weapons. It wasn't uncommon for him to shove on Eithne some crudely made piece that he had finished as he was learning or beg of her to help him fix it, or wearing Aurora's badly made pieces as she learned her craft. He was prone to fits of melencholy though. If a piece of jewelry didn't turn out right, metal didn't work as it should, a customer was unhappy, Ripley was unhappy. He would sulk about the house or lay in bed and mope until his ass got kicked by family or inspiration struck again and he was back at the bench working. Such is the life of Ripley Thornburn, with it's highs and lows. Inspiration however, needs to be found elsewhere sometimes and isn't always within the walls of the city. So with kisses to cheeks and his tools on his back, Ripley took off into the wilds of Arvum. Off to seek inspiration, everything he needed at his back. Letters would come filtering through as he traversed Arvum with tales of moments of danger, moments of despair, of the forges and other artisans that he would stop and spend time at the benchs of and learning their unique ways. Little pieces of jewelry as well, tokens of familial affection would wend their way back home as his skill improved till one day there was no letter but Ripley himself striding in through the door with a wild smile on his face and a little more learned. Hair in need of a good cutting and clothes mended. He had traveled far but had found his way home.
  d traveled far but had found his way home.)
• Wyaar Vjard  + (Wyaar was born as yet another mouth to fee …
  Wyaar was born as yet another mouth to feed to the struggling family of a woodsman in the hardly civilized fringes of the north on the Redrain side. His mother died when he was three trying to give birth to yet another sibling and by the time he was six Only himself, his father and his eldest sister were left. He took to woodcraft along with his father, trapping and hunting, selling furs to traders for whatever the wilderness couldn't provide. It was a hard life and when he was a teenager he realized it didn't need to be quite so hard. Wyaar managed to observe a group of bandits robbing and butchering the traders his family had just sold their furs to. The bandits left the furs in favor of the coins so he fetched the furs to sell again to the next trader that came along. By the next summer he had left his family behind for a life of brigandry. He roamed from one side of Arvum to the other in various outlaw bands and even worked a few legit gigs as caravan scouts, mercenary and the briefest of stints as a regular in a Redrain militia that he accidentally found himself conscripted in to. He has gotten older now, a mite slower to get up in the morning though still quite spry. With all of the activity going on in Arx he figured he might give it a try.. might be some easy coin to be had that didn't make him so damn sore the next week.
  idn't make him so damn sore the next week.)
• Wyatt Shepherd  + (Wyatt knows he had a privileged life as a …
  Wyatt knows he had a privileged life as a duke's son. It gave him the opportunity to study was some truly gifted tutors from the Whisper House, after all, and find a field of study he truly fell in love with. On the other hand, it would have been nice if his father, Duke Gregor 'the Butcher of Graypeak' Shepherd, had been a little more supportive of Wyatt. When Wyatt just gave the barest hint that he was interested in becoming a Scholar of Vellichor at the age of 12, he was sent to squire at a war camp against Abandoned. Wyatt spent the entire summer talking to the quartermaster about logistics and the truly fascinating economic factors of different campaigns. When he came back and offered a few suggestions to improve efficiency to his father, he was not pleased. And it wasn't fair! They were excellent suggestions! Most of his young adulthood was spent serving House Shepherd while trying to avoid being turned into the battle hardened, bloodthirsty warrior that his father dreamed. He kept noticing little ways that the House's fortunes could be improved with a clever bit of efficiency here, or some eliminating of waste there, but his father mocked his interest in 'counting silvers' every chance he had. Which, to be fair, you don't get named 'the Butcher of Graypeak' by writing a treatise on livestock management and its economic impact (which Wyatt also did, and father was NOT pleased.) Still, as the duchy started to slide towards economic collapse and bankruptcy by funding Duke Gregor's constant relentless scorched earth warfare against Abandoned, even his father had to grudgingly admit his son had a 'mild usefulness' when Wyatt unobtrusively slipped in and began to manage the duchy's neglected books. (Father didn't even collect taxes some years! Too busy, he said!) With father's utter disdain for his occupation, Wyatt never expected to rule, which... he was more than fine with. He loved the intricate details behind how a ducal holding works, the way to improve it, the endless minutiae and how it all clicks together. Not so much the actual dealing with other people, and so he always expected his sister Jennyva to rule. Still, it came as a shock when Gregor on his deathbed made a dying decree to ennoble Sir Bentley Crownfall, his constant battlefield companion. It probably shouldn't have, since it was the sort of thing father respected, but did he expect how much that would complicate succession? And who WAS this Malcolm fellow anyway? No matter, as far as Wyatt's concerned. He'll make sure the books are kept neat and tidy, and he's sure he can handle a few surprise relatives. This is fine. Everything's fine.
  elatives. This is fine. Everything's fine.)
• Wylla Halfshav  + (Wylla was definitely born in the wrong hou …
  Wylla was definitely born in the wrong house. Sometimes when she was a girl, surrounded by a history of warriors and glory, she thought that someone had somehow switched her at birth, perhaps with someone from a family of craftsmen -- people who were small and quiet and knew what they wanted. Of course -- she had the looks of her family, with her bright red hair and milky skin and freckles, so it couldn't really be so. But she definitely didn't have the martial theme that seemed so common in her house. All Wylla wanted was to paint. Even when she was a little girl, her spare time was spent in ink and charcoal and paint. Outside, she made snow sculptures. But it was with ink and paint and brush that she always excelled. She was called to the work, and so it was not actually /that/ much of a surprise when, coming to the capital with her family, it was the Shrine of Jayus that most often called the paint-stained little girl to its benches and festivals. She followed an old priest of Jayus there around, and he frequently suggested discipleship to her, but she always felt sad about it. Being a lay dedicate for Jayus seemed like half measures. At 16, she chose to do it anyway. At 22, Wylla was all set to marry into a lesser house. It was three days before her wedding day when, painting in her room, she suddenly burst into tears. The images would not come. Nothing would come to her. She wept inconsolably and lay in bed for a day and a night. She broke off the marriage after that, and went to join the Faith, not as a lay dedicate, but as a godsworn, for the marriage of her heart was to the gods. It caused trouble for her family. But the Faith was her new family now. Being a priest was difficult for Wylla, especially at first. Art and creativity called her, but people did not. She was socially awkward and uncomfortable. It took her time to grow and learn. But connecting with people through art worked well for her, so it only made sense that she worked so much with Jayus's dedicates. When the Archlector of Jayus, her old mentor, passed away, it was his desire that she succeed him. She's still getting used to it.
  cceed him. She's still getting used to it.)
• Wymark Swift  + (Wymark's story could begin like too many o …
  Wymark's story could begin like too many others, as a baby dropped off at an orphanage and no parents to speak of. But it doesn't. Wymark remembers his family, at least in the vaguest of ways a child can, and even remembers the tragedy that took them away. The Swifts had long been a family of knights, at least one per generation, for the Deepwoods. And the Swifts were nearly wiped out on the attack at Old Oak. So while he may have been made an orphan during that terrible moment, he did not become one without a legacy that had already been drilled into him. He had already become a page and had started learning what would be his calling. The events that nearly wiped out the Deepwoods only hardened the resolve that Wymark felt towards the knightly calling. He would begin fosterage with a family in Arx that his family had ties with, instead of being taken to an orphanage. He'd hone his skill with weapons and manners. But more than that, he'd start taking on the role of a Disciple of the Sentinel. Justice called to Wymark, and there was nothing he could do but follow it. When eventually his squire was over, Marquessa Samantha herself would knight Wymark. But he asked permission and had it granted that he spends time with the Inquisition. There Wymark has made a name for himself, rising up the ranks from Confessor to Inquisitor. When there's a crime that's been done, he just can't let it go, and will worry over it for as long as it takes to find the culprit. It's both something that's served him well and earned a few reprimands, but not a personality trait that's likely to change.
  personality trait that's likely to change.)
