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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

Asha Espina + (Asha grew up as the daughter to a favored …
Asha grew up as the daughter to a favored Champion in Lenosia, but never the less a commoner. Through the relative fame of her mother, she grew up comfortable and although at first her mother intended for her to learn another craft, when she got into her teenage years there was no question Asha sought to follow in the footsteps of her mother. The scars she wears today are a mark of her early days in the guild back home, but with time she too earned herself a reputation. Taking up the way of the spear, the serpent's dance as she calls it she lingered in Lenosia for sometime, but it proved difficult to manage in the shadow of her mother, the famed Sara the Serpent. She has travelled across all of Arvum since then, mainly seeking cities as that is where a Champion will find work. And eventually Arx, for where are there more nobles in petty disputes than in the capital?
les in petty disputes than in the capital?)
Ashlyn Velenosa + (Ashlyn Velenosa was born Princess to the f …
Ashlyn Velenosa was born Princess to the family of the Lyceum. A bit of a hot-tempered child she was sent off to boarding schools and recently a propierty school. She grew up amongst the nobles, used to getting what she wanted but through schooling learned that making a fuss was not the way to get those things. If anything the schools taught her how to be proper and how to walk amongst the peers as an adult. She's just recently returned to be set out into the world as a Princess ready to be beholden to the proper man.
ss ready to be beholden to the proper man.)
Ashlyn Velenosa/Reflection + (Ashlyn was born to Camilla Velenosa and ra …
Ashlyn was born to Camilla Velenosa and raised by servants and maids, never truly knowing her father and his lack or presence. Naturally she was spoiled as a child with a bit of a temper, thinking she could get whatever she wanted. She was sent off to boarding schools to learn that this behavior was not okay. Her brother Jarek is a wandering priest who well left the city and many heartbroken in his wake. Ashlyn has just recently returned from a propriety school educated and well mannered to maneuver her way through society. Like a ghost forgotten she seeks new connections and to learn more about the others and the city.
learn more about the others and the city.)
Asriel Darkwater + (Asriel Darkwater has ever been a notorious …
Asriel Darkwater has ever been a notoriously private person. Still, not every facet of his long life has been masked by the sort of mystery he so often cultivates around himself. What is it they say in the law courts of Arx? Just the facts, please. Asriel was known to be a precocious child, nobody would argue that. A noble's education and a hunger for knowledge would find him growing into a young lord of House Darkwater with a brilliant mind and a bright - if sometimes questionable - personality full of idiosyncracies. Yet no amount of radiance would help him to escape from beneath the long shadow cast by his brother Draevor, a man who better espoused the qualities a Darkwater was thought to need at the time. It could be fair to think that because of this, a younger Asriel Darkwater might have already harbored a healthy resentment for his more brutal brother even before whatever passed between them that would cause an informal falling out. In the years leading up to Draevor's death, a distance grew between Asriel and his family at Darkwater Watch. Where once he had put his keen mind to use handling finances and other important details for his House, more and more he failed to come home altogether. Every stretch of absence was longer than the last, until one day he disappeared entirely. Before he seemingly fell off the face of Arvum, Asriel had been pursuing the life of an antiquarian. Though the return of the Darkwater lord wasn't inevitable, it wasn't an accident either. It was by the hand and efforts of the newly-elevated Countess Carita that the letter which would finally convince Asriel to come home would reach him. While he isn't always quite the outgoing socialite he once was, his philanthropic nature and driven curiosity has remained intact through whatever ravages time has brought down upon him. Many of the Peerage expected that perhaps Draevor's brother might pose a challenge to the latest Countess to grace the head of House Darkwater's table, being the neo noble that she is, but to their surprise his return has found him steadfastly vocal about his support for her.
eadfastly vocal about his support for her.)
Asterion Havmarke + (Asterion Havmarke is the firstborn and las …
Asterion Havmarke is the firstborn and last living child of Dallon and Odelia Havmarke, and the only remaining scion of the Havmarke line proper. Two younger brothers and a sister were born after, though both younger boys faced health complications that led to early deaths. Like his father before him, he was a farmer by birth and by profession, and was resigned to such a life long before he ever reached adulthood. An avid reader, he consumed every bit of ink and parchment he was able to get his hands on, primarily via discarded missives and historical texts. It was this sharpening of his mind that led to a surprisingly competent military career. It served as an escape from the monotony of agriculture and a method to elevate his own station, eventually resulting in a commission to officer. It was at this time that he took a wife, Vorina, and soon after inherited his family's lands after illness claimed the lives of his parents. She too would be taken by ailing health, accelerated by a complicated pregnancy that left Asterion widowed and without any progeny. Rather than fall into any despair, he threw his life into duty - cultivating his lands, serving his commission, and reigniting a passion for literature, now with the agency to acquire proper books to expand his library. Eventually, his military service was ended by injury and subsequent illness that threatened to claim him just as it did the whole of his family. It was this distinguished military service, though, that led House Byrne to invite Asterion to serve as a steward and agent of Cedar Vale following his recovery, a role that he has acted in with ruthless efficiency. The duty would carry him to Arx to serve the Vale from afar, and so it was that he escaped the destruction of Cedar Vale at the hands of the Abandoned. He returned when the County was given to Lord Gailin Stonewood, seamlessly transition from service of House Byrne to service of the newly created House Fireviper. So it is that he has carried on in stewardship of House Byrne, then Fireviper, and now Byrne again. He has remained through it all in a number of capacities, the only consistency a loyal and steadfast service to Cedar Vale and to the House that holds it.
Cedar Vale and to the House that holds it.)
Astor Larrant + (Astor grew up in a family of simple farmer …
Astor grew up in a family of simple farmers and ranchers on House Grayson's lands. Harboring greater ambitions than a typical farmer's son, Astor decided the best thing to do was to give up his claim on the family business and start one of his own. He apprenticed under a traveling merchant who dabbled in alchemy until he was old enough and knowledgeable enough to set off on his own. He made his way around for a few years, and after a string of run-ins with bandits and scammers, he decided it was best to find a place to settle down. Now that he's in Arx proper, he's not quite sure what to do, at least not yet. He does at least believe that he's wise enough to figure it out, though.
he's wise enough to figure it out, though.)
Astraea Redrain + (Astraea was born mere minutes before her t …
Astraea was born mere minutes before her twin sister but the two might often go back and forth on who was actually the first brought into this world. Though she may be identical in looks to her sister they are quite different in some ways. Astraea is the more thrill-seeking, physical type who enjoyed tussling with the boys and getting dirty. Unafraid of a little danger, she always managed to find herself getting into trouble. Her mother was afraid of losing her daughter to the wiles of her whimsy and did her best to reign her in. There was no way in hell that Astraea would ever enjoy embroidery or needlepoint. Knowing her daughter well, the Igniseri noblewoman managed to procure the services of a well known sellsword from a foreign land. Due to her natural inclination toward athleticism she was an excellent student and picked up swordplay quickly. This only bolstered her eagerness to partake in dangerous ventures for that rush of adrenaline. Storm-chasing, rock-climbing, extreme sports, diving, exploring, and just about anything that risks life and limb was on her checklist. Astraea managed to undertake many exciting adventures but her career as a daredevil came to an end when she got married. It was politically motivated and she had never met her intended before they were engaged. As she got to know him it seemed alright and the Igniseri girl felt like perhaps she might even grow to love him. It was with a heavy heart that she left her family and home in the Southern isles to go and live in the icy north. Life can be good, but it isn't always happy endings and for Astraea this was quite the case. Her husband died three years into their marital bliss, his body was found terribly mangled and the cause of death was never discovered. In the weeks following the investigation into the Redrain Prince's death the grisly details were kept from his widow. After the news was delivered to her, Astraea sunk into depression and mourning, thus shattering the hopes and dreams of the southern-but-northern princess who had expected to live a long life with her Prince Charming. Many long months have gone by since then and once again Astraea has fallen prey to her wanderlust and taste for a good fight. Ever a devotee of Gloria, this princess is highly devout and her love of the Gods is second to none. It's no secret that she walks with the Sentinel and has a special place in her heart for the Queen of Endings but she carries a flame of passion in her heart and soul for each member of the Pantheon; finding their combined philosophies and teachings the most beneficial to the soul. Strangely enough she is not actually a member of any single discipleship but the Redrain princess frequents the shrine and the Cathedral. When she isn't pursuing a life of piety, Astraea pursues her interests quietly and tends to avoid the politicking of Arx. Her sister, Aurelia, and her spend a great deal of time together and tend to be synchronous with their moods. This doesn't always mean the pair of them are in agreement but even in their discordance they manage to echo one another's thoughts and feelings as if they share a soul or at the very least a mind. There are no limits on her love for family and the people, all people. Some might see this as naivete or weakness but Astraea has always seen the best in humanity and has an amazing capacity for love. She enjoys meeting people with warmth and open arms, and though she may not always see eye to eye with someone she does her best to keep an open mind. How she arrived in the city is a bit of a mystery, but the why is something she hasn't been quite forthcoming about either but she has set about throwing all of her efforts into maintaining the peace and bringing down the Compact's foes.
eace and bringing down the Compact's foes.)
