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

List of results

• Kendrick Keaton  + (A brother of Kastelon, Kendrick joined him …
  A brother of Kastelon, Kendrick joined him in helping protect the people of Oakhaven. While he was inclined to become a huntsman alongside him, he quickly noticed the difference between him and his sibling. He realized that he would be an ideal fit for a Knight - the strength of arm and personality that were required were clearly found in him. Growing up with his brother, they diverged paths, with Kendrick realizing he had a different plan to serve the Keaton family, and the Compact at large. As a young adult, he serves House Keaton, protecting Oakhaven with his martial prowess, obtained through years of training. He continues to grow in strength, hoping to achieve his goal of obtaining Knighthood.
  achieve his goal of obtaining Knighthood.)
• Lora Fidante  + (A child of the Mourning Isles, Lora was bo …
  A child of the Mourning Isles, Lora was born and raised in Grimhems Point, where trying to Out Thrax House Thrax is no rumor, it is the way of life for House Grimhall. She is one many children between Anton Grimhall and his wife, Helena Grimhall nee Hawkmour. From a very young age, Lora exhibited her love for the arts, specifically music. Before she learned to speak, she was humming the songs her nannies would sing in order to lull her to sleep. By the time she was three, she could play simple tunes on the piano. The dull, overcast skies would suddenly brighten whenever Loralei would entertain her family with music. She has a way about her, an energy, an aura, that draws others to her and as a result can count on many she considers friends. Like her siblings, Lora spent many years under the tutelage of myriad instructors. Her training, while mainly consisting of social graces, often dabbled in a few lessons that focused on the high seas and adventure. It is no surprise then that the young Grimhall lady often jumped at the opportunity to join her mother during diplomatic visits to the Lyceum. The Southern city-states held an exotic flavor to them that resonated deeply within Loralei. Tor in particular held her interest with their rich history, their location on the opposite side of the Lycene split, world renown roses, emeralds, and apothecaries, one can say the city seduced her and she found herself quickly married to Nico Fidante, cousin to former Duke Leo and his sister Calista Fidante. It was a gorgeous ceremony that took place in Spring proper while all of the roses were starting to bloom. Like most marriages, Lora and Nico fulfilled a political arrangement, but there was genuine affection between them as well. As a Fidante, Lora continued to excel in all areas of social decorum. It has been noted quite a few times that her style and fashion is copied time and time again. As for her love of music, she founded a small school of the arts in Tor that provides education for less fortunate children. When Nico died at sea during one of the heinous battles against the Gyre, Loralei was heartbroken. The story of a young widow is sadly not an uncommon one. After what seemed like an appropriate time to mourn her husband, Loralei set off to Arx from Tor to reinvent herself, offer her assistance to her Fidante family, and keep her promise to Nico that she would accomplish all the things she originally set out to accomplish while they were married. A transplanted rose from the Mourning Isles by way of Tor can surely set roots in the capital city. Come abyss or high water.
  he capital city. Come abyss or high water.)
• Lora DiFidante  + (A child of the Mourning Isles, Lora was bo …
  A child of the Mourning Isles, Lora was born and raised in Grimhems Point, where trying to Out Thrax House Thrax is no rumor, it is the way of life for House Grimhall. She is one many children between Anton Grimhall and his wife, Helena Grimhall nee Hawkmour. From a very young age, Lora exhibited her love for the arts, specifically music. Before she learned to speak, she was humming the songs her nannies would sing in order to lull her to sleep. By the time she was three, she could play simple tunes on the piano. The dull, overcast skies would suddenly brighten whenever Loralei would entertain her family with music. She has a way about her, an energy, an aura, that draws others to her and as a result can count on many she considers friends. Like her siblings, Lora spent many years under the tutelage of myriad instructors. Her training, while mainly consisting of social graces, often dabbled in a few lessons that focused on the high seas and adventure. It is no surprise then that the young Grimhall lady often jumped at the opportunity to join her mother during diplomatic visits to the Lyceum. The Southern city-states held an exotic flavor to them that resonated deeply within Loralei. Tor in particular held her interest with their rich history, their location on the opposite side of the Lycene split, world renown roses, emeralds, and apothecaries, one can say the city seduced her and she found herself quickly married to Nico Fidante, cousin to former Duke Leo and his sister Calista Fidante. It was a gorgeous ceremony that took place in Spring proper while all of the roses were starting to bloom. Like most marriages, Lora and Nico fulfilled a political arrangement, but there was genuine affection between them as well. As a Fidante, Lora continued to excel in all areas of social decorum. It has been noted quite a few times that her style and fashion is copied time and time again. As for her love of music, she founded a small school of the arts in Tor that provides education for less fortunate children. When Nico died at sea during one of the heinous battles against the Gyre, Loralei was heartbroken. The story of a young widow is sadly not an uncommon one. After what seemed like an appropriate time to mourn her husband, Loralei set off to Arx from Tor to reinvent herself, offer her assistance to her Fidante family, and keep her promise to Nico that she would accomplish all the things she originally set out to accomplish while they were married. A transplanted rose from the Mourning Isles by way of Tor can surely set roots in the capital city. Come abyss or high water.
  he capital city. Come abyss or high water.)
