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Aiden Rubino-zaffria +	Born the middle child of Prince Rodric Grayson and the Lady Daniela Bisland, Aiden Grayson was raised alongside siblings Ainsley and Ailys in Bastion. From the start Aiden was a quiet child and often considered the 'odd duck' by the others, adult and child alike. Friendship wasn't easy for a child who would barely manage to speak a word under pressure; a problem which often escalated into him becoming a target to be pushed around.  +
Ailith Ethere +	For those of humble birth among the many vassals of House Valardin, the dream of being one of their gallant knights may forever be out of reach. But Ailith as a commoner sought martial training regardless, accepting she might raise no higher than a simple footsoldier among the house guards of the tiny barony of her birth if that was the price she might pay for a chance to strike at the evil foes that threaten home and hearth. She feels it was the will of the gods to spare her from a boring backwater, however, when her barony found itself on the front against an Abandoned warband, a shockingly large makeshift army of several barbaric clans who sought to raid and plunder the weaker borders of House Valardin's holdings. Ailith still remembers the looks of terror on her fellow soldiers faces on the eve before battle, and the disappointment she felt when she realized the seraph assigned to her barony was a terrified old priest who never expected to speak on the eve of a battle. The young woman still recalls being able to all but smell the fear from her fellow soldiers, sapping their resolve, and then something like a whisper to her... something only she could hear, that spoke words of iron and triumph. Ailith, the youngest soldier and lowest of the guards out of the hundreds, addressed her unit. She spoke movingly of faith, of duty, of honor, and what it meant to be a child of the gods and a servant of Gloria. She remembers the fear melting away from her fellow soldiers, the growing cheers as those men and women found their courage and their resolve, and of the fervor that gripped them all as they then faced the screaming hordes of the Abandoned the following day and smashed the enemy host while greatly outnumbered. A lone knight of solace who had been at the battle declared it no less than a miracle, and all but demanded that Ailith be sent to Arx to meet with the Faith and consider joining one of the militant orders serving the gods. Though she was expecting to become a soldier serving with the Knights of the Temple, a meeting with the Dominus himself convinced the young woman otherwise. The earthly voice of the gods spoke movingly of the importance of priestesses that can inspire and remind the faithful of what the gods require of them and to not break when the time comes for their tests of faith. He convinced her that one who can speak with divinely inspired words can do more good in the halls of power than a thousand steadfast soldiers, and assigned her as the personal priestess to the royal family: the palace seraph. Ailith is not entirely comfortable with a role that keeps her from the fighting, but she nonetheless recognizes its importance. How few commoners get the chance to talk to kings, and counsel them on what their faith asks of them? As the palace seraph, it is precisely her task, and she can do no less if that is the path the gods have set before her.  +
Ailys Grayson +	Princess Ailys Grayson, daughter of Prince Rodric Grayson and Lady Daniela Bisland, was born with all the patience and composure that her oldest brother, Ainsley, would prove to lack. Those present for the event later joked that she came out of the womb with more poise and grace than even the most veteran of diplomats. So, of course, it is to everyone's dismay that she refused to become a politician, instead applying those gifts to perfecting her bedside manner in the field of medicine. She knew early on that she would need to learn how to mend flesh and bone; after all, her siblings were always getting hurt in their training. Providing assistance in those moments came naturally. She instinctively tended to cuts and scrapes. It started with Ainsley but soon encompassed all of the children that trained under her uncle, Duke Gabriel Bisland, as well. By the age of ten, she was watching a sparring match between two hot-headed young men, no adults in sight, that ended with one of the boys getting a particularly bad knock to the head! Ailys calmly took control of the situation, seeing to the injured party before getting her uncle's physician involved. Said physician was so impressed by her handling of the mishap that they took her on as an apprentice. From that day on, she received expert instruction in the healing arts. By the time she reached the age of majority, she was deemed competent enough to act unsupervised. Ailys garnered an impressive reputation as both a trusted healer and a much beloved Grayson princess, devoted to both roles with humility and the utmost decorum. That is why it came as such a shock to the people of the Crownlands, in the shadow of the Sack of Bastion, she set aside all titles and noble privileges to live as a commoner. 'Such a sensitive soul,' the scholars wrote, cherishing her all the more for it.  +
Aindre Grayson +	Aindre Grayson was a bold and capable soul from his youngest years, always a strong-willed handful and into everything. His parents and teachers realized early on that his liveliness of spirit would need to be channeled into something productive. The sword was a natural fit and he was allowed to pursue it so long as he gave an equal amount of dedication to his lessons in strong leadership, sound diplomacy and whatever else his parents thought to be the hallmarks of a great political figure. This left him with the well-rounded education a prince should have, but anyone could see that while it was duty which drove him to learn the importance of maneuvering through the political machinations of the realm, his training in arms was where his passion was allowed to blossom. Between the excessive number of exceptionally talented members belonging to both halves of his Grayson and Bisland lineage, Aindre was never at a loss for older role models nor was he ever lacking in extraordinary cousins to test himself against in matters of the sword or the silver tongue. A veteran of two wars - the Silence and the Gyre - it was only a matter of time before his duties carried him to Arx on a more long-term basis in the Spring of 1012 AR at a point when tensions were high, the last of his siblings to do so. How his story unfolds from there is anyone's guess, but Aindre Grayson cut his teeth on tales of his family's storied history and the words of his House might as well be etched into his soul, so many in Bastion expect even greater things from him. No pressure, right?  +
Aine Halfshav +	Adelie Pravus, second wife of Ahern Halfshav, was unhappy in Whitehold from the moment she arrived following her marriage to the widowed lord. Khanne and Arik were never really hers and this world was cold and miserable. It was likely that there would have been a divorce, but then Aine arrived in a screaming bundle on one rare, gloriously warm day in the far north reaches. And Adelie had something of her own, which Aine was raised to be. She was not raised with or like her half-siblings, allowed to form their own paths in the wilds, especially after Ahern's death. She was raised as a Southern lady, her mother's own little audience just as trapped as Adelie felt but in a different way. The call of her Northern blood was a thing to be ignored as she studied and worked on her wits and charm. It's only as Khanne rises that Aine has found an escape. She has been allowed to come to Arx, to see the city for the first time, and notable without her mother in attendance. There's hardly a party, or event in the bustling capital that Aine isn't attending. If she wants to make it somewhere in this world, she knows that she's going to make the right connections. Sister of a Duchess is not all that she wishes to be.  +
Ainsley Grayson +	Born to Daniela Bisland and Rodric Grayson, Ainsley Grayson is a distant cousin of the Crown Prince. His parents tried to groom him for politics and the spotlight. Wanting him to shine like a star. They had many a plan for him. He created for none of them. As a boy he was far more interested in being outside in the training yard. As he grew he found it far too exhausting to deal with politics. Don't say this, don't do that. Pretend you like that person, don't talk to that person even though you like them. Why can't he just tell people whether or not they are annoying him? Why does he need to act a certain way? His parents saw it as a rebellion when he pursued a career in the Iron Guard. He saw it as a way to still do the Grayson name proud, without spending all that time exhausting himself trying to weave political webs. He'd rather just be himself. So he has thrown himself into the Iron Guard. He wants to do the Grayson motto justice: 'None greater than Grayson'. He wants to the best knight in the Iron Guard. His parents eventually found peace with his choice in life, and have stopped putting as much pressure on him to be some political maestro. He was, aside from his parents expectations, quite spoilt as a child. He spent time as a child with his Bisland cousins but his Grayson ones as well. Though most of those connections have not been very strong. Connecting with his family is something he looks forward to in the future.  +
Aisha Inverno +	Aisha was one of several siblings and a member of the Inverno family. She was expected to uphold the traditions of her family as well as be a proper woman of the Velenosa fealty. Duty was hammered into Aisha since birth. This sense of duty never escaped her even as it became clear as she grew that she was a person who got lost in her own thoughts far too much. However, she never failed to take up her duties. One is not noble, according to Aisha, and forgets their duties towards their family, their fealty, and their Gods. That is the way of things. At one point in her life Aisha realized she, like many of her family seemed to be inclined, wished to become a Mirrormask. She realized her more notable personality traits were at odds with each other, just as a reflection typical is.  +
Aislin Ashford +	As a girl, Aislin demanded tales of adventure in which the pretty princess was the heroine and the dashing prince was the plucky sidekick, and side by side the two of them would take on the world, seeing the sights and mapping the secrets of Arvum. As a woman, Aislin isn't wasting her time waiting for the dashing prince to accompany her on her adventures, and instead of having tales recounted at her bedside, she is living her dream. An explorer with impressive locales under her belt, Aislin is her own hero. She's blazed mountain trails and mapped coastlines, categorized artifacts and delivered manuscripts to the Scholars of Vellichor, though her fierce independence has thus far kept her from outright joining their order. She does spend quite a bit of time in Arx however, seeking out like-minded scholars and explorers to exchange stories and obscure bits of lore, and sometimes to team up with those self-same people for further adventuring.  +
Ajax Tyde +	"Let the silver fall, boy!" The echoes of Ajax's father still crawling through his skull. He was a surprisingly happy child before the fall of Tyde under the strict tutelage of his father and mother both well respected if not ruthless merchants of the realm which led to an unfortunate bit of scrutiny on the otherwise happy go lucky child. As he aged into the world properly he never found himself taken with further education provided by his parents and as he simply seemed to lack the patience required to be a merchant. In his teenage years, he spent time away from his mother and father to learn the art of sword play from a distant uncle. Learning chivalry, and the art of the sword spoon fed the tales of war and adventure against the elves. Ajax was being prepared for service to a knight when Tyde had fallen. When the news had reached the land he had disappeared only being spoken of in rare passing. During the start of Ajax adulthood he would be found amongst the Redwood mercenary company, often guarding the roads, fighting in small skirmishes for coin. Eventually, parting to earn his own way in the world. While those who encounter him claim he cares for little for status, he seems content in his own dreams in hording a large stockpile of coin  +
Akamos Cyrto'ani +	Most of the Abandoned that can be found in the islands of the Cyrto Arch to the far South West of the Lyceum Sea are part of a clan known as a Pol, lead by a Polmarkh. They vary in nature with some living in scattered towns and villages with others preferring to live behind the protection given by the walls of their fortified towns. Akamos was born and raised amongst the Pol of the Mountain, on Cyrto Major, the largest isle in the Cyrto Archipelago. Rare amongst the Pols of the Cyrto Arch, that of the Mountain had a strong shamanistic tradition, one that Akamos never truly felt satisfied him. As a child he enjoyed the life that he had, helping his father with the fishing and enjoying the praise from his parents when he performed his chores to their satisfaction. When he was twelve his life was changed drastically when his parents were both killed in a raid orchestrated by another Cyrto Arch faction, the Pol of the Reef, a particularly aggressive and warlike Pol. He was then taken in as a ward of Arkhos Arminius, the second to Polmarkh Kassandra and war leader of the Pol of the Mountain. His day to life changed completely as he was more or less in service to Arkhos at that point, the veteran war leader training the boy hard in the ways of combat. However hard he may try in his training and tasks, Akamos never got any praise from Arkhos and it was only the occasional positive words from his cousin Kia that gave him any sense of self worth. Then the Malvici lead expedition came to Cyrto Major in friendship to the Pol of the Mountain. They defeated the rival Pol of the Great Bay and established House Magnotta, Akamos got to see other types of warriors and fighting and vowed to emulate and impress them and over the following years he became a rising name amongst his people and the settlers from the mainland. A short while ago however he was responsible for defending a group of travellers out of Caer Morien from a savage attack by the Pol of the Reef. Akamos was at the forefront of the battle and was cited as being responsible for routing the attackers. Word of his feat spread until it reached the ear of the new Count Domonico Magnotta, who then summoned him to offer this warrior the position of Sword of Caer Morien.  +
Akio Nagamine +	By thirty-five, Akio should have been someone. He should have married for the honor of his house or to stir his own ambitions and climb the social ladder. He should have been among the ranks of the Children, running across the rooftops of the capital city. By thirty-five, Akio's name should be known to more than just his family and friends, but to his father's disappointment it was not. Akio seemed to have none of the same ambitions that had driven his family the ranks of middle nobility in the Undying Empire. This was not to say that Akio had done nothing with his life. He had spent it as a scholar, chasing a discovery that might one day put his name on the tongues of important people. The problem he found was that most of the important discoveries in the Empire had already...well, been discovered. At least that was his excuse. The beaurocracy made sure everything was well documented. The scribes of Vellichor picked up what slack was left. If you wanted to know something, you just went to the library. Then came Arvum. Then came Copper's death and the year of mourning, and everything for Akio changed. Suddenly he had a chance to docment what the Empire did not have. Suddenly he had a chance to study what Platinum did not already know. And maybe if he could return home with the results of the Platinum Shift documented, then he could find a reward worthy of his father's praise. And so he was sent with Xia, Jian, and Nyima as part of the delegation to Arx. Now he serves as Chronicler and Accountant while working his private research.  +
Aksel Nygard +	Aksel hails from a commoner family Nygard that has been loyal to the Nightgolds for as long as anyone can remember. Like the clan of enterprising shavs so many generations ago, they too bent the knee to Arx and its rulers. The Nygard clan ended up being small, but proud family of miners, which they had done for generations before being brought into the fold of Nightgold. Good work, hard work, but fulfilling work. They worked the mines, were paid decently for their services and really couldn't be asked for much else. They were neither popular or disliked, the Nygards were seem more as a staple and anchor in Stonedeep. So long as a Nygard worked the mines, all would be well. Aksel, in the beginning, barely entering his teen, joined in the family work, taking up the pickaxe like his father, brothers, and ancestors before. In his clan, it was something as priviledge, grateful to the mountain that allowed them to take their bounty from it. Aksel's life took a turn for the different, the day a tribe of shavs, still unwilling to bend knee and finding the hold of Stonedeep and affront to their way of life, attacked one of the mines worked by the Nightgold. Aksel's father older brothers were there that day, and were killed in the resulting cave-in that ensued, created by the attacking shavs. For all his life, Aksel had intended on just being another miner, an everyman, a common man, and was content with this. But now being the eldest of the family and burning with anger at the family taken from him, he enlisted in the duchy's armies to serve his cause and get his revenge after the tribe led to the collapse of a mine tunnel, entombing his father and eldestborn brothers with in it. Come to his surprise, his more than anyone else's, he had a knack for combat. It came naturally to him as it did taking a pickaxe to ore. And this talent was picked out by the Nightgolds, one of their elder soldiers having an eye for raw, but bursting talent when she sees it. She took young Aksel under her wing, having him train alongside Nadia and her elder brother Dustin. A rather odd thing to do, which made Aksel nervous to no end, not thinking he should be anywhere near them, but oddly enough, the three of them formed a bond and fast friendship between them. And so the training and fighting continued, Aksel, somehow making a name for himself as one of the better soldiers in Stonedeep, a point of contention the man always denies, having no want or need for songs sung or ballads told about him. Which really, only endeared him more to common folk of Stonedeep, being his humility and the simple statement that he was only doing his job. It was, and still is, something he hasn't gotten used to, being the center of attention. He's more happy to stand in the background and let the nobles have their fun. His likes are simple ones, such as his hobby of carving jewerly from soapstone. Years and personal accolades later, Duke Neddim Nightgold goes on one of his "famous walks" that he was known to do and never comes back. Weeks pass, and after enough fretting and worrying, Dustin and a number of other Nightgold family members and soldiers go after him in search and end up missing as well. Some time later, a sack is sent to doors of Stonedeep. Inside the bag is nothing more than a number of severed, frostbitten and bloated hands back with rosegold signet rings. None of them were the duchal ring, which meant there was chance Duke Nightgold still lived, resulting in Princess Nadia to send a war party out for blood and take revenge. She appointed Aksel, her friend, to led that war party, though word is he requested to lead it because of his friendship with Dustin. The shavs, and it was shavs who committed the act, were killed to the man, Aksel as the one who killed their chieftan in single combat, leaving the latter dead and former with a scar on his face for his efforts. It was to be this story that would be told for some time. Rescuing the Duke Nightgold and avenging the losses of the house, Princess Nadia named Aksel Sword of Stonedeep as a title, and giving him the relic weapon which represented that house. And yes, to this day, Aksel still downplays his involvement. He's just a soldier, even if these days Nadia keeps dragging him along in whatever she happens to get wrapped up in.  +