Astraea Valardin + (Astraea was born mere minutes before her t …
Astraea was born mere minutes before her twin sister but the two might often go back and forth on who was actually the first brought into this world. Though she may be identical in looks to her sister they are quite different in some ways. Astraea is the more thrill-seeking, physical type who enjoyed tussling with the boys and getting dirty. Unafraid of a little danger, she always managed to find herself getting into trouble. Her mother was afraid of losing her daughter to the wiles of her whimsy and did her best to reign her in. There was no way in hell that Astraea would ever enjoy embroidery or needlepoint. Knowing her daughter well, the Igniseri noblewoman managed to procure the services of a well known sellsword from a foreign land. Due to her natural inclination toward athleticism she was an excellent student and picked up swordplay quickly. This only bolstered her eagerness to partake in dangerous ventures for that rush of adrenaline. Storm-chasing, rock-climbing, extreme sports, diving, exploring, and just about anything that risks life and limb was on her checklist. Astraea managed to undertake many exciting adventures but her career as a daredevil came to an end when she got married. It was politically motivated and she had never met her intended before they were engaged. As she got to know him it seemed alright and the Igniseri girl felt like perhaps she might even grow to love him. It was with a heavy heart that she left her family and home in the Southern isles to go and live in the icy north. Life can be good, but it isn't always happy endings and for Astraea this was quite the case. Her husband died three years into their marital bliss, his body was found terribly mangled and the cause of death was never discovered. In the weeks following the investigation into the Redrain Prince's death the grisly details were kept from his widow. After the news was delivered to her, Astraea sunk into depression and mourning, thus shattering the hopes and dreams of the southern-but-northern princess who had expected to live a long life with her Prince Charming. Many long months have gone by since then and once again Astraea has fallen prey to her wanderlust and taste for a good fight. Ever a devotee of Gloria, this princess is highly devout and her love of the Gods is second to none. It's no secret that she walks with the Sentinel and has a special place in her heart for the Queen of Endings but she carries a flame of passion in her heart and soul for each member of the Pantheon; finding their combined philosophies and teachings the most beneficial to the soul. Strangely enough she is not actually a member of any single discipleship but the Redrain princess frequents the shrine and the Cathedral. When she isn't pursuing a life of piety, Astraea pursues her interests quietly and tends to avoid the politicking of Arx. Her sister, Aurelia, and her spend a great deal of time together and tend to be synchronous with their moods. This doesn't always mean the pair of them are in agreement but even in their discordance they manage to echo one another's thoughts and feelings as if they share a soul or at the very least a mind. There are no limits on her love for family and the people, all people. Some might see this as naivete or weakness but Astraea has always seen the best in humanity and has an amazing capacity for love. She enjoys meeting people with warmth and open arms, and though she may not always see eye to eye with someone she does her best to keep an open mind. How she arrived in the city is a bit of a mystery, but the why is something she hasn't been quite forthcoming about either but she has set about throwing all of her efforts into maintaining the peace and bringing down the Compact's foes.
eace and bringing down the Compact's foes.)
Aswin Ulbran + (Aswin doesn't really know if he was born a …
Aswin doesn't really know if he was born an Ulbran, or if he simply fell in with the family around the time that he took his first steps. He has no memories of his mother or his father, they simply were never there. The streets of the Lower Boroughs are a tough place for a child to grow up, especially by themselves, and while his parents were not there the Ulbrans were. Survival became not only possible, but he learned at the instruction of his family how to thrive in the dangerous streets. As soon as he was able, he was put to work as a lookout and pickpocket, the innocence of his youthful appearance presenting an opportunity that was not to be wasted. And then by the time that he entered into his teens he was being trained to fight and sent along on more dangerous work, a life that Aswin took to quite well. Now in his twenties, he fills whatever role the family needs of him.
lls whatever role the family needs of him.)
Wrakjon Lacerhaft + (At an early age Wrakjon Lacerhaft fell in …
At an early age Wrakjon Lacerhaft fell in with a bad crowd with such velocity that he left a crater, and he has been digging into it ever since. He is most notorious in gambling circles, where he owes so many debts that he mostly keeps his fingers by dint of too many people arguing with each other over who gets to cut them off. He is also kept alive by being a surprisingly reliable source of salves and a decent sawbones, skills he's picked up in a curious sort of natural selection where he managed to undergo all the experimentation that was dangerous enough to learn from but not dangerous enough to kill him. Anyone he's stitched up reports never feeling any pain after he gave them a bracing drink, although it took several days for the walls to stop crawling with pixies.
or the walls to stop crawling with pixies.)
Gogil redreef + (At the young age of six, Gogil had gotten …
At the young age of six, Gogil had gotten lost in the forest outside his family's home. Near the same time a group of marauders tried to storm the modest estate by walking right up the front gate. They were slaughtered and Gogil returned home with a fantastical tale of a group of traveling singers wanting to perform for their family. When he was nine it is told that he was to go spend time at Darkwater Watch, but a mighty tempest sent his ship he was traveling on off course and badly needing repair that they ended up in New Hope, house Blackshore's lands. His charges were not too pleased to find that the young lordling had disappeared into the city only to be found several months later staring at wonder at a burnt down warehouse that apparently revealed a trove of stolen goods being ferried through the town. At the age of twelve another attempt to see Darkwater Watch and visit his cousins was attempted. The tale from the survivors says they could see the city as they sailed past being harried by pirates. They were cut off from the port and being dark at night they had to sail southwardly. Long month's past as Gogil's ship stood just out of reach of the raiders before a stroke of luke saw they hidden in a lagoon. The sailors and even Gogil don't talk much about those they met on the island, but there is a song about a boy and his golden eyed duck that those sailors still sing from time to time. At fifteen Gogil was thrust into the world of academia. Not overly inclined to military pursuits and only showing passing skills as a sailor he was given the task to learn numbers and history. A task that he seemed to flourish with. Especially with numbers and the seeing of patterns and stories he says lie with them. On his eighteenth birthday he was sent for by Urime, a master accountant in Maelstrom. Apparently word had reached him of Gogil's prowess with numbers and wanted to take on an underling. About a year later he was on his way home, more knowledgeable on numbers, but confused by the sudden disappearance of Urime. He was even more confused when a Princess kissed his cheek before he boarded his ship home. At twenty one he was asked to look at the books for the family that was in Arx and immediately asked to go to the city. Eagerly wanting to help fix whatever problem he had seen in them. He didn't make it. He doesn't talk about this, and the ship he was delivered on was not the one that he left on. Not until he was twenty four, he finally reached the shores of Arx. A little shocked that his cousin Ember was now Baroness, but still eager to help the family in the city in any way he can.
the family in the city in any way he can.)
Atherton Galeren + (Atherton's origins are mostly unknown beyo …
Atherton's origins are mostly unknown beyond the past few years. A few whisperings of offering his services to the Abandoned linger. In the more recent past he's been seen doing mundane work such as escorting merchants about, intimidating young bandits off farmers' property, and the like.
ndits off farmers' property, and the like.)
Atria Ulixes + (Atria is the second of three children, the …
Atria is the second of three children, the middle child that's always so troublesome. Her eldest brother was trained to be lord of the manor and now rules House Ulixes. Her youngest sister was married off at an early age to secure trade agreements to grow the house's trade port which it so desperately depends on for life. And Atria? Well, her early years were a mix of being taught to be 'the spare' to having her time left to her own devices. She would spend many of those free hours playing the drums, for which she would find her lessons banished to the far side of the manor for the first year. She would spend other hours going to the Senate with her father and brother, listening to what she felt was worse caterwauling than anything she was mangling with her drums. The years would pass and Atria's ability to keep a beat, to lead a song or the cadence of war band would grow. And her interest in the Senate would sharpen as she realized these sometimes vitriolic proceedings held sway over countless lives. Not only that, she understood why her father took her and her brother, and not just the heir. The work their house would do could never be handled by just the Head of House; her brother would need her help. At the young age of 22, Atria lost her father. He went to Eurus, and he's never been seen or heard from again. His ship did not return and it's believed he was lost to attack. Since that time, Atria's served as the right hand to House Ulixes. Which made it not at all odd when the family contingent that arrived in Arvum included its calm right hand.
ved in Arvum included its calm right hand.)
