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List of results

• Noelle Pravus  + (House Valardin is known for being exemplar …
  House Valardin is known for being exemplars of honor, paragons of virtue, and standard-bearers of all that's chivalric. House Pravus was, and is not, given the same description. Instead, they are known for their passions, their boundary-pushing. It would be difficult to pick two more opposite Houses in the Compact. One would expect that where these two meet there would be explosions. But that was not the case with the first several meetings of Gerard Valardin and Taziana Pravus. Their first encounter was a joust in Arx where he rode by and so chivalrously asked for a Favor to wear and she obliged. Aas Taziana found quite a bit of passion to be enjoyed in things such as jousts and melees she followed the circuit for the year. And each time he jousted, Gerard would come to ask her favor. By the end of the year, they were wed with Prince Gerard Valardin becoming Lord Gerard Pravus. Less than a year after that: Noelle, named for her Valardin grandmother. Noelle was a pain for her tutors. Smart, but unwilling to apply herself. She was a pain for her tailors, uncaring about fashion. She would spend winters in Sanctum, enjoying things like ice skating but being horrible at things like riding horses or using weapons. Most of the year she would just people-watch in Setarco. And there were people to watch! Finally something changed in the girl. Oh, she still preferred to watch people, but after one particular carnival, she became obsessed with street magic, the kind used by performers to the delight of audiences. Her parents were both dismayed, but at the same time glad she took an interest in something. So they gave her six months. If she could master a certain number of tricks in six months, they'd let her continue; and if she couldn't, then she was going to learn to be a knight. It took her five. Five months and she had mastered the basics of sleight of hand, enough to avoid having to learn to fight. It'd take her years longer to be a true master but in these tricks, Noelle found something she had been lacking: Confidence. She took the lessons of misdirection to heart and made them part of herself. She learned to use them to get around, not over, the awkwardness of new friends. And she found a thrill in pickpocketing. Uusually that was just a way to make an introduction. Pick a pocket, then, "Oh, sir, you must have dropped this," and start a conversation. But that's not to say she doesn't have a collection of secret treasures of things that never made their way back home. The only time this has really been a problem was when she picked the pocket of a passing priest, pulling a coin. She turned to try to give it back to the older gentleman and he was gone. She couldn't find him! That's her bad luck coin. Ever since then she's just had huge runs of bad luck and knows they won't end until she can give the coin back. And now that Noelle's back in Arx, she thought her luck was going to change. She saw the old priest at the Queensrest.... the night he was killed and called a false dominus. Well, now what?
  nd called a false dominus. Well, now what?)
• Sophie Valardin  + (House Valardin of all the great houses has …
  House Valardin of all the great houses has the greatest representation among clergy in the Faith of the Pantheon, so it comes as no surprise when a prince or princess of the Oathlands feels drawn towards the Faith. However Princess Sophie surprised her parents and siblings not just by being devout, but by the much rarer choice of feeling called to serve as a disciple of a specific goddess, announcing even as a teenager that she intended to become a Mercy of Lagoma. Her decision was driven by the first time she saw the aftermath of a battle, as a young niece of Prince Radley accompanying the high lord to inspect a skirmish against shavs, and she witnessed white robed members of the Faith giving care to not only the soldiers of House Valardin who were wounded, but even to the dying shav enemies who had been left lying upon the field. The agony of the dying tore at her soul, and she'll never forget the humanizing compassion in each of the Mercies of Lagoma's actions. She remembers a pair of Mercies struggling fiercely to save the life of a desperately wounded shav, and she remembers so very keenly that courageous members of the Faith refused to allow stricken enemies to be massacred by vengeful Valardin knights and faced their swords until Prince Radley told the knights to stand down. Sophie saw a sort of courage in those unarmed healers that resonated with her, and her mind was made up from that moment on. As a very young adult, after extensive training as a Mercy in Blancbier, she traveled to Arx to study with the Faith. This put her on the path to becoming godsworn, giving up her family and potential titles and become sworn only to the gods and the crown while serving as the Mother Mercy of the Mercies of Lagoma of Arx. She knew how powerful the Valardin name is, and she knew she is in a unique position to be the one to speak for the defenseless, the sick and the injured. She knew full well that she could be the one woman in white whose voice can be heard by the truly powerful, and she felt she owes it to Lagoma and to the defenseless to be the one to speak it. But having established herself firmly in Arx, Princess Sophie Valardin felt it was time to become Sister Sophie Valardin, and she intends to leave the world in a better place than she found it. As of the summer of 1006 AR, following the still unsolved murder of her predecessor, she ascended to the position of Mother Mercy of Arx. So far, her tenure has seen to the development and implementation of the Harrowed Heart initiative, which treats post-traumatic stress. Improving the lives and the care of the denizens of the Lower Boroughs and the refugees in Arx continues to very much be a keystone of her service to Our Lady of Change.
  tone of her service to Our Lady of Change.)
• Alantir Valardin  + (How Alantir survived the Tragedy at Sanctu …
  How Alantir survived the Tragedy at Sanctum remains to this day a mystery. He has the scars to show for it, of course -- the raised and discolored tissue marring the majority of his bare chest and back. But the memories, beyond crawling from beneath a pile of corpses and burning debris? Hidden behind an impenetrable veil that obfuscates even his unconscious mind from uncovering the truth beneath. He talks about the event rarely, opting instead to busy himself with tasks entrusted to him on behalf of his family and its dignitaries. Outside of this blemish on an otherwise perfect record, he is very much the honor-bound and chivalrous knight one would expect to find bearing the crest of the White Dragon -- though perhaps with a negative predisposition toward the shav'arvani due to the great pain the Abandoned inflicted upon the Valardin psyche.
  ndoned inflicted upon the Valardin psyche.)
• Kael Keaton  + (How does one hide a noble child? An heir? …
  How does one hide a noble child? An heir? For Countess Nadine Keaton the answer was found by claiming the babe stillborn, and ghosting him away into the night to be raised by a loyal governess and keep hidden his identity. The plan was always to have him summoned after the danger (rumored to be Kael's Blackshore sire) passed. Except Nadine Keaton fell, the story saying she took her own life, and her sister Lady Margerie - not wise to the plan - reluctantly took the mantle of Countess. It was a great time later that she found out the truth and summoned the boy, now a man, to take his rightful place. The year was 1005 AR when Kael Keaton agreed to become Count, and began his transition. For months he spent time with tutors and agreed to a political marriage of his Aunt's arrangement. In 1006 he came to Arx, married Reigna Wyrmguard, and the pair began building. In 1009 AR the Count was granted the title of Marquis for steadfast work and expansion of their domain as well as contributions to the Compact. Now experienced in leadership, with numerous losses (the worst, if you ask him, the loss of his wife in 1017 AR) and triumphs under his belt, Kael continues to be a steady traditional presence in Arx as well as Oakhaven.
  ional presence in Arx as well as Oakhaven.)
• Ian Kennex  + (Ian was born the third son of a lesser bra …
  Ian was born the third son of a lesser branch of the family, far from power... but nevertheless, he seemed destined for greatness. He was hardy, athletic, and fearless, and he added to that a focus and ruthless drive that was almost inhuman. He found his calling at a mere five years old, the first time that he picked up a blade. From that moment on, he turned all of his being towards honing his skill, making himself into a more efficient weapon and, as he got older, a better killer. Ian followed his brothers Aethan and Porter to sea when he was nine. For his first few years, they stayed on relatively safe convoy duty, until it was judged that Ian, at fifteen, was ready for more. He'd already killed, after all, two years before -- the only one who was worried about him was Aethan, and only because Ian had handled that experience a little too well. With the youngest of them ready, the Brothers Kennex were transferred to hunting pirates. Intense Aethan, affable party boy Porter, and calm, driven Ian were making a name for themselves. It was with them that Washburn Grayson, soon to be Wash Kennex, learned to sail. Ian was starting to be acknowledged as one of the best swordsmen in the Isles. Aethan even gave him commands of his own from time to time. Only prize ships, but a real command was sure to follow. And then his life came crashing down. He was seventeen. Aethan had given him command of a prize ship they'd taken earlier that day. They set off for home together, but Ian's ship, severely damaged, fell behind. As darkness closed in that night, a powerful storm overtook them, and Ian soon realized that unless a broken line high in the rigging was spliced, the ship wouldn't bear the strain of the wind, and would sink... and the only person he was sure could get that line spliced was him. With the mast swaying wildly, he managed to repair the line, but on the way down, he fell. At first everyone thought he'd died, and maybe he should have had the sense to do so. If he had, he would have died a hero, instead of living his days as half a man, a paralyzed cripple. But Ian's focus and drive hadn't deserted him. Feeling started to come back after a little over a year, and he pushed himself the way that he always had, determined to walk again. It took years, but walk he did, and as soon as he could move around he was sent away to Arx, where he would find "more opportunity". There, his healing continued; under the tutelage of Duke Harald Grimhall and Duke Arn Telmar, he picked up a weapon again, and after that there was no stopping him. He led the Grim Fleet home after Duke Grimhall's injury at the battle in the north, and guarded a critical asset during the Pirate War in Setarco. He'll never again be the warrior he was, but in these desperate times, what he's become will have to do. Things are looking up for Ian. Prince Galen, the Warlord of Thrax, has put him in command of Thrax's special forces. He's married to Lady Zoey, formerly of Bisland -- a match far better than he had any right to expect -- and has even reunited with Wash, and with his brothers. War looms on the horizon, but Ian is a man more comfortable at war than at peace, and he's ready to fight.
  ar than at peace, and he's ready to fight.)
• Ianthe Artusio  + (Ianthe's only knowledge of the mother that …
  Ianthe's only knowledge of the mother that gave her life is the account of an Abandoned ship captain who found her mother adrift at sea, clinging to her newborn daughter. The man assumed that the woman was a thrall given her condition and the weak, incoherent pleas she made as she handed him her screaming baby. The woman died on the ship a couple days later. Knowing that a boat was no place for a baby, the captain made a hasty port and passed the infant off to be fostered by a merchant family he had had dealings with in Setarco. The man asked them to call the child Ianthe after his own dead daughter. Ianthe grew up in a happy home, learning the family silk trade. Occasionally, her savior would come to visit while he was in port, igniting a longing to see the world in little Ianthe. As soon as she could, Ianthe boarded the first ship out of Setarco. By pure luck, Ianthe happened to fall into an apprenticeship with an old trader who taught her how to trade raw materials from around the world to the best artists and then sell those items to customers who were willing to pay a pretty penny for beauty. He taught her to read, to write, and the manners she needed to deal with the more genteel clients to which he catered. When he died, Ianthe inherited his client list and has been doing a brisk trade ever since. She returns to her family on occasion to share the proceeds of her business, but doesn't stay rooted in any one place for too long.
  stay rooted in any one place for too long.)