• Apollo Malespero  + (A child of the Oathlands, born in Oakhaven …
  A child of the Oathlands, born in Oakhaven to a pair of Keaton Trackers, Apollo might have had an idyllic childhood in the woods. But while traveling between Lyon's Redoubt and Keaton Keep when he was six, he and his parents were ambushed by bandits. His parents were killed, and he was kept; life as a bandit would have been an ironic twist for the child of peacekeepers. But other Trackers eventually found the hideout, and Apollo, recognized, was taken to Keaton Keep, where Countess Margerie took him in. Nigh silent, owlish, grieving, the genial warmth and friendships he found in Oakhaven nurtured him from near mute to merely skittish. His early artistic impulses were noticed, and connections made with local artisans; when he found tanning, he found his first love. He swiftly rose to local prominence for his craft, and Marquis Kael tapped him to come to Arx. He might have been a big fish in a small pond - but he wasn't. Apart from exceptional tradecraft, his care for his liege house, his customers, and his fellow crafters had him lending an ear, a set of armor, or assistance as often as he was taking commissions. And then more often. He became Co-Guildmaster of the Crafters Guild of Arx, a position he held for more than two years. Though often uncertain about his skillset and utility, his time bent toward diplomatic and economic work, outreach with Abandoned, and cultivation of ties between crafters, houses, and organizations for projects and mutual assistance. He took up with Whisper House, first as an associated courtier, then Apprentice Whisper, leaving House Keaton to serve as a Whisper in mid-1014 after a successful diffusion of tensions in the Oathlands. Then in 1015, in answer to his service to House Darkwater and its vassals, he was offered ennoblement. He accepted, stepping down as Guildmaster and retiring as a Whisper, though his ties to both organizations remain. In truth, though his life has changed to a vast degree, much remains. He is a maker of art and a builder of connections, and it is rare a day that passes without some of both. Now, after a brief, quiet betrothal, he's joined House Malespero as Marquis-Consort, where he'll doubtless bring those same instincts to the people of Nilanza. And where better for an orphan like himself?
  d where better for an orphan like himself?)
• Rylan Emory  + (A child of uncertain parentage, Rylan was …
  A child of uncertain parentage, Rylan was born in the year 983 on the island of Nilanza and fostered amongst a family of scribes in service to House Argento. Never quite one of the family, he was yet raised well, with food in his belly and kind words when they were earned, and given an education in all the things a scribe should know - at the least a neat hand and a good memory. He never quite took to the notion of being quiet and unobtrusive in the manner of a discrete scribe however, finding far more joy in hearing tales from the many visitors to the island, not to mention drinking and gambling with them. While he did serve Argento as a scribe in some small matters in his mid to late teens, the vocation never really 'stuck'. During the destruction of the treacherous House Argento in 1006, he chose to leave the island and seek his fortunes elsewhere, intending to send earnings home to his foster family who found themselves abruptly out of work - at least until House Malespero was formed and took their place. By that time he was already situated in Arx, having held a dozen simple jobs over the years - a labourer at the docks, serving drinks at any number of bars, carrying messages for merchants and more, and continued to do so until he reached the age of 30. Each job teaching him something new, but nothing that could be called a career or vocation. Finally in 1013 he decided that he should put his people skills to good use, taking up as an apprentice with Whisper House, learning to serve the great and the good. And everyone else at that.
  t and the good. And everyone else at that.)
• Saedrus Cicisbeo  + (A childhood spent growing up on one of the …
  A childhood spent growing up on one of the lush fragrant vineyards that surround the village of Saikland Greens sounds idyllic, a vision painted in dreamscape. In truth it was incredibly dull. Nothing of note happened throughout Saedrus' youth. Much of it he spent working on the family land, small as it was, with his six sisters and little else. They were a close family for many years but slowly one by one their numbers drew short as each of his sisters wed and started their own families leaving Saedrus to care for the vineyard alone, what with his father's failing health. It all came to an end when his father passed. Saedrus had the choice then to keep making some of the most tantalizing wine as his father had done, and his father before him, or he could become more than a simple farmer. Wanderlust had always been in his heart but it was not until responsibility to his family had faded that the want for adventure became unbearable, that and the group of troubadours passing through Saikland Greens added just enough push to drive Saedrus towards his ambitions. He stayed with the troupe for some months, travelling through the south and with them began his love for the arts, specifically music and dance. There would be more to learn though, and he could not stay with the musicians forever. The search for adventure and all the knowledge that comes with it saw Saedrus travel much of the continent in the first handful of years, never staying long enough to grow roots in one place. What called to him in all of his travels though were the schools of Courtesans where beauty and talent were drawn by the same brush and wrapped in silken finery; that was where he wanted to be. Where he could pursue his great love for performance and could bring that splendour to others, bring just a little colour and wonder into the darkness of the current state of the world. For the last four years he's studied at a small variety of schools along the eastern coast on a path that has lead him back to Arx. Saedrus has passed through the city on countless occasions, who knows how long he might stay this time.
  ho knows how long he might stay this time.)
