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A list of all pages that have property "Background" with value "It is exceedingly unlikely that any two of Ravana's companions would eve". Since there have been only a few results, also nearby values are displayed.

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  • Imi Deadfall  + (Imi Deadfall is the last of her line, the …
    Imi Deadfall is the last of her line, the daughter of a Baron whose stand was epic, noble, and yet ultimately one that brought about the fall of House Deadfall. She was raised in the lands of ice and snow, far to the north where the sway of the Compact comes to its most tenuous end. In the frozen plains, under the shadow of tall mountains, Deadfall eeked out a living in leather trade and ice-shipments to lands further south and kept guard on the northern most frontier for their liege. The only daughter born to the Baron, Imi was raised with affection and a great deal of indulgence. Squiring with the Sword of Deadfall, Imi learned the arts of war and battle. Studying under the priest of their village, she picked up the rudiments of Pantheonic religion. And watching her father at court, the young woman was tempered with a sense of true justice...and later learning that being truly just is a difficult road to walk when politics requires greater flexibility. When the Bringers of Silence began their march, Deadfall was in the way. Betrayed by Tolamar Brand the village was overrun while trying to buy time, to delay the Bringers from marching through the pass that the Deadfalls held. Imi wanted to stand next to her father, but was instead sent away, to the south. She would have protested harder, had she not been charged with seeing the defenseless to safety. So she road south before the battle, leading the way on a hell-bent charge to safety. It wouldn't be the first ride south, as she had to keep going before each new onslaught. The people she lead south grew with each village they went through, until finally Arx was in sight. But Arx did not provide safety, and Imi got her wish to stand in defense of the defenseless, to try to exact justice on the Bringers. For her valiant efforts in the Siege of Arx, and recognizing her family and holdfast were gone, Imi was offered a chance to join the King's Own and take up the silver sword. It's an opportunity she accepted, and has served them without complaint since then.
     served them without complaint since then.)
  • Charis Durant  + (In Oakhaven, it's a common jest that Simon …
    In Oakhaven, it's a common jest that Simon and Thais Durant could populate their own crafters' guild with their extended family alone. Theirs is a line known to be called to Jayus' service and they've answered that call, both individually and as parents. Simon, a woodworker, and Thais, a glass-blower, number four children of their own, and countless cousins, nieces and nephews sponsored, fostered and apprenticed through the years. Of these, Charis was third-born of their own brood and most easily distracted in her youth. She was inclined to daydreaming through windows (many of them constructed by her parents) when she should have been minding the lessons of her master tailor aunt, Dorcas. When a motley band of ruin-explorers and relic-hunters rolled through Oakhaven on the way to adventure, the Durants didn't stand a chance of competing. A wink, a crooked grin and a beckoning wave were all it took. Charis abandoned her studies and left home. Being neither scholar nor adventurer, she took up training with the mercenaries who were hired on to watch the backs of the less robust members of the group. She flourished, living, laughing, loving. Fighting. Years passed. And then they ventured into the wrong ruins, sought out the wrong relics. When Charis returned to Oakhaven, she was older and scarred. She did not or could not tell her family what happened but they opened their arms to her all the same. She resumed her apprenticeship with Aunt Dorcas, took up needle and thread again. Years passed, but they were spent in quietly, in study, in renewed devotion to her craft. In time, when her skill with those tools passed what skill she'd once possessed with her swords, she was recognized as a master in her own right, committed to the promotion of Oathlands fashion as rival to even the Lyceum and its artisans.
    rival to even the Lyceum and its artisans.)
  • Teagan Blackram  + (In a family that prides itself on its clos …
    In a family that prides itself on its closeness to the land, Teagan Blackram grew up in the shadow of her more physical and agrarian brother. It is a matter of fact that so did everyone else, so Teagan reasoned that this was a Reasonable Thing and thus not worthy of fuss. In many ways she found this rather liberating, as her brother being responsible for matters of defense and diplomacy left her free to study economics and law, in her mind the two great constants of the universe. Indeed, she grew up a largely quiet and studious child, though many suspected this was an act of rebellion in deciding to be agreeable before it was demanded of her. This would prove to be an elaborately crafted masque for she studied only up until the point she was able to prove she was superior to the family steward by leaps and bounds, thus replacing him in matters of finance and personell within the Blackram household. While never quite seen as a likeable or particularly charismatic figure, her ability to be both fair and practical (if never generous) with funds allowed the Blackram family to not only survive but prosper in the face of yearly Shav raids and the expectations of a populace that saw their lieges as more friends and neighbors than landowners. With the death of their father just two years ago the Blackram siblings have settled into a pattern: he the head that commands and the hands that execute, but she provides the framework that these decisions require to be effective. More than one suitor has been lured in by her intelligence and beauty only to be financially ruined and facing legal sanction, as she has deigned that only a man able to profit in spite of adversity shall have her hand.
    in spite of adversity shall have her hand.)
  • Damaris Arenir  + (In less than a generation, Damaris Arenir …
    In less than a generation, Damaris Arenir has gone from her grandfather's farm in the hills of central Arvum to walking the halls of some of the greatest noble families of the land. It's a rise that would be dizzying if she stopped to long to think about it -- but fortunately, she excels at not thinking too much about uncomfortable things. Her mother Alysse was a sheepfarmer's daughter who ran away from home to fight for House Bisland during the campaigns against the Shav incursions. Not the most auspicious start, but she proved to be a good soldier, and, when she had the opportunity, she turned out to be a /great/ soldier. The Duke of Pridehall himself tapped her shoulders with his sword and made her a knight, and, when Alysse perished in his service, he repaid her for her loyalty by making sure her young daughter would be trained as a knight in turn. Damaris has done everything in her power to avoid giving him reason to regret it. She's worked hard at every turn to make herself into something her mother would be proud of. Whatever she's asked to do, she does, and, if she's ever said a word against the Duke, his family, or his lieges in House Grayson, she's done so where no one could hear her. If you didn't know any better, her manners and her fighting skills are polished enough that you might think she was born to knighthood. But she knows better, and she never forgets it.
    he knows better, and she never forgets it.)
  • Tempest Fuller  + (In practicality Tempest is a bastard, his …
    In practicality Tempest is a bastard, his birth planned by his parents but without consent of the families involved. He was officially acknowledged but his parents were never married and their dreams of a marriage of love, forced by the birth of their child were never realized. The boy was raised largely by both, shuffled about from relative to relative until he was twelve and sent to train in the art of swordsmanship, a page to a minor knight. He could not say he loved the man, nor mourned his eventual passing but it bought him his spurs and the white belt of a Knight and escape from the family which found him to be an awkward addition no one quite knew what to do with once his parents were safely(if not happily) wed to others. He has spent much of his time now alone, honing his own sense of justice within the mountains, returning only to the settlements and cities when called to his duties as a Knight.
    ies when called to his duties as a Knight.)
  • Geraint Blackwood  + (In the bleak climate of the stormwall, the …
    In the bleak climate of the stormwall, the Blackwood tribe has ever stood betwixt other tribes of Abandoned, holding the peace by strength of arms and sheer determination. It was to these people, in the shadow of the blackwoods trees, that Geraint was born. The blood in his veins was that of a ruler, his father the chieftain at the time, but it afforded him little softness or coddling - unlike the nobles of some 'civilized' lands, he was expected to stand as strong as any of their warriors or laborers, and faced as many hardships as they had to test and temper his body and resolve. When time came for war, he was expected to take up arms and prove himself the leader he was born to be - and he did, time and again, blood shed by his hands earning him the respect of the warriors and his people. He wed a woman by the name of Angharad, their first daughter born early in their marriage, and their fiery relationship was as vibrant and heated as the rest of the life that he lived. When the time of his father's death came, he was ready to step up to the task, with his aging mother Mati to advise him and his people behind him. He ruled the tribe in peace - and in war - and life was good, for a time, and the tribe prospered. It was only with the birth of his third child, a son, that things began to darken rather than the celebration it should have been. It was a hard birth, and Angharad did not survive - and to compound his sorrow, the old shaman spoke that it was an ill omen of times to come. It was the shadow that lingered still upon his brow that made him listen when his eldest daughter Ysbail came to him, when she spoke of a dark time coming for the tribes, of fire and blood and slavery that would rain upon them. When she spoke of the nigh-unthinkable - bending knee and joining the Compact that their ancestors had turned their backs on. Her foresight led the tribe to be ready when Brand's forces marched, and despite his pride he knelt to their Crovane neighbors for protection as Prodigals. With the aid of his daughter, after the Siege of Arx, they united what remained of the tribes and clans surrounding their ancestral lands, and he was named Marquis of Stormarch - and led his people into a new future.
    ch - and led his people into a new future.)
  • Castor Redwind  + (In the quiet farming village north of Ston …
    In the quiet farming village north of Stonedeep, nestled in the mountains, known as Redhaven. It guards Redhaven's Pass, by far one of the most treacherous was to get to Whitehold and rarely used. The lowly Baron Dominic Redwind, former Lieutenant of the army, retired to married life with Haruka Devonshire, a courtier vassal of the Grayson family. He has come to the city in hopes of proving himself somewhat worthy to be heir. Cas has come to Arx with his mother's assistance to seek knowledge and better himself for the road ahead. He has much self learning to do.
    ad ahead. He has much self learning to do.)
