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2006
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| Demura Lyonesse + | The third child of six, Demura Lyonesse grew up with two older brothers and a host of younger sisters. The knights of the Oathlands marching to and fro, shining and resplendent in their armor elicited a reaction in a young Demura. She didn't dream of someday growing up and marrying a knight or prince, she didn't dream of some day fanning herself while a handsome knight jousted in her honor. She dreamt of a future when she would take up the sword, don her own armor, and ride off to battle with her family, at the side of their liege: House Valardin. She began her adventure into the future as a page within the Valardin court and after some years moved on to become a squire with the knight who trained both of her older brothers; Sir Jak Whitemane, a knight and retainer loyal to House Valardin. Eventually, she would become a knight herself even though it was wrought with hardships and despite the advanced age of Sir Jak at the time, he was a forceful teacher who pulled no punches, just as had been done with both of Demura's older brothers; Marcorr and Rymarr. Being a younger sister and less physically imposing than her elder brothers she worked tremendously hard to have herself taken every bit as worthy and formidable on the field, working tirelessly so her prowess would be taken seriously. It was after knighthood that her oldest brother, Marcorr, died; kicked by his own horse, shattering a rib and puncturing a lung. While Demura lamented the loss of her oldest brother, who was destined to lead the family into the future and hopefully beyond the supposed curse that the family so often felt afflicted by; there was still hope in Rymarr, the second eldest of the six Lyonesse children. That is, until Rymarr was offered an opportunity to join the King's Own and he took it, leaving Demura to assume his place as the newly appointed Marquessa Demura Lyonesse of Lyon's Redoubt; guarding the Tristfell March, past the Valardin Forest and Lyon Wood; nestled at the tip of the central fork of the Lycene Split. It is only recently that Demura has chosen to turn to Arx, along with an entourage of family, retainers, and loyal vassals. The call for banners has been made with threats looming on the horizon and House Lyonesse will answer. While not a savvy politician, she believes strongly in leadership by example and fully intends to present herself on the battlefield to show that her family remains relevant to their liege and the Compact itself. + |
| Denica Thrax + | Denica cannot remember much from her earliest childhood, but she does remember the feelings of love and encouragement freely given from two kindhearted parents. She can also recall a sense of shattered joy when her parents were killed in the Tyde rebellion, and the years it took to recover from a malady of muteness. During that time, she learned to appreciate the beauty of the world, and how to capture such beauty for all eternity. Painting became a favorite hobby, but sculpting and carving and sewing also enchanted her for numerous long hours of her life. Upon reciting written lyrics in the middle of Thraxian court, the curse of shy silence had been lifted. Soon enough, it was the odd noble that didn't come away from her grandfather's palace without a trinket or two made by the artistic princess. As if trying to experience all her lost childhood in one go, Denica also began painting pictures on guest's blankets or stealing favorite rings from jewelry boxes. A girl on a mission to wreak mischief, she interrupted important meetings and frightened the servants with her theatrics more than once. Occasionally, she gallivanted into the city, causing nearly as much havoc as back home. She quickly earned herself the charming moniker of the 'Little Devil of Thrax.' However, with that nickname, many guardsmen and local nobles soon wizened to her schemes, and even Grandfather Thrax brought her before the throne for a stern lecture. Throughout the chaotic era of her life, Denica's antics burned away most of the sympathy accumulated by her previous morose condition, leaving only a few close friends. With maturity came an epiphany, a realization that she lived almost entirely outside the social sphere. Partly out of a desire to fit in, but mostly because she wished to be more than a mere 'wild child,' she at last tempered into something vaguely resembling a proper Thraxian noblewoman. Brash recklessness developed desperately into clever charm and a keen insight of the human mind. In appreciably subtler ways, she displayed her artistic talents and devious intellect for the benefit of acceptance and even admiration among her peers. For her nineteenth name day, she managed to convince her grandfather that she could be safely seen in the wider public, allowing her to take an adventurous trip to the grand city of Arx. + |
| Deoiridh Unknown + | Precious little is known of the huntress that goes by the name of Deoiridh, apart from her evident Shav'arvani origins. Tight-lipped, she rarely speaks of her erstwhile tribe and home amongst the Abandoned, least of all with strangers. What /is/ known, however, is that she was brought into the civilised world - into the Compact - through indentured servitude. Whatever the details of such an arrangement might be remains anyone's guess, though doubtless it is known to her and perhaps to her original captors, whoever they may have been. + |
| Derovai Voss + | One of many to settle in Arx under the ward of Valardin, the Voss family has had little claim to fame. At least not in any particularly public capacity. Derovai's father was granted knighthood after serving his time as a squire, and has been supporting his family quietly as such ever since. While warrior knights and famous champions hold a certain appeal, Derovai gravitated readily toward more scholarly pursuits. Most of his time was spent in Arx, but he traveled often in search of this or that, earning something of a reputation for himself. Shortly after the Tragedy at Sanctum, Derovai went there to discover what he could from the city and its surrounding vassals. Now he's returning to Arx to report to his Highlord and make himself as valuable as he possibly can during this tumultuous time. + |
| Desiree Wyrmguard + | Many nobles born as the younger sibling, destined to never inherit, are bitter about their lot in life. Desiree thinks those individuals are whiny idiots. She is ecstatically grateful that she was born as the younger (and prettier) daughter of Marquis Denis Wyrmguard, unlike her poor sister Dominique. Her sister afterall was subjected to unending tedious lessons in becoming a paragon of virtue, knightly chivalry, moral leadership and similar excruciatingly boring subjects of little interest to Desiree. Desiree, on the other hand, was able to gain an education in how to best remain charming and likable while being incredibly spoiled, and how to avoid working too hard while getting everything she wants. In this manner of education, she has succeeded admirably, and has thought about writing books on the very subject for the Scholars of Vellichor. Unfortunately, the tragic death of her father has put an equally tragic end to her appropriately indolent lifestyle, and she has found herself forced to finally help the family. Her sister, as the honest, honorable, diligent paragon of virtue is of course uniquely unsuited to actually talk to other nobles who are anything but a single one of those virtues in Desiree's opinion, which leaves the wily younger woman as the one dealing with politics, and attempting to put her fine skills in convincing others to do what she wants to perfect use. It's not the worst outcome, really. Desiree will still do almost everything she wants, just it will (probably) benefit the family as well. Probably. + |
| Desma Magnotta + | Desma came into the world rather unexpectedly to parents who believed their family was complete with their first-born. The second daughter of Darko Blackram and Wendy Malvici, she was born at the Cloudspine where the family had retreated to following the outbreak of the Southport-Tor war. A handful of years younger than her sister, she grew up in Dora's great golden shadow, but whereas her sister had been doted upon as a single child and had duly become somewhat spoiled, her parents were better prepared a second time around. Despite the heavier hand that her parents took in her raising, it'd be fair to say that Desma lacked for nothing in her formative years. Her tutors saw to it that she was pushed in her in scholastic and physical endeavours, and she enjoyed the love bestowed upon her by parents that all too often despaired of her sister's behaviour. She saw first-hand the misery and embarrassment that her sister visited upon her parents with her reckless behaviour, and she resented her for it. It was a resentment that was, in no small part, due to the fact that Desma also possessed an adventurous soul, but thanks to Dora's wild ways her own adventures were curtailed to days in the forests with huntsmen and wardens. She took what she could however, knowing that her own time would eventually come, and she learned to shoot a bow true, and to track and hunt the animals of the forests that lay around their home. It was on one such trip as she neared her seventeenth birthday that she found a fledgling osprey which she'd go on to take home and raise by hand. It would be difficult to say who is more devoted to who; the bird to Desma or Desma to the bird, but one thing is certain and that is that he is next to useless for hunting anything but fish. She's been told far too many times by her reckoning that she should have found herself a kestrel or a hawk, a bird that'd be useful, but those that suggest such find themselves on the receiving end of her ascerbic wit or subjected to a look that could kill. So it was with Desma, as with others of the Malvici line, that she enrolled for her military service at the age of eighteen. Her affinity with a bow placed her firmly amongst the ranks of the Southport army archers and she served time on many occasions on the Southport Fleet. It would come as no surprise to anyone that sailing with the fleet would throw her directly into the path of her cousin Domonico, and she naturally held a great depth of respect for him, not only as her cousin, but as Admiral of the fleet. Gradually she saw where her future would lie. She wasn't content to wallow as a mostly insignificant and distant relative within House Malvici, so set her sights on being a bigger fish in the smaller pond of House Magnotta. Like her sister before her she pinned her colours to her cousin's house, but whereas Dora hadn't committed herself heart and soul, Desma did. She bears the name of Magnotta with pride and comes to Arx determined to do her utmost to see the small island cluster on the southernmost reaches of Arvum thrive and flourish. + |
| Destin Saltshore + | Born to the constable of a fishing village not far from the Grimhall residence at Grihem's Point, Destin was brought up with a healthy respect for the gods, in particular the Sentinel, as well as for the traditions of the Mourning Isles. Thus it was quite the shock when, during his training to take over for his father when the current constable retired, he assaulted the noble that Duke Grimhall had appointed to run the village. In an effort to make an example, showing that no one is above the law, Destin was sentenced to thralldom and his debt purchased by the duke's family. Destin served the family faithfully, mostly without complaint, serving as a model example for other thralls as to how Mourning Isles traditionalists believe that they should act. And ultimately, it was this devoted service that led to him to having his debt absolved by Harald Grimhall, the successor of the duke who had originally sentenced him. Not long after the ascension of the current Grim Duke, Destin put his own life in jeopardy to save the life of one of Harald's younger children when a large, rabid dog attacked her. It would have been difficult for him to return to his old life, though, given that both of his parents had passed on, and a new constable for the village had already been selected. So when Harald offered him a place in the family's house guard, he readily accepted, and continued to serve house Grimhall. It did not take him long to work his way up to commanding the family's guards, leaving him in charge of keeping those of the house who visit Arx safe. + |
| Deva Redrain + | Despite the best efforts of Deva's parents and dedicated legions of servants, the young Redrain princess was always an unruly wild child. Deva learned early on that her father found her outbursts and fits of rebellion privately hilarious and adorable, even if his responsibilities as the Prince of Farhaven and high lord of House Redrain meant he was well aware how problematic the young hellraiser might be in the future. By her teenage years, Deva's mother had finally managed to find tutors that could make limited strides towards turning the young hellion into a 'proper young noblewoman', though it's still a rare individual that risks the fiery princess' temper by telling Deva she cannot do something. Though she'd never admit it, her parents efforts were far more effective than they know. Deva has a firm awareness of the responsibilities of a high born princess of House Redrain, and knowing that the wrong word or scandal could bring down ruin upon her house weighs heavily upon the fiery young woman's mind. But she rankles under the notion that she has to become as repressed and boring as every stodgy southerner, and she can't help it if shocking their sensibilities is hysterical. House Redrain did not become one of the five great houses and control the North by meekly copying southern fashions, as far as Deva's concerned. While she might vehemently deny caring what southerners think about her, she has been careful to avoid creating too embarrassing of a scandal. While publicly Deva might give her twin brother Darren grief for possessing the audacity to be born a few minutes before her and rob her of a chance of ruling over House Redrain, privately the young woman knows that heavy is the head that wears the crown. More to the point, watching her father constantly get into exhausting meeting after exhausting meeting, being high lord seems like no fun at all. Just no one better tell her that she's incapable of leading if she wanted to. That would sound suspiciously like a challenge, and Deva likes nothing more than a challenge. + |
| Deva Velenosa + | Despite the best efforts of Deva's parents and dedicated legions of servants, the young Redrain princess was always an unruly wild child. Deva learned early on that her father found her outbursts and fits of rebellion privately hilarious and adorable, even if his responsibilities as the Prince of Farhaven and high lord of House Redrain meant he was well aware how problematic the young hellraiser might be in the future. By her teenage years, Deva's mother had finally managed to find tutors that could make limited strides towards turning the young hellion into a 'proper young noblewoman', though it's still a rare individual that risks the fiery princess' temper by telling Deva she cannot do something. Though she'd never admit it, her parents efforts were far more effective than they know. Deva has a firm awareness of the responsibilities of a high born princess of House Redrain, and knowing that the wrong word or scandal could bring down ruin upon her house weighs heavily upon the fiery young woman's mind. But she rankles under the notion that she has to become as repressed and boring as every stodgy southerner, and she can't help it if shocking their sensibilities is hysterical. House Redrain did not become one of the five great houses and control the North by meekly copying southern fashions, as far as Deva's concerned. While she might vehemently deny caring what southerners think about her, she has been careful to avoid creating too embarrassing of a scandal. While publicly Deva might give her twin brother Darren grief for possessing the audacity to be born a few minutes before her and rob her of a chance of ruling over House Redrain, privately the young woman knows that heavy is the head that wears the crown. More to the point, watching her father constantly get into exhausting meeting after exhausting meeting, being high lord seems like no fun at all. Just no one better tell her that she's incapable of leading if she wanted to. That would sound suspiciously like a challenge, and Deva likes nothing more than a challenge. + |
| Dianara Whisper + | Dianara was born one of half a dozen children to a successful smith in Sanctum but showed no particular aptitude toward the craft. Her clever nature seemed to suggest a career in the Faith for the girl and was definitely the course her family intended for her. Yet, before any vows could be taken, her own drive took her in the direction of the Whisper House to which she arrived with nothing but the clothes on her back and an eagerness to be trained. She learned quickly and developed a reputation for good humor and pleasant company. Eventually, her career took her in the direction of teaching. For a decade, she has traveled the length and breadth of Arvum, finding many noble and wealthy common families across all the fealties who desired a Whisper for instruction on etiquette and good manners. Her genial nature and thorough instruction have earned her a stellar reputation and her services have been in very high demand. Yet, despite that popularity, Dianara has decided to return to Arx and the Whisper House with the twin aims of offering her support and assistance to the new Radiant while also renewing her acquaintances in the city. + |
| Dianna Mazetti + | Dianna was born just as the sun was cresting the horizon, and her mother always said that the birth of her and her sister - who was just moments away - truly brought light into her life. As far as childhood goes, the twins had something approaching idyllic. Of course, this was shattered with the onset of the Tor-Southport war, though not in ways dramatic or outlandish. While the Mazetti suffered loss and hardship, what stood out most in Dianna's mind was the new found grimness of her older relatives, and a sudden lack of what had formerly been abundant. It took some growing for either herself or her sister to truly comprehend the cost the war had demanded of all those it affected, but it was a grim lesson of life that Dianna never let part from her. At thirteen, Dianna and her sister were introduced to an ancient, highly respected institution amongst House Mazetti: the glaivedancers. They were not members, not even close. It would take years of rigorous training in both the mental and the physical before they were finally inducted into that exclusive body of men and women. When that day came, however, it was a proud moment for the twins, as well as for their family. While her main duties typically saw her remaining in Ostria, with the rest of the Mazetti, Dianna has accompanied Vitalis on two of his more wild (dangerous) adventures. She was more than glad to prove that a glaivedancer is not simply a warrior one calls upon to cut down obstacles, but also an individual capable of employing a mixture of diplomacy and charm to win through tense situations. Her latest challenge has come in the form of leaving Ostria behind to engage in the game that is life in the capital of Arvum. Dianna, naturally, is confident that she will prove herself more than capable. As any change in circumstances may inevitably have unforeseen results, the return to Arx has had a greater impact on the woman than any may have ever suspected, and circumstances have led Lady Dianna Mazetti to trade of her duties as a glaivedancer in exchange for oaths of a higher nature - as a godsworn Mirrormask, extremely rare in the city. Reactions by her family have been varied, but resulted, inevitably, in Dianna’s surname being replaced by ‘Godsworn’; and, with the release of her duties to family, Dianna is embarking upon profoundly new territory in service to the Faith. + |