• Magden Rubino-Zaffria  + (A country cousin from a lesser branch of H …
  A country cousin from a lesser branch of House Zaffria, it's fairly well-known that the former Lady Magden Zaffria is a bit soft in the head. Her home near Gemecitta employed a rather skilled -- some might say renowned -- apothecary and physician to tend her mother's poor health. Though her mother died when Magden was still a child, the physician remained, taking the young girl on as a promising pupil. When her father died and her older brother had no interest in being responsible for her, she was taken in by the Rubino-Zaffrias in Arx. Unfortunately, Lady Magden's mental condition deteriorated while she was in Arx, resulting in a number of embarrassing public incidents. Her moments of fractious indelicacy and blindness to protocol made her relationship with her house particularly tense. Shortly after a disastrous duel to settle a matter of insult between herself and Duchess Nightgold, Lady Magden made a proclamation officially renouncing both her title and the Zaffria name. Why //specifically// this was done is a matter for speculation. She herself, now simply Magden, will often answer inquiries with wild and impossible tales -- or not at all.
  ild and impossible tales -- or not at all.)
• Edwyn Valardin  + (A cousin fairly far down the line of succe …
  A cousin fairly far down the line of succession, Edwyn hasn't accomplished anything feast-worthy since birth, save perhaps for that time he'd managed to eat twenty bacon muffins the fastest. Like most of his kin, he was behooved to partake of the knightly tradition although despite his physical talent he has no particular love for the art of war, disdaining the troubles of hard campaign and the chore of having to chase down Shavs. %T Fortunately, he's been saved from further responsibility in Sanctum to find instead his own calling in Arx. He doesn't exactly know what it'll be, but who knows. It could be books, adventure, love, storytelling, getting shitfaced in the other wards, anything except counting coins for the Valardin and riding out in patrol, please, Edwyn's happy enough without that.
  please, Edwyn's happy enough without that.)
• Baldwin Fidante  + (A cousin to the current Duke, Baldwin was …
  A cousin to the current Duke, Baldwin was from the start a deeply spiritual individual. It was this spirituality of his, this faith, that tempers the occasional impulses for which he was known in his childhood. After all, what little Baldwin loved more than to hear the stories of warfare and House Fidante's many glories was to brawl his relatives, or play-pretend with wooden swords a little too aggressively. As he grew, a certain contemplative nature also came about, and he would often be found in the various temples, meditating and praying when he wasn't compulsively training for what he believed was his true calling. He was fostered with a Southerner Knight Templar, then, both to complete his training and to assist the man in his fight against the Abandoned menace. Many years were spent as the young man flourished into a martially-inclined, highly competent adult, thanks to the spartan upbringing that ensued. Once he was knighted, following a particularly harrowing attack by the Abandoned at a westward holy site the newly-made knight decided to ride back south, after hearing of unrest in Tor. Once there, he joined forces with the Duke against the pretender Count. His training paid off; riding at the vanguard, his mettle was proven again and again in the field of combat, although some whisper of carefully measured brutality visited upon the foe, concealed beneath the veneer of valor at arms. Once Duke Leo was reinstated, he pledged his sword to him, willing to serve House Fidante against enemies without and within, as his liege requires.
  without and within, as his liege requires.)
• Lynthelia Louvet  + (A daughter of a dying House - her father w …
  A daughter of a dying House - her father was a Count within the Oathlands before his death. He always intended for her to marry someone influential to stave off the death of their House - she always refused. When he died, her older brother took his position, and she left. As her older brother had no children at the time of her departure, she is technically next in line for the County - but she refuses to have any part of it. Instead, she enjoys her status as a noble wanderer - intending to live her life in freedom and go with whatever comes her way.
  reedom and go with whatever comes her way.)
• Eamon Darkwater  + (A distant cousin of the Darkwater Family, …
  A distant cousin of the Darkwater Family, distant enough to be considered fully out of the line of succession, Eamon was left on his own to come up with a way to make a living. Enrolling in the Navy, his connections let him rise through the ranks quickly - backed by his sharp mind and keen ability to turn conflicts around. As he was trusted with greater and greater command, his aptitude only grew, and soon word started to spread about the man, with many nicknames given - but none seeming to stick. He seemed to have hit the height of his progression without formal rank right before the Pirate King appeared and the war began in earnest. Darkwater Watch was ravaged. Even Eamon's mind wasn't enough to pull out a miracle, and when he found his ship surrounded, there was nothing he could do but barely manage to survive on a piece of driftwood until he was picked up by a passing merchant ship. But out of chaos, opportunity arises. With Darkwater's ranks severely depleted, his opportunities have skyrocketed, and so Eamon heads to Arx to make the connections needed to make his family strong once more.
  eeded to make his family strong once more.)
• Ruane Crownsworn  + (A former lower class who was knighted upon …
  A former lower class who was knighted upon loyalty and commitment in bringing in criminals of the Crown by working with the Knights and using his lower class status to go undetected mostly. Picked up his skills from a young age, fending for himself and making the most of his circumstances. Strong willed.
  most of his circumstances. Strong willed.)
