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List of results

• Lethe Tyde  + (Lethe was born 15 minutes after her brothe …
  Lethe was born 15 minutes after her brother Acheron much to her relief. Their mother, Gilda Tyde, formerly Ashford, had the 2, then 6 year old twins with her in Ashford Keep, visiting family at the onset of the Tyde Rebellion and upon hearing of the death of their father the children were quietly absorbed into the Ashford family without a word to anyone. Over the next 13 years Lethe truly thrived in the Grey Forest where she followed around family members, learning to harvest plants and make concoctions and treatments, and tending to the wounds of those soldiers fighting the Shavs that inhabited the area. As much as learning to repair bodies fascinated the young lady, and it truly did seem as if a great magic to have the power to knit flesh closed, or ease suffering with a few drops of the right oil, she always had a very clear understanding of a line she felt few others did, the place of letting go she calls it. The place where the healer's efforts become more about their own comfort and assurance that they exhausted every possibility than they are actually improving the quality of the patient's life, and often in fact, are causing far more suffering for the dying one. Much to the horror of some of her peers during the fighting over past years in the Grey Forest, every now and then Lethe would simply set down her tools and sit beside a wounded man, and tell him or her it was okay to go, and stay with them until indeed they passed from the world, invariably sooner than later. Always after her explanation was simple 'I did what was needed'. The world changed again when they learned that Tyde, their late father's family had been restored, and while Gilda was not settled into her home, wouldn't it be better for her children to be treasured first cousins of a Duchess in a very small house than forgotten cousins of a Duke in a sprawling one? And so Lethe and Acheron were sent off to Arx and to return to the Thraxian world that while they were born into, had grown strange to them. This new change in their path Lethe weathered as she always has quietly and open to whatever is ahead of them.
  tly and open to whatever is ahead of them.)
• Levian Neri  + (Levian may be the only Civashari in Arvum …
  Levian may be the only Civashari in Arvum who gets called 'lord' with anything more than irony. It's a fact he doesn't forget and one that leaves him feeling that he represents the people who birthed and raised him all the more when he moves among the nobility of Arx. Or at least the thought was heavy on his mind when he drinks too much at night and has no company to keep him from more maudlin thoughts. But that's putting the cart before the horse in this particular tale. Born among the Civashari that wander the lands wild and free, and those tamed and restricted, Levian was a precocious child. As such he did precocious child things. He climbed the greatest trees he could find ("Levian get down from there before you break your fool neck!) so he could be closer to the stars to see them. He swam to the deepest parts of the lakes to see the sky reflected in a watery mirror ("Lev! Lev, lad, where'd you go?") And he danced with every man or woman that'd give him the chance at fairs ("Sigh. Lev, lad, you can't go telling everyone you're smitten with their eyes remind you of the stars. It starts sounding disengenuine!)" to see the truth of the firmament reflected in the colored orbs of his romantic partners. But Lev was obsessed with looking at the stars from every angle, through every lens he could. He would claim it showed him a more accurate truth. And no one he traveled with knew what it meant. By the time that Levian was sixteen he was making predictions based on the stars. Everyone expects the Ravashari to peddle pretty nothings for a penny, and most took it as what it was because the boy made the telling entertaining. He'd put it in a song, or dance it under the midnight sky before telling a farmer where to plant his crops, or predicting a drought for the year. Soon enough word got around and each time Lev's group of Civashari would pass back through an area he'd be stopped and asked for a prediction. The cost of his services went from coppers to silvers (or just coppers or a pie, he never took more than the person could afford). Sometimes he was wrong. More often he was right. Eventually word got to the ears of King Alaric III who, at a harvesst festival, invited Levian to offer up advice on where the corn should go this year. Lev, smart enough not to fall into a prodigal trap, gave blessings to Petrichor first and then did his prediction. That year the corn yield just happened to be twice of any year in the past decade. Out of amusement, the same thing happened the year after. Alaric laughed, "Well done, Lord Levian." And that was that. Levian was a Lord, invited once a year to the palace to attend a party. The worst dressed lord. The one with nary a House and nary a domain (thus his family name of Neri). But a Lord all the same.
  ly name of Neri). But a Lord all the same.)
• Lexir Pravus  + (Lexir never had particularly high expectat …
  Lexir never had particularly high expectations set for him - his branch of the Pravus was particularly fecund, and he had no shortage of more skillful, or at least, ambitious, siblings for his parents to pin their hopes to. And so he grew up wild in luscious Setarco, a princeling with precious few duties or obligations to anyone but himself. It would be easy for someone in his position to become spoiled, to be lulled into a simpering stupidity by the benefits of his birthright - fortunately, that didn't happen. Adventure was in his blood. Curiosity mixed with intelligence - this too could spoil, could easily turn someone cruel, but the young Pravus lord evaded that fate. As much of his youth as he could he spent out in the city or in the surrounding wilderness, exploring, mingling, doing whatever he could to satisfy his thirst for new and novel experiences. He ran (incognito) with gutter gangs while slumming in the backalleys of Setarco, drank himself into stupors, and experimented with exotic substances. He learned to fight, to sail, his letters and his numbers, dabbling in a myriad of skills but rarely every progressing past novice-level mastery - there was always something new. A few years before his majority, Lexir slipped away from home with a couple of his trusted comrades and friends and disappeared into the Setarco to embark on their grandest adventure yet. Where they went, what they did, and what they saw remains a subject of conjecture and speculation - in the end, only half the number that set out returned, some years later. A less carefree version of the young noble returned, one more tempered, more hardened, more thoughtful than the one that had set out. Even after his return to the public sphere, he did not linger long, vanishing in long expeditions like the first to parts unknown. But now, he's in Arx, the wayward nobleman's presence asked, nay, /commanded/, to be in the heart of power in Arvum as the stirrings of something great rumble across the continent. Who knows? Maybe he'll have learned something useful in all of his travels.
  ed something useful in all of his travels.)
• Liam Riven  + (Liam had what might be considered an idyll …
  Liam had what might be considered an idyllic childhood -- the operative word there being 'had'. Born as the eldest child of a cadet branch of the Riven family, his life should have been one of privilege without the pressure, of leisure without any demand that he truly lead. For the first decade of his life, it was. But all of that came crashing down when he became an orphan at the tender age of twelve. Worst of all, his tragedy was not unique. No, Liam lost his parents on the same day that nearly an entire generation of Riven children did -- the day that a tribe of Abandoned put them and the Deepwoods to the sword, leaving the county in the hands of a girl who was only seventeen. Naturally, chaos ensued. Suddenly several ranks higher in the House's succession, he was one of several swept up to the Twainfort proper and it was not an easy transition. It wasn't that he was unwelcome in his cousin's keep. On the contrary, he was given comfortable rooms and good tutors. He was shown kindness and warmth -- whenever she, or any of the adults, had the time. The trouble was that with all the energy being spent on averting the threat of disaster that loomed for those first few years, there was rarely any left for (yet another) broken-hearted boy underfoot. So it became a duty that Liam took on himself. He would act as guardian and protector of the small pack of orphans that roamed their halls. He would be their comforter and their guide. It was a role he took very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that he found his way to the path of a warrior -- and to the discipleship of Gild. Though their House remains too small for him to become fully godsworn, he serves among the Knights of Solace as duty allows. He will protect his family, and his House, and the people on the roads of Arvum. And he will do everything he can to ensure that no one suffers the pain that he did ever, ever again.
  ers the pain that he did ever, ever again.)