Atrid Darkwater + (Atrid is of House Darkwater The son of A D …
Atrid is of House Darkwater The son of A Darkwater nobleman and a Grimhall noble woman. When his mother married his father they went back to his fathers keep south of Darkwater along the deeps. It was on an Island in the middle of the deeps. The keep itself was a lighthouse the Island was called La Isla De Muerte Negro. When Atrids mother left the she brought her body guard to help keep her safe when her husband had to be away. Over the years with his mother and fathers influence and teaching he became a good and charismatic if not strict leader, learning from his mother and her body guard the arts of warfare and the brutality often times needed "the ends justify the means" right? And from his father he learned more of the sleight of hand and trickery, also inheriting the more liberal way of looking at those below his station. Through his teen years he decided to start following in his fathers footsteps hed turn out the lighthouse light allowing a cargo ship here or there to wreck on his island and pillaging the goods and money from it. Now hes left to seek out his fortune and carve his place in the world to leave his own legacy.
lace in the world to leave his own legacy.)
Rinaldo Gallo + (Attending the Apothecary College of Tor, R …
Attending the Apothecary College of Tor, Raphael Gallo would meet a trader from the north name Lianna, and eventually the two would claim each other as husband and wife. Raphael became a moderate success as a perfumer, while Lianna would sail further and further afield from home to find equal success in her own endeavors. And somewhere, along the way, Rinaldo would be born to the rocking of the sea beneath him. Rinaldo would be a sickly child, never growing to the stronger build of his family, and spend much of his childhood under the treatment of healers and his father's herbalism to get rid of coughs, fevers, and so on. At eighteen, Rinaldo would return to Tor and attend the college to become an apothecary himself. He took to perfumes and dyes more than medicines, and after graduation from that academy has come to Arx and joined the Whisper House. Enamored of their beauty and grace, Rinaldo has taken his place as somoene that can enhance his fellow Whispers more than he spends time courting his own customers. He provides perfumes, soaps, hair dyes; he offers services with accounting, bookkeeping, and helping run the administration of the house. While he may be pretty enough to catch some patrons of his own, Rinaldo much prefers the role he's in. After all, it allows him to hide the illnesses that continue to plague his adult life.
es that continue to plague his adult life.)
Audric Crown + (Audric changes his background story with e …
Audric changes his background story with every telling, lying for sympathy or just because he finds it wildly entertaining. In the (very) rare cases when he is forced to be honest, such as talking to the high and mighty of society who could have the rogue hanged under the entirely correct assumption he must be guilty of something or other, Audric would be forced to admit that he grew up in the rough Lower Boroughs of Arx untroubled by burdens holding him back such as parents, a family, or basic human necessities. Audric contends that while being a waifish urchin was a promising career track, he quickly discovered the far more lucrative field of talking oneself in and, more importantly, out of trouble. Noticably vague about how he first learned swordplay and made the acquaintance of other sellswords, the scoundrel quickly learned that a captain of a sellsword company is not so much the best swordsman as a leader of other soldiers. Or, in Audric's far superior case, someone who can present a reasonably facsimile of a leader while cashing in big on the work that mercenary groups are hired to do while trying to avoid the work of actual bothersome fighting. Also extraordinarily vague on the real details for how he came to be the head of the Valorous Few sellsword company, which is neither few in number nor anything resembling valorous, he has a remarkable talent for being hired while never actually fighting. It's not easy to be an honorable man, which is why Audric is devoutly glad he is instead profoundly not that.
ly glad he is instead profoundly not that.)
Audric de Lire + (Audric changes his background story with e …
Audric changes his background story with every telling, lying for sympathy or just because he finds it wildly entertaining. In the (very) rare cases when he is forced to be honest, such as talking to the high and mighty of society who could have the rogue hanged under the entirely correct assumption he must be guilty of something or other, Audric would be forced to admit that he grew up in the rough Lower Boroughs of Arx untroubled by burdens holding him back such as parents, a family, or basic human necessities. Audric contends that while being a waifish urchin was a promising career track, he quickly discovered the far more lucrative field of talking oneself in and, more importantly, out of trouble. Noticably vague about how he first learned swordplay and made the acquaintance of other sellswords, the scoundrel quickly learned that a captain of a sellsword company is not so much the best swordsman as a leader of other soldiers. Or, in Audric's far superior case, someone who can present a reasonably facsimile of a leader while cashing in big on the work that mercenary groups are hired to do while trying to avoid the work of actual bothersome fighting. Also extraordinarily vague on the real details for how he came to be the head of the Valorous Few sellsword company, which is neither few in number nor anything resembling valorous, he has a remarkable talent for being hired while never actually fighting. It's not easy to be an honorable man, which is why Audric is devoutly glad he is instead profoundly not that.
ly glad he is instead profoundly not that.)
Aurelia Pravus + (Aurelia was birth was the first blight upo …
Aurelia was birth was the first blight upon her mother's honor, but it would not be the last. Her mother was sister to the Duke of Pravus, a cutthroat woman who relished power and adored those who would wield it sharply. Although arranged in a political marriage with those Houses who would later rebel against the Duke of Pravus, she fancied a pirate lord as her bedmate, a thinly-tolerated practice given his open defiance of maritime law. When she became pregnant, she asserted often and loudly that it belonged to the pirate lord and not her husband. From a young age Aurelia took after the Duke of Pravus, who was determined to reform Pravus's image. She studied the songs of Valardin bards, and the great legends of their Dragon Knights protecting the innocent. The Duke showered her with the tender love and fatherly affection that her pirate lord of a father did not, and shaped her romantic's heart from a young age. Just before the conspirators raised their rebellion against Pravus, she was sped away to live with her father. Soon her mother joined them with news that the Duke had been assassinated, but his heir Belladonna, new Duchess of Pravus, had put down the rebellion. She wept for days until news trickled in that her trueborn siblings had been slain. Although she had never been as close to them as her uncle, the grief was too much to bear and she threw herself into the sea. Hours later she was discovered huddled on a beach, covered in black seaweed. She said that she had been saved by beautiful beasts from the sea. After that day, some thought she was touched in the head and strange, though no examination showed any lasting harm. She lived among the traders, smugglers, exiles, and cutthroats of the island for a time, and reportedly gossipped and performed often. A sudden sickness that swept the pirate cove put her father's life in peril, and with it, the guarantee of her safety. Although her mother refused to leave her beloved's side, Aurelia had no such warmth for the man who had not been the father of her heart. She paid a smuggler to take her to Arx, where she penned a letter to Belladonna Pravus, requesting clemency and an audience.
avus, requesting clemency and an audience.)
Aurus Wyrmguard + (Aurus was ever happy to do what was expect …
Aurus was ever happy to do what was expected of him. He was, truth be told, everything that Stuart Wyrmguard could want in a son: skilled with a blade, purposeful in his quest to excel, stately, and a bright shining star of the family after Caras's fall. He had never spared a second thought to being a younger son, confident in his own abilities and goals. He was also much unlike his cousin Damon, who tended to want to stick his nose into books and histories, rather than into the thick of things and make it himself, and in this, too, he strove to take up the mantle of everything his uncle had wanted. And though he and Damon were unlike in many ways, he still felt a great affinity towards him. Strangely, in the wake of the tragedy of Sanctum and secondarily Damon's untimely death, Aurus seemed to be one of the least affected. Some think that's because his smile is too bright to falter, or, as some have disapprovingly thought, that the young knight is just not as serious as he should be. With the turn of threats to the Compact to the east, the young crusader has come to Arx proper to support his sisters and cousins, and join the ranks of the beleaguered defenders of the Crown.
of the beleaguered defenders of the Crown.)
Austen Ferron + (Austen Ferron is the baby of the family, t …
Austen Ferron is the baby of the family, though he may look far from it. He and his family resided in a small hamlet within the Oathlands and he spent most of his youth doing farmwork and growing strong through manual labor. The older youths of the village would often pick on him, until one day he shot up and wasn't quite so scrawny any more. Then he beat them up. Austen did not particulary want to become a farmer, nor did he wish to become a smith like his eldest sister Ida, so when the opportunity arose he joined the military as a soldier. It did not take quite as well as he thought it would: after running afoul of a vengeful noble he was discharged, but at that point he was just about done with that foray anyway. He returned home, still a teenager longing to be something more in the world. One day, a perfect opportunity arose: on his trek to the nearby city he came across the beleaguered caravan of a knight, and after helping fix the wheel the knight offered him a position as his squire. He happily accepted, and for the next two years accompanied the knight errant on his travels, learning what he could. Early into his eighteenth year he was knighted to little fanfare, but knighthood fit much better on Austen than farmerhood. He arrived in Arx and joined the Iron Guard at the recommendation of a friend of a friend. The intricacies of city law still puzzle him, but he is slowly getting the gist of it.