• Ida Ferron  + (Ida Ferron is a skilled blacksmith, hailin …
  Ida Ferron is a skilled blacksmith, hailing from a small hamlet not far from Sanctum, and had spent as much time making and fixing arms and armor as she had repairing plows and horse shoes. She married young and had children young. Two boys and a girl. Her husband was a soldier in the Valardin army, and though theirs was no great love, he was good to her and honored her and she has no regrets. That their marriage was very cordial and polite, made his death in combat five years after they wed easier to bear. At a glance the strong woman is the very image of a hardworking, polite, plain spoken Valardin commoner. Her profession was not her true love though. Ida was the premier Pugilist of the West Marches. A student of what the Valardin like to call 'the sweet science' she was recognized as one of the very best bare-knuckle boxers in the West. After dusk there were many a night where she would fight all comers by flickering lamp light, and while her record was by no means perfect, if you were to ask someone to name a fighter that's beat her twice, they probably could not give you a name. Even now, she is notable for not only her raw power, gained from working steel between hammer and anvil, but also for her technical precision, and for having a sense of showmanship that does not come at the cost of fair play and sportsmanship. In short, she is the perfect fighter to appeal to Valardin sensibilities. She was much loved because of it and basked in the attention, which lead to great success as a smith because there are quite a few knights and lords that want to say their sword was crafted by a champion. Even Prince Edain was an ardent fan in those seemingly simpler times. Her children grew old enough to become apprenticed and moved on to live with their respective masters, and with little desire to remarry, she decided it was time to live a little and see how good she could really be before age could catch up to her and younger fighters passed her by. In 1003, she accepted a job to be one of the Valardin smiths in the City of Arx, and planned to work hard, play harder, and prove she was one of the best fighters in the land. Despite the dark times that were just beginning to dawn on the horizon, Ida couldn't help but smile and look forward to the adventures she would find. The years in Arx have treated her well. Knighted by Prince Edain, now Highlord of the Oathlands, in May of 1005, he named her the Hammer of the West. Her shop prospered early on and she has made great strides in perfecting her craft. She still fights, but her times in the ring aren't what they had been several years ago. Ida is more often seen teaching others the sweet science than going toe-to-toe with them. That isn't to say she wouldn't get into the ring, by any means; it's more that the course of her life has changed. Between being knighted and the requests for weapons from some of the city's greatest citizens, the time for late night brawls by lamp light has grown slim. She has served as an Assistant Guildmaster for the Crafter's Guild, forged House weapons, and become a Knight of the Templar Order. Her cast iron integrity and passionate devotions to both Jayus and Gloria seem to be leading her ever onward. There is still much work to be done, but then Ida is no stranger to hard work.
  but then Ida is no stranger to hard work.)
• Orvyn Harthall  + (If ever there was a man born to be a merch …
  If ever there was a man born to be a merchant, it is Orvyn. Trading and exploiting his cousins and other kids his age, or older during his childhood to trade up and cash in, whenever it was possible, and sometimes even when it was not. Routinely setting up schemes by which to make some money for others, but mainly himself, he became known as the one the other kids would go to to get things that their parents would not get for them themselves. It was clear, as a second son, that Orvyn's talents were to lay outside the keep, and instead of learning the nuances of court life, he set out upon the sea, Captain of one of the family's trading ships. He travelled all around Arvum, trading where he could, opening new contracts and learning about all sorts of foreign ideals and customs. It was early on in his trading life that he met with the Laurent family and it was not much longer that the courtship with Sunniva began. While his trading kept him away for most of the days, there were still the cherished few that he was able to visit and meet with her, growing to know her in small increments over the course of two years before they were finally married. Of course that was the happy news of the year, and as all good merchants know, good things always come with a cost. Later that year, his older brother, the heir apparent was killed during a bad horse accident, forcing Orvyn into the role of heir for the family's March and all their agreements without. Troubled at the loss of his brother, he returned home, new bride with, and stepped off his ship for what became quite an extended stay in Fair Harbor. Slowly learning the required skills and acclimatizing himself to the world of nobles and functions both from the aid of his father and from his wife, Orvyn began to gain some rudimentary aptitude for dealing with the day to day running of the march. Figuring the man still had much more time to learn, he did not throw himself too deeply into his studies, still longing for the sea and all the adventure that it held. This longing is what distracted him and caused him to be caught completely off guard when his father passed away suddenly, thrusting Orvyn immediately into rule. Now he is struggling to catch up, through plying the skills that he had learned long before he had an inkling he would be a Marquis.
  e he had an inkling he would be a Marquis.)
• Sameera Coldrain  + (If there is anything that Sameera hates it …
  If there is anything that Sameera hates it is gambling. It is the bane of her life because her mother, Strega, was a gambling addict. Strega took her gambling to extremes. Not a day went by, while Strega was alive, that Sameera did not hear of the ill fortune that Count Dravor Darkwater brought up Strega. While Sameera despises the name she was named for, she despised her mother just as much as she loved her, no, let there be a correction, she hated her mother more than she loved her. To explain why Sameera felt this way the story of her mother's, a merchant from Eurus, slightly younger life must be told, in brevity. Strega was always a gambler, a heavy one, and lost more than she won. It was a curse upon her life. Strega had a streak of luck one night, against Dravor, or so she though. Sure, it started out as luck but when Dravor saw how easily this pretty gambler was taken with winning he decided to take amusement in making her think she could defeat him. While in the process of throwing hands in the game they were playing he urged her to bid higher and whispered the sweetest of words into her ears, making her believe that even if she were to lose big he had a way to assure she did not end up a thrall. She believed him and the price she paid was her freedom for despite his honeyed words sleeping with him did not grant her freedom. Instead it gave her a daughter and she became indentured. Her gambling addiction did not help her get out of being a thrall, in fact it likely made things worse. Eventually the work she had to do between raising her child, gambling what little money she could get her hands on, and just the chore of living with little to no freedom eventually drove her insane then to her death. Sameera, you see, had to hear the tale of how her father betrayed her mother and manipulated her very often, almost daily. Once, when she was quite young Sameera saw her father, he had cruelly come to mock her mother and seduce her with his words once more and, like previously, Strega fell victim to it and Sameera was lucky she did not end up with another sibling as a result. To pay off the debt that Strega had fostered upon her with her death Sameera took up smithing jewels. It didn't net her much to live on, for most of it went to paying off her debt and getting supplies, but she found she could relax doing it. Escape the reality she lived in for a little while. Imagine the shock that she felt when her brother found her contract and set he free. His actions were met with mistrust, doubt even. Who's she to know if he was different than his father? Besides, he must be similar, since he simply freed her and did not acknowledge her as his sibling. He could say all the pretty things he wanted but she had decided to hold her joy at being freed and serve as a servant of his family until she has figured out the legitimacy of his actions and silken words. His summoning her to Arx was simply all part of her being a family servant, surely.
  art of her being a family servant, surely.)
• Iliana Leary  + (Iliana Laurent was born the younger cousin …
  Iliana Laurent was born the younger cousin of a lesser Laurent line and expected to be used in a number of ways: as a soldier and as marriage fodder. Life met up with her expectations in each of these ways, if not in the way she initially expected. She trained as a squire to a commoner knight in service to the Valardin, an unusual arrangement born in part from her family's practical, workhorse approach to life generally. She earned her military service the 'right way', so to speak. She was the subject of marriage negotiations with the Marquis of Leaholdt, where the brother of the sitting Marquis would join her in protecting her home and providing more Laurent heirs. Iliana didn't care particularly who she ended up marrying at that point; she was without romantic interests of her own, after having had only a few passing flirtations with fellow soldiers that never went anywhere dramatic or soul-filling. What came as a shock, however, was a few days before the ink was likely to be put to contract, the Marquis died, and her brother became, unexpectedly, the new Marquis of Leaholdt. Iliana prayed for guidance, not sure what else she could do. She dreamed of riding through the woods with her spear in hand, and took it as a sign -- whether it was or not -- that she should go through with it anyway, despite the dramatic overturn of her fortune and future. She had met Marquis Fairen Leary only a few times and found him quiet, not very military, and neither particularly interesting nor particularly objectionable. She married him for duty, and expected no love. What reality did not prepare her for was the shape of that middle ground. Fairen alternated between being aggressively competent (fine) and deeply annoying (not fine). She never hated him, but sometimes she wanted to hit him with a brick. They have yet to successfully create an heir, although not for lack of trying (on A SCHEDULE with CALENDAR DATES highlighted in COLORED INK are you even SERIOUS yes, yes apparently he is oh my god).
  IOUS yes, yes apparently he is oh my god).)
• Ilinca Corvini  + (Ilinca was born to the ruling family of a …
  Ilinca was born to the ruling family of a noble House. The eldest daughter, it was intended from the very moment that she came into the world that she would one day wear the mantle of leadership, overseeing all that belonged to the Corvini. For most born into such a position, this would mean a life of duty and expectation, yes, but also a life of wealth and of privilege. Not so for her. On the contrary, the life that the Corvini carved out for themselves after fleeing their lands three centuries ago was not an easy one. The new lands that they claimed on the far western shores of Arvum were neither lush nor welcoming, and for each year of living memory, they had only grown harsher and less hospitable. The time they had left was limited, their strength waning, and they knew it. And so her family had one expectation of her and it was always quite clear. Ilinca's duty was to ensure that her people survived -- by whatever means necessary. The question was how? Asking it - over and over and over again - soon became the center point of her life. It resulted in an insatiable appetite for answers and an education that could be called "unusual" at the very best - and even then, only if the speaker was feeling particularly kind. The problem was one to be examined from every possible again, with every possible solution considered and every bit of Corvini's past learned at the knees of the family matriarchs that came before her. What she had not expected was the solution that they found - or, rather, the solution that sailed into their port one still spring morning, bearing what seemed to her to be half the flags of the Houses of the Lyceum. Marriage. The Corvini would return to the Compact, and in order to seal the bargain between them and their would-be liege-lords, their heir apparent would wed Giulio Mazetti, a Lycene lord she'd never so much as seen, let alone spoken to. Her feelings on the subject were her own - and entirely irrelevant. This was the solution that they needed, the solution that would guarantee her House's survival. So when her mother but the question to her, she agreed with nothing more than a long, sober moment of reflection and a silent nod. Now she finds herself in Arx - a city she knows almost nothing about, save for what scholars could scrape together from their small library, with its books that are a few centuries out of date. She is surrounded by that seem not so very different from her own one moment and entirely foreign to her the next. And she has no idea precisely what her place is here, save that she is supposed to be securing safety and prosperity for Iasu. Thank the gods for sending so many of her kin along with her; her brothers and her cousins may well be the only allies she'll have.
  s may well be the only allies she'll have.)