  • Rand Pirran  + (In the relatively recent past, Rand would …
    In the relatively recent past, Rand would occasionally talk of his prosaic upbringing as the son of a miller. While growing up, he showed unusual skill in the popular, rough and tumble boyhood games aping combat. He would dominate the mock fights with sticks, standing unchallenged right up to the point when he became aware that others were watching, whether with amusement or true interest. Then he would either wander away to more solitary pursuits, or participate in a greatly less effective and enthusiastic manner. His mother would tell him, "No one is watching you in particular. Don't worry about it." His father would tell him, "Of course they're watching. Be your best and revel in it." I suppose no one really knows which parent he believed more. In any case, neither were particularly thrilled when, as a young man, he chose to become a Godsworn Templar. He, himself, was heedless of the risks that paralyzed them and continued onto a path that soon saw him ensconced in Arx itself. Having survived the Siege of Arx, Rand traveled back to check on his parents with a comrade from nearby lands. The night they arrived was the night that Rand's parents and his comrade all died. Some have said that things might have turned out the same for his parents even if the two Templars had not arrived at that time, but Rand thinks differently. He believes that the people he fought and killed that night, the same night his parents were killed and all their possessions put to the torch, were mad cultists who would not have attacked in his absence. Perhaps it's even true. What is certain is that Rand's journey had to be changed to include burying three bodies. And he doesn't talk much about the past anymore.
     doesn't talk much about the past anymore.)
  • Leonel Velenosa  + (In the wake of her first-born disappearing …
    In the wake of her first-born disappearing into the world abroad, Emma Velenosa had already begun to dig her nails into what had swiftly become the more treasured and lauded of her sons. Born either from wracking guilt of her mishandling and her error regarding Gaspar or perhaps simply out of a selfish desire to have at least one child that, in her eyes, succeeded how and where he was expected to, Leonel was coddled, spoiled, and cloistered away for what his mother discerned to be a proper upbringing. Much of his early life was spent under her enforced and gruelling regimen; long hours of tutelage with accomplished scholars, training with swordsmasters, and under his mother's own wing in the finer points of courtly conduct. She worked tirelessly to try and sharpen his mind beyond what dusty tomes could manage, and impart a measure of cunning and guile in him - to impart knowledge of secret, and whispered games that the Peerage play behind closed doors. Despite thriving under the wing of a loving - albeit overbearing - mother, Leonel's life had been plagued by a simple question that burned in his mind; the whereabouts and circumstances of his elder brother's departure. Though he knew him little, and had been without him for more years than with, it was that nagging curiosity and desire to reconnect that brought him out into the world, beyond his high walls.
    out into the world, beyond his high walls.)
  • Leonel Inverno  + (In the wake of her first-born disappearing …
    In the wake of her first-born disappearing into the world abroad, Emma Velenosa had already begun to dig her nails into what had swiftly become the more treasured and lauded of her sons. Born either from wracking guilt of her mishandling and her error regarding Gaspar or perhaps simply out of a selfish desire to have at least one child that, in her eyes, succeeded how and where he was expected to, Leonel was coddled, spoiled, and cloistered away for what his mother discerned to be a proper upbringing. Much of his early life was spent under her enforced and gruelling regimen; long hours of tutelage with accomplished scholars, training with swordsmasters, and under his mother's own wing in the finer points of courtly conduct. She worked tirelessly to try and sharpen his mind beyond what dusty tomes could manage, and impart a measure of cunning and guile in him - to impart knowledge of secret, and whispered games that the Peerage play behind closed doors. Despite thriving under the wing of a loving - albeit overbearing - mother, Leonel's life had been plagued by a simple question that burned in his mind; the whereabouts and circumstances of his elder brother's departure. Though he knew him little, and had been without him for more years than with, it was that nagging curiosity and desire to reconnect that brought him out into the world, beyond his high walls.
    out into the world, beyond his high walls.)
  • Indio Ravenseye  + (Indio was born into Ravenseye, brother of …
    Indio was born into Ravenseye, brother of Cassian, but quickly withdrew into the military upon reaching adulthood. He trained persistantly and worked hard to climb the ranks until he could command his own unit but his ambitions don't end there. Indio still works to raise in ranks to this day, hoping to keep his family and lands safe from Compact enemies.
    amily and lands safe from Compact enemies.)
  • Ingrid Grimhall  + (Ingrid{_is{_the{_fifth{_child{_of{_Duke{_H …
    Ingrid{_is{_the{_fifth{_child{_of{_Duke{_Harald{_Grimhall{_and{_his{_wife{_Anneke,{_with{_more{_than{_a{_handful{_of{_little{_brothers{_and{_sisters{_as{_well.{_It{_is{_easy{_to{_be{_overlooked{_in{_such{_a{_family,{_especially{_when{_one{_is{_an{_Islander{_born{_a{_girl.{_Yet{_from{_an{_early{_age{_Ingrid{_determined{_that{_she{_would{_not{_be{_overlooked. {/{/While{_Duke{_Harald{_focused{_on{_the{_education{_of{_his{_sons,{_bringing{_them{_up{_to{_be{_strong{_leaders{_and{_fierce{_warriors,{_Anneke{_tended{_to{_the{_girls.{_It{_was{_apparent{_early{_on{_that{_Ingrid{_had{_a{_sharp{_mind,{_one{_that{_could{_make{_her{_extremely{_useful{_to{_her{_family.{_As{_such{_her{_education{_spared{_nothing.{_She{_studied{_law,{_economics,{_and{_even{_theology,{_all{_with{_the{_intention{_to{_serve{_her{_family. {/{/A{_time{_came{_when{_tutors{_at{_Grihem's{_Point{_were{_not{_enough,{_Ingrid{_surpassed{_all{_that{_they{_might{_have{_taught{_her.{_Reluctantly{_(very{_reluctantly){_the{_Duke{_and{_Duchess{_allowed{_her{_to{_leave{_the{_Isles{_to{_complete{_her{_education.{_She{_studied{_law{_and{_economics{_briefly{_in{_both{_Lenosia{_and{_Arx{_before{_returning{_home{_to{_find{_the{_threat{_of{_war{_on{_the{_horizon.{_A{_war{_different{_from{_any{_others,{_waged{_by{_dark{_forces{_that{_many{_did{_not{_understand.{_At{_this{_point{_Ingrid{_took{_it{_upon{_herself{_to{_learn{_even{_more,{_for{_Grihem's{_Point{_needs{_someone{_who{_knows{_how{_to{_combat{_unseen{_threats,{_as{_well{_as{_how{_to{_prevent{_them. {/{/She{_travels{_to{_Arx{_now{_to{_join{_her{_family,{_vowing{_to{_do{_all{_that{_she{_can{_with{_her{_talents{_and{_abilities{_to{_see{_Grimhall{_thrive.
    and{_abilities{_to{_see{_Grimhall{_thrive.)
  • Tyche Inverno  + (Inverno is a small house, and it was somet …
    Inverno is a small house, and it was something of a surprise once when someone from the much larger house of Pravus wanted to arrange a marriage with them. The rumors said that it was because of love, but no one really knows any more why, or if they do, they don't talk about it. The product of that union, however, was Tyche Inverno. There was always something about her, a steel beneath the silk that was hard to miss even when she was a young child. She was always sweet, kind, but out for herself, be it getting the best toy or that very first creation of the season so that she, and no one else, would be the talk of the town. When she got older she was fostered in Setarco among her father's family, the Pravus. While there she attended the courtesan school, learning the finer arts of diplomacy and etiquette. She excelled at things, and chose to take up a position among them, splitting her time between Setarco and Caina over the years with her time decreasing slowly in Setarco as she got older, and increasing in Caina. However, Caina is small, and she is not as much in demand there for throwing parties or helping to smooth out ruffled feelings, so she began to travel around the islands, making herself available to other Houses when they may need someone with her skillset.
    n they may need someone with her skillset.)
  • Iona Bisland  + (Iona never imagined she'd be the one sitti …
    Iona never imagined she'd be the one sitting in the Assembly of Peers in Arx, trying to diplomatically assuage the concerns of other noble lords or work towards building lasting agreements that contribute to peace. In her youth, she was a fiery hellion, a princess of House Redrain undoubtedly responsible for her father's hair turning gray at an early age. Never one to back down from a fight, she drank, she brawled, she didn't even make the slightest attempt to ape southern notions of propriety and mocked those that did. But in spite of all of that, no one in her family was as fiercely devoted to her father as she, and she would do as she was bid, though she always expected to one day be the general of House Redrain's forces or one of its great war heroes. That was not to be the case. Though she had a reputation as a firebrand, Iona was was liked by her peers in the North. She certainly didn't think of herself as diplomatic at all, but despite the brawls, her father kept noticing that his fiery daughter was the one with an instinctive talent for de-escalating the fights to keep them at bruises rather than swords, or to jokingly talk down other nobles from doing things mindnumbingly idiotic, or to pragmatically grasp simple solutions to please feuding parties. And though to say she fought the decision was an understatement, she ultimately was sent south for a political marriage in a place that could badly use a Redrain voice to make northern opinions heard at court. She expected to hate her betrothed husband-to-be, but she'd grudgingly admit her father chose the match with care. Duke Gabriel Bisland, one of the old king's closest confidants, embodies many of the ideals she most admires. A southern knight, true, but the Crown's Lion is fearless, unwaveringly devoted, painfully honest, and one of the most honorable men at court. Which also makes him excruciatingly unsuited to politics, in her opinion, so Iona has spent the better part of the two decades of their extremely happy marriage representing House Bisland at the Assembly of Peers, doing her best to keep her old family in House Redrain and her new family under the Graysons close and at peace.
    ily under the Graysons close and at peace.)