, but he is slowly getting the gist of it.)
Austin Goddard + (Austin is not terribly well-known outside …
Austin is not terribly well-known outside of his personal circle; he grew up the son of dirt-farmers, scrabbling to provide for their family. His brothers became petty thugs; his sisters became either disreputable, or married off quickly to any man who could piss in a pot. Austin, however, had no intention of living in squalor. Growing up, he viewed his peers as petty, reckless fools, and had little love for them, regarding them as more children than proper adults. Thankfully for him, he also found that they rallied around any figure who could make an empty promise--also like children. He took his time sowing his wild oats in the lower boroughs of Arx. Those who know him know of his past of petty thievery--and the occasional transfer of currency from the pockets of others into his own. He was known to associate with criminals of various levels of repute. Often, he recruited other young folk to help carry out his dirty deeds, most desperate to make something of themselves despite their dismal life prospects. But thankfully, by some miracle, he straightened himself out by his young adulthood to enter legitimate social circles. He clawed his way into the middle class by gathering a small company of sell-swords and hirelings, known as the Letters of Marque, which he still operates out of the lower boroughs to this day.
tes out of the lower boroughs to this day.)
Avaline Velenosa + (Avaline often heard stories about the wint …
Avaline often heard stories about the winter storm that blew the day that she was born, one chilly February night. Never one to wait for long, she arrived early, while her mother was still on business in Farhaven. Snowed in from the storm, she came into the world defiantly screaming out her protests, fists clenched in her tiny fury with hair as white as the snow that cascaded outside. So that was how she came to spend her first months in Arvum in Oathlands, until finally she was old enough to travel back home. Time back in Granato was typical of a southerner of her station. From a very young age she took a great interest in strategy games, and began looking in earnest into the history of wars and great strategists. Many war games were set up with her siblings, games of strategy and tactics. Eventually she began to see herself as the general of all of her sisters and brother, and it turned into a very real interest in becoming one in earnest. Of course becoming a general isn't something that is just handed to young women, so as she grew older she knew she would have to be a soldier. She trained with her blades as surely as she honed her craft as a strategist, and over time she really did find that she had a knack for it. She squired from a young age, until finally when she came of age swore her oaths as a knight. It was her calling, and her life's passion. She quickly made a name for herself in small skirmishes as a talented fighter, adaptable and ferocious. She eventually gained true renown as a commander when she picked up the banner of a fallen commander, while surrounded by enemies. Outnumbered and outmatched by a much larger force of shavs than they had been expecting, Ava pulled the remaining soldiers back, only to press forward once more when she'd found more favorable conditions. Her victory was well regarded and earned her the attention of a young Velenosian prince. It was a whirlwind romance, and perhaps due to her own renown in the previous battle she was allowed to marry into the family where she continued her service as a Lycene Knight-Princess, serving to drive back the silence in her own campaigns, enjoying the brief respite to birth two children of her own, and with the new threats looming from Darkwater, Avaline finds herself travelling to Arx with her children to reuinte with her siblings, and assist the increasingly disparate situation bearing down upon them.
isparate situation bearing down upon them.)
Avasyn Culler + (Avasyn has never been the luckiest of sort …
Avasyn has never been the luckiest of sorts. Raised in a very poor family devoted to the House of Valardin, she's lucky enough to even know how to read and write. Her father a drunk and her mother a lowly maid, Avasyn grew up as the youngest amongst her family, with three other siblings. She was the last, an unfortunate mistake on their part, and they looked down on the girl with an unhealthy amount of resentment. After all, she was another mouth to feed. But their dislike of her went far beyond regret, and bordered on near mad superstition. They weren't the brightest of people, and living with one foot in the gutter, the other in the grave, was enough to drive most of them mad. It was no surprise, but somewhat strange, when a thirteen year old Avasyn retreated to the heart of Arvum to forge out her own life without her family, alone, penniless and scared.Swearing fealty to the Crown, she was taught by an old healer and mixer of posions, learning everything she knew before she passed away. And she found sanctuary with the Cullers, who opened their arms for her, and became more a family to her than our blood family ever were. But still, the events that drove her away still haunts her, along with the ache of being loathed so by those she'd spent her childhood years with. It leaves a deep, bleeding ache there, and the guilt can sometimes be seen in her eyes before they turn cold and secretive.
eyes before they turn cold and secretive.)
Aviana Bertram + (Aviana growing up was a happy child, her p …
Aviana growing up was a happy child, her parents worked hard to give her what they could. Growing up she listened to her mothers teachings on how to sew and as she got older she was able to use that to sell at the local market to help her parents. Growing up a only child was good in ways but bad in others, it meant a lot on pressure of Aviana but she seem to handle it. Her mother would tell she had a calm soul a lot because in times of stress Aviana would be able to stay calm. One of the things she enjoyed very much was watching the nobles and knights sparring and jousting, but her mother use to tell her all the time to get her head out of the clouds that she was the daughter of a farmer and a tailor and she two was just like them a commoner it was a harsh lesson but Aviana down deep understood.
sh lesson but Aviana down deep understood.)
Avovorinth Seraceni + (Avovorinth was born to a Pirate Lord by th …
Avovorinth was born to a Pirate Lord by the name of Zothar and a prodigal mother from a people who hail from an island in the middle of the sea that nobody has ever heard of. Avorina, the mother of Avo, became a fortune teller, a false one of course but such is the way of the Darkcrows. This worked for a time and Avorina was able to provide for her child till he became of age to sail and do the work that sustained the Clan, this was when the little guy was first able to set to sea by his papa's side. Avo's father was infrequently involved with business at sea. Some might call raiding or thieving but others called providing, but none could say he was anything but a good father. Often, he would return after many months with small treasures and tall tales and his son was entranced by these tales and imagined his father as a heroic adventurer. One day a woman entered Avorina's home and asked for a reading. Avorina did as always, telling her what she wanted to hear, or so she thought. This woman was in fact a truly talented woman with mystic insights that bordered on the impossibility. She was furious with Avorinas deception and in her rage she cursed her child and his entire bloodline, or so the story goes to explain away the whimsical fate of madness beset upon the boy. Avorina was horrified, and slipped into a deep, unnatural sleep. For one month she was bedridden and had constant nightmares until eventual she died, nearly a week before Avo's father returned. Zothar had finally become captain of his own prize and was joyous upon his return, only to find Avo crying in a corner covered in blankets and his wife dead from wasting sickness. So they said. The father of this unfortunate child knew no other remedy, and thinking the entire situation too strange to deal with he took the child and brought him onto his ship and left the Roost. Avo was a small boy, not deemed very much of a sailor from appearances sake, but nonetheless gained favor with the crew by quickly picking up several of the tricks of the trade. He would traverse the ship with swiftness and grace, helping here and there with the tasks that needed doing. All the while he suffered from madness which struck him blind and senseless on occassion. The sailors were uneasy at first and thought him tainted by the red waters but of course his father's stature and the fear he cultivated from his men kept them from tossing the boy overboard. After several years on his father's ship, he had learned to do nearly everything that needed done on a ship. The crew loved Avo despite his odd nature and strange mannerisms. So it was only natural that when Zothar was aged he was promoted to captain. By this point his madness had grown into a core part of his being and through it he gained a reputation for being insightful in ways that bordered on the impossible and yet still he turns to drugs, drink and the embrace of solace to deal with his problems. Not a bad thing at all and for this very reason his family line managed to avoid much of the extinguishment that the rest of the Darkcrows suffered beneath the hands of the Seraceni's righteous steel and the flames of war. Perhaps this is why he serves the House today, coming all the way from the Roost to serve the interests of the Clan and the House alike.
interests of the Clan and the House alike.)