• Ilira Whisper  + (Ilira came to Arx as a shadow of herself. …
  Ilira came to Arx as a shadow of herself. She needed both a soft place to land and something to rebound off, a new opportunity, and the capital never disappoints. The life she has led the last few years is distinctly different from the one before, of which she rarely speaks in more than vague terms. She'll tell freely of her childhood, her abandonment to a shav tribe of the Saffron Isles, of her years in Setarco she spent as a youth to hone graces practiced and innate. The details thin as the recount progresses. By sixteen, she was traveling on her own up and down the Chain and beyond, known to all for her beauty and vivacity. "Ilira the little sun," many called her. And then something happened at eighteen: she disappeared. For months, there was a search to no avail, until, one day, she reappeared on the shores of her island by the same tree the shav had found her beneath as a newborn. When asked where she had gone, she only said, "A place afar," with a conspiratory smile for the horizon itself. She did not linger in the place she once called home long. Life and adventure awaited her beyond, and she went forth into the world to pursue it. The gaps between contact grew longer and longer. The people who knew her would notice changes each time she returned--a new skill or a fresh look, or simply the experience that weighed behind her eyes. But the last return was different. She seemed half of herself, withdrawn and solemn in a way completely uncharacteristic to the scintillant girl of before. She retired to that island a while, contemplating her next steps and deriving comfort from her old home. It was in this time that she first set her sights on the capital--the fresh start it presented. So late in spring, right around the formation of the whirlpool, she readied herself to sail north. Ilira slipped into life here with quiet, delicate ease. She joined the Bard's College first, the Whispers second, serving her role as courtier with grace and subtlety for three years. Some of her greatest talents were kept all but to herself in this time. But gradually, through connections, resources, and support, she shed that reservation and rediscovered her fire, a phoenix's change from the person she arrived as. She thirsts to live and do and be all that she may, and everything cultivated to this point is just a beginning. So the question remains: a beginning to what?
  the question remains: a beginning to what?)
• Dawn Grayson  + (Illegitimate children of nobility have sca …
  Illegitimate children of nobility have scandalously existed since time immemorial, though the Grayson Dynasty has mostly avoided embarrassment since the time of Alarice the Great. Lady Dawn Baseborn despises the circumstances of her birth being a rare exception to that, and her stature as the only elder sibling to King Alaric Grayson IV put her firmly in a painful spotlight. Her father King Alaric III refused to ever discuss her commoner mother with anyone, giving Dawn the less than satisfying answer that he would talk to her 'when she was older', a claim he never made good on before his death. The unanswered questions eat at her, in the rare moments she has to dwell upon it. She knows her father would have loved to legitimize her, and make her a formal Grayson, but was afraid to take the risk that her claim would be contested after his death. She had hoped her half-brother when he became king would finally make her a Grayson, but he has repeatedly delayed until he has an heir. Despite this, Dawn is not a bitter woman. Her father raised her at court, taking great pains to instill in Dawn and her brother the responsibilities of leadership, an ironclad sense of duty towards their subjects, and a great sense of integrity and personal honor. Dawn, at least, took the lessons to heart and the young woman represents a far closer ideal to Grayson Monarch virtues than her brother ever has. 'Lady' Dawn is accustomed to the carefully crafted slights and barely masked derision of other nobles, including ones who might dare to refuse to grant her the courtesy title of a lady, for the young woman possesses both the foresight and propriety to know how disasterous responding to those provocations might be. Many in House Grayson at least recognize the young woman's levelheaded judgement and extreme competence, and some even forget her illegitimate status and mistakenly call her Princess Dawn Grayson or 'your highness' without thinking of it. Her brother granted her the authority to act as High Lord of House Grayson in his stead, an unheard of honor for a bastard child, though Dawn knows that it was largely because Alaric the younger simply did not want to deal with the work of high lordship when he could be spending his time with courtesans or attractive young women at court. She took the responsibility of rule fully knowing her brother will take any credit and glory that she wins in the position. She can abide that. She's her father's daughter, after all.
  t. She's her father's daughter, after all.)
• Imane Zeva  + (Imane Zeva was raised in Arx and her child …
  Imane Zeva was raised in Arx and her childhood was pretty normal. Her mother was a seamstress and her father was a broker. She lived happily in a little two room home above the shop her parents worked in. She managed to get a decent education, and her mother taught her how to sew and design clothing when she caught her daughter taking bits of fabric to sew into doll clothing. When she came of age, her parents had saved enough to buy a modest farmstead outside of the city, and they began to pack up to move. Imane decided to stay, the city is what she knows, and she isn't ready to leave yet.
  e knows, and she isn't ready to leave yet.)
• Imi Deadfall  + (Imi Deadfall is the last of her line, the …
  Imi Deadfall is the last of her line, the daughter of a Baron whose stand was epic, noble, and yet ultimately one that brought about the fall of House Deadfall. She was raised in the lands of ice and snow, far to the north where the sway of the Compact comes to its most tenuous end. In the frozen plains, under the shadow of tall mountains, Deadfall eeked out a living in leather trade and ice-shipments to lands further south and kept guard on the northern most frontier for their liege. The only daughter born to the Baron, Imi was raised with affection and a great deal of indulgence. Squiring with the Sword of Deadfall, Imi learned the arts of war and battle. Studying under the priest of their village, she picked up the rudiments of Pantheonic religion. And watching her father at court, the young woman was tempered with a sense of true justice...and later learning that being truly just is a difficult road to walk when politics requires greater flexibility. When the Bringers of Silence began their march, Deadfall was in the way. Betrayed by Tolamar Brand the village was overrun while trying to buy time, to delay the Bringers from marching through the pass that the Deadfalls held. Imi wanted to stand next to her father, but was instead sent away, to the south. She would have protested harder, had she not been charged with seeing the defenseless to safety. So she road south before the battle, leading the way on a hell-bent charge to safety. It wouldn't be the first ride south, as she had to keep going before each new onslaught. The people she lead south grew with each village they went through, until finally Arx was in sight. But Arx did not provide safety, and Imi got her wish to stand in defense of the defenseless, to try to exact justice on the Bringers. For her valiant efforts in the Siege of Arx, and recognizing her family and holdfast were gone, Imi was offered a chance to join the King's Own and take up the silver sword. It's an opportunity she accepted, and has served them without complaint since then.
  served them without complaint since then.)
• Charis Durant  + (In Oakhaven, it's a common jest that Simon …
  In Oakhaven, it's a common jest that Simon and Thais Durant could populate their own crafters' guild with their extended family alone. Theirs is a line known to be called to Jayus' service and they've answered that call, both individually and as parents. Simon, a woodworker, and Thais, a glass-blower, number four children of their own, and countless cousins, nieces and nephews sponsored, fostered and apprenticed through the years. Of these, Charis was third-born of their own brood and most easily distracted in her youth. She was inclined to daydreaming through windows (many of them constructed by her parents) when she should have been minding the lessons of her master tailor aunt, Dorcas. When a motley band of ruin-explorers and relic-hunters rolled through Oakhaven on the way to adventure, the Durants didn't stand a chance of competing. A wink, a crooked grin and a beckoning wave were all it took. Charis abandoned her studies and left home. Being neither scholar nor adventurer, she took up training with the mercenaries who were hired on to watch the backs of the less robust members of the group. She flourished, living, laughing, loving. Fighting. Years passed. And then they ventured into the wrong ruins, sought out the wrong relics. When Charis returned to Oakhaven, she was older and scarred. She did not or could not tell her family what happened but they opened their arms to her all the same. She resumed her apprenticeship with Aunt Dorcas, took up needle and thread again. Years passed, but they were spent in quietly, in study, in renewed devotion to her craft. In time, when her skill with those tools passed what skill she'd once possessed with her swords, she was recognized as a master in her own right, committed to the promotion of Oathlands fashion as rival to even the Lyceum and its artisans.
  rival to even the Lyceum and its artisans.)
• Teagan Blackram  + (In a family that prides itself on its clos …
  In a family that prides itself on its closeness to the land, Teagan Blackram grew up in the shadow of her more physical and agrarian brother. It is a matter of fact that so did everyone else, so Teagan reasoned that this was a Reasonable Thing and thus not worthy of fuss. In many ways she found this rather liberating, as her brother being responsible for matters of defense and diplomacy left her free to study economics and law, in her mind the two great constants of the universe. Indeed, she grew up a largely quiet and studious child, though many suspected this was an act of rebellion in deciding to be agreeable before it was demanded of her. This would prove to be an elaborately crafted masque for she studied only up until the point she was able to prove she was superior to the family steward by leaps and bounds, thus replacing him in matters of finance and personell within the Blackram household. While never quite seen as a likeable or particularly charismatic figure, her ability to be both fair and practical (if never generous) with funds allowed the Blackram family to not only survive but prosper in the face of yearly Shav raids and the expectations of a populace that saw their lieges as more friends and neighbors than landowners. With the death of their father just two years ago the Blackram siblings have settled into a pattern: he the head that commands and the hands that execute, but she provides the framework that these decisions require to be effective. More than one suitor has been lured in by her intelligence and beauty only to be financially ruined and facing legal sanction, as she has deigned that only a man able to profit in spite of adversity shall have her hand.
  in spite of adversity shall have her hand.)