• Xanthe Igniseri  + (Xanthe is a child of nobility and received …
  Xanthe is a child of nobility and received the education to that effect. Sure, it might be basics in the social aspect because she didn't enjoy it much but she has the proper education. Her interest was in weaponry. That she excelled in, met all expectations for it. She spent much time traveling, mostly by land since she is not big on being on the water, the irony of someone sworn to Velnosa not being fond of being on a boat is not lost on her. When she heard what happened to her family after Gyre was defeated she was surprised. She was not really upset, though, when the March was given to someone else. It happens. She travelled as far as she felt like, trying to hone her preference of using large weapons. Her travels eventually lead her to join the Champions and the Society of Explores, both of which caught her interest. Not long before arriving in Arx she was recruited by someone in the Iron Guard. She saw no reason not to join. If being a member of the Iron Guard proved to be a hindrance to her goals then she would leave it. She does not lack goals, to note. They are a bit varied but ultimately they fall into two categories, combat and exploration. It is a bonus when the two can be combined.
  t is a bonus when the two can be combined.)
• Yael Laveer  + (Yael was born to a family of middling nobi …
  Yael was born to a family of middling nobility in the foreign city of Vel'ichalah in Eurus. There was nothing like love involved in the union of her parents, and no one in the family ever pretended there was. It was, in all matters, merely a matter of politics, and Yael's father barely had anything to do with her raising. She was the youngest, the only girl, and left to her mother to be raised. Which, truth be told, was probably more of a blessing than Yael would have realized earlier in her life. Devoting herself to the local religion as a Disciple kept her out of the estate and out of everyone's eyes. She learned, she kept quiet, she became a scholar of secrets and things that were meant to be forgotten. She'd write them down in books that'd be taken away never to be seen again, bound to never tell what she wrote. It wasn't a great life; it wasn't the life a noble would want or have ambition for. But Yael was a scholar out of necessity... until she was 23. 23 years is how long Yael was able to hide the deformity that would have her stripped of her nobility, put into chains as a slave, and sold to a caravan going out of the city while her mother had to look on in shame before being punished for breaking society's rules. Yael would be taken to Skal'daja and sold to Prince Damik's family, eventually bringing her to Arvum's shores. Were it not for a chance meeting with the Count of Laveer and impressing the man with both her spirit and her knowledge, she might have come to believe her life nothing but cursed with bad luck. But now she's gone from noble to slave to noble and who knows what comes next?
  ve to noble and who knows what comes next?)
• Renata Masque  + (Years ago the inhabitants of a small villa …
  Years ago the inhabitants of a small village in Setarco woke up to chunks of a broken vessel washing ashore. Despite the darkness the fishermen saw something moving, slowly, in the wreckage lit sporadically by the lightnining of the skies. There, among butchered bodies and debris, was a bloodied girl, barely clinging to life. As they would find out next morning, the entirety of the girl's memories had been left in the sea, and they would baptize her Renata. Renata's adaptation was difficult due to the severe mental scars left by her experiences in the sea. At first she had seizures at the sight of blood, was unable to communicate verbally and had a gripping fear of the dark, but stranger still was her horror of the sea. Renata thought the touch of sea water to be caustic to her flesh, shrieking and losing grasp on herself whenever coming in contact with it. Deemed broken, still she was cared for, and in return she grew to love them back and worry for them. Every day she would watch, shivering, as their boats took to the sea for sustenance, and while she couldn't cook or fish, the young girl decided to help by growing food around her home. Much to the surprise of all the villagers, Renata revealed, then, a talent for interacting with the natural world around her. Obsessed in freeing her beloved peers from the dangerous life atop the waves, she worked and worked until exhaustion. In less than two years, news would arrive in the neighboring areas that fate had sent Setarco a gift, one who had turned fishermen into farmers, and a fishing village into a prosperous, even if small, trading town. Dozens flocked to the growing town, either to abandon life at the sea or to witness the workings of the 'Kind Maiden of Anvisa'. Her legend would grow to reach the then-duke of Pravus, Piero Pravus, known for his easy smiles and merciful behavior. The beloved ruler set aside time to visit the Maiden, and rumor has he was enchanted by Renata's purity and kindness. The duke would propose the woman a deal: join him at court where he would give her ample reach to spread her work to many and she would allow him to tutor her. Seeing in Piero someone who shared her love for others, Renata accepted his proposal. She would leave to court to be raised alongside the other young ones at court, like Belladonna, Celeste, Elonso and Aurelia, and from them she would learn much about nobility and the rules of court, but it was Piero who gave her the most cherished gift of all: he gave Renata her voice back. The man would sit down with the young woman, even when she was testy or rebellious, and insist that she learn. He never gave up on Renata, something she will be forever grateful for. As some of the children of Piero would take for different talents, Renata never stopped thinking about her people, or how to free them from the dreadful, treacherous sea. Named Piero's Minister of Agriculture, the Verdant Touch of Setarco, she would do much good for the people, even after his death. Although losing Piero was a hard blow to the woman who thought of him as a father, her loyalty to the man never wavered. She would take care of his people.
  avered. She would take care of his people.)
• Renata  + (Years ago the inhabitants of a small villa …
  Years ago the inhabitants of a small village in Setarco woke up to chunks of a broken vessel washing ashore. Despite the darkness the fishermen saw something moving, slowly, in the wreckage lit sporadically by the lightnining of the skies. There, among butchered bodies and debris, was a bloodied girl, barely clinging to life. As they would find out next morning, the entirety of the girl's memories had been left in the sea, and they would baptize her Renata. Renata's adaptation was difficult due to the severe mental scars left by her experiences in the sea. At first she had seizures at the sight of blood, was unable to communicate verbally and had a gripping fear of the dark, but stranger still was her horror of the sea. Renata thought the touch of sea water to be caustic to her flesh, shrieking and losing grasp on herself whenever coming in contact with it. Deemed broken, still she was cared for, and in return she grew to love them back and worry for them. Every day she would watch, shivering, as their boats took to the sea for sustenance, and while she couldn't cook or fish, the young girl decided to help by growing food around her home. Much to the surprise of all the villagers, Renata revealed, then, a talent for interacting with the natural world around her. Obsessed in freeing her beloved peers from the dangerous life atop the waves, she worked and worked until exhaustion. In less than two years, news would arrive in the neighboring areas that fate had sent Setarco a gift, one who had turned fishermen into farmers, and a fishing village into a prosperous, even if small, trading town. Dozens flocked to the growing town, either to abandon life at the sea or to witness the workings of the 'Kind Maiden of Anvisa'. Her legend would grow to reach the then-duke of Pravus, Piero Pravus, known for his easy smiles and merciful behavior. The beloved ruler set aside time to visit the Maiden, and rumor has he was enchanted by Renata's purity and kindness. The duke would propose the woman a deal: join him at court where he would give her ample reach to spread her work to many and she would allow him to tutor her. Seeing in Piero someone who shared her love for others, Renata accepted his proposal. She would leave to court to be raised alongside the other young ones at court, like Belladonna, Celeste, Elonso and Aurelia, and from them she would learn much about nobility and the rules of court, but it was Piero who gave her the most cherished gift of all: he gave Renata her voice back. The man would sit down with the young woman, even when she was testy or rebellious, and insist that she learn. He never gave up on Renata, something she will be forever grateful for. As some of the children of Piero would take for different talents, Renata never stopped thinking about her people, or how to free them from the dreadful, treacherous sea. Named Piero's Minister of Agriculture, the Verdant Touch of Setarco, she would do much good for the people, even after his death. Although losing Piero was a hard blow to the woman who thought of him as a father, her loyalty to the man never wavered. She would take care of his people.
  avered. She would take care of his people.)