• Liara Grayson  + (Liara Grayson, a princess among princesses …
  Liara Grayson, a princess among princesses, a daughter among daughters: that is to say, a young lady very likely to be lost in the crowd if she didn't find her own way to shine. There are two ways to deal with being a little sister and younger cousin, and Liara definitely chose the more glamorous pathway. Even as a very young child, she always wanted to be in the middle of everything, following the older kids around and aping their ways to the point where she would challenge her shadow to a duel, or create vast dramatic party landscapes out of leaves and twigs and lemonade poured into the dirt. A more than capable student of sewing, musical instruments and dancing, Liara filled her childhood at Bastion with friends and fun and family, as a teenager became the center of attention not by demanding it in roaring fits, but by dint of effort, passion and talent. She became the queen of the gathering of lesser nobility; her parties at Bastion became the talk of her generation, and she yearned for nothing more than to arrive at the capital and put that Grayson flair to the test. Of course, then there was a SIEGE, and her efforts as an organizer became required for relief efforts and refugees rather than for fun and games! She threw herself into charitable work and civil development for the Crownlands with every bit as much verve and panache as she applied to event planning, and found a talent for it. Organization is not an unrelated skill. And strangely enough, it was those efforts - rather than her efforts at preparing the most amazing princessly debut - that led the family to invite her to the capital.
  d the family to invite her to the capital.)
• Galatea Pravus  + (Librarian. Archivist. Alchemist. Galate …
  Librarian. Archivist. Alchemist. Galatea has been called all of these things. From a young age, she showed affinity for all that was written down in books, and at the Pravus estates, she found herself more often at the margins than in the limelight. This suited her just fine: for she is not a Pravus, not exactly, and there were those who would not let her forget it. The product of one of lord Tiberio's infidelities with a nameless highborn of Valardin fealty, Galatea would elsewhere have spent her life swept under the rug. Indeed, her Valardin mother did exactly that: she sent her away to Setarco, where Tiberio was more indulgent, arranging for the girl to be raised in court, even if as an unlegitimized, fostered commoner. Her questionable circumstances led for some to shun her socially, and she had to learn to entertain herself on her own terms. This she did most notably under a senior archivist, whose protege the young girl soon became. Intimately familiar with pen and ink, learning how to mix the latter led to the wider world of tincture and tonic, and so she has become a quietly confident young alchemist. The one thing she has inherited from her mother--rumored to send her rare, anonymous letters--is the importance of honor, accountability, and dignity. Galatea aspires to be the very picture of decorum and grace, and has worked long hours at protocol. Recently summoned to the crownlands, it remains yet uncertain just what she will make of herself.
  ertain just what she will make of herself.)
• Liesel Crownsworn  + (Liesel was born to a peasant family in the …
  Liesel was born to a peasant family in the Oathlands, a smith for a father, and a tailor for a mother. Her father's occupation brought a myriad of warrior-types around the shop every day, repairs, commissions, modifications, sharpenings, all bringing in the sell-swords and more honest soldiery. And when they'd see a wide-eyed child swinging a stick, they'd be sure to tell her a few stories of martial glory as they waited for her father to finish, much to her mother's dismay. It was apparent where Liesel was going to end up, from a young age. As an only child, not much interest in other kids, not much interest in education or vocations, it was no surprise to family or familial friends when she said her goodbyes to her mother and father, and took off with a mercenary company passing by. Her experience in a fight was limited, she learned the basics of swordsmanship from passing soldiery who humored her, but she was eager, and she learned quick beyond that. Her time in the company was short, but the experience changed her. Small skirmishes, money collecting, guarding and escorting, she grew a little more jaded by the day, collecting her paycheck by her sword-hand. As the company travelled through Arx, she split off from the band of sell-swords to explore on her own, deciding to take to freelance work, hoping for something more than to be a travelling tough-- she'd found no glory yet, travelling with that band.
  d no glory yet, travelling with that band.)
• Liesel Lucroy  + (Liesel was born to a peasant family in the …
  Liesel was born to a peasant family in the Oathlands, a smith for a father, and a tailor for a mother. Her father's occupation brought a myriad of warrior-types around the shop every day, repairs, commissions, modifications, sharpenings, all bringing in the sell-swords and more honest soldiery. And when they'd see a wide-eyed child swinging a stick, they'd be sure to tell her a few stories of martial glory as they waited for her father to finish, much to her mother's dismay. It was apparent where Liesel was going to end up, from a young age. As an only child, not much interest in other kids, not much interest in education or vocations, it was no surprise to family or familial friends when she said her goodbyes to her mother and father, and took off with a mercenary company passing by. Her experience in a fight was limited, she learned the basics of swordsmanship from passing soldiery who humored her, but she was eager, and she learned quick beyond that. Her time in the company was short, but the experience changed her. Small skirmishes, money collecting, guarding and escorting, she grew a little more jaded by the day, collecting her paycheck by her sword-hand. As the company travelled through Arx, she split off from the band of sell-swords to explore on her own, deciding to take to freelance work, hoping for something more than to be a travelling tough-- she'd found no glory yet, travelling with that band.
  d no glory yet, travelling with that band.)
• Lothar Tersk  + (Life as a famed warrior of the Black Elk t …
  Life as a famed warrior of the Black Elk tribe was, in a word, good. Known in his youth by enemy tribes as the "Mountain Bear" for his tendency to leap from his horse into the thick of battle and mow down his foes in broad sweeps of his axe with a stunning ferocity, Lothar had won the affections of the chieftain's daughter with his daring and settled into a respected place among his people after decades of leading their war and hunting parties. He fathered many sons and daughters, and enjoyed a close relationship with his family; it seemed he would finally be able to relax on the path into his golden years and raise and train the horses for which his tribe was so well known. It was not to be. Tolmar Brand and his Silent Army decimated the Black Elk tribe on their way to lay siege to Arx; not only did Lothar watch his children and wife fall to the horrifying power at Brand's disposal, but he was separated from the only survivors in the heat of battle and forced to flee to the northwest. For the next several years, nearly destroyed by his belief that he was the only surviving member of his tribe, Lothar wandered the deep wilds and mountains in search of a way to take his revenge on Brand. It was on these forgotten roads and hidden paths that he first met the Knights of Solace, and after so much frustration and despair their devotion left a lasting impression on him. He became convinced that his remaining years should be spent defending those who needed it most, especially after learning that Brand had been slain, and he took his vows and bent the knee to those Knights in the deep wilderness without a second thought. Upon returning to Arx with the Knights, it was absolutely stunning to him to learn that not only had some remnants of the Black Elk tribe made it to the city, but his own little brother Jyri had become ennobled and wed into one Houses of the Compact; he's dedicated to reuniting with his only surviving family, and facing whatever comes next in these intensely troubled times side by side.
  ese intensely troubled times side by side.)
• Elara Kennex  + (Life for Elara has been full of loss and p …
  Life for Elara has been full of loss and pain. Born the bastard child of a minor nobleman of House Thrax, she was quickly given up by her prodigal mother. Elara does not know much about her birth mother, just that she was formerly a Northern Shav and an entertainer in Port Stormbreak. Though she was given up by her mother as a babe, Elara was not raised by her father, Baron Dorian Helios, the Baron of Helion Rock. Instead he 'fostered' her with a Kennex noble and his wife, an old ally of her father's from the Tyde Rebellion days. The couple's family being quite huge, they were nowhere in line for inheritance nor did they have a need, or want, for children. Baron Dorian was childless besides her, and with Thrax succession at the time precluding women from rule, there was concern that if he fully legitimized her, that she would be used by another house to try to take Helion Rock after his death. Raised as more of a nuisance than a wanted child, Elara quickly learned the art of being silent. The girl had a keen mind and enjoyed reading. And since it kept her out of their hair they encouraged it. She also had a talented gift for embroidery. And that was a thing her foster mother and she bonded, though slightly, over. At the age of 17 her father arranged a marriage to a much older Kennex man out in the Mourning Isles, both to get her far from any succession issues and to stifle criticism of him by the Faith that made it extremely difficult for the man to rule when he failed in his responsibilities as a father. The wedding was on her birthday, the day she turned 18, and she tried to be happy. They left for his holdings in the Mourning Isles the morning after. Not ten months later she had her first child. And her first loss. The baby girl was born blue and still. Elara, however, managed quite well despite having few people to confide in on the remote holding. Unfortunately this would not change much over the next few years. Their next child survived their first year, a boy, who was named Erik, till a horrid fever took him. It would have been soul-crushing to many, but Elara held up strong. Never seeming to break even though she lost five children total, most in their first year of life, during her marriage. The most recent loss, two years ago, was a miscarriage at five months when someone poisoned both her and her husband. Her husband perished and she suffered for several months the effects of the lingering poison, but eventually recovered. Widowed as she was and free of needing to stay in the Mourning Isles she returned to Port Stormbreak and the closest thing to family she had, the Kennex. Yet with the approaching horrors and the problems at sea she has, with others of the house, retreated to the safety of Arx. While it is not her first visit to the city, it has been some time. Elara has found herself to be of use to her house using her talents with needle and thread.
  using her talents with needle and thread.)