• Damaris Arenir  + (In less than a generation, Damaris Arenir …
  In less than a generation, Damaris Arenir has gone from her grandfather's farm in the hills of central Arvum to walking the halls of some of the greatest noble families of the land. It's a rise that would be dizzying if she stopped to long to think about it -- but fortunately, she excels at not thinking too much about uncomfortable things. Her mother Alysse was a sheepfarmer's daughter who ran away from home to fight for House Bisland during the campaigns against the Shav incursions. Not the most auspicious start, but she proved to be a good soldier, and, when she had the opportunity, she turned out to be a /great/ soldier. The Duke of Pridehall himself tapped her shoulders with his sword and made her a knight, and, when Alysse perished in his service, he repaid her for her loyalty by making sure her young daughter would be trained as a knight in turn. Damaris has done everything in her power to avoid giving him reason to regret it. She's worked hard at every turn to make herself into something her mother would be proud of. Whatever she's asked to do, she does, and, if she's ever said a word against the Duke, his family, or his lieges in House Grayson, she's done so where no one could hear her. If you didn't know any better, her manners and her fighting skills are polished enough that you might think she was born to knighthood. But she knows better, and she never forgets it.
  he knows better, and she never forgets it.)
• Tempest Fuller  + (In practicality Tempest is a bastard, his …
  In practicality Tempest is a bastard, his birth planned by his parents but without consent of the families involved. He was officially acknowledged but his parents were never married and their dreams of a marriage of love, forced by the birth of their child were never realized. The boy was raised largely by both, shuffled about from relative to relative until he was twelve and sent to train in the art of swordsmanship, a page to a minor knight. He could not say he loved the man, nor mourned his eventual passing but it bought him his spurs and the white belt of a Knight and escape from the family which found him to be an awkward addition no one quite knew what to do with once his parents were safely(if not happily) wed to others. He has spent much of his time now alone, honing his own sense of justice within the mountains, returning only to the settlements and cities when called to his duties as a Knight.
  ies when called to his duties as a Knight.)
• Geraint Blackwood  + (In the bleak climate of the stormwall, the …
  In the bleak climate of the stormwall, the Blackwood tribe has ever stood betwixt other tribes of Abandoned, holding the peace by strength of arms and sheer determination. It was to these people, in the shadow of the blackwoods trees, that Geraint was born. The blood in his veins was that of a ruler, his father the chieftain at the time, but it afforded him little softness or coddling - unlike the nobles of some 'civilized' lands, he was expected to stand as strong as any of their warriors or laborers, and faced as many hardships as they had to test and temper his body and resolve. When time came for war, he was expected to take up arms and prove himself the leader he was born to be - and he did, time and again, blood shed by his hands earning him the respect of the warriors and his people. He wed a woman by the name of Angharad, their first daughter born early in their marriage, and their fiery relationship was as vibrant and heated as the rest of the life that he lived. When the time of his father's death came, he was ready to step up to the task, with his aging mother Mati to advise him and his people behind him. He ruled the tribe in peace - and in war - and life was good, for a time, and the tribe prospered. It was only with the birth of his third child, a son, that things began to darken rather than the celebration it should have been. It was a hard birth, and Angharad did not survive - and to compound his sorrow, the old shaman spoke that it was an ill omen of times to come. It was the shadow that lingered still upon his brow that made him listen when his eldest daughter Ysbail came to him, when she spoke of a dark time coming for the tribes, of fire and blood and slavery that would rain upon them. When she spoke of the nigh-unthinkable - bending knee and joining the Compact that their ancestors had turned their backs on. Her foresight led the tribe to be ready when Brand's forces marched, and despite his pride he knelt to their Crovane neighbors for protection as Prodigals. With the aid of his daughter, after the Siege of Arx, they united what remained of the tribes and clans surrounding their ancestral lands, and he was named Marquis of Stormarch - and led his people into a new future.
  ch - and led his people into a new future.)
• Castor Redwind  + (In the quiet farming village north of Ston …
  In the quiet farming village north of Stonedeep, nestled in the mountains, known as Redhaven. It guards Redhaven's Pass, by far one of the most treacherous was to get to Whitehold and rarely used. The lowly Baron Dominic Redwind, former Lieutenant of the army, retired to married life with Haruka Devonshire, a courtier vassal of the Grayson family. He has come to the city in hopes of proving himself somewhat worthy to be heir. Cas has come to Arx with his mother's assistance to seek knowledge and better himself for the road ahead. He has much self learning to do.
  ad ahead. He has much self learning to do.)
• Rand Pirran  + (In the relatively recent past, Rand would …
  In the relatively recent past, Rand would occasionally talk of his prosaic upbringing as the son of a miller. While growing up, he showed unusual skill in the popular, rough and tumble boyhood games aping combat. He would dominate the mock fights with sticks, standing unchallenged right up to the point when he became aware that others were watching, whether with amusement or true interest. Then he would either wander away to more solitary pursuits, or participate in a greatly less effective and enthusiastic manner. His mother would tell him, "No one is watching you in particular. Don't worry about it." His father would tell him, "Of course they're watching. Be your best and revel in it." I suppose no one really knows which parent he believed more. In any case, neither were particularly thrilled when, as a young man, he chose to become a Godsworn Templar. He, himself, was heedless of the risks that paralyzed them and continued onto a path that soon saw him ensconced in Arx itself. Having survived the Siege of Arx, Rand traveled back to check on his parents with a comrade from nearby lands. The night they arrived was the night that Rand's parents and his comrade all died. Some have said that things might have turned out the same for his parents even if the two Templars had not arrived at that time, but Rand thinks differently. He believes that the people he fought and killed that night, the same night his parents were killed and all their possessions put to the torch, were mad cultists who would not have attacked in his absence. Perhaps it's even true. What is certain is that Rand's journey had to be changed to include burying three bodies. And he doesn't talk much about the past anymore.
  doesn't talk much about the past anymore.)
• Leonel Velenosa  + (In the wake of her first-born disappearing …
  In the wake of her first-born disappearing into the world abroad, Emma Velenosa had already begun to dig her nails into what had swiftly become the more treasured and lauded of her sons. Born either from wracking guilt of her mishandling and her error regarding Gaspar or perhaps simply out of a selfish desire to have at least one child that, in her eyes, succeeded how and where he was expected to, Leonel was coddled, spoiled, and cloistered away for what his mother discerned to be a proper upbringing. Much of his early life was spent under her enforced and gruelling regimen; long hours of tutelage with accomplished scholars, training with swordsmasters, and under his mother's own wing in the finer points of courtly conduct. She worked tirelessly to try and sharpen his mind beyond what dusty tomes could manage, and impart a measure of cunning and guile in him - to impart knowledge of secret, and whispered games that the Peerage play behind closed doors. Despite thriving under the wing of a loving - albeit overbearing - mother, Leonel's life had been plagued by a simple question that burned in his mind; the whereabouts and circumstances of his elder brother's departure. Though he knew him little, and had been without him for more years than with, it was that nagging curiosity and desire to reconnect that brought him out into the world, beyond his high walls.
  out into the world, beyond his high walls.)
• Leonel Inverno  + (In the wake of her first-born disappearing …
  In the wake of her first-born disappearing into the world abroad, Emma Velenosa had already begun to dig her nails into what had swiftly become the more treasured and lauded of her sons. Born either from wracking guilt of her mishandling and her error regarding Gaspar or perhaps simply out of a selfish desire to have at least one child that, in her eyes, succeeded how and where he was expected to, Leonel was coddled, spoiled, and cloistered away for what his mother discerned to be a proper upbringing. Much of his early life was spent under her enforced and gruelling regimen; long hours of tutelage with accomplished scholars, training with swordsmasters, and under his mother's own wing in the finer points of courtly conduct. She worked tirelessly to try and sharpen his mind beyond what dusty tomes could manage, and impart a measure of cunning and guile in him - to impart knowledge of secret, and whispered games that the Peerage play behind closed doors. Despite thriving under the wing of a loving - albeit overbearing - mother, Leonel's life had been plagued by a simple question that burned in his mind; the whereabouts and circumstances of his elder brother's departure. Though he knew him little, and had been without him for more years than with, it was that nagging curiosity and desire to reconnect that brought him out into the world, beyond his high walls.
  out into the world, beyond his high walls.)
• Indio Ravenseye  + (Indio was born into Ravenseye, brother of …
  Indio was born into Ravenseye, brother of Cassian, but quickly withdrew into the military upon reaching adulthood. He trained persistantly and worked hard to climb the ranks until he could command his own unit but his ambitions don't end there. Indio still works to raise in ranks to this day, hoping to keep his family and lands safe from Compact enemies.
  amily and lands safe from Compact enemies.)

• Ingrid Grimhall  + (Ingrid{_is{_the{_fifth{_child{_of{_Duke{_H …
  Ingrid{_is{_the{_fifth{_child{_of{_Duke{_Harald{_Grimhall{_and{_his{_wife{_Anneke,{_with{_more{_than{_a{_handful{_of{_little{_brothers{_and{_sisters{_as{_well.{_It{_is{_easy{_to{_be{_overlooked{_in{_such{_a{_family,{_especially{_when{_one{_is{_an{_Islander{_born{_a{_girl.{_Yet{_from{_an{_early{_age{_Ingrid{_determined{_that{_she{_would{_not{_be{_overlooked. {/{/While{_Duke{_Harald{_focused{_on{_the{_education{_of{_his{_sons,{_bringing{_them{_up{_to{_be{_strong{_leaders{_and{_fierce{_warriors,{_Anneke{_tended{_to{_the{_girls.{_It{_was{_apparent{_early{_on{_that{_Ingrid{_had{_a{_sharp{_mind,{_one{_that{_could{_make{_her{_extremely{_useful{_to{_her{_family.{_As{_such{_her{_education{_spared{_nothing.{_She{_studied{_law,{_economics,{_and{_even{_theology,{_all{_with{_the{_intention{_to{_serve{_her{_family. {/{/A{_time{_came{_when{_tutors{_at{_Grihem's{_Point{_were{_not{_enough,{_Ingrid{_surpassed{_all{_that{_they{_might{_have{_taught{_her.{_Reluctantly{_(very{_reluctantly){_the{_Duke{_and{_Duchess{_allowed{_her{_to{_leave{_the{_Isles{_to{_complete{_her{_education.{_She{_studied{_law{_and{_economics{_briefly{_in{_both{_Lenosia{_and{_Arx{_before{_returning{_home{_to{_find{_the{_threat{_of{_war{_on{_the{_horizon.{_A{_war{_different{_from{_any{_others,{_waged{_by{_dark{_forces{_that{_many{_did{_not{_understand.{_At{_this{_point{_Ingrid{_took{_it{_upon{_herself{_to{_learn{_even{_more,{_for{_Grihem's{_Point{_needs{_someone{_who{_knows{_how{_to{_combat{_unseen{_threats,{_as{_well{_as{_how{_to{_prevent{_them. {/{/She{_travels{_to{_Arx{_now{_to{_join{_her{_family,{_vowing{_to{_do{_all{_that{_she{_can{_with{_her{_talents{_and{_abilities{_to{_see{_Grimhall{_thrive.
  and{_abilities{_to{_see{_Grimhall{_thrive.)