| Diego Leary + | Diego always had a good head for maths. He liked to build things with blocks and, at one point, attempted to dig a giant tunnel fort into the earth at the estate of Southport. It's not really clear what he planned to /do/ in this tunnel fort, beside lay traps for the unwary -- the building was the thing. That and getting himself as covered in dirt as possible, as far as his nannies and watchers were concerned. Much of his childhood was like this, building forts, making them defensible-- His youth was shattered by war and chaos in snapshots as a young teenager, as war in the Lyceum raged between Tor and Southport, but Diego was too young to fight, and not fierce enough to pretend to adulthood. He spent the days of the war being nervously squirreled from place to place. Perhaps it was the memories of this that would make Southport eventually seek marital, martial alliance with allies beyond the Lyceum. The first time he was at Arx with his mother, it was winter and it SNOWED, which provided ample opportunity for snow warfare. Diego loved the city and he loved the cold, and romanticized it for the rest of his life. Maybe that was why he was so ready and willing to sign a marriage contract that would send him to the Learies in his twenties -- although, of course, part of that had to do with becoming the consort of a March rather than the younger cousin of a March. Social ambition was never Diego's pinnacle, but it remained a lure. He did not love Hianara Leary, particularly, but he thought they could grow to enjoy each other in time. Their marriage was short, though, before she died, and they had no heirs. Diego remained with his new family, finding he could be of great practical use to the armies of the March, and also finding that the stable vassal relationships between Leary, Laveer and Ashford were ... so much safer than what he could remember from his youth. + |
| Dierdre Fallow + | Dierdre grew up the child of spice merchants who made their home in Westrock Reach. They had a decent amount of money and she didn't want for a lot or education. While her parents wanted her to follow in their footsteps, she found other passions. On voyages she preffered to spar with the men on deck than pour over columns and tables for supplies or do math with her father. Her distaste for the business of merchanting got to the point, when she was younger anyway, that she started throwing screaming tantrums. It didn't last long. Rarely does a child enjoy being lowered in a harness, while at sea, to scrub the sides of the boat. Realizing their daughter would be hard pressed to take over they focused on her younger brother instead. Who was much more apt and interested than she had ever been. This left her free to pursue her martial training. It was in her teen years that the family had to hire protection during a particularly problematic priate epidemic. So they hired a squadron of Crimson Blades mercenaries. Dierdre took to them instantly, asking questions, mimicing their strict and regimental behavior. On their off time the hires marines sparred and told her stories. To say she was hooked was an understatement. So as soon as she could she joined and prove an apt student. But where her true talent lay, she soon found, was in teaching and helping her fellow Blades improve their own skills. So she was assigned to Iron Company eventually. Spending most of her time in Arx, when not out on a contract, she does travel back and forth training and working. But she is no stranged to actual conflict as well. + |
| Dimitri Velenosa + | Born a minor Lord of House Pravus, Dimitri's life was never pre-destined to be anything but what he wanted to be. Far removed from any chance of ruling his House, the young Lord was afforded the opportunity to grow and prosper as he saw fit. Of course, this didn't stop various members of his family from trying to guide him in one direction or another, but ultimately, he would find his own path in life. And what a life it was. At a young age, it was easy to see that Dimitri would never be skilled in any form of the martial arts. Sure, he received some training in how to use a blade, but he's as equally likely to hit a friend as he is a foe. Coupled with his just plain .. disdain for learning such things, he found himself avoiding any such teachings. Instead, his love seemed to come from socializing. From spending time with people from all walks of life. From brash to kind to stoic, the young lord never seemed to have an issue with trying to make a new friend. But one can not spend all their time merely lounging around, no matter how much they may wish to do so and with Dimitri's apparent natural skill at talking with others, he found himself inadvertantly settling disputes amongst his friends. Playing the role of mediator and calming tempers was something that came naturally, it would seem, and as the years progressed, so did this ability. It wasn't long until he found himself being called upon by others to aid in matters of diplomacy and with his love of talking and socializing, it seemed as if he had found a calling, at least one that he could stand to do. It was during an event in Lenosia that his life really took a twist, in so much as he stumbled upon a Velenosian Princess, Cerys, who drew his eye almost immediately. Although the pair couldn't have been more different, where she was a skilled warrior and he was a minor diplomat, an easy friendship was struck. With House Pravus preparing for elevation to the status of Great House, it was the perfect opportunity to see one of their Lords married into House Velenosia, to try and strengthen a bond that would no doubt be strained as vassal became an equal. A whirlwind courtship was arranged and blessed and afterwards, the pair were married. Now, with the honeymoon phase having come to an end, the pair have made the choice to start their new life together in Arx. + |
| Dino Corsetina + | Bernardino Corsetina will be the first to admit that he's not pure of heart, selfless, or has any pretentions to be a hero, but then go right along in deeds that might amount to doing just that. As a very young man, he was listless and flighty, first thinking he'd become a great courtier, charming everyone at court when he finally got the chance to visit Arx, and maybe even becoming a Whisper. Then the dream was to be a scholar. And then he was studying swordsmanship under every local bravo he could in his tiny village of Setara Downs, a few leagues outside of Setarco. Unlike his flashy cousins making names for themselves in Arx, the young man found himself trapped in a provincial life and refused to be satisfied, much to the exasperation of his seamstress mother and scribe father. Tragedy changed all that. His latest whimsy had been studying with the Faith as he considered becoming a mirrormask, but all that came to a sudden halt when his parents were murdered during a festival for the Eclipse of Mirrors, underneath the light of the bloodmoon. Dino doesn't speak about the incident save that it haunts him that he could not save his parents, but it caused him to immediately set out for Arx, and swear to protect his family. The young man still has a bit of flighty behavior to him, and an optimism that borders on the naive, but it's tempered with a new determination. He might not call himself a hero, but he'll fight for his family, and to never be helpless again. + |
| Dio Seraceni + | Little is known about the true origins of Dio, who claims, or at least fails to deny, that his father was Count Paolo Seraceni. His name is first associated with an enrollment in the School of Steel and Silk in Setarco, where he studied under Captain Guelio Busemi in the arts of naval warfare. According to official school documents, he killed another student in a tavern brawl, and was expelled from school. He was given the choice to serve in the Setarco navy or to rot in prison. After surviving the devastating battle against the forces of the Gyre, Dio was under consideration to become an officer of the Pravus navy, but was captured by a group of Lycene pirates off the coat of Ostria. After apparently managing to murder the captain and dive overboard, he survived four months on a small island near Esterhold, before being rescued by Seraceni sailors and brought to Morisco, where Prisila greeted him as a brother, and granted him command of a ship to sail under the Seraceni banner. After meeting a woman formerly of House Blanchard while on shore in Ischia, it is said that Dio offered a mountain of silver to Count Philippe, with the promise of much more to come for the hand of Lady Imogen. The offer was accepted, and it was only shortly after that news of Prisila's passing reached Ischia, setting into motion a series of events that culminated in the newly married couple being named Marquis and Marquessa. + |
| Dion Navegant + | Born a Stonewood, Dion had adventure on the brain from a very early age. He was the oldest of his siblings, and should have had a better sense of responsibility but he was far more interested in what was over the next hill, hidden in those trees, or written in code in that book. So as soon as he was old enough he left home, and hasn't looked back since. Not because he didn't love his family, he did. But he wanted more than just staying at home, doing his duty. It was during a trip through Arx on his way somewhere, from somewhere else, that he met Annika Navegant and swept her off her feet. Together they have roamed around the east, but alone he has ventured further across Arvum, delving into whatever he could find. As age started to overtake him, he began to roam less and less, turning his attenion to collecting his own adventures in the pages of books, but also others. He'd read, write, and listen to the stories of those that can roam further than he can these days. Because of this, when his wife suggested they head to Arx he lept at the chance to return, and to take part in new adventures there. + |
| Dismas Scratch + | Dismas grew up in a remote, no-name village within the county of Oakhaven, born to a man good with his hands and a woman good with her words. When he was twelve, a terrible illness swept through the village, claiming the life of his father and rendering his mother sickly. He'd already learned enough from his father about family and work ethic to understand that it was his responsibility to take care of his mother and little sister from then on. Despite her lingering illness, his mother continued--and continues to this day--to serve as a voice for their village, helping to lead their people. As he grew older, ready to set down his own path, this duty to watch over those he loved limited his options, denying him the chance to become a proper knight as any oaths of service he would be required to swear would keep him from his family for extended periods of time. So, he turned to odd, short-run jobs which would see him returning back to his village quickly enough, usually guarding caravans. When other, more lucrative--and less strictly legal--opportunites presented themselves, allowing him to make more silver and spend more time back home? How could he say no. If he was able to pick up a trinket for his momma and sister on each run, all the better. He'd been running with the same crew for years when they fell on bad luck, most turning up dead or disappeared in the sort of way that sometimes happens when the Inquisition gets involved. Rather than stick around and try to find work after that fiasco, he finally took off to forge his own path, trusting his mother's caretaking to his little sister. Arriving in Arx, he's signed on with the Champions, ready to train and to prove himself, ready to make something better than the life he left behind. + |
| Dmitry Grimhall + | Honesty was Dmitry Grimhall's vice, according to his father. His father, Duke Taras Grimhall, was a famously cruel and abusive man, with the sort of malevolence that even made House Thrax uncomfortable and consistently caused issues with the other houses, including completely unnecessary skirmishes with Redrain vassals that threatened to break into all out war. Dmitry never quite learned to not question what he saw as the dishonorable, brutish and stupid nature of his father's reign... resulting in him being passed over as heir for his younger (and far crueler) brother Eugine, as well only kept in the family to torment. Dmitry, a grimly determined man who took his vows of loyalty to family and liege with unshakeable loyalty, endured slight after slight, being kept by his father and younger brother seemingly just to mock and toy with. Through it all, the honorable Grimhall ignored it all, silently showing himself as a fearsome combatant on the field in the Tyde rebellion with acts of heroism that were praised throughout House Thrax and ignored or mocked at Grimhall's home of Grihem's Point. After the death of Duke Taras, the title of Duke passed to his younger brother, Lord Eugine, who sought to outdo their father in wastefulness and wanton cruelty. Many of the other lords in the Mourning Isles urged Dmitry to contest the claim, some all but promising him military support to depose his brother, but the famously honorable Dmitry pointedly refused every entreaty and served his brother Eugine without a word of complaint at the continuing abuse heaped upon him. Most of the lords of the Mourning Isles were aghast at the honorable Grimhall just ignoring the barrage of slights from his brother, save where his daughter was concerned. It seemed that Dmitry was not particularly a traditonalist, largely turning a blind eye to his daughter Cordelia's rebellious ways, and it was rumored that Dmitry and Duke Eugine nearly came to blows over it. Fortunately for the Mourning Isles, Duke Eugine's ship was lost at sea recently, dying without a decreed heir, which caused the title to pass to Dmitry. Any death of a duke is suspicious, but frankly the Mourning Isles houses were too glad to see Eugine gone to pay it much heed. + |
| Doll + | Said to be born to the very worst alley in the very worst part of the Lower Boroughs, this girl's been a punk from the moment she had a hand big enough to form a proper fist with. An early bloomer that grew up small and scrawny, adolescence treated her magnificently. Over a swift couple of years, she was taller and stronger than most other youth her age. By that time, the ones she wasn't larger than she was just meaner than. Still young, she's blossomed into a young woman that could be called "striking" in more ways than one, but to date the only future attributed to her is how long she'll muscle, sleaze, and score her way to more coin before she winds up dead. + |
| Doll Crown + | Said to be born to the very worst alley in the very worst part of the Lower Boroughs, this girl's been a punk from the moment she had a hand big enough to form a proper fist with. An early bloomer that grew up small and scrawny, adolescence treated her magnificently. Over a swift couple of years, she was taller and stronger than most other youth her age. By that time, the ones she wasn't larger than she was just meaner than. Still young, she's blossomed into a young woman that could be called "striking" in more ways than one, but to date the only future attributed to her is how long she'll muscle, sleaze, and score her way to more coin before she winds up dead. + |
| Dominic Thrax + | Firstborn of Tyrgar Thrax, father of our beloved Queen, Queen Genevieve Thrax. Dominic was born a large baby. The birth full of complications that later manifested into the waning health of his mother. His father died young, falling over the side of a ship in rubicund full-plate armor. Forever lost to the sea. With his mother too weak to raise him and his sister, they moved and lived on Maelstrom with Prince Donrai Thrax. Already a large boy at a very young age, Dominic took quick to training and alongside Elton and Victus was given a teacher to hone his combat skills. There were issues with his schooling. Dominic had no intention of sitting down in one place for too long so when it came to his other education, he did not participate. Instead, Dominic found his time elsewhere among Donrai's horses and dogs. The hound master took on the task of training Dominic in lieu of his court education. When Dominic came of age, he was given a ship and a small command but unlike his cousin Elton, who stayed back to administer the house with his father, Dominic left to sail his ship alongside Victus'. It was during this time that he made a name for himself. His superstitions and mastery over the hounds he fitted ships with, the way he used a pack of man-eating dogs and unleashed them through the decks of his enemy ships', and the madness of using his ship as bait to take damage while the reavers supporting him moved to flank their victims, all earned him notoriety as a mad and cruel captain. Right before the war with Tyde, Dominic began to change the way he operated from the average reaper. Instead of making his ships long and fast, they were large and with multiple decks. Some were converted to serve as floating prison and thrall ships and others fitted with medical bays, well decks, storage, and birthing. Prince Dominic maintained his cruel notoriety and when news of Elton's death arrived him, the prince's madness came out to bare. Turning from hunting thralls, Dominic joined Victus in the war. His place in it, a personal one. The war came to an end with the end of the Tyde house. His bloodthirst squelched, Dominic took a ship and his crew out the jungles where he vanished for years, left for dead. There were rumors of him found in raided villages and destroyed ships but it wasn't until recently at the death of his sister Genevieve that Dominic resurfaced in Redrain with enough loot from his raiding of shavs to equal to him enough silver to operate a ship and reach Arx where he declared a hunt for the killer of his sister and to serve House Thrax by contacting his cousin, Victus. + |