Alantir Valardin +	How Alantir survived the Tragedy at Sanctum remains to this day a mystery. He has the scars to show for it, of course -- the raised and discolored tissue marring the majority of his bare chest and back. But the memories, beyond crawling from beneath a pile of corpses and burning debris? Hidden behind an impenetrable veil that obfuscates even his unconscious mind from uncovering the truth beneath. He talks about the event rarely, opting instead to busy himself with tasks entrusted to him on behalf of his family and its dignitaries. Outside of this blemish on an otherwise perfect record, he is very much the honor-bound and chivalrous knight one would expect to find bearing the crest of the White Dragon -- though perhaps with a negative predisposition toward the shav'arvani due to the great pain the Abandoned inflicted upon the Valardin psyche.  +
Alaric Grayson +	When his father, King Alaric III was lost at sea during the Tyde Rebellion, King Alaric IV was just a boy- a boy who greatly resented the regency of Duke Gabriel Bisland, a duke who had no intention of attempting to shielding the young boy from the harsh realities of rule, but wound up alienating his ward. After Alaric IV's majority when he came of age at 18, he dismissed Gabriel as regent, ruling as a well liked but intensely frivolous king, who had little interest in the advice of sober ministers and listened to corrupt flatterers- ultimately resulting in the King's Rest, when his tragic trip to the Night Grove resulted in the death of his entire royal retine, and his coma for three years. Finally freed from his illness, the King of the Compact is determined to make right for the sins of the past and prove himself a true king, leading with strength and wisdom as he rules over a hard won peace. A peace that almost certainly will not last.  +
Alarie Harall +	"I can barely remember the Saffron Chain. I was but a small child when my family came to the city. My father was a merchant, patriarch of the family. He sought to bring his business here to make a name for himself and the family. Unfortunately, he never quite made it as big as he had dreamed. We really cannot complain though, we have shelter and food. We do not go without our needs. Though,he had always dreamed of more. Mother had a talent with cooking and she always seemed to enjoy providing for the family. She always did father's biding with a smile on her face. Many men envied him for the wife he had. However, she took ill and died when I was twelve. Since then, father was not the same. He drank. He lost interest in the business. The family began to suffer for it. One thing I learned from mother was how to sew. I am actually quite good at it. The actors and actresses come to me for their costumes when putting on their plays. People around the city seek me out to make new garments for them. I have used this to help build the family back up. It all goes back to the family.  +
Alarissa Thrax +	No matter how adept Princess Alarissa manages to be at getting her way, it always seems like the world conspires to ruin her victories. Ever since she was very young, the ambitious young woman felt she was destined for glory. She was born too distant from the crown to rule Grayson by inheritance, of course, but she had almost neatly circumvented that nuisance of birth by showing Alaric IV just how obviously lovely and charming she was, and had juuuuuust about gotten a betrothal when frustratingly wiser heads snatched him away and gotten the distantly related dolt to agree to marry a Thraxian instead. Yes, yes, putting an end to centuries of unrest and blood is simply wonderful for those worried about that sort of thing, but Alarissa would have been a marvelous Queen for a pure Grayson match. Instead, Alarissa was forced to pivot from being the perfect potential match for King Alaric into being the perfect potential match for some high-lord to be or other. So she arranged to 'accidentally' meet Prince Vance Valardin, the disturbingly pious and stalwart son of the Prince of Sanctum and future ruler of the Oathlands, and she had to awe him with her numerous virtues, foremost that she looked absolutely stunning in white. It wasn't too long before she was betrothed, and not much longer until she was married and finally in a position to be the wife of the future Prince of Sanctum, and then all her plans needed to be thrown into ruin once more. Her husband (along with most of his family) were killed at the Tragedy at Sanctum, leaving Alarissa an extremely young window without issue among her new family in House Valardin. While she appreciates that he died heroically protecting his extremely gorgeous and charming young wife, she would have much rather he heroically barred the door until help arrived rather than leaving her alone to consider her next move. It is most irritating. That next move would take nearly five years. But good things come to those who wait and the Usurper of Maelstrom reached out with an offer. A political marriage. They were in need of her Grayson blood and Valardin connections. The hindrance was the status as enemies, both houses. But! She had a solution to that. Why wouldn't she? Nothing was going to get in her way. Oathlanders keep their promises after all and Alarissa had no qualms about leveraging a promise made by the Prince of Sanctum. It was a pairing that brought no small amount of shock and in a circuitous fashion Thrax and Grayson back again. A quiet marriage of just Godsworn and themselves, knee deep in water and the deed was done. The mainlander bride of the High Lord of Thrax. Whether this would last, who knew. She had adaptability going for her. A Grayson flower in the tidal pools of Thrax. Time would tell. And it has thus far. At his side and working hand in hand, Thrax has begun to really prosper. The Gyre dispensed with, Thralldom reformations in place - attributed to her despite that in truth it's Victus but that's perfectly fine with her. A truce between Valardin and Thrax that has settled in, a renewed strong alliance between the Lycene and Mourning Isles. There is little that has failed to be accomplished when Alarissa has put her mind to it. Heirs provided, including the future first High Lady of Thrax, everything seems to be going well on the outside and the marriage going strong. But she's still young in that marriage, in helping rule and her status as one of the most talked about women in the city and the compact brings no small amount of jealousy or admiration from it's populace. She still has a long way to go and many more moves.  +
Alarissa Valardin +	No matter how adept Princess Alarissa manages to be at getting her way, it always seems like the world conspires to ruin her victories. Ever since she was very young, the ambitious young woman felt she was destined for glory. She was born too distant from the crown to rule Grayson by inheritance, of course, but she had almost neatly circumvented that nuisance of birth by showing Alaric IV just how obviously lovely and charming she was, and had juuuuuust about gotten a betrothal when frustratingly wiser heads snatched him away and gotten the distantly related dolt to agree to marry a Thraxian instead. Yes, yes, putting an end to centuries of unrest and blood is simply wonderful for those worried about that sort of thing, but Alarissa would have been a marvelous Queen for a pure Grayson match. Instead, Alarissa was forced to pivot from being the perfect potential match for King Alaric into being the perfect potential match for some high-lord to be or other. So she arranged to 'accidentally' meet Prince Vance Valardin, the disturbingly pious and stalwart son of the Prince of Sanctum and future ruler of the Oathlands, and she had to awe him with her numerous virtues, foremost that she looked absolutely stunning in white. It wasn't too long before she was betrothed, and not much longer until she was married and finally in a position to be the wife of the future Prince of Sanctum, and then all her plans needed to be thrown into ruin once more. Her husband (along with most of his family) were killed at the Tragedy at Sanctum, leaving Alarissa an extremely young window without issue among her new family in House Valardin. While she appreciates that he died heroically protecting his extremely gorgeous and charming young wife, she would have much rather he heroically barred the door until help arrived rather than leaving her alone to consider her next move. It is most irritating.  +
Alayne Frost +	Alayne's history, since childhood, was laced and tied to calamity that was no public secret. Her father, a famed alchemist under the hire of a now diseased vassal of Redrain, practiced his trade openly in the red ward of its fealty. A particularly treacherous night called for the explosion of his laboratory, a combination of fire; of nameless concoctions with terrifying, gaseous nature spelling the doom of him, his Lord and his family name. Alayne was cast aside as one of the few surviving elders of her already shattered family. The youngest were taken in as wards of the surrounding houses- pages, squires, or stableboys. The relatively older Alayne, however, shed her name and took to the only thing she knew; mixing potions and working her father's trade as yet another nameless figure in patchy browns amongst the many, chasing battlefields and death to ply medicine and healing. As an omen of strife to surely come, it is no secret why the woman has returned to Arx.  +
Alban Farshaw +	Alban Farshaw is a cousin of the Duke of Westrock Reach, slightly out of line of succession given his age. His mother was the youngest sister of the old Duke of Westrock, who died without an heir of his blood-- passing the duchy to Ryhalt. Alban has never been concerned with the line of succession for the duchy, however. His concerns have always been on the troops of Westrock. At a young age it was decided he would become the General of Westrock-- his father, after all, was the previous once. So when he was old enough he was sent to the mainland and to Sanctum to squire with a knight there. He took the lessons of honor, chivalry, and fealty quite to heart. When he graduated from his squirehood and was knighted he returned home to take over the duties as Minister of Warfare for Westrock Reach. While he's still a young commander he's got a natural charisma and calming quality to him. He's a staid and serious young man. He is dedicated to his family and to his troops.  +
Alberic Laveer +	For all that may be concerned, Alberic may as well have been born of the sea. When he was found on the shores of Brighthold County, he was a speechless waif with no family or friend. His life became one of quiet survival and wit. He grew up there, as all in Brighthold did, as was needed to survive. He traded service for a place to sleep or a meal to eat, coming and going by different means at different times. Despite the tragedy of his coming to Brighthold, he never feared the planks of another ship, and made much of his young life as a fishing hand or guide. %TThis was his life and his world until he became a man. Life on the sea had given him a knowledge of rig and sails, and most importantly, wind. Conscripted to serve under the sails of the Laveer, Alberic adapted to a life of military defense in the popular waterways between Brighthold and Arx. Being an accomplished captain and swordarm defending the people adeck the Laveer ships was a fine way to earn a living, and it paid off for Alberic end-over-end. Being handy with a bow or spear eventually lent itself to a command over others wielding the bows and spears. Eventually, this grew to a command of Captains and Commanders of vessel and force, with Alberic being raised to a position within the Laveer house as not only an adopted son, but Admiral.  +
Aldwin Aurum +	Of all the orders of the Realm, perhaps the Scholars of Vellichor are the most respected. Every great house welcomes the men and women who dedicate themselves to learning, to the safeguarding of knowledge, and to the healing arts under the auspices of the Faith. And of that revered order, none are as held in as great esteem as the first of their order, the Archscholar of Vellichor. Aldwin has been acting as Archscholar for at least a generation, and is such a fixture at court giving his kind, reasonable and wise counsel that more than one peer jokes that the man has always been there. He is perhaps the only significant political figure without any true enemies- after all, the man offers his advice to any that seek it without reservation, is conscientious to a fault, seems to have no political ambitions whatsoever, and his order has no interest in power at all. A kindly old man that offers no threat to anyone is not likely to make very many enemies, and more than one high born noble thinks of the gentle elderly scholar as a sweet old grandfather (which, knowing the life most nobles lived, is odds on more likely kinder than any grandfather they ever knew themselves).  +
Aldwulf Unknown +	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.  +
Alecstazi Halfshav +	Son of Donrai's youngest brother Weylan Thrax, Alecstazi was born into power. Or at least within the aura of it. Even as a child he was measured, perceptive and quick to learn the art that was surviving in Donrai's court. He studied his uncle well, and modeled himself after the most successful courtiers in the Mourning Isles. He did not speak unless spoken to, his answers were short, accurate and politely given. He studied the way of the sword and hid his dislike of boats, because showing weakness was not the path to victory. And victory? Meant surviving. Alecstazi was twelve years old when the Tyde Rebellion began and Donrai's fury threatened to turn the seas permanently red. Too young to fight, Alecstazi studied the battle reports, drank up stories of the fighting, listening at Donrai's knee. Three years later, he was horrified to discover that his father, Weylan and his older brother Rotan were traitors, working to try to smuggle some of the last remaining Tyde children to freedom. He immediately called for guards and told his uncle of his father and elder brother's crimes. The sentence was to be death, but at Alecstazi's suggestion, he had them made thralls instead. Death is a swift punishment with no chance to really atone for one's betrayals, he reasoned. Thralldom... well. Isn't that the worse punishment? Apparently, Donrai agreed. Alecstazi earned his uncle's favor and was able to navigate that into being allowed (with no small amount of eye rolling) to cultivate a small number of cavalry soldiers in Maelstrom. Again, he argued, if ever there was a need to fight on the mainland, better to have an idea and some preparedness than be caught flatfooted and landlocked. He enjoyed the benefits of Donrai's favor, cultivating his persona at court, continuing his education in martial training, tactics and doing his cavalry drills. When the old man died and Victus defeated Dagon, that was a blow that left him reeling. He's continued to work towards the betterment of Maelstrom, though the direction the fealty has been taking, the move away from tradition has been growing more and more concerning. This last proclamation, about the end of thralldom, well. Things have got to stop. It is time for Alecstazi to head to Arx and see for himself what is going on.  +
Alecstazi Thrax +	Son of Donrai's youngest brother Weylan Thrax, Alecstazi was born into power. Or at least within the aura of it. Even as a child he was measured, perceptive and quick to learn the art that was surviving in Donrai's court. He studied his uncle well, and modeled himself after the most successful courtiers in the Mourning Isles. He did not speak unless spoken to, his answers were short, accurate and politely given. He studied the way of the sword and hid his dislike of boats, because showing weakness was not the path to victory. And victory? Meant surviving. Alecstazi was twelve years old when the Tyde Rebellion began and Donrai's fury threatened to turn the seas permanently red. Too young to fight, Alecstazi studied the battle reports, drank up stories of the fighting, listening at Donrai's knee. Three years later, he was horrified to discover that his father, Weylan and his older brother Rotan were traitors, working to try to smuggle some of the last remaining Tyde children to freedom. He immediately called for guards and told his uncle of his father and elder brother's crimes. The sentence was to be death, but at Alecstazi's suggestion, he had them made thralls instead. Death is a swift punishment with no chance to really atone for one's betrayals, he reasoned. Thralldom... well. Isn't that the worse punishment? Apparently, Donrai agreed. Alecstazi earned his uncle's favor and was able to navigate that into being allowed (with no small amount of eye rolling) to cultivate a small number of cavalry soldiers in Maelstrom. Again, he argued, if ever there was a need to fight on the mainland, better to have an idea and some preparedness than be caught flatfooted and landlocked. He enjoyed the benefits of Donrai's favor, cultivating his persona at court, continuing his education in martial training, tactics and doing his cavalry drills. When the old man died and Victus defeated Dagon, that was a blow that left him reeling. He's continued to work towards the betterment of Maelstrom, though the direction the fealty has been taking, the move away from tradition has been growing more and more concerning. This last proclamation, about the end of thralldom, well. Things have got to stop. It is time for Alecstazi to head to Arx and see for himself what is going on.  +
Alecto Charon +	A lawyer and dabbling-merchant specializing in maritime affairs, Lord Alecto Threerivers served as Voice to the late Count Trevor Threerivers and momentarily as Count-Regent in the days immediately following that man's death and prior to the new Countess of Highrock announcing herself. That Alecto sided with Magaen's succession claim over that of her sister in what he charmingly refers to as 'the trouble with having twins' was considered a big coup for her by outside observers, but privately the pair had been quietly allied for quite some time. Much of the influence Highrock enjoys on the system of nearby riverways crisscrossing the Northern-Oathlands border can be attributed to Alecto's efforts on behalf of his former house. It gives him no satisfaction to see that influence wane in the absence of his nuanced stewardship. Now, Alecto has the prosperity of Glacial Grove to concern himself over. With House Charon inheriting a virtually uninhabitable tower castle, decrepit defensive walls, a crumbling infrastructure, and a withering Prodigal population, the newly conquered holding is bound to keep this consummate worrier up at night.  +
Alejandro Rossetti +	Born in the city of Tor to a house servant of House Fidante, Alejandro Rossetti was the first of three children born within three years of his parent's marriage. Precocious from a young age, he was considered by some to be a musical prodigy at the age of four. There was talk that the Whisper house in Arx was interested in him but by that time his path had already been laid out before him. By luck and hard work he was being raised with Lady Calista, the very young daughter of Duchess Giancinta Fidante. There was tragedy that saw Giancinta killed and Calista's brother Leo eventually becoming Duke but neither Alejandro nor Calista could well remember those times. He was raised and educated by the same tutors she was and the pair grew close. The boy's musical talent blossomed and he became well known in the gardens of Tor for practicing his guitar and trying out new songs on both the Duke's sister and anyone else that would come past. His relationship with Calista grew to one of constant companion and confidant. A convoluted series of events saw more change come to House Fidante when Alejandro had moved to Arx and Calista ascended to her brother's seat as ruler of Tor. The Duchess of Roses, they called her. Numerous were the songs he wrote in honor of his friend and now liege. Alejandro is content with his life of service and is honored with the role he plays for the young duchess, chief among them being friend.  +