• Segrid Seasmoke  + (A foundling, originating in mystery and no …
  A foundling, originating in mystery and no closer to clarity than when she began, Segrid grew up the ward of a certain nobleman since he discovered her in a port city on the far edge of the continent. Blonde and green-eyed, dressed in exotic tatters and utterly mute, she was able to capture something in him that compelled his care. Having been well-educated and trained, she has grown into a cultivated and sophisticated young woman with enough personal charms to recommend her to a good position. Mute until she was nearly adult, she seems unlikely to spill secrets even now.
  seems unlikely to spill secrets even now.)

• Herbert Gavius  + (A frequent face around the Bank of Arx, He …
  A frequent face around the Bank of Arx, Herbert Gavius is one of the type of men there that would live his entire life surrounded by other people and could disappear without a trace without any notice at all. With no friends or social ties whatsoever, he is many ways a perfect banker- he goes in, does work with the Bank of Arx, leaves, and it is as if he ceases to exist outside the confines of the Bank. Bland, reliable, and utterly forgettable.
  Bland, reliable, and utterly forgettable.)
• Jeraldan Crown  + (A heedless but handsome fellow. Was having …
  A heedless but handsome fellow. Was having a stroll when suddenly all went black. The next thing he came to feel, was the intensive throbbing pain and the crusty rinlet of blood coming from the back of his head. Without having a clue as to where he is, nor where he came from, he's seeking out for someone who might be able to give him some guidance. He has a thing for good literature and some talent for finding lost stuff. He's also a goodhearted fellow and usually honest. Even though he might not be able to remember much as to who he was, before he woke up bleeding and in pain, at least he still knew his name. Not knowing where to go, he sets out to find civilization and get at least some basic wound treatment.
  d get at least some basic wound treatment.)
• Jay Rosen  + (A humble family whose matriarch is a seams …
  A humble family whose matriarch is a seamstress in a barony outside of Bastion, the Rosens are no strangers to hardship. Jay was born a middle child in a household of four other children while his mother did her very best to keep them all sustained with her occupation. She is credited for keeping her family together after her husband died unexpectedly while on a winter trip to the Northland. Jay's sisters found jobs as soon as they were old enough and he did most of the manual labor whenever a repair around the house needed to be done. He was no stranger to gardening, building fences, stable duty, or cooking while his mother worked. In his youth, Jay discovered a talent for mending his own clothes whenever he found a tear in his pants or shirt from outdoor work he had been doing. Needlework brought a sense of deep satisfaction whenever he could repair a garment and save it from being tossed out. When he was of proper age he acquired an apprenticeship at a local tailor's shop where he learned the basics of running a business. In addition, the proprietor introduced him to the art of fashion and that's when he found his one true love: making clothes. He began to design and sew his own clothing, only to branch out and tailor for others when his confidence and experience grew. The more clothes he made, the clearer his vision became: he knew he was meant to become a Disciple of Jayus, join the Crafters Guild, open his own shop, and create clothes for all in the city of Arx.
  create clothes for all in the city of Arx.)
• Joel Rosen  + (A humble family whose matriarch is a seams …
  A humble family whose matriarch is a seamstress in a barony outside of Bastion, the Rosens are no strangers to hardship. Joel was born a middle child in a household of four other children while his mother did her very best to keep them all sustained with her occupation. She is credited for keeping her family together after her husband died unexpectedly while on a winter trip to the Northland when her children were young. Joel's sisters found jobs as soon as they were old enough and he did most of the manual labor whenever a repair around the house needed to be done. He was no stranger to gardening, building fences, stable duty, or cooking while his mother worked. During that time, Joel discovered a talent for mending his own clothes whenever he found a tear in his pants or shirt from outdoor work he had been doing. It was by pure happenstance when he began to barter with local shopkeepers for yards of fabric to bring home that it all made perfect sense to him. Rather than save something old, why not obtain something new through trade? Bartering was a skill that he sharpened over the years and his path eventually led him to the city of Arx where the opportunity to open his own shop as a clothier beckoned to him.
  is own shop as a clothier beckoned to him.)
• Alecto Charon  + (A lawyer and dabbling-merchant specializin …
  A lawyer and dabbling-merchant specializing in maritime affairs, Lord Alecto Threerivers served as Voice to the late Count Trevor Threerivers and momentarily as Count-Regent in the days immediately following that man's death and prior to the new Countess of Highrock announcing herself. That Alecto sided with Magaen's succession claim over that of her sister in what he charmingly refers to as 'the trouble with having twins' was considered a big coup for her by outside observers, but privately the pair had been quietly allied for quite some time. Much of the influence Highrock enjoys on the system of nearby riverways crisscrossing the Northern-Oathlands border can be attributed to Alecto's efforts on behalf of his former house. It gives him no satisfaction to see that influence wane in the absence of his nuanced stewardship. Now, Alecto has the prosperity of Glacial Grove to concern himself over. With House Charon inheriting a virtually uninhabitable tower castle, decrepit defensive walls, a crumbling infrastructure, and a withering Prodigal population, the newly conquered holding is bound to keep this consummate worrier up at night.
  keep this consummate worrier up at night.)