| Dominique Wyrmguard + | Some say that there is no family more honorable in all of the Oathlands, no vassal house more loyal to Valardin, no truer knights than the sons and daughters of House Wyrmguard. Marquessa Dominique Wyrmguard attempts to embody this well. She regrets the circumstances surrounding her inheriting the title so young, with her famous father perishing at the Tragedy at Sanctum to a surprise attack by bloodthirsty shavs, but she has been preparing her whole life for the moment she would find the burden of rule. Raised on the ideals of chivalry and just rulership, her march stands as one of the oldest and most stalwart backers of House Valardin against the Abandoned that threaten all of the Compact. Her childhood was spent with one lesson after another from her father about the way that terrible men can abuse power and imbued in her an ironclad devotion to high minded principles. Unapologetically idealistic, she realizes that a very black and white approach makes her a poor fit for the treacherous political waters of Arx and is happy to defer the games to her sister Desiree, but never loses sight that the burden of the difficult final decisions must fall upon her shoulders. + |
| Domonico Magnotta + | Raised as one of the standard bearers of the Malvici banner, Domonico was treated roughly on purpose. The family wanted him to lead troops and be ready to battle anything from abyssal creatures to political maneuvering of the Lyceum. It developed a heated temper from him at a young age, proving his backbone and dedication to the family before most kids his age had a personality. Eventually it got him in trouble and sent to the Malvici fleet so the trouble he got into could be limited to the ship he was on. It proved a good move and his temper has faded somewhat over time, replaced with a steel determination that comes with a sea-borne swordsman. He is said to be a rising star in the Malvici fleet with three ships under his command. Its rumored he wants eventual command of the fleet, as well. In the meantime he has taken to mentor those younger members like he had once been, developing strength and ability out of rough stone. The whispers about the trade routes and the Empyrean have brought him to Arx to prove that he is capable of not just command and leadership, but that he can hold it in waters he has not even explored himself - political and literal. + |
| Domonico Malvici + | Raised as one of the standard bearers of the Malvici banner, Domonico was treated roughly on purpose. The family wanted him to lead troops and be ready to battle anything from abyssal creatures to political maneuvering of the Lyceum. It developed a heated temper from him at a young age, proving his backbone and dedication to the family before most kids his age had a personality. Eventually it got him in trouble and sent to the Malvici fleet so the trouble he got into could be limited to the ship he was on. It proved a good move and his temper has faded somewhat over time, replaced with a steel determination that comes with a sea-borne swordsman. He is said to be a rising star in the Malvici fleet with three ships under his command. Its rumored he wants eventual command of the fleet, as well. In the meantime he has taken to mentor those younger members like he had once been, developing strength and ability out of rough stone. The whispers about the trade routes and the Empyrean have brought him to Arx to prove that he is capable of not just command and leadership, but that he can hold it in waters he has not even explored himself - political and literal. + |
| Donaldo Velenosa + | Blessed, or cursed, with being one of many cousins from a great big old family, there's little fear Donaldo will ever have any real responsibility. Or Power. There's a name and a title, sure, but there are more siblings and cousins than there are crowns and ministers. Bounced around from task to task as a youth, never really finding something that held his heart long enough to make a life with. Former Apprentice Cartographer, Former Apprentice Botanist, Former Apprentice Scribe, the list goes on and on. Somehow after wearing so many hats, he finally found a hat he could keep on for more than a year. For some years now, he's made his way as an explorer. Having gotten quite good at this, path-finding and plotting out things and discovering other things, he has come to Arx to expand his network. It's an interesting hobby, some will whisper, but if the specimens he manages to collect and the artifacts and tomes he uncovers keep his travel accounts full, then for once at least he can commit to being one thing for once. + |
| Donato Inverno + | Donato was born a whole three minutes before his sister, which makes him the oldest. However, unlike her he's a little bit less invested in staying put, and has been prone to getting into wild adventures from an early age. When he was fourteen he ran away from home, joined a crew sailing out of Nilanza and went by the name Vinnie for several years before putting in to port at home in Caina once more. By then he'd explored the islands, fought his share of battles, and lived a rather colorful life. However, the whole time he maintained contact with his sister, sending her letters whenever he could, even though he never told her where he was, he always told her where to send the next letter so he could pick it up. When Argento fell, he was there, but he was not part of the fighting itself. His sister refused to allow him to participate, and he didn't want to break her heart by ending up the way the Argento's did anyways. + |
| Donella Redrain + | Anywhere else in the Compact, Donella would have been born the heir presumptive to a great house. But she was not born anywhere but Maelstrom, and to no other family but Thrax in a time when only sons would rise. All the same, before the untimely deaths of good Prince Elton and Princess Dena, she was well-educated and trained to exemplify Thrax virtues. She learned to embrace ALL her heritage with clear-eyed realism, and learned statecraft, diplomacy, and economics, while her siblings were allowed more idealistic pursuits. Amongst a generation of war-orphaned princes and princesses, Donella showed the most early promise as an administrator and politician... or simply provided the best means to shame the princes, as Prince Donrai made her his Voice. Probably, some expected her to end as a cautionary tale, but instead she proved resilient. Her leadership went a long way toward stabilizing the Isles after her grandfather's death and the rise of another High Lord; one who also made her Voice, and later heir. Her time as Voice opened the way for women, as a proponent for the measured undoing of customs serving only to weaken, and divide the Isles from the rest of the Compact. It seemed Donella might standing behind the throne in the Isles forever, until she unexpectedly accepted an offer of marriage from Prince Darren Redrain of Farhaven. A smart match made, they say, for love of all things. + |
| Donella Thrax + | No woman in House Thrax or any of its vassals in the Mourning Isles is ever raised with the expectation that they might rule. It simply is not part of the culture, with women expected to defer to men and inheritance following a strict male primogeniture that stands apart from the rest of the Compact. Donella knew, even at a young age, that her father was treating her differently than the rest of House Thrax might have approved, such as insisting he explain his motivations to her when he took a course of action in governance as the heir apparent of House Thrax. While her mother and the other ladies of House Thrax made certain she still received all the tutoring expected of her as a princess of Thrax, receiving all the exacting lessons in grace and refinement, her father broke from tradition and carefully explained politics to her time and again while her younger brother was captivated with stories of heroism and glory rather than pragmatism and rule. Her parents' tragic deaths, murdered by the traitorous Duke of Tyde Fall to start the Tyde Rebellion, ultimately left House Thrax in a far stronger position but with looming questions on succession. Her grandfather, Prince Donrai Thrax, still yet rules with the brutally capable ruthlessness for which he is renowned, but Donella's brother and heir apparent... is not quite the man her grandfather would have hoped for in a successor. An honorable, good man that wants to reform the Mourning Isles, but in the eyes of her grandfather to give away much of the power and prestige that House Thrax has bled for in the name of honor and amends. It still shocked her when she was quietly instructed that in light of her grandfather's ailing health and advanced age that she would act as a Voice of House Thrax inside Arx, representing the family in political decisions. Women, by and large, simply did not -do- that for House Thrax, and she cannot hold the title if her grandfather dies. But for the time being, she speaks with the voice and authority of House Thrax in the capital, second only to her grandfather, and she is coldly determined to put her father's teachings to use and grow the power and prestige of the house. For herself, for her family, and for the realm... in that order. + |
| Donovan Grayson + | Anyone could forgive Donovan's extended family, those countless cousins, aunts and uncles, if their memory of the little Prince is somewhat lacking. It is easy to overlook a quiet younger sibling in the presence of their older, more socially apt and bright brother; not that Donovan was ever bitter over this fact. Donovan was never far from his brother's side, or just an arm's reach behind him, keeping quiet and trying to emulate even just a sliver of Calarian's gift with people. Children grow up though and Donovan eventually found his own fascination, and talent, in law. Lacking the usual Grayson heroic streak, Donovan wasn't interested in the 'guards and robbers', 'good guys catching the bad guys and being a hero' sort of law; rather the 'you know about this loophole, right?' sort. That he was exceptionally good at it came with its drawbacks; sharp wit and legalese made his adolescence almost unbearable for his parents. As an adult he refined his knowledge, and honed his wit for the benefit of his family acting as legal counsel on various affairs, all of which were handled with due discretion and settled quickly. He moved about the Crownlands with it, dealing in disputes and minor conflicts between vassal houses within the realm of the family's holdings. He may not have always made friends, but then, Donovan squared with himself a long time ago he is not here to be friends with people -- he is here as a representative of the law, and the law does not yield to emotion. Anyway, a person doesn't become a lawyer to be popular, do they? The city of Arx offers a great deal of opportunity for a young Prince, one of which, would be to make a name for himself outside of his own family within the various courts of the Compact. This at least, was what his mother informed him. Donovan is not quite so convinced; what with Calarian already present, being wonderful and casting an obnoxiously long shadow to stand in. + |
| Donrai Thrax + | Prince Donrai Thrax has been the ruler for House Thrax so long that many throughout Arvum think of him and House Thrax interchangeably, which is just how the ancient prince likes it. Ascending to high lord at a young age, several generations of Thraxians have only known his coldly capable, ruthlessly competent rule. Donrai has never set out to be loved by his people, and there's little doubt in that he has succeeded- but he is respected, as a cold and relentlessly determined leader ever seeking to carve out greater strength for House Thrax no matter the cost to others. + |
| Dora Malvici + | Her father was Darko Blackram and mother was one Wendy Malvici. A second cousin among a sea of cousins. She was raised going between Southport and the Cloudspine, her parents intent on exposing her to both of her heritage. When she was two the Southport-Tor war broke out and they were on their first trip to the Cloudspine. It was a lucky thing for the family and they managed to avoid some of the upset. During time spent in Cloudspine they were free to lavish attention on the girl. Being far from home, everyone went out of their way to make her happy. Perhaps that was a bad idea. From a young age she was always wandering off. It terrified her parents and they did their best to have her under careful watch. After all, they had tried so very hard and struggled to have her. But it became a game to escape and run off on the governesses and nurses tasked with her. As she grew older she grew bored with just running off. The thrill less. And so she got into other trouble. Mostly pulling pranks on anyone who wasn't careful, or filling her little treasure chest with stolen knick knacks. When they returned to Southport in 995 they hoped that, perhaps, the militant training would work. If anything it only made her rebel worse. Oh she took to the lessons, and was skilled as any Malvici might be expected to be, but she made it clear this was not what she wanted to do. And so she wouldn't, except when she did. It led to many headaches and pains for her parents. It was only when a group of explorers came through, hosted by her parents, that some hope of reining in the wild child came. They stayed for a month and promises of tales are all that got her going to the academy regularly. Yet it wasn't what he parents hoped. At 13 she stowed away on the explorers ship and managed to hide for nearly a month. There was no turning back, only apologies to be made. True to her stubborn nature it took wile and three years before the crew were able to get her back to Southport. And her rather infuriated parents. But she was unrepentant, even bearing a tattoo hiden beneath her clothes, and all around behaving little like the lady they had hoped. It drove a huge gap between herself and her parents. During her travels she had picked up a fascination for alchemy, specifically in its use for body inks. When she returned they put her under house arrest. It started a battle of wills that drove her mother to drinking and ended with Darko sending her off a few years late. It was a desperate attempt to temper her. In 07 she went to Caer Morien just after Artorius was made its Count. Little did they realize the delight Dora would find in the native people and their own traditions. Without meaning too she managed to learn something of their culture. In so doing she helped to bridge some of the gaps between House Magnotta and the prodigals. Too bad she got bored again... + |
| Dorian Champions + | Dorian shamelessly garners sympathy from noblewomen by casting himself as a victim of circumstance, but few of the women that fall prey to his charms ever realize just how willingly the rogue embraced those exact circumstances. Born the son of a knightly paragon of chivalric virtue, the rogue realized very early that unless he acted quickly he'd wind up doomed to an extremely tedious and quite possibly fatal existence as a nameless man-at-arms in some lord's service or if he tried excruciatingly hard like his father, another nameless knight to die in some backwater fighting shavs. That was not in the least bit appealing to Dorian, who realized that while fighting skills could certainly be handy, who he knew and who he could win over seemed to matter an awful lot more... especially if he became a champion. To the rakish young man, it was the perfect calling. Gorgeous (and rich) women looking for men to fight their honor against foes of questionable quality, and if he put on a show, it would just win over more. Just defeating a few louts in 'honorable combat' and duels for show gained him far more than soldiering ever would, and he hardly sees having to spend time with noblewomen over soldiers as a drawback. No, he might never be hailed at the newest and greatest knight, but if it wins over someone beautiful, well born, and willing to marry a commoner...? He'd take being a champion any day. + |
| Drake Wyrmguard + | The youngest brother of Richard Wyrmguard, Drake has always been the mischevious sort. It was only his admiration for his father and his uncle Marquis Denis Wyrmguard, that his natural inclination towards mischief and trouble was tempered. Still, he got along well, and has always been a bit of a charmer, and the stories of knights and how people responded to such stalwart protectors of the land is what drove him through his training. He was always close to his family, as loyal as any Wyrmguard can be, but there was an untapped wanderlust that drove him to explore the city of Arx and other lands much sooner than his big brother. It was there that he learned and trained to be a champion as well, often leaving a trail of broken hearts along the way. On one such encounter, he met Prince Luca, and was trained in showmanship. He was fond of the older man and eventually joined the Champions guild as a result, befitting his talents. After the reclamation of Highhill, Drake found himself with new responsibilities as, first, the Sword of the newly renamed Wyvernheart house. One responsibility lead to another, and the once-carefree younger brother found himself newly driven to take on a leadership role both in and out of battle. He's been newly appointed Count and steward of the land. Though he doesn't have much head for numbers or details his personality drives him to inspire others, and he has his family to keep him grounded about the important things. + |
| Draven Bruvir + | Draven was born into one of the great tribes that Volkov oversaw and cared for. Then the rival tribe came riding in and destroyed everything, leaving very few survivors. With Draven being one of them and only a young boy, he was taking in by the main family of the Volkovs and trained to become a house servant. Over time he was assigned to tend to and look after Aahana since she was often sneaking away from the camp to eavesdrop on her lessons. And as time grew, she encouraged him in his experimenting and dabbling in the apothecary things. She even sent him to the apothecary college with hopes that he would be able to create something absolutely amazing with his schooling. Now that Aahana is in Arx and his schooling is far completed, he is coming to aide her and the rest of the Volkovs within the city of Arx. + |