Aleksei Morgan +	Aleksei was born a middle-child to a well-respected commoner family serving in Sanctum which a long history of service for House Valardin. While his father had earned a place of trust and respect as Captain of the Guard in the city, and several of his children siblings seemed certain to follow in similarly honorable footsteps, Aleksei was -- a bit of a trouble. He took to the sword with a truly obnoxious amount of skill, but by the time he was sixteen he had grown too restless under the pressure of potential honor; he packed his things and left. Over the years since he traveled up and down Arvum, serving as a mercenary, man-at-arms, random muscle, and general adventurer. As luck would have it -- and luck often seems to have it where Aleksei is concerned -- he was back in his homeland of the Oathlands when he rather inadvertently ended up saving the children of one of the smaller noble houses there. It was their gratitude that had them thrusting a knighthood upon Aleksei; it was not long at all after saying the vows (vows?!) that he was making a break for his next adventure, heedless of whether he'd be confirmed by the high lord or not. It was Arx that he eventually made his way to; it had enough diversity and diversions to satisfy his cravings for a few years serving as a duelist, Champion, and occasional instructor for those with less skill and more money than him. It was something of a shock when he decided to take his vows and join the Faith as a Godsworn seemingly out of nowhere. Sir Aleksei became Brother Aleksei, despite all previous evidence of irresponsibility and general distraction from any matters of the divine. There were even some rumors around the end of the Siege of Arx in 1006 that he served as some sort of Paladin against Tolamar Brand, leader of the Silent Army, but what exactly that entailed is less than clear. It wasn't long after the siege ended that he was named Archlector of Skald, one of the three newly-returned Lost Gods of the Pantheon. To a lot of the senior Faith, the appointment came rather ridiculously early in his career -- particularly for someone who wasn't exactly known for his devoutness before taking his vows -- but they couldn't exactly refuse the decision from the Dominus himself. He's taken to some parts of the priesthood...more than others. During his tenure as Archlector, he raised millions of silver the Faith used to liberate some several thousand thralls and set up a new Faith initiative to help care for all those freed from bondage moving forward: a chance to start their new lives with Faith support wherever in the Compact they chose. It didn't make him many friends among the Mourning Isles, but it did help prepare the Faith to be able to respond when House Kennex suddenly abolished thralldom in their lands. In January 1009, Legate Orazio announced Aleksei's resignation from the Faith "due to certain personal needs." The announcement was rather sudden and without warning, as well as less formal scuttlebutt that a hitherto unknown son might the catalyst of the decision, and brought with it thirteen days kneeling in front of the Shrine of Limerance as penance. In the end, he returned to the life of a commoner, now without rank or title, to start the next chapter of his life.  +
Alessan Fidante +	Alessan's beginnings were quite humble. He was born to a father who was a fledgling poet and a mother who worked as a seamstress fashioning dresses that some of the members of the ruling family wore from time to time. If it had been up to his mother, he might have found himself in the life of a crafter, but there was another path for him. He grew up on his father's poems and stories and they fascinated him, there was always something about the construction of a poem could convey so many more meanings than the words themselves could. As he reached his adulthood, he struck out from Tor to travel around the duchy in order to experience what life had to offer. He spoke to everyone he could in order to discover their own life experiences and in one small village he came across a bard. The man was older and had a way of entertaining folk with stories, song and other small tricks. Alessan found himself captivated by the older man and set off from the village with him. Their travels took them all over the lands of House Velenosa, but Tor was always home for Alessan and after ten years of travelling with the old bard, he returned home and began to make a name for himself around the city and the duchy with the skills he picked up on the road. He's spent some years doing this, but now he finds that the call of Arx is loud and he wants to see what new adventures his life has to offer.  +
Alessandro Velenosa +	Alessandro was a youth who pushed limits. He got into trouble a lot, and set his overbearing will against the dominance of his elders generally and his parents in particular. He was a handful, a struggle; generally, a big pain in the neck. As he grew older, his mischief grew more obscure and intellectual. His favorite game began to be pitting his intellect against that of instructors he believed couldn't keep up with him. Of course, when he was 12, it turned out he was rarely right about this -- the amount of knowledge an active preteen can absorb, no matter how much time he spends in libraries and harassing scholars for information, is not really a match for most trained adults. But he never really lost his taste for the game. He hated sword lessons. He hated learning about poisons and antidotes. He was fortuitously allergic to horse dander and exaggerated his allergy to get out of more and more things so that he could spend more time with his books. He learned etiquette and mastered it expressly so that he could push the limits of being rude, and, enchanted with his own cleverness, earned himself several enemies in Lenosia's court. At least one of them is dead now, and it can't actually be traced to Alessandro at all, but he's always been on the lucky side. Theology lured him, especially the theology of doubt, and while his cousin Isolde soared into the panoply of the Mirrormasks and reached heights of elevation as a disciple leader, he personally found much more lure in the practicum of their craft, and focused himself almost entirely on the scholarship of law and politics. By the time he defended his first case as a Mirrormask serving in the Court of Lenosia, he was certain he couldn't lose, because he knew the law that well. It turns out there is more to defending a case than being right, though, and Alessandro learned some humility in practice that he had never had before. A perfect record is impossible as a defense attorney, but defending the indefensible is the greatest challenge of Faith for a Mirrormask, and Alessandro grew skilled in the balance of ego and humility, doubt and certainty, necesssary for the work. He also learned very valuable lessons from his family about the critical impact that sartorial perfection can have on one's effect.  +
Alessia Mazetti +	For Alessia, one of her happiest days came at thirteen. A precocious child, Alessia had always known she was destined for great things. Becoming a glaivedancer was just the first step on that path. The years of training required, however, tempered that youthful pride with instruction that shaped core virtues rather than simply training the body in the ways of a warrior. Today, Alessia knows that greatness doesn't come without hard work and dedication - whether in the field, or in the court of politics. There have been setbacks, of course, such as that time when her scheme to win favor with a particular lord fell into disarray when he discovered she had been seducing his son as well. She admits that it was poorly done, but surely the man should have known not to conflate business with pleasure. Then there was the time Vitalis asked Dianna to travel with him into that Shav-infested valley and didn't ask her...but they have agreed not to talk about that any more. These days, Alessia has set her sights on Arx. With a few of the Mazetti doing the unprecedented and leaving their beloved Walled City on the Sea, she has made sure that her uncle includes her name in that number. After all, they couldn't possibly get by without her.  +
Alessio Moretti +	Alessio Moretti was born in the twin cities of Gemecitta as the third and last child to Niccolo Moretti, a kind and passionate jeweler of some renown, and Fiore Moretti, a struggling artist with a big heart and a frail mind. It was a tumultuous childhood at the best of times for young Alessio. Between his apprenticeship in his fathers shop, a mother who was slipping into her own world for long periods of time more and more frequently and a sister who had inherited her mothers fragile psyche and was more or less constantly depressed and needed taking care of, there wasnt much time for friendships or fun. One of the few friends he did have was Vittoria, the daughter of a tailor living only a few houses down the street from his own. Their fathers were good friends and her mother often came over to help with things around the house, bringing Vittoria with her. They quickly bonded and the bond only grew tighter as the years passed, the two of them spending most of their waking hours together when daily work and chores had been seen to. She was four years his younger but every bit as smart, a sharp-minded and determined young woman even from an early age. His father was a warm and kind man, but also a ruthless perfectionist when it came to his craft and it wasnt easy being his apprentice. It was, however, a highly effective way of learning, even if it meant many sleepless nights studying or trying to perfect yet another of the delicate techniques needed for the craft to meet his fathers expectations. The rigorous training and mentoring proved not to be lost on Alessio, as he quickly rose in both skill and understanding of the art of jewelry making. At age twelve the first creation made by his hand was sold in his fathers shop and at the age of 15 he was starting to rival even the skills of his father and mentor. As the years passed, little changed save for Alessios ever increasing skill at his craft and his bond with Vittoria growing closer and into something more than just friendship. He would work, take care of his mother and sister and spend what free time he had by Vittorias side. But then, one day, things suddenly did start to change. The relationship between himself and Vittoria had kept growing and had evolved into more than mere friendship to a degree where none of them could hide or deny it any longer. Roughly 4 years ago, shortly before his twenty-eighth birthday, they were married after a very short period of being together as a couple. They didnt need more time, they already knew everything about each other from a life spent by one anothers side. Not long after the marriage, Fiore, Alessios mother, recovered from her ailments seemingly overnight, returning to the real world once more and not long after that, his sister started to recover, even if at a more modest pace than their mother. No one could fully explain how, but the little family didnt seem to care about such things as why or how, too busy caught up in the joy of finally having mother and wife, sister and daughter, returned to them. It was a happy time and the following years went by fast. About two years ago, Vittoria approached him with the idea of Moving to Arx to start their own business and their own family. To get a new start in a new place, to define a future for themselves, a future forged by their own hands. Alessio was hesitant and not immediately ready to leave his home and family, still unsure whether his mother and sister would remain in good health and continue their recovery from all those years lost to them. He wasnt completely opposed to the idea, he just.needed a little more time. Vittoria didnt give up or abandon the idea, however, and over the following two years she slowly convinced him that it was the right thing for them to do. With his mother and sister not showing any signs of relapse and the increased passion and longing in his the eyes and words of his wife, he finally agreed. And so, the two of them would set out on the longest journey either of them had ever undertaken, traveling halfway across the country to the capital city of Arx to start their new life.  +
Alexander Wyrmfang +	Alexander and his twin sister, Alexis, were born to Alphonse Wyrmfang, then the Sword of Blancbier. Coming from a respected family of Knights, both of the siblings were raised in the martial tradition, destined to become Knights in their own time, and the importance of the family traditions of honor, loyalty, and service were drilled into them at a very young age. Alexander was always the more skeptical of the two, and tended to take the tales they were told with a grain of salt, though the lessons they were designed to impart were certainly not lost on the deep thinking young man. When not out on the training field, Alexander could usually be found in his youth with his nose buried in a book - the older the better. History and philosophy fascinated him from a very young age, and he studied both topics intensely, sometimes even to the detriment of his other training responsibilities. This isn't to say, by any means, that he didn't take his martial training serious as well. He has, for as long as he can remember, been a natural with a blade in his hand, and has always tended towards smaller, faster weapons, making good use of his keen agility and long reach. Coming to Arx after the death of his father, Alexander has every intention of pursuing both his martial and intellectual skills, set on finding a place and position where he can make good use of both talents. He intends to do whatever he can to help and support his twin as well, who, after the death of their father, was named the new Sword - a fact which has garnered no ill-will from Alexander. He had resigned himself at a very young age to the fact that he would not be named as the Sword, and truthfully, has always felt his sister to be better equipped to handle the charge.  +
Alexandre Redtyde +	Born between his siblings Reiker and Sorrel, Alexandre proved to be difficult to predict as to what kind of a man he would become. Displaying admirable intellect from a young age, medicine proved to be an early passion for the young Wyrmguard. It would not be altogether uncommon to find him in the company of Mercies, with questions aplenty about something he'd read, or about their current work. Such curiosity in the youth was encouraged, and might have led him down the path of becoming a Mercy himself, had it not been for a fateful day. Fateful, for on that day the young Alexandre witnessed an injustice. He was still young, and had not yet learned the harsher truths of the world, when he beheld such. An older boy, more man than child in physique, the reverse in spirit, bullying a younger and far smaller girl. Alexandre didn't ask what it was about, and certainly didn't ignore it. Instead, he threw himself at the boy, intent on fighting the boy off. Predictably, it didn't go well. Alexandre had yet to receive any martial training, and the boy had the advantage of size, strength and experience. Still, Alexandre never yielded once throughout his trashing, getting back up every time he was slammed down. It might have continued, and might have caused permanent harm, had someone not saved him. Dame Anna Redwood, Godsworn Knight of Solace, quickly broke up the fight, and once Alexandre had said who he was, escorted him back to his family. On the way there, she faced the usual deluge of questions the child usually kept for Mercies, about who she was, what she did, and interrogations about the Knights of Solace that his education had not yet covered. Her answers found a receptive mind, and by the time they reached his parents, he had asked her to teach him, and made the same request to his parents when they arrived, a tad worried to see their son in such a state. Dame Anna could not stay, of course, but she made a promise. She would return when she could and, if Alexandre's parents allowed it and he was still interested, would teach the young Lord and, when he was older, would take him on as a squire. Children being what they are, perhaps those involved expected Alexandre to discard this momentary distraction with time and return upon what truly interested him. Yet the opposite occured. He was still interested in medicine, devoted much of his time to it still in fact, but it was now equalled to more martial pursuits. Even as his understanding of the healing arts grew, so did his understanding of riding, the sword, and matters of war and leadership. His education was completed by Dame Anna's visits, when, as promised, she would further not only his understanding, but the virtues of the Pantheon, nurturing the compassion and kindness she saw in him, as well as the protective nature that had made her notice him. Time passed, and eventually, the time came for the second part of Dame Anna's promise to be fulfilled. Alexandre left his family and Blancbier at the age of fourteen, to serve as the Dame's squire. From her, he learned not only the duties and demands of knighthood, but also the dangers that awaited the those traveling upon the Compact's roads and paths, dangers the Knights of Solace were sworn to guard against. It was a harsher life than the one he had lived thus far, yet Alexandre only seemed to thrive, the fire within him brightening. It was during that period of time that he would visit the Cedar Vale most often, whenever Dame Anna would visit her Redwood family. These were pleasant times, and even to this day, Alexandre cherishes their memory. Yet all good things must come to an end. Eventually, Alexandre became a man, and it was time for the Lord, no longer a squire but not yet a knight either, to return home. There, he spent the next few years serving his family and Blancbier, his concern for the people seeing him involved in not only charity, but tangible efforts to improve their lot as well. Indeed, he'd often be seen joining the city patrols on their rounds within the fortress city and beyond. He also joined the Knights of Solace at the time as a disciple, though he did not see Dame Anna Redwood again, not till the Silent War begun. At once, Alexandre volunteered to join the Compact's efforts against Brand, and actively participated within the war, one among countless others fighting back against the evil that had spilled forth from the North, and threatened the Compact itself. Refugees came in drove, often sick and wounded, requiring Mercies and the Knights of Solace to care for them. It was during one such event that Alexandre and others, including Dame Anna, were tasked with sheparding such refugees to a local haven, where Mercies awaited with supplies. Unfortunately, the enemy was aware, and sent a force far outmatching the Knights of Solace and the local garrison to destroy the haven and take its supplies. Shav forces struck at dawn, and though the defenders rallied to face the attackers, they were outmatched. One after the other, Alexandre saw his brothers and sisters in arms fall, the burden to protect weighting heavier on the survivors with every death. For they knew those within would find no mercy. The enemy had come to kill, the only thing they would take with them were the supplies. Evening came, and of the local forces, few remained. The Knights had been reduced to two, Dame Anna and Alexandre. Hope was bleak, even as the enemy pulled back, giving defenders some respite. Not for long. The next clash saw Dame Anne Redwood die, slain by an archer with too much luck or skill. The last of the defenders were forced to push back into the local shrine of Lagoma, the only stone building large enough to contain the refugees and the Mercies that still stood. Alexandre felt despair then, for the first time in his life. He knew he would die. Knew there was no hope, no way out. Thoughts of flight crossed his mind, desperate plans to escape. And as the dread threatened to overwhelm him... He saw them. Families clinging to each other, parents comforting their children though they knew what awaited. And the Mercies, still taking care of their charges, even now holding true to their oaths. Moved by the light of Gild and the warmth of Laghoma, by the selfless sacrifice of those dead and those that yet lived, Alexandre strode forth, and met the enemy's full might in battle. He spoke to his fellow defenders with such conviction, that when he told them to hold the line, they did. Against the Abandonned intent on the destruction of those they were charged to protect, they held the line. Against the horrors of Silence, they held the line. One after the other, they fell. But they did so holding the line. Yet it was enough. When reinforcements came to the rescue, they found Alexandre wounded and battered, his sword broken, more dead than alive. But still holding the line. Alexandre collapsed soon after being told the area was safe, and for a time, it was uncertain whether he'd live or not. Yet he recovered, sent back to Blancbier after the war's end. It was there he was knighted for his actions, though he did not remain for long. New threats arose, banners raised to face the Gyre, a Holy War proclaimed against those that would bring an end to not only the Compact, but the Faith itself. He joined others from the Oathlands to defend Stormwall, surviving the costly victory as far too few did. Now, he has come to Arx. With a light and fire brighter rather than dimmed, he comes to serve House Wyrmguard, the Faith and the whole of the Compact. Not as the sword to pierce the black hearts of demons, but as a shield. To protect all beneath the Compact's aegis, and hold the line.  +