• Renata Pravus  + (Years ago the stories of an extremely tale …
  Years ago the stories of an extremely talented singer would reach the Duke of Setarco, Piero Pravos. A soul gentle as a springtime breeze, the Siren of Luciva would draw dozens to sit around her every night in that haven for Abandoned pirates, her voice so beautiful even the bloodthirsty enemies of House Pravus would pay stolen silver to enjoy. Rumor has it that so incredible these tales were that Piero, along with his brother and Sword Tiberio, would infiltrate the city to witness the Siren sing. That very night Piero would find himself face to face with the unique maiden, having learned from people at the crowd that she had washed ashore, bloodied and without memory, along with chunks of a broken vessel. The Lucivan fishermen saw her moving, slowly, in the wreckage lit sporadically by the lightnining of the skies and took her in, as she barely clung to life. They baptized her, gave her a job at a local tavern, but it what was most surprising was that although Renata could sing, she did not talk. Although she would find Lord Tiberio Pravus too brash, it was Piero's softspoken and good-natured self that would win Renata's heart, convincing the girl to come with him to Setarco City, where he would see that she would have the best education and be raised among his children in the court. Although riches appealed little to Renata at the time, the idea of being closer to Piero pleased her, and so she left with the two men of Pravus. Renata was introduced to the court and would find his children welcoming, even if eccentric. Duchess-Consort Lucia, Belladonna, Elonso and Allegra would teach her much about nobility and the rules of court, but Duke Piero would always take time out of his day to sit with Renata and teach her gamut of disciplines, giving her a lot of much-needed attention. Every night he would sit for hours with the girl and, despite being told it would never work, Piero managed to make Renata talk. Soon enough, Renata would be his daughter in all but in name, and the other Sins accepted her as such. Ever since Renata has been with the Sins, and one of the most beloved of them by the population of Setara, who love the young woman for using her position of Minister to make their lives better, as Piero would have wanted. In service, she would stay mostly in the island, apparently displeased with the idea of traveling to Arx thanks to her fear of water, but with the Pravus family ascension, something would happen to force Renata's hand. In the year of 1013 AR, Renata would be adopted into the Pravus family officially, becoming accepted as a sister to Belladonna and Allegra. No more she would be afforded the privilege of staying in Setara, while her family gathered in Arx.
  Setara, while her family gathered in Arx.)
• Juneau Hawthorne  + (Yes, Juneau was born with that unquenchabl …
  Yes, Juneau was born with that unquenchable wanderlust. Even from a young age, she absolutely positively knew without a shadow of a doubt she did not want to be a sheep farmer like the rest of her family and stuck in the old farm outside of Blancbier. Her mother blames her nature on her (deceased) father and her step father blames it on lack of discipline - and of course that's how a lot of fights started in the Hawthorne family. She doesn't know really how they end because she's already slipped out five minutes ago and has disappeared back into the trees. But don't worry. She's always made it home in time for dinner. Well. Mostly. When her brothers were born, a great weight was lifted from her shoulders and she went from a flighty pre-teen to an almost entirely absent teenager. Chores? Brothers can take care of those. She's not inheriting any of it, why would she be interested in laboring away her youth? So, she stuck to what she was best at. (Basically anything but chores). Years passed by almost too quickly, and she began experimenting in survival and exploration. She began traveling further and further away from home into the wilderness and having her own private adventures staying away for longer and longer stretches of time. When the right time presented itself, she took off on her own in the middle of the night. She left a note and come morning, absolutely no one was surprised. Taking a meandering east-ish following the rivers (mostly) she eventually found herself exploring the roads and traveling and seeing all of the world from Farhaven to her newest landing, Arx. Hearing of its opportunities piqued her interest and she's ready to stick around for a little while but she knows it won't be long until her feet and curiosity begins to itch. She's joined the Explorer's Guild and the Scholars to start out with, enrolling in classes and signing up for explorations to keep her mind busy between trips.
  tions to keep her mind busy between trips.)
• Ylva Highdale  + (Ylva comes from a family who for generatio …
  Ylva comes from a family who for generations served House Aviaron in Aviaron's Peak. Her father was a knight, her mother worked in the kitchens. She was a clever but rambunctious child, and when she was inevitably grounded and forbidden to explore the tunnels or the mountains or befriend mountain goats, she'd sneak around and bother people with a torrent of polite and softly-spoken questions. Her father died in the Silent War, and she decided to become a Mercy, beginning to study in earnest. Ylva was very eager to care for people. Looking at their insides was only a secondary and very icky benefit. Meanwhile, her lieges changed, but her family's service did not. Ylva then wandered afield, assisting other Mercies, but rarely straying too far from home. However, one fair day, she decided to come to Arx. There's no better place to learn how to be a better healer, there's all kinds of war and strangeness afoot, and there are many people in dire need of assistance! Now in Arx, she can confirm it's all true, especially the strangeness afoot.
  ll true, especially the strangeness afoot.)

• Brass Not anymore  + (You don't know!)

• Madrien Daupenne  + (You must understand that many Lycene retir …
  You must understand that many Lycene retirement plans are delivered by the tip of a blade. But that's not the beginning, is it? In fact, it's not the end, either, for Madrien Daupenne. Not yet anyway. His shrewd mind singled him out early for complex training and his extreme calm under pressure continued his slow rise over decades of service. Victories were admirably consolidated, and defeats suitably weathered, over those years, such that his insights in matters of coin and finance became valuable, then valued, then amply rewarded. It is known, on a personal note, that during these years he once had a wife... and a child? Children? The matter is unclear, but it is certain that his family would have been as comfortable materially as they must have been entirely bereft of his time, and presence, and care. It is also certain that they no longer are in Iriscal. Should they still exist anywhere at all, they must be better off for having been part of his family, as certainly as they must hold no warm thoughts for him, as a person, at all. In due time, Madrien was granted a position of some authority, as one of the Ministers of the County. All was well, until it wasn't. The Countess Lucrezia fell victim to an assassination and the winds of change blew under a new Countess. It became incumbent upon him, as with other non-family in high position, to offer his resignation and wait to have the offer rejected, or accepted, or accepted along with his life's blood. In his case, he lived and continued in service. It must be seen as a particular favor, and calls out for exceptional effort, to rebuild, and build further, and advance the House in its financial success.
  dvance the House in its financial success.)
• Sirius Valardin  + (Young Sirius came to the world a whining, …
  Young Sirius came to the world a whining, petulant child since the moment his head peaked out of his mother's hindquarters, eyes as open as babes could have them. Born into a familial circle of economical means and connections, his begetter arranged for him ostentatious tutors in all sciences of man found worthy of the Oathlands; martial, physics, mathematics, theology, languages, geometry. History. Despite the wide selection, Sirius found himself the most attracted to the sword. As he grew into early youth, issues became more apparent in his physique. His feet looked clubbed inwards, and he lacked the physical capacity to match the speed and dexterity of contemporaries, bringing out an ire and impatience in his father fattened only by the shame in the possibility of his boy being a cripple. And he was, in fact, crippled. It's what a particularly crude Sister of Lagoma informed him after witnessing him pushing the child too hard. Sadly for her, Lord Alberich Valardin was a stubborn man. As singular, unsettling tales were suggested amongst his keep that his son wouldn't amount to knighthood, Alberich exhausted his resources in finding experts in matters of healing to exhume the vile crippledness from his boy. He soon had him wear all sorts of absurd apparatuses, from harnesses to wooden chassis around the ankles, ropes that'd pull away at every particularly bent toe to force his feet in place. It was a painful existence, but some of that stubbornness had been inherited by Sirius, who bent all efforts in pleasing his father. Marked with the stigmata of disability, it was only reasonable that Sirius became retiring to the public eye. Sequestered to the dusty, and worn existence of his father's decaying library, he took it upon himself to be the bailiff that cared for every book, and while children played with swords and horses he, too, played with swords and horses. Only that his were whittled from wood, and placed on boards knapped from slate, where he borrowed scenarios of war and conflicts of the past to re-envision and reenact them within his capabilities once he derived them from books. Every soldier, every horse; every general, every officer, given a face and purpose. He was particular towards cavalry. Eventually, time gave way to a young man healed of his physical impediments. As fate would have it, those ropes and pulleys that had kept his feet drastically in place had, in fact, healed his club-footed appendages, just not as quick as his father would've wanted. He had forgotten that knights wield swords and not pens; that they couch lances, and not books. So inadvertently, Alberich had let his son become a scholar of war, not a soldier that fights in one. All his life, Sirius could feel an insistent gnawing in the back of his mind. A strange yearning, a thirst for more he could neither numb, nor sate, and it culminated with a self-effacing exodus to Arx. To visit the fabled Academy of War, and further his desire to understand conflict beyond the station of a soldier, or knight.