  • Iovita Igniseri  + (Iovita Igniseri has the dubious distinctio …
    Iovita Igniseri has the dubious distinction of being the third child of the Marquesa Igniseri of Granato. Born less than a year into the union between the Marquesa and her second husband, a lesser count who had courted her -- pursued her -- relentlessly. Her birth did little to improve the situation in the eyes of her seven year old twin brothers, Vincere and Pietro. Before she was even a person, she was already a point of contention: Vincere, seven minutes the elder and future Marquis, campaigned endlessly and aggressively for the name Teodora, up to and through the moment she was legally recorded as Iovita, instead. Her father, Oberion, was bookish, intelligent, and not unaware that his stepsons favor eluded him despite his best efforts. Iovita, though, adored him: utterly and obviously. Precocious and often brought along for the twins lessons, she was an eager audience; despite her age she was included, encouraged to keep up as best she could. When Iovita was five, her brothers thirteen, tragedy struck again: her father was killed in an accident in the Lycene countryside. Rumors surrounded the death, investigations and accusations all flying over her head. Iovita understood enough: that her father was dead, that Evidence said her mother was responsible, and that Something Needed to be Done. The damage suffered by the Marquesas reputation capital was staggering. In a play to keep her remaining capital intact, arrangements were made to strengthen bonds of loyalty: the children were to be fostered, to become wards of the two households. Iovita understood, up to a point - but when she heard her brothers were being sent to House Rubino, she stopped listening. She should have kept listening, though - her destination was House Zaffria. Not Rubino. In Gemecitta, she was able to see her brothers with unpredictable regularity - not often enough, in her frequently and loudly voiced opinion. She was also able to return to her studies - at the same level. None of her instructors ever inspired the same level of adoration and zeal as her father had, but Iovita was still an avid and eager learner. A generously granted garden plot flourished with her, its contents revised and refined as they both grew; soon it was all but full of plants for healing, save a small section dedicated to ones for hurting. Overshadowed by her mothers third marriage, Iovitas official declaration of intent to pledge herself as an initiate, and one day become a Mercy of Lagoma was met with little fanfare. If she had expected more, or was disappointed -- she hid it well. Her contact with her immediate family turned more often into correspondence, especially once her brothers gained their majority and returned to Granato. By the time she took her vows and began the life of an initiate, her own was - and had been for some time - marvelously uneventful. Uneventful, that is, until six months ago. The death by poisoning of her third husband, Marquis Sir Jalawyn Igniseri, heralded the Badger of Granatos heavily-advised departure from Arx, and appointment of her heir in her absence. That heir, of course, being the new Marquis Igniseri: Iovitas oldest brother, Vincere. With Pietro at -- or never far from -- his side, her brothers ventured to the capitol to take control of the failing boat -- the sinking ship -- of their family fortunes. As soon as she found out about it -- about all of it -- Iovita Igniseri wasnt far behind.
    of it -- Iovita Igniseri wasnt far behind.)
  • Ira Dedalin  + (Ira came to the Apothecary College of Tor …
    Ira came to the Apothecary College of Tor at the age of sixteen from "somewhere north" after a spot of "financial trouble." Ira soon entered apprenticeship at the college, under the sponsorship of some minor noble courtier. An apt student and a proficient alchemist already, Ira was leading lectures by his third year at the college. Genius was not without its tradeoffs; those who liked Ira well knew him as a quirky young man. Those who did not like him? Well, let's just say that he was one of the more "outstanding" cases of independent study at the academy, and his intelligence was matched only by his ambition and social oddity. Oddities that ranged from attending lectures without any shoes, to wasting College money on experiments involving the effects of major and minor musical scales on the humors of animals. An equal disciple of medicine, anatomy, and music, Ira's more philosophical bent had him breaking from the College and taking employ with House Fidante. And what better place to take employ than Arx, a city plagued by mysteries and the unknown at every interval? Ira set upon a carriage at once, gathered his meager belongings, and travelled to serve Duke Leo Fidante upon the recommendation of the College. Of course, the college may have only been too eager to see him go to Arx. There, his studies of such obscure things as the mind, and the effects of moon phases on the potency of alchemical elements could take flight... and fly well away from their prestigious college. Since arriving, Ira has focused himself quite solely on the interdisciplinary studies of the mind, a subject Ira has dubbed mentalism and has all but pioneered, dubbing himself First Mentalist and founding an asylum for the insane and deranged. Now Doctor Dedalin plies his trade to those poor souls who need him most in the Lower Boroughs.
    s who need him most in the Lower Boroughs.)
  • Irkucist Vinci  + (Irkucist was born to Coutn Aracelis Vinci …
    Irkucist was born to Coutn Aracelis Vinci of Stormchaser and Countess-Consort Lasandra Vinci on a stormy summer day. They were more than pleased to have a son they could call heir... it was a shame that, even at an early age, Irkucist was constantly ill. He managed to make it through childhood, though, perhaps in part due to the Thraxian blood coursing through his veins. Since too much physical exertion tended to make him sick, he had a habit of hiding in the libraries and conducting research from a young age. His sickness was, thankfully, limited only to his body, and had no effect on his mind. As he grew older, he grew more and more determined to become a scholar, before finally travelling to Arx in pursuit of that dream.
    ravelling to Arx in pursuit of that dream.)
  • Irony Aerisian  + (Ironna Aerisian -- Irony to her friends, a …
    Ironna Aerisian -- Irony to her friends, and /everyone/ is potentially a friend -- comes from a farm of no particular note near an unremarkable village along a boring road between two slightly-more-notable towns, where she was the youngest of five children and /constantly/ overshadowed by her siblings. In short, as she will lament to /anyone/, she has absolutely no interesting stories about her childhood or past. (Unless people want to hear complaints about being stuck in the same old /boring/ place every day for /sooooo long/. Those she can muster no small number of.) Her father left long ago, to hear her tell it, and she was raised just by her mother -- and when her mother passed away, young Irony decided to strike out on her own. And so she's come to Arx; initially she hoped desperately to join the Champions. Or become a knight. Or do /something/ interesting. Something none of her siblings has done yet. Because she will be the First at /something/, and something that will make a /difference/. Lately, however, her interests have focused far more specifically on knighthood, and how to be a True Knight. The sort of knight that makes a difference in the world -- the sort she thinks her mother might've been proud of.
     thinks her mother might've been proud of.)
  • Iseulet Blackshore  + (Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter …
    Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter with a taste for the finer things in life. Following a series of unfortunate financial decisions after her father died and she took over the business, she found herself indentured into the Blackshore House and serving at the keep. Her indenturement only lasted for five years, but during this time she managed to catch the Baron's interest and nine months later, the twins Iseulet and Thesbe were born. The Baron never denied his parentage but he didn't seem to be interested in doing more than passing coin to their mother to see that they were fed and had no interest in them past doing his duty. His eyes were set on possibly marrying another noble, but judging from the stories passed down to Iseulet and Thesbe this was possible for the best, as he was known for his madness, cruelty, and malice. Iseulet and Thesbe's mother took her payoff from the Baron and invested it into a pub on Blackshore Isle that served sailors coming in and out of port. It was a struggle to make ends meet and it's where she learned how to sing for her supper, but it gave Iseulet an early exposure to stories of adventure, excitement and intrigue on the mainland that instilled within her a wanderlust. A wanderlust that lead to Iseulet convincing her sister to escape the tiny island and go on an adventure of their own. They were 16 and ran away to the mainland and traveled Arvum together until rather recently. The cataclysm that hit Blackshore Isle took the lives of both parents and much of their family (what little they knew) and after hitting a rough financial patch the two decided to head to Arx to join their cousin and the new Baroness, Skye. Upon arrival, they were welcomed warmly and found a family they had never known before. When the will of Iseulet and Thesbe's father surfaced requesting them to be ennobled, Baroness Skye was gracious enough to extend both the offer of legitimization. Iseulet accepted and set to work helping rebuild Blackshore. Along the way, she was named Blackshore Minister of Coin and found her calling as a courtier and truly blossomed, founding The Empyrean and began to reach for the stars in a way she never thought possible while her father was alive.
    ought possible while her father was alive.)
  • Iseulet Seryn  + (Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter …
    Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter with a taste for the finer things in life. Following a series of unfortunate financial decisions after her father died and she took over the business, she found herself indentured into the Blackshore House and serving at the keep. Her indenturement only lasted for five years, but during this time she managed to catch the Baron's interest and nine months later, the twins Iseulet and Thesbe were born. The Baron never denied his parentage but he didn't seem to be interested in doing more than passing coin to their mother to see that they were fed and had no interest in them past doing his duty. His eyes were set on possibly marrying another noble, but judging from the stories passed down to Iseulet and Thesbe this was possible for the best, as he was known for his madness, cruelty, and malice. Iseulet and Thesbe's mother took her payoff from the Baron and invested it into a pub on Blackshore Isle that served sailors coming in and out of port. It was a struggle to make ends meet and it's where she learned how to sing for her supper, but it gave Iseulet an early exposure to stories of adventure, excitement and intrigue on the mainland that instilled within her a wanderlust. A wanderlust that lead to Iseulet convincing her sister to escape the tiny island and go on an adventure of their own. They were 16 and ran away to the mainland and traveled Arvum together until rather recently. The cataclysm that hit Blackshore Isle took the lives of both parents and much of their family (what little they knew) and after hitting a rough financial patch the two decided to head to Arx to join their cousin and the new Baroness, Skye. Upon arrival, they were welcomed warmly and found a family they had never known before. When the will of Iseulet and Thesbe's father surfaced requesting them to be ennobled, Baroness Skye was gracious enough to extend both the offer of legitimization. Iseulet accepted and set to work helping rebuild Blackshore. Along the way, she was named Blackshore Minister of Coin and found her calling as a courtier and truly blossomed, founding The Empyrean and began to reach for the stars in a way she never thought possible while her father was alive.
    ought possible while her father was alive.)
  • Ishmael Gilden  + (Ishmael was born to a family of low signif …
    Ishmael was born to a family of low significance in Gilden lands to a blacksmith. It was clear from a young age the boy was not made to be a smith, though fortunately he had some older brothers who could take over the business should his father grow ill. The boy was uncommonly bright though. He started off by handling payments his father received, and working with other suppliers to lower the cost of production. His father saw a bright future for his youngest son, and got him to apprentice for another merchant in the city. It was while working there, that he ran into the Previous Barron of House Gilden. Impressed with the lads intelligence he brought him in to manage his household. Ishmael excelled at his position and continues to serve House Gilden to this day. Though word has spread of some of the issues they have faced with the Baron's son being killed. Eager to assist, Ishmael dispatches himself towards Arx to serve his family and his new Baronness.
    to serve his family and his new Baronness.)