• Corwin Sanna  + (A love match, rather than a strictly polit …
  A love match, rather than a strictly political marriage, brought a Blackram woman to take the name Sanna and move into the Redrain fealty. On paper, Peyton Blackram secured the use of some minor mountain causeway for trade that would extend Sanna's reach through the winter, but outside of the official story everyone knew that the marriage was going to happen or a bastard was going to a stain. So it was that just a week after the vows had been said, Peyton and Benedikt welcomed their baby boy, Corwin, into the world. They said from the start he could scream loud enough to start an avalanche. When it came to his lessons, things involving reading were not high on Corwin's list. Once he learned how to get out of those lessons, usually by sneaking or just not showing up, he tended to go missing at least four times out of ten. He hated being indoors, and the tutors never wanted to be out of doors. It was, really, just a match asking to fail. When it came to going with Benedikt on a hunt, or working with a weaponsmaster, or learning to stalk a beast, that's when Corwin paid attention. The outdoors, the thrill of tracking something, of catching it, gavae him something that made his blood stir. And on the days when he was really on his game, the wind seemed to always be at his front, keeping his scent away from the prey and making his cloak billow dramatically. As he grew, it became clear that Corwin was not going to be learned, merely adeequate. He was, instead, destined for the life of a ranger. He'd spend his days out of doors, leading hunting parties, skirmishing with shavs, tracking warbands to relay back to the armies. And as long as he was outside, he was perfectly fine. Now he's been summoned to Arx and he's about to find out just host much outdoor camping one can do in a city.
  much outdoor camping one can do in a city.)
• Terno Ardal  + (A man of humble birth and family. He alway …
  A man of humble birth and family. He always had a fine curiosity in the natural and unnatural around. How the most simple and complex things growing around us all can be used to aid and for intrigue. Much of his craft was learned from his own personal reading along with lengthy testing. His family was encouraging in Terno's studies but they did know know all of his mischievous pondering.
  now know all of his mischievous pondering.)
• Kador Bigges  + (A man who grew up in dire straits, Kador. …
  A man who grew up in dire straits, Kador. He did whatever it took to survive, as he did not have much family growing up. All he had was his size to help him. It didn't take long before a band of mercenaries picked him up, helping him on his way to become a warrior for pay. He grew into a very large, strong man, who knew how to hold his own in a fight. For years, he stayed on this path of his, never straying for long.
  this path of his, never straying for long.)
• Evelynn Helianthus  + (A member of a lesser known barony in the M …
  A member of a lesser known barony in the Mourning Isles, the barony of House Morewind, it was a surprise for many among the peerage when Duke Trevor Helianthus took the enigmatic noble woman as his wife. The domain seems to have thrived since she joined Helianthus and she -is- a noble woman right? so there's little reason for any concern. Of course, there are whispers that she was never seen in the domain of House Morewind in the decades prior to her marriage. Even if the family do claim her as their own.
  n if the family do claim her as their own.)
• Leonora Malespero  + (A member of one of the lesser houses of th …
  A member of one of the lesser houses of the Lyceum, Leonora was a sickly young woman. Often bed-ridden and secluded, the noblewoman lived predominantly through books and the vicarious tales of her friends who came to visit on occasion. Yearning for a chance to be a part of the society she so often heard of, she saved all her allowance and paid an old woman -- a traveling alchemist -- in hopes of a miracle cure. The alchemist provided a potion for her, and soon Leonora found her strength increasing. While she never will be fully hale and hearty, the potion she was given gave her a new lease on life. And so Micaela decided to join the lands with those of House Malespero, Leonora came along as well, hoping to make a new life within the capital city of Arx. As for the alchemist who had so helped her? Though she's searched, Leonora has found no sign of the woman.
  d, Leonora has found no sign of the woman.)
• Vega Thrax  + (A member of one of the lesser lines, Vega …
  A member of one of the lesser lines, Vega was shown from a young age that if she wanted something better than to be just another princess, she would have to find a way to make it happen. So she went into the study of people. She practiced through trial and error in her younger years, found older girls who knew more and begged, blackmailed, or pulled rank on them to get them to teach her what they knew. As she grew, matured, and learned, she realized the mistakes she was making and starting correcting them. With a sister and two younger brothers, she had plenty of subjects to test her wiles out on. As she got older and her skills refined further, she started putting them to use for her family. Helping negotiate deals, brokering treaties, keeping hard-won peaces... her delicate hand was there, her patient smile suggesting she has all the time in the world. When she reached the age of marriage, Vega began looking for a suitable match. The right House, the right man, the right contract. She went through three courtships early on, none of them ending in marriage. By the time she turned twenty-five, her parents stopped pushing young men at her. But she didn't stop looking. Vega Thrax found her match in Raimon Fidante, just months after her 30th birthday, long after her family had given up hope. While visiting Tor, she met Raimon, sized him up, then requested a courtship period. At the end of three months, a contract was drawn up, and the pair were quietly married in Tor. Newlywed to a man that seems her opposite in every way, Vega and her new husband head for Arx to join the family once more.
  head for Arx to join the family once more.)