| Drea Redrain + | Few outside the North could ever understand it the way Drea does. While the wars against the Abandoned wage on in every region with every great house, none of the other great houses fight the shav'arvani with the same brutal intensity as House Redrain and its vassals in the North. Lady Drea knows this far better than most, as long before she married into House Redrain, she was born to the northern house with arguably the most bloody feuds with the barbaric northern Abandoned tribes, House Halfshav. She grew into a young woman in a house that has acted as House Redrain's strong right hand against the most brutal of the shav tribes, driving back groups such as the cannibals of Clan Bonegnaw. Every member of her family was trained for war, and she was no exception, but the young Drea felt a very different calling that still is uniquely of the North. The North might be a savage land of restrained barbarism, kept in check by the might of House Redrain, but Drea doesn't that feel way about her home. It's beautiful to her in a way that others just can't understand. The snow covered mountains, the deep groves hidden from human eyes for centuries at a time, the vales unmarked by any arvani whether shav or civilized, Drea sees the North as a gorgeous bastion of nature from the excesses of mankind despite its bloody history. Ever since she was a child, she's felt a deep connection with those primordial depths of wild, untamed territory that she swears she can hear whisper to her, so it was natural for her to become one of the few shamans in the North. It is the old religion of men that far predates the worship of the Pantheon, long before the great houses came to be, and it's never been quite surrendered in the North. She knows it creates frictions with the south, particular the most fervent worshippers in House Valardin, but Drea intends for the North to never, ever surrender its heritage. It isn't as if shamans embrace blood rites anymore... at least those that aren't members of barbaric shav tribes, anyways. + |
| Drifa Seraceni + | Drifa was a young girl upon a shav longship when the Seraceni corsairs boarded the small vessel. She had been a capture prize from a neighboring small village that had been wiped out from the raiding party. Led by the father of the Marquis of Seraceni she was taken in and afforded the protection of the House. As far as Drifa knows, she is the last of her village to survive and so she stayed with the Seraceni and learned their ways. Drifa mourned the loss of the Seraceni Marquis and Marquessa. She was frequently used by the family to scout and steal when necessary against Corsair targets. She became a capable corsair herself and was given her own longship to crew and command. Drifa owes her life to the Seraceni. She is loyal and does her best to not let the wild ways that still linger in her disposition to reflect poorly on her House. Although at times this can be a struggle as she has grown older she has also grown a bit more accepting. Drifa is loyal to the family and dependable. She also loves being a Corsair and depriving people of their fancy goods whenever possible. She has become a trusted ward of the family. + |
| Driskell Stillwater + | Thralldom is often thought of as a dark pit without the opportunity for redemption, but when you're down in the darkest of pits that small beacon of light which is the exit can burn as bright as a supernova. Driskell's parents were prisoners of war, taken by Thraxan reavers and their debts claimed by the Darkwater family while Driskell was but a fledgling boy. He remembers the calamity brought on by the dark boats, how the waves broke across the bows and the reavers that poured out of the ships and through the village. He remembers most though in the fire and horrors of how organized the chaos was from the Thraxans versus how everyone fought for themselves in his own village. Split from his parents, the young boy took all his whippings and punishments without a sound uttered in defiance, instead using it all to strengthen his resolve. It was a fluke, really, when Driskell learned of Tehom and embraced all he could of the Thirteenth. His knack for knowing when his masters would need him, the young boy learned all he could from those in the household. Soon, he was noted as being quite intelligent and understanding the tides of politics and the terrors of the deep that is courtly life. He was able to pay off his thralldom but chose to stay with the Darkwater family to serve them willingly, nothing else in life mattered to him except that family. When the young Maximilian was sent off to serve with the warlord Victus, Driskell found himself sent along to protect and look after Max's needs for a decade. Ten long years reaving and Driskell witnessed again firsthand many times the controlled chaos like the smashing of waves against the shore and came to admire the man he was sent to look after. Driskell now serves at the Darkwater estate in Arx, a testament to a free man that became a thrall who became once more free. There's whispers that while the silent steward is always in control, perhaps there is nothing he wouldn't do to protect or carry out the wishes of the Darkwater family. + |
| Drusila + | Little is known about the woman called Drusila, but there is a version of her story that those near the Pravus family of Setarco have come to know. Born in Luciva, Setarco's most famous pirate city, she served the local seafaring lords as a seneschal. Prized for her penchant for numbers, the young woman would not only be spared by the Pravosi forces when Luciva was finally conquered, but was approached by the Duchess Pravus herself, offered a spot in court as the personal assistant of the ruler of the Silken City. Ever since, she has been a fixture of both Luciva and Setarco, never leaving the Duchess' side. Drusila has been at the heart of the many changes recently going through the Sins and their lands, and many attribute to her some contribution for the immense wealth accrued by the House in recent years. The woman's own aims and ambitions, however, remain a mystery to most. + |
| Drusila Masque + | Little is known about the woman called Drusila, but there is a version of her story that those near the Pravus family of Setarco have come to know. Born in Luciva, Setarco's most famous pirate city, she served the local seafaring lords as a seneschal. Prized for her penchant for numbers, the young woman would not only be spared by the Pravosi forces when Luciva was finally conquered, but was approached by the Duchess Pravus herself, offered a spot in court as the personal assistant of the ruler of the Silken City. Ever since, she has been a fixture of both Luciva and Setarco, never leaving the Duchess' side. Drusila has been at the heart of the many changes recently going through the Sins and their lands, and many attribute to her some contribution for the immense wealth accrued by the House in recent years. The woman's own aims and ambitions, however, remain a mystery to most. + |
| Drusila Pravi + | Little is known about the woman called Drusila, but there is a version of her story that those near the Pravus family of Setarco have come to know. Born in Luciva, Setarco's most famous pirate city, she served the local seafaring lords as a seneschal. Prized for her penchant for numbers, the young woman would not only be spared by the Pravosi forces when Luciva was finally conquered, but was approached by the Duchess Pravus herself, offered a spot in court as the personal assistant of the ruler of the Silken City. Ever since, she has been a fixture of both Luciva and Setarco, never leaving the Duchess' side. Drusila has been at the heart of the many changes recently going through the Sins and their lands, and many attribute to her some contribution for the immense wealth accrued by the House in recent years. The woman's own aims and ambitions, however, remain a mystery to most. + |
| Duarte Amadeo + | The third son of a cobbler and his wife, Durate Amedeo had an unremarkable early life, but he did learn extremely important lessons quickly. His father was mysteriously assassinated after he had loudly spoken insults about a merchant prince whose wealth he resented, his eldest brother was killed in a duel, and his second older brother was forced to flee Setarco in a hurry after he insulted the wrong people. These lessons gave Duarte a profound appreciation for the weakness of an uncontrolled temper coupled with a careless mouth, and he quickly decided he would take his life in a rather different direction. Duarte spent time with courtesans and courtiers attempting to appeal to the famously fashionable and charming nobility of Setarco, those who tried desperately to win the approval of House Pravus. Duarte quickly learned that charm and grace was useful and admirable, but what really could win over the nobility was simply useful information acquired through the right words and catching the right whispers. Duarte quickly gained a reputation as a charming young man who knew so much, and soon found himself in the employ of House Pravus itself. He was acting as the ears of the former Duke of Setarco inside Arx, and even joined the Inquisition for a time, using the contacts there to keep the southern house informed of the goings on in the capital. It infuriates Duarte that he was not in Setarco to help Duchess Belladonna when she set her house to rights against plotters and schemers, and he feels more than a little ashamed and frustrated his talents were not in Setarco when it was needed the most. He resigned his post in the Inquisition in order to devote himself once more to House Pravus, redoubling his efforts to insure that the duchess to whom he owes his devotion is never again surrounded by her enemies. He might operate with a smile and a laugh, but more than one enemy of House Pravus has underestimated that smile to their downfall. Along those lines, he more recently helped oversee the destruction of the treasonous House Argento, a powerful vassal of House Pravus that was plotting against Duchess Belladonna. Though the nature of his actions are not publicly known, he was rewarded with a Peerage following the conquest of the city-state of Nilanza, being named Count Duarte Amadeo, the Count of Bravura. + |
| Duarte Amedeo + | The third son of a cobbler and his wife, Durate Amedeo had an unremarkable early life, but he did learn extremely important lessons quickly. His father was mysteriously assassinated after he had loudly spoken insults about a merchant prince whose wealth he resented, his eldest brother was killed in a duel, and his second older brother was forced to flee Setarco in a hurry after he insulted the wrong people. These lessons gave Duarte a profound appreciation for the weakness of an uncontrolled temper coupled with a careless mouth, and he quickly decided he would take his life in a rather different direction. Duarte spent time with courtesans and courtiers attempting to appeal to the famously fashionable and charming nobility of Setarco, those who tried desperately to win the approval of House Pravus. Duarte quickly learned that charm and grace was useful and admirable, but what really could win over the nobility was simply useful information acquired through the right words and catching the right whispers. Duarte quickly gained a reputation as a charming young man who knew so much, and soon found himself in the employ of House Pravus itself. He was acting as the ears of the former Duke of Setarco inside Arx, and even joined the Inquisition for a time, using the contacts there to keep the southern house informed of the goings on in the capital. It infuriates Duarte that he was not in Setarco to help Duchess Belladonna when she set her house to rights against plotters and schemers, and he feels more than a little ashamed and frustrated his talents were not in Setarco when it was needed the most. He resigned his post in the Inquisition in order to devote himself once more to House Pravus, redoubling his efforts to insure that the duchess to whom he owes his devotion is never again surrounded by her enemies. He might operate with a smile and a laugh, but more than one enemy of House Pravus has underestimated that smile to their downfall. Along those lines, he more recently helped oversee the destruction of the treasonous House Argento, a powerful vassal of House Pravus that was plotting against Duchess Belladonna. Though the nature of his actions are not publicly known, he was rewarded with a Peerage following the conquest of the city-state of Nilanza, being named Count Duarte Amadeo, the Count of Bravura. + |
| Dulcinea Telmar + | Lady Dulcinea Telmar is the youngest of Duke Arn's children. From the time she could toddle, she was stuck to her brother Ansel and sister Lily like a chubby, determined little burr, throwing appalling tantrums when they would leave her behind on their adventures. All the more reason to become more capable, sooner. She got a pony and a little bow, determined to be the finest horsewoman and archer in any land -- if only so she could go slay dragons with her siblings. In time, she learned there were adventures -- of a sort -- to be had;she enjoyed them, exploring and mischief making with her siblings... but there were no dragons. No call to fell a dire bear at 900 feet. Alas. Too late. The fierce love of riding and the bow, the hunt, was in her bones. The absence of mythic beasts deterred her not at all. By the time she was a young woman, she was well on her way to the goal she'd set with her little bow and pony, but she never thought much of it again. She rides and hunts magnificently but for her own pleasure, usually alone. She adores her siblings and spends time with her family whenever she can. She attends balls and dances and laughs, blithe a spirit as was ever in the world. At night, however, she dreams of the Telmarch and her people. She dreams of the shav raiders, the burned houses, the screaming mothers and the crushed babes. She dreams of war unending, claiming the sons and daughters of every generation. And she yearns to put her bow to better use. + |
| Duncan Hawkmour + | Duncan Hawkmour inherited the House from his father at the age of 22. Eldest of four children, though only one of his brothers and his only sister remain alive, Duncan has been raised to his position from his first breath. Admittedly..he did not always see eye to eye with his father, the most public instance of such disagreement having been around the Tor-Southport War. A war that his father had only desire to stay neutral in. Duncan, friends with Leo, and with a sense of 'right' that gave him no other choice, left to support his friend in the war and eventually his father was forced to declare Hawkmour's full partisanship. Both his parents succumbed to the same sickness, some four years apart, his mother dying not long after Duncan's 18th birthday and his father on the day of his 22nd. His brother, Erik, nearest in age to him died in the Tor-Southport war, leaving him with a brother and sister remaining: Thomas and Sarah. + |
| Dusa Iaso + | Born to a merchant and a physician. Was locally renowned for being deeply in-tune with others, quickly becoming an object of affection during schooling and apprenticeship. Wished to become a chirugeon and apprenticed beneath an old battlefield doctor. During adulthood, received a surprising amount of marriage proposals: All of which were denied. Much to the surprise of Dusa's peers, a sharp intellect gleamed beneath those hazel eyes, taking to learning the medicinal arts rather quickly while under the tutelage of the battle-worn doctor. What followed as a shock to everyone: A sudden wanderlust. Leaving everyone behind in search of something greater, with enough scrolls and tomes tucked away to ply the medical trade wherever needed, affording a transient, yet comfortable life. + |
| Dustin Nidhogg + | Dustin does not know much of his people but he remembers his father, uncles, his aunts, siblings, and his mother. The way they wore the dirt on their skin and walked the earth barefoot from island to island. Always on the move, it was crucial that he and all of those in his family knew how to haggle and while Dustin was too young at the time to hold any real responsibility, the children of the family were always kept close for them to learn. They found the hospitality of a mountainous clan who unknown to them were amidst a dispute with Donrai's Thrax over ownership of a neighboring mining colony. Overextending themselves, the Clan attacked the mining colony only to be wiped out by Thrax's retribution. Dustin's family found themselves caught in between the two, unable to get away. Those that were not killed, were thralled and put to work in the mines. From a child to an adult, this was Dustin's life. He rose up before the sun and left home after nightfall. Living hard sharpen Dustin and made his skin thick but even when he could barely afford a candle a night, he worked on his mind, engineering ways to make their life easier. He was rewarded with more books and the more he read, the more he yearned for the world and to be outside in the sun. He used his strength to compete among the other thralls and their wardens, knowing that fighting in the pit was the only real way of leaving this life behind because you either left in a coffin or were savage enough for an Islander noble to take notice of you. Still young, he established himself as an up and comer, only for the fight of his life to be canceled after the news of the abolishment of Thralldom reached their colony. Unable to support itself, the mining colony collapsed and the miners were given the option of taking some silver as reparation and a free boat ride to Arx. Knowing that someone like him had work anywhere, he took the silver and left his old life behind, hoping to learn more about designing and smithing to make a profession and a name for himself. + |
| Dycard Blackshore + | Lord Dycard Blackshore was born in between the oldest, Romulius, and his baby sister, Skye. As second born, he was expected to follow in his brother's shadow, knowing that he was a spare to the heir. At least that was his father's ambitions since Baron Oswald Blackshore never married and produced any official heirs. He enjoyed the life of a noble, getting the best education and exposed to many exotic places since his father was always traveling as the Naval Architect to House Thrax. He took his family with him so the young boy spent more time on the rolling planks than in a drawing room. Of course being exposed to so many places, so many different people gave Dycard a chance to observe and read other's motives. Dycard was close this mother, preferring her gentle ways than the harsh, exacting standards of his father. Nothing was ever good enough for Cornelius, and unlike Romulius, Dycard didn't bother to try to fit into his father's expectations. Instead he adopted a devil-may-care attitude that just infuriated his father. When his father would drag the family to Blackshore Isle to curry favor with their mad uncle, Dycard would turn on his charm even if the face of that vicious brute's callousness. When things would get too difficult, he would let his older brother come in and play the shield. There were many times that Romulius took a belt meant for him and there's guilt there for letting his brother take on so much. When their mother fell ill, Dycard did his best to help his sister care for her. Skye had the lighter hand but he could bring in the water and help tend to the nastier infections. His skilled hands that could lightly hold a sword were adept at also holding physician's tools of the many doctors that Cornelius sought at the different ports for his ailing wife. Finally, when Florence became too much of a burden, his father dumped his mother and Skye with that mad uncle, Oswald. Dycard was horrified but there was little he could do to help either. He was trapped just as Romulius was to continue on at sea with the cold man he called father. The occasional visits he got with his mother and sister made him angry and even more frustrated because he could tell that Oswald didn't treat them well. His reckless behavior got him into more than one scrap, but with his brother at his side, he feared nothing. It was them against the world, even their father. When their ship was attacked and their father decided to save his own skin, the two brothers learned to depend on each other even more. Captured by pirates, thrown in the brig, it was a horrible ordeal that the young man refuses to discuss. However, there's a gleam in his eyes when he talks about the last years that Dycard had his lean on his own charm and natural dexterity to avoid death many times. He even took up reaving with his captors, using his skills at the blade to keep his brother's stubborn honor from getting both of them killed. It wasn't until Romulius managed to escape from these bastards that Dycard was no longer blackmailed in serving these pirates. He was able to jump ship and make his way home. + |