Alexandre Wyrmguard +	Born between his siblings Reiker and Sorrel, Alexandre proved to be difficult to predict as to what kind of a man he would become. Displaying admirable intellect from a young age, medicine proved to be an early passion for the young Wyrmguard. It would not be altogether uncommon to find him in the company of Mercies, with questions aplenty about something he'd read, or about their current work. Such curiosity in the youth was encouraged, and might have led him down the path of becoming a Mercy himself, had it not been for a fateful day. Fateful, for on that day the young Alexandre witnessed an injustice. He was still young, and had not yet learned the harsher truths of the world, when he beheld such. An older boy, more man than child in physique, the reverse in spirit, bullying a younger and far smaller girl. Alexandre didn't ask what it was about, and certainly didn't ignore it. Instead, he threw himself at the boy, intent on fighting the boy off. Predictably, it didn't go well. Alexandre had yet to receive any martial training, and the boy had the advantage of size, strength and experience. Still, Alexandre never yielded once throughout his trashing, getting back up every time he was slammed down. It might have continued, and might have caused permanent harm, had someone not saved him. Dame Anna Redwood, Godsworn Knight of Solace, quickly broke up the fight, and once Alexandre had said who he was, escorted him back to his family. On the way there, she faced the usual deluge of questions the child usually kept for Mercies, about who she was, what she did, and interrogations about the Knights of Solace that his education had not yet covered. Her answers found a receptive mind, and by the time they reached his parents, he had asked her to teach him, and made the same request to his parents when they arrived, a tad worried to see their son in such a state. Dame Anna could not stay, of course, but she made a promise. She would return when she could and, if Alexandre's parents allowed it and he was still interested, would teach the young Lord and, when he was older, would take him on as a squire. Children being what they are, perhaps those involved expected Alexandre to discard this momentary distraction with time and return upon what truly interested him. Yet the opposite occured. He was still interested in medicine, devoted much of his time to it still in fact, but it was now equalled to more martial pursuits. Even as his understanding of the healing arts grew, so did his understanding of riding, the sword, and matters of war and leadership. His education was completed by Dame Anna's visits, when, as promised, she would further not only his understanding, but the virtues of the Pantheon, nurturing the compassion and kindness she saw in him, as well as the protective nature that had made her notice him. Time passed, and eventually, the time came for the second part of Dame Anna's promise to be fulfilled. Alexandre left his family and Blancbier at the age of fourteen, to serve as the Dame's squire. From her, he learned not only the duties and demands of knighthood, but also the dangers that awaited the those traveling upon the Compact's roads and paths, dangers the Knights of Solace were sworn to guard against. It was a harsher life than the one he had lived thus far, yet Alexandre only seemed to thrive, the fire within him brightening. It was during that period of time that he would visit the Cedar Vale most often, whenever Dame Anna would visit her Redwood family. These were pleasant times, and even to this day, Alexandre cherishes their memory. Yet all good things must come to an end. Eventually, Alexandre became a man, and it was time for the Lord, no longer a squire but not yet a knight either, to return home. There, he spent the next few years serving his family and Blancbier, his concern for the people seeing him involved in not only charity, but tangible efforts to improve their lot as well. Indeed, he'd often be seen joining the city patrols on their rounds within the fortress city and beyond. He also joined the Knights of Solace at the time as a disciple, though he did not see Dame Anna Redwood again, not till the Silent War begun. At once, Alexandre volunteered to join the Compact's efforts against Brand, and actively participated within the war, one among countless others fighting back against the evil that had spilled forth from the North, and threatened the Compact itself. Refugees came in drove, often sick and wounded, requiring Mercies and the Knights of Solace to care for them. It was during one such event that Alexandre and others, including Dame Anna, were tasked with sheparding such refugees to a local haven, where Mercies awaited with supplies. Unfortunately, the enemy was aware, and sent a force far outmatching the Knights of Solace and the local garrison to destroy the haven and take its supplies. Shav forces struck at dawn, and though the defenders rallied to face the attackers, they were outmatched. One after the other, Alexandre saw his brothers and sisters in arms fall, the burden to protect weighting heavier on the survivors with every death. For they knew those within would find no mercy. The enemy had come to kill, the only thing they would take with them were the supplies. Evening came, and of the local forces, few remained. The Knights had been reduced to two, Dame Anna and Alexandre. Hope was bleak, even as the enemy pulled back, giving defenders some respite. Not for long. The next clash saw Dame Anne Redwood die, slain by an archer with too much luck or skill. The last of the defenders were forced to push back into the local shrine of Lagoma, the only stone building large enough to contain the refugees and the Mercies that still stood. Alexandre felt despair then, for the first time in his life. He knew he would die. Knew there was no hope, no way out. Thoughts of flight crossed his mind, desperate plans to escape. And as the dread threatened to overwhelm him... He saw them. Families clinging to each other, parents comforting their children though they knew what awaited. And the Mercies, still taking care of their charges, even now holding true to their oaths. Moved by the light of Gild and the warmth of Laghoma, by the selfless sacrifice of those dead and those that yet lived, Alexandre strode forth, and met the enemy's full might in battle. He spoke to his fellow defenders with such conviction, that when he told them to hold the line, they did. Against the Abandonned intent on the destruction of those they were charged to protect, they held the line. Against the horrors of Silence, they held the line. One after the other, they fell. But they did so holding the line. Yet it was enough. When reinforcements came to the rescue, they found Alexandre wounded and battered, his sword broken, more dead than alive. But still holding the line. Alexandre collapsed soon after being told the area was safe, and for a time, it was uncertain whether he'd live or not. Yet he recovered, sent back to Blancbier after the war's end. It was there he was knighted for his actions, though he did not remain for long. New threats arose, banners raised to face the Gyre, a Holy War proclaimed against those that would bring an end to not only the Compact, but the Faith itself. He joined others from the Oathlands to defend Stormwall, surviving the costly victory as far too few did. Now, he has come to Arx. With a light and fire brighter rather than dimmed, he comes to serve House Wyrmguard, the Faith and the whole of the Compact. Not as the sword to pierce the black hearts of demons, but as a shield. To protect all beneath the Compact's aegis, and hold the line.  +
Alexandros Dawnbringer +	Alexandros once strived to be a sterotypical boyscout. He was polite, honest, brave, and obedient to his social superiors. He served a few years as a rather unremarkable though dogged Templar, often going on pilgrimages to help those in need and to right perceived wrongs, only it's become apparent to those who know him best that he's withdrawn into himself and is now an empty shell of what he used to be. Where he was once a cheerful lad with dreams of heroism, he's become something of a crestfallen recluse that seems to be married to his letter of his job and has grown oddly apathetic and listless to the spirit of it.  +
Alexio Donatti +	Born and raised on the streets of Southport, Alexio was the youngest of three siblings. His mother passed with his birth, leaving his father to raise him and his siblings. Work on the docks of Southport hardly paid well, and the silver that it did pay didn't go far when the first thing on his father's priority list was booze, and not his children. Alexio and his siblings pretty much raised themselves, for better or worse. With no authority figure at home, it is little surprise that the three children ended up on the streets. Alexio himself developed a certain knack for the acquisition of things he did not have through particularly sticky fingers. As he got more skilled with his thievery, and what he sold became more valuable, he turned to selling the things that he nicked, rather than simply for survival. What started as a means of survival, soon turned into a means of helping himself and his siblings attain the things that had evaded them for so much of their lives. As he came of age, he learned to use the skills that he had learned on the streets in matters of more legitimate trade, and soon discovered that he had a knack as a businessman. As such, he has made the journey to Arx where he hopes to expand upon his business opportunities and see what he can make of himself.  +
Alexis Wyrmfang +	Legend has it that a century or three ago, Wyrmfang split off the main March of Wyrmguard as a cadet branch, slowly diminishing in importance from second sons and third daughters, until they were far enough removed to in essence become a highly respected family of knights. For the last few generations, ever since one Cristoph Wyrmfang turned an-almost defeat into an astounding victory, the Wyrmfangs have also had the honour of holding the Sword of Blancbier for the Wyrmguards. Alexis and her twin brother was born to the then-Sword of Blancbier, Alphonse Wyrmfang, and the children were raised on the family traditions of loyalty and steadfast service, served up with constant tales of Oathlands chivalry and ambitions, of meritorious rises and rewards for serving the ideals that the gods of the pantheon represent. And Alexis swallowed it all rather wide-eyed. When she was nearly old enough, she became rather insistant on squiring, including at one point running away from home to find herself adventure (and a knight to squire to), and eventually her father acquiesced. Small, but fierce, she favoured larger weapons such as two-handed swords and glaives in combat, which may in part have been inspired by her father's position. She was overjoyed when, for about a year, she spent time in the same group of squires as one Princess Alis Valardin, and the even smaller woman left a deep impression with her tenacity. One duty that Alexis picked up as a squire was the mending of armour, and to this day she uses the beating of steel as a form of meditation, slowly learning the craft of the smith. Her knighting ceremony took place at her 18th birthday, while she was part of the force protecting Blancbier and anxiously awaiting news from Arx about the siege and the Army of Silence. In the last battle of the siege, her father took a grave wound protecting the Marquessa. The wound festered, and Sir Alphonse was sent home to Blancbier, but expired on the way. When the Marquessa Dominiqe next visited Blancbier, there was a small ceremony in which Alexis found herself becoming the keeper of the Wyrmguard heirloom blade, as her father, and her father's mother had before her. She swore the oath to protect her family gladly, and now, after having grieved and seen her father to his final rest, she comes to Arx. An untested blade, but eager to prove herself.  +
Alfio Donatti +	Born and raised in the city of Southport, Alfio was the middle child of three siblings. His mother passed away after giving birth to his youngest brother, and his father was pretty much absent --spending most of what he earned on drinks. Practically an orphan, just like his siblings, he did whatever he could to survive.  +
Alheri Deepwood +	Alheri was born to the Melaeris family, far from Old Oak. Her mother served as lady-in-waiting to Princess Kellen Grayson, and when the Princess married the Marquis Melaeris, Lady Maira struck up a friendship with his cousin, Maleck. After a few years there was a proper courtship - and after that, a marriage and eventually four children, of which Alheri is the oldest. And then there was the tragedy of Old Oak. For as long as she can remember, Alheri has faced various disappointments in life - early dreams of romance were quashed by the pragmatic love her parents held for each other, and for their children. Her desire for a sister never quite manifested. She didn't quite have the aptitude for blade and battle that would let her be a storybook knight. And her friends would fail her in various ways as well. In short, Alheris accentuated the negative. The world was a disappointment. Only in her dreams - and in her ideals - could she find the perfection she craved. But even that wouldn't last long. She had a natural touch for brush and clay, but despite others declaring her genius, she could always find a flaw. Always find something to be unhappy with. She has striven for all of her (admittedly short) adult life to chase perfection. Eventually, she decided that she'd rather seek it at Deepwood. The Conscience of the Peers was far from perfect, but in Samantha, Alheri saw someone who might wish to attack the flaws she saw, rather than be made uncomfortable with them. Besides, Deepwood needs the numbers, and Alheri is happy to oblige. And her family, of course, were happy to return her and strengthen the bonds between Melaeris and Deepwood, and the two fealty chains (in theory). Alheri has barely been in Old Oak for a year, but she's ready to make changes. And ready to assist the Marquessa in making changes. And maybe, just maybe, she'll set aside some time for herself, to chase perfection. Arx is the melting pot of the Compact. If it can be found anywhere, it can be found here. Right?  +
Alina Redreef +	Alina was born to an unimportant branch of House Redreef and raised in an almost painfully ordinary manner, as befits any noblewoman from the Mourning Isles. When other children played outside, she was taught to balance ledgers. When her siblings went out sailing, she stayed and studied the great lawgivers. And so it was that when a great dispute arose one day, between two utterly unimportant members of the nobility, Alina Redreef stepped forward to settle the dispute. And there it was that a great secret was revealed to all: Knowing a lot about the law doesn't mean that you know the first thing about people. After the great embarrassment that was her first foray into society, Alina's parents discreetly shipped her off to Arx. Returning without substantial improvements in station, it was quite strongly implied, was not an option.  +
Alis Valardin +	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.  +
Alise Farshaw +	Alise is the youngest of three daughters, one of which has married into the Thrax fealty and another into the Grayson fealty. Her mother was a Lycene Lady, and as such, she was sent to foster in the Lyceum when younger. She was to marry a Fidante, when she was sixteen, a contract involving a route to trade roses and pomegranates in the offing but since the recent skirmishes between the Lyceum and the Oathlands sprung up, the contract has been annulled before they were properly wed, and she caught the first ship to Arx to get out of the islands before things could escalate. She cannot help but think of those years as the best of her life, but cannot even bring herself to take pride in that side of her heritage of late, and wants even less to be married into a future there. She has opted to keep some of the fashion, but has a deep seated loathing for the /expected/ treachery of the politics, viewing it as dishonorable and beneath anyone aiming to call themselves noble. This is something of an irony as she has the unfortunate reputation of haggling like a fishmonger. This is actually rooted in her refusal to make it look like she is not involved in anything she is involved in. In fact, she has a tendency to both macromanage and micromanage coin around her, and feels that using a go between to make it look like she doesn't is just dishonest.  +
Alistair +	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.  +
Alistair Crown +	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.  +
Alistair Masque +	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.  +
Allegra Pravus +	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.  +
Alrec Magaldi +	One of many sons of sailors born in the docks of Darkwater, Alrec's early life was a predictable one. From child to cabin boy, from cabin boy to sailor, and eventually from sailor to Captain. He acquitted himself well on the high seas, sailing in support of house Thrax with other Vassal crews during the Tyde war before returning to the business of pirate hunting and a little discreet piracy on the side the Darkwater are famed for. All that changed however when he ran escort for a merchant vessel taking cargo to Setarco, the Silken City. The Merchant ship was held for repairs and he and his crew enjoyed two weeks living in the most decadent city in all of Arvum. Two weeks was more than enough and the Captain found a member of the Pravus family and promptly offered his allegiance. The half of his crew that remained loyal to Thrax were ruthlessly butchered by the Captain and just like that he became a loyal retainer of house Pravus. As long as they could keep him in the women, drink and other vices he desired, they had his sword. With his superior naval combat experience from serving the Thrax he was able to greatly improve many aspects of the Setarco navy and he was named Admiral of their, admittedly small fleet. His defection might be a sore point amongst many of the Thrax, particularly those from Darkwater but thus far they haven't assassinated him. Most recently he's come to Arx in order to advise the House Pravus leadership on matters martial and naval.  +
Alrigo Donatti +	Born further out from the main Donatti family, Alrigo had instilled in him by mother and father the need to always do better. The family worked the docks of Ischia for years and, working around the rougher parts, Alrigo quickly learned how to survive on his feet and use that honey-dipped tongue to escape signs of trouble. After Alexio began building his business in Caina, Alrigo aided the contacts needed in Ischia to start. Here he found some success, a little bit, but soon he knew to make even more money he needed to start growing the business in Arx itself. Here he worked from the bottom and gradually started to build up, learning his tailoring trade, to a point which has caught some attention for just how this man from the docks of Ischia has ended up wearing fine clothes and looking like a cock among hens. Obviously, from Alrigo, he tells the brilliant tale about how the family that was too poor to even eat on some days - ended up being who he is today. A few hearts open up to that, melting in his hands. The story of how this lad from Ischia, who never even once picked up scissors, was able to craft fine jackets for the commoners and once even a Baron. Eyebrows raised. What did he know about fashion? Using that honey-dipped tongue of this, Aligro has since discovered ways to talk himself out of most problems in life, flipping the issue on its head, and pointing at someone else as being the reason it all went wrong. This helped him build up contacts that gave him the ability to open up coffers of silver to fund the family's business - Donatti Imports & Exports.  +