• Delfina Darkwater  + (A middle child among a gang of six sibling …
  A middle child among a gang of six siblings, Delfina grew up half-wild, learning stubborn resistance to bullying and bossiness as well as how to charm gifts from adults even before younger, cuter children. The siblings were raised in an environment of benevolent neglect in a small but firmly established noble House in the Lyceum, with a father who attended to the business of the vineyards under the family's control and a mother often abed with a chronic illness. Extended family taught the children as it amused them, some with lessons far too mature for their tender years. Delfina learned discipline only as a teen when an uncle took her under his wing to teach her swordsmanship, finally managing to harness her drive and intensity. She seemed clever enough that he first thought she might make a good military commander, but it was one-on-one where she really came to shine. Under his guidance, she began to learn when to shove and when to smile, when the point of a pen might be more useful than the point of a sword. She came to love puzzles and secrets, in the way information might sometimes be used as a weapon to greater effect than force. She was on the cusp of departing the family villa for a grand adventure, perhaps going to Arx itself, when her great uncle the Count informed her of a political match to be made with a House in the Mourning Isles. No tears or wheedling would change his mind, so it was a stubborn and resentful woman who showed up on the docks of Darkwater Watch, loudly complaining of the damp and the chill. Was she disappointed when she first laid eyes on the lean, tumble-haired antiquarian who was to become her husband? For a few years, they managed to develop what seemed to be a companionable relationship. Delfina spent her free time honing her skill with the sword, becoming a knight sworn to House Darkwater. She took the opportunity to travel on House business, seeking the adventure she had wanted since childhood. Until, that is, the journey she took made her seem to vanish from Arvum entirely. It was years later that she returned to Darkwater Watch, unwilling to speak much about where she had been, but quick to rededicate herself to rebuilding what was destroyed in the Pirate War.
  ding what was destroyed in the Pirate War.)
• Cato Corsetina  + (A native of a hamlet outside of Tor, Cato' …
  A native of a hamlet outside of Tor, Cato's early life was identical to that of his forefathers for generations: The halcyon existence of a goatherd. A poor but idyllic life was his for some time, until his father perished in a riding accident when he was 16, and his mother died five years later to a pox. With no family and few prospects, Cato sold off the last of the family's assets set off for the city to find work. At 22, he found work as a drover; at 24, he found love, and a wife in the Corsetina family. A few short years later, war found him. The Tor-Southport conflict kicked into high gear, and Cato was among many of the eligible young commoners levied for the troops of the Fidante. The mud on his hands was traded for blood, and Cato found no glory or happiness in combat. Fortunately, he discovered something else: An uncanny knack for gambling and reading eyes at the card table. This skill would stay with him for life; gambling remained a side hustle for him throughout the campaign and after it. At the conclusion of the war, Cato ended his service at the earliest possible opportunity, eager to return home, only to find that his wife had perished in childbirth, along with their unborn child. Widowed, childless, and now out of a job, Cato's fortunes were only improved by profits from war spoils, and his veteran's dispensation. These, he used to return to a life familiar to his old one; at 31, he purchased the beginnings of a goatherd, and worked a spit of land just outside the city. Time and patience brought rewards; for the past two decades, he has tended and expanded his goatherd, and brought up small pools of other livestock as well. The wheels of his progression have been greased considerably, however, by the card table. Huddled over eights and aces, Cato came to rub shoulders with the jacks, queens, and kings of Tor's lower elements, and in place of a second marriage, he became wedded to complex trade networks which shy away from prying eyes, from Arx to Tor and back. It was here that Cato began to shine. After all, when the guards were searching for smugglers, why would they suspect the old guy who sold them their evening mutton? All the better for him; at 53, Cato has already outlived both of his parents, and for all the connections and satisfaction his day and night jobs bring him, he still has no legacy to show for it. Who shall tend to his goats when he passes? Who shall manage his complex finances? To whom shall he teach which guards to bribe and which to blackmail? And most of all, who's gonna look after his dang horse? Cato's made his life by reading eyes at the card table, but the glassy gaze of Arvum is, so far, opaque. And worst of all, the gambler's temptation never fades. There is always more to be won. Perhaps, in his twilight years, it's finally time to double down...?
  ears, it's finally time to double down...?)