Azova Darkwater + (Azova was a treasured daughter who grew up …
Azova was a treasured daughter who grew up with the pampered life of a noble and yet found it left her empty and cold. Instinctively conscious of her privilege even at a young age, she observed her family’s place in the world with a certain level of native uncertainty for its justice, and focused hard on her studies with the seraph on anything that she could learn that might justify her position. So it was not that surprising, as she blossomed into an earnest, educated young woman, that she blossomed into one with a keen desire to find ways to give back to the world and to help others. Well-intentioned idealism is not the only pathway to the physicians’ guild and the Mercies of Lagoma, but it is a well-traveled one, and there were friends and mentors to help guide Azova on her way. With the support of her family and a dewy-eyed hope about the future, Azova ventured forth to Arx. During the Silent War, she cut her teeth on battle, and saw horrors that quenched her initial idealized version of being a battlefield medic in blood and terror. Others might have wilted back and sought a quieter life, a quieter service, when subjected to such early trauma in their career, but not Azova. She was a noblewoman, a daughter of House Darkwater, a lover of Lagoma, and above all other things, a healer. She had studied to be a doctor where she was most needed, and this was a trial by fire that left her with grim determination to succeed.
ft her with grim determination to succeed.)

Cynara + (Background)
Symonesse Grayson + (Background)
Symonesse Marin'luna + (Background)

Bahiya Mathali + (Bahiya grew up a beloved child of minor no …
Bahiya grew up a beloved child of minor nobility, her peaceful, idyllic childhood marred only by a singular accident that robbed her of her sight. Adaptation required a strength of character that bloomed easily and surpised no one; sightless or not, her family found it hard for her to be anything less than independent and gracious. Well loved and well educated, there wasn't anything she didn't want to learn, the girl having an especially keen ear for language fostered early. It's very difficult to grow up loving your life, your people, your place in the world, even the path that unfurls before you, when you disagree so heartily on something so fundumental to it all: slavery. It's a dangerous thing to disagree with salvery among the Eurusi, but from a young age Bahiya struggled to keep her ideals hidden. Life as a courtier, an influencer, and an advisor, settling into the official role of diplomat came naturally to the educated young woman. Finding her words weighed seriously by members of court, both the respected and the powerful, it was Prince Damik'uhl'daja who eventually brought her into his retinue. Kenjay, her bodyguard, was a slave in her service until they came to Arx, Bahiya's first order of business to free him gaining her an unexpected companion in this foreign country. His freedom is a release of her own as well, as she no longer needs to hide her formerly forbidden ideals among the people of the Compact.
en ideals among the people of the Compact.)
Baltus Darkwater + (Baltus Darkwater was born to the life of t …
Baltus Darkwater was born to the life of the sea, like many of the Saffron Isles. Being a man of the sea goes is in his blood for it goes back generations. His love of the waters might be aided by the fact he was born on the Isles, more specifically Cielos Encantadores. There he was raised, mostly by his mother, along with his siblings. He was taught a mix of being a proper nobleman and sailor, making him both regal and crude, yet charismatic as a leader. When he was old enough he started travelling with his father on the seas, learning the way of a future captain of a ship. He spent his times in port in the arms of a woman he could seduce with his confidence and charm, though, because he was on the more serious side his choices were limited despite his looks. When his mother died at the birth of his youngest sibling Baltus and his father agreed that Baltus would spend a little more time on shore attending to his siblings to assure they were properly raised. He still spent time on the sea but less until his younger siblings were old enough to take care of themselves. During one of his times at port in Arx, a very brief port, Baltus met his wife to be. A Whisper and the epitome of beauty, at least to him. During his time in Arx he spent every available moment with her, trying to woo her. He managed to woo her enough to get her to agree to keep in contact via letters and to meet each time he managed to get to Arx. Baltus took every trade he could to get to Arx and spent his time there with the Whisper, Carita, and with her he built a grand romance. He had to fight to make Carita his wife, for she was common - even though she was a Whisper. Carita was his grand love. With her he has, thus far, had one child. And yet things took a dark turn soon enough, and they went from a grand romance, to estranged, to divorced. Still she remained a Darkwater, something very difficult for Baltus to understand - particularly when she was made a Voice over him. But all of that seemed less important after Darrow died defending Darkwater against the Fleet. Though Carita had ordered the place evacuated, still this was his home, and now he has determined to spend his efforts showing what a true-born noble can do - rebuild his home, strengthen his people, and lead well into the future.
his people, and lead well into the future.)
Barik Reed + (Barik's life begun in the Western oathland …
Barik's life begun in the Western oathlands that belonged to the Kingdom. His family was one of proper means- his father an auspicious, and beloved bard who went from home to home leaving little crumps of happiness, and sometimes more than that. His mother wouldn't complain, he always came home with coin, and for a woman who had spend her whole life in poverty it was sufficient for her. The inherently independent Barik took to hunting rather than singing; he took to trekking through the wilderness and adventuring to far-gone townships rather than inherit the legacy set by his lascivious father. Since his departure from family grounds, Barik has been on a quest of acquiring meaning- meaning that hasn't been manifested, yet hopes to find in the very Capital of the continent.
find in the very Capital of the continent.)
Bashira Ru-Taul + (Bashira was a Thrall, much like her brothe …
Bashira was a Thrall, much like her brother, Caspian. As were her mother and father. Her parents died and they inherited their debt. To say that their life was not easy was an understatement. But there was a light in the form of Princess Donella Thrax releasing them from their Thralldom. Bashira was sixteen and Caspian was nineteen. Going from life as a Thrall was not hard for her, that was until Caspian said that he was going to leave for Arx and become a mercenary. This did not upset her. Her brother needed to walk his own path and he had taken care of her. She was a bit upset with him when she found out that he'd changed his last name, but, she let it go. She stayed in the Mourning Isles, determined to find out more about their Tribe. Wanting to find some remnant of their family. But that turned out to be far more difficult. So she started to learn a trade, working on merchant ships as a sailor. When she wasnt working, she was doing her best to absorb every bit of knowledge she could about the Island Shav culture and things related to it. Caspian wrote her diligently. Through these she learned more of what he was doing, but she knew something was amiss. Call it sibling intuition. She continued to work hard though, finally going back to learning new skills. She was surprised recently by a letter from her brother, asking if she can meet him when he visits the Mourning Isles on the Champions Tour.
the Mourning Isles on the Champions Tour.)
Basilio Cabral + (Basilio or "Basi", as his crewmates call h …
Basilio or "Basi", as his crewmates call him for shorter name convenience, is not one with much to be recorded in the annals of history. Hailing from the Saffron Chain, grown up around Darkwater docks, he had neither memory nor keepsake of either of his biological parents as he was thrust into this world of salt, sea, and scoundrels. He was taken in and raised by a crusty old cook who lived in the company of the tropics' Lower natives and worked on a Thraxian ship. While occasionally a pilferer when the need or urge arises, Basilio thrives more when able to jump from one odd job to the next. As such, he has garnered a bit of a reputation back home as "that boy who can probably do the thing". His foster father managed to squirrel him into some more stable employ on the same sailing vessel as a rigger. The ship has recently docked in Arx but, unfortunately, some political issues surrounding their current Captain and Quartermaster have left the crew in shambles and Basilio without a job (because good cooks are always in demand).
(because good cooks are always in demand).)
Bastien Crown + (Bastien came to Arx as a young man in his …
Bastien came to Arx as a young man in his early twenties with far more pride and attitude than the silver in his pockets warranted and with ambition of great artistry. Surprisingly -- to Bastien, at least -- these ambitions were not /immediately/ fulfilled by wild success and acclaim. He's been toiling away, mostly in the underbelly of the city, but eventually towards more of the mediocre middle once he found enough steady work over the past decade. The focus of his work is in playwrighting, and he became known -- at least within a small community of arts lovers -- for having a particular affection for plays of political and cultural commentary with a taste for the avant garde. Of course, sometimes he just needs to write a comedy where everyone gets married in the end, if for no other reason than to pay the bills. But he doesn't do it /gladly/.
the bills. But he doesn't do it /gladly/.)
Bastien + (Bastien came to Arx as a young man in his …
Bastien came to Arx as a young man in his early twenties with far more pride and attitude than the silver in his pockets warranted and with ambition of great artistry. Surprisingly -- to Bastien, at least -- these ambitions were not /immediately/ fulfilled by wild success and acclaim. He's been toiling away, mostly in the underbelly of the city, but eventually towards more of the mediocre middle once he found enough steady work over the past decade. The focus of his work is in playwrighting, and he became known -- at least within a small community of arts lovers -- for having a particular affection for plays of political and cultural commentary with a taste for the avant garde. Of course, sometimes he just needs to write a comedy where everyone gets married in the end, if for no other reason than to pay the bills. But he doesn't do it /gladly/.
the bills. But he doesn't do it /gladly/.)