  • Isidora Valardin  + (Isidora is the youngest child of multiple …
    Isidora is the youngest child of multiple siblings and lost her father not very long after she was born. She is, in fact, a fair bit younger than her older siblings, save for her older twin sibling, at least 10 years. She was an unexpected child and is often faced with over protective family members because of this. The education Isidora was given involved social graces but they just not stick very well. It was quickly discovered that she was a skilled healer and very much enjoyed it. While her family often tried getting her to better her social and combat abilities they mostly left her to her tending to those in pain, having seen how well it suited her. When the approach of her birthday came her family decided to send Isidora to Arx.
    her family decided to send Isidora to Arx.)
  • Aeden Grayhope  + (It can be tough being a Grayhope when you' …
    It can be tough being a Grayhope when you're growing up. It's certainly not the Lower Boroughs, but the whispers follow the children of this house from birth to death. Growing up, Aeden was intensely curious, voracious in his consumption of knowledge and sharper than a kid his age should've been. His words got him in trouble as often as not, but his family's relative prominence for a commoner family is what provided the resources for him to go beyond a basic education. Becoming a disciple of Vellichor was an absolute calling to a young man so sure of the direction his life would take. He was a Grayhope, however, and that has had complications of its own, the association with his family hindering him as often as, paradoxically, his faith. He truly believes Vellichor's teachings have become diluted since the Reckoning and his course in service at the Great Archive has followed that path. Knowledge must not be allowed to disappear and hidden knowledge is far more likely lost. As Prelate of the Black of the Great Archive, it is his role to push back against the Censor Librorum and the dangerous loss of knowledge that is hidden. Doesn't particularly ingratiate him with the higher ups, but he's good at what he does.
    higher ups, but he's good at what he does.)
  • Beaumont Valardin  + (It is all but expected for a prince of Hou …
    It is all but expected for a prince of House Valardin to become a knight, an exemplar of chivalry and paragon of virtue. At a very early age, Beaumont developed a far more cynical view of that particular path, getting to see an entirely too upclose look at some of the hypocrisy of celebrated knights. He remembers feeling the crushing disappointment when his uncle, Lord Commander Dayne Valardin, was forced to admit to Beaumont that 'not all knights are worthy of their title'. If the greatest knight in all the realm was willing to admit something that obvious, what was the point of becoming a knight at all? Beaumont saw another clear path towards glory and fame- a curvy and slightly disreputable path to be sure, but one far more honest about its dishonety which was immensely preferrable to the young man. Better to be a roguish scoundrel than a bright and shining hypocrite, as far as he was concerned. So with that in mind, he became an extremely high born champion. Beaumont didn't mind at all joining the assorted ranks of sellswords and other rogues for hire popular among western noblewomen looking for champions to duel for their honor (and any assorted slights). As far as Beaumont sees it, just the simple fact he is a prince lends a proposterous air of legitimacy that he is happy to exploit shamelessly, and it gives him a special sense of glee that it is a source of some embarrassment to his stalwart cousins in Sanctum. Not that non-lethal dueling for sport is entirely a scathing social commentary by him on the shortcomings of chivalry- he quite enjoys the adoration of the masses when he draws a show against another champion and uses his impressive talents for another victory. It's not quite the fortune that good Valardin princes are raised to pursue, but he never claimed to be a -good- Valardin prince. For the last couple years, he's been spending far more time at court in Arx than other Valardin high nobles. Being closer to the heart of politics gives a well-born champion many opportunities to grab glory in front of adoring crowds, but truthfully Beaumont is there to also lend aid to his sister, Isabeau. Beaumont might be something of a black sheep for becoming a champion with negotiable loyalty rather than a knight in shining armor, but he'll still be there when they need a skilled duelist to settle the questions of the day with a sword, rather than words. And look very, very good doing it.
     words. And look very, very good doing it.)
  • Ravana Stellaris  + (It is exceedingly unlikely that any two of …
    It is exceedingly unlikely that any two of Ravana's companions would ever have the same story as to the wild woman's past, as Ravana is famously fond of making up ever more absurd anecdotes for her past adventures on the spot. Her many friends and even more numerous enemies have always been interested in just where the charming and treacherous pirate came from, even if few are unwise enough to call her a pirate to her face. Most generally agree that the story about being an illegitimate daughter of King Alaric Grayson III is assuredly false, as is the one about being the niece of the Gyre, or the one about being second-cousin thrice removed of the Grand Vizier of Suj'abbat. None of those quite line up with the more well known past of being a street-rat surviving alone in the slums of Setarco during her very early youth. Her stories about being from an Abandoned clan able to work high sorcery and living in a magical, sealed off fortress only to be kidnapped by pirates as a toddler is laughed off, and the most common and likely explanation was she was one of the orphans from the bloody Tor-Southport war, but none can say for sure. It is more generally accepted that after a hardscrabble youth on the streets of Setarco, she somehow managed to be admitted to the famed courtier house of the Suspires in the Silken City, developing an intensely competitive friendship with Mirari Corsetina, with Ravana still taking intense pride in her past triumphs and glossing over previous mishaps. While Mirari accepted a contract with House Pravus, Ravana Stellaris found her talents in demand with the port city of Luciva, a then infamous pirate stronghold at the south of Setara. While she found great success advising the many wealthy pirates there, the cunning blonde had no intention of doing so forever. It took no more than a few short years for Ravana to have gone from courtier to pirate, commandeering her own ship and having climbed the hierarchy of the city through deception, salacious intrigues, and more than a little talented swordplay. It's unclear how much of the gossip around her rise are true, and quite a few may have even been seeded by Ravana herself (though she does claim that the rumor about her literally stabbing her patron and romantic partner in the back is just malicious slander and/or if it was true that they really had it coming). It's unclear exactly how she survived the fall of the Port of Luciva to House Pravus, and most assume she was away from the city, and her claims about defeating in battle the fearsome Captain Nuncio the Ravager of Luciva in single combat before throwing open the gates of Luciva to House Pravus are... dubious. It is known that not long after the Battle of Pieros, the dangerous woman has been seen with the Corsetina family, now representing their interests. Her claims to being a simple reformed sailor are widely seen as a little unlikely.
    ilor are widely seen as a little unlikely.)
 (It is exceedingly unlikely that any two of Ravana's companions would eve)
  • Alistair Crown  + (It is far from easy for an orphan to grow …
    It is far from easy for an orphan to grow up amidst the poverty of the Lower Boroughs of Arx, but for a prodigal to survive it requires a powerful will to survive. 'Prodigals', the exceedingly rare handful of barbarous Abandoned who have returned to the civilization of the Compact of Arvum, are not well cared for by society at the best of times, and Alistair's situation was a far cry from that. Born among the Gray Forest Howlers has seen first hand the kind of brutal savagery embraced by the most terrifying tribes of the Abandoned, watching as a child as the Howlers preyed upon travelers daring to penetrate the depths of the Gray Forest. Even as a child, he felt the murderous savagery was wrong, but when the chieftain declared after a fruitless raid that their dark gods needed a blood sacrifice and selected Alistair as the offering, the life threatening predicament added an extra incentive for the young man to make his escape from the tribe as barely a teenager. He eventually wound up in Arx still as a teenager. Life in Arx was harsh and unforgiving, though he was able to survive partly by hiring himself out as a tracker and hunter to the city folk as well as begging in the streets. Despite his miserable existence, he still remembered the face of evil he'd witnessed as a child and was determined to grow up and make a difference, somehow. That drive to combat the demons of his past pushed him to a very unlikely calling- the Inquisition. Of course, Alistair learned very quickly that he might be one of the very few 'true believers' inside the entire Inquisition. He rapidly learned as a confessor, the grunts that aid inquisitors in their bloody work, that very few members of the Inquisition think something like 'demons' exist and are quite comfortable being members of a political organization. On one occasion, Alistair enraged his superiors by declaring a rich merchant innocent of all charges of witchcraft, after discovering the merchant's only crime seemed to be possessing no political patron or allies that could protect him while hurting the business interests of some powerful lords. Alistair was given poor assignments afterwards for a time, assigned as a liaison to the Iron Guard in their investigations who famously have contempt for the corrupt Inquisition. If their goal was to have Alistair have an accident, though, it might have backfired. He has one of the rarest reputations- that of a conscientious, honest inquisitor. It might not really be the life Alistair was looking for, but it's the one he has, and at least his reputation is judged useful by his organization.
    tion is judged useful by his organization.)