• Haakon Eswynd  + (A near-brother (cousin) to the king of Esw …
  A near-brother (cousin) to the king of Eswynd, Haakon grew up on the sea. Being of noble blood among the Abandoned meant being a warrior, and he was raised with callouses on his hands from oars, rigging ropes, and spear hafts. Never able to openly challenge the Thraxian navy, his people were raiders of the reavers, striking any merchant ships or fishermen who fell within their reach, and fleeing from any war fleet. Twice he was part of a battle against Thrax warships; neither could be called a victory. The Darkness in the Deep was known to the Eswynds for many years. At first, Haakon and his kin had been all too willing to accept bloody silver to hunt the Arvani (they did that, anyway) but as the shadows spread and tales of the blood madness trickled out, Eswynd's old allegiance to Marin grew dangerous. When Margot Tyde and her diplomats came to them, offering alliance and protection, backed by the threat of destruction before a united Thraxian fleet, the Eswynds accepted There were noises made about honor and their ancestors in protest, but for such things "the wind does not care." All that mattered was surviving the coming storm. His near-brother the king (now Marquis) married an Arvani woman to seal the alliance and remained in their home island, making heirs. Haakon and his people took their small fighting ships to sea for battle among the Tyde fleet, and did their duty against the Gyre. After the war, Haakon was sent to Arx on Eswynd's behalf, to represent his people in the court of their ancient enemies, now overlords. What could possibly go wrong?
  w overlords. What could possibly go wrong?)
• Otakar Redrain  + (A nephew of Duke Vercyn Halfshav through h …
  A nephew of Duke Vercyn Halfshav through his mother, Celina, and father from House Redrain, it was fully expected that Otakar's upbringing would be a martial one, battling the tribes of the Shav'arvani under his uncle. And indeed, he fulfilled that expectation with the grim resolve demanded of him, although he took time between his military training to learn much from books both his uncle and mother had sent up to Whitehold. Once he could patrol, he spent time making sorties against the Abandoned on the outskirts of the Everwinter - and then came the battle of Stormwall. Taking to the field with his uncle's forces, the Northern knight acquitted himself bravery, if what he saw there changed his life dramatically. Now, in Arx, he has come to join the Duke's retinue and help battle future enemies to come.
  ue and help battle future enemies to come.)
• Percephon Telmar  + (A nephew of the Duke of Telmar, Percephon …
  A nephew of the Duke of Telmar, Percephon began his life as a disappointment. As a baby, he was ill often, collicky and hollering. He wasn't expected to survive, but did so anyway, to become a child that was sickly and lacked the bulwark's strength common for the bloodline of the Telmarch. Yet for all his weak lungs and constant sneezing in certain seasons of the Oathlands, he proved an able student to his tutors, and plunged deep into fact hunting. Even as he grew a little older and stronger, he created problems by not being the kind of son his father would want -- or more importantly, the kind of nephew his uncle would find convenient. It wasn't that duty didn't interest him; he felt a strong, strong pull of duty to the realm and to his family. But the fact is, he was a reed in a family of oaks, a willow in a family of mountains. Even when he reached adulthood, he was ill often. When he traveled to the capital, he was sick for a week on arrival, which actually put the kibosh on a potential marriage alliance that had been treated for him, as his family had thought they might be able to marry him out to a Velenosa vassal -- why not, the warmer, lusher climes of the south might be good for him, and it would get him out of their hair, and there are worse houses in the Lyceum than the Fidantes -- but what it left him with was the life of a square peg in a round hole. A noble in the capital, of good bloodline, but still, a fish out of water.
  bloodline, but still, a fish out of water.)
• Verity Locke  + (A no one born to nobody, that's Verity. Sh …
  A no one born to nobody, that's Verity. She was one of many, many children had by farmers who raised feed for the horses bred for noble use in Chevalle. It was a rough and tumble childhood full of hard labor and much mischief, and Verity emerged from it a scrapper with dreams just a little too large to be contained by such humble surroundings. The way to rise was to impress those higher up and so she set out to do just that, through a string of odd jobs that left her with a curious and diverse range of skills that eventually landed her on the career path of Most Eclectic Courtesan in All of Arvum. But once again, her environment proved too stifling. She might be as steadfast and driven as any Valardin-born, and as much a stickler about keeping true to her word and her honor, but she and the stuffiness of better society in the Oathlands parted ways. To Arx she came, expecting to make her fortune. That it seems to be in the midst of deadly crisis is just a bonus, really.
  of deadly crisis is just a bonus, really.)
• Anwen Ravenseye  + (A noble family member of the Ravenseye tri …
  A noble family member of the Ravenseye tribe, Anwen was born in the Redrain holdings. She has never forgotten this, nor has she forgotten the Shamanistic origins of her people. Her first love is the sea, and while she prays to Mangata, she respects the ancient traditions of the Path of the Elders as well. Anwen has spent her life near the sea, on the sea, and in it. When spending too much time on land, she grows restless.
  too much time on land, she grows restless.)