Althea Pravus +	Althea was born to House Pravus and set herself apart for all the wrong reasons. In her youth she took more interest in helping her siblings, cousins, and other family members in their studies. She was punished for her lack of killer instinct and her drive for cooperation over competition, but it did little to curb her "unnatural" impulses. Those most generous to her were certain that she would grow out of it once puberty hit. They swore that there had been Pravus before who came to their senses as a coming-of-age rite: Some psychic wound or personal loss would harden her heart to the world. Puberty came and went, and the weight of family ambition did little to crumple the butterflies and daisies flitting in her heart. If anything, it seems to have reinforced them. Althea became the black sheep of the family, but she was still *family*. Instead of puzzling out how to change her, they instead decided to use her love of charity and helping others to their own less-than-innocent goals, and innocent Althea goes along with it none-the-wiser, ever trusting in her darling family.  +
Amador Rafael +	Born on a smaller vineyard on the outskirts of Northern Lenosia, Amador knew he wanted something beyond the simple life of a vintner. He had seen the crowded streets of the trade hub and basked in the beauty of the ladies of court in all of their silk and gems. He had watched the shadows in the alleyways and listened to the whispers behind the veil of the city's grandeur. It was at the age of fourteen that he decided he could find a space between the two. A conduit between nobility and the reality of what the world really is. He could be that figure. So after much debate in the Rafael home, it was the grace of his mother Almea that swayed his father Ortego's stubbornness and their son was allowed to venture forth to one of the many smaller courtier schools in the area. It was here that Amador first met Gaspar Velenosa, a life changing event that little did the young Lenosian know would change the path of his life forever. The two young men were surprisingly quick friends despite the vast differences in their personalities. While Amador found humor in Gaspar's tangential nature, Gaspar in turn found a solace in Amador's stoic foundation. So, when Gaspar invited him along on an expense paid tour of the kingdoms under the pitch of expanding Amador's cultural understanding making him the better courtier... Amador couldn't refuse. A few years were spent in each other's company and their relationship thrived. Amador was able to rein in Gaspar to ensure the young prince was attentive to his studies and Gaspar dragged Amador out to a wide variety of social events and more or less served as his connection to the world of nobility. They finally parted ways during the tour of the Mourning Islands. Almea had fallen ill and Amador returned to Lenosia to spend her final moments with her. After Almea's passing, Amador remained on the vineyard to assist his father during the mourning period and go over the family's financials to be sure their fiscal health remained intact during those dark times. Finally the day came where the vineyard was managed and Amador's siblings had become more integrated into the working life of the vineyard. A letter was sent to Gaspar in search of work and it just so happened Emma Velenosa was in need of a new assistant. Amador took up his role with gusto, seeing to all of the lady's day to day needs and fielding her endlessly busy schedule. After a few years of service, Amador decided the great walls of Arx was his next step and so he reached out to his former schoolmate once again this time to see if the Prince (now the Marquis-Consort of House Tessere) was aware of any employment that might suit Amador in Arx. He wasn't surprised that Gaspar responded quickly, their friendship sustained despite the distance, however when it was mentioned that Gaspar himself was in need of help Amador gave a minor pause. He knew the enigmatic Marquis. He knew of his frivolity and charismatic inclinations. He knew what it would be like to be chasing after Gaspar's heels to gently steer him through the social arena. The pause was brief though and a letter returned to his soon to be employer of his resignation to Emma and the acceptance of the new position. And so to Arx he went...  +
Amalthea +	Amalthea is a paranoid woman of the woods from a remote farm whose production is lead by crops and horses that were broken by her. She is a survivalist whose skills revolve around her knowledge of the harvest and hunt. No last name meant no family, she doesn't remember any either.  +
Amalthea Crown +	Amalthea is a paranoid woman of the woods from a remote farm whose production is lead by crops and horses that were broken by her. She is a survivalist whose skills revolve around her knowledge of the harvest and hunt. No last name meant no family, she doesn't remember any either.  +
Amanda Morgan +	Childhood for Amanda was an odd thing. Quiet, withdrawn, and seemingly in her own world (yet terribly observant of what everyone was doing around her), she came up with few friends and none of the passions that a child might have. In fact, being fastidious and proper seemed to be the only thing that held her attention. Quiet children weren't exactly an oddity in the Morgan household, and so the family knew to simply embrace what they found in this girl, and Amanda was sent off to learn how to be professional fastidious and proper. After years of learning, during which Amanda developed a love for the Gods (above and beyond what would otherwise be expected for an Oathlander), she went to serve the Valardin family as a Court Lady. She helped more than a few princesses learn which fork to use and how to speak in just the right way to get what they wanted. All the while, as she tirelessly helped the nobility, she quietly pushed them toward what she thought was best for them. Toward the answer that was piously correct. She may have even made a fine priest, but she found the life simply too constraining. No, after years of service she opted to leave her position at court and spend some time by herself. Amanda spent a few years travelling. She'll talk of the odd sites she saw, of the poetry she read, of the wine and food she tasted. She wanted, in her words, to see all the greatest of the Gods' work. Which, of course, were the greatest of humanity's work. And beyond those vagueries, she does doesn't share many details about her years away. When Amanda became stationary again, it was in Arx. She quickly found herself serving Whisper House as a courtier. Unlike back in Sanctum, she was freer here to pursue her own goals, while still serving humanity, as she believes the Gods would want her to do. She comforts and soothes, she pushes and she prods, she corrects and adjusts, all to make people (in her opinion) better. She'll bring virtue to Arx, however she can.  +
Amanita Malvici +	A Malvici cousin raised in Southport, the former Lady Amanita Malvici, now just Amanita - was raised with an extensive emphasis on both knowledge and fighting. It was an exhausting childhood. Her mother, who came from Valardin stock, was a renowned alchemist and healer who named Amanita herself after a type of mushroom. Her father was a soldier who rarely spent time at home but doted on Amanita and her siblings when he was there. Between schooling, learning how to fence, learning which dinner fork to use, how to dance, and what to wear to which occasion, Amanita found herself in want of something more than the life of a noble - particularly a Lady. Despite the relative freedom that her mother was granted, she still found it too restrictive, and the prospect of arranged political marriages scared her. As some of her siblings got married off, Amanita realized that her time would likely come sooner than later and with some finessing, she talked her parents into sending her to courtier training. A gawky, uncoordinated teenager went into a school - and a tall, slightly better coordinated young lady came out. After spending some time as a courtier in Southport, Amanita has made her way to Arx to seek out her fortune and join the renowned Whisper House, hoping to glean more education from them and perhaps become a great Whisper in her own rite. At the very least, her extended family is in the City, and she'd like to visit.  +
Amantha Harrow +	With ancestors who were Prodigal and growing up in the Lower Boroughs, life was far from easy for Amantha. Despite the hardships that the family faced, she and her ancestors did willingly serve the Crown in the form of the Iron Guard. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, both parents and older sister Felicia forging the path ahead of Amantha. Service has been something which the family has conducted with stringent adherence to the simple concept: to integrate and find acceptance, one must be willing to serve. And serve the family has, for a number of generations in concurrence. Amantha went from living in the shadow of her older sister, to nominal head of the household when Felicia broke with the family tradition to become one of the King's Own. She rules the roost of the Lower Burrough's Harrow's, balancing her duties with the Iron Guard with her own aspirations of some day joining the Mercies.  +
Amanthir Hale +	Parents, illiterate vassals of House Moore, were simple farmers. His father taught him how to tend fields, ride a horse, notch an arrow, and identify all manner of flora and fauna. A chance encounter with a brigand of bandits while a teenager drove him away from Acorn Hill for a time. He was eventually liberated from captivity by the Timberwolves and, in exchange, served a brief stint as a low-ranking soldier to House Keaton. It was during this time that he mastered the use of a longsword and survived his fair share of frontier skirmishing. Upon being formally dismissed from service, he returned to his childhood home and discovered his parents missing and their property destroyed. Without a claim to the lands, he was forced to seek out other means of securing a meager income -- notably by contracting his skills as a duelist and pathfinder to the highest bidder.  +
Amaranth Pravus +	Born into House Pravus among a line so distant you can almost see them from the shoreline if you squint, Amaranth has enjoyed all of the privileges of her name and none of the responsibilities or duties. To say that she was a wild child is putting it mildly, with her noble name sheltering her from the worst consequences of her behavior. As fate would have it, her untamable nature lead her to the curious habit of taming and training wild or foreign creatures. She gathers them like some noblewomen gather jewelry, and gifts them away just as easily.  +
Amarantha Sanna +	Born just a few minutes after her twin sister, Amarantha had a companion since birth. As children, the pair were inseparable--despite occasional disagreements. They did everything together, often with one twin dragging the other along due to different ideas of "entertainment". Amarantha would begrudgingly trail after her sister while out exploring nature and going on adventures. Astraea would sit around and listen to her sister puzzle out lyrics for her songs or accompany her to party after party. The two found an easy compromise in Amarantha's love for the sea. While Astraea poked around in tide pools or examined the odd piece of sea glass, Amaranatha would walk through the waves. There was nothing she loved more than singing to the ocean, amidst the wind and faint spray of sea. It's where she would clear her head after fights and where she would sit on the rocks and write lines of poetry. It was little surprise that eventually, Amarantha would be proposed to on that same shore she'd grown up alongside. But that was much later, when she was eighteen and had traded childhood games for the thrill of noble parties and politics. A Redrain noble, some well to do man from the Sanna family had come to Granato to court Amarantha. A flurry of letters, wine, and late nights in marble floored ballrooms later and they were married. Everyone had thought them a darling couple! He had grounded her while Amarantha brought a smile to the once dour man's lips. All was well when the new couple headed back to the north. That happiness would be short lived, A year and 3 months into the marriage, Amarantha's husband fell victim to a hunting accident. She was left a wealthy widow without a husband or child to her name. Many expected her to return home and remarry but in an odd twist, Amarantha spent the next 2 and a half years in mourning. She allowed no guests bar her twin and other siblings. It was only in the last few months that the widow returned to a semi-regular social life and by her sister's invitation, accompanied her to Arx.  +
Amari Keaton +	Born and raised in Oakhaven, Amari is the only daughter of Lady Sallah and Lord Morden Keaton, one of the preeminent legal minds of the Oathlands. She was a sharp and exceptionally smart girl, and well suited, in Morden's opinion, to follow in his footsteps. He was certain that where her brothers had already failed him, she wouldn't. She was his last, best hope of another lawyer of his caliber in the family and she was lavished with attention and flattered accordingly. Unfortunately, with the attention came the smothering weight of his expectations and the strictness of his tutelage. They took their toll. While a warm and affable girl by nature, her stress would bubble over and pour out as intensely angry and often tearful outbursts. Needless to say, she had a somewhat lonely childhood as a result. Most of her days, in fact, were spent shut away in the library studying. There her only relief from the tedium and loneliness was found in vivid daydreams of the many elaborate and wonderful futures she would someday enjoy. Then a day before her seventeenth birthday she simply vanished without a word. Despite the Huntsmen searching near and far, and for months afterwards, not a trace of her was found. So when she unexpectedly returned two years later, it wasn't strictly to fanfare. After the initial relief, dismay and suspicion set in. Where she had been, and who she had been with she wouldn't divulge. Infuriated by her stubborn refusal to reveal in detail what had happened, and outraged by what little she did admit, her father decided and she strongly agreed, that she should join her cousins in Arx. She's resided in the city ever since. With exposure to new people and new ideas, her interests have grown far beyond the practice of law alone to include an eclectic variety of pursuits. Her once mercurial manner and stormy moods too, have improved with maturity and the broadening of her horizons. She's taken on various roles of importance and responsibility, and pursued a knighthood but the lingering sense of mystery about her still hasn't dimished. What is clear, is that the tempestuous girl who disappeared, returned a lady keen to see her dreams come true, by wit, charm or pointy end of the sword.  +
Amari Redire +	Born and raised in Oakhaven, Amari is the only daughter of Lady Sallah and Lord Morden Keaton, one of the preeminent legal minds of the Oathlands. She was a sharp and exceptionally smart girl, and well suited, in Morden's opinion, to follow in his footsteps. He was certain that where her brothers had already failed him, she wouldn't. She was his last, best hope of another lawyer of his caliber in the family and she was lavished with attention and flattered accordingly. Unfortunately, with the attention came the smothering weight of his expectations and the strictness of his tutelage. They took their toll. While a warm and affable girl by nature, her stress would bubble over and pour out as intensely angry and often tearful outbursts. Needless to say, she had a somewhat lonely childhood as a result. Most of her days, in fact, were spent shut away in the library studying. There her only relief from the tedium and loneliness was found in vivid daydreams of the many elaborate and wonderful futures she would someday enjoy. Then a day before her seventeenth birthday she simply vanished without a word. Despite the Huntsmen searching near and far, and for months afterwards, not a trace of her was found. So when she unexpectedly returned two years later, it wasn't strictly to fanfare. After the initial relief, dismay and suspicion set in. Where she had been, and who she had been with she wouldn't divulge. Infuriated by her stubborn refusal to reveal in detail what had happened, and outraged by what little she did admit, her father decided and she strongly agreed, that she should join her cousins in Arx. She's resided in the city ever since. With exposure to new people and new ideas, her interests have grown far beyond the practice of law alone to include an eclectic variety of pursuits. Her once mercurial manner and stormy moods too, have improved with maturity and the broadening of her horizons. She's taken on various roles of importance and responsibility, and pursued a knighthood but the lingering sense of mystery about her still hasn't dimished. What is clear, is that the tempestuous girl who disappeared, returned a lady keen to see her dreams come true, by wit, charm or pointy end of the sword.  +
Amber Mondegreen +	Amber is one of those rare Arvum dwellers who has spent time on the continent of Eurus, and even farther to the east - all the way towards the far sea - in the kingdom of Daobujin Bo. There she met her husband, Nisoi. Foreign stranger or not, he fell hard for Amber's exotic coloring and her soft, sweet laugh, and she was just as taken. Together, they dreamed of finding a safe route through the vastly uncharted seas to reach Arvum, opening up lines of trade between the distant, distant peoples. Nisoi died before that dream could be realized, but Amber made it home to Arvum, to the forests around Bastion. She's still committed to the dream she had with her love, and bears a few treasures from Daobujin Bo to sell so she can finance it.  +
Amelia Eventide +	The Fleet Commander of the Eventide Collective appeared in the public eye only a few short years ago, not long after the marriage between King Alaric and Lady Symonesse of the Nox'alfar. Known as one of the few capable enough to brave the Darkwater Deeps bordering Arvum and Eurus, Amelia Eventide capitalized on her talents to grow from a few simple merchant ships to a considerable armada. Now, her organization handles the lion's share of imports and exports between the two regions. Rumors abound of her origins, from an enterprising urchin in the Lower Boroughs to an Abandoned that has since split off from her tribe. Some assert she must be a forgotten bastard daughter to some Thraxian Lord - where else would she have received her education? - while others murmur of even stranger roots.  +
Amelie Steelhart +	Born Amelie Steelhart, she was the youngest daughter in the Ducal line, so she grew up knowing that she did not really need to be concerned with learning the ins and outs of being a Countess. She grew up training to be strong enough to successfully explore the ruins she found such wonder and excitement in. Given that she often was so focused on her training and studies, she often found herself spending most of her time alone. As a gift for her eighteenth birthday her father, Count Frederik, gifted her a ship, a crew, and a map to unpopulated island. with rumors of ruins to explore. Her arrival to the island did not live up to the expectations she had in her heart, as her ship crashed in rough seas as they arrived, stranding her and the crew that survived. With the fall of Highhill also coming, she and the crew were forgot about, only recently escaping their unintended prison when a trading vessel happened upon the island. So now she has returned to the mainland to find her family has been replaced with a new one.  +