Baz Thornburn + (Baz is a Thornburn, and she couldn't have …
Baz is a Thornburn, and she couldn't have been born into a better family. Full of artists already, it's how the woman's writing was nurtured, and so one can't say lack of nurturing is why Baz turned into an acerbic recluse, obssessed with finding the perfect muse, with writing plays that shape the Dream itself. She's had critical acclaim, she's tasted the dizzying, drugging heights of seeing her work spread across the land. But the mercurial playwright has also sampled the bitter dregs of bad reviews, has fallen into black despair at the smallest criticism, hiding herself away in her family home back in Arx, chainsmoking and writing drivel for months until the cycle repeats.
drivel for months until the cycle repeats.)
Tobias Telmar + (Beaten into shape, that is how Tobias woul …
Beaten into shape, that is how Tobias would describe having spent his childhood. He was everything his father is not, but being the oldest son, he was expected to one day take over as General from his father. Indeed, Tobias threw himself into his studies and training quite well, but compensated for his own sanity with indulging himself excessively outside of his daily training... a fact that drove his father to press him even harder. After all, if he had the energy for pursuing sports and women, he had energy to do more training. This vicious cycle took most of his teenage years... until finally, he seduced Beatrice Grimhall at a wedding reception, and spent a month doing semi-nightly 'meetings' with her before they were caught by the Telmar Guard. Furious, Duke Grimhall demanded that Arn arrange a marriage to his daughter. Never more than a casual dalliance to find some measure of enjoyment in his fathers relentless schedule, Tobias outright refused, setting off a dispute between father and son that ended with Tobias disappearing a week later, under the cover of night. It's been many years since that night, with Tobias coming back to public Compact life as the Lord General of the Crimson Blades. He's spoken very little of the five years he had disappeared to anyone, and has seen the Crimson Blades through the Silent War with skill and professionalism, along with many other contracts. Tobias might be the black sheep heir of House Telmar for now, but there's no denying he's a skilled general and warrior in his own right.
lled general and warrior in his own right.)
Beatrice Malespero + (Beatrice's parents ran a shipping business …
Beatrice's parents ran a shipping business out of Caith. The family did well enough, though at any given moment their entire fortune was wrapped up in some expedition or another, or it was drained to repair a ship, or something else meant constant scrimping and saving. As she grew, she watched her parents celebrate new deals and weep when a ship was lost. She saw how the pair went to bed every night exhausted. She watched as years and years of grueling, painful work netted them almost nothing. Beatrice decided that was not the life for her. The woman was allowed out of the warehouses and away from the ledgers when she turned seventeen. It wasn't that she wasn't an excellent bookkeeper, she just wanted to see more. She was soon first mate aboard one of her mother's ships. At twenty-one, after a most unfortunate accident during a storm, Beatrice's ship was out a captain, and she was quick to take the job. By twenty-three, Beatrice was soon raking in piles of silver, all off the books and without her parents' knowledge. Beatrice had learned quickly the fine art of smuggling. She had fallen in with the Argento family, who ruled Nilanza back then. After financially supporting a failed attempt to overthrow the Pravus family, Argento was hurting for funds. They turned to illegal goods, and Beatrice became their primary mover. It was good, easy, fun work. In the next couple of years, Beatrice left her family's company to work exclusively for Argento and oversee their ports and smuggling operations. Things were going well, until it seemed the Pravus family had figured out everything. Fearing Beatrice might flip on Argento, the family ennobled her. If she was an Argento herself, they reasoned, she'd be seen as guilty. She would be unable to turn against the family without getting herself imprisoned or worse. And they were right. Beatrice fed information to the Pravus family. She saw the coming wave. She knew this would only end one way. And when the soldiers came to collect her, as they came to collect every Argento, she went into her cell with chin held high. A year later, Beatrice has emerged from the dark of her imprisonment. In that time she not only convinced Marquessa Lianne that she was the one who had turned against her oath-breaking family, but that she was also ready to serve once more... not to mention too useful to have locked away. Beatrice was declared innocent of treason, and the time she served plenty to cover her other misdeeds. She surely wouldn't pick back up her old illegal ties, not after being granted her freedom! No, surely not. Now, she is still a noble, sworn wholly to House Malespero, and eager to get Nilanza back in proper order.
eager to get Nilanza back in proper order.)
Beatrix Corsetina + (Beatrix and her twin sister Margaux were b …
Beatrix and her twin sister Margaux were born in the beautiful city of Tor to a branch of the Corsetina family. Unfortunately for them, their youth was during the troubled time of the Tor-Southport War, when Count Lucien Malvici had usurped the rule of the Fidante family, and their early years was spent evading the horrors of war, the cruelty of the well born, and dreaming of one day having the peace and luxury of the nobility for themselves. As women the two sisters rose notoriety. Beatrix was a well-known muse to many artists in the city, her dalliances with upper crust commoners and even some nobles sparking many rivalries and a lot of drama, her ambition and boldness unafraid to make the occasional enemy. Margaux's fame was darker, the shadowy woman having become a criminal of ill-repute who avoided capture time and again, ahead of those who set themselves to catch her every time. Their paths diverging, the elite called Beatrix their White Thorn, bright and perfect, and in time a noblewoman of the Fidante vassal of House Floris was so taken by Beatrix, the noble asked her in marriage, giving up rank and title (if not wealth) to join in marriage. The tragedy that followed quickly became the talk of some of some of the Lycene city-states, and the common consensus was the following drama occured: Feeling like she had been left behind by her sister, the violent Margaux murdered Beatrix's wife a day after their wedding. The White Thorn woke up that morning by her dead spouse's side, the former noble's chest carved open by with a single, bloody white rose stuck into the exposed heart. The noblewoman-turned-commoner's former House couldn't accuse Beatrix of the deed as she would be the one to lose any benefits gained from tying herself, even if haphazzardly, to nobility. The answer was obviously Margaux, and the hunt began immediately. Beatrix, alone and afraid, worried that once the Floris were done hunting down Margaux they could come for her. She was just a commoner, after all, why would they stay their vengeance and stop at one Corsetina? With the heat too much for to handle in Tor Beatrix left for Arx where she has since found and sought refugee with the rest of her family, hoping she can rebuild her life away from Tor and her sister. But Beatrix is already recovering. Bloodied and hunted she might be, she's still the ambitious young woman that was unafraid of obstacles in her path. She'll have her wealth and safety again, and woe be to those who stand in her way.
and woe be to those who stand in her way.)
Cristoph Laurent + (Because he was the second child of Duke Ed …
Because he was the second child of Duke Edmund Laurent by a number of years, Cristoph was educated as the 'spare' to his sister's heir. He showed considerable aptitude for the soldier's trade, and generally expected that it would be the knightly service of the ducal seat that would be his life's work. Yet his path was not so set when she struck herself from the rolls of House Laurent. His sister was in her early twenties when she left the laity sisterhood of Gloria to be truly godsworn and throw herself into the Faith. That left Cristoph a boy coming to his adulthood in a changing universe. (It also killed a potential marriage alliance with another ducal house, but never mind. There will always be more potential brides, right?) Yet the mantle of heirdom did not sit easily on Cristoph's shoulders. He was accustomed to a soldier's trade, a soldier's goals, and he hungered for the glory of the battlefield. He risked himself early and often, leading from the front and leading the charge ahorse against the Shavs even as a young man. Badly injured to within a few inches of his life in a skirmish a few years ago, his men prevailed upon him to control his more glory-hound impulses; his father had lost one heir to a different kind of duty, and it would be terrible to lose another, particularly with his younger sister so very much younger. In order to accustom Cristoph to responsibility and grow him into his role as the future duke, he was made Voice of Laurent, and threw himself into the work with a will to prove himself, first while he lay recovering in an infirmary bed, and then afterwards when he was wholly recovered. He proved a pragmatic thinker and a capable organizer. So it was that when the duke fell ill and died in the spring of 1005 and he took the reins of the duchy, it was with several years solid experience under his belt, as a leader of men whose vibrancy was newly tempered by patience.
e vibrancy was newly tempered by patience.)