• Amieli Igniseri  + (A noble of a lesser branch of the Igniseri …
  A noble of a lesser branch of the Igniseri family, Amieli is the only child begot from the tragic story of Lisa Igniseri, younger sister to Emilisia Igniseri by several minutes. As an adult, Lisa wanted nothing more than to raise a family. Infertility would have been tame--instead, after three consecutive miscarriages, it became clear something was very wrong. Most of the Lyceum simply sighed with relief Lisa was not ruling head and went about their lives. But the lady herself, grief stricken and determined, was nowhere near as content. She turned to midwives, physickers, even alchemists in search of help. Despite reassurances and postulated solutions, the results were far from satisfying. Amieli should have been the youngest of seven; she was the first of one. IN a final twist of pitch irony, Lisa's only successful birth was also the cause of her death. The fate of her father is even less certain. From childhood to young adulthood, Amieli lived an almost nomadic life in the Lyceum, her upbringing distributed across branches of the Igniseri family and close relatives or friends, sometimes even in other houses. She learned to own little, travel light, and learn everything she could while the opportunity was at hand. Connections were many but shallow, and her solace was in those fragments which became permanent: appreciation for proper etiquette; her study of the sword; and even the difference from one place to the next, finding a story here, a poem there, and piecing the world together as best she could. For the displaced lady, the turn to Arx was only natural; yet another patch in her patchwork of homes. Except this time, she could choose where to go--and what better place than the heart, jewel, and crossroads of the Compact?
  art, jewel, and crossroads of the Compact?)
• Zoriah Deepwood  + (A noble of the Deepwood family Zoriah has …
  A noble of the Deepwood family Zoriah has a reputation as a young brat, that can back up her threats in an instant. Prone to bitterness and spitting venomous words has made her many rivals and as many friends as well as a few that simply enjoy her hijinks. To gain Zoriah's attention is a double edged sword that often is as much a blessing as a curse.
  at often is as much a blessing as a curse.)
• Santi Malvici  + (A noble son to Elnora Malvici and half-bro …
  A noble son to Elnora Malvici and half-brother to Pepper, Santi has not pursued his half-sister's path and has earned himself a name throughout the House as someone to watch. He is a tall, broadshouldered man who had already towered over his friends before he turned nine. Like all Malvici's, he was brought up to fight and do-so with the intent to win. His skill was hard to match and many of the people that trained with him as a boy would follow him everywhere like a small, well-mannered gang. As he got older and it became clear that the family intended to make him an officer, he fought tooth and nail to stay with his fellow soldiers rather than lead them. Reluctantly, the family allowed it and he quickly rose to that of a highly respected Sergeant and instructor. He is both loved and feared for his brazen equality treatment given to new Prodigals and willingness to provide outreach for them - few dare challenge him on it. He has come to Arx to see how the government works and learn, not just from the politics and people, but to gain experience and perhaps find a new way that may interest him. Officially he is here to help advise on the nature of Prodigals, assist in cavalry training, and explore service in the Guards. The latter of these is hoped to potentially break him of his attachment to the commoner soldiers.
  f his attachment to the commoner soldiers.)
• Rurik Frost  + (A once proud and strong leader hailing fro …
  A once proud and strong leader hailing from the Everwinter. Bearing the banner of the wolf and broken down by the harsh realities of war. Repeated battles of attrition have taken their toll. The men who fought beside him now long dead. He blames himself for every man lost, though the odds were never in his favour. After his tribe swore allegiance to the crown, he traveled south hoping to open a store in the more populated lands of Arvum in order to get more customers for his small smithing business. His wares aren't great but he charges a fair price for fair work. He now tries to make a living for himself as a simple blacksmith in Whitehold, praying that he never has to fight again. Though in public he claims to be religious, he often doubts that the gods really exist.
  e often doubts that the gods really exist.)
• Adelphie Harthall  + (A product of Oathlands custom, Adelphie's …
  A product of Oathlands custom, Adelphie's story does not deviate far from the ideals held high there. While a penchant for trade and commerce might have just as likely pleased her kin, her appetite for combat proved too great to overlook. There are few memories of her youth beyond the backdrop of the training yards or dining hall, fueling up to get right back out there. Amidst troubles associated with the Great Road, the Adelphie crossed paths with some Knights of Solace and felt compelled by duty and faith to help them in their task. This is how she found herself in Arx, having chaperoned a group of travelers to safety. Well, let's be honest... relative safety.
  Well, let's be honest... relative safety.)
• Brace Din  + (A recent arrival to the glittering city of …
  A recent arrival to the glittering city of Arx, Brace is but a pebble lost in a quarry filled with gems. Minute details are known of the woman and her origination, the ocher tan of her skin giving clue to a life that began in the desert, unrelenting inked imagery along her body revealing time upon the sea.
  long her body revealing time upon the sea.)
• Rane Keaton  + (A second cousin to Kael Keaton, Rane has e …
  A second cousin to Kael Keaton, Rane has ever been focused on his family and fealty. As a young boy, he fought with wooden weapons among friends for fun and instructors for practice. There was only ever a singular focus driven into him by family and instructors: duty. Duty to the Oathlands, his family, and those unable to defend themselves. Idealistic were the teachings to the point that there was room for little else but perfection in training and pure obedience to the tenets of Gloria. Rane married a lovely young woman at the age of eighteen, Lilliana. She carried their first born when a band of shavs captured them in the night and assassinated her in front of him. It was only by luck that the knife found in his own chest did not kill him. Some would call that good luck. For many years, it was the darkest thought in the Keaton's mind. He courted death for some time afterwards, longing for an end to his torment. But it's only recently that someone else had come into his life to lift that grim veil from his eyes.
  life to lift that grim veil from his eyes.)