Amelie Wyvernheart +	Born Amelie Steelhart, she was the youngest daughter in the Ducal line, so she grew up knowing that she did not really need to be concerned with learning the ins and outs of being a Countess. She grew up training to be strong enough to successfully explore the ruins she found such wonder and excitement in. Given that she often was so focused on her training and studies, she often found herself spending most of her time alone. As a gift for her eighteenth birthday her father, Count Frederik, gifted her a ship, a crew, and a map to unpopulated island. with rumors of ruins to explore. Her arrival to the island did not live up to the expectations she had in her heart, as her ship crashed in rough seas as they arrived, stranding her and the crew that survived. With the fall of Highhill also coming, she and the crew were forgot about, only recently escaping their unintended prison when a trading vessel happened upon the island. So now she has returned to the mainland to find her family has been replaced with a new one.  +
Amerigo Pravus +	There are those destined for fighting - for martial pursuits and are made to wield the blade or the bow. Such...is not Amerigo. From an early age, Amerigo learned what it was like to be at the end of many a beating between his siblings and his 'friends' as he made his way through life. Not that he didn't have the physique for combat, he just didn't have the desire. Blessed with what many thought was a gentle spirit but a keen mind, Amerigo spent more times in books than he did out in the fields or the sparring ring. His sparring ring was the classroom where he put to shame (and likely is why he earned so many beatings from) his fellow scholars. The son of a wine vintner, his family did not lack for resources. He was able to travel with his father as they hawked the wares of their lands, a full but distant branch of the Pravus family that provided plenty of alcohol for the Pravus family to celebrate with yet, primarily, avoided much of the daily politics though he was present at most important events, and so kept tabs on the family as they did him. As he grew older, he learned the value of his good looks and winning personality. Making friends with the biggest an strongest meant less beatings because, well, why fight when you can have people fight for you. He continues his pursuits and scholarly efforts, learning the skills of counting coin but, moreso, adminsitration and law. He became a sort of wandering magister, resolving disputes and settling matters, an arbiter and judge. And so his quiet life was moving along quite simply until a messenger arrived one day. He was due in Arx, at the request of the Duchess, to stop playing and as the letter said, 'get some real work done.' Considering it had been a while since he saw his cousin, he was a bit surprised by the news but one does not dismiss such a request. So off to Arx he goes.  +
Amieli Igniseri +	A noble of a lesser branch of the Igniseri family, Amieli is the only child begot from the tragic story of Lisa Igniseri, younger sister to Emilisia Igniseri by several minutes. As an adult, Lisa wanted nothing more than to raise a family. Infertility would have been tame--instead, after three consecutive miscarriages, it became clear something was very wrong. Most of the Lyceum simply sighed with relief Lisa was not ruling head and went about their lives. But the lady herself, grief stricken and determined, was nowhere near as content. She turned to midwives, physickers, even alchemists in search of help. Despite reassurances and postulated solutions, the results were far from satisfying. Amieli should have been the youngest of seven; she was the first of one. IN a final twist of pitch irony, Lisa's only successful birth was also the cause of her death. The fate of her father is even less certain. From childhood to young adulthood, Amieli lived an almost nomadic life in the Lyceum, her upbringing distributed across branches of the Igniseri family and close relatives or friends, sometimes even in other houses. She learned to own little, travel light, and learn everything she could while the opportunity was at hand. Connections were many but shallow, and her solace was in those fragments which became permanent: appreciation for proper etiquette; her study of the sword; and even the difference from one place to the next, finding a story here, a poem there, and piecing the world together as best she could. For the displaced lady, the turn to Arx was only natural; yet another patch in her patchwork of homes. Except this time, she could choose where to go--and what better place than the heart, jewel, and crossroads of the Compact?  +
Amir Melaeris +	Born the only son of the Marquis Lyron' dear, widowed sister, Amir lead a privileged life. His mother was sickly but doting, making sure that her son had only the best tutors and wanted for nothing. And when she died, he was taken into Lyron' care and raised alongside the his youngest daughter. For all intents and purposes, the two children were treated like siblings--sharing playmates, eating dinner together, and reading eachother's diaries aloud to friends. As a young teen, Amir's raw talent with a blade quickly became apparent. So much so, that the Marquessa-Consort, arranged for him to be tutored in martial subjects by the House's previous Sword. Youthful cockiness and pride hampered his early years of training but by the time he was in his early twenties, Amir had learned to temper his emotions and master his movements. Even if the old Sword could still knock him on his ass. He was biding his time, hoping to be appointed the new house Sword as his mentor aged, when Marquis Lyron passed. A storm had taken the life of his uncle and the entirety of his ship to the ocean floor. The new Marquis was quick to stir up the ranks, putting fresh faces in new positions. Including Amir. For the next few years, he would serve as House Melaeris' faithful and occasionally outspoken Sword. Many a white journal was put up decrying the practice of Thralldom or naming and shaming those who mistreated their thralls. Not a single soul was surprised when Amir would later go on to become a disciple of the newly discovered Skald and a Liberator. Or that he supported the reforms on the laws concerning thralls--even if he contested they weren't good enough. Still, even if he objected to many of Thrax's policies, he still fought dutifully for the Great House during the siege of Arx and later during the war against the so called Pirate King.  +
Amorria Arterius +	Amorria's parents traveled a great deal, mainly to sell what they had made from what they gathered along their traveled. As a wanderer in her own sense, Amorria often would pretend to be more than just the commoner child she was. She would save every bit of nice looking fabric she had and drape herself in the knotted together scraps to form dresses and outfits that she imagined was the most beautiful. Her parents sheltered her for the most part, her father always being close by her side even as she grew into a young woman. Her mother, more often ashamed of her child's whimsical nature would often be seen walking in front or a few steps behind her husband and her daughter. Unless it was just herself and Amorria, in which case Amorria would be seem close by her side but with her head down and curious eyes never turning up from looking at her own feet. There is very little known about her family, or her, only that they never lingered long in more than one place and Amorria was not always seen in their company.  +
Amund +	Born twenty-five years ago, Amund has learned from an early age that hardship and misery is the staple of living on the frontier with the Everwinter. The months of famine would bring sickness, the sickness would bring death. His parents fastidiously thought to spare him the worst parts, often to their own detriment. One night, a band of aggressive shavs took the village by storm. The emaciated villagers fought their best, but ultimately they could not stop the wave of violence that would see babies wrenched from mothers' breasts and dashed against walls, fathers put to the sword and mothers speared through their skulls, hanging like ragdolls in the winter snows. The boy, barely twelve, wasn't noticed from his perch on the roof of his house. With nowhere to go, he was forced to fend for himself. Out in the wilds he set out to avoid bands of raiders, foraging what he could from the woods until he found shelter in the next village. After a month of slow and painful recovery from frost exposure, he was nursed back to health and taken in by the village's mayor as a ward. Eventually he became part of the watchers of the town, trained in the sword and the axe before a band of sellswords showed up in town and, after saying his goodbyes to these Whitehold-affiliated villagers, he signed up with them. Their fight against the shav'arvani became ever more violent after he was recruited. Whereas the lieutenants would have consternation for his methods, they couldn't deny that they were effective. Slowly he crawled up the ranks until he made it to Lieutenant. When the general of the company died from a fever, the company disbanded. He became a Champion in ducal courts, his style a favorite of Northern nobles for its sheer ferocity and his disregard for the opponents' safety. If the fight ended in one blow and the opponent lived, then it didn't matter if it was a stab to the gut or a sliced vein that did it. His money was earned, win or lose, and it was time to part ways. But that, too, became a boring endeavor. But the opportunity for money rose again when lord after lord would call for free swords to fight for them in the Silent War. And fight he did. There may have been unspeakable horrors in the line of battle, but he resolutely pressed on and took the fight to them. His remarkable versatility helped make himself quite the name in the field of battle. Once the battle was joined, win or lose, he gave his best; consummate professional that he is, the outcome didn't matter so much as the payment. If the bands of shav'arvani aligned with the Silence were slaughtered to a man, who cared? Moreover, there were times he sought out these tribes in diversion, intent on bleeding their numbers dry. Once again, in the Gyre War, Amund distinguished himself with a seasonal contract with the Setarco military. For those battles, he proved himself gritty enough to be offered a renewal of his contract by a serjeant, which he declined. The lure of fighting against shav'arvani drew him to Arx. So he packed his bags, hoping for business that marries his hatred for the Abandoned with a desire for new thrills.  +
Amund Frost +	Born twenty-five years ago, Amund has learned from an early age that hardship and misery is the staple of living on the frontier with the Everwinter. The months of famine would bring sickness, the sickness would bring death. His parents fastidiously thought to spare him the worst parts, often to their own detriment. One night, a band of aggressive shavs took the village by storm. The emaciated villagers fought their best, but ultimately they could not stop the wave of violence that would see babies wrenched from mothers' breasts and dashed against walls, fathers put to the sword and mothers speared through their skulls, hanging like ragdolls in the winter snows. The boy, barely twelve, wasn't noticed from his perch on the roof of his house. With nowhere to go, he was forced to fend for himself. Out in the wilds he set out to avoid bands of raiders, foraging what he could from the woods until he found shelter in the next village. After a month of slow and painful recovery from frost exposure, he was nursed back to health and taken in by the village's mayor as a ward. Eventually he became part of the watchers of the town, trained in the sword and the axe before a band of sellswords showed up in town and, after saying his goodbyes to these Whitehold-affiliated villagers, he signed up with them. Their fight against the shav'arvani became ever more violent after he was recruited. Whereas the lieutenants would have consternation for his methods, they couldn't deny that they were effective. Slowly he crawled up the ranks until he made it to Lieutenant. When the general of the company died from a fever, the company disbanded. He became a Champion in ducal courts, his style a favorite of Northern nobles for its sheer ferocity and his disregard for the opponents' safety. If the fight ended in one blow and the opponent lived, then it didn't matter if it was a stab to the gut or a sliced vein that did it. His money was earned, win or lose, and it was time to part ways. But that, too, became a boring endeavor. But the opportunity for money rose again when lord after lord would call for free swords to fight for them in the Silent War. And fight he did. There may have been unspeakable horrors in the line of battle, but he resolutely pressed on and took the fight to them. His remarkable versatility helped make himself quite the name in the field of battle. Once the battle was joined, win or lose, he gave his best; consummate professional that he is, the outcome didn't matter so much as the payment. If the bands of shav'arvani aligned with the Silence were slaughtered to a man, who cared? Moreover, there were times he sought out these tribes in diversion, intent on bleeding their numbers dry. Once again, in the Gyre War, Amund distinguished himself with a seasonal contract with the Setarco military. For those battles, he proved himself gritty enough to be offered a renewal of his contract by a serjeant, which he declined. The lure of fighting against shav'arvani drew him to Arx. So he packed his bags, hoping for business that marries his hatred for the Abandoned with a desire for new thrills.  +
Amund Honor +	Born twenty-five years ago, Amund has learned from an early age that hardship and misery is the staple of living on the frontier with the Everwinter. The months of famine would bring sickness, the sickness would bring death. His parents fastidiously thought to spare him the worst parts, often to their own detriment. One night, a band of aggressive shavs took the village by storm. The emaciated villagers fought their best, but ultimately they could not stop the wave of violence that would see babies wrenched from mothers' breasts and dashed against walls, fathers put to the sword and mothers speared through their skulls, hanging like ragdolls in the winter snows. The boy, barely twelve, wasn't noticed from his perch on the roof of his house. With nowhere to go, he was forced to fend for himself. Out in the wilds he set out to avoid bands of raiders, foraging what he could from the woods until he found shelter in the next village. After a month of slow and painful recovery from frost exposure, he was nursed back to health and taken in by the village's mayor as a ward. Eventually he became part of the watchers of the town, trained in the sword and the axe before a band of sellswords showed up in town and, after saying his goodbyes to these Whitehold-affiliated villagers, he signed up with them. Their fight against the shav'arvani became ever more violent after he was recruited. Whereas the lieutenants would have consternation for his methods, they couldn't deny that they were effective. Slowly he crawled up the ranks until he made it to Lieutenant. When the general of the company died from a fever, the company disbanded. He became a Champion in ducal courts, his style a favorite of Northern nobles for its sheer ferocity and his disregard for the opponents' safety. If the fight ended in one blow and the opponent lived, then it didn't matter if it was a stab to the gut or a sliced vein that did it. His money was earned, win or lose, and it was time to part ways. But that, too, became a boring endeavor. But the opportunity for money rose again when lord after lord would call for free swords to fight for them in the Silent War. And fight he did. There may have been unspeakable horrors in the line of battle, but he resolutely pressed on and took the fight to them. His remarkable versatility helped make himself quite the name in the field of battle. Once the battle was joined, win or lose, he gave his best; consummate professional that he is, the outcome didn't matter so much as the payment. If the bands of shav'arvani aligned with the Silence were slaughtered to a man, who cared? Moreover, there were times he sought out these tribes in diversion, intent on bleeding their numbers dry. Once again, in the Gyre War, Amund distinguished himself with a seasonal contract with the Setarco military. For those battles, he proved himself gritty enough to be offered a renewal of his contract by a serjeant, which he declined. The lure of fighting against shav'arvani drew him to Arx. So he packed his bags, hoping for business that marries his hatred for the Abandoned with a desire for new thrills.  +
Amund Masque +	Born twenty-five years ago, Amund has learned from an early age that hardship and misery is the staple of living on the frontier with the Everwinter. The months of famine would bring sickness, the sickness would bring death. His parents fastidiously thought to spare him the worst parts, often to their own detriment. One night, a band of aggressive shavs took the village by storm. The emaciated villagers fought their best, but ultimately they could not stop the wave of violence that would see babies wrenched from mothers' breasts and dashed against walls, fathers put to the sword and mothers speared through their skulls, hanging like ragdolls in the winter snows. The boy, barely twelve, wasn't noticed from his perch on the roof of his house. With nowhere to go, he was forced to fend for himself. Out in the wilds he set out to avoid bands of raiders, foraging what he could from the woods until he found shelter in the next village. After a month of slow and painful recovery from frost exposure, he was nursed back to health and taken in by the village's mayor as a ward. Eventually he became part of the watchers of the town, trained in the sword and the axe before a band of sellswords showed up in town and, after saying his goodbyes to these Whitehold-affiliated villagers, he signed up with them. Their fight against the shav'arvani became ever more violent after he was recruited. Whereas the lieutenants would have consternation for his methods, they couldn't deny that they were effective. Slowly he crawled up the ranks until he made it to Lieutenant. When the general of the company died from a fever, the company disbanded. He became a Champion in ducal courts, his style a favorite of Northern nobles for its sheer ferocity and his disregard for the opponents' safety. If the fight ended in one blow and the opponent lived, then it didn't matter if it was a stab to the gut or a sliced vein that did it. His money was earned, win or lose, and it was time to part ways. But that, too, became a boring endeavor. But the opportunity for money rose again when lord after lord would call for free swords to fight for them in the Silent War. And fight he did. There may have been unspeakable horrors in the line of battle, but he resolutely pressed on and took the fight to them. His remarkable versatility helped make himself quite the name in the field of battle. Once the battle was joined, win or lose, he gave his best; consummate professional that he is, the outcome didn't matter so much as the payment. If the bands of shav'arvani aligned with the Silence were slaughtered to a man, who cared? Moreover, there were times he sought out these tribes in diversion, intent on bleeding their numbers dry. Once again, in the Gyre War, Amund distinguished himself with a seasonal contract with the Setarco military. For those battles, he proved himself gritty enough to be offered a renewal of his contract by a serjeant, which he declined. The lure of fighting against shav'arvani drew him to Arx. So he packed his bags, hoping for business that marries his hatred for the Abandoned with a desire for new thrills.  +