  • Alistair Masque  + (It is far from easy for an orphan to grow …
    It is far from easy for an orphan to grow up amidst the poverty of the Lower Boroughs of Arx, but for a prodigal to survive it requires a powerful will to survive. 'Prodigals', the exceedingly rare handful of barbarous Abandoned who have returned to the civilization of the Compact of Arvum, are not well cared for by society at the best of times, and Alistair's situation was a far cry from that. Born among the Gray Forest Howlers has seen first hand the kind of brutal savagery embraced by the most terrifying tribes of the Abandoned, watching as a child as the Howlers preyed upon travelers daring to penetrate the depths of the Gray Forest. Even as a child, he felt the murderous savagery was wrong, but when the chieftain declared after a fruitless raid that their dark gods needed a blood sacrifice and selected Alistair as the offering, the life threatening predicament added an extra incentive for the young man to make his escape from the tribe as barely a teenager. He eventually wound up in Arx still as a teenager. Life in Arx was harsh and unforgiving, though he was able to survive partly by hiring himself out as a tracker and hunter to the city folk as well as begging in the streets. Despite his miserable existence, he still remembered the face of evil he'd witnessed as a child and was determined to grow up and make a difference, somehow. That drive to combat the demons of his past pushed him to a very unlikely calling- the Inquisition. Of course, Alistair learned very quickly that he might be one of the very few 'true believers' inside the entire Inquisition. He rapidly learned as a confessor, the grunts that aid inquisitors in their bloody work, that very few members of the Inquisition think something like 'demons' exist and are quite comfortable being members of a political organization. On one occasion, Alistair enraged his superiors by declaring a rich merchant innocent of all charges of witchcraft, after discovering the merchant's only crime seemed to be possessing no political patron or allies that could protect him while hurting the business interests of some powerful lords. Alistair was given poor assignments afterwards for a time, assigned as a liaison to the Iron Guard in their investigations who famously have contempt for the corrupt Inquisition. If their goal was to have Alistair have an accident, though, it might have backfired. He has one of the rarest reputations- that of a conscientious, honest inquisitor. It might not really be the life Alistair was looking for, but it's the one he has, and at least his reputation is judged useful by his organization.
    tion is judged useful by his organization.)
  • Alistair  + (It is far from easy for an orphan to grow …
    It is far from easy for an orphan to grow up amidst the poverty of the Lower Boroughs of Arx, but for a prodigal to survive it requires a powerful will to survive. 'Prodigals', the exceedingly rare handful of barbarous Abandoned who have returned to the civilization of the Compact of Arvum, are not well cared for by society at the best of times, and Alistair's situation was a far cry from that. Born among the Gray Forest Howlers has seen first hand the kind of brutal savagery embraced by the most terrifying tribes of the Abandoned, watching as a child as the Howlers preyed upon travelers daring to penetrate the depths of the Gray Forest. Even as a child, he felt the murderous savagery was wrong, but when the chieftain declared after a fruitless raid that their dark gods needed a blood sacrifice and selected Alistair as the offering, the life threatening predicament added an extra incentive for the young man to make his escape from the tribe as barely a teenager. He eventually wound up in Arx still as a teenager. Life in Arx was harsh and unforgiving, though he was able to survive partly by hiring himself out as a tracker and hunter to the city folk as well as begging in the streets. Despite his miserable existence, he still remembered the face of evil he'd witnessed as a child and was determined to grow up and make a difference, somehow. That drive to combat the demons of his past pushed him to a very unlikely calling- the Inquisition. Of course, Alistair learned very quickly that he might be one of the very few 'true believers' inside the entire Inquisition. He rapidly learned as a confessor, the grunts that aid inquisitors in their bloody work, that very few members of the Inquisition think something like 'demons' exist and are quite comfortable being members of a political organization. On one occasion, Alistair enraged his superiors by declaring a rich merchant innocent of all charges of witchcraft, after discovering the merchant's only crime seemed to be possessing no political patron or allies that could protect him while hurting the business interests of some powerful lords. Alistair was given poor assignments afterwards for a time, assigned as a liaison to the Iron Guard in their investigations who famously have contempt for the corrupt Inquisition. If their goal was to have Alistair have an accident, though, it might have backfired. He has one of the rarest reputations- that of a conscientious, honest inquisitor. It might not really be the life Alistair was looking for, but it's the one he has, and at least his reputation is judged useful by his organization.
    tion is judged useful by his organization.)
  • Allegra Pravus  + (It is never easy being the youngest daught …
    It is never easy being the youngest daughter of a dynasty, but when it comes to a House like Pravus that is an understatement. Growing up, Allegra felt outclassed just about everywhere, simply too late to make a splash in a court filled with brilliant scions of a legacy older than the Reckoning itself. Condemned to be the second best, if she was lucky, Allegra knew she had to do something dire if she wished to fight her fate. Much to the woe of her family, Allegra chose the books. Not occult knowlege, nor erotica or religion. Allegra just randomly selected a book each week, and ravenously learned it. Although her sisters and cousins found it strange, and many thought such a beautiful woman should have sought the ways of a courtier, Allegra paid them little heed, and kept reading and when Pravus Keep library dried up, she had her beloved father expand it, twice and, a year later, three times its size. By then, many had pegged young Allegra as a sure-to-be disciple of Vellichor, but the girl was not ready to commit to the Faith just yet. Time passed, and it was during one of her many trips to lands under Pravus rule that Allegra heard of House Argento's uprising and their assassination of Duke Piero. More troubling still was the fact her hosts, local merchants in Bravura, chose to throw their lot with the rebelling family. Suddenly, Allegra became a prisoner, and for much of the war, that is what she remained. She would enter her imprisonment at the age of 13 and would spend the next five years at her captors mercy. It would take the fall of House Argento and Lady Celeste Pravus' marching down onto Bravura for Allegra to be released from captivity. Since then, Lady Allegra Pravus has been an eerie reminder of the ugliest sides of war, a young beauty sapped of her grace as tortures visited upon her have the girl walk with a limp to this day. Now fully healed, in mind and body, as well as she will ever be, Allegra joins her family in Arx, part of their court and by her family's side, where is her place to be.
    r family's side, where is her place to be.)
  • Nurie Tessere  + (It is never easy to have one's very birth …
    It is never easy to have one's very birth be a near ruinous scandal, as is the case for most highborn bastards, but the family in which she was born was so tumbled up in them even then that at least she was just one amongst many things tearing at the very foundation of Tessere's place in society. Her lady mother, Countess Lucrezia Tessere, had a torrid affair with one of her closest courtiers, so the story went. He seemed to vanish overnight from public appearances at her court; but the child was acknowledged and raised alongside her half-siblings, given much of the same education if not a prominent place, and all the comforts of being the Countess' child, though none of the children, least of all Nurie, received a great deal of attention or affection from the Countess or Count-Consort. What she lacked from her only parental figure in love and support, however, Nurie found in her elder sister Sabine. From the start, she was her shadow. If Sabine needed help brushing out her hair, Nurie would demand to do it. If there was a wrinkle in her dress to mar her sister's breathtaking beauty, Nurie would be the first to see it and straighten it. If there was just one last sweet sticky bun that Sabine loved so much left in the kitchens, you could be sure that Nurie would steal it and deliver it, before her sister even remembered to voice the wish for it. The servants who were more parental than the Countess and her Consort noticed the young girl's adoration, and more importantly her eye for aesthetics and detail, her willingness to please, her charm, and as soon as it was appropriate she was instructed by Lucretia's Lady's Maid in the basics of being a noblewoman's body servant, and one that could be trusted by the Heir in the cutthroat Lyceum. When both young women were just starting to enter the first blush of womanhood, it was Sabine's slightly furrowed brow of disappointment at the boring dress she was expected to wear at an upcoming gathering that prompted Nurie to steal into the fabric stores of the household, and take a little of this, a little of that, a sharp pair of scissors and some unsecured beads to "alter" it to something a little more daring, a little more flamboyant. It didn't turn out /quite/ like she'd hoped--okay, it was butchered by her untrained thirteen year old hands--but when the emergency tailor was called in to see if anything could be salvaged, he took a look and was surprised that her instincts were quite good and creative. And more importantly, she saw her sister's smile. Nurie was punished quite severely for her impertinence, but she received Sabine's kiss to her forehead after the house was still, as well as morsels from her sister's own plate that she'd snuck into her room from dinner. Never had she cried so hard or for so long before or since as she was packed off within days to be apprenticed to that same tailor. But she worked hard, tirelessly, losing herself in the wonder of creation and dreaming of just what would make Sabine smile once more. Within a year, she was allowed to return home, and practice, practice, practice. If an excellent Lady's Maid is worth her weight in gold, then one that can also serve as stylist is truly precious. And when placed in the service of her greatest muse, then together they are unstoppable. Since rejoining the household, Nurie is one of the hidden jewels within it, knowing just how to showcase the luxurious fabric and other material goods that their House is famous for. Fashion emergency for a guest, a House friend, or one of the Tesseres? Nurie is there to alter, fix, enhance--and comfort, soothe, or even whisper temptation to take a little more risk. Whatever is needed to make one feel more alive. Perhaps there was a promise made, that the sisters would never again be parted. For when Sabine decided to travel to Arx, Nurie is once more her shadow, ready to help make all of Tessere's ambitions come to fruition.
    l of Tessere's ambitions come to fruition.)
  • Aonghus Seliki  + (It is no secret that the man worked forges …
    It is no secret that the man worked forges for the Gyre before swearing his Oaths to the Compact and House Seliki, but since weapons he crafted spilled Compact blood and armor he crafted turned Compact blades, he is understandably reluctant to speak on it. It should come as no surprise, that life under The Gyre was unpleasant. Aonghus is glad to have those dark days behind him. The only family he has left in the world anymore is his sister Olin. With her help, he was able to come to Arx. The two of them have sworn Oaths the Compact and House Seliki. His thoughts are turned to the future and the path before him - now his own at last! His accent is a strange unplaceable amalgam.
    s accent is a strange unplaceable amalgam.)
  • Sira Crown  + (It may be that Sira has been sewing since …
    It may be that Sira has been sewing since she was able to walk. Born to a family of tailors and merchants, the woman learned trade and business as a matter of course. However, she proved especially capable with needle and thread under her mother's direction. Based in Bastion, she grew up watching illustrious customers frequent the shop. In her teens, she would join her father - a traveling merchant originally from the Lyceum - on trips between Bastion and Lenosia to gain an understanding of how connected the Compact is by trade. These experiences planted a seed within her to seek out fanciful, rare materials to work with. That seed sprouted and blossomed over the years into a foray to Arx, where Sira opened her shop Gilded Dreams. Unfortunately, when her mother fell ill, she left after only a few months to manage the family business. When disaster struck again - this time in the form of an enemy siege on the Grayson holding, the seamstress found herself back outside of Arx with the refugees, lacking any surviving close friends or family. With the shop in the city still in her name, and no interest in returning to rebuild in Bastion, the woman is starting over.
    ld in Bastion, the woman is starting over.)