• Tyche Inverno  + (Inverno is a small house, and it was somet …
  Inverno is a small house, and it was something of a surprise once when someone from the much larger house of Pravus wanted to arrange a marriage with them. The rumors said that it was because of love, but no one really knows any more why, or if they do, they don't talk about it. The product of that union, however, was Tyche Inverno. There was always something about her, a steel beneath the silk that was hard to miss even when she was a young child. She was always sweet, kind, but out for herself, be it getting the best toy or that very first creation of the season so that she, and no one else, would be the talk of the town. When she got older she was fostered in Setarco among her father's family, the Pravus. While there she attended the courtesan school, learning the finer arts of diplomacy and etiquette. She excelled at things, and chose to take up a position among them, splitting her time between Setarco and Caina over the years with her time decreasing slowly in Setarco as she got older, and increasing in Caina. However, Caina is small, and she is not as much in demand there for throwing parties or helping to smooth out ruffled feelings, so she began to travel around the islands, making herself available to other Houses when they may need someone with her skillset.
  n they may need someone with her skillset.)
• Iona Bisland  + (Iona never imagined she'd be the one sitti …
  Iona never imagined she'd be the one sitting in the Assembly of Peers in Arx, trying to diplomatically assuage the concerns of other noble lords or work towards building lasting agreements that contribute to peace. In her youth, she was a fiery hellion, a princess of House Redrain undoubtedly responsible for her father's hair turning gray at an early age. Never one to back down from a fight, she drank, she brawled, she didn't even make the slightest attempt to ape southern notions of propriety and mocked those that did. But in spite of all of that, no one in her family was as fiercely devoted to her father as she, and she would do as she was bid, though she always expected to one day be the general of House Redrain's forces or one of its great war heroes. That was not to be the case. Though she had a reputation as a firebrand, Iona was was liked by her peers in the North. She certainly didn't think of herself as diplomatic at all, but despite the brawls, her father kept noticing that his fiery daughter was the one with an instinctive talent for de-escalating the fights to keep them at bruises rather than swords, or to jokingly talk down other nobles from doing things mindnumbingly idiotic, or to pragmatically grasp simple solutions to please feuding parties. And though to say she fought the decision was an understatement, she ultimately was sent south for a political marriage in a place that could badly use a Redrain voice to make northern opinions heard at court. She expected to hate her betrothed husband-to-be, but she'd grudgingly admit her father chose the match with care. Duke Gabriel Bisland, one of the old king's closest confidants, embodies many of the ideals she most admires. A southern knight, true, but the Crown's Lion is fearless, unwaveringly devoted, painfully honest, and one of the most honorable men at court. Which also makes him excruciatingly unsuited to politics, in her opinion, so Iona has spent the better part of the two decades of their extremely happy marriage representing House Bisland at the Assembly of Peers, doing her best to keep her old family in House Redrain and her new family under the Graysons close and at peace.
  ily under the Graysons close and at peace.)
• Iovita Igniseri  + (Iovita Igniseri has the dubious distinctio …
  Iovita Igniseri has the dubious distinction of being the third child of the Marquesa Igniseri of Granato. Born less than a year into the union between the Marquesa and her second husband, a lesser count who had courted her -- pursued her -- relentlessly. Her birth did little to improve the situation in the eyes of her seven year old twin brothers, Vincere and Pietro. Before she was even a person, she was already a point of contention: Vincere, seven minutes the elder and future Marquis, campaigned endlessly and aggressively for the name Teodora, up to and through the moment she was legally recorded as Iovita, instead. Her father, Oberion, was bookish, intelligent, and not unaware that his stepsons favor eluded him despite his best efforts. Iovita, though, adored him: utterly and obviously. Precocious and often brought along for the twins lessons, she was an eager audience; despite her age she was included, encouraged to keep up as best she could. When Iovita was five, her brothers thirteen, tragedy struck again: her father was killed in an accident in the Lycene countryside. Rumors surrounded the death, investigations and accusations all flying over her head. Iovita understood enough: that her father was dead, that Evidence said her mother was responsible, and that Something Needed to be Done. The damage suffered by the Marquesas reputation capital was staggering. In a play to keep her remaining capital intact, arrangements were made to strengthen bonds of loyalty: the children were to be fostered, to become wards of the two households. Iovita understood, up to a point - but when she heard her brothers were being sent to House Rubino, she stopped listening. She should have kept listening, though - her destination was House Zaffria. Not Rubino. In Gemecitta, she was able to see her brothers with unpredictable regularity - not often enough, in her frequently and loudly voiced opinion. She was also able to return to her studies - at the same level. None of her instructors ever inspired the same level of adoration and zeal as her father had, but Iovita was still an avid and eager learner. A generously granted garden plot flourished with her, its contents revised and refined as they both grew; soon it was all but full of plants for healing, save a small section dedicated to ones for hurting. Overshadowed by her mothers third marriage, Iovitas official declaration of intent to pledge herself as an initiate, and one day become a Mercy of Lagoma was met with little fanfare. If she had expected more, or was disappointed -- she hid it well. Her contact with her immediate family turned more often into correspondence, especially once her brothers gained their majority and returned to Granato. By the time she took her vows and began the life of an initiate, her own was - and had been for some time - marvelously uneventful. Uneventful, that is, until six months ago. The death by poisoning of her third husband, Marquis Sir Jalawyn Igniseri, heralded the Badger of Granatos heavily-advised departure from Arx, and appointment of her heir in her absence. That heir, of course, being the new Marquis Igniseri: Iovitas oldest brother, Vincere. With Pietro at -- or never far from -- his side, her brothers ventured to the capitol to take control of the failing boat -- the sinking ship -- of their family fortunes. As soon as she found out about it -- about all of it -- Iovita Igniseri wasnt far behind.
  of it -- Iovita Igniseri wasnt far behind.)
• Ira Dedalin  + (Ira came to the Apothecary College of Tor …
  Ira came to the Apothecary College of Tor at the age of sixteen from "somewhere north" after a spot of "financial trouble." Ira soon entered apprenticeship at the college, under the sponsorship of some minor noble courtier. An apt student and a proficient alchemist already, Ira was leading lectures by his third year at the college. Genius was not without its tradeoffs; those who liked Ira well knew him as a quirky young man. Those who did not like him? Well, let's just say that he was one of the more "outstanding" cases of independent study at the academy, and his intelligence was matched only by his ambition and social oddity. Oddities that ranged from attending lectures without any shoes, to wasting College money on experiments involving the effects of major and minor musical scales on the humors of animals. An equal disciple of medicine, anatomy, and music, Ira's more philosophical bent had him breaking from the College and taking employ with House Fidante. And what better place to take employ than Arx, a city plagued by mysteries and the unknown at every interval? Ira set upon a carriage at once, gathered his meager belongings, and travelled to serve Duke Leo Fidante upon the recommendation of the College. Of course, the college may have only been too eager to see him go to Arx. There, his studies of such obscure things as the mind, and the effects of moon phases on the potency of alchemical elements could take flight... and fly well away from their prestigious college. Since arriving, Ira has focused himself quite solely on the interdisciplinary studies of the mind, a subject Ira has dubbed mentalism and has all but pioneered, dubbing himself First Mentalist and founding an asylum for the insane and deranged. Now Doctor Dedalin plies his trade to those poor souls who need him most in the Lower Boroughs.
  s who need him most in the Lower Boroughs.)
• Irkucist Vinci  + (Irkucist was born to Coutn Aracelis Vinci …
  Irkucist was born to Coutn Aracelis Vinci of Stormchaser and Countess-Consort Lasandra Vinci on a stormy summer day. They were more than pleased to have a son they could call heir... it was a shame that, even at an early age, Irkucist was constantly ill. He managed to make it through childhood, though, perhaps in part due to the Thraxian blood coursing through his veins. Since too much physical exertion tended to make him sick, he had a habit of hiding in the libraries and conducting research from a young age. His sickness was, thankfully, limited only to his body, and had no effect on his mind. As he grew older, he grew more and more determined to become a scholar, before finally travelling to Arx in pursuit of that dream.
  ravelling to Arx in pursuit of that dream.)
• Irony Aerisian  + (Ironna Aerisian -- Irony to her friends, a …
  Ironna Aerisian -- Irony to her friends, and /everyone/ is potentially a friend -- comes from a farm of no particular note near an unremarkable village along a boring road between two slightly-more-notable towns, where she was the youngest of five children and /constantly/ overshadowed by her siblings. In short, as she will lament to /anyone/, she has absolutely no interesting stories about her childhood or past. (Unless people want to hear complaints about being stuck in the same old /boring/ place every day for /sooooo long/. Those she can muster no small number of.) Her father left long ago, to hear her tell it, and she was raised just by her mother -- and when her mother passed away, young Irony decided to strike out on her own. And so she's come to Arx; initially she hoped desperately to join the Champions. Or become a knight. Or do /something/ interesting. Something none of her siblings has done yet. Because she will be the First at /something/, and something that will make a /difference/. Lately, however, her interests have focused far more specifically on knighthood, and how to be a True Knight. The sort of knight that makes a difference in the world -- the sort she thinks her mother might've been proud of.
  thinks her mother might've been proud of.)