Amund Monrosa +	Born twenty-five years ago, Amund has learned from an early age that hardship and misery is the staple of living on the frontier with the Everwinter. The months of famine would bring sickness, the sickness would bring death. His parents fastidiously thought to spare him the worst parts, often to their own detriment. One night, a band of aggressive shavs took the village by storm. The emaciated villagers fought their best, but ultimately they could not stop the wave of violence that would see babies wrenched from mothers' breasts and dashed against walls, fathers put to the sword and mothers speared through their skulls, hanging like ragdolls in the winter snows. The boy, barely twelve, wasn't noticed from his perch on the roof of his house. With nowhere to go, he was forced to fend for himself. Out in the wilds he set out to avoid bands of raiders, foraging what he could from the woods until he found shelter in the next village. After a month of slow and painful recovery from frost exposure, he was nursed back to health and taken in by the village's mayor as a ward. Eventually he became part of the watchers of the town, trained in the sword and the axe before a band of sellswords showed up in town and, after saying his goodbyes to these Whitehold-affiliated villagers, he signed up with them. Their fight against the shav'arvani became ever more violent after he was recruited. Whereas the lieutenants would have consternation for his methods, they couldn't deny that they were effective. Slowly he crawled up the ranks until he made it to Lieutenant. When the general of the company died from a fever, the company disbanded. He became a Champion in ducal courts, his style a favorite of Northern nobles for its sheer ferocity and his disregard for the opponents' safety. If the fight ended in one blow and the opponent lived, then it didn't matter if it was a stab to the gut or a sliced vein that did it. His money was earned, win or lose, and it was time to part ways. But that, too, became a boring endeavor. But the opportunity for money rose again when lord after lord would call for free swords to fight for them in the Silent War. And fight he did. There may have been unspeakable horrors in the line of battle, but he resolutely pressed on and took the fight to them. His remarkable versatility helped make himself quite the name in the field of battle. Once the battle was joined, win or lose, he gave his best; consummate professional that he is, the outcome didn't matter so much as the payment. If the bands of shav'arvani aligned with the Silence were slaughtered to a man, who cared? Moreover, there were times he sought out these tribes in diversion, intent on bleeding their numbers dry. Once again, in the Gyre War, Amund distinguished himself with a seasonal contract with the Setarco military. For those battles, he proved himself gritty enough to be offered a renewal of his contract by a serjeant, which he declined. The lure of fighting against shav'arvani drew him to Arx. So he packed his bags, hoping for business that marries his hatred for the Abandoned with a desire for new thrills.  +
Anabelle Lyonesse +	One of the earliest memories that Anabelle can readily recall is cold and hunger. Not something one would expect of a noble family. In 990 AR, as winter was beginning to make itself evident in the Oathlands, a caravan of food and furs was robbed. Which in turn caused a crisis within Lyon's Redoubt, the home of the Lyonesse family. It was a long winter, cold and full of rumbling bellies. Yet such petty complications couldn't dampen the spirits of a young Anabelle! Upon reflecting on the cold and hunger she felt at the time, she implored her parents to ration out her own meals to the people of Lyon's Redoubt. That winter taught her a valuable lesson at a young age; everyone deserves a warm meal and bed. Which in turn has caused her to grow into an adult with a mind toward helping others. Naturally she has her own ambitions and desires, but at the end of the day she understands the intrinsic value of helping another. Never one to take studies too seriously and having no particular interest in the sword, it was the realm of social activity that called like a siren to Anabelle. As she grew older she was often the centerpiece of a throng of young noble girls and at times those of the common class. It was likely this penchant for being social, understand people, and generally being the most willing to extend a hand in welcome to another that she became the Voice of House Lyonesse upon her only slightly older sister, Demura, becoming the Marquessa of Lyonesse following the departure of their older brother and Marquis, to join the King's Own. 'Little Lady Perfect' became a moniker of sorts, often utilized as a teasing barb cast from one sister to the perceived favorite young child of the family. She strives to be perfection personified, though as her older brother so regularly told it: it's unattainable. Anabelle will try though! Trying is always worth the fun and story of it! She's come to Arx with Autumn transitioning to Winter in 1005 AR alongside Marquessa Demura Lyonesse with the intent to represent their family within her role as the Voice of the Marquessa and an effort to do what good she finds herself able while within the city walls.  +
Anastajia Mercy +	Being a young girl who has never known her parents, life has been rather difficult for Anastajia. She knew her strengths were in making people happy, and decided she would make a living out of doing just that. You may think one in a situation such as hers would lose their way in life, but she resolved to keep her head held high and take it one step at a time, literally. Entertaining people was in her blood, and with the various skills she had picked up along the way, as well as her aptitude for dance, she was able to make a enough money to get by. She may not be wealthy, and may appear to be all alone in this world, but the fact remains that she is gifted with the ability to touch the hearts of everyone she meets. Because of this, she never feels like she is alone in the world.  +
Anders Nightcove +	Anders was born a lord of House Nightcove, a vassal of House Helianthus. He's spent his years in the loyally serving the Marquis of Eastcrest and rising steadily to the position of Voice and admiral of his family's naval forces. He has an immaculate and impressive career, and is personally responsible for claiming significant tracts of land for his house.  +
Andreas Donatti +	Born and raised on the streets of Southport, Andreas was the eldest of three siblings. His mother passed away with the birth of his youngest brother Alexio, leaving his father to raise him and his siblings. Work on the docks of Southport hardly paid well, and the silver that it did pay didn't go far when the first thing on his father's priority list was booze, and not his children. Andreas and his siblings pretty much raised themselves, for better or worse. With no authority figure at home, it is little surprise that the three children ended up on the streets. Andreas, personally, developed a certain knack for the discreet transport and exchange of goods through witty and stealthy means. As he got more skilled in the fishy business, and what he transported became more valuable, he turned into carrying rather than simply for survival. What began as a means for sustenance, soon turned into a means of helping himself and his siblings attain the things that had evaded them for so much of their lives. The lad was around his mid-twenties when he managed to procure a ship of his own somewhere in the Lyceum. The nature of the vessel's acquisition remains a mystery to many; but, one thing is for sure, Andreas' face was nowhere to be found for some time in the south. Some say it was mere coincidence, while others insist it was not; but, not long after he left, rumors of a merchant having been swindled off his boat would have been running around the many markets of the hundred cities. Of course, there was no way to prove Andreas was the culprit. Not when the affected merchant had been allegedly drinking his fill on the night of the unfortunate event, and both Alexio and his other sibling were convincingly playing as the eldest Donatti's alibi. He spent his days supposedly transporting goods and people, legally, from one place to the other as a common carrier for various parties. It is said it was through these means that he made his small fortune - although, some dare argue the small fortune might be a bit bigger than it should. Nonetheless, now that his youngest sibling has successfully established his Import & Exports business in the shining city of Arx, Andreas has been said to have docked his ship in the Capital's port. Word on the street says he has been hired by Alexio as a private carrier of goods.  +
Andrel Monteaux +	Andrel was born the middle son of the Monteaux family. He was considered the golden child of his family, and paraded around as the jewel of the Monteaux sons from his promising physical stature to his honorable demeanor. Despite this, when their father perished on a hunting accident, it was his older brother, ever envious of Andrel, that received the family wealth, and estate. He ensured Andrel received only enough to live on his own, but now Andrel has set off to make a name for himself in the Kingdom greater, independent of his brothers.  +
Andrina Thornburn +	Andrina is the daughter of Andrew and Anastasia Thornborn-- a wealthy baker and his iron guard wife. Her mother and father pampered her and spoiled her (by commoner standards). She grew up in a nice home in the upper boroughs with a sheltered and rather idyllic life. Her parents encouraged her to follow her passions. She flittered around in several apprentices as a teenager before she finally landed on her true passion-- painting and sculpting. She knows how to sew, melt down an ingot, and how to tan leather but she doesn't really have much interest in it. No, instead, she would rather be reading stories of larger than life heroes and bringing those tales to life on a canvas or in marble.  +
Andromeda Leporidae +	Andromeda has always been athletically inclined, coordinated and possessed of a strong build. Her resilience, however, was something that needed work. She'd always been described as soft of heart, and while her mother assured her there was nothing wrong with that, she warned her about kindness and mercy. These are principles that warriors of Andromeda's caliber simply can't afford. Everyone who knew her growing up remembers a time in which the apprentice Sword was idealistic, maybe even naive. That all changed when she was taken captive during a battle waged against the enemies of Tremorus. A particularly brutal tribe of Abandoned spent months torturing her for information they could use to fight against their enemies in turn. She was never allowed a moment of peace, but they knew that at the very least their "noble" hostage needed to remain whole enough to be used in negotiations if it came down to it. Andromeda managed, after a lengthy confinement, to trick her gaoler into letting her out. When she got her hands on a sword, it was only a matter of time. She slaughtered everyone who got in her way, and then she slaughtered everyone else at the holding. They call it the Night of Long Screams, and it is a tale that has endured in the history of the Proscipi. When Andromeda returned to her people she wasted no time in informing her kinsmen of the knowledge she had gathered while being kept prisoner; enemy movements and other inside information that allowed them to smash the opposition on every front. In the final battle she fought their Champion one on one with the stipulation that the victor takes all -- despite the protestations of her brother Remus who felt it was pure folly. Andromeda's cold methodology and skill with a blade allowed her to carve through him like a cake. After which, of course, the rest of the clan quickly disarmed and bent the knee. The shattered blade of her foe remains on display in the museum of the Leporidae and since then she has become something of a ruthless pragmatic. After Tremorus and Leporidae bent the knee, she was introduced to the concept of the Champion's Guild, which quickly caught her mind, and fascinated her. It wasn't long before the Prodigal Champion joined their ranks, eager to find new ways of testing herself, and of emerging victorious.  +
Andry Bayweather +	Another day, another orphan, another life into the Lowers. Perhaps Andry's parents are some line of royalty, perhaps great nobility runs through his blood, perhaps he's a bastard child of a former king, perhaps there's magic in his blood! Or perhaps his parents were just no ones who got ran off or killed and he's just another baby in the Tragedy of the Lowers. One of those being more likely than the others, Andry lived his life with pragmatism. An urchin and an orphan in the Lowers, Andry was quick to learn he couldn't make it alone. Not being a sizeable boy, he was not one who would survive many of the scraps that took place in the Lowers. So he found himself a big boy, an older boy, and endeared himself to him. Jeffeth Bayweather. The two took on the same surname, both of them without real families, two orphans decided they could be their own family. With Andry's wit and Jeffeth's brawn the two were able to survive the lowers and grow well enough. While Jeffeth was swayed by the stories of the Knights Solace, Andry made sure they had solid connections to the Cullers, a family with known criminal connections in the Lower Boroughs. He always appreciated the thought of just taking what you want in this world. And so he made sure to endear himself to the Cullers, that they would look upon him kindly. But when his adoptive brother became a fully Godsworn knight, Andry wasn't far behind. Becoming Godsworn meant a life being taken care of. Of course he had to become a bit more in tune with the Gods that he was originally inclined, and eventually he took a great liking to Gild. Feeling more of a kinship with the Goddess than he expected. While still much was expected of Andry, it was never very hard for him. Looking after his pocket of trusted individuals, Andry became a well known Knight of Solace, famed for his keen eye and sharp wit as well as the edge of his blades. Andry is always sure to keep those he is close to happy and safe. While they may be on either side of the tracks, Andry feels deeply indebted to both the Cullers and the Knights of Solace. Though now, his duty is to protect those who could not protect themselves. And hey, make some money on the side.  +
Angelica Sanna +	Angelica comes from a branch of the Sanna family split free, obscurely referenced in Farshaw and fairly unremarkable. Several generations back, they settled in a small village north of the Redrain capital, called to an obscure purpose and excelling at it, tending sheep, mining, and joining the locals in their trade of bookbinding. Their success is a little above modest, the village able to support itself without much interference from the outside world, encouraging a work ethic that's reflect in their respected goods as well as their day to day. Angelica is a product of such a community, her calm demeanor rarely ruffled, her focus intense on whatever she sets herself to.  +
Angelo DiFidante +	The son of a lesser Fidante line, first cousin to Duke Leo and Lady Calista, Angelo was born to be a superfluous son, and like many, found expectation suggested him for soldiery or the priesthood. He lacked interest in spilling blood, and he lacked the devotion of the early priestbound. As a youth, he was irresolute, frustrated, sometimes reckless. He defied expectation in every way he could think of. He eschewed parties for books. He eschewed priestly training for quiet, private meditation. He eschewed dueling and getting in people's faces by being more than ordinarily diplomatic. When assigned military tasks, he would generally find ways of fulfilling a support role: aiding in quartermastery rather than combat, for example. When he just coming of age, his father got stabbed in the chest during the Tor-Southport War, returning home alive but with troubles breathing and many fits of illnesses which he fought through for the following decade. Despite the struggles of a kind of depressed and reactive teenagerhood that he mainly spent getting in the way and being discontented without particular aim, Angelo began to develop a direction despite himself, mainly inspired by spending time devoted to his dying father. That direction became the laity. A little disturbed by the mirrormasks, perhaps because of spending too much time near the Oathlands, he nevertheless grew in his heart a fascination for the reflection and for Tehom. Spare nobleman that he is, he has flirted with becoming godsworn, but never gone through with it. Skillful diplomat that he is rumored to be, mainly because of the deftness of his vocabulary and the imaginative and deeply perceptive nature that one develops when they have listened to many stories and many problems, he never quite decided to opt that way. Some say that he didn't have a good time in Tor, and it could be true: when his father died two years before the King's Rest, his reaction was to seclude himself in his chambers and the number of public appearances he could be counted with a couple of hands. It was until mid-1005 AR, when he traveled to Arx at the sudden request of Duke Leo Fidante, who was in need of diplomats for the Voice of the Compact and had heard rumors of his cousin's vague interest in diplomacy. Like many other times when Angelo finds something that fascinates him, it might seem like the chance to escape from Tor, from his past, has made him truly engaged with the idea of putting his empathy and vocabulary to the service of House Fidante and the realm. Just prior to House Volkov's destruction, Angelo was there as a diplomatic envoy. Perhaps he felt responsible for their fate, because not long after the new Difidante cadet house was established, Angelo entered these lands again, and vanished for a month. Wardens within the cadet house found him, thin and haggard and wandering, with long-dried blood on his hands and arms, and not a mark on him personally. They took him in let him recuperate in silence, and he emerged much as he had been, a bit remote and thoughtful and verbally gifted, but thinner, more haunted, restless, as if awoken by some impulse that would neither let him withdraw or rest.  +
Angelo Fidante +	The son of a lesser Fidante line, first cousin to Duke Leo and Lady Calista, Angelo was born to be a superfluous son, and like many, found expectation suggested him for soldiery or the priesthood. He lacked interest in spilling blood, and he lacked the devotion of the early priestbound. As a youth, he was irresolute, frustrated, sometimes reckless. He defied expectation in every way he could think of. He eschewed parties for books. He eschewed priestly training for quiet, private meditation. He eschewed dueling and getting in people's faces by being more than ordinarily diplomatic. When assigned military tasks . . . he proved to have a mind for strategy and organization. He was credited for creating new moves in strategic games like Stones and became involved despite himself in hosting tournaments which brought some of Arvum's most brilliant minds to Tor. When he was just coming of age, his father got stabbed in the chest during the Tor-Southport War, returning home alive but with troubles breathing and many fits of illnesses which he fought through for the following decade. Almost by accident, Angelo began to develop a real direction, mainly inspired by spending time devoted to his dying father. He began writing his father's accounts of war. When his father died, he secluded himself in his chambers and completed the biography. When he emerged, it was with the finished text and a certain restlessness. He traveled to other fealties to gather the stories of other war veterans. And as he traveled, he explored other areas. Deepened his skills for diplomacy and counsel, developed his imaginative and deeply perceptive nature. He traveled to Arx at the request of then Duke Leo Fidante to serve as a diplomat, but he has branched into other interests. He is still prone to traveling and gathering stories, while retaining his fascination for strategy and study. He finds ways to commit himself completely to his duties wherever he is. He's agile enough for that.  +
Anisha Whisper +	Who is Anisha Whisper? That might depend on who and when you ask. She joined Whisper House after time as a courtier in Setarco, offering a differing story to whomever asked - though a common signifier she left in is that she's a former noble who left her family in some disgrace. The noble house is always anonymous and unnamed, though the fealty frequently changes. For now, she insists that she has found her purpose in life as a Whisper and a Mirrormask, and that it was only a matter of time before her journey led her to Arx.  +