Bedivere Whitehawk + (Bedivere Tyndall is a retired general know …
Bedivere Tyndall is a retired general known for commanding the 8th Lancer Unit of the Bisland army during many skirmishes against hostile shav'arani tribes in the Crownlands. A son of Sir Harry "the Hotspur" Tyndall, Bedivere was groomed for command at an early age and distinguished himself apart from his peers once he joined the ranks of the Bisland military, at the ripe age of eighteen. He made friends and quickly ascended the ranks, culminating in him becoming one of the youngest generals to ever be appointed. He developed a reputation as an expert horseman and set an equestrian high-jump record that stood for almost 15 years. Ahead of him seemed to be a promising military future -- one likely to be longer than that of his notoriously hot-headed father. That is, until he suffered his first true loss on the battlefield and was captured by a particularly vindictive chieftain. For having slaughtered his sons, the chieftain refused to execute Bedivere outright, and instead severed his right hand, killed his men in front of him, and proceeded to torture him for weeks on end. He was saved by another unit, and he recovered physically, but the mental scars were permanent. In anguish, Bedivere retired from the military at the age of thirty and returned to his home in Old Oak, where he married his childhood sweetheart and began a family. He attempted to become a farmer to acquire the income to support his family, but his injury made him heavily reliant on paid help, and the fickleness of the harvest made their financial fortunes precarious at best. In early 1006 AR, his wife Lynette fell ill and unexpectedly passed away, leaving him to raise his two children alone. As fortune would have it, his nephew would be ennobled later the same year, and offered him a position as Marshal of Hawkhold -- and with it ennoblement and enough silver to comfortably provide for his family. Bedivere accepted, his mind still sharp as ever, though his reflexes notably less so. Upon visiting the city for the first time in many years, Bedivere accepted a position within the Knights of Solace, seeking a position to re-train his rusty skills and lend his assistance to a worthy cause when his duties at Hawkhold do not overwhelm him.
s duties at Hawkhold do not overwhelm him.)
Anastajia Mercy + (Being a young girl who has never known her …
Being a young girl who has never known her parents, life has been rather difficult for Anastajia. She knew her strengths were in making people happy, and decided she would make a living out of doing just that. You may think one in a situation such as hers would lose their way in life, but she resolved to keep her head held high and take it one step at a time, literally. Entertaining people was in her blood, and with the various skills she had picked up along the way, as well as her aptitude for dance, she was able to make a enough money to get by. She may not be wealthy, and may appear to be all alone in this world, but the fact remains that she is gifted with the ability to touch the hearts of everyone she meets. Because of this, she never feels like she is alone in the world.
ever feels like she is alone in the world.)
Bjorn Grimhall + (Being born a Lord of Grimhall was to be bo …
Being born a Lord of Grimhall was to be born to privilege he never wanted, and obligations he never asked for. From a young age, he was fascinated by the court of Arx, with its fashions and grandeur, but that wasn't what was expected of a Grimhall lord. He was to be a solider, to set aside any frivolity, and to marry a wife in a political match eventually. His sister Jadzia was set to marry someone far off in the Lyceum by the time they were 18. It wasn't what she wanted, but she was more resigned to her familial sense of duty than Bjorn. He still hoped he could avoid it, spending time with a handsome courtier named Thomas who acted as a tutor, and filled the young man's head with tales of the capital city of Arx Still, despite wishing to do little more than spend time with the young man who had won his heart, Bjorn was to be a soldier. While Bjorn was far from weak as a young man, he had always been built for speed and agility compared to his hulking and brawny older brothers, who mercilessly abused him in training and mocked him ruthlessly as he learned. His father, without consulting the young man, informed Bjorn was due to marry in the Oathlands, and would be marrying out of the family. He'd likely not see home, and Thomas, again for years. Rather than face that, Bjorn did the near unthinkable for a noble, and renounced his title, traveling to Arx to live with his sympathetic Aunt Mahin in the Ward of House Thrax. That put him in contact with the Crimson Blades who had been hired by Aunt Mahin to protect her very small estate. He began to spar with them and soon caught the attention of their Lieutenant. It wasn't long till he was signing papers with his aunt's blessing, and despite the heartache at leaving home and those he cared about behind, he felt happy. Briefly happy. He received word of his aunt's brutal murder during his Crimson Blade training. Apparently, he had not been gone a day before someone killed her. Sliced her flesh into ribbons. House Thrax's guardsmen even permitted the Inquisition to look into the matter, but the guilty were never found. Her last wish was he be happy and do well in the Blades, to follow his heart. And so he has. Throwing himself into the Blades that welcomed him, despite his name, like family. And it became real a few years later when Thomas joined the Blades as an adjunct healer for a contract. They fell in love and got married. Everything was going so well. Then came the Silent War. At the end of it he survived, but according to records his husband's position was overrun. He never even saw the body. Other men would have fallen to drink or worse, he fell to killing and focusing on his work. Taking the pain and making it useful.
ork. Taking the pain and making it useful.)
Lekan none + (Being born in Velenosa means that eventual …
Being born in Velenosa means that eventually, all citizens must learn to either deal with the many tricks, machinations, and horrors the houses inflict on each other, mostly in 'private', or learn to ignore and avoid them. Lekan learned at an early age that he had a steady hand, a lack of issue with the shedding of blood, and a desire to have the fine things of life. At first, he was a steadfast worshipper of the Pantheon, but years of harsh, vicious back-alley fights and backstabbing intrigue that, despite all prayers to the contrary, has left almost everyone he ever knew (family, friends, loved one) dead in gutters or vanished? He believes in nothing. Well, that's not quite true. He believes in his own sword-arm. He believes in coin he can touch. He believes in women, or at least that they exist. He believes that people can use him. So he comes to Arx, the sour taste of a deal gone badly being rather hopefully left behind as he hopes to make a new life in this city.
he hopes to make a new life in this city.)
Kanean Ironfoot + (Being born into the Ironfoot clan meant be …
Being born into the Ironfoot clan meant being as hard as the metal from their namesake. His ancestors got their name because they were so tough, so relentless that none could match their stamina in battle. Being the second second of Tuscak, an Abandoned shav traditionalist who was fed on the fires of hate for the Compact, he was raised to raid and burn the fields of his enemy. His mother shook him from her skirts when he was old enough to stand on his own. Any weakness or tenderness was beaten out of him by the time he was ten. When his father put a bow in his hand, because his leaner stature and keen eye made him a natural, he practiced with the intent that he would make his father proud. Brand was a plaque upon the Abandoned Tribes of the Oathlands. He took the fuel of hate that lived in the Ironfoot's hearts and fanned it out of control. Kanean was there along side his father and brother, possessed by the dark magic to deal death to the citizens of Arx. He felled many that day. But the Gods that protect the Compact managed to break Brand and release the Abandoned tribes that were under his sway. Leaving the once proud tribe broken, leaderless. His father was angry the day the Oathlanders came to the encampment to gloat over their handiwork. He urged Kanean and his brother to enter the crowds, warning others not to listen to the false promises that bending knee would bring. He watched as his cousin was brought on stage, a boy too young to be cheiftain. Then it all fell apart. An Oathlander with the help of Rivenshari arrested his brother and himself. He was sent to prison with the outrageous crime of trying to murder his own cousin. He was caged with his brother for months, even after his father died in a trial by combat. It was during his captivity that he learned the truth, the horrible story of how his father tried to get his cousin to light himself and his sisters on fire to protest the Compact. How his father tried to start war again before his people had even recovered. When they were brought to trial, to speak to the tribunal, Kanean denounced what his father had done and gladly bent on knee to Count Athaur Rivenshari. He took an oath that would bind him to the Compact that he once fought. While he will make up for his past wrongs, he is not broken. He is still of Ironfoot.
he is not broken. He is still of Ironfoot.)
Abellus Ironfoot + (Being born into the Ironfoot clan meant be …
Being born into the Ironfoot clan meant being as hard as the metal from their namesake. His ancestors got their name because they were of Iron, unbent by war or bloodshed. They were a proud family with a strong heritage. Abellus has tried his whole life to live up to his name. Being the first son of Tuscak, an Abandoned shav traditionalist who was fed on the fires of hate for the Compact, he bore the same hatred for those that would try to break the Abandoned Tribes and force them on their knees. His mother was a wise woman who had her man's back. She never let him cry as a child, and made sure he would be as strong as his father. Yes, the early years of training and fists were hard but they forged him to be stronger, better than the weak Oathlanders that hide behind their armor and castle walls. When his father taught him in all manner of weapons, from the bow to the great sword. He favored the great axe in his mighty hands. Brand was a plaque upon the Abandoned Tribes of the Oathlands. He took the fuel of hate that lived in the Ironfoot's hearts and fanned it out of control. Abellus was there along side his father and brother, possessed by the dark magic to deal death to the citizens of Arx. He felled many that day. But the Gods that protect the Compact managed to break Brand and release the Abandoned tribes that were under his sway. Leaving the once proud tribe broken, leaderless. His father was angry the day the Oathlanders came to the encampment to gloat over their handiwork. He urged Abellus and his brother to enter the crowds, warning others not to listen to the false promises that bending knee would bring. He watched as his cousin was brought on stage, a boy too young to be cheiftain. Then he was betrayed by another Abandoned, arrested and brought to prison before he could blink. An Oathlander with the help of Rivenshari arrested his brother and himself. He was sent to prison with the outrageous crime of trying to murder his own cousin. He was caged with his brother for months, even after his father died in a trial by combat. It was during his captivity that he learned the proganda, the story of how his father tried to get his cousin to light himself and his sisters on fire to protest the Compact. How his father tried to start war again before his people had even recovered. While he did not wish to see his cousin die, he does not hate his father for his desperate actions. When they were brought to trial, to speak to the tribunal, Kanean denounced what his father had done and gladly bent on knee to Count Athaur Rivenshari. He took an oath that would bind him to the Compact that they once fought. Abellus was forced to make a decision. He could refuse and die. Or he could swallow his pride and go on bended knee. Even though he knew his father was rolling in his grave, he knealt and took an oath so that he could continue to watch out for his brother. He will keep his oaths because he is a man of honor.
ep his oaths because he is a man of honor.)