| Dylan Coldrain + | As the oldest of many siblings Dylan took life seriously as a child, learning to be a sailor just like his father and his father before him, and so on, but it didn't take Dylan long to realize that I was not what he wanted to do with his life. So, against the wishes of his father Dylan went off adventuring to find just where he wanted to be in life. It didn't take Dylan long to discover it. Alcohol. Brewing it, more specifically. He ran into a brewmaster in his travels across the Compact lands and from him Dylan learned how to make a variety of drinks. It proved to be quite the enjoyment for him. His training to be a sailor, at least the strength, came in handy for lifting the heavy barrels to move them to storage and what not. Dylan spent much of his adult life training in brewing so that he could be an expert at it. Once he learned all he could from his mentor Dylan travelled once more, learning different styles of brewing and learning of the land to best know what would optimize his brews. During these travels he met the woman who would eventually marry. It was just after she had been freed from Thralldom, still a child. She was timid and content to hide in a little corner sewing. Sheena. At the time she had no name but she was eventually adopted by Coldrains. It took him many months just to get into her affections. He knew very well she did not talk much, if at all, of her relationship with him. So, his convincing her to marry him took several months. It was not that she objected to him or his desire to wed her, it was her extreme shines and timidness. Eventually, though, he reached her enough to get her to agree. As in it was just days before he decided to join her in Arx. September 1009. That is when he finally wed her . He met her in the Mourning Isles to make it happen then joined her in Arx. + |
E | |
| Eamon Darkwater + | A distant cousin of the Darkwater Family, distant enough to be considered fully out of the line of succession, Eamon was left on his own to come up with a way to make a living. Enrolling in the Navy, his connections let him rise through the ranks quickly - backed by his sharp mind and keen ability to turn conflicts around. As he was trusted with greater and greater command, his aptitude only grew, and soon word started to spread about the man, with many nicknames given - but none seeming to stick. He seemed to have hit the height of his progression without formal rank right before the Pirate King appeared and the war began in earnest. Darkwater Watch was ravaged. Even Eamon's mind wasn't enough to pull out a miracle, and when he found his ship surrounded, there was nothing he could do but barely manage to survive on a piece of driftwood until he was picked up by a passing merchant ship. But out of chaos, opportunity arises. With Darkwater's ranks severely depleted, his opportunities have skyrocketed, and so Eamon heads to Arx to make the connections needed to make his family strong once more. + |
| Echo Redrain + | Echo was born into a large family, the youngest of five and fourth of four daughters. She idolized her older siblings, who doted upon her in turn. She became a steady fixture in their lives, a constant loyal shadow trailing them from dawn until dusk. The sound of her tiny feet pattering behind them from room to room became commonplace. None of her siblings can agree upon which of them first called her Echo, but Echo -- their constant following companion -- she remained. From Amarantha she learned the importance of doubt. That nothing should be taken at face value and that the world can be more cruel and dark than a child could imagine. From Astraea she learned the value of kindness. That in a world brimming with pain and injustice, kindness is a rare strength and, more than that, a duty. Apollis taught her that life is short and deserved to be enjoyed. He taught that all things should be questioned. Her eldest sister Avaline's influence left her with a sense of determination and the motivation to never back down in the face of defeat. So it was no surprise to anyone when she answered the call to take up arms like her sisters. Nor was it startling when she eventually came to love and marry a northern man. Tragically, like, the majority of her siblings, her marital happiness was short-lived. Within half a year of their wedding, her husband lost his life on a wilderness scouting mission. The world can be cruel. But when the months of mourning had passed and the sun rose for her again, Echo stepped back out into the world determined more than ever to be stronger and kinder than it could be cruel. + |
| Ectorion Valardin + | The fifth child of a Valardin branch family, to say that Ectorion was far down in the line of succession would be a fairly extreme understatement. His mother Lyllindyl Valardin was of a scholarly disposition though, and in addition to the traditional Knightly training, he received a strong education, particularly in the subjects of mathematics and engineering, for which he showed a strong affinity. His life seemed destined for the scholarly pursuits, and his contribution to his family likely to be in that field. But, like so many people, war changed the course of his life forever. In his twentieth year, the coming of the Bringers of Silence called him from his designs and calculations, and to the battle lines of the growing conflict. His skill turned out to be formidable, and he distinguished himself on the battlefield. Tragedy was to strike though, for while he was away from Valardin lands, he lost his childhood friend and betrothed, Allissa. The death of his beloved had a deep and profound impact on the young Knight, and many claim that it is what made him the quietly brooding man he is today. When Prince Edain called for volunteers to reinforce the greatly reduced ranks of the King's Own, Ectorion stepped forth and went into the service of the King more directly, where he served during the events of the Siege. He was among those who stood upon the bridge with Dame Leona, when the Master of Questions made a bid to grab power, fearlessly fighting at her side. It was after that battle that his 'loan' service with the King's Own became formal, as Edain released him from his oath and he took the oath of the King's Own. + |
| Edain Valardin + | Edain is a knight. For all his life, that is all he dreamed of being and all he dedicated his training towards, and he never imagined he would be anything more than another proud knight in the service of his family. True, he was born the son of the high lord of House Valardin, the ruler of all the Oathlands and one of the five greatest nobles in the land. But he was born as a fourth child and he was quietly grateful that he was so far from the crushing responsibility of rule, that he could embrace the simple purity of service with a sword and that he could win glory and honor in the name of his house. That he could be a knight. That was before the Tragedy at Sanctum. Edain didn't truly grasp how easy his life was before the attack, the popular and handsome prince that had no greater designs than serving as a knight. He never imagined that he could one day rule. He never imagined that his elder siblings and parents could all be slain in one devastating attack that would leave him as the new high lord, the Prince of Sanctum. He never spent a day training for the possibility, never joined his elder brother in all the lessons from his father on how to properly rule or to deal with House Valardin's vassals, he never even expected to sit upon the Assembly of Peers and watch the political turmoil of the Realm. Then all at once, in one bloody night, it was his responsibility. His duty. He wishes it was not so. He never wished to rule, he never wanted the responsibility or burden of leadership, but it is his now and he takes his obligations seriously. He'll lead House Valardin to the best of his abilities and try to become better with each passing day. He just wished that the confidence he felt as a swordsman extended to how he felt as a ruler. + |
| Edda Greenwood + | Enigmatic when it comes to her past, Edda was originally an Abandoned tribesman from the darkest parts of the Deepwood Marches; before the era of tribal integration with the nobles and citizens of the Twainfort, she lived a solitary lifestyle as a ranger in the ancient forests there. Once the tribes began the slow work of coming to terms with their new standing, she stood with them even though she may have chosen to remain an unknown. The matter was bigger than any one person, and she understood this quite well; though standing alongside her tribesmen, this didn't mean that she was eager to leave her home nor assimilate to the lifestyle at the Twainfort. Alliance aside, Edda remained a ranger, living and working from the forests until there came a reason to leave; that reason came in the form of her lord at the Twainfort. A visitation by another ranger tuned her in to the search for guards at the seat of Riven house. In the beginning she was passingly interested-- curious enough to go to the city and seek out more information. Tribal unrest alongside the citizens of the Riverlands was still an issue, thanks to so many years of the latter driving off the former. There was still much work to be done. Seeing that for herself, Edda felt inspired to help to change it. Perceptions and interaction were everything, and though she was by nature lonesome, it never meant a lack of compassion. It only ever meant that she had yet to find a place to direct it. Inspired by the path of her people and stirred by the need for a bridge between them, Edda joined the house guard; though at the time lacking in certain training, she was a large survivor with a gentler soul than her frame might suggest, and this would lend itself greatly to her finding an ability to make connections with others. Learning the finer points of guardsmanship would come with time-- what led her there was neither power nor influence, but the desire to help in holding some semblance of cornerstones on massive shoulders. As time moved on she became accustomed to the role, rising steadily through ranks until she became the head of guard for the Riven House.. It meant hard work, but it also meant that for years she worked alongside citizens of the Twainfort in keeping them safe. She was regarded as a trusted figure, despite her origins as a tribal Prodigal. Wherever the riverlands found its banners called, Edda followed. + |
| Eddard Clement + | Every family needs their blacksheep, and Eddard comes from the Clement branch's black sheet. It's said that SOMEWHERE in this particular branch a great-grandma had a one night stand with a family that eventually left the Compact. It was never something said openly to Eddard's face, but family gatherings always had a few whispers about the not-so-secret shame. It was in that shadow that Eddard grew up. From an early age he decided that if the family was going to expect the worst from him anyway, he might as well deliver. While most Clements are hardworking and diligent, Eddard went firmly to the other end. He drinks more than one cup of wine at dinner and does everything he can to get out of //work//. During one work-dodging session he quite by accident stumbled onto a true talent with music. He found himself a halfway decent teacher and actually applied himself for once. Working with both voice and lute Eddard carved himself out another niche within the family. Everyone enjoyed a bit of music in the gatherings and thus some of the black sheep whispering faded out. When news of strange Uncle Norwood's new barony, Eddard seized on it as his chance to escape the rural life and head to Arx. There he can accomplish a few goals. First, never touch another beehive. Second, seek out a real teacher to help him foster his musical talent. Finally, enjoy the pleasures of Arx. + |
| Edelma Pierce + | Edelma was born the daughter of a commoner knight, a riding valkyrie in service to the Sannas. There were rumors, especially due to a few suggestive lines of facial structure, that her father was not actually her father, but the rumors of her bastardy were never brought to the fore as anything more than whispers, in part because her father and her mother seemed to love each other so devotedly, and more, because they never seemed to love the March's family any less. If there was something there, it never caused any kind of rift between their families. It was at her parents' hands that she received her first training, and as she grew, she showed a natural inclination for weapons and along with a natural bravery that made it supremely easy for her to join the scouts of the snows riding out as soon as she was old enough in service. The old Sword of Giant's Reach, Sir Jolor, was an institution of the mountains, essentially, a man who had held the post so long that few could imagine anyone else in it. Young and fierce, Edelma found his years rendered him too slow to act in defense of the House. Generally he was left alone while other, younger knights did the real work of defending Giant's Reach, but the passivity of this position was too much for Edelma. In one battle with a tribe of Shav'Arvani on the mountainside, Edelma saved Jolor's life by fighting off two who were attacking him and covering his retreat. When they were alone, she demanded his recognition of her bold act, and out of shame that so young (26!) and comparatively small a fighter (a full foot shorter than he) had so plainly surpassed him, he refused. Edelma challenged him to a duel for the insult to her pride and defeated him handily. After he lost this public duel, Jolor knelt before her and asked March Cirroch to transfer his ancestral Sword to Edelma. It was done, and she took the role with pride and strength, and began working to train young squires and knights of the March into a squad to follow her into battle and share the Sword's acclaim. She called them the Axes of Giant's Reach, and they became among the most loyal young fighters in the March. + |
| Edith Foxwood + | Unsurprisingly, Edith grew up in a small town outside Bastion-- near a particular patch of forest known for housing plenty of foxes. Her family was hunters and trappers for generations, doing the quiet work of commoners. Their furs and meats were sold to merchants, and the family rarely saw cause to go to the bigger towns and cities. They were content in the woods. Edith joined the discipleship of Petrichor as young as she could, diving head first into the work expected of her. The Silent War tore almost everything from her. Edith's entire family was wiped out when the Silent Army swept towards Arx, and she immediately swore herself to the Gods and the Faith. She's been serving ever since, moving wherever she's needed without hesitation or complaint. There's no longer a reason for her to stay in the woods outside Bastion, and after the fall of that great city and reclamation, she's finally found herself in Arx. + |
| Edris Elwood + | Growing up as a second child of a third child in a small county of the North, Edris had duties to keep him busy, but his personal aspirations were largely his own, without the weight of impending rule. As a result, he was able to largely focus his education and activities on that which he was most inclined. An avid outdoorsman and capable leader, he seemed to have the workings of an excellent ranger; though when his father died when Edris was in his late teens, his focus naturally fell to stepping into a more traditional path that he felt would honor him--he was knighted in his late adolescence and then served capably within the patrols and defenses as well as military campaigns both in and out of the Northlands; and when left to his own devices, spent many days or weeks wandering, hunting, and bringing back trinkets and treasures to his sister, cousins, and lady mother as he always had, a way to use solitude and communion with the mountains and wilds to heal some of the echoes of un-unseeable things of war, as well as a way to keep tabs on the local shav'arvani, with his trusted companions. About 5 years ago his mother and Lord Acorn Hill negotiated a marriage contract for his sister Elin to marry Lord Rylan Moore, it was Edris that was chosen to accompany her south, first to visit his father's family, the Keatons, while Elin and Rylan courted. He fit in well with his sister's soon to be family; there were new wild places to explore, after all. New bands of shavs and prodigals to learn about. A beloved sister to see happily settled. Keaton cousins to become reacquainted with. And increasingly, a camaraderie amongst the Acorn Hill Moores as well. He was invited to stay longer, all the better to cement the new bond between houses, both due to his parents' marriage and the new one with the Moores. After six months, news of his mother's sudden illness had him making his way home, when word reached him on his travels of the slaughter at Acorn Hill. Nearly mad with worry, he rushed back, only to find that she and her new husband and many of those he'd enjoyed getting to know slain. His deep and near-destructive grief was only compounded when he learned that his mother had also died of her illness soon after he received word of it at all; but rather than drown his sorrows in drink or other vices, he threw himself completely into helping to lead what remained of the scattered and decimated forces, aiding in the rebuilding efforts of the remaining family, hunting down of likely perpetrators or shavs trying to take advantage of the weakness. It was grueling, uphill work, but those underneath him thrived under his leadership, and both houses continued to benefit from a bond. It might have been cemented by another marriage, his own, to one of the surviving Moores. But plans for that died the night the rest of the surviving family was butchered while he was away ranging, hunting down the location of another group of shavs who had been a thorn in the side of one of the villages. Deep in yet another round of grief, and needing to work though what surely must have felt like yet another failure, he immersed himself in yet more work. He had built a strong relationship with many of the commoners there, especially the youngest survivors of the initial massacre at Acorn Hill over the years. He continued to range and considered renouncing his title and joining the faith. But the kinship he now felt in this land not of his birth stayed his hand as he wrestled with what to do. The answer came not from his prayers, or the quiet and calm of the forest but from a missive waiting for him at the inn he'd taken up residence at. It did not come with an offered hand of a wife, but he was given the opportunity to keep fulfilling the promises between houses first made those four years ago, and join the new Barony of Elwood. He had been serving the people there out of grief and honor--now he would be able to honor the names of his sister and friends that spilled their blood on these lands by being claimed as one of their own, Lord Edris Elwood, Sword of Arden. + |