  • Sira  + (It may be that Sira has been sewing since …
    It may be that Sira has been sewing since she was able to walk. Born to a family of tailors and merchants, the woman learned trade and business as a matter of course. However, she proved especially capable with needle and thread under her mother's direction. Based in Bastion, she grew up watching illustrious customers frequent the shop. In her teens, she would join her father - a traveling merchant originally from the Lyceum - on trips between Bastion and Lenosia to gain an understanding of how connected the Compact is by trade. These experiences planted a seed within her to seek out fanciful, rare materials to work with. That seed sprouted and blossomed over the years into a foray to Arx, where Sira opened her shop Gilded Dreams. Unfortunately, when her mother fell ill, she left after only a few months to manage the family business. When disaster struck again - this time in the form of an enemy siege on the Grayson holding, the seamstress found herself back outside of Arx with the refugees, lacking any surviving close friends or family. With the shop in the city still in her name, and no interest in returning to rebuild in Bastion, the woman is starting over.
    ld in Bastion, the woman is starting over.)
  • Maerigan Nephila  + (It seems that only two or three years ago, …
    It seems that only two or three years ago, Maerigan appeared out of thin air upon the doorstep of Elune’s keep. Nothing more than a wispy teen, she was taken in by that dottering old castellan, Nester. Quickly, he became a grandfatherly figure for her, seeing to it that the youth had a start to her new life. Perhaps he saw something within her that reminded him of his own family. Having no children of his own, she filled the void of family for him and an affection bloomed for now his adopted granddaughter, as he often called her. Together, they tried their best to find her family - after all, it was an island. How far could they have gotten? Well. They were never truly successful and Nester claimed it was his duty to steward the girl. If she showed even the slightest talent or inclination to a subject, he afforded her the lessons. That is, until the fairly recent attack on Elune where Nester lost his life. She mourned him, and having no place to go continued to be a presence in the keep, working primarily in Nester’s stead to manage the keep but in her spare time pursued her own interests. However, the winds of change began to blow. House Seryn began to grow and with her duties lightening, she proved herself loyal, trustworthy, and willing to take on a challenge. Soon, she accepted a promotion to a Ministership that would see her through to Arx and a brand new chapter in her life.
    o Arx and a brand new chapter in her life.)
  • Rohran Keaton  + (It takes a firm hand to turn small, indepe …
    It takes a firm hand to turn small, independent groups into a cohesive and effective army. It is not unlike herding cats and convincing them that working together brings down prey faster and with less losses. Rohran Keaton is an excellent cat herder. Perhaps it grew from managing his siblings as a child, with Veronica and her intense drive and barely containable chaos and Jaerith throwing himself into every possible experience regardless of risk. Rohran assumed the role of co-parent as the eldest when their mother Anastasia died, Rohran being all of 11 years old, to Veronica's 7 and Jaerith's 5. Their father Ambrose poured himself into the running of their lands and his duties as General, letting Rohran and the staff handle the younger children. Rohran often sought his father's approval, something he feels, rightly or wrongly, he has yet to obtain. These feelings are something that are most often expressed in poetry. Cleaving to the Chivalric ideals, Rohran fancies himself a poet of great skill, often composing sonnets and epics, though he's not above a limerick or two when out drinking with his men. For about nine years now the bulk of his time and attention have been focused on his role as General of the Hounds of Oakhaven, a title well earned, bestowed upon him when his father retired. In this role he has done a significant amount to assist the House in the expansion of their lands, helping Keaton tame the wilderness and involved in combatting a number of threats (some stranger than others). The business of being General left little time for raising his bastard daughter. The eleven year old Elaine's origin is not something he speaks of; the looks he gives those who ask are withering at best. For several years, Rohran and Elaine lived in Arx with Rohran's romantic partner, Natalia Whisper. When Natalia and Rohran split, Elaine remained with Natalia. When Natalia was (re)ennobled as Baroness Elwood, she adopted her, ennobled her, and named her Elwood's heir (all with Keaton's blessing). Rohran went back to Oakhaven to have himself a bit of a sulk (and take care of a great deal of General business, to be fair), and has now returned to Arx to assist with the current threats.
    to Arx to assist with the current threats.)
  • Scylla Waters  + (It took nearly an hour for the crew of the …
    It took nearly an hour for the crew of the Black Tide, a Blackshore merchant vessel, to fish up a tangled mass of debris, hoist it onto the deck and discover the lifeless body of a salt-stained body buried within. She was not dressed as most other shipwrecked persons usually are; this woman wore the remains of a black linen dress, tattered, distressed and covered in holes featuring scorch marks where flames had burned through. Sections of skin on her neck, arms, and legs were the consistency of melted wax, and her forehead had been split wide open, rivers of blood staining fair features. She was immediately declared dead, evidenced by the absence of a pulse. The ship's captain ordered his crew to wrap her in sailcloth and tie her ankles to an iron weight. Too far from the nearest port, she was to receive a respectable burial at sea. At the very moment her body was rolled to rest atop the flax fabric, the woman sat upright and regurgitated an unhealthy amount of seawater upon the deck. Gasps and murmurs resounded from the crew, not a one among them unfazed by her unprovoked revival. When asked her name, the anonymous woman could not remember. When asked from whence she hailed, the homeless woman could not remember. When asked how she came to be shipwrecked, the shivering woman, again, could not remember. The captain considered the situation carefully, then made the determination that she posed very little threat to him or his crew. By his orders, the woman was to be fed, clothed, and assigned a cot to sleep on until they made for port where she would then be required to make a choice: stay on the ship and learn to sail, or disembark and find her own way. It did not take long for her to choose the path of least resistance, and so the captain gave her all the tools and training to earn an honest living. Having forgotten her true given name, she elected to rename herself Scylla. And yet many of her new crewmates adopted for her a more fitting epithet to gossip surreptitiously among themselves: Omen. What purpose did this anomalous amnesiac serve to receive the favor of the gods, or perhaps some other mysterious force? Was she a boon or a curse? To the superstitious lot, the miracle of her rebirth could not be reconciled by practical means alone. Therefore, it must have otherworldly implications, ones that spurred a few sailors to worry endlessly over her presence aboard the ship. Despite such fears and conjured anecdotes, Scylla put her head down and worked to surpass the expectations of the captain. He promoted her from swabbie to first mate after only three years of dedicated service. In winter of 1012 AR, the captain made for the port of New Hope. After a brief interlude, he returned to inform the crew that House Blackshore intended to repurpose the merchant ship for the coming war with Eurus. Those who chose to remain aboard would join the house navy or be forced to find work elsewhere. Scylla opted to swear fealty to the family and help them achieve their goals and win the war. In return for her loyalty and dedication, she was promptly rewarded with a promotion to captain of the Black Tide. Returning to port for a stretch of time began to chafe at Scylla’s previous contentment to forget that she had once lived another life. It had been so easy to achieve surrounded by people who accepted that she was and would remain a mystery. It was not the same with strangers in Arx, all of them eager to poke, prod and pry into the new and unfamiliar. And so, with the spare time she contrived between preparations for war and honing new social skills, Scylla began to explore who she is and who she used to be.
    explore who she is and who she used to be.)
  • Scylla Stormblood  + (It took nearly an hour for the crew of the …
    It took nearly an hour for the crew of the Black Tide, a Blackshore merchant vessel, to fish up a tangled mass of debris, hoist it onto the deck and discover the lifeless body of a salt-stained body buried within. She was not dressed as most other shipwrecked persons usually are; this woman wore the remains of a black linen dress, tattered, distressed and covered in holes featuring scorch marks where flames had burned through. Sections of skin on her neck, arms, and legs were the consistency of melted wax, and her forehead had been split wide open, rivers of blood staining fair features. She was immediately declared dead, evidenced by the absence of a pulse. The ship's captain ordered his crew to wrap her in sailcloth and tie her ankles to an iron weight. Too far from the nearest port, she was to receive a respectable burial at sea. At the very moment her body was rolled to rest atop the flax fabric, the woman sat upright and regurgitated an unhealthy amount of seawater upon the deck. Gasps and murmurs resounded from the crew, not a one among them unfazed by her unprovoked revival. When asked her name, the anonymous woman could not remember. When asked from whence she hailed, the homeless woman could not remember. When asked how she came to be shipwrecked, the shivering woman, again, could not remember. The captain considered the situation carefully, then made the determination that she posed very little threat to him or his crew. By his orders, the woman was to be fed, clothed, and assigned a cot to sleep on until they made for port where she would then be required to make a choice: stay on the ship and learn to sail, or disembark and find her own way. It did not take long for her to choose the path of least resistance, and so the captain gave her all the tools and training to earn an honest living. Having forgotten her true given name, she elected to rename herself Scylla. And yet many of her new crewmates adopted for her a more fitting epithet to gossip surreptitiously among themselves: Omen. What purpose did this anomalous amnesiac serve to receive the favor of the gods, or perhaps some other mysterious force? Was she a boon or a curse? To the superstitious lot, the miracle of her rebirth could not be reconciled by practical means alone. Therefore, it must have otherworldly implications, ones that spurred a few sailors to worry endlessly over her presence aboard the ship. Despite such fears and conjured anecdotes, Scylla put her head down and worked to surpass the expectations of the captain. He promoted her from swabbie to first mate after only three years of dedicated service. In winter of 1012 AR, the captain made for the port of New Hope. After a brief interlude, he returned to inform the crew that House Blackshore intended to repurpose the merchant ship for the coming war with Eurus. Those who chose to remain aboard would join the house navy or be forced to find work elsewhere. Scylla opted to swear fealty to the family and help them achieve their goals and win the war. In return for her loyalty and dedication, she was promptly rewarded with a promotion to captain of the Black Tide. Returning to port for a stretch of time began to chafe at Scylla’s previous contentment to forget that she had once lived another life. It had been so easy to achieve surrounded by people who accepted that she was and would remain a mystery. It was not the same with strangers in Arx, all of them eager to poke, prod and pry into the new and unfamiliar. And so, with the spare time she contrived between preparations for war and honing new social skills, Scylla began to explore who she is and who she used to be.
    explore who she is and who she used to be.)