• Elara Helios  + (Life for Elara has been full of loss and p …
  Life for Elara has been full of loss and pain. Born the bastard child of a minor nobleman of House Thrax, she was quickly given up by her prodigal mother. Elara does not know much about her birth mother, just that she was formerly a Northern Shav and an entertainer in Port Stormbreak. Though she was given up by her mother as a babe, Elara was not raised by her disgraced father. Instead he 'fostered' her with a Kennex noble and his wife. The couple's family being quite huge, they were nowhere in line for inheritance nor did they have a need, or want, for children. The only reason they took Elara was because of the shame created by her father, and wishing to avoid the dishonor on the rest of the family. Raised as more of a nuisance than a wanted child, Elara quickly learned the art of being silent. The girl had a keen mind and enjoyed reading. And since it kept her out of their hair they encouraged it. She also had a talented gift for embroidery. And that was a thing her foster mother and she bonded, though slightly, over. At the age of 17 her father arranged a marriage to a much older Kennex man out in the Mourning Isles. The wedding was on her birthday, the day she turned 18, and she tried to be happy. They left for his holdings in the Mourning Isles the morning after. Not ten months later she had her first child. And her first loss. The baby girl was born blue and still. Elara, however, managed quite well despite having few people to confide in on the remote holding. Unfortunately this would not change much over the next few years. Their next child survived their first year, a boy, who was named Erik, till a horrid fever took him. It would have been soul-crushing to many, but Elara held up strong. Never seeming to break even though she lost five children total, most in their first year of life, during her marriage. The most recent loss, two years ago, was a miscarriage at five months when someone poisoned both her and her husband. Her husband perished and she suffered for several months the effects of the lingering poison, but eventually recovered. Widowed as she was and free of needing to stay in the Mourning Isles she returned to Port Stormbreak and the closest thing to family she had, the Kennex. Yet with the approaching horrors and the problems at sea she has, with others of the house, retreated to the safety of Arx. While it is not her first visit to the city, it has been some time. Elara has found herself to be of use to her house using her talents with needle and thread.
  using her talents with needle and thread.)
• Emeric Redrain  + (Life for Emeric has been an average one fo …
  Life for Emeric has been an average one for a man of his upbringing. He was given the appropriate education and was taught the way of life he should be. Emeric, however, rarely puts his education and upraising to good use. Instead, he spends all his time having a good time and seeing what trouble he can cause. After all, what is the point of being born 'important' if one spends all their time working hard. He has two siblings, Nalea and Nathaniel, twins and his parents have passed on.
  iel, twins and his parents have passed on.)
• Romulius Blackshore  + (Life has a way of being cyclical, when Rom …
  Life has a way of being cyclical, when Romulius was young his life was good if always changing. As the firstborn and heir to the House of Blackshore he was given a good education by the best tutors that Lord Cornelius Blackshore could acquire while they were in port, and by his mother Lady Florence Blackshore when no tutors could be found. Of course for the biggest and most important lessons Cornelius made sure Romulius learned directly from him. It was a whirlwind life mixed between time at sea and the various ports that they stopped at for Cornelius to address as Naval Architect to House Thrax. When Romulius grew old enough he began to follow Cornelius to various sites to learn the trade and he began to see things for how they really were. As his siblings grew up Romulius began to realize the power of family and the importance of it, the legacy in his father's eyes, but family in his. They were the one constant in his life and he grew to depend on them more than Cromulius would have liked. The training intensified then, Cornelius wanting to ensure Romulius followed his path, it did make Romulius a hard young man out of self defense. Also for the defense of his ailing mother, younger brother, and little sister who were often the target of Cornelius rage when things weren't just right. As long as Romulius made Cornelius happy with his progress it took the pressure off of them. It took a downward turn when he was fifteen and his mother fell ill. Cornelius didn't really care but sent Lady Florence and Skye to live at the keep with Romulius' uncle, Baron Oswald Blackshore. With half of his family gone Romulius and his little brother Dycard grew closer having only each other as Cornelius became even more strict. Romulius shielded Dycard as best he could from Cornelius displeasure allowing Dycard more freedom than he had. Which lead to Romulius cleaning up the messes Dycard left but he lived vicariously through his younger brother. The rare times when Romulis was allowed to see the rest of his family he could tell that neither Florence nor Skye were treated well by the Baron and it /ate/ at him. Romulius was away when Blackshore was destroyed with most of his family by forces unknown and though Romulius survived by being at sea, his attempt to return home when he received word did not go well. Instead he was captured by pirates en route. The next few years were the most difficult of his life being tortured and tormented by the pirates. Made to fight to the death so the pirates could gamble on it, or simply for their own amusement, but it was hardest watching Dycard embrace the pirate life. The man who comes to Arx is changed by what he has experienced and almost wild in some ways.
  experienced and almost wild in some ways.)
• Dagny Stahlben  + (Life has not always been easy at the Bones …
  Life has not always been easy at the Bonespire, there is constant skirmishes, constant guarding against the dangers that come from the Everwinter. When Dagny was young she would sit at her grandmother's feet, soaking up the frighting tales of things that lurked out beyond the Bonespire, waiting in the icy cold snow of the Everwinter. Stories that gave her nightmares as a young child, and turned her attention towards the more esoteric of things as an adult, always interested in death, the bones, the spirits. Rumor has it that when her grandmother died she refused to say goodbye to her for good, and kept a small piece of her. But that was surely just a rumor about a child that was a little more dark and creepy then some. As she grew older she turned her attention to studying with her father, learning to fight in the defense of her family and allies. After the Silent War and the decimation of her family, she left the Bonespire with a promise that one day she'd come back, and be able to save them. It was the childish assertions of a young woman that had never really lived in the wider world, or understood that there is not ever really any saving that is possible. Not overall, just a method of keeping as many people as possible alive, and defeating as many of the enemy as possible while doing it. About six months before her appearance in Arx she returned to the Bonespire, although most say that while she was there she didn't talk to many people. Kept to herself. But she started hunting for her grandmother's things, looking for something. Evidently she found it, because she left for Arx looking satisfied about something.
  for Arx looking satisfied about something.)
• Thistle Ulbran  + (Life in the Lower Boroughs is never easy b …
  Life in the Lower Boroughs is never easy but for Thistle, it was certainly cushier than most. There was always a roof over her head, food on the table, and clean if worn clothes. The financial security came at a price. Thistle rarely saw her mother, spending most of her time bouncing between her father's care and her maternal grandmother's. Her Father was a Redrain merchant who worked closely with the Cullers. He did his best to make sure that young Thistle learned a semblance of manners and polite behaviors. He coached her on how to speak eloquently and heavily encouraged her interests in anything but crime. To insure her a chance at a legitimate profession, he took out a few loans and had her enrolled as a child to be trained as a Whisper Courtesan. He was doting, kind, and would have done anything for his daughter. And when Thistle was 14, he was found dead in a ditch. Distraught by her father's death, Thistle took to drinking and drugs. Although her grandmother disapproved, it was difficult for the older woman to control a wild teenager and so for a year or so Thistle binge partied. If she wasn't so charming and careful to let it not effect her schooling, Thistle might have lost her chance at becoming a Whisper. Thankfully, it all came to an abrupt stop after a single confrontation with her mother. Whatever was exactly said remains a secret between the two of them. For the rest of her teenage years, Thistle very diligently worked for the Ulbrans during her free time. She was quiet, never complained, and was very meticulous. If she did drugs or drank, it was always on her own limited free time and in careful moderation. Eventually, she finished her schooling and joined the ranks of the Whispers proper. From that point onwards, Thistle began her career as a courtesan. Many a party thrown in the Lower and Uppers Boroughs was decorated by her careful hand. It was clear she had a talent for it and spurred her to spend her twenties mastering the art of shaping flowers into living landscapes. She still spends quite a bit of time around the other Ulbrans but seemingly has kept her nose clean for a number of years.
  kept her nose clean for a number of years.)