| Edward Redreef + | While at times I might consider them half-wits that is only the perspective of someone from the family than it is a reflection of the truth. Or perhaps they are a whole wit together. That would be the more logical perspective to have on the pair at times. It is not like Ember and Marina are easily separated - given that they are twins of course. Now oftentimes I try to be the wise older cousin, given that I'm one of the few people who seem to get along with them. And perhaps it is for this reason I pen this letter while rocking back and forth on this rickety ship on my short journey to answer their summons of me. Whatever could they want, of which I have only guesses. My best guess is one or both of them have almost certainly gotten themselves in trouble with a magistrate and need me to talk their way out of it. Now of course one might wonder why I might rush to the aid of two cousins I might possibly maybe consider a whole wit with both of them put together. It is not out of familial duty or love. Perhaps a little of it, but more because I crave an adventure and those two have a knack for finding something. That something is often trouble but they may just happenstance upon an adventure. And if nothing else I'll have interesting stories to tell when I'm infirm and unable to remember to get up to hit the privy and soil the bed for whatever caretaker suffers through my final years. It is a tragedy of course their father died. Perhaps their summons is about this. Or maybe its about the the fact that they are in this limbo of inheritance and they need a man for the sake of appearances. Oh wouldn't that be quite delightful. A house steward might be a good job for me in the shortterm. Lets me make use of my skills at procurement and topics of discussions on which I get to use the silver tongue mother said I was gifted with. And the call to land has been sounded. Surely I will maintain my dignity as I get off this rickety bucket that leaks more than a chef's sieve and has more bung holes than a vintner's cellar. + |
| Edward Stormbreak + | Dwindling in familial size, the Redreefs were not a populous House, having lost a great many of its members to piracy, accidents, and murder over the years; leaving just Tiberius and his brother - the former Baron of Redreef. Tiberius' marriage to Martha, a merchant with the power of a lord, brought in a merchant fleet to the House to help increase its economic weight, and to try and shed House Redreef of some of its pirate past. + |
| Edwyn Valardin + | A cousin fairly far down the line of succession, Edwyn hasn't accomplished anything feast-worthy since birth, save perhaps for that time he'd managed to eat twenty bacon muffins the fastest. Like most of his kin, he was behooved to partake of the knightly tradition although despite his physical talent he has no particular love for the art of war, disdaining the troubles of hard campaign and the chore of having to chase down Shavs. %T Fortunately, he's been saved from further responsibility in Sanctum to find instead his own calling in Arx. He doesn't exactly know what it'll be, but who knows. It could be books, adventure, love, storytelling, getting shitfaced in the other wards, anything except counting coins for the Valardin and riding out in patrol, please, Edwyn's happy enough without that. + |
| Egil Frost + | Born amidst the beautific rose-gold arches and stone masonry of Stonedeep, Egil was orphaned, or, perhaps, abandoned -- he was never really sure -- to a life of filth, squalor, and blood. Wading clear of it didn't come easy, especially as an orphan, and were it not for the conjunction of his scrappy cunning, wanton savagery, and the favoring of fortune, he may well have never acceded to adulthood. It was in his teens that he first found his calling, earning coin by acting as servant to mercenaries, bands of men dedicated to wiping out troublesome villages of Shav'Arvani. The heat of combat soon propelled him from a mere servant to a fighter in his own right, and he earned his keep in adulthood by hunting and claiming bounties. While tracking a particularly problematic group of blood-drinking Shav'Arvani, he encountered Duchess Nadia Nightgold. After a dispute with the Duchess regarding his rights to claim the bounty he'd been hunting, they came to terms, and he aided her in tracking down the remnants of the tribe. Offering him handsome pay, she invited him to travel to Arx and enter her service. + |
| Egon Maw + | Born to a rather poor family on the Mourning Isles, Egon had spent his youth as a sickly boy, incapable of aiding his family in much of their day-to-day living. The family was large; his four siblings had quickly learned to take care of themselves and eventually forged their own paths with some of them, namely his brother Maris, following the path of their fisherman turned sellsword father. Egon had kept to himself during his youth, looking inward rather than outward for inspiration. As days turned to years, he had eventually grown out of his sickly phase into a relatively hale individual and spent the majority of his teens at home, taking up various practices and disciplines in an attempt to aid his destitute mother. Life was difficult on the Isles, and, coupled with his odd appearance, it was made isolating. Despite it all, he had learned a great deal from its harsh lessons. After a time, his mother had decided that he needed to leave for Arx with the hope that he could find a better life there than what was available to him. + |
| Eilonwy Blackwood + | Raised in a small tribe allied to the Blackwoods, Eilonwy grew up learning the ways of the wild. For the most part her family and the tribe survived the squabbles and land struggles between tribes. When Brand began his recruiting in the north her tribe and family were slaughtered down to a few men and woman. That was the first she ever held a blade. The Blackwoods took in the last of her people and ultimately they all bent knee together to the Crovane. + |
| Eilonwy Thunderoak + | Raised in a small tribe allied to the Blackwoods, Eilonwy grew up learning the ways of the wild. For the most part her family and the tribe survived the squabbles and land struggles between tribes. When Brand began his recruiting in the north her tribe and family were slaughtered down to a few men and woman. That was the first she ever held a blade. The Blackwoods took in the last of her people and ultimately they all bent knee together to the Crovane. + |
| Einarr Charon + | Einarr is the last of the Bjornkrigare shav clan, called the Bearwarriors,a warrior clan who worship the bear and fight with nearly no regard to themselves. They are the masters of the bjorn svettes, an alchemical mixture of narcotics and stimulants that allows the warriors to feel no pain during battle. They train in the snow and ice to toughen their bodies, and are trained from a very young age. His particular clan was wiped out while he was a young man of 15 and he has been on his own ever since. Einarr was found by Tigarus Charon in his travels, he was near mortally wounded in a battle with dire wolves in the wilds of the Northlands. Einarr, in debt for owing his life to Tigarus, has pledged himself to House Charon. + |
| Eiran Laurent + | Eiran grew up without much expectation of responsibility: a child of privilege and wealth, a child of parents who were also children of privilege and wealth. He never found much interest in duty, for all the workhorse reputation of his family and the long line of duty-bound Oathlanders that surrounded them. As a boy, he liked to play. As a young man, he still liked to play. He was only middling in most areas of his education because he was irresolute and lacked focus, and no one really forced him to be attentive to any of his lessons. The only area of his real focus was one of his tutors, who instructed him in language and the arts, and he primarily was interested there because the said tutor was _incredibly attractive_. He became fascinated with love as game and machination and source of artistry, and the courtly ballad, sonnet, and the kind of magic that comes in the right word in the right place became his study. That was how he ended up becoming a Devotion of Limerance. It was another infatuation that encouraged him to apply himself to the art of the sword -- really, the art of the mace and shield, a satisfying and pounding combination with a heavy crack of one on the other -- and really that has been the entire pattern of Eiran's life: ridiculous crush on someone, throw himself whole-heartedly into a new life path. Who knows what will come next? Maybe one day he'll fall in love in a direction that encourages him to make the most of himself. You never know, right? + |
| Eirene Malvici + | Malvici's sons and daughters are usually raised as warriors. Eirene is no different although she found a different path- Eirene was tutored in the usual martial arts and strategy as all her kin, younger sister to Adona and aunt to the current Duke. She found her passion for medicine at eleven years of age after a sparring partner broke his leg and the surgeons reset it. The sight of blood didn't repulse her and the fact he could walk again afterward impressed on her the usefulness of the skill. She began her studies then; medicine being less a science and more a skill. Clean wounds heal faster than bloody ones. Maggots will eat dead tissue. Leeches can help in -some- cases when blood pools in a bruise. Stitches can mean the difference between healing or losing a limb- and she wasn't afraid to take a leg if it was the best way to save the patient. Southport's medicinal gardens became a second home. And the war with the Fidantes was all the hands on training she would ever need. Eirene does not care for the politics her nephew the Duke has to muddle through. She's never been approached by the family to marry and by all accounts doesn't take lovers. Intimacy isn't something she can afford. Nor is her persona conductive to sweet courtship and romance; she's a jaded curmudgeon of a woman who will laugh at a funeral and roll her eyes at a wedding. She dislikes nobility who coast by on the deeds of dead ancestors and don't respect and care for the peasants and serfs under them. Eirene oversees the training of new field medics for Malvici's standing army and ensures each is as capable a soldier as they are a physician. After all- who is to say that field hospitals won't be attacked? And those who know how to heal often know how to do the most harm... + |
| Eirik Coldrain + | {/Eirik was born to a common family on the 23rd day of the 8th month. He's never been a stranger to war and combat. In all honesty his father died in a battle serving as a sell sword to a ship in some thraxian fleet or another. Eirik was to young to know or remember.{/A few years later as Eirik started getting closer to adulthood his mother died too leaving him alone and broke. Like his father he had skill with a sword, but as of yet was unproven in battle and let's face it no one hires an unproven swordsman. So he set off on his way trying to make some coin some how. After weeks and months of barely being able to break even or eat some weeks he finally made a tough decision.{/Eirik voluntarily became a thrall in Kennex lands. It gave him steady work food and a place to live. Let's face it when it came down to it he didn't think it was all that bad. He stayed a Thrall for quite some years before Kennex decided to just up and "free" all the Thralls. Eirik was angry he didn't want to have to go back out into the world and find some way to earn his living again after all it didn't work so well for him the first time. It was during this time, during his anger and rage that Sameera found him. She took Eirik in and let him take the name Coldrain. Now he's attempting to make his way and a living learning how not to be just a Thrall.{/ + |
| Eirlys Greenmarch + | Eirlys has been used to a life of independence and a measure of self-sufficiency for as long as she can remember. Her mother died when she was little more than a babe in arms, and with her father having suffered crippling injuries in a battle a number of years prior, she was allowed to run a little wild and largely decided for herself the path that her life should take. As befitting a resident of the Greenwood, she learned the use of a blade, and fervently defended her clan's home from those who might seek to usurp the lands they had held for centuries. Yet, while is proud of her heritage, she saw only opportunity when the Greenmarch Abandoned bent the knee in fealty. She had always been fascinated by the idea of the city of Arx and loved any stories that she heard about what life was like there. Now, she gets to see for herself the reality of the place, fully embracing this new adventure and prepared to realize all the potential she believes she was born to - without ever forgetting who she is. + |
| Eithne Thornburn + | Being one of seven children has its challenges. For starters, if you're not the oldest or the youngest, you might end up blending somewhere in the middle. Eithne blended into the mix for many of her formative years until she decided enough was enough. Her mother always wanted her girls to pick up a trade and be skilled. Her father didn't seem to care what they wanted to do. When Eithne decided on following in her father's footsteps, it irritated her mother who doesn't think a woman's place is in a forge but her father couldn't be more thrilled. He took her under his wing and showed her everything he knew. A father couldn't be more proud of his child when Eithne not only learned the trade but excelled. It wasn't long before Eithne was showing her old man a few tricks of the trade. Born and bred in Arx, Eithne's family the Thornburn's are from the Upper Boroughs. Her siblings are all pretty successful in their own ways. These days, Eithne has herself a great clientele of customers who live and breathe in their armor. She's even secured a few who are daring enough to be 'guinea pigs' for some prototypes she's been working on. Nothing concrete yet, nothing that she can actually sell or market, but at least she's innovative! I comparison to most young women her age, Eithne isn't interested in marriage or children at the moment. She's very focused and driven on her career. There are so many other more important things to do than to be tied down, barefoot and pregnant. For example, learning how to fight and competing in amateur competitions or spending all night playing cards at the local tavern. + |
| Elara Helios + | Life for Elara has been full of loss and pain. Born the bastard child of a minor nobleman of House Thrax, she was quickly given up by her prodigal mother. Elara does not know much about her birth mother, just that she was formerly a Northern Shav and an entertainer in Port Stormbreak. Though she was given up by her mother as a babe, Elara was not raised by her disgraced father. Instead he 'fostered' her with a Kennex noble and his wife. The couple's family being quite huge, they were nowhere in line for inheritance nor did they have a need, or want, for children. The only reason they took Elara was because of the shame created by her father, and wishing to avoid the dishonor on the rest of the family. Raised as more of a nuisance than a wanted child, Elara quickly learned the art of being silent. The girl had a keen mind and enjoyed reading. And since it kept her out of their hair they encouraged it. She also had a talented gift for embroidery. And that was a thing her foster mother and she bonded, though slightly, over. At the age of 17 her father arranged a marriage to a much older Kennex man out in the Mourning Isles. The wedding was on her birthday, the day she turned 18, and she tried to be happy. They left for his holdings in the Mourning Isles the morning after. Not ten months later she had her first child. And her first loss. The baby girl was born blue and still. Elara, however, managed quite well despite having few people to confide in on the remote holding. Unfortunately this would not change much over the next few years. Their next child survived their first year, a boy, who was named Erik, till a horrid fever took him. It would have been soul-crushing to many, but Elara held up strong. Never seeming to break even though she lost five children total, most in their first year of life, during her marriage. The most recent loss, two years ago, was a miscarriage at five months when someone poisoned both her and her husband. Her husband perished and she suffered for several months the effects of the lingering poison, but eventually recovered. Widowed as she was and free of needing to stay in the Mourning Isles she returned to Port Stormbreak and the closest thing to family she had, the Kennex. Yet with the approaching horrors and the problems at sea she has, with others of the house, retreated to the safety of Arx. While it is not her first visit to the city, it has been some time. Elara has found herself to be of use to her house using her talents with needle and thread. + |
