Browse wiki

Born as third child to a branch family of the honorable and historic Oathlands House of Telmar, Lord Etienne Telmar was very well aware that no matter how clever or competent he was (and from an early age, he possessed a great measure of both these qualities), his most likely outcome would be as trusted adviser or Minister for his more prestigious relatives. It was not enough, and so the young Telmar convinced his parents to support his induction into the Faith at the quite young age of eighteen. There, he discovered that his intelligence and familiarity with the movement of money gave him a gift for uncovering when the Faith's funds had been embezzled, stolen, or otherwise misappropriated. After a few years of instruction and training, he found himself often assigned to suspicious parishes across the Valardin lands, where he would plot out the flow of funds and discover any misuse of them. In the process, this ended up restoring a significant amount of charitable funds to their rightful recipients. This made Etienne quite popular in some quarters (particularly those priests who valued the charitable works of the Faith, and the recipients thereof), which he parlayed into increasing roles of responsibility. But not a Seraph's position, as that would have chained him to a single parish, rather than allowing him to expand his knowledge of how the Faith was run. At least, until the Seraph of the Telmarch was discovered to be in conspiracy with the White Stewards, a secret cult which had a major part in starting the Silent War. This, and the accusations of collusion with the traitor Telmar in command of Arx's Iron Guard, could have drowned Etienne's career in suspicion and shared guilt. Instead, the priest thrived through his clear outrage and immediate request to help the Faith purge itself of other Steward collaborators. In the aftermath, he was appointed Seraph of the Telmarch, and it was thought that he would serve in that post for years before seeking another promotion. However, after the resignation of Archlector Caras, Etienne quietly called in a number of political markers in the Faith to make it clear that not only was he interested in the post of Archlector of Gild, but that he was clearly the best candidate for the job. No one is quite sure if this is simply an ambitious priest taking advantage of a shift in leadership of the Faith, or if he has a personal goal which requires him being in the heart of the Faith.

A man of average height and a solid build, Etienne's weather-beaten skin is proof of years spent traveling the roads of Arx. His tanned features compliment the pale gold of his hair, and the light gray of his eyes. His features are square, with high cheekbones and a firm, stubborn chin. His smiles are warm and frequent, and when they appear, they light up his entire face. He is approaching middle age, somewhere in his late thirties, and one can see the hint of laugh lines at the corners of his mouth and eyes, particularly when he concentrates on something. He moves with careful grace, years of schooling in aristocratic composure clear in every motion.

No one would call Etienne anything other than ambitious - but they'd be hard-pressed to name anyone who has been harmed by that ambition, except those who dare to abuse the funds of the Church. In conversation, he is warm, attentive, and well-mannered, showing a genuine interest in those around him and an easy compassion that invites confidence and trust. However, there is steel underneath the open smile - he is dogged and ruthless in pursuit of the truth, and he has absolutely no sympathy for those who abuse their position as priests or as recipients of the Faith's funds. He has an Oathlands concept of honor and dignity (including the occasional duel under his belt), and the political savvy of one who has moved up the ranks amongst the powerful, proud, and competitive Oathlands clergy.