• Volcica Stahlben  + (Life in the North is never easy, and the B …
  Life in the North is never easy, and the Bonespire is perhaps the harshest of them all. Volcica grew up on the edge of the Everwinter, always peering out into the white for signs of threat from both violence and weather. She was still a child when her calling became known, the shamans talking of her gifts with the spirits. Volcica was pulled from the path of a warrior and thrust onto an entirely new one. She was taught how to read opens from thrown bones, the rituals to infuse runes with her power. She was shown the sacred places, and learned quickly how to carve bone into the namesake talismans of the Bonespire. She learned leatherworking alongside her shamanic abilities, and quickly developed a knack for chosing who got what item, rather than letting her clanmates pick. The bones spoke to her, she said, and the other shamans nodded proudly. The Bonespire mystics followed their own path, after all-- neither the Path of Elders nor the Path of the Hunt fit what the far North required. Fresh kills were an unreliable way to seek omens when prey was often scarce, but skeletons were far easier to find. Tools of divination were crafted, portents read in the pose of a found carcass. Perhaps armor embellishments wasn't the only reason the Bonespire was named? When Brand weakened Stahlben and the tribes of the North, and then the Horned God threatened, Volcica supported Magnus' move to bend the knee to Sanna. There was only death in solitude, and the Compact couldn't wash away their culture unless they let it. Magnus left on a journey South, and it was only a matter of days until Volcica set out to follow.
  r of days until Volcica set out to follow.)
• Svana Kolur  + (Life in the far north might be harsh, but …
  Life in the far north might be harsh, but there's still time for children to be children. There's toys, there's storytimes, snowmen.. And then there's the odd child like Svana, who doesn't like just -any- toy. She'll collect all the toys she can to trade for that one she really wants, and then never let it go. That's Svana. From a young age she hung around the caravans and scouts, always clamoring for tales of distant locales, always enamoured with the exotic goods that came to the Bonespire. Her parents liked to say that her head was in the clouds, but even they knew that wasn't quite right. Her feet have always been planted firmly on the ground, but rooted on the roads instead of in the mountains. As soon as she was even remotely old enough, she started accompanying caravans headed to Arx. Quickly, the young woman fell in love with the city, with the opportunity and diversity found there. For a few years, the Bonespire was still her home-- but now her tribe is a part of the Compact, with a little estate in Arx, and she's finally ready to shift her base of operations to the City itself.
  her base of operations to the City itself.)
• Charlaine Blanchard  + (Life is not easy for a shy, whimsical and …
  Life is not easy for a shy, whimsical and scholarly dreamer born to a ruthlessly ambitious nobleman and a strict and controlling mother. It is even worse when she was born to House Blanchard, the noble family famed for their mastery as horsemen when those animals seem to be scared of her, or she is scared of them, or both. That is what happened to Lady Charlaine Blanchard, and that is why she slowly drowned in the world of her imagination in her beloved books and bard songs, where everything seems to be brighter, more colorful and serene. From her earliest memories, Charlaine's desires ran a distant second to the will of her parents. Her father focused single mindedly on the advancement of the family, and to that mind he either wanted a daughter that could distinguish herself at war or that could be a prize to mesmerize potential political matches at Court. Charlaine's scholarly bent and her lack of interest in drab reality in favor of exciting fiction set her immediately at odds to her relentlessly goal-orientated father and her carefully organized and pragmatic mother who hoped to turn their daughter into a stunning beauty to win a favorable marriage match. The more they pushed her to embrace politics and think of marriage matches or soldiering to vicariously achieve their own goals, the further she retreated into scholarly pursuits, songs and stories. However, Mathilde Blanchard noticed her daughters passion for books and offered to Phillipe that they would invest into their daughter's intelligence so that it could earn her a potentially high position at court. That is how she was trusted as a ward to Phillipe's brother Alicio Blanchard. The man was a Scholar of Vellichor and viewed as the most suitable tutor by Phillipe. Charlaine enjoyed her time in the large city, meeting many new people and, especially, having access to such large amounts of different books in the Archives. She grew quite close to her uncle Alicio Blanchard as well as with some other scholars and locals. Charlaine was more often found in the company of commoners than nobles since she admired the freedoms common folk could enjoy and nobles had no luxury for. At the same time she learned of the wonderful feeling which she gain when she take part in charity. The life seemed to be perfect. Though, all nice stories come to an end. She counted her nineteenth summer when it was announced that Charlaine caught an unknown illness. She was sent back home. It was not a surprise since she loved gathering in large crowded places with commoners of low standing while doing charity. The young woman was gone from social life for two long years before Arvum heard about her once more as the new lady-in-waiting to Princess Alarissa Valardin. Alicio Blanchard was asked to help find for Charlaine a lady to whom their daughter could serve. She was described as still a bit fragile after a hard illness followed by depression, but healthy. It was felt time away would be what she needed to fully recover and come back to social life. Alicio agreed to help their family and approached his fellow scholar Prince Aurelian Valardin with the request, Aurelian knew that Princess Alarissa Valardin was looking for a Lady-in-Waiting. After long discussions Charlaine was approved.
  r long discussions Charlaine was approved.)
• Charlaine Moore  + (Life is not easy for a shy, whimsical and …
  Life is not easy for a shy, whimsical and scholarly dreamer born to a ruthlessly ambitious nobleman and a strict and controlling mother. It is even worse when she was born to House Blanchard, the noble family famed for their mastery as horsemen when those animals seem to be scared of her, or she is scared of them, or both. That is what happened to Lady Charlaine Blanchard, and that is why she slowly drowned in the world of her imagination in her beloved books and bard songs, where everything seems to be brighter, more colorful and serene. From her earliest memories, Charlaine's desires ran a distant second to the will of her parents. Her father focused single mindedly on the advancement of the family, and to that mind he either wanted a daughter that could distinguish herself at war or that could be a prize to mesmerize potential political matches at Court. Charlaine's scholarly bent and her lack of interest in drab reality in favor of exciting fiction set her immediately at odds to her relentlessly goal-orientated father and her carefully organized and pragmatic mother who hoped to turn their daughter into a stunning beauty to win a favorable marriage match. The more they pushed her to embrace politics and think of marriage matches or soldiering to vicariously achieve their own goals, the further she retreated into scholarly pursuits, songs and stories. However, Mathilde Blanchard noticed her daughters passion for books and offered to Phillipe that they would invest into their daughter's intelligence so that it could earn her a potentially high position at court. That is how she was trusted as a ward to Phillipe's brother Alicio Blanchard. The man was a Scholar of Vellichor and viewed as the most suitable tutor by Phillipe. Charlaine enjoyed her time in the large city, meeting many new people and, especially, having access to such large amounts of different books in the Archives. She grew quite close to her uncle Alicio Blanchard as well as with some other scholars and locals. Charlaine was more often found in the company of commoners than nobles since she admired the freedoms common folk could enjoy and nobles had no luxury for. At the same time she learned of the wonderful feeling which she gain when she take part in charity. The life seemed to be perfect. Though, all nice stories come to an end. She counted her nineteenth summer when it was announced that Charlaine caught an unknown illness. She was sent back home. It was not a surprise since she loved gathering in large crowded places with commoners of low standing while doing charity. The young woman was gone from social life for two long years before Arvum heard about her once more as the new lady-in-waiting to Princess Alarissa Valardin. Alicio Blanchard was asked to help find for Charlaine a lady to whom their daughter could serve. She was described as still a bit fragile after a hard illness followed by depression, but healthy. It was felt time away would be what she needed to fully recover and come back to social life. Alicio agreed to help their family and approached his fellow scholar Prince Aurelian Valardin with the request, Aurelian knew that Princess Alarissa Valardin was looking for a Lady-in-Waiting. After long discussions Charlaine was approved.
  r long discussions Charlaine was approved.)