  eyond the station of a soldier, or knight.)
• Fawkuhl Valardin  + (Younger children of great houses that are …
  Younger children of great houses that are extremely unlikely to ever sit as high lord are often encouraged to pursue other avenues for power for their families, and Fawkuhl felt an extremely early drive to make his mark in the Faith of the Pantheon. A precocious child that was marked by an early fervor for the Faith and the theology behind the different gods, he became a priest of the Pantheon while still a teenager. Even though in theory all priests of the Pantheon are equal and renounce their ties to their families as they take their vows, being the younger brother of a high lord cleared the way inside an institution that had historically been dominated by House Valardin. A popular, effective orator that was well regarded, he was still a surprise nomination for Dominus by the Legates when the previous elderly Dominus died of heart failure, but not before specifically adopting Fawkuhl as a protege and saying he 'saw the mark of the gods in him'. He was appointed Dominus unanimously by the Convocation of the Faith.
  animously by the Convocation of the Faith.)
• Emberly Farshaw  + (Youngest daughter of Emmeline Farshaw and …
  Youngest daughter of Emmeline Farshaw and Jacques Blanchard, Emberly showed a passion for the sea at an early age, though she was called back to land before she became lost to it. She was off sailing ever chance she could between lessons in ediquette. Emberly loves music and the art of subtility, she was keen to study under Marquessa Sunniva Harthall and her husband Marquis Orvyn Harthall. Here she has learned more about her passion for alchemy and intrigue. She is close to her brother Alban and talks to him often, this shy youth is still coming into herself.
  is shy youth is still coming into herself.)
• Emberly Crown  + (Youngest daughter of Emmeline Farshaw and …
  Youngest daughter of Emmeline Farshaw and Jacques Blanchard, Emberly showed a passion for the sea at an early age, though she was called back to land before she became lost to it. She was off sailing ever chance she could between lessons in ediquette. Emberly loves music and the art of subtility, she was keen to study under Marquessa Sunniva Harthall and her husband Marquis Orvyn Harthall. Here she has learned more about her passion for alchemy and intrigue. She is close to her brother Alban and talks to him often, this shy youth is still coming into herself.
  is shy youth is still coming into herself.)
• Emberly Crovane  + (Youngest daughter of Emmeline Farshaw and …
  Youngest daughter of Emmeline Farshaw and Jacques Blanchard, Emberly showed a passion for the sea at an early age, though she was called back to land before she became lost to it. She was off sailing ever chance she could between lessons in ediquette. Emberly loves music and the art of subtility, she was keen to study under Marquessa Sunniva Harthall and her husband Marquis Orvyn Harthall. Here she has learned more about her passion for alchemy and intrigue. She is close to her brother Alban and talks to him often, this shy youth is still coming into herself.
  is shy youth is still coming into herself.)
• Yrsa Shav  + (Yrsa grew up in the wilds of the Northland …
  Yrsa grew up in the wilds of the Northlands, one of a few dozen members of a tribe who subscribed to the independent ways; live off the land, defend your homes and kneel to none. Her childhood was spent learning about the natural world and how to survive in it, how to thrive, how to support her family. A little basic herbalism, a lot of basic hunting, and all the chores necessary to keep a small tribe running. Including, when she grew old enough, fighting against other tribes over resources or pride. No tribe is an island however, and hers began to dwindle; young people marrying out to other groups, older people falling to death by wild animal or bad food or conflict with others. And so when she was 20, her tribal leader made the difficult decision to kneel to the Crown, joining the compact to help his remaining people thrive - better trade opportunities, more knowledge of the world, and said world becoming an open oyster to be indulged in. It took a few years, but eventually Yrsa felt the call of the world, and so left her home to travel. She earned her keep as a mercenary, her fighting and hunting skills standing her in good stead for guarding caravans and escorting groups of people through dangerous places. As she improved on those skills and bought herself better equipment, she began to join in with larger skirmishes and battles, earning a name for herself as a skilled foe on the field of battle. Now, it seems there will be war. This could be profitable, or it could be her downfall, but whatever the future holds, she has made her way to the great city of Arx. Dispite her dislike of such places, there will be no better place to find a mercenary company to join, and to reap the glittery or bloody rewards that come with it.
  ttery or bloody rewards that come with it.)
• Yuri Tessere  + (Yuri Tessere grew in the shadows of Fortez …
  Yuri Tessere grew in the shadows of Fortezza di Iriscal, tutored under the watchful eye of his mother, Lauretta Tessere. For all of his faults, Yuri found himself a enigmatic child. The child was always tugging at his mother's skirts, more akin to a sheltered rugrat than an heir. His consort-lord father, Lord Henrik Arscelais, found the child incessantly whiny and loud, opting to carry his time with finances, assisting in daily trade to Lauretta more than make himself a real figure to his newly acquired son. (Some say the new lord-consort dallied himself with 'other' distractions but servants can only gossip for so long). It can sorely be said that the death of Yuri's birth father, Lauretta's first husband of House Daleron, had some adverse effect on the boy. It made him subdued, quiet, and too reticent. It fell to Lauretta and the servants of the manse to break the boy out of his proverbial chains. Scholars taught him ways of the coin, law, and the arts. The House marshal took the lad every day for drills and practice to harden his body as his mind was sharpened. It was a fine balance of both the arts and martial prowess that painted the young lord’s steps as he grew from quiet and frail child to an enthusiastic and daring teenager. He was ever a student of his mother in these times, playing her shadow as he watched as Lauretta tended to the needs of the house as well as family business when it came to her own sister, Countess Lucrezia Tessere. Where Lucrezia had been lush in her court, Lauretta was the keeper; ever her sister’s fondest source of praise and very quick to defend her in all facets. As Lauretta found herself wrapped in the affairs of her sister and niece, Sabine, Yuri was tasked to challenge his mind to assist the House in any way he could Whether it be playing host to his mother’s soirees and hosting friends and family for small, friendly tourneys as time allotted. The lord began to grow into his own as a suitable host, though it did not bring any love or change in his stepfather’s demeanor. Thus, the year 1008 AR brought with it a trial that would color the rest of Yuri’s world: the death of his aunt, Countess Lucrezia. Lauretta was inconsolable, having learned almost immediately of the tragedy and her daily happenings all but ceased. A deep shadow was cast over the manse that seemed to affect all within, including Yuri as he watched his loving and tender guardian become wracked with grief. Though, it did not seem to dissuade his stepfather, Lord Henrik, from growing cross at his wife being locked away in her chambers for hours on end. He had begun to feel spurned of her affection and had started to make this publicly known. His blunders were his undoing. Some stewards and manse personnel say that the Lord begged for mercy as he was ejected from the courtyard doors by Master Yuri himself, thrown into a fit of rage and yelling demands of his mother never to be spoken in that manner again, that if words about his Aunt were spoken again in a besmirching manner, he would have no where to run. And some of those stewards watched on with not a dry eye as the little lord had grown himself into a master of the House before their eyes. Yuri pledged himself as to his mother’s decrees and demands, much to her glee as her little boy now became her most loved defender. The first order of business was to assist his cousin, the new Countess, Sabine Tessere, however he could. No self-respecting son could have denied that request; for it was she who held a candle for he in youth when all other lights had flickered out to him. ‘Twas time to repay the favor.
  ut to him. ‘Twas time to repay the favor.)