  • Scylla Blackshore  + (It took nearly an hour for the crew of the …
    It took nearly an hour for the crew of the Black Tide, a Blackshore merchant vessel, to fish up a tangled mass of debris, hoist it onto the deck and discover the lifeless body of a salt-stained body buried within. She was not dressed as most other shipwrecked persons usually are; this woman wore the remains of a black linen dress, tattered, distressed and covered in holes featuring scorch marks where flames had burned through. Sections of skin on her neck, arms, and legs were the consistency of melted wax, and her forehead had been split wide open, rivers of blood staining fair features. She was immediately declared dead, evidenced by the absence of a pulse. The ship's captain ordered his crew to wrap her in sailcloth and tie her ankles to an iron weight. Too far from the nearest port, she was to receive a respectable burial at sea. At the very moment her body was rolled to rest atop the flax fabric, the woman sat upright and regurgitated an unhealthy amount of seawater upon the deck. Gasps and murmurs resounded from the crew, not a one among them unfazed by her unprovoked revival. When asked her name, the anonymous woman could not remember. When asked from whence she hailed, the homeless woman could not remember. When asked how she came to be shipwrecked, the shivering woman, again, could not remember. The captain considered the situation carefully, then made the determination that she posed very little threat to him or his crew. By his orders, the woman was to be fed, clothed, and assigned a cot to sleep on until they made for port where she would then be required to make a choice: stay on the ship and learn to sail, or disembark and find her own way. It did not take long for her to choose the path of least resistance, and so the captain gave her all the tools and training to earn an honest living. Having forgotten her true given name, she elected to rename herself Scylla. And yet many of her new crewmates adopted for her a more fitting epithet to gossip surreptitiously among themselves: Omen. What purpose did this anomalous amnesiac serve to receive the favor of the gods, or perhaps some other mysterious force? Was she a boon or a curse? To the superstitious lot, the miracle of her rebirth could not be reconciled by practical means alone. Therefore, it must have otherworldly implications, ones that spurred a few sailors to worry endlessly over her presence aboard the ship. Despite such fears and conjured anecdotes, Scylla put her head down and worked to surpass the expectations of the captain. He promoted her from swabbie to first mate after only three years of dedicated service. In winter of 1012 AR, the captain made for the port of New Hope. After a brief interlude, he returned to inform the crew that House Blackshore intended to repurpose the merchant ship for the coming war with Eurus. Those who chose to remain aboard would join the house navy or be forced to find work elsewhere. Scylla opted to swear fealty to the family and help them achieve their goals and win the war. In return for her loyalty and dedication, she was promptly rewarded with a promotion to captain of the Black Tide. Returning to port for a stretch of time began to chafe at Scylla’s previous contentment to forget that she had once lived another life. It had been so easy to achieve surrounded by people who accepted that she was and would remain a mystery. It was not the same with strangers in Arx, all of them eager to poke, prod and pry into the new and unfamiliar. And so, with the spare time she contrived between preparations for war and honing new social skills, Scylla began to explore who she is and who she used to be.
    explore who she is and who she used to be.)
  • Insaya Bergere  + (It was Insaya Bergere's lot in life, as a …
    It was Insaya Bergere's lot in life, as a younger daughter of shepherds, to help work the farm. She showed early technical aptitudes and ended up doing a lot of handyman work first around the house and then, later, around 'town', where she apprenticed with an artisan and developed a reputation as a tinker. She was a mousy girl, quiet and inobtrusive, who drifted through the shadows and learned much of the world by observation and listening. While her elder brother earned acclaim and became a Knight for the Valardins, Insaya worked quietly as a tinker, and eventually joined a traveling caravan and traders and workers who traveled the Oathlands together. Insaya kept up a careful correspondence with her family and with her brother from afar. She also remained indelibly curious. As a teen, she fell in with some other travelers and eventually began gathering information and spying for a man named Elwood who paid her for simple gossip, the kinds of things that neighbors tell each other but not strangers. Elwood eventually told her that he was a servant of the Inquisition on a long, long case study of a coven of witches, usurers and tax evaders, and that with her help, he'd uncovered their network deep in the roots of the countryside. He took her on as his 'apprentice'. Insaya made herself completely indispensible to his work, becoming exactly the young woman he wanted her to be, but never yielding herself to him despite his repeated blandishments. When he returned to Sanctum, she went with him ... and discarded him immediately to attach herself as a spy in the household of the Seraph of Sanctum. She worked as a handyman for the better part of the year, sifting through Sanctum society and learning all she could about the inner workings of both her household and the Oathlands nobility and all of the gossip that servants tell each other but not their masters. The end result of this was that at the end of the year, she had a letter of recommendation and a solid pension with which to travel to Arx and join the heart of the Inquisition. Her cleverness and her powers of observation served her well with the Inquisition. As a social chameleon with a habit of making herself indispensible, she carved out a ready niche for herself among the investigators serving the Inquisition, with an especial focus on busting larcenious disappearances of intermediate to large sums of money among lesser nobles and middle class merchantmen who should really know better.
    merchantmen who should really know better.)
  • Zalika Coldrain  + (It was a full-moon upon the night that Zal …
    It was a full-moon upon the night that Zalika was born. And she was thrall, working diligent upon making clothing for the Count of Stormchaser and his family. And she was typically treated worse than the others for some odd reason. She squirrelled away her money, for years and years and bought her freedom. And while doing so, she learned a bit about law and developed a hidden passion for it. And once she was free she began to study law more and more in her free time. Trying to well verse herself with just how things are ran by officials, all while honing her tailoring talents. Along the way, she met Sameera and accepted the invitation to join her family. Now she is in Arx and is out to make a name for herself and make some friends and allies.
     herself and make some friends and allies.)
  • Jerrica Grayson  + (It was always assumed that as the first da …
    It was always assumed that as the first daughter Jerrica would take up a martial path. She talked early and often and her strong opinions varying from what was offered for dinner to the way the gardens at the house were kept were at first met with smiles for her zeal and then grimaces when she would find something she thought was wrong and harp on it until people would have it changed. She was trained in the finer points of archery at a young age and seemed to take to it, but when she was six years old she was brought along on her first boar hunt and was so horrified by how many armed nobles chased the poor, terrified animal and how brutally it was ultimately brought down. And then they expected her to eat it! Her parents tried to explain that boars were dangerous creatures that were responsible for many a stray hunter's death but Jerrica would have none of it--and from that day forward never again ate meat in her life. Sure, the boar might have been dangerous, but it was just one boar being chased and heckled by a dozen or more armed men and women on horseback! Every year after that she campaigned to end hunts for sport, something her parents would not give in to. She still attended, chanting in a loud voice about how barbaric it all was until she was just left at home in her teenage years to not cause yet another scene in front of her parents' friends. From Bastion she embarked on many a letter writing campaign to numerous other houses and dignitaries in Arx, railing against practices she found lacking, such as going to war so often. Jerrica simply could not understand why so many men and women needed to die for a cause when so many things could be worked out through mediation. Many of those letters (most really) went unanswered, but she found herself with a growing interest in diplomacy because of it. Soon she realized that in order to use these skills she needed to be in Arx and wrote her parents a 52 page manuscript detailing all the reasons why they should send her to the city. They took one look at the pile of papers and decided to just send her, much to her delight.
    ded to just send her, much to her delight.)
  • Harlex Valtyr  + (It was winter in the Gray Forest when Harl …
    It was winter in the Gray Forest when Harlex was born on Valtyr family’s farm, healthy and pink. His father, a soldier before him, died nine months later when cutthroats set upon him on patrol. He was found, stripped and butchered, on the side of the road. His mother in desperation married her late husband's brother. He was a devout man who lacked in any useful skills. He could not hunt, farm, nor fish. All he could do, in Harlex's eyes, was pray and drink. It didn't seem to do his family any good. At the age of sixteen his stepfather died when his heart ruptured while trying to clear ear-rot from the corn fields. Harlex watched him writhe on the ground, deciding then to avoid this fate. A year later his mother died from a fever during one particularly cruel winter. This he perhaps still regrets. But afterward he sold the land for next to nothing, bought a long-knife and some traveling supplies and set out. The world proved remorseless and these two years were marked with violent conflicts in taverns, on the streets of cities where he sonjourned, whose names he can not recall, all under the banner of the Sellsword Guild. Until at last it reached its terminus. He met an outfit of mercenaries, the Dead Crows, and plied his trade in service of their cause. It was under this banner and the leadership of the enigmatic Captain Nazares where he became a full-blooded reaver. Harlex was never allowed to have any enchanted views of war. Glory and honor were beaten out of him by sword-wounds, arrow volleys, and burying fallen comrades. Eventually this all led to the Dead Crows disbanding, and Nazares’ murder. Leaving Harlex with nothing but the rough-worn gear on his back, the sword on his hip, and scars deep on his soul.
    rd on his hip, and scars deep on his soul.)