| Elara Kennex + | Life for Elara has been full of loss and pain. Born the bastard child of a minor nobleman of House Thrax, she was quickly given up by her prodigal mother. Elara does not know much about her birth mother, just that she was formerly a Northern Shav and an entertainer in Port Stormbreak. Though she was given up by her mother as a babe, Elara was not raised by her father, Baron Dorian Helios, the Baron of Helion Rock. Instead he 'fostered' her with a Kennex noble and his wife, an old ally of her father's from the Tyde Rebellion days. The couple's family being quite huge, they were nowhere in line for inheritance nor did they have a need, or want, for children. Baron Dorian was childless besides her, and with Thrax succession at the time precluding women from rule, there was concern that if he fully legitimized her, that she would be used by another house to try to take Helion Rock after his death. Raised as more of a nuisance than a wanted child, Elara quickly learned the art of being silent. The girl had a keen mind and enjoyed reading. And since it kept her out of their hair they encouraged it. She also had a talented gift for embroidery. And that was a thing her foster mother and she bonded, though slightly, over. At the age of 17 her father arranged a marriage to a much older Kennex man out in the Mourning Isles, both to get her far from any succession issues and to stifle criticism of him by the Faith that made it extremely difficult for the man to rule when he failed in his responsibilities as a father. The wedding was on her birthday, the day she turned 18, and she tried to be happy. They left for his holdings in the Mourning Isles the morning after. Not ten months later she had her first child. And her first loss. The baby girl was born blue and still. Elara, however, managed quite well despite having few people to confide in on the remote holding. Unfortunately this would not change much over the next few years. Their next child survived their first year, a boy, who was named Erik, till a horrid fever took him. It would have been soul-crushing to many, but Elara held up strong. Never seeming to break even though she lost five children total, most in their first year of life, during her marriage. The most recent loss, two years ago, was a miscarriage at five months when someone poisoned both her and her husband. Her husband perished and she suffered for several months the effects of the lingering poison, but eventually recovered. Widowed as she was and free of needing to stay in the Mourning Isles she returned to Port Stormbreak and the closest thing to family she had, the Kennex. Yet with the approaching horrors and the problems at sea she has, with others of the house, retreated to the safety of Arx. While it is not her first visit to the city, it has been some time. Elara has found herself to be of use to her house using her talents with needle and thread. + |
| Eleanor Allenatore + | She was born on a ship, a trading vessel of the Velenosa. Her mother was a sailor who loved nothing as much as she loved the sea. Her father was a sailor too, and though her parents were rarely together, still they made what time for her that they could, when both ships happened to be in the same port or when there was time for her to run from one port to the other for a visit. But as much as she loved the sound of the waves and the gentle rocking of the ships on which she and her mother worked, she knew early on she was destined for something else. For aslong as she can remember she has wanted to be a Knight. And not just any Knight - a Knight sworn to protect the King, one of the Silver Swords. She doesn't remember the bulk of her early years, but she remembers the first moment when she saw them marching by, their armor gray against the blue sky as they protected the King. In fact, she measures her life by these defining moments - her first sight of the King's Own was followed by watching the tournament where Dayne Valardin won the title of Lord Commander. Then not long after that, she watched as Princess Leona Thrax was escorted to the edges of the Thrax holdings and turned out, no longer a Princess so that she could join the King's Own. At fourteen she walked with her mother to the gates of Crownguard Tower, and held her breath waiting for the answer to her demands to be let in to train. And she remembered the weight of the belt and chain, the moment the legendary sword of the King's Own dubbed her a Knight, the pride swelling in her chest. Her father was killed in the Tragedy of the Harbor when a third of the Thrax vessels were pulled down into the water. He would never see her be a Knight, but she knows he was proud of her. And still there is her mother, grief-stricken but safe, still comforted by the love of the sea and refusing to make a more permanent home near her only daughter. Even so, the King's Own is the family she longed for and she has vowed to be the best Knight she can be, no matter what it takes. + |
| Eleyna Velenosa + | Eleyna Velenosa started her life as just another Princess in a very large family, destined to be offered in marriage to create treaties between the House of her birth and its chosen allies. With no living mother and a mostly disinterested father, she was at the mercy of her ambitious aunt. Three times, she served in such a role. Three times, it ended in tragedy. Even the most spotless reputation cannot withstand the rumors that accompany three dead husbands. In the Lyceum, they called her the Black Widow of Lenosia. They sought to shame her for the tragedies that befell her. Eleyna took an insult meant to humiliate her and turned it into something to fear. If they wanted her to be a spider, she would be a spider. It was the spider's machinations that brought her to Arx in the wake of the King's Rest. That same spider built webs to climb from disgraced Princess to valued Voice and, eventually, all the way to the Grand Duchess' throne. It's amazing how power seems to wash away the sins of past. So, while the sharp mind and ambitious nature remain, the Black Widow is no more now that Eleyna has both remarried and ascended to the pinnacle of power within her House and within the Lyceum. Lenosia is the City of Flowers, so it makes sense that Eleyna would be the White Lily, the palest of blooms but also the one symbolizing rebirth for her and her people. + |
| Elfriede Waters + | Born across a salty shore of Thraxian domain, for the longest of whiles; for the lengthiest passings of time as child, Elfriede only knew salt. And blood. She was peddled around as child like useful product when her known-parents were slaughtered beneath a raid after having survived many from a ship of black and crimson colors on a serpentine stretch for sigil. Too young to serve as an adult, yet too old to be flung into the sea as burden, she was raised in a kitchenette jury rigged together beneath the quarterdeck of a Thraxian boat. Made to wash, clean and rinse the dirt of sailors since she has known memory, with callouses to speak of it, when time begun to develop her the few remaining women in the ever-dwindling kitchen of the declining pirate coordination smuggled her back inland; back into the several holdfasts that stand at the feet of the Maelstrom. Life in the Mourning Islands was hard. She no longer cleaned for anything other than herself, but food; but production and want for a thrall of so-few skills then made her a target - it made her a victim - and victimization became her life in such teen years while living in a society where the hope of end's meet came at the expense and compromise of her values. What few she had left. Inevitably, violence returned to her life. And it did so in storm- she worked the streets as thief and eyes alike; she shared her perceptiveness with those that'd dare purchase it. Experience taught her the networked ecosystem of 'knowing' - and through this knowing she thrived as young as she was. In this life of humble burglary, she finally came upon a man; an old, hardy Knight born in the Oathlands. Happenings led them to strike an odd friendship, for none would dare claim they fit. He called her squire. They travelled long, and left the lands of Thrax together to reach the capital under the care of this knightly old thing. Age took him from her not too short after arrival beneath the wary trip, and Elfriede now finds herself roaming the streets in search of purpose, like one too many. + |
| Elgana Redrain + | The younger daughter of a lesser line of a royal House has obligations, different obligations than those closer to the hot seat of the actual Prince(ss) of the Northlands, but obligations nonetheless. Elgana was trained to be a proper lady, but as a young girl found ways to approach at a gentle skew; not so far askew as her older sister, a human battering ram and spear warrior, nor so dedicated as some of her family who seemed to take to heart that it was duty and to the matter born. Yet if you are supposed to learn to dance, why not learn to make your own choroegraphy? If you are supposed to learn needlework, why not stitch up a banner that looks like it is oozing blood from every corner? If you have to learn history, why not write parody filks of ancient ballads and leave them lying around in ambush for your instructors? If you need to learn to ride, why not insist on sleeping overnight in the stable with your pony and treating it like your best friend? If you are supposed to learn to fight ... well, there wasn't much she could do about that aside from demonstrate very little natural aptitude and a tendency to whine and make sad faces about the bruises. As she blossomed into a lovely young woman, Elgana learned new ways of making her own way and having it her way. While her sister ramrodded through obstacles, Elgana danced and flirted and laughed her way around them: a much easier, friendlier, and better angled kind of life. Though she never entirely lost her ability to tilt issues at a slight skew from the ordinary, she learned to temper and sheath this inside the bounds of etiquette, and apply imagination to life as her personal arsenal, along with a careful hand at fashion and the ability to make her eyes really sparkle with eye makeup. She already owns Farhaven as adorably as possible and now it is time to apply that sparkle to the rest of the Compact! + |
| Eliana Steinmaison + | Eliana was born to a couple of bakers. They were poor, but happy. She has three brothers and a sister, and she's the youngest of them all. The baby. Fortunately, all of her brothers and her sister were very capable. They grew up to help the parents take over the business, and sprout wings and become successful in the many endeavors they attempted. They were all sharp, intelligent, and capable. Unfortunately, Eliana was not able to bloom in the manner her parents wished. She has the worst luck anyone has ever seen. If something bad will happen, it will happen over 90 percent of the time for Eliana. She's come to expect bad things occuring. She trips constantly, always has scrapes due to falling or running into something or something falling on her randomly. People consider her a clutz. There is nothing she can do about how people perceive her, so Eliana decided at a very young age to ignore them and to just look at the good things in life. There's so much bad that she's overwhelmed by it, the good is much more interesting to her, it also helps her to stay happy. Once, when she was in the kitchen attempting to help her mother bake some bread, she turned to grab a spoon, knocked over the container onto a lamp that just happened to be by there, shattering it and sending oil everywhere, which just happened to fling a drop towards the lit fire on the stove, and caused a chain reaction that literally exploded nearly the entire kitchen. Her parents have banned her from the kitchen since that time. She's too dangerous to be in there, she might kill someone someday with her luck. With all the whispers, and wards against evil signs against her, Eliana had a lonely childhood. Nobody really wanted to be her friend, so she grew up entertaining herself, and learning new things. She enjoyed figuring things out, it was something she was actually good at, and for once, it felt good to be good at something and not just a walking disaster. So, while she may have been lonely, she was never bored, she always had interesting and new things to do and explore, which made her quite the cheerful child. Her parents loved her, but she is hard to deal with sometimes. When Eliana turned 21, her parents were in a deep depression on what to do with her. They had no idea how to turn her into a successful person and nobody was interested in taking the 'Cursed Baker's Daughter' as a wife, so she still lived at home, turning into an old maid. Her parents could not really afford a freeloader like her, especially when she destroyed almost everything she touched. She was expensive! On one day, an Inquisitor came in for some baked goods and they had a discussion about the latest escapades of Eliana. She was becoming a town legend in her own right, just from her awful luck. The inquisitor suggested that he send her to them, to become an apprentice. She'd make good money, and her mind was sharp, she would do well and support herself as well as help the parents. At least repair the latest stove she destroyed. Her father agreed, very happy with the idea, and soon enough, Eliana was sent off to become an apprentice Inquisitor! She has absolutely no idea what she is getting into, but she trusts her parents, and feels very guilty about being at home. This is a new opportunity for her, and she's eager to do well and prove that she's good at -something-! + |
| Elias Leary + | Growing up with a knightly mother of Oathlands orthodox values and a stereotypically eccentric Leary father proved to be a bit of a thorn in Elias' younger years. A black sheep, Elias never put much thought into the Gods, nor did he in his studies. Despite not following closely in his parents footsteps, Elias naturally met them halfway as he made a name for himself as a hunter - whenever the motivation struck. Typically, the motivation was a diminishing purse of silver or, more often, a mystery that caught his attention just right. Whenever that desire struck, he became as fierce a warrior as his mother and as dedicated a scholar as his father. As a child, these endeavours usually involved sneaking out of the house late at night to explore old and abandoned houses, or to investigate and document strange sightings in the neighboring forests. So all it took was one little intriguing story; a secret untold, and Elias set off on spontaneous adventure. A long adventure. For an entire year. His path never circled back to the Oathlands, and instead he found himself a home with his distant Leary family in Arx while he dug up more mysteries to pick at. + |
| Elio Tortorici + | Though Elio grew up as an Abandoned, his people were relatively new additions to that title after the House has been exiled from the Compact for the sort of political and religious arguments that only make prideful old nobles angry. His upbringing was thus not that much different from a noble of some + |
| Elise Whisper + | Little is known of Elise's past, likely due to the fact that she never speaks about it. + |
| Elisha Falle + | A sickly child from the Lowers who nobody much noticed for his first ten or twelve years. Parents dead, or dusted? Fostered into a family? Something like that. Too week to grow into a proper earner, but a disgraced clerk, charlatan, or addict--or all of the above--took pity on the clever, often-bedridden boy and taught him. Maybe from kindness--maybe hoping for a better income from an educated Elisha. In any case, the boy took refuge in the written word more than the spoken one. Though when he does talk, he talks fancy, as educated as a silk--'uppity little shit,' the neighbors mutter, with more than a hint of pride. He makes the odd coin working as an unofficial scribe in the rare case that someone nearby needs reading or writing done, as he is extremely literate. Elisha is known to tell fantastical stories to his neighbors, sometimes in exchange for a bite to eat, tales which the kids occasionally spread throughout the Lowers. He's also known to beg from the silks if he gets hungry enough. + |
| Eliza Lavann + | Eliza was born in Arx, to a moderately successful shopkeekper and his wife. At a young age, she began to be tutored by a priest of Vellichor, who saw great potential in the clever young girl. But while she proved an avid student, her original ambition to join the Scholars of Vellichor eventually came to naught: she was too undisciplined, too unfocused to truly be an ideal scholar. So instead she took various jobs as a scribe and tutor to earn her living, all the while continuing her personal study of folklore, which had always been a passion of hers. Then, the strange happenings around the Silent War began to reveal that the old tales of magic might not be mere myth. Even though Eliza was only able to snatch second-hand rumors at first, she was nonetheless deeply fascinated, and her personal studies took a decidedly occult bend. + |
| Elizabetha Grayson + | Born for royalty, Elizabetha grew up in a dream as reality. She found it terribly romantic to be a princess, a damsel, her favorite archetype in the stories she adored throughout childhood. This sparked an early romanticism, which she first expressed on canvas and stage. Innately an actress, she took to performance around age 5, when a Grayson dinner party was witness to an impromptu song and dance atop the table. Art, nevertheless, she names as her true calling. Her work won a plethora of contests, competitions, submissions throughout her years, her growth evinced in each flux of style. Eventually, her touch was lent to halls of marble and gilt. In adolescence, she maintained all that life and vibrancy, with a newfound curiosity that rooted itself in something beyond the typical: the study of alchemy. Her interest budded from a yearning to push the boundaries of painting, but progressed into a deep love of knowledge and academia. Her pursuits led her to experimentations, often safe enough, though she did pick up a few of the less acceptable practices-tattoo artistry a result. Moreover, she adapts the science into her art, the product either disastrous or ingenious. As she matured, Eliza began to note the world around her, the potential it held for her. A budding hunger for exploration drew her from her gardens and halls, to the place where all converge: the capital. Arx is her canvas and her stage, hers the next mark to sweep its expanse. + |