• Yvette Clearlake  + (Yvette has spent her entire life in the no …
  Yvette has spent her entire life in the north. Surrounded in the ways of her people, there has always been a part of her that has wanted more for her life than fur trading, chores, and learning to channel her fate. Headstrong and wild, she was indulged until the day it became apparent she was to be her people's next Oracle. Being marked as the next mouthpiece of their spirits felt like a chain around her. More and more she looked for ways to shirk her responsibilities to indulge in the things she loves. When her brother Kritr was chosen to represent their clan, the heavy chain became a short leash. To insure Yvette continues to study, learn, and hone her new position, he has decided to bring her along with him to Arx to keep a close eye on her.
  ith him to Arx to keep a close eye on her.)
• Zaina Pyrani  + (Zaina's memories of Eurus are almost dream …
  Zaina's memories of Eurus are almost dreamlike to her, in the passage of two decades. She remembers dry, dusty streets full of danger as beggars pleaded for aid in a tongue far more refined and sweet to the ears than the harsh tongue of the Arvani that she now dreams in. She remembers the cruelty of the high born ignoring the weak and powerless, with a scorn more than the equal of the worst excesses she's seen from House Thrax. She dimly remembers turning to thievery in order to survive, and being caught in the Palace of the Waves in the heart of Petrioch, and being saved from execution only by the whim of the young crown prince Asad, who admired her courage and demanded the child-thief be spared to act as his servant. Then she remembers a night of fire and blood, as men in black armor wielding swords dark as night stormed the palace and put most to the sword, and her escaping with Prince Asad and his young wife Marjory on a boat bound for her native Arvum and the Mourning Isles. She was so young she barely knew Prince Asad, a distant figure that sometimes she remembers in dreams, and she still has trouble remembering Eurus in detail, but she grew up in the Mourning Isles as different from all the others. Her one and only friend was the child of Asad and Marjory she helped raise, the princess Fatima. The younger woman was spoiled relentlessly as a princess, but Zaina wasn't truly jealous of it- she knew from that night of fire so very long ago how quickly the spoiled and mighty could fall, and took to educating the younger woman on just what it takes to survive and be successful with all the ruthlessness and drive to survive of someone that was raised on the streets of Petrioch. For Zaina herself, she knows that her destiny is tied to those of the rich and mighty she serves, and she is privately glad to be the handmaiden to Fatima- better to be a servant to someone ambitious and cunning than the passive and foolish, and as her star rises, so does her own. Through others, Zaina will never hunger again. Not ever.
  , Zaina will never hunger again. Not ever.)
• Zakariah Halfthorne  + (Zakariah Halfthorne is a young squire to P …
  Zakariah Halfthorne is a young squire to Prince Puffycheeks, a royal squirrel. At least this is what Zakariah claims. Most suspect he is just a young lad with an active imagination, and a surprising amount of skill with a blade. He also does have a unique relationship with a squirrel and in fact many other animals. Despite these fantastic claims he is a pleasant and well mannered young man many consider to be charming and handsome.
  many consider to be charming and handsome.)
• Zakhar Shav  + (Zakhar is a complicated individual, and de …
  Zakhar is a complicated individual, and depending on the state of mind one might catch him in, they might...might get a clearer picture. Born to a Shav'arvani tribe that was in the isles, which one? he'll never directly say. Sent to the mainland as a child to escape the oncoming difficulties of some lord seeking the tribe to take a knee. Raised in the lowers by several different families, he learned to continually be on the move as each would get more cautious around him as they learned more about his constant search for answers of the world around him. Highly creative with what might be a considered a weapon, considered too dangerous by some, while others are interested in his collections. He was always destined to be become a mercenary, as there are too many rules for soldiers. There was an incident when he was young where he learned he had a knack for being lucky, which started a trend to throw himself into situations that would cause others to wince, come out seriously injured, or dead. The ability to come out mostly unscathed or live from the injuries earned him a position with various groups that would hand over the most dangerous positions to him with a smirk in thinking this one would remove him from being their problem. However, he kept coming back. Eventually his recklessness earned him a permenant scar the runs the middle of his face. A bar fight broke out, he took a hand axe to the skull, and woke up with medics telling him it was a miracle that he was still alive. Though he knew better. It was shortly after earning the scar that the family he was with was tired of his recklessness and handed him over to the newly forming Crimson Blades. Lord General Tobias, the Captain-General of the Crimson Blades took the young man in and taught him how to put his skills to mostly good use. Again, Zakhar went to work taking the more dangerous contracts, earning a name for himself in the company. Today, he's a staple of the company. He's seen more blades fall than retire, has been deployed to nearly the entire known compact lands. If it's happened, he's seen it. His experience and leadership are part of what makes the Crimson Blades one of the toughest group of mercenaries in Arvum. Over the course of his extended years in a position that will typically see many die young with only a few afforded the luxury to retire, he's excelled to learning multiple trades. Being stuck in the field on long contracts awarded with time to learn how to fix his own armor, weapons, clothing, and ultimately others as well earning him many odd friendships or allies over the years which can all be put to use in the city.
  s which can all be put to use in the city.)
• Zebulon Igniseri  + (Zebulon is pretty sure it all started with …
  Zebulon is pretty sure it all started with the card game. There he was, 18 years old, the day after that first shiningly adult birthday, with a brand new commission to the guards of the Countess of the March of Granato. Of course he was going to decide to celebrate, and of course celebrating was going to involve copious amounts of wine and variable levels of being clothed. That's part of what celebrating means in any part of the Lyceum. Somehow he was talked into betting his commission papers in that poker game, and that was the beginning of the end. There may have been incidents of shit going horribly wrong for Zebulon earlier than that, but this one was the doozy, the beginning, the snowball that started the whole godsdamned avalanche. Suddenly without the future that he'd been so proud to earn by sword and valor, Zebulon wandered drunkenly around the city and ended up falling asleep on a bench. When he woke up, he wasn't sure whether he was hungover or wildly seasick. After a few months of service in the Granato navy, he was pretty sure he wasn't seasick anymore, but that didn't mean anything was going /right/. He served for a few years with only a few minor mishaps to his name -- look, how could it possibly be his fault that the rope slipped and a shipboard trebuchet hit the splintered railing /right there/ and fell into the sea? -- and, despite fortune conspiring against him generally, earned his way up the ranks by force of arms and generally applying himself. It was only when chance was given a hand in his life that disaster beckoned. As first mate of the Lady's Spear, he led a boarding party in capturing a pirate vessel that had taken noble hostages and managed to sail the prize home to Granato port. The Countess of the March was so pleased she elevated him to the role of a knight, and a knight captain; the prize vessel became his, and so he sailed out under the flag of the Moon's Folly. So, he became Sir Zebulon. Unfortunately, the knighting ceremony was held aboard the deck of the Folly, and at a comical moment when Marquesa Igniseri was about to finish dubbing him, he was struck by a sliding boom and somehow, through this series of errors, managed to fall off the ship into her wake. So he didn't just become Sir Zebulon. He became Sir Zebulon Whitewake. As knight-captain of the Countess of the March's third best navyman, however, he still had the opportunity to serve and serve her well for a few years. It wasn't until after she stepped down and became the Dowager Countess of the March that his disastrous luck really struck again, though. See, in the Lyceum, it wasn't so big a deal for the Dowager Countess of the March and one of her knights to engage in a few solid rolls in the hay -- a really delightful, memorable week with a much older lady -- but the thing is, scandal or no, there's something to be said for luck and timing. Zebulon was regaling a few of his boon companions with the raucous tale of their latest amorous encounter when no one other than Emilisia Igniseri walked into the room and walked up behind him and none of those bastards warned him that she was there. (Pro tip: women don't like it when they hear you refer to their breasts as like floppy flapjacks. Learn from Zebulon. He knows now.) So now, not entirely disgraced but definitely needing to avoid Granato for awhile, Zebulon has been sent to Arx to earn honor for the glory of house and defend the capital and maybe join the Champions. Something is bound to go wrong. He just doesn't know what it is yet.
  rong. He just doesn't know what it is yet.)