• Iseulet Blackshore  + (Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter …
  Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter with a taste for the finer things in life. Following a series of unfortunate financial decisions after her father died and she took over the business, she found herself indentured into the Blackshore House and serving at the keep. Her indenturement only lasted for five years, but during this time she managed to catch the Baron's interest and nine months later, the twins Iseulet and Thesbe were born. The Baron never denied his parentage but he didn't seem to be interested in doing more than passing coin to their mother to see that they were fed and had no interest in them past doing his duty. His eyes were set on possibly marrying another noble, but judging from the stories passed down to Iseulet and Thesbe this was possible for the best, as he was known for his madness, cruelty, and malice. Iseulet and Thesbe's mother took her payoff from the Baron and invested it into a pub on Blackshore Isle that served sailors coming in and out of port. It was a struggle to make ends meet and it's where she learned how to sing for her supper, but it gave Iseulet an early exposure to stories of adventure, excitement and intrigue on the mainland that instilled within her a wanderlust. A wanderlust that lead to Iseulet convincing her sister to escape the tiny island and go on an adventure of their own. They were 16 and ran away to the mainland and traveled Arvum together until rather recently. The cataclysm that hit Blackshore Isle took the lives of both parents and much of their family (what little they knew) and after hitting a rough financial patch the two decided to head to Arx to join their cousin and the new Baroness, Skye. Upon arrival, they were welcomed warmly and found a family they had never known before. When the will of Iseulet and Thesbe's father surfaced requesting them to be ennobled, Baroness Skye was gracious enough to extend both the offer of legitimization. Iseulet accepted and set to work helping rebuild Blackshore. Along the way, she was named Blackshore Minister of Coin and found her calling as a courtier and truly blossomed, founding The Empyrean and began to reach for the stars in a way she never thought possible while her father was alive.
  ought possible while her father was alive.)
• Iseulet Seryn  + (Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter …
  Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter with a taste for the finer things in life. Following a series of unfortunate financial decisions after her father died and she took over the business, she found herself indentured into the Blackshore House and serving at the keep. Her indenturement only lasted for five years, but during this time she managed to catch the Baron's interest and nine months later, the twins Iseulet and Thesbe were born. The Baron never denied his parentage but he didn't seem to be interested in doing more than passing coin to their mother to see that they were fed and had no interest in them past doing his duty. His eyes were set on possibly marrying another noble, but judging from the stories passed down to Iseulet and Thesbe this was possible for the best, as he was known for his madness, cruelty, and malice. Iseulet and Thesbe's mother took her payoff from the Baron and invested it into a pub on Blackshore Isle that served sailors coming in and out of port. It was a struggle to make ends meet and it's where she learned how to sing for her supper, but it gave Iseulet an early exposure to stories of adventure, excitement and intrigue on the mainland that instilled within her a wanderlust. A wanderlust that lead to Iseulet convincing her sister to escape the tiny island and go on an adventure of their own. They were 16 and ran away to the mainland and traveled Arvum together until rather recently. The cataclysm that hit Blackshore Isle took the lives of both parents and much of their family (what little they knew) and after hitting a rough financial patch the two decided to head to Arx to join their cousin and the new Baroness, Skye. Upon arrival, they were welcomed warmly and found a family they had never known before. When the will of Iseulet and Thesbe's father surfaced requesting them to be ennobled, Baroness Skye was gracious enough to extend both the offer of legitimization. Iseulet accepted and set to work helping rebuild Blackshore. Along the way, she was named Blackshore Minister of Coin and found her calling as a courtier and truly blossomed, founding The Empyrean and began to reach for the stars in a way she never thought possible while her father was alive.
  ought possible while her father was alive.)
• Ishmael Gilden  + (Ishmael was born to a family of low signif …
  Ishmael was born to a family of low significance in Gilden lands to a blacksmith. It was clear from a young age the boy was not made to be a smith, though fortunately he had some older brothers who could take over the business should his father grow ill. The boy was uncommonly bright though. He started off by handling payments his father received, and working with other suppliers to lower the cost of production. His father saw a bright future for his youngest son, and got him to apprentice for another merchant in the city. It was while working there, that he ran into the Previous Barron of House Gilden. Impressed with the lads intelligence he brought him in to manage his household. Ishmael excelled at his position and continues to serve House Gilden to this day. Though word has spread of some of the issues they have faced with the Baron's son being killed. Eager to assist, Ishmael dispatches himself towards Arx to serve his family and his new Baronness.
  to serve his family and his new Baronness.)
• Isidora Valardin  + (Isidora is the youngest child of multiple …
  Isidora is the youngest child of multiple siblings and lost her father not very long after she was born. She is, in fact, a fair bit younger than her older siblings, save for her older twin sibling, at least 10 years. She was an unexpected child and is often faced with over protective family members because of this. The education Isidora was given involved social graces but they just not stick very well. It was quickly discovered that she was a skilled healer and very much enjoyed it. While her family often tried getting her to better her social and combat abilities they mostly left her to her tending to those in pain, having seen how well it suited her. When the approach of her birthday came her family decided to send Isidora to Arx.
  her family decided to send Isidora to Arx.)
• Aeden Grayhope  + (It can be tough being a Grayhope when you' …
  It can be tough being a Grayhope when you're growing up. It's certainly not the Lower Boroughs, but the whispers follow the children of this house from birth to death. Growing up, Aeden was intensely curious, voracious in his consumption of knowledge and sharper than a kid his age should've been. His words got him in trouble as often as not, but his family's relative prominence for a commoner family is what provided the resources for him to go beyond a basic education. Becoming a disciple of Vellichor was an absolute calling to a young man so sure of the direction his life would take. He was a Grayhope, however, and that has had complications of its own, the association with his family hindering him as often as, paradoxically, his faith. He truly believes Vellichor's teachings have become diluted since the Reckoning and his course in service at the Great Archive has followed that path. Knowledge must not be allowed to disappear and hidden knowledge is far more likely lost. As Prelate of the Black of the Great Archive, it is his role to push back against the Censor Librorum and the dangerous loss of knowledge that is hidden. Doesn't particularly ingratiate him with the higher ups, but he's good at what he does.
  higher ups, but he's good at what he does.)
• Beaumont Valardin  + (It is all but expected for a prince of Hou …
  It is all but expected for a prince of House Valardin to become a knight, an exemplar of chivalry and paragon of virtue. At a very early age, Beaumont developed a far more cynical view of that particular path, getting to see an entirely too upclose look at some of the hypocrisy of celebrated knights. He remembers feeling the crushing disappointment when his uncle, Lord Commander Dayne Valardin, was forced to admit to Beaumont that 'not all knights are worthy of their title'. If the greatest knight in all the realm was willing to admit something that obvious, what was the point of becoming a knight at all? Beaumont saw another clear path towards glory and fame- a curvy and slightly disreputable path to be sure, but one far more honest about its dishonety which was immensely preferrable to the young man. Better to be a roguish scoundrel than a bright and shining hypocrite, as far as he was concerned. So with that in mind, he became an extremely high born champion. Beaumont didn't mind at all joining the assorted ranks of sellswords and other rogues for hire popular among western noblewomen looking for champions to duel for their honor (and any assorted slights). As far as Beaumont sees it, just the simple fact he is a prince lends a proposterous air of legitimacy that he is happy to exploit shamelessly, and it gives him a special sense of glee that it is a source of some embarrassment to his stalwart cousins in Sanctum. Not that non-lethal dueling for sport is entirely a scathing social commentary by him on the shortcomings of chivalry- he quite enjoys the adoration of the masses when he draws a show against another champion and uses his impressive talents for another victory. It's not quite the fortune that good Valardin princes are raised to pursue, but he never claimed to be a -good- Valardin prince. For the last couple years, he's been spending far more time at court in Arx than other Valardin high nobles. Being closer to the heart of politics gives a well-born champion many opportunities to grab glory in front of adoring crowds, but truthfully Beaumont is there to also lend aid to his sister, Isabeau. Beaumont might be something of a black sheep for becoming a champion with negotiable loyalty rather than a knight in shining armor, but he'll still be there when they need a skilled duelist to settle the questions of the day with a sword, rather than words. And look very, very good doing it.
  words. And look very, very good doing it.)
• Ravana Stellaris  + (It is exceedingly unlikely that any two of …
  It is exceedingly unlikely that any two of Ravana's companions would ever have the same story as to the wild woman's past, as Ravana is famously fond of making up ever more absurd anecdotes for her past adventures on the spot. Her many friends and even more numerous enemies have always been interested in just where the charming and treacherous pirate came from, even if few are unwise enough to call her a pirate to her face. Most generally agree that the story about being an illegitimate daughter of King Alaric Grayson III is assuredly false, as is the one about being the niece of the Gyre, or the one about being second-cousin thrice removed of the Grand Vizier of Suj'abbat. None of those quite line up with the more well known past of being a street-rat surviving alone in the slums of Setarco during her very early youth. Her stories about being from an Abandoned clan able to work high sorcery and living in a magical, sealed off fortress only to be kidnapped by pirates as a toddler is laughed off, and the most common and likely explanation was she was one of the orphans from the bloody Tor-Southport war, but none can say for sure. It is more generally accepted that after a hardscrabble youth on the streets of Setarco, she somehow managed to be admitted to the famed courtier house of the Suspires in the Silken City, developing an intensely competitive friendship with Mirari Corsetina, with Ravana still taking intense pride in her past triumphs and glossing over previous mishaps. While Mirari accepted a contract with House Pravus, Ravana Stellaris found her talents in demand with the port city of Luciva, a then infamous pirate stronghold at the south of Setara. While she found great success advising the many wealthy pirates there, the cunning blonde had no intention of doing so forever. It took no more than a few short years for Ravana to have gone from courtier to pirate, commandeering her own ship and having climbed the hierarchy of the city through deception, salacious intrigues, and more than a little talented swordplay. It's unclear how much of the gossip around her rise are true, and quite a few may have even been seeded by Ravana herself (though she does claim that the rumor about her literally stabbing her patron and romantic partner in the back is just malicious slander and/or if it was true that they really had it coming). It's unclear exactly how she survived the fall of the Port of Luciva to House Pravus, and most assume she was away from the city, and her claims about defeating in battle the fearsome Captain Nuncio the Ravager of Luciva in single combat before throwing open the gates of Luciva to House Pravus are... dubious. It is known that not long after the Battle of Pieros, the dangerous woman has been seen with the Corsetina family, now representing their interests. Her claims to being a simple reformed sailor are widely seen as a little unlikely.
  ilor are widely seen as a little unlikely.)