| Elloise Leary + | Even though she was born smack dab in the middle of several siblings, Elloise had no trouble standing out. From a young age, she was always a little .. quirky. In another family, that might have been rooted out by her tutors and governesses but her idiosyncrasies were nurtured by the curiosity-inclined Learys. Intellectually, she was running before before she could walk; Elly was an enthusiastic sponge: she wanted to learn EVERYTHING. Due to this, she quickly emerged as a dabbler -- she picked up a bit of this, she became somewhat skilled at that, she knew a tidbit of just about everything. She was always looking to the horizon for discoveries and developed a habit of taking a little bit from Knowledge Column A, mashing it together with some of Knowledge Column B, and standing back to watch what happened. Sometimes, it ended up being a disaster and she would burn her eyebrows off. But occasionally it worked out and she would discover something AMAZING and hey! What's a little temporary hair-singeing in the name of progress? Elloise was always up to something -- if it wasn't one of her experiments, then it was building elaborate inventions. They were usually unnecessarily complicated for the problem they were solving -- like an intricate mechanism of pulleys, levers and various moving parts just to crack a hard-boiled egg -- but always flawlessly engineered and beautifully built. Her parents were equal parts patient with and protective of her: they gave her space to learn and create but feared that she was rather too naive to be given much freedom in the larger world. As such, Elly had a rather controlled upbringing: she associated mostly with family and had few friends her own age. That all changed when she was 15. A distant relation -- a second cousin's uncle's niece's third-husband's nephew's cousin-in-law once removed something something something or other -- came to stay with them for a while. He was a Sanna and so exciting! He was a hunter! And an explorer! And he believed in spirits! He was around the same age as Elloise and very different from her but because they were both so passionate about their respective interests, they immediately hit it off. They would spend countless hours together -- she showing off all her inventions and experiments, him telling her all about his life up North. They became quite a pair, the two of them. He would go out and hunt ingredients for her; she would design better ways for him to do so (with varying degrees of success but heck, failure is its own sort of progress). It opened her eyes to a whole world of possibilities and made her yearn for more outside of her sheltered existence. When he left and returned home a year and a half later, she recruited her younger sister, Arcadia, to fill his role. A wide-eyed adventurer, Cady was more than happy to scamper off to chase after whatever Elly needed. Eeeeeexcellent. After years of begging (and staging meticulously planned presentations on why this would be a Very Good Thing which included points such as 'Joining The Scholars: A Journey Through Knowledge', 'Perfume or Poison: Finding Out at the Apothecary College', 'OUCH!: New Interrogation Devices for the Inquisitor On-the-Go' and 'Inventions for the Crown: The Dawn of Possibilities' -- what sort of inventions for the Crown? I don't know, mom. STUFF. THINGS. I will know when I invent them), Elloise convinced her parents to let her travel to Arx. This was allowed mostly because they trust Fairen to look out for and keep a handle on her. Hopefully. Dear gods, please: don't let her accidentally set her hair on fire again. + |
| Elloise Stormbreak + | Even though she was born smack dab in the middle of several siblings, Elloise had no trouble standing out. From a young age, she was always a little .. quirky. In another family, that might have been rooted out by her tutors and governesses but her idiosyncrasies were nurtured by the curiosity-inclined Learys. Intellectually, she was running before before she could walk; Elly was an enthusiastic sponge: she wanted to learn EVERYTHING. Due to this, she quickly emerged as a dabbler -- she picked up a bit of this, she became somewhat skilled at that, she knew a tidbit of just about everything. She was always looking to the horizon for discoveries and developed a habit of taking a little bit from Knowledge Column A, mashing it together with some of Knowledge Column B, and standing back to watch what happened. Sometimes, it ended up being a disaster and she would burn her eyebrows off. But occasionally it worked out and she would discover something AMAZING and hey! What's a little temporary hair-singeing in the name of progress? Elloise was always up to something -- if it wasn't one of her experiments, then it was building elaborate inventions. They were usually unnecessarily complicated for the problem they were solving -- like an intricate mechanism of pulleys, levers and various moving parts just to crack a hard-boiled egg -- but always flawlessly engineered and beautifully built. Her parents were equal parts patient with and protective of her: they gave her space to learn and create but feared that she was rather too naive to be given much freedom in the larger world. As such, Elly had a rather controlled upbringing: she associated mostly with family and had few friends her own age. That all changed when she was 15. A distant relation -- a second cousin's uncle's niece's third-husband's nephew's cousin-in-law once removed something something something or other -- came to stay with them for a while. He was a Sanna and so exciting! He was a hunter! And an explorer! And he believed in spirits! He was around the same age as Elloise and very different from her but because they were both so passionate about their respective interests, they immediately hit it off. They would spend countless hours together -- she showing off all her inventions and experiments, him telling her all about his life up North. They became quite a pair, the two of them. He would go out and hunt ingredients for her; she would design better ways for him to do so (with varying degrees of success but heck, failure is its own sort of progress). It opened her eyes to a whole world of possibilities and made her yearn for more outside of her sheltered existence. When he left and returned home a year and a half later, she recruited her younger sister, Arcadia, to fill his role. A wide-eyed adventurer, Cady was more than happy to scamper off to chase after whatever Elly needed. Eeeeeexcellent. After years of begging (and staging meticulously planned presentations on why this would be a Very Good Thing which included points such as 'Joining The Scholars: A Journey Through Knowledge', 'Perfume or Poison: Finding Out at the Apothecary College', 'OUCH!: New Interrogation Devices for the Inquisitor On-the-Go' and 'Inventions for the Crown: The Dawn of Possibilities' -- what sort of inventions for the Crown? I don't know, mom. STUFF. THINGS. I will know when I invent them), Elloise convinced her parents to let her travel to Arx. This was allowed mostly because they trust Fairen to look out for and keep a handle on her. Hopefully. Dear gods, please: don't let her accidentally set her hair on fire again. + |
| Elonso Pravus + | As a clever, quiet child, Elonso learned the value of patience young. A confidante is not really something that exists within the watchful walls of House Pravus, but a co-schemer and willing tool? That is what Elonso became for Belladonna at a very young age. While their father's compassion and weakness slowly eroded the legacy of House Pravus in Setarco, Belladonna was not content to sit idly by and watch her birthright sink into the sea, and neither was Elonso, as her shadow. He had innocent eyes and good ears, and he was small and slight, clever enough to fit into small places, and his coloring was inobtrusive enough to make him not above playacting and pretending to be less than the son of a duke. Elonso learned the dangers of kindheartedness. He learned the dangers of a loose tongue. He learned the hazards of ambition overweening caution. He learned all this watching the mistakes of his father's vassals as his sister schemed, arranged, and reforged power that might have been lost. As a young adult, with his sister serene in her new post, Elonso thrived under the mantle of her authority, spreading his artistic talents, focusing on his religious pursuits as a mirrormask, and learning to apply himself for the power of House Pravus in subtle, interesting ways. It might be that in another life he would have been an actor (or a bartender). But in this one, Elonso was born to be a politician. + |
| Elora Ravenseye + | The fourth, and youngest child in her family, Elora was given a little more free reign than her brothers and sisters. She was spoiled in warmth, love, and safety. Growing up in on the family farm, she learned some of the tools of the trade, but they quickly discovered that she had a way with the animals, spending most of her time working alongside them. There was never much responsibility placed upon the young girl's shoulders, but even so, she was taught the value of hard work and the important of family. Thanks to the lack of responsibilities, Elora was able to focus on the things that she loved; Animals and healing. Given the chance, the girl will spend her time in the forest with the animals over a court full of people. With pressure from her family having become nobles, she has been looking to grow more involved, using her animal handling skills and medical knowledge in order to try to find work at the kennels. She hopes to prove herself worthy and make her family proud. + |
| Elora Whitehawk + | The fourth, and youngest child in her family, Elora was given a little more free reign than her brothers and sisters. She was spoiled in warmth, love, and safety. Growing up in on the family farm, she learned some of the tools of the trade, but they quickly discovered that she had a way with the animals, spending most of her time working alongside them. There was never much responsibility placed upon the young girl's shoulders, but even so, she was taught the value of hard work and the important of family. Thanks to the lack of responsibilities, Elora was able to focus on the things that she loved; Animals and healing. Given the chance, the girl will spend her time in the forest with the animals over a court full of people. With pressure from her family having become nobles, she has been looking to grow more involved, using her animal handling skills and medical knowledge in order to try to find work at the kennels. She hopes to prove herself worthy and make her family proud. + |
| Elpenor Ru-Taul + | Elpenor was born to a couple of Thralls in service of Redreef. He had earned his freedom and joined up with a crew of pirates quickly earning their trust and friendship through his good humour and hard working attitude. He is fiercely loyal to his crew and was even appointed to be the ship's quartermaster. After some time as quartermaster the ship received letters of marque making them privateers and also the crew given pardons for any and all past actions. + |
| Elrych Holzfahller + | Elrych was second born to house Holzfahller, the head family belonging to a small nomadic clan of woodsmen and warriors who wandered the Oathlands. His people were superstitious and weary of outsiders though still retainers to the House of Lyonesse. Long ago the Lyonesse were in battle with one of the other five Great Houses. Elrych's people were sought for removal and genocide. The Lyonesse helped them fight off their would be conquerors and as thanks and tribute, all non-heirs were to serve the Lyonesse and report to Lyon's Redoubt to train as Knights and Warriors and serve in the Oathlands armies under their Liege's command. Elrych spent his first 12 years learning the ways of his people, as was customary. He was expected to make his family proud when he went off to Lyon's Redoubt as generations did before him. His previous experience allowed him to excel among the other students rousing admiration and respect in some, and Disdain from those with more privileged backgrounds. Regardless of how many fights he got in, he was able to overcome and make the best of the situation. He was offered leadership positions in his units all throughout his squiring. Finally graduating, he was assinged to a detatchment and marched around the Oathlands with the Army. Making his way up the ranks and gaining experience in combat and leadership. Now, upon his 26 years--he is a veteran Knight loyal to the Lyonesse, wise with years of combat and ready to take on the challenges presented to him by his Liege. + |
| Elsa Shepherd + | Elsa began life as a Laurent, a cousin to the Duke, but far enough removed from the line of succession that she could largely do as she please. Provided she attended to her lessons as any proper Oathlands lady should, of course. Which gave her free reign to ride her horse across the fields of Artshall and plan hunting trips to the woods around Acorn Hill and what is now Duskshire. Her youth was very nearly idyllic, so far as Elsa was concerned. It was a shame adulthood had to go and ruin it. Her father arranged a match for her with a perfectly pleasant, if bland, young man from the Shepherd duchy... in the Crownlands. While she really had no interest in marriage or in leaving her home, she would never in a millenia dare to go against her responsibilities as a noblewoman. Her adult life was largely filled with gatherings, parties, the duties of a wife and soon enough, a mother. But she never quite lost that love of the wilds, of a fast horse or a good hound, of a falcon sent skyward. She merely shifted her focus, turning towards the breeding and training of the Shepherd duchy's stock. As her children grew, so did her freedom and Elsa found herself once more able to slip away to ride and hunt. The woods were farther away this time, limiting her trips to once or twice a year. But it was during one of those that her husband, having come along, suffered a fatal accident. A sudden attack by a wild boar left their horses startled. Elsa's mastery of her mount allowed her to retain her seat, but her husband fell from his stallion as the fierce beast reared and stomped at the boar, snapping his neck instantly. After the funeral, Elsa and her children stayed close to home, and while she helped to train the Shepherd troops in how to handle their mounts in battle, she never went into battle herself. The Silent Wars largely passed her by, though after, she did decide to bring her children to Arx to help round out their education, and bring herself closer towards the Gray Woods and the Lodge of Petrichor just outside the city. When the Gyre War came around, once again, Elsa helped to train Shepherd troops, but stayed home and ran fundraisers to help cover costs. When the Lodge was attacked, Elsa finally said enough was enough and joined the ranks of the archers helping to defend the Lodge. She took some hits, garnered a few scars, but came out the other side still breathing. + |
| Elsbetta Farshaw + | Elsbetta Farshaw is the younger sister of Duke Ryhalt Farshaw, a Lady of Westrock Reach. She serves as the duchy's Minister of Morale. From an early age she was an optimistic child; bright and cheerful. Happy in all of the things that she did. However, as she grew and she began observing the world around her she began to understand the darker side of life. Before her uncle Warwick Farshaw died and her brother inherited the Duchy, she was witness to an uprising against one of their vassal houses. A local Baron had been mismanaging Barony, and had been acting somewhat tyrannical. Her uncleHer uncle felt that it was properly the duty of the Count the Baron was sworn to, and so did not intervene until there was a mass revolt and the Baron was killed by an angry mob. This left a lasting impression on her young self, convincing her of the importance of keeping up the morale and trust of the people. When she was old enough she began to work with the new Baron and the people of that Barony to build trust back up in the nobility. It was this work that let her to petition the King for a place in the Observers. It is also this work that has lead her to be the Minister of Morale for Westrock Reach. She knows very much the cost of low morale and distrust of the people for the nobility, and she does everything in her power to prevent this lost of trust. + |
| Elyid Acheron + | As a boy, Lord Elyid was sent to populate House Acheron as another ward of his cousin Mydas. Following the revelation of his caretaker's princely status, it was decided that Elyid would remain at the Glacial Fortress for stability's sake rather than return to Stonedeep. Despite not being much older than him at all, Marquessa Rhea came to be Elyid's legal guardian until he came of age. It was, according to Elyid, the longest three and a quarter months of his entire life. Despite no sibling or parent bothering to share a similar claim, Elyid enjoys anecdotally touting out dramatized rumors of his familial relation to the fallen House Aviaron. While it could be argued that ANYONE with Nightgold blood could make such statements regarding Aron Nightgold's fallen line, nobody's ever bothered to contradict Elyid on his insinuated exclusivity. Oh, it's never the same! Sometimes he's a third cousin and sometimes, he's a second cousin once removed. The important thing to remember is that Rhea's got his total support. She's, uh, like a mother to him! With the construction of the Whisper Palace of Aviaron's Peak, Elyid has taken full advantage of his family's position. He's among the first crop of Northerners to receive an education in refinement, beautification, and diplomacy there. Instructed to glide on the palace's gilded ballroom floor and to entertain beneath the music conservatory's canopy of hand-painted nightingales, the courtier-in-training now travels leisurely back and forth between the picturesque Crimson Peaks and Arx, where reside many of his kin and the legendary Whisper motherhouse. + |
| Elyse Crown + | Elyse was born pretty poor, her father worked in a stable in the Lyceum and her mother had died when she was fairly young. It was a day to day struggle to get by, and Elyse fell in with a bad crowd fairly quickly, one that she honestly really never moved away from. There was two problems with this. Elyse felt she was too smart, and too clever, to waste her life away clawing and digging for even enough to survive. And two, well, two and one are really one in the same. Because of that, she joined up with the Valorous Few as soon as she was able to. Glory, money, adventure? It was the best options that she saw for the direction she wanted her life to go in. She cut her teeth on the jobs they had in the Lyceum, and then left with them when they moved on to different jobs. She started saving her money, determined to never be poor again. Admittedly, after Audric moved up to the Captain-General, she's gotten a little more free with her spending. But even still, she's fairly close-fisted with her money. + |
| Elysio Forza + | The heirloom weapon of Iriscal is not a sword, it's a hairpin. Diminutive and ornate, it represents yet one more granule of salt on an ancient wound. House Tessere's betters long ago saw fit to melt down that once-proud object, halving it and halving it again. Fitting that the young man who now wields it is as much a courtier as he is a knight. It's as if to say, 'What threat anymore are we who entrust our honor to one who favors beauty over bloodshed?' Dressage darling of Forte Carizzo, Lord Elysio Forza was summering at the finishing school of his childhood when word came of the attainder suffered by his head of house. In its broad strokes, the condemnation touched even him and he soon found himself a young Lord no more. It was the late Lucrezia Tessere, wife of Elysio's paternal uncle, who took the boy underwing. House Tessere was good to him. In exchange, Elysio endeavored to be a most steadfast servant and protector. Following the sudden demise of his long-time patron, Elysio has as much reason as anybody to seek answers. + |
| Emara Grayhope + | Emara's life started in the Lower Boroughs, the daughter of