• Zebulon Whitewake  + (Zebulon is pretty sure it all started with …
  Zebulon is pretty sure it all started with the card game. There he was, 18 years old, the day after that first shiningly adult birthday, with a brand new commission to the guards of the Countess of the March of Granato. Of course he was going to decide to celebrate, and of course celebrating was going to involve copious amounts of wine and variable levels of being clothed. That's part of what celebrating means in any part of the Lyceum. Somehow he was talked into betting his commission papers in that poker game, and that was the beginning of the end. There may have been incidents of shit going horribly wrong for Zebulon earlier than that, but this one was the doozy, the beginning, the snowball that started the whole godsdamned avalanche. Suddenly without the future that he'd been so proud to earn by sword and valor, Zebulon wandered drunkenly around the city and ended up falling asleep on a bench. When he woke up, he wasn't sure whether he was hungover or wildly seasick. After a few months of service in the Granato navy, he was pretty sure he wasn't seasick anymore, but that didn't mean anything was going /right/. He served for a few years with only a few minor mishaps to his name -- look, how could it possibly be his fault that the rope slipped and a shipboard trebuchet hit the splintered railing /right there/ and fell into the sea? -- and, despite fortune conspiring against him generally, earned his way up the ranks by force of arms and generally applying himself. It was only when chance was given a hand in his life that disaster beckoned. As first mate of the Lady's Spear, he led a boarding party in capturing a pirate vessel that had taken noble hostages and managed to sail the prize home to Granato port. The Countess of the March was so pleased she elevated him to the role of a knight, and a knight captain; the prize vessel became his, and so he sailed out under the flag of the Moon's Folly. So, he became Sir Zebulon. Unfortunately, the knighting ceremony was held aboard the deck of the Folly, and at a comical moment when Marquesa Igniseri was about to finish dubbing him, he was struck by a sliding boom and somehow, through this series of errors, managed to fall off the ship into her wake. So he didn't just become Sir Zebulon. He became Sir Zebulon Whitewake. As knight-captain of the Countess of the March's third best navyman, however, he still had the opportunity to serve and serve her well for a few years. It wasn't until after she stepped down and became the Dowager Countess of the March that his disastrous luck really struck again, though. See, in the Lyceum, it wasn't so big a deal for the Dowager Countess of the March and one of her knights to engage in a few solid rolls in the hay -- a really delightful, memorable week with a much older lady -- but the thing is, scandal or no, there's something to be said for luck and timing. Zebulon was regaling a few of his boon companions with the raucous tale of their latest amorous encounter when no one other than Emilisia Igniseri walked into the room and walked up behind him and none of those bastards warned him that she was there. (Pro tip: women don't like it when they hear you refer to their breasts as like floppy flapjacks. Learn from Zebulon. He knows now.) So now, not entirely disgraced but definitely needing to avoid Granato for awhile, Zebulon has been sent to Arx to earn honor for the glory of house and defend the capital and maybe join the Champions. Something is bound to go wrong. He just doesn't know what it is yet.
  rong. He just doesn't know what it is yet.)
• Zeia Unknown  + (Zeia was born on a ship and grew up at sea …
  Zeia was born on a ship and grew up at sea, raised between ports by every kind of 'uncle' and 'auntie' imaginable. Sailing from The Storm March to the Redkeep and south to the Stormward, he has been to every major port between Setarco in the south and Stormwall in the north. In his veins flows the blood of almost every nation of the Kingdom, the far reaching merchants, privateers, sailors, buccaneers and pirates of his long ancestral lines having heeded the calling of the sea from every port and, in many cases, beyond. This life has exposed him to many cultures, teachings, languages, beliefs, and characters, and has shaped his world-view almost as much as being spirit-touched--for he is the direct descendant of a great shaman of the north, the name now lost in time, but not the gifts. Or perhaps he is simply not right in the head...
  haps he is simply not right in the head...)
• Zorianna Blackshore  + (Zorianna Argento was born to a pair of ski …
  Zorianna Argento was born to a pair of skilled courtiers, Lord Bryan (formerly of Steelhart) and Lady Nadine Argento, who's political mechanisms first brought them together. For them, children were an obligation, a trophy to be brought out at parties to entertain the guests. Because her birth was such a difficulty, her mother suffered severe depression after the birth. For the rest of her life, Zorianna was never allowed to forget it. It would be another seven years her mother attempted another pregnancy, a whim on her mother's side to try to rekindle something between her and her husband. Because during her pregnancies, her husband's attention would be more focused on her. As a bonus, her younger sister, Analeigh's pregnancy and birth went better. So did her younger brothers, Herbert and Jeoffrey. Her mother didn't suffer the same health issues and was able to properly bond with her other children. Sadly, Zorianna didn't benefit for the more family focus. The age gaps and mother's coldness caused her siblings to gravitate away from Zorianna's company. Her father left child rearing to his wife so his actions followed suit of Nadine. Over the years, this all snowballed into the simple fact that Zorianna just never fit in her family. She did not grow up without love. Lady Saraphae Blackshore, formerly from House Argento and married to Argus Blackshore, was named First Liar to Zorianna Argento when she was born. She held the child when her mother rejected her. She fostered Zorianna at Blackshore Isle when her parents were in Arx in the Spring and Summer months to attend parties and navigate political waters. These moments when she would visit with Saraphae were the moments she lived for. Saraphae gave her a home, love and feeling of family. Both her and Saraphae shared a love for gardening, and as she grew older, her mentor taught her everything she knew about winemaking. The two of them could be seen in the gardens, covered in dirt, laughing as they worked side by side. As she grew older, she became a gifted alchemist and agriculturist, spending much of her energies trying to improve the strain of wine that grew on the isle. Out of all the Blackshore siblings, she was closest to Elisabe Blackshore who was her same age. They were inseparable as children, playing together in perfect sync and finishing each other's sentences. Elisabe was more of a sister to her than Analeigh who was her mother's parrot. They had slightly different interests, Elisabe being more interested in medicinal uses of plants rather than winemaking, but their friendship weathered the test of time. When they both debuted in Arx at their majority, Zorianna married quickly into a Lyceum family at the tender age of eighteen. It was not a love match, rather a political one that refilled her family's coffers and created a strong alliance. Saraphae argued strongly against it but for once her mother was paying attention to her. The young girl got swept up in her mother's wedding plans. She found herself a new wife before she realized what that even meant. Like a toy that had outdone it's use, once she was married, her mother again lost interest in her. To make matters worse, her new husband, Lord Barnabus Daveiga, was not that interested in building a happy home with his new wife. He was weak willed and sought his mother's counsel over his own wife. Her suggestions to make improvements to the crops were ignored. Her contributions were regaled to being everything she disliked her own mother for, a fancy show piece to be taken out at parties. There would be no happy ever after for this steel magnolia. To further her own depression, Elisabe was lost at sea, leaving her without a critical lifeline to keep her balanced. Saraphae caught a chill and passed quietly in her sleep. Her parents were caught up in their political games. The nannies were busy raising her siblings. Everyone had their own lives. She tried her best to be a good wife. She was always the outsider looking in. Never quite fitting in, no matter where she went. The only interest her husband had for her was hosting parties and bearing children that her stubborn womb would not accommodate. Her mother-in-law grew more openly scornful her son's new wife. There was no complaining about it. She just regally took the barbs from her inlaws. Being married out of the house, she was not aware of what was happening with House Argento until the shocking destruction at the hand of Duchess Belladonna Pravus and her allies. Her heart ached at those she once knew as family were now nothing. Her mother and father were dead, side notes in history for their part in the scandal. Even the house was erased and broken into pieces by the victors. Her siblings divided up among those still living. Barnabus refused her ask to take them in, because his mother didn't want any more filthy traitors running around. Their commentary did not stop at her siblings, her inlaws could not help but revel in the deaths of all in House Argento. The strain between Zorianna and her husband's family only grew with their insensitive comments. All things change, and finally Barnabus passed away from a winter chill, a condition that he long had since childhood. Her husband's family wanted nothing to do with her. With Argento being in ruins these last few years, the only options she could choose were Steelhart, Blackshore or Malesparo. She chose Blackshore because it was only on that isle had she ever been truly happy. She had no desire to take her chances on Malesparo or Steelhart where she might once again be the unwanted burden. She sought out the new baroness, offering her fealty. Skye Blackshore took her in, recognizing the connection between Blackshore and Argento, and needing her expertise in agriculture and alchemy. Zorianna gave up her married name to take up the Blackshore name to put some distance between her and her infamous family. Because of her expertise in agriculture, she took up the ministry position to assist the baroness. She started reaching out to her siblings to see if they could reconnect. After all, they were her only blood left. While the stain of scandal still sits on her ancestry, she is finally starting to live her life on her terms.