  • Harlex Leary  + (It was winter in the village Wrenholme whe …
    It was winter in the village Wrenholme when Harlex Valtyr was born. His father, a soldier before him, died nine months later from an infected wound sustained in an ambush by cutthroats while on patrol. They stripped him naked and left him on the road. His mother, in desperation, married her late husband's brother. He was a devout man who lacked in any useful skills. He could not hunt, farm, nor fish. All he could do, in Harlex's eyes, was pray. It didn't seem to do his family any good. At the age of twenty his step-father died when his heart ruptured while trying to clear ear-rot from the corn fields. Harlex watched him writhe on the ground, deciding then to avoid this fate. He took coin and a knife, leaving behind the empty promises of a simple life. The world proved remorseless and these years were marked with violent conflicts in taverns, on the streets of cities where he sonjourned, until at last it reached its terminus. He met a band of sellswords, the Dead Crows, and plied his trade in service of blood and gold. It was under that banner where he became a killer. Harlex was never allowed to have any enhanced views of war, soldiery and battle. It was beaten out of him by hammer blows, arrow volleys, and burying fallen comrades. Eventually this all led to the Dead Crows disbanding, leaving Harlex with nothing but the rough-worn gear on his back, the sword on his hip, and scars deep on his soul.
    rd on his hip, and scars deep on his soul.)
  • Sydney Crown  + (It's easy enough to trace back a misfortun …
    It's easy enough to trace back a misfortune to its root, in Sydney's case. After her father succumbed to an illness that swept through him like wildfire, she accepted a loan with unfavorable conditions 'just until she was able to get established'. As it happens, that took just a little longer than she anticipated. As a smithy's apprentice by trade, adequate coin was meager to come by - too meager for the patience of her unscrupulous debtors. After missing one payment too many, the shop she apprenticed for just so happened to turn up scorched down to the foundations overnight. Apprenticeship opportunities don't just fall out of the sky, and Sydney wasn't fortunate enough to find another. Left with a sturdy set of arms for swinging and smelting, a personality unfit for a courtesan, and a mountain of debts left to pay off, she landed herself a position as a brawler. Being a touch less than half-bad at taking and giving a beating proved a boon... as did taking the occasional dive here and there to pad her pockets, when the situation called. Dreams are for the debtless. Sydney's aspirations are simple: To get out from under the debt she owes and do something more than just scrape by. If cornered, she'll insincerely talk about opening her own shop one day. It's a fair sight better than the truth: She'll go where the coin is best until she's allowed the luxury of having her dreams be her own again.
    ury of having her dreams be her own again.)
  • Sydney  + (It's easy enough to trace back a misfortun …
    It's easy enough to trace back a misfortune to its root, in Sydney's case. After her father succumbed to an illness that swept through him like wildfire, she accepted a loan with unfavorable conditions 'just until she was able to get established'. As it happens, that took just a little longer than she anticipated. As a smithy's apprentice by trade, adequate coin was meager to come by - too meager for the patience of her unscrupulous debtors. After missing one payment too many, the shop she apprenticed for just so happened to turn up scorched down to the foundations overnight. Apprenticeship opportunities don't just fall out of the sky, and Sydney wasn't fortunate enough to find another. Left with a sturdy set of arms for swinging and smelting, a personality unfit for a courtesan, and a mountain of debts left to pay off, she landed herself a position as a brawler. Being a touch less than half-bad at taking and giving a beating proved a boon... as did taking the occasional dive here and there to pad her pockets, when the situation called. Dreams are for the debtless. Sydney's aspirations are simple: To get out from under the debt she owes and do something more than just scrape by. If cornered, she'll insincerely talk about opening her own shop one day. It's a fair sight better than the truth: She'll go where the coin is best until she's allowed the luxury of having her dreams be her own again.
    ury of having her dreams be her own again.)
  • Gibson Culler  + (It's effectively impossible to get a real …
    It's effectively impossible to get a real history out of Gibson, as his family in the Lower Boroughs has long since decided. Gibson spent his youth helping the crime family settle some scores and seeming entirely too happy and affable while doing it, even among the blackest work the Culler family could offer. He didn't long stay in the Lower Boroughs however, leaving Arx to serve in a sellsword company 'somewhere that wasn't here' and blatantly lying virtually every time he's asked about it, to attempt to come up with the most amusing and obviously fabricated story whenever the opportunity arises. Just in the past year he returned to Arx after being missing for almost a decade, though having extremely little to do with his family now, and seeking out gainful employment among a sellsword company known as the Valorous Few. He sometimes has been seen around Arx dressing far above his station, and makes up cheerfully flamboyant lies about just why that might be the case, with the popular rumor being that he sometimes pretends to be a courtier.
    at he sometimes pretends to be a courtier.)
  • Tikva Riven  + (It's hard for a bastard to be born quietly …
    It's hard for a bastard to be born quietly, but sometimes it can be done. Tikva's mother was a godsworn priest of the Faith, who should really have known better than to become pregnant. Yet sometimes accidents happen, and it left the priest in kind of a bind. Luckily for her, she had a good friend in the seraph at Brighthold, and wrote there in urgent haste about the babe she had given birth to, certifying both the child's bloodline and her great need of a place to go. So it was that, a little differently than some of the other foundlings and flotsam that ended up reared in Count Laveer's house, Tikva was adopted into the family, and reared with her adoptive siblings under the gentle but firm guiding hand of the Count who, at 18, was new to his majority when she came to him a babe in arms. An adventurous child who was hungry for tales and songs of all kinds, Tikva latched onto strangers who knew stories and absorbed her lessons like a human sponge for information. She embraced song of all kinds, music and dance; she grew carefree and clever, running barefoot through the holding and ambushing friends and family with affection. She grew to be a capable young woman, trained to be a scout high in the rigging aboard ships or high in the trees of the surrounding forests, and studied under the Count to learn the arts of diplomacy and understanding that would make her a useful, worthwhile future Voice. What she did not expect, and what neither did Tibault: on a rare visit to the capital, she met with the brother of Count Thesarin Riven, a tattooed and bright-hearted man full of impish mischief, and foolishly lost her heart to him. After a whirlwind courtship and much wheedling and back and forth between Count Tibault and Countess Mia, Tikva married him and joined the Twainfort: Lord Kelleth Riven and Lady Tikva Riven! Uncertain at first away from the seclusion and independence of the lighthouse at Brighthold, Tikva found her new family sustaining. But when her husband Kelleth rode out against the Abandoned and Tikva was -- at six months pregnant -- forced to remain behind, she had a very bad feeling about this that-- well, turned out to be right. Now, Tikva is a widowed lady in her new house, foundling again like she was a little girl, and finding her new way with a one-year-old toddler in tow in the capital. It's definitely nothing she signed up for.
    It's definitely nothing she signed up for.)
  • Mirari Corsetina  + (It's hard to be a six year old child with …
    It's hard to be a six year old child with a mother recently deceased and a father lost to the sea. It's even harder when your aunt and uncle have seven other children, and not enough money to keep everyone fed in Setarco. When Mirari's aunt saw an opportunity to rid herself of the burden she had become the woman took it, and despite lingering resentment even Mirari can admit she might have done the same in her stead. After a brief meeting with one of the representatives of the House of Silken Sighs, the very place where the best courtiers of Setarco came from, money changed hands, a deal was struck, and Mirari was taken off to be raised as one of them. A young child learns to adapt, and it wasn't long before Mirari was doing her best to impress her instructors and excel among her peers. She did so well that she was singled out for more advanced training, which the young woman took to like a fish to water, feeling like she had something to prove. At the end of her studies she found her contract purchased by House Pravus, where she served for several years. The day would eventually come when Mirari Corsetina would leave Belladonna's service and move to Arx, but the reason for that severance remains a mystery. A good courtier never tells.
    ns a mystery. A good courtier never tells.)
  • Aric Keaton  + (It's hard to look on life with regrets whe …
    It's hard to look on life with regrets when you get to live it exactly how you want to, but it wasn't always that way. Growing up the first born son of one of the greatest legal minds in the House Keaton, Aric felt extraordinary pressure to succeed and follow in his father's shadow and eventually to eclipse him when he finally retired. Two years of legal studies was enough for him to know this wasn't what he was meant for and after many fights with his father, Aric left for parts unknown. Rumors have him seen in every direction, just the way he liked it. His education in legal matters may have halted but with what he did know, he started carefully smuggling goods and providing other services just this side of the line. True, his family had some money, but nothing like what he was able to make working the grey areas and sometimes dark shadows of the lands. Most anyone in any tavern will vaguely recall Aric buying them drinks and leaving with a morally bankrupt woman or two at the end of the night. He's kept himself busy for the last decade and away from his family and all the life in House Keaton and considers himself better for it, but a recent spot of trouble with the wrong Baron has started pushing him back to build bridges and mend fences with family once more. This is not going to be pretty.
    once more. This is not going to be pretty.)
  • Calandra Culler  + (It's not easy growing up poor in the Lower …
    It's not easy growing up poor in the Lower Boroughs, not even for a Culler, one of the most feared families at the bottom of Arx society. Calandra was never going to starve, as her family always seemed to be doing just a little bit better than they should be. Calandra was even as closed to spoiled as a girl could probably get inside the crime ridden neighborhoods, but even that came with a price. While still a teenager, her father was hanged for banditry and her mother was murdered not long after some of the 'Culler family business' went terribly awry. While she's a Lower Boroughs girl at heart and will probably never leave, the deaths of her parents might have set her on a somewhat different path to one that would see her finding a noose or a dagger in the back eventually. While she's always been proud of her singing voice, she didn't have any expectations when she auditioned with the Black Rose Mummers as one of their entertainers. She was shocked when the Black Rose Mummers almost immediately signed her, singing for the company in plays and other performances, with her brilliant, almost impossible-to-forget singing voice resulting in more than one noble wondering how something so pure and delightful could come from a place so tragic and common. So no, she might never leave the Lower Boroughs forever, but she has no intention of dying there.
    , but she has no intention of dying there.)
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