• Ludwig Grayson  + (Life was always easy for Ludwig. Too easy, …
  Life was always easy for Ludwig. Too easy, some might say. Born in Bastion as one of the passel of Grayson Princes and Princesses near the end of the reign of Alaric III - only having vague memories of the man - he found himself able to grow up blissfully aware of the strife that had been occuring elsewhere in the world. The war between Tor and Southport? Someone else's problem. Hunger, thirst, and discomfort? Those were for other people. In his first few years he was noted for his activity and enthusiasm in everything he did, but then one day he sat down with a Scholar of Vellichor, and began to learn to read. Things never were really the same after that. From that point on, everything else ceased to matter, for there was more knowledge to discover, more words to consume. Stories about dogs with silly monosyllabic names quickly became tales of adventure, and from there, histories, arts, mathematics and the sciences. It was almost obsessive, his level of focus, and there was some worry that he was taking in too much for a young mind. Still, these worries began to cease when he started winning arguments and debates. Often found awake late at night in the evenings with a friend, he did not get into the kind of trouble so many of the Peerage tend to fall to when they have too much money and too much free time - instead, he could be found harrying his siblings, his cousins, his elders, or if worst came to worst, the cooks - all trying to get to the truth of things. To learn and learn more, and challenge their opinions. It quickly grew tiresome for many of those around him - but their opinions never seemed to bother Ludwig. Why should they, when he started offering advice for things and - the few times people ever bothered to actually listen to him - they succeeded brilliantly? Trying to push himself more and more into things, he suddenly found himself faced with a choice - go to Arx, or go live with the Scholars for a while. He chose the second, and it was here that he finally flourished. The first few months were a stumbling block for him as he finally encountered people who were just as capable intellectually as he was. But this only drove him on further - he worked to learn more, to catch up, and as he began to compare what he read on the page to the world around him, he realized - something wasn't right. At the end of his tenure, he decided to take advantage of the first choice given to him, and he went to Arx to work with his family on his projects there.
  ork with his family on his projects there.)
• Starling Ione  + (Life was never easy for Starling Ione. She …
  Life was never easy for Starling Ione. She was the only child of pirates, left behind on the shore with her grandmother. Her grandmother made a small living as a hedge witch of sorts. In their little seashore cottage. Those who came to her believed in her gifts ? as did little Starling. When the child had vivid nightmares, they whispered she too had the Sight, or the "Shining" as the stories claimed that the Ione-family women always had. This was the identity forged for her when she was small, and it was what she clung to when the news came of her parents having been killed at sea. She'd had a thousand nightmares of her parents dying in different ways ? most would say that it wasn't magic that she saw it coming, but that it was simply a matter of odds, of inevitability. Still, Starling believed she had the gift her grandmother said was both curse and blessing of all the Ione women. She was an eager student and studied to learn all manner of divination at her grandmother's hands ? reading tea leaves and palms, cards and augury. She believed in the signs that the world held out for her, whether it was in the way the clouds crowd the sky or the curve of a bird's wing in flight. Her first doubt in her gift came when her grandmother became ill ? perhaps another inevitability but one the universe had not shown her. And when the doctor, finally sent for when the hedge witch's elixirs had failed, said there was nothing to be done... well, Starling hadn't seen that coming either. All alone, the child was taken to the Tragedy Orphanage, where she lived a few years before setting out to make her way in the city of Arx. Life's been tough for her in the Lower Boroughs, making her way by selling her fortunes or doing odd jobs here and there, not always on the up and up. Starling no longer believes she has any sort of psychic gifts, but she has a knack for telling pretty stories that some people will pay for.
  tty stories that some people will pay for.)
• Alis Valardin  + (Like every scion of House Valardin, Alis w …
  Like every scion of House Valardin, Alis was weaned on the stories of high chivalry and heroism that have been core to the identity of the great house since time immemorial. There have been great heroic female warriors of House Valardin from history, such as the famed heroine Dame Sugan who saved the West during the Reckoning, but yet there was still a continued pervasive discouragement from young women pursuing martial careers and being expected to serve the House as diplomats or priestesses. Alis, born of short stature and a slight frame that her lord father found extremely ill-suited for the rigors of the field, found far more discouragement than most from her dreams of knighthood. But she would not be dissuaded. As a teenager, she was the most willful of all her siblings, rebelling constantly against the lessons and continually demanding to be given the same training as a squire. Of all her siblings, she was the only one that dared to get into screaming matches with her lord father, and he once declared in exasperation that she was the most willful person in the entire Oathlands for him to deal with. Her father became resigned to her determination and gave her his extremely reluctant blessing to train as a knight. It still felt something like a punishment to be sent to Arx to do so, an exile away from her home, even if she could hardly complain about training under Dayne Valardin, the Lord Commander of the King's Own and best knight of the realm. The training made her keenly aware of her shortcomings, but ferociously determined to make up for them. Though she'd never admit outwardly that maybe her parents had a point about her physically being better suited to non-martial service for the family, she is all-too-aware of how hard she's had to train to compensate. As she neared the end of her training and wrote to her lord father in the hope he would visit Arx and personally attend her being dubbed a knight, she read the reply in disbelief: her parents and all of her siblings save Edain had been slain fighting a barbaric tribe of Shavs. She returned home a knight, and knows it is irrational to feel guilty that she wasn't there when her family was attacked, knows it is foolish to think one extremely young newly minted knight would have made any difference when hundreds of soldiers did not, but she can't quite help it. The deaths might have aged her in many ways, but she is still young enough where she thinks in bold absolutes. She is a princess of House Valardin, and a knight. She will protect what remains of her family and her people. That's what knights are for.
  d her people. That's what knights are for.)
• Morgan Seliki  + (Like his cousin Kaldur whom he admired, Mo …
  Like his cousin Kaldur whom he admired, Morgan turned out to be a daredevil and drawn to martial pursuits. Cliff diving and swimming in dangerous waters became a regular test of daring and endurance. He was a natural student in personal combat and took his knight's vows with pride - if perhaps a bit of wariness from being constrained by some rules. Unfortunately, his energetic prankster spirit and disregard for such troublesome things like laws is what landed him in Arx after one too many tavern brawls, cows tipped, and drunken serenades in the middle of the night. Not that he minds, there's just so much more to do in the big city!
  s just so much more to do in the big city!)
• Isobella Velenosa  + (Like many a Fox that bears the name Veleno …
  Like many a Fox that bears the name Velenosa, Isobella hails from the beautiful shores of Lenosia. Clever from a young age, she delighted in puns and riddles, sitting at the knees of the silver-tongued elders who lived and died by words weighed in gold. Perhaps then, it came as no surprise that she decided to go into politics. Honied words coupled with the Velenosa pride in keeping her word made her a trustworthy advocate, and as a young woman her accomplishments in seeing Lenosian wines and vintner cuttings shipped over land and sea were modestly impressive. Of course, as a Velenosa with a gift for pouring wine as artfully as selling it, Isobella was as well-known for planning parties as trade routes, collecting secrets and debts like fragrant flowers. The scent of commerce and intrigue eventually enticed the young woman to Arx, where she might put her blossoming talents to use for the good of the Lyceum.
  talents to use for the good of the Lyceum.)
• Samira Culler  + (Like many urchins growing up in the Lowers …
  Like many urchins growing up in the Lowers, Samira's childhood was a lesson in survival, skills honed out of necessity. These early years are split into two chapters in her mind: pre-Culler and post-Culler. The former are not worth remembering in Samira's opinion, years of uncertainty and squalor while scrounging for the next bite of food or a warm place to rest her head. Her luck changed when her skillful pick-pocketing and nimble escape drew the attention of a Culler, who introduced her to the family and brought her into the fold. This provided a sense of security previously lacking in her young life. Grateful for these newfound connections, she was eager to put her skills to use for the family however she was able. Once she had the protection of the Cullers, Samira was able to focus more time on her natural artistic talents, her idle habit of sketching on scraps of paper soon growing into not just a passing hobby, but an obsession.
  ot just a passing hobby, but an obsession.)