  ly starting to live her life on her terms.)
• Zortan Fidante  + (Zortan's father was once a lowly knight wh …
  Zortan's father was once a lowly knight who married across the border into the Fidante (second or third cousin) family and succumbed to some disease when Zortan was a child while away on duty. The young figure was keen to become a knight in his father's footsteps. And he favored even as a youth the ways of those not too far from his home. The young man held honor tight and he was often bullied for it but the willpower of the youth was without peer. His mind set he stubbornly held to his values and he was a very kind and generous youth. He took his time and eventually earned the chance to squire and it is said that he had more virtues than his knight dared dream of from the start. But when it came time to swear his oath the young man did so readily. Zortan had distinguished himself early on once he was given the chance to enter melees with a natural instinct and talent with both the spear and the sword. Soon he was rising in the lists as well and thought to be a young champion in the making. But then a mishap of a lance caught the young lovely house knight in the face and his jaw hinge gave in the most unfortunate way. The lance when it fractured pierced his eye and went through his mouth and came out the other side. The gory scene was a dramatic affair and through sheer force of will the young knight survived. Since then with one-eye and a compound fracture that never healed right Zortan was a broken knight. He refused to give up his station and through determined ferocity of valor and honor he carried himself through the years. He was never the champion-to-be again but he led small numbers of men into battle when needed. A few years after his first accident it is said in a battle his crap luck saw boiling pitch trapped down his breastplate at one side and in the seams of his gauntlet enough that he is left crippled with one hand and only has his thumb and forefinger. It is rumored that Zortan is cursed. Zortan smirks and shrugs his shoulder and ignores these things. He only cares about duty and honor. Vows are vows. Zortan served directly the Fidante family and spent many of his years in the direct guard and retinue of Giancinta Fidante. The honorable knight earned her trust and confidence. Three decades of service within the Fidante family have now come to pass. Zortan has returned from unspoken family business just as the siege of Arx is under way. He has spent a number of years away. He is here to serve as always and to hold to his vows. He is not the strongest man, nor the swiftest, and while he has progressed in age and his injuries have run their course. The man is simply to stubborn to give up the ghost of a knight's vows. He is a faithful and dependable lifer.
  . He is a faithful and dependable lifer.)
• Zoya Kotov  + (Zoya was born a child of a Redreef servant …
  Zoya was born a child of a Redreef servant and grew up in the household. There was never much clarity as to who her father was - though the rumor mill pegged several men. Zoya scampered through the halls and started in the kitchen young. Through the years she worked herself up through the ranks working in most positions in the house as was appropriate for a young woman. She showed a particular flair for organizing people and things and had already attracted the attention of the family majordomo. Her passion was with the faith though, and she expressed a deep desire to take the path of a godsworn. It was the death of her mother that shook her from that course. Whatever was shared on the woman's deathbed had Zoya turning away from a lifetime sworn to the faith. Eschewing the teaching of the majordomo she requested placement in the nursery, and that is where she remained no matter how people talked that she might use her skills better. Zoya's fidelity and steadiness found her a position of trust. She distinguished herself enough that after Ember and Marina were born Zoya was set as the head of the nursery. It was under her careful watch that the two developed. While the twins were firmly grown when the troubles, as Zoya names them, began with the death of their father. Although it was clear who Zoya supported if the issue was forced, she kept herself politically neutral and out of the spotlight. This allowed her to keep much of the household mechanisms moving even while all else fell apart. She believed in the rightful place of the twins, it just took the gods a little time to work out all the details.
  a little time to work out all the details.)
• Zyanya Lir  + (Zyanya is the happily ever after of her pa …
  Zyanya is the happily ever after of her parents' love story, the proof of life continuing on when the last page of the tale is turned. The only daughter of Zixin Lir and Maren Thrax, she was raised on their fairy tale: the castaway princess deposited on distant foreign shores, the warrior-poet who fell in love with her, and the ten years of their courtship. Ten years in which Zixin spent oceans of ink on paper to woo Maren. Ten years of poetry and song, and a fervent but respectful distance. Ten years concluded with a marriage. In Zyanya was the realization of her parents' ideals: a sword-like spirit and a harp-like soul, nurtured with love, with honour, and with duty. She took to poetry as Zixin did and song as her mother does, though for Zyanya her joy came in creating music, where in Maren it moved her to dance. Her studies encompassed these arts and more. She took to them gladly and strove to be an exemplary daughter in all things, through childhood into adulthood. Her mother made certain that her daughter was also raised knowing of Arvum and of her family there. She was taught the language, the social forms (as they were in Maren's time). Several times a year on the birthdays of Maren's brothers, they released floating lanterns on the ocean to honor those distant relatives. Though she never lived there, Arvum, the Mourning Isles, and Arx all lived in Zyanya's imagination as they were described to her. By adulthood she had established herself as a poet to match her father, an entertainer to match her mother. But here her peers settled easily into the predetermined channels of their lives, Zyanya found it difficult. Some claimed it was Mangata's tidal influence, a relic of her parents' love story. Others whispered it was the foreign influence of Maren herself. The result was a young poet who felt the need to move. She petitioned for and was granted a pass to travel through Weijin, composing and entertaining as she went. From Weijin, she traveled to the rest of the Undying Empire, her reputation growing as she went-- the novelty of her arrival and passage through each town, each city, was an efficient bait to audiences for whom life was certain and regular, day by day by day. And where novelty drew listeners, skill kept them enraptured. She had no end of admirers, patrons and lovers, the story of some being added to her growing library of poetry and songs. But celebrity was not the purpose of Zyanya's wanderings. To her immense grief, the answer presented itself with her father's death. She was summoned back to Weijin by Maren to find the great and vital warrior turned teacher already passed. Arriving too late to say good-bye sent her into a dark spiral, an adult woman clinging to her mother as if a child again. When Maren spoke of her desire to return to her homeland, to see her family once more before she too returned to the Wheel, Zyanya knew that this was what she had sought all along-- not an answer, but a clarity of choice, to see the land of half of her heritage. To decide whether Arvum was her true home.