Ann Redrain +	She was born Ann Moriah Redrain, a Princess with her nose buried in books and planted firmly at the feet of wise elders of the North, absorbing their tales, or off having adventures. Her childhood was indeed full of these - crossing into a spooky copse of trees or venturing upon high mountain peaks for the sheer exhilaration of it. As she grew into womanhood, these adventures became a little less childish and a little more odd. Always the one to goad into temptation, once she heard tales of wondrous relics or academic tomes, Ann (or sometimes Moriah, depending on her mood) would plead, coax, and cajole an intrepid (or sometimes reluctant) member or two of Redrain to accompany her to explore the tale. Among her favorite to pull to these adventures were her three brothers: Valerian, Torrus, and Angus - all three having perished, the latter valiantly so in the Night's Grove with the King and Sherrod. Within the Silent War, Princess Ann Moriah Redrain found herself taking vows to Duke Asger Crovane on the ashes of the once proud city, laid low. Together they rebuilt the city from inside out. Together they had three children, each showing small hints of personality of both mother and father. Shortly after the twins were born, Duke Asger Crovane was poisoned by an unknown assassin while visiting the County of Coastside to talk to House Crackneck. Devastated, Ann stepped down from being Duchess to allow the Crovane family to have the direct bloodline at head of the house. With no title nor succession for her children, she returned to Redrain to take up her position as Princess again. Seeking new adventures, and helping her family navigate the politics of the Compact.  +
Ann Rivenshari +	She was born Ann Moriah Redrain, a Princess with her nose buried in books and planted firmly at the feet of wise elders of the North, absorbing their tales, or off having adventures. Her childhood was indeed full of these - crossing into a spooky copse of trees or venturing upon high mountain peaks for the sheer exhilaration of it. As she grew into womanhood, these adventures became a little less childish and a little more odd. Always the one to goad into temptation, once she heard tales of wondrous relics or academic tomes, Ann (or sometimes Moriah, depending on her mood) would plead, coax, and cajole an intrepid (or sometimes reluctant) member or two of Redrain to accompany her to explore the tale. Among her favorite to pull to these adventures were her three brothers: Valerian, Torrus, and Angus - all three having perished, the latter valiantly so in the Night's Grove with the King and Sherrod. Within the Silent War, Princess Ann Moriah Redrain found herself taking vows to Duke Asger Crovane on the ashes of the once proud city, laid low. Together they rebuilt the city from inside out. Together they had three children, each showing small hints of personality of both mother and father. Shortly after the twins were born, Duke Asger Crovane was poisoned by an unknown assassin while visiting the County of Coastside to talk to House Crackneck. Devastated, Ann stepped down from being Duchess to allow the Crovane family to have the direct bloodline at head of the house. With no title nor succession for her children, she returned to Redrain to take up her position as Princess again. Seeking new adventures, and helping her family navigate the politics of the Compact.  +
Ann crovane +	She was born Ann Moriah Redrain, a Princess with her nose buried in books and planted firmly at the feet of wise elders of the North, absorbing their tales, or off having adventures. Her childhood was indeed full of these - crossing into a spooky copse of trees or venturing upon high mountain peaks for the sheer exhilaration of it. As she grew into womanhood, these adventures became a little less childish and a little more odd. Always the one to goad into temptation, once she heard tales of wondrous relics or academic tomes, Ann (or sometimes Moriah, depending on her mood) would plead, coax, and cajole an intrepid (or sometimes reluctant) member or two of Redrain to accompany her to explore the tale. Among her favorite to pull to these adventures were her three brothers: Valerian, Torrus, and Angus - all three having perished, the latter valiantly so in the Night's Grove with the King and Sherrod. Within the Silent War, Princess Ann Moriah Redrain found herself taking vows to Duke Asger Crovane on the ashes of the once proud city, laid low. Together they rebuilt the city from inside out. Together they had three children, each showing small hints of personality of both mother and father. Shortly after the twins were born, Duke Asger Crovane was poisoned by an unknown assassin while visiting the County of Coastside to talk to House Crackneck. Devastated, Ann stepped down from being Duchess to allow the Crovane family to have the direct bloodline at head of the house. With no title nor succession for her children, she returned to Redrain to take up her position as Princess again. Seeking new adventures, and helping her family navigate the politics of the Compact.  +
Annabella Grimhall +	Annabella was fortunate enough to have been born to the Grimhall family, and as such her upbringing was a bit more fortunate than a commoner child. Through she was raised with the proper etiquette and formalities of a noble, Annabella never much cared for the supposed worth in her noble blood, and instead found solace in libraries and apothecaries, where she could gather as much knowledge on healing and medication as possible, as she quickly found this to be her true passion. In her hands, the tools to save a life are just as valuable as the tools of war most of her Grimhalls employ in their tactics. Where that fails, she isn't too bad with a knife.  +
Annika Navegant +	Born the younger sister of Quirin, Annika had a very clear path ahead of her, and she followed it, for the most part. She was not a rebellious child, but she also had some ideas of her own, thankfully ones that fit in just fine with the typical Thraxian ideals of female nobility. When she was a young woman she showed an aptitude for the healing arts, and learned what she could of medicine from the family priest she was unable to pursue her studies further while at home. To that end they decided that she should travel to Arx and study there until such time as she was satisfied with her studies, and came home. She eventually came home, but was never satisfied with her studies. It was while in Arx that she met Dion Stonewood, who would turn her head with tales of adventure and romance, and eventually marry her. They have primarily called Escuma home for all these years, but neither have been stuck on the island. When younger they would adventure, or sail with the fleets. As they had children and gew older they lingered at home until it was decided that they were needed in Arx once more.  +
Ansel Telmar +	Ansel knows that many are extremely jealous of any noble that has the good fortune to be born the son of a powerful and influential duke, but all things the same he would have been much happier being raised a farmer's son. Duke Arn has a reputation as gruff, mean spirited, painfully blunt, callous, ruthless, often dishonorable, and unrelentingly unlikeable. And those are by his allies. Ansel, on the other hand, is the Duke's son who was born after a disappointing string of older siblings (who Arn never forgot to inform them of such) and then finally settling on his bookish, good natured, and gentle-hearted son. Those traits, of course, would simply not stand. Ansel's earliest memory was his first kindly tutor being put in stocks and publicly whipped before being exiled from the Telmarch for having the audacity to suggest that Ansel, with his love for book loving, would make a wonderful Scholar of Vellichor. It was a slight to suggest that any son of Arn's (and, still to date and much to Ansel's dismay, since his elder brother Tobias feld he receives most of this attention), would be anything but a ferocious warrior and ruthless knight to carry on the battle legacy of House Telmar and defend the Telmarch. Briefly, Ansel had the fond hope that his uncle Lord Everard would keep the position of Sword of the Telmarch and remain champion of the house, and allow Ansel to do anything but train relentlessly in the questionable art of killing people with sharp objects. Sadly, his father Duke Arn dashed those hopes, and made certain that Ansel knew (and repeatedly reminded him every day during brutal drills) that the sword was just in his uncle's keeping, and Ansel would be a great warrior and the new champion of the house when he came of age whether he liked it or not. And would of course represent the family in duels of honor and fights to the death if need be. And Ansel had better like it. The thing that really disturbs Ansel the most is he might even like being a knight if it wasn't for his father. Training with swords is fun, even if he prefers books and could probably have done without his father graphically describing just the best way to end an opponent's life in the most unnecessarily vivid detail. But even though he didn't ask for it and didn't particularly want it, he still he feels he could be a better Duke of the Telmarch on that fateful day when Arn finally dies, if for some reason the Duke passes over his siblings. He hopes he can be a better man. Ansel is pretty sure he can't be much worse.  +
Ansgar Blackram +	The Bear Shepherd, that is what Ansgar was often fondly or not so fondly called in his prime. When Ansgar was young and was the military commander in charge of the Blackram Pikesman, he was loudest, largest and fiercest man on the field. He was a trusted commander, and not only for Blackram forces, more than once in his life Ansgar found himself leading Telmar forces in assistance to the Valardin house. This was his prime, the time he was at his best, but sadly that was short-lived. When Ansgar was 45 he was leading 500 pikesman in a fight against a shav raiding party who had been attacking Valardin and Redrain parties and in his moment of glory, as his 500 pikeman attacked the group of 1000 shav fighters, Ansgar was unable to clearly lead the attack, he could not remember critical planned timeframes to send groups into the attack, and because of this, his pikeman were pushed back, losing 100 men, with Ansgar's own giant horse killed from under him. It was rumored that after a long recuperation from a broken leg he might have been not of a stable mindset to be leading the attack. Despite this, as time went on, it became quite obvious that Ansgar was becoming of less fit mind as years went by and could not be trusted to lead troops into battle. When he was 50, his family managed to talk Ansgar into joining the Knights of Solace, feeling the old Knight could serve the Faith and protect those who needed protecting. Where his mind has weakened, and his speed in battle may not be as great as it once was, Ansgar is still strong of body. As the years progress, the move to the Knights of Solace seems to be a perfect fit for the knight. He seems to more often feel he is 20 years old again, heading into battle to save the damsel in distress or the men who ride alongside him are those he is leading to fight shav forces once more. He is often heard shouting orders on whatever he deems to be his battlefield, even if it were the training yard with a blunted weapon.  +
Antea Mazetti +	The youngest daughter to Bacchio and Joye Mazetti, Antea was born to the couple late in life, something of a surprise to her parents. She was born early and while surviving, the girl child was quite frail throughout childhood. Antea even had her own personal physician that could be seen haunting her every step through her Ostrian home. Given her deficiencies, she was quickly given over to the best tutors her family could find to begin her schooling rather than risk the girl's health in combat training. As she grew, her body strengthened, thankfully. And while she will never be the most robust of Mazetti, Antea was able to begin her battlefield training in earnest. Apprenticed in an advisory capacity to General Nico Scale of the Third Legion at the age of 15, Antea spent the rest of her teen years learning practical application of all her earlier lessons. Once she reached maturity at 18, she was sent to join her first cousin Valerio Mazetti in the Second Legion as one of his Captains. It was during the Gyre War that Antea Mazetti truly came into her own, however. Sent to Setarco to help command the Mazetti forces there, Antea proved herself a capable leader and tactician. Her battleplans and strategies ensured that while Mazetti's troops suffered as heavy of losses as anyone, without her guidance it would that been much worse for them. That lead to her being named the new General of the Third Legion after Nico Scale's retirement from the position. Antea served her House well as General despite her youth, commanding the respect and fellowship of those in her command. When Valerio fell in battle far from home and Mazetti found itself in need of a new Marshal, it was perhaps a surprise for some that Antea Mazetti was picked but the young woman accepted the honor (and responsibility) with the dignity and gravity she'd become known for. For the first time since the Gyre War, the young Marshal has left Ostria to join the family in Arx and take her place at their side.  +
Anton Kennex +	Born to a Kennex father and Lycene mother, Anton was an only child and doted upon accordingly, both parents quite willing to spoil the indolent, if brilliant, boy. While he excelled at his studies and took to the sea well enough, a pronounced aversion to anything martial was observed with dismay by his family. However, forced to not be defenseless at sea, the young Kennex Lord had some skill with a crossbow drilled into him before he was allowed to much more in the way of sailing. Once done, he availed himself of the opportunity to visit the various locales in the Isles, observing their architecture and fortifcations, then came home to figure out how best to put this knowledge to use. It is likely he would have remained content in Stormward, working at the drafting table and overseeing construction - if not for the Gyre War. Pressed into service to fight at Setarco, his parents both were killed and Anton gravely wounded. Once recovered, his life in ruins, he made his way to Arx to see the building styles of the grand capital.  +
Antonia Amadeo +	With the Princess of Velenosa being established, Antonia has been placed in the new appointment to ensure that Saoirse represents a vision of the future, a new Arx, enlightened and prosperous. Antonia's external sole mission is to ensure the prosperity and elevation of Saoirse in all things, especially fashion and event planning. For her own devices, gatherings serve as an opportunity to learn more about the attendees, interactions and associations that Durate may find worthwhile.  +
Antonio Velenosa +	Even as a child, Prince Antonio Velenosa felt drawn to the sea. He'd spend time by the shores near Lenosia, watching the ships come to port, and panic his house hold servants and guards by giving them the slip and swimming in the sea alone. There are secrets in the dark waters of the sea, hidden beneath the fathomless depths but not everyone can see them. For some, they're lost beneath the crash of the waves and the bright light of the sun, but for others... For others they can hear the voices lost to the waves, the whispers that come in the night. They understand what it is to look upon those dark waters and know that more, so much more, rests beneath the surface. Prince Antonio Velenosa was one who could look upon the waters and know that there was more. He could hear the Siren's song from the depths, understand the nothings that she whispered in his ear and it was her song that lured him to the shores, invited him deeper so that the urges that followed him in childhood, to spend all his time about the waves, carried him into adulthood. From a boy on a skiff, to a Captain at the helm, Prince Antonio has known a life of adventure. He made a name for himself as a young captain of royal blood escorting Lenosia shipping to Arx and the homes of the great houses, fearlessly meeting threats head on. Whether pirate or storm, the bold captain seemed to take any danger in stride, and his daring always seemed to carry the day when more timid men might have been lost. Unfortunately, it seemed his good fortune couldn't hold forever, and the entirely-too-bold captain may have underestimated how many enemies among pirate shavs he had been making, as a flotilla he was leading to the Darkwater Reach was ambushed by an exceptionally well organized and far more numerous force of Shavs. While House Velenosa stood by its prince, and claimed no one could have acquitted themselves better by escaping with as many ships as he did from the trap, the losses and embarrassment of the defeat have left the bold prince chastened and looking for redemption. That redemption wouldn't come at sea, but at the court of Arx, where a bold young captain with now an underserved reptuation for recklessness could prove to the Lyceum he had sound judgment and even temperment. If he can just stop himself for strangling any smug nobles asking about how he lost to shavs, of course.  +
Anwen Ravenseye +	A noble family member of the Ravenseye tribe, Anwen was born in the Redrain holdings. She has never forgotten this, nor has she forgotten the Shamanistic origins of her people. Her first love is the sea, and while she prays to Mangata, she respects the ancient traditions of the Path of the Elders as well. Anwen has spent her life near the sea, on the sea, and in it. When spending too much time on land, she grows restless.  +
Anze Malvici +	The north is harsh and it quickly forges those who live their to be strong. Anze never had time for the matters of court and intrigue, not that it was exactly a problem in Farhaven. He was focused on the blade and on war. He grew honing those skills, always a year and a step behind his brother Fergus and always trying to catch up. Anze wasn't the sword of the north, but the way he practiced and fought showed that one day he intended to be. Campaign after campaign, raid and duel after duel his skills were honed through blood and sweat. If there is one thing that can be said though it's that the glory of war quickly fades. No longer does he fear combat, but no longer is he eager for it either. The practicalities and brutalities of martial combat grant one perspective. The singlehanded desire to become the greatest swordsman in the north and thus a peer that could show himself an equal to his elder brother, Prince Fergus the Sword of Farhaven, has become tempered over time. There is still that desire there, smoldering in his heart, but losing friends and family makes one realize perhaps life shouldn't be all about war and every once in awhile we should stop and smell the roses. He still wishes to be great, and worthy of respect equal to Fergus, but he doesn't seek to replace him. It would be enough to be seen as an equal.  +
Anze Redrain +	The north is harsh and it quickly forges those who live their to be strong. Anze never had time for the matters of court and intrigue, not that it was exactly a problem in Farhaven. He was focused on the blade and on war. He grew honing those skills, always a year and a step behind his brother Fergus and always trying to catch up. Anze wasn't the sword of the north, but the way he practiced and fought showed that one day he intended to be. Campaign after campaign, raid and duel after duel his skills were honed through blood and sweat. If there is one thing that can be said though it's that the glory of war quickly fades. No longer does he fear combat, but no longer is he eager for it either. The practicalities and brutalities of martial combat grant one perspective. The singlehanded desire to become the greatest swordsman in the north and thus a peer that could show himself an equal to his elder brother, Prince Fergus the Sword of Farhaven, has become tempered over time. There is still that desire there, smoldering in his heart, but losing friends and family makes one realize perhaps life shouldn't be all about war and every once in awhile we should stop and smell the roses. He still wishes to be great, and worthy of respect equal to Fergus, but he doesn't seek to replace him. It would be enough to be seen as an equal.  +