Ilmia Leary + (Being born with parents who travel a lot c …
Being born with parents who travel a lot can take a toll on young children, stripping them of their ability to make friends. Especially when that young child grows up an only child, to a family that favors books than socializing. Ilmia Leary, on the other hand, is a unique case. All of these obstacles were just challenges for the young Leary girl, and oh, does she love a challenge. Everywhere her family went, Ilmia immediately put in the work and effort to make as many friends as she possibly could before the next move. It was practically like a game to her, with a ledge she kept to record her 'score' as she went. Not that she needed a book, considering her exceptionally keen memory. When she came of age, Ilmia set off on her own, seeking to make a name for herself rather than just piggy-backing off of her father's name and relic collecting reputation. No place is safe. From the coldest of Redrain lands, to the most liberal cities of the South. Now, however, it's time to explore one of the most prominent cites in the whole Compact: Arx.
prominent cites in the whole Compact: Arx.)
Eithne Thornburn + (Being one of seven children has its challe …
Being one of seven children has its challenges. For starters, if you're not the oldest or the youngest, you might end up blending somewhere in the middle. Eithne blended into the mix for many of her formative years until she decided enough was enough. Her mother always wanted her girls to pick up a trade and be skilled. Her father didn't seem to care what they wanted to do. When Eithne decided on following in her father's footsteps, it irritated her mother who doesn't think a woman's place is in a forge but her father couldn't be more thrilled. He took her under his wing and showed her everything he knew. A father couldn't be more proud of his child when Eithne not only learned the trade but excelled. It wasn't long before Eithne was showing her old man a few tricks of the trade. Born and bred in Arx, Eithne's family the Thornburn's are from the Upper Boroughs. Her siblings are all pretty successful in their own ways. These days, Eithne has herself a great clientele of customers who live and breathe in their armor. She's even secured a few who are daring enough to be 'guinea pigs' for some prototypes she's been working on. Nothing concrete yet, nothing that she can actually sell or market, but at least she's innovative! I comparison to most young women her age, Eithne isn't interested in marriage or children at the moment. She's very focused and driven on her career. There are so many other more important things to do than to be tied down, barefoot and pregnant. For example, learning how to fight and competing in amateur competitions or spending all night playing cards at the local tavern.
l night playing cards at the local tavern.)
Itzal Culler + (Being the eighth of eigth children is some …
Being the eighth of eigth children is something of an achivement. It signals the end of an age, the definite decision of a mother that she is quite done with bearing children into the world. And the distinct impression of being unwanted, of being that one extra bite of the cake soon made to regret by an uppity stomach. Itzal's childhood was not one surrounded by motherly warmth, but rather by the rough upbringing expected from older siblings, various uncles and aunts, and the harsh words of a resentful progenitor. Itzal wasn't alone in this situation, however. While having been born so shortly after the seventh was most likely one of the reasons why his mother chose to never have children again (and keep that oath till death came for her), it also gave him a sibling of his age to share much of his experiences with. That sibling was Mae, his older sister, and she proved a lifeline of sanity, madness, peace and trouble that he could never have done without. It should come as no surprise then that he developped a similar way to avoid trouble, and tasks. Indeed, he swiftly became known to vanish as soon as work needed to be done, and prove so difficult to find that doing it themselves was usually less work for his family than to find the youngest Culler. While his skill at hiding would eventually force him to perform particular jobs, it also granted him more free time than most. That free time, he would spend listening to the various musicians of the city, listening to reciting poets or sneaking into the theater to witness the latest plays. It changed him, those outings of his, and soon he was making his own music and writing his own poetry... with various results. It's not that he was bad at it, though he had much to learn. It's that he found entirely too much amusement mocking his audience as impressing it, making fools of nobles that might have proven wealthy patrons with his wit and sharp sense of humour. The life of a courtier held no interest for him, yet if not that, what? The answer came when he was seventeen. One day, he was simply... gone. No word, no warning, just gone. Off to travel the world, it was assumed, when he didn't return for days, and then weeks. Gone, or dead. It hardly mattered for anyone but those closest to him. Time passed, till five years had come and gone. The King had fallen to his restless sleep, woken up again, Arx had suffered an invasion and siege and now prepared for another battle, High Lords and Ladies had come and gone, and Itzal returned as if nothing had happened. Giving various tales, each grander and more impossible than the last, he never gave a straight answer as to where he had gone, or why he had left. Yet he has returned, and now seems happy to have returned to the Lowers of his youth... and resume his various other activities.
. and resume his various other activities.)
Seth Steelhart + (Being the youngest child of the youngest c …
Being the youngest child of the youngest child of his grandfather is a crime against fate that Seth will never forget. It didn't help that his brother Padraig grew tall and strong while Seth faced a childhood filled with sickness. He may have recovered, but it was too late, his father, Gregor, had already poured all his hopes and dreams into Padraig, and Padraig was even knighted by his uncle Frederik. There was no resentment towards Padraig, no, Seth spent the better half of his life despising his father, for his harsh criticism, unyielding loyalty to Frederik, and last but not least, the biggest crime of all: not loving Seth. But how could he, when Padraig was so great? Seth more then looked up to Padraig, he worshipped the ground he walked on. Padraig taught Seth how to trust no one but himself, how honor is only as important as what it earns you. This is why Seth agreed to follow his brother's scheme to depose Frederik and put the Chillhearted on the seat of the Highhill. The plot didn't go as planned. While Padraig fought Frederik in an honor duel in the Great Hall, Seth's job was to hold his cousin Sara and her mother Lydia hostage. It went poorly, even with his sword drawn and her unarmed, he was no match for the knight Lydia was, and by the time his brother was slain he was already locked in the room he planned to hold them in. It was Frederik's mercy after an oath of fealty that led to his release, and while the rest of the Steelharts grieved over the next tragedy, Lydia's suicide when her son's corpse was carted home, Seth sulked. What the future holds for him, only time will tell.
future holds for him, only time will tell.)
Lenne Crovane + (Being the youngest of many siblings meant …
Being the youngest of many siblings meant that there would be no great inheritence or weighty duty for Lenne. At best she would see a political marriage or minor office to oversee. Some would find that a bitter fate, but for Lenne it meant freedom her elder siblings couldn't have. She used it to its fullest. As a child, she was a parent's nightmare, vanishing for days into the forest, to return filthy and babbling excitedly about what she saw. She was delighted to be scolded with being homebound, pestering others for stories, or sneaking into the libraries. It never got better. She was equally infuriating as a youth, and worse as a teenager. Anatomy, history, theology, naturalism, spirit lore. No subject was safe from her scrutiny. No question was too obscure to escape examination. In desperation, her parents directed her to hobbies, and to their credit, it was somewhat successful. Some of her hours were spend safely working as a Mercy's Aid. Others with the Scholars, where her curiosity could be, at least, tolerated. Of late, her passion has been the unacceptably fractured history of the world. So when her parents announced she was to be sent to Arx, to gain proper 'seasoning' befitting her standing, she was overjoyed. What better place to figure out the truth of things than at the seat of so much of history?
gs than at the seat of so much of history?)
Bell Cleck + (Bell Cleck (not his original name) is one …
Bell Cleck (not his original name) is one of the many Eurusi refugees settled in the wake of the "freeing folk in the Saffron Chain" matter, and one who chose to go Crownsworn rather than settle on holdings as a serf. He says little about his old life. He's about looking forward. While he dabbles, generally, with selling and reselling, his key focus is on his apothecary business. As he will say with a gently sardonic smile, "Any slave worth his salves learns how to cover up the scent of blood."
earns how to cover up the scent of blood.")

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