• Alistair Crown  + (It is far from easy for an orphan to grow …
  It is far from easy for an orphan to grow up amidst the poverty of the Lower Boroughs of Arx, but for a prodigal to survive it requires a powerful will to survive. 'Prodigals', the exceedingly rare handful of barbarous Abandoned who have returned to the civilization of the Compact of Arvum, are not well cared for by society at the best of times, and Alistair's situation was a far cry from that. Born among the Gray Forest Howlers has seen first hand the kind of brutal savagery embraced by the most terrifying tribes of the Abandoned, watching as a child as the Howlers preyed upon travelers daring to penetrate the depths of the Gray Forest. Even as a child, he felt the murderous savagery was wrong, but when the chieftain declared after a fruitless raid that their dark gods needed a blood sacrifice and selected Alistair as the offering, the life threatening predicament added an extra incentive for the young man to make his escape from the tribe as barely a teenager. He eventually wound up in Arx still as a teenager. Life in Arx was harsh and unforgiving, though he was able to survive partly by hiring himself out as a tracker and hunter to the city folk as well as begging in the streets. Despite his miserable existence, he still remembered the face of evil he'd witnessed as a child and was determined to grow up and make a difference, somehow. That drive to combat the demons of his past pushed him to a very unlikely calling- the Inquisition. Of course, Alistair learned very quickly that he might be one of the very few 'true believers' inside the entire Inquisition. He rapidly learned as a confessor, the grunts that aid inquisitors in their bloody work, that very few members of the Inquisition think something like 'demons' exist and are quite comfortable being members of a political organization. On one occasion, Alistair enraged his superiors by declaring a rich merchant innocent of all charges of witchcraft, after discovering the merchant's only crime seemed to be possessing no political patron or allies that could protect him while hurting the business interests of some powerful lords. Alistair was given poor assignments afterwards for a time, assigned as a liaison to the Iron Guard in their investigations who famously have contempt for the corrupt Inquisition. If their goal was to have Alistair have an accident, though, it might have backfired. He has one of the rarest reputations- that of a conscientious, honest inquisitor. It might not really be the life Alistair was looking for, but it's the one he has, and at least his reputation is judged useful by his organization.
  tion is judged useful by his organization.)
• Alistair Masque  + (It is far from easy for an orphan to grow …
  It is far from easy for an orphan to grow up amidst the poverty of the Lower Boroughs of Arx, but for a prodigal to survive it requires a powerful will to survive. 'Prodigals', the exceedingly rare handful of barbarous Abandoned who have returned to the civilization of the Compact of Arvum, are not well cared for by society at the best of times, and Alistair's situation was a far cry from that. Born among the Gray Forest Howlers has seen first hand the kind of brutal savagery embraced by the most terrifying tribes of the Abandoned, watching as a child as the Howlers preyed upon travelers daring to penetrate the depths of the Gray Forest. Even as a child, he felt the murderous savagery was wrong, but when the chieftain declared after a fruitless raid that their dark gods needed a blood sacrifice and selected Alistair as the offering, the life threatening predicament added an extra incentive for the young man to make his escape from the tribe as barely a teenager. He eventually wound up in Arx still as a teenager. Life in Arx was harsh and unforgiving, though he was able to survive partly by hiring himself out as a tracker and hunter to the city folk as well as begging in the streets. Despite his miserable existence, he still remembered the face of evil he'd witnessed as a child and was determined to grow up and make a difference, somehow. That drive to combat the demons of his past pushed him to a very unlikely calling- the Inquisition. Of course, Alistair learned very quickly that he might be one of the very few 'true believers' inside the entire Inquisition. He rapidly learned as a confessor, the grunts that aid inquisitors in their bloody work, that very few members of the Inquisition think something like 'demons' exist and are quite comfortable being members of a political organization. On one occasion, Alistair enraged his superiors by declaring a rich merchant innocent of all charges of witchcraft, after discovering the merchant's only crime seemed to be possessing no political patron or allies that could protect him while hurting the business interests of some powerful lords. Alistair was given poor assignments afterwards for a time, assigned as a liaison to the Iron Guard in their investigations who famously have contempt for the corrupt Inquisition. If their goal was to have Alistair have an accident, though, it might have backfired. He has one of the rarest reputations- that of a conscientious, honest inquisitor. It might not really be the life Alistair was looking for, but it's the one he has, and at least his reputation is judged useful by his organization.
  tion is judged useful by his organization.)
• Alistair  + (It is far from easy for an orphan to grow …
  It is far from easy for an orphan to grow up amidst the poverty of the Lower Boroughs of Arx, but for a prodigal to survive it requires a powerful will to survive. 'Prodigals', the exceedingly rare handful of barbarous Abandoned who have returned to the civilization of the Compact of Arvum, are not well cared for by society at the best of times, and Alistair's situation was a far cry from that. Born among the Gray Forest Howlers has seen first hand the kind of brutal savagery embraced by the most terrifying tribes of the Abandoned, watching as a child as the Howlers preyed upon travelers daring to penetrate the depths of the Gray Forest. Even as a child, he felt the murderous savagery was wrong, but when the chieftain declared after a fruitless raid that their dark gods needed a blood sacrifice and selected Alistair as the offering, the life threatening predicament added an extra incentive for the young man to make his escape from the tribe as barely a teenager. He eventually wound up in Arx still as a teenager. Life in Arx was harsh and unforgiving, though he was able to survive partly by hiring himself out as a tracker and hunter to the city folk as well as begging in the streets. Despite his miserable existence, he still remembered the face of evil he'd witnessed as a child and was determined to grow up and make a difference, somehow. That drive to combat the demons of his past pushed him to a very unlikely calling- the Inquisition. Of course, Alistair learned very quickly that he might be one of the very few 'true believers' inside the entire Inquisition. He rapidly learned as a confessor, the grunts that aid inquisitors in their bloody work, that very few members of the Inquisition think something like 'demons' exist and are quite comfortable being members of a political organization. On one occasion, Alistair enraged his superiors by declaring a rich merchant innocent of all charges of witchcraft, after discovering the merchant's only crime seemed to be possessing no political patron or allies that could protect him while hurting the business interests of some powerful lords. Alistair was given poor assignments afterwards for a time, assigned as a liaison to the Iron Guard in their investigations who famously have contempt for the corrupt Inquisition. If their goal was to have Alistair have an accident, though, it might have backfired. He has one of the rarest reputations- that of a conscientious, honest inquisitor. It might not really be the life Alistair was looking for, but it's the one he has, and at least his reputation is judged useful by his organization.
  tion is judged useful by his organization.)
• Allegra Pravus  + (It is never easy being the youngest daught …
  It is never easy being the youngest daughter of a dynasty, but when it comes to a House like Pravus that is an understatement. Growing up, Allegra felt outclassed just about everywhere, simply too late to make a splash in a court filled with brilliant scions of a legacy older than the Reckoning itself. Condemned to be the second best, if she was lucky, Allegra knew she had to do something dire if she wished to fight her fate. Much to the woe of her family, Allegra chose the books. Not occult knowlege, nor erotica or religion. Allegra just randomly selected a book each week, and ravenously learned it. Although her sisters and cousins found it strange, and many thought such a beautiful woman should have sought the ways of a courtier, Allegra paid them little heed, and kept reading and when Pravus Keep library dried up, she had her beloved father expand it, twice and, a year later, three times its size. By then, many had pegged young Allegra as a sure-to-be disciple of Vellichor, but the girl was not ready to commit to the Faith just yet. Time passed, and it was during one of her many trips to lands under Pravus rule that Allegra heard of House Argento's uprising and their assassination of Duke Piero. More troubling still was the fact her hosts, local merchants in Bravura, chose to throw their lot with the rebelling family. Suddenly, Allegra became a prisoner, and for much of the war, that is what she remained. She would enter her imprisonment at the age of 13 and would spend the next five years at her captors mercy. It would take the fall of House Argento and Lady Celeste Pravus' marching down onto Bravura for Allegra to be released from captivity. Since then, Lady Allegra Pravus has been an eerie reminder of the ugliest sides of war, a young beauty sapped of her grace as tortures visited upon her have the girl walk with a limp to this day. Now fully healed, in mind and body, as well as she will ever be, Allegra joins her family in Arx, part of their court and by her family's side, where is her place to be.
  r family's side, where is her place to be.)
• Nurie Tessere  + (It is never easy to have one's very birth …
  It is never easy to have one's very birth be a near ruinous scandal, as is the case for most highborn bastards, but the family in which she was born was so tumbled up in them even then that at least she was just one amongst many things tearing at the very foundation of Tessere's place in society. Her lady mother, Countess Lucrezia Tessere, had a torrid affair with one of her closest courtiers, so the story went. He seemed to vanish overnight from public appearances at her court; but the child was acknowledged and raised alongside her half-siblings, given much of the same education if not a prominent place, and all the comforts of being the Countess' child, though none of the children, least of all Nurie, received a great deal of attention or affection from the Countess or Count-Consort. What she lacked from her only parental figure in love and support, however, Nurie found in her elder sister Sabine. From the start, she was her shadow. If Sabine needed help brushing out her hair, Nurie would demand to do it. If there was a wrinkle in her dress to mar her sister's breathtaking beauty, Nurie would be the first to see it and straighten it. If there was just one last sweet sticky bun that Sabine loved so much left in the kitchens, you could be sure that Nurie would steal it and deliver it, before her sister even remembered to voice the wish for it. The servants who were more parental than the Countess and her Consort noticed the young girl's adoration, and more importantly her eye for aesthetics and detail, her willingness to please, her charm, and as soon as it was appropriate she was instructed by Lucretia's Lady's Maid in the basics of being a noblewoman's body servant, and one that could be trusted by the Heir in the cutthroat Lyceum. When both young women were just starting to enter the first blush of womanhood, it was Sabine's slightly furrowed brow of disappointment at the boring dress she was expected to wear at an upcoming gathering that prompted Nurie to steal into the fabric stores of the household, and take a little of this, a little of that, a sharp pair of scissors and some unsecured beads to "alter" it to something a little more daring, a little more flamboyant. It didn't turn out /quite/ like she'd hoped--okay, it was butchered by her untrained thirteen year old hands--but when the emergency tailor was called in to see if anything could be salvaged, he took a look and was surprised that her instincts were quite good and creative. And more importantly, she saw her sister's smile. Nurie was punished quite severely for her impertinence, but she received Sabine's kiss to her forehead after the house was still, as well as morsels from her sister's own plate that she'd snuck into her room from dinner. Never had she cried so hard or for so long before or since as she was packed off within days to be apprenticed to that same tailor. But she worked hard, tirelessly, losing herself in the wonder of creation and dreaming of just what would make Sabine smile once more. Within a year, she was allowed to return home, and practice, practice, practice. If an excellent Lady's Maid is worth her weight in gold, then one that can also serve as stylist is truly precious. And when placed in the service of her greatest muse, then together they are unstoppable. Since rejoining the household, Nurie is one of the hidden jewels within it, knowing just how to showcase the luxurious fabric and other material goods that their House is famous for. Fashion emergency for a guest, a House friend, or one of the Tesseres? Nurie is there to alter, fix, enhance--and comfort, soothe, or even whisper temptation to take a little more risk. Whatever is needed to make one feel more alive. Perhaps there was a promise made, that the sisters would never again be parted. For when Sabine decided to travel to Arx, Nurie is once more her shadow, ready to help make all of Tessere's ambitions come to fruition.
  l of Tessere's ambitions come to fruition.)