• Agric Leary  + (Like most of the Leary family, Agric spent …
  Like most of the Leary family, Agric spent many of his years in Leaholdt under the vast tutelage of the many scribes and scholars, even at an early age. This paired with strict parents who drilled into him the need for the methodical progression of your intentions, leads to the sort of well-mannered young man who garners the support of many Elder Learies. Let it not be said that his studies failed to grant him expertise either. When Agric came of age, he quickly left his studies at the Leaholdt Academy, only to move up in the world and find a position on their staff. For three years, Agric lingered on the staff of the Leaholdt Academy, learning administration and governance carefully. He focused on the areas of law in order to better assist his family in their dealings, but these were not his passions. Not exactly, even if he did put a proper amount of effort into it as was expected. In reality, what truly grasped his heart was the arts. All of them. Every. Last. Single. One. Agric has a deep love of painting, drawing, and any other number of mediums. He throws himself into learning their intricacies with a passion he doesn't really show anything else.
  sion he doesn't really show anything else.)
• Sapphira Whitehawk  + (Like most of the first generation of White …
  Like most of the first generation of Whitehawks, Sapphira was born into the wealthy Mercier family of the Crownlands. She grew up with her three siblings in Clemenstone Vale, and had a comparatively blissful and sheltered childhood. Sapphira was often the peacemaker between her more rambunctious siblings and developed a penchant for cheering people up, particularly her shy older sister and broody younger brother. She was her grandfather's favorite, and for her tenth birthday she was gifted an old collection of music and stories he had gathered throughout his travels. The young girl was inspired by what she read, and began to translate the world around her into story and song. While she brought happiness to others, playing music brought happiness to her. When she was sixteen, with the assistance of her family's social connections, Sapphira secured a spot as the protege of a famous musician - who was consequently also the seraph of Old Oak. There she grew familiar with the northern Crownlands and quickly became a virtuosa specializing in stringed instruments such as the fiddle, the harp and the lute. Dancing and singing also came easily to her. Soon, Sapphira began to be hired to perform at many social functions - balls, festivals, weddings. She made many friends, and even more admirers, and made plenty of contributions to the the songs and stories of the Devotions of Limerance. When she heard of her cousin Silas being ennobled, and her sister deciding to join House Whitehawk, Sapphira was at a personal crossroad. She felt she could do more with her gifts in the quickly changing world, but she wasn't quite sure how, even as a Devotee. Non-stop concerts and parties could only do so much, however, and Sapphira made the decision to join her family in hope of finding an answer to this question. If not there, perhaps the Faith had the answer...
  there, perhaps the Faith had the answer...)
• Sapphira Sanna  + (Like most of the first generation of White …
  Like most of the first generation of Whitehawks, Sapphira was born into the wealthy Mercier family of the Crownlands. She grew up with her three siblings in Clemenstone Vale, and had a comparatively blissful and sheltered childhood. Sapphira was often the peacemaker between her more rambunctious siblings and developed a penchant for cheering people up, particularly her shy older sister and broody younger brother. She was her grandfather's favorite, and for her tenth birthday she was gifted an old collection of music and stories he had gathered throughout his travels. The young girl was inspired by what she read, and began to translate the world around her into story and song. While she brought happiness to others, playing music brought happiness to her. When she was sixteen, with the assistance of her family's social connections, Sapphira secured a spot as the protege of a famous musician - who was consequently also the seraph of Old Oak. There she grew familiar with the northern Crownlands and quickly became a virtuosa specializing in stringed instruments such as the fiddle, the harp and the lute. Dancing and singing also came easily to her. Soon, Sapphira began to be hired to perform at many social functions - balls, festivals, weddings. She made many friends, and even more admirers, and made plenty of contributions to the the songs and stories of the Devotions of Limerance. When she heard of her cousin Silas being ennobled, and her sister deciding to join House Whitehawk, Sapphira was at a personal crossroad. She felt she could do more with her gifts in the quickly changing world, but she wasn't quite sure how, even as a Devotee. Non-stop concerts and parties could only do so much, however, and Sapphira made the decision to join her family in hope of finding an answer to this question. If not there, perhaps the Faith had the answer...
  there, perhaps the Faith had the answer...)
• Ashkyr Elensar  + (Likely an unknown man from Southport save …
  Likely an unknown man from Southport save for those knowledgeable in seafaring, Ashkyr was the younger brother of Aerandir, and his second in command aboard the Lusty Mermaid - a naval vessel under House Grayson that frequented many harbors throughout its decades of service. Rumor has it after a colossal failure by the brothers, the Lusty Mermaid was sank during a voyage through Darkwater Reach, along with the civilian ship it was escorting. Both crews were lost in the slaughter, the only survivors being the familial pair. Despite the failure, historic service by their family saw their lives spared, although their careers ended. He now roams the lands as a Crownsworn, much like his brother, and works tirelessly to not only find his way in this world, but restore his family's name.
  this world, but restore his family's name.)
• Lili Bisland  + (Lili is an unlanded noble of the Bisland f …
  Lili is an unlanded noble of the Bisland family and was raised in Pridehall with her big sister Sarielle. Their family raised them to be able to handle a title, should either of the girls have to take one for one reason or another, but while her big sister was mainly raised to create family connections when and where needed, Lili was reminded to do that as well, however she was also trained in the more classical things which she adores. Being sent to Arx, with her big sister, made it so she could do what her family wanted and expand her ability to do what she wanted.
  expand her ability to do what she wanted.)
• Liliana Harthall  + (Liliana Harthall was born and raised out o …
  Liliana Harthall was born and raised out on the islands near Fair Harbour. She had a happy and fulfilling childhood, filled with all the things a girl born into nobility could want for until one fateful day when she was violence and tragedy reared their ugly heads. Lili is the sole survivor of an attack at her homestead. She doesn't talk much about it, but it's known that the buildings were razed, the fields salted, and the girl with no home somehow managed to scrape together enough to travel to Arx and start her life anew among her cousins at Harthall.
  r life anew among her cousins at Harthall.)
• Lilith Melaeris  + (Lilith's early childhood was spent navigat …
  Lilith's early childhood was spent navigating Maelstrom, watching the thralls work and rebelliously hiding from her teachers and nannies. Soon after the Tyde Rebellion started, she was eleven years old and sent far away to Sanctum to ward with House Valardin. She was a special child, intelligent and curious but not one for rules. When her Oathland tutors and foster parents relaxed their reins on the girl she began to flourish and make friends. Around the White City it wasn't uncommon to hear her name yelled after her as she dashed away from her guards.{/{/News of the war was mostly kept from the girl and when she was sent back to Maelstrom at the end of the Tyde Rebellion she was 14 years old. She watched as her grandfather, Donrai Thrax, executed the rebels, including both of her parents, her aunt and her uncle. As an observant child, she learned an important lesson that day on the serious nature of the world around her. Her innocence and naivete died as she realized that loyalty and obedience were matters of life and death sometimes.{/{/As someone with the natural aptitude for capturing the attention of others she learned the urbane ways of a courtier, learning to advise her kin. She supported many a Thrax prince in their goals, fiercely attacking the hurdles to realizing them. Her ties to House Valardin also allowed her ample opportunity to travel to Sanctum and Arx on diplomatic missions. On one such mission she nearly witnessed the Tragedy at Sanctum when the high lord and his heirs were murdered by shavs. Shaken by this she returned to Maelstrom, the joy in her life diminished once more by death.{/{/Shortly after this and while on a diplomatic mission to Astarrea, she met Marquis Raviv Melaeris. House Melaeris having a rocky relationship with House Thrax, had only narrowly avoided destruction during the Tyde Rebellion. After several diplomatic missions to the island, Lilith and Raviv married and she became his marquessa consort, beginning to heal the strained relationship the march has with their liege's liege.{/{/Raviv's sister, Verasha, upon returning finally from her long voyage met Lilith, her new sister-in-law. They became close friends which was fortunate since the marquis later tragically died during the Pirate War. With her husband dead and her having not produced for him heirs, Lilith became a widow lady-in-waiting for the newly envassaled Marquessa Vera, opting not to return to House Thrax. After some time of mourning she travelled from Astarrea to Arx to see to attending to her new liege.