  To decide whether Arvum was her true home.)
• Zyn Waters  + (Zyn was born on a ship, literally. Her fir …
  Zyn was born on a ship, literally. Her first wobbling steps were taken across the swaying deck of a ship, and her first words were all nautical. Try as they might, her parents tried to keep her feet on the ground, but the little girl would have none of it. Head in the clouds, she's snuck onto more ships almost as many times as she's been kicked off them, so it came as no surprise to her family when they learned that Zyn's most recent attempt at being a stow-away actually worked. It was only a matter of time. However, they didn't expect that would be the last they saw of her as the ship she was aboard was raided and her cover blown. Zyn, fierce little thing that she was, traded a life of books and baking for swabbing decks and scuttling across the rigging to the crow's nest, often jumping from one ship to the next with the winds of change at her back, decisions based on how quickly life became monotonous. Her most recent adventures have led her to Arx, where she searches for something to break the monotony of being landlocked while she selects her next assignment.
  ked while she selects her next assignment.)
• Zyn  + (Zyn was born on a ship, literally. Her fir …
  Zyn was born on a ship, literally. Her first wobbling steps were taken across the swaying deck of a ship, and her first words were all nautical. Try as they might, her parents tried to keep her feet on the ground, but the little girl would have none of it. Head in the clouds, she's snuck onto more ships almost as many times as she's been kicked off them, so it came as no surprise to her family when they learned that Zyn's most recent attempt at being a stow-away actually worked. It was only a matter of time. However, they didn't expect that would be the last they saw of her as the ship she was aboard was raided and her cover blown. Zyn, fierce little thing that she was, traded a life of books and baking for swabbing decks and scuttling across the rigging to the crow's nest, often jumping from one ship to the next with the winds of change at her back, decisions based on how quickly life became monotonous. Her most recent adventures have led her to Arx, where she searches for something to break the monotony of being landlocked while she selects her next assignment.
  ked while she selects her next assignment.)
• Zyxthylum Karthrite  + (Zyxthylum was born in the Lowers to a fami …
  Zyxthylum was born in the Lowers to a family that already had too many mouths to feed. Often there was no dinner and no place to sleep for the poor boy, so he took to spending his nights at the graveyard. He was also forced to hunt rats, birds, even insects in dire situations. Abuse and neglect made the boy lonely, so he started creating his own family and friends out of the remains of his dinners. At first this was simply bones assembled with fishing line. Eventually however, the boy became a man, and the man became talented. His creations began to take on a second life under his care and the strange hobby began to draw morbidly curious eyes. Still forced to take any job people would let the odd fella do, he happened to attract a mysterious benefactor that changed the natural course of his life. Instead of scrubbing chamber pots and collecting bounties on rats, he is exploring his hobby as a legitimate trade. Business might not always be booming but he is grateful for his chance to sit indoors and work in peace.
  s chance to sit indoors and work in peace.)
• Sparte Fatchforth  + (u'Very little is known about Sparte from b …
  u'Very little is known about Sparte from before he showed up in Arx, one of the many youths that came from the countryside to answer the call to protect Arx after the betrayal of Lord Everard Telmar in 1005 AR. The Fatchforths are a farming family a few days from Bastion and well liked, but they arn't the sort you often see in a city or a history book. Joining the Iron Guard as a simple recruit with little more to his name than a baby stoat and a walking stick, Sparte was neither intimidating nor particularly capable. The only thing he seems good at was being enthusiastic and stubborn. In the coming year he'd learn meet every mercy that worked the training yards and end up on first name basis with most of them. He learned this because he got the snot beat out of him, again, and again, and again. It took six months for him to wear his first spar to even a draw, another three to win. Then the Silent Army came, and those lessons were put to use. Proving his valor he faced no less than a dozen Bringers across Arx, never faltering or retreating. He earned medals of the Guardian and Star for this, but what people remember instead is him earning the nickname Eyebrows. This given after he burned them off fighting a bringer with fire, and went around town with two serious looking black smears over his eyes for months. When peace came to Arx, Sparte didn't settle. He seemed incapable, permanently restless and eager to do something more. Eventually this would lead him to try to join the Society of Explorers, being turned down for his lack of skill as something more than a warrior. If you have followed along this far, you have an idea of how this went. In early 1007 AR Sparte was admitted to the Society of Explorers, having focused on cartography and earned recognition for the talent he had developed in that area. "Anyone can look at a map and see what is on it, but if you want a worth while puzzle? Figure out what isn't."
  orth while puzzle? Figure out what isn't.")
• Sparte Grayfellow  + (u'Very little is known about Sparte from b …
  u'Very little is known about Sparte from before he showed up in Arx, one of the many youths that came from the countryside to answer the call to protect Arx after the betrayal of Lord Everard Telmar in 1005 AR. The Fatchforths are a farming family a few days from Bastion and well liked, but they arn't the sort you often see in a city or a history book. Joining the Iron Guard as a simple recruit with little more to his name than a baby stoat and a walking stick, Sparte was neither intimidating nor particularly capable. The only thing he seems good at was being enthusiastic and stubborn. In the coming year he'd learn meet every mercy that worked the training yards and end up on first name basis with most of them. He learned this because he got the snot beat out of him, again, and again, and again. It took six months for him to wear his first spar to even a draw, another three to win. Then the Silent Army came, and those lessons were put to use. Proving his valor he faced no less than a dozen Bringers across Arx, never faltering or retreating. He earned medals of the Guardian and Star for this, but what people remember instead is him earning the nickname Eyebrows. This given after he burned them off fighting a bringer with fire, and went around town with two serious looking black smears over his eyes for months. When peace came to Arx, Sparte didn't settle. He seemed incapable, permanently restless and eager to do something more. Eventually this would lead him to try to join the Society of Explorers, being turned down for his lack of skill as something more than a warrior. If you have followed along this far, you have an idea of how this went. In early 1007 AR Sparte was admitted to the Society of Explorers, having focused on cartography and earned recognition for the talent he had developed in that area. "Anyone can look at a map and see what is on it, but if you want a worth while puzzle? Figure out what isn't."
  orth while puzzle? Figure out what isn't.")
• Eirik Coldrain  + ({/Eirik was born to a common family on the …
  {/Eirik was born to a common family on the 23rd day of the 8th month. He's never been a stranger to war and combat. In all honesty his father died in a battle serving as a sell sword to a ship in some thraxian fleet or another. Eirik was to young to know or remember.{/A few years later as Eirik started getting closer to adulthood his mother died too leaving him alone and broke. Like his father he had skill with a sword, but as of yet was unproven in battle and let's face it no one hires an unproven swordsman. So he set off on his way trying to make some coin some how. After weeks and months of barely being able to break even or eat some weeks he finally made a tough decision.{/Eirik voluntarily became a thrall in Kennex lands. It gave him steady work food and a place to live. Let's face it when it came down to it he didn't think it was all that bad. He stayed a Thrall for quite some years before Kennex decided to just up and "free" all the Thralls. Eirik was angry he didn't want to have to go back out into the world and find some way to earn his living again after all it didn't work so well for him the first time. It was during this time, during his anger and rage that Sameera found him. She took Eirik in and let him take the name Coldrain. Now he's attempting to make his way and a living learning how not to be just a Thrall.{/
  ng learning how not to be just a Thrall.{/)