• Aonghus Seliki  + (It is no secret that the man worked forges …
  It is no secret that the man worked forges for the Gyre before swearing his Oaths to the Compact and House Seliki, but since weapons he crafted spilled Compact blood and armor he crafted turned Compact blades, he is understandably reluctant to speak on it. It should come as no surprise, that life under The Gyre was unpleasant. Aonghus is glad to have those dark days behind him. The only family he has left in the world anymore is his sister Olin. With her help, he was able to come to Arx. The two of them have sworn Oaths the Compact and House Seliki. His thoughts are turned to the future and the path before him - now his own at last! His accent is a strange unplaceable amalgam.
  s accent is a strange unplaceable amalgam.)
• Sira Crown  + (It may be that Sira has been sewing since …
  It may be that Sira has been sewing since she was able to walk. Born to a family of tailors and merchants, the woman learned trade and business as a matter of course. However, she proved especially capable with needle and thread under her mother's direction. Based in Bastion, she grew up watching illustrious customers frequent the shop. In her teens, she would join her father - a traveling merchant originally from the Lyceum - on trips between Bastion and Lenosia to gain an understanding of how connected the Compact is by trade. These experiences planted a seed within her to seek out fanciful, rare materials to work with. That seed sprouted and blossomed over the years into a foray to Arx, where Sira opened her shop Gilded Dreams. Unfortunately, when her mother fell ill, she left after only a few months to manage the family business. When disaster struck again - this time in the form of an enemy siege on the Grayson holding, the seamstress found herself back outside of Arx with the refugees, lacking any surviving close friends or family. With the shop in the city still in her name, and no interest in returning to rebuild in Bastion, the woman is starting over.
  ld in Bastion, the woman is starting over.)
• Sira  + (It may be that Sira has been sewing since …
  It may be that Sira has been sewing since she was able to walk. Born to a family of tailors and merchants, the woman learned trade and business as a matter of course. However, she proved especially capable with needle and thread under her mother's direction. Based in Bastion, she grew up watching illustrious customers frequent the shop. In her teens, she would join her father - a traveling merchant originally from the Lyceum - on trips between Bastion and Lenosia to gain an understanding of how connected the Compact is by trade. These experiences planted a seed within her to seek out fanciful, rare materials to work with. That seed sprouted and blossomed over the years into a foray to Arx, where Sira opened her shop Gilded Dreams. Unfortunately, when her mother fell ill, she left after only a few months to manage the family business. When disaster struck again - this time in the form of an enemy siege on the Grayson holding, the seamstress found herself back outside of Arx with the refugees, lacking any surviving close friends or family. With the shop in the city still in her name, and no interest in returning to rebuild in Bastion, the woman is starting over.
  ld in Bastion, the woman is starting over.)
• Maerigan Nephila  + (It seems that only two or three years ago, …
  It seems that only two or three years ago, Maerigan appeared out of thin air upon the doorstep of Elune’s keep. Nothing more than a wispy teen, she was taken in by that dottering old castellan, Nester. Quickly, he became a grandfatherly figure for her, seeing to it that the youth had a start to her new life. Perhaps he saw something within her that reminded him of his own family. Having no children of his own, she filled the void of family for him and an affection bloomed for now his adopted granddaughter, as he often called her. Together, they tried their best to find her family - after all, it was an island. How far could they have gotten? Well. They were never truly successful and Nester claimed it was his duty to steward the girl. If she showed even the slightest talent or inclination to a subject, he afforded her the lessons. That is, until the fairly recent attack on Elune where Nester lost his life. She mourned him, and having no place to go continued to be a presence in the keep, working primarily in Nester’s stead to manage the keep but in her spare time pursued her own interests. However, the winds of change began to blow. House Seryn began to grow and with her duties lightening, she proved herself loyal, trustworthy, and willing to take on a challenge. Soon, she accepted a promotion to a Ministership that would see her through to Arx and a brand new chapter in her life.
  o Arx and a brand new chapter in her life.)
• Rohran Keaton  + (It takes a firm hand to turn small, indepe …
  It takes a firm hand to turn small, independent groups into a cohesive and effective army. It is not unlike herding cats and convincing them that working together brings down prey faster and with less losses. Rohran Keaton is an excellent cat herder. Perhaps it grew from managing his siblings as a child, with Veronica and her intense drive and barely containable chaos and Jaerith throwing himself into every possible experience regardless of risk. Rohran assumed the role of co-parent as the eldest when their mother Anastasia died, Rohran being all of 11 years old, to Veronica's 7 and Jaerith's 5. Their father Ambrose poured himself into the running of their lands and his duties as General, letting Rohran and the staff handle the younger children. Rohran often sought his father's approval, something he feels, rightly or wrongly, he has yet to obtain. These feelings are something that are most often expressed in poetry. Cleaving to the Chivalric ideals, Rohran fancies himself a poet of great skill, often composing sonnets and epics, though he's not above a limerick or two when out drinking with his men. For about nine years now the bulk of his time and attention have been focused on his role as General of the Hounds of Oakhaven, a title well earned, bestowed upon him when his father retired. In this role he has done a significant amount to assist the House in the expansion of their lands, helping Keaton tame the wilderness and involved in combatting a number of threats (some stranger than others). The business of being General left little time for raising his bastard daughter. The eleven year old Elaine's origin is not something he speaks of; the looks he gives those who ask are withering at best. For several years, Rohran and Elaine lived in Arx with Rohran's romantic partner, Natalia Whisper. When Natalia and Rohran split, Elaine remained with Natalia. When Natalia was (re)ennobled as Baroness Elwood, she adopted her, ennobled her, and named her Elwood's heir (all with Keaton's blessing). Rohran went back to Oakhaven to have himself a bit of a sulk (and take care of a great deal of General business, to be fair), and has now returned to Arx to assist with the current threats.
  to Arx to assist with the current threats.)
• Scylla Waters  + (It took nearly an hour for the crew of the …
  It took nearly an hour for the crew of the Black Tide, a Blackshore merchant vessel, to fish up a tangled mass of debris, hoist it onto the deck and discover the lifeless body of a salt-stained body buried within. She was not dressed as most other shipwrecked persons usually are; this woman wore the remains of a black linen dress, tattered, distressed and covered in holes featuring scorch marks where flames had burned through. Sections of skin on her neck, arms, and legs were the consistency of melted wax, and her forehead had been split wide open, rivers of blood staining fair features. She was immediately declared dead, evidenced by the absence of a pulse. The ship's captain ordered his crew to wrap her in sailcloth and tie her ankles to an iron weight. Too far from the nearest port, she was to receive a respectable burial at sea. At the very moment her body was rolled to rest atop the flax fabric, the woman sat upright and regurgitated an unhealthy amount of seawater upon the deck. Gasps and murmurs resounded from the crew, not a one among them unfazed by her unprovoked revival. When asked her name, the anonymous woman could not remember. When asked from whence she hailed, the homeless woman could not remember. When asked how she came to be shipwrecked, the shivering woman, again, could not remember. The captain considered the situation carefully, then made the determination that she posed very little threat to him or his crew. By his orders, the woman was to be fed, clothed, and assigned a cot to sleep on until they made for port where she would then be required to make a choice: stay on the ship and learn to sail, or disembark and find her own way. It did not take long for her to choose the path of least resistance, and so the captain gave her all the tools and training to earn an honest living. Having forgotten her true given name, she elected to rename herself Scylla. And yet many of her new crewmates adopted for her a more fitting epithet to gossip surreptitiously among themselves: Omen. What purpose did this anomalous amnesiac serve to receive the favor of the gods, or perhaps some other mysterious force? Was she a boon or a curse? To the superstitious lot, the miracle of her rebirth could not be reconciled by practical means alone. Therefore, it must have otherworldly implications, ones that spurred a few sailors to worry endlessly over her presence aboard the ship. Despite such fears and conjured anecdotes, Scylla put her head down and worked to surpass the expectations of the captain. He promoted her from swabbie to first mate after only three years of dedicated service. In winter of 1012 AR, the captain made for the port of New Hope. After a brief interlude, he returned to inform the crew that House Blackshore intended to repurpose the merchant ship for the coming war with Eurus. Those who chose to remain aboard would join the house navy or be forced to find work elsewhere. Scylla opted to swear fealty to the family and help them achieve their goals and win the war. In return for her loyalty and dedication, she was promptly rewarded with a promotion to captain of the Black Tide. Returning to port for a stretch of time began to chafe at Scylla’s previous contentment to forget that she had once lived another life. It had been so easy to achieve surrounded by people who accepted that she was and would remain a mystery. It was not the same with strangers in Arx, all of them eager to poke, prod and pry into the new and unfamiliar. And so, with the spare time she contrived between preparations for war and honing new social skills, Scylla began to explore who she is and who she used to be.
  explore who she is and who she used to be.)