  Arx to see to attending to her new liege.)
• Lilyth Ulbran  + (Lilyth does not talk much about her past. …
  Lilyth does not talk much about her past. But, what has become known is that she used to live in Setarco. She used to do business there, trading goods between Setarco, Arx, and other destination. Her business did not become very popular, but it sustained her needs. However, a series of very unfortunate events unfolded which left her without business. Many of her fellow business partners were run out of the city as a new group of merchants took over. Such is the way of business. So, now she has found her way back to Arx to begin anew. Her beginnings with the Ulbrans are not well known. Some say she is blood, but is just distant family. Some say she was adopted. Lilyth will just reply, "Does it matter?" Family does not work the same in the Boroughs as it does with the Silks. In spite of this, she aims to work hard to rebuild and gain new business.
  ork hard to rebuild and gain new business.)
• Ashlinn Speare  + (Lin Farmer was born in a smaller-than-smal …
  Lin Farmer was born in a smaller-than-small village in the middle of nowhere in the Telmarch called Rivlet. So named because it was close to a river and that's what one can expect out a village where the thatcher is named Thatcher, the tailor is named Tailor and, of course, the farmer is named Farmer. Her mother Lin was a hardy woman and her father Hamish was a hardy man and neither of them were interested in life beyond the till and the harvest. Neither were bad people and the life wasn't terrible, but neither cared much about the world beyond Rivlet and while they might enjoy a night of drinking and music at the local inn (run by Robett Innman) but once they were back home the stories the passing bard or troubador may have shared didn't stick with them. Tales of the great heroes, of Dame Sugan and Prince Cerdic, Queen Alarice and Sir Lionel, may have made for an evening's distraction, but for her parents the doings of heroes were things that happened long ago and far away and the fall planting was something that needed to be done now. They appreciated that their daughter had a head for adventure and stories, but there was a job that couldn't be shirked. Still, when she could get away she would do so, running through the woods and pretending she was a knight, swinging a stick and playing at war and heroism. She had friends in the other village children, though as they all aged Dacey Smith was called by her father to the forge and Llew Hunter was called by his mother to the bow. Eventually it was just her, resisting the call to the field. When she was sixteen years old her mother was killed during a shav raid. Her father grieved, but grief can only get one so far when the village will expect your grains to get them through the winter and you will need their beer and meat in return to get you through winter, so after a day Hamish was back to work. The event was enough to set Lin on the path she would follow for the rest of her life. Perhaps she could have fought off the shavs if she were more than she is? Perhaps they all would have been safe had they left this backwater town for a place with tall walls and burly guards? No matter the case, Lin had had enough of being a farmer and one night, without so much as a goodbye to her father, she left Rivlet and ran. Running took her to the river, which took her to Riva, a bigger city than anything she'd ever seen in her life, and from there to Sanctum. If Riva was a shock, Sanctum redefined her concept of the world. In Sanctum she joined the city guard for a time, learning to fight from the best they had to offer and in turn helping to keep the order. Still, as much as life in the city had amazed her, she yearned for more. She rode with the Knights of Solace for a time as an assistant and prospective disciple, but ended up leaving them to join a band of mercenary adventurers out of Arx. With them she saw Arvum, fighting shavs in the North and pirates in the South, protecting villages in the Isles and never quite making it back home. It was somewhere in this period that she let the name Lin Farmer die in favor of something that more suited a dashing adventurer and became Ashlinn Speare, embracing her favored weapon (though she still used a sword when she HAD to) and giving her birth name a little more heroic flair. Ashlinn was in Arx when the Bringers marched on the city. Her company was one of those that joined the Iron Guard and, now a lieutenant in the company, led sorties against the shavs, but there was no stopping them. During the siege she was among those trying to hold the wall in the Thrax ward, trying to live up to her heroic ideals and putting herself between the enemy and fleeing citizens. During a particularly rough engagement, her people having fallen, she found herself fighting side by side with a half-dozen Silver Swords. When that battle was done she'd earned the notice of one of the knights who found herself impressed enough by the Oathlander's skill, determination and dedication to honor, heroics and common damn sense that she decided to keep an eye on the girl. When the siege was broken and Brand killed the knight of the Hundred, or rather the Lord Commander of the King's Own, offered her knighthood and a place in the Silver Swords. This was her dream realized and Ashlinn did not hesitate to accept. It has been going on a decade since and Dame Ashlinn has time and again acquitted herself with valor, her service to the Crown seeing her fighting in Setarco against the Pirate King as the city was evacuated and standing with her fellows against yet another shav army (and other things) when the Gray Forest was threatened by the chieftain called the Horned God. Her greatest honor, and greatest pride, in life comes from her service to the King and his silver swords. That her father recently showed up in the city and is suddenly not only a godsworn but an archlector is a strange wrinkle, sure, but duty comes first.
  range wrinkle, sure, but duty comes first.)
• Linus Ashford  + (Linus was born of House Lyonesse in a dist …
  Linus was born of House Lyonesse in a distant branch to the ruling family. While his cousins studied and trained to wield weaponry, he preferred a different path and found himself to be rather adept at it. Having studied war, agriculture and a myriad of other topics, Linus found himself falling in love with the world of history and ancient places. Parsing out legend from fact, finding the nuggets in each to discover places long forgotten quickly turned an interest into passion and a passion into an obsession. Recently married into House Ashford as a political union, the adjustment has been a simple one, aside from a physical move to the capital. Still concerned with his books, the lure of Arx's history is tugging at the corners of his mind.
  ory is tugging at the corners of his mind.)
• Lise Seliki  + (Lise doesn't remember a time when she was …
  Lise doesn't remember a time when she was completely safe. Her village was lost to thralldom when she was a young child, her parents sending her off with a traveling shaman in hopes she would escape the same fate. She grew up bouncing from village to village, constantly dodging the dangers of the road, the constant conflict with the Pantheon, the threat of thralldom. As a traveling healer and priest, Lise became familiar with the many ways death visits Arx. Every turn toward safety has quickly dissolved from Lise's fingers. She's never been settled in a place for more than a few months, and each time it has ended in tragedy of one sort of another. She's used to things turning bad, quickly and irrevocably. But Lise is a talented priestess, well versed in the names of the spirits. She's a healer and apothecary of great skill.
  's a healer and apothecary of great skill.)
• Lisebet Farshaw  + (Lisebet Farshaw, youngest sister of Ryhalt …
  Lisebet Farshaw, youngest sister of Ryhalt Farshaw, Duke of Westrock Reach, was never taken very seriously, as her position in the family was never very serious. Much too far down the line to ever be a serious contender for heir to the Duchy, Lisebet's education was never taken very seriously; specifically in things like statecraft or politics or military strategies. Instead her tutors concentrated on her social niceties; her etiquette and manners; her ability to carry on a captivating conversation; her performance talents such a singing and dancing; her knowledge of the courts and the players there. Everything a young lady might need to know in order to survive as a highly successful courtier in Arvum. When she was 16 she was sent off to serve an apprenticeship at court and learned invaluable lessons. Now at 18 she's ready to embark on her next adventures.
  's ready to embark on her next adventures.)
• Lisebet Ashford  + (Lisebet Farshaw, youngest sister of Ryhalt …
  Lisebet Farshaw, youngest sister of Ryhalt Farshaw, Duke of Westrock Reach, was never taken very seriously, as her position in the family was never very serious. Much too far down the line to ever be a serious contender for heir to the Duchy, Lisebet's education was never taken very seriously; specifically in things like statecraft or politics or military strategies. Instead her tutors concentrated on her social niceties; her etiquette and manners; her ability to carry on a captivating conversation; her performance talents such a singing and dancing; her knowledge of the courts and the players there. Everything a young lady might need to know in order to survive as a highly successful courtier in Arvum. When she was 16 she was sent off to serve an apprenticeship at court and learned invaluable lessons. Now at 18 she's ready to embark on her next adventures.
  's ready to embark on her next adventures.)
• Aldwulf Unknown  + (Little is known about Aldwulf's younger da …
  Little is known about Aldwulf's younger days. He makes claims to being from nobody farmer parents whom he barely remembers, found deep within a minor barony owing allegiance to Ashford. When he was old enough to make his own decisions, he left because the farming life just wasn't for him. His first stop was the watch stations that dot the Ashford lands. Two years of that was more than enough for the man who developed wanderlust at a young age. After that, it was time to travel. A young man with very little money set out. Apparently, he picked up some classical education at some point (perhaps a mentor while he served in the watch, perhaps through an individual after his military career), because odd jobs like cartography and archeology lept out at him and he was able to do more than other typical poor hires. These were the type of things he would seek, serving as a helper or a short-lived apprentice before moving on to the next thing. It was during this time that he developed his explorer skills, whether it was unmapped lands or runes of cultures just after the Reckoning, Aldwulf was drawn to them. It's known that he wants to become famous, to discover things that others haven't and write about them. Arx has called to him as a place that perhaps he can make this happen. Other than that, it's also known that Aldwulf tends to live outside of his means. He is a regular at the inns, wearing clothing of quality that is higher than a commoner's wear, but older, perhaps even a little threadbare. He is a gambler and loves to learn new games. His time as an explorer has turned him into a bit of a risk-taker, whether with dice or deep in the woods.
  r, whether with dice or deep in the woods.)
• Shadow Unknown  + (Little is known about Shadow's history or …
  Little is known about Shadow's history or the path that brought him to civilization. The man having come down from the mountains far in the north only within the last year or so to bend knee to House Redrain. Now out of the north and the mountains and finding himself in the city the man now seeks out a path in this new world he finds himself in with its wonders and dangers.
  s himself in with its wonders and dangers.)
• Uther Frost  + (Little is known about Uther, other than th …
  Little is known about Uther, other than that he recently walked down from the mountains towards Farhaven where he swore fealty to house Redrain. Shortly after he was sent to Arx because of an incident with a superior officer, involving questioned honor and a broken jaw.
  volving questioned honor and a broken jaw.)
• Dio Seraceni  + (Little is known about the true origins of …
  Little is known about the true origins of Dio, who claims, or at least fails to deny, that his father was Count Paolo Seraceni. His name is first associated with an enrollment in the School of Steel and Silk in Setarco, where he studied under Captain Guelio Busemi in the arts of naval warfare. According to official school documents, he killed another student in a tavern brawl, and was expelled from school. He was given the choice to serve in the Setarco navy or to rot in prison. After surviving the devastating battle against the forces of the Gyre, Dio was under consideration to become an officer of the Pravus navy, but was captured by a group of Lycene pirates off the coat of Ostria. After apparently managing to murder the captain and dive overboard, he survived four months on a small island near Esterhold, before being rescued by Seraceni sailors and brought to Morisco, where Prisila greeted him as a brother, and granted him command of a ship to sail under the Seraceni banner. After meeting a woman formerly of House Blanchard while on shore in Ischia, it is said that Dio offered a mountain of silver to Count Philippe, with the promise of much more to come for the hand of Lady Imogen. The offer was accepted, and it was only shortly after that news of Prisila's passing reached Ischia, setting into motion a series of events that culminated in the newly married couple being named Marquis and Marquessa.
  couple being named Marquis and Marquessa.)
• Drusila Masque  + (Little is known about the woman called Dru …
  Little is known about the woman called Drusila, but there is a version of her story that those near the Pravus family of Setarco have come to know. Born in Luciva, Setarco's most famous pirate city, she served the local seafaring lords as a seneschal. Prized for her penchant for numbers, the young woman would not only be spared by the Pravosi forces when Luciva was finally conquered, but was approached by the Duchess Pravus herself, offered a spot in court as the personal assistant of the ruler of the Silken City. Ever since, she has been a fixture of both Luciva and Setarco, never leaving the Duchess' side. Drusila has been at the heart of the many changes recently going through the Sins and their lands, and many attribute to her some contribution for the immense wealth accrued by the House in recent years. The woman's own aims and ambitions, however, remain a mystery to most.
  itions, however, remain a mystery to most.)
• Drusila  + (Little is known about the woman called Dru …
  Little is known about the woman called Drusila, but there is a version of her story that those near the Pravus family of Setarco have come to know. Born in Luciva, Setarco's most famous pirate city, she served the local seafaring lords as a seneschal. Prized for her penchant for numbers, the young woman would not only be spared by the Pravosi forces when Luciva was finally conquered, but was approached by the Duchess Pravus herself, offered a spot in court as the personal assistant of the ruler of the Silken City. Ever since, she has been a fixture of both Luciva and Setarco, never leaving the Duchess' side. Drusila has been at the heart of the many changes recently going through the Sins and their lands, and many attribute to her some contribution for the immense wealth accrued by the House in recent years. The woman's own aims and ambitions, however, remain a mystery to most.
  itions, however, remain a mystery to most.)
• Drusila Pravi  + (Little is known about the woman called Dru …
  Little is known about the woman called Drusila, but there is a version of her story that those near the Pravus family of Setarco have come to know. Born in Luciva, Setarco's most famous pirate city, she served the local seafaring lords as a seneschal. Prized for her penchant for numbers, the young woman would not only be spared by the Pravosi forces when Luciva was finally conquered, but was approached by the Duchess Pravus herself, offered a spot in court as the personal assistant of the ruler of the Silken City. Ever since, she has been a fixture of both Luciva and Setarco, never leaving the Duchess' side. Drusila has been at the heart of the many changes recently going through the Sins and their lands, and many attribute to her some contribution for the immense wealth accrued by the House in recent years. The woman's own aims and ambitions, however, remain a mystery to most.
  itions, however, remain a mystery to most.)
• Blush Prismatics  + (Little is known about this man's origins. …
  Little is known about this man's origins. When did he arrive in Arx? How did he come to have pink hair? How can one man look so good in so many colors? He's much more interested in talking about the lives of others than his own, but pieces and scraps from rumors and whispers suggest he's the hero of some small village somewhere in Arvum for reasons uncertain. What is certain is that he holds a special love for the freedom of choice, liberation, and Skald.
  freedom of choice, liberation, and Skald.)
• Arian Brand  + (Little is known of Arian's origins. As far …
  Little is known of Arian's origins. As far as anyone knows, the formidable young man has forsaken the path of his family and refused a life of serfdom. Although of common blood, swirling dreams, radiant energy and aristocratic ambition emanant with his every move. Abandoning menial work in the Crownlands, Arian came to Arx to seek his fortune and roll the dice of life. While familiar with a plough and scythe, his apparent skill with a blade interests some and makes others wary.
  lade interests some and makes others wary.)
• Kyda Barron  + (Little is known of Dame Kyda Barron's orig …
  Little is known of Dame Kyda Barron's origins. When she showed up in Arx clad in the ancient Templar armor, there were none to vouch for her, none to say they know of her family, none who can speak of her history. She speaks of battles long since relegated to history as if she were there.
  relegated to history as if she were there.)
• Elise Whisper  + (Little is known of Elise's past, likely due to the fact that she never speaks about it.)
• Varkka Unknown  + (Little is known of Varkka's distant past, …
  Little is known of Varkka's distant past, but rumors abound in the shadier parts of town. Some believe she was a prisoner of war who was captured and tortured on foreign shores, while others purport she was mistaken for a dangerous criminal and punished by the crown for her wrongdoing, only for the real culprit to be caught just before her execution (but right after the torture). Still others believe she is an exile from foreign shores, her body broken by her own fellows before being cast out from her own lands. In truth, all that is known about the enigmatic sellsword is that she's ruthless, she's unpredictable, and she's willing to take on any job if the price is right.
  to take on any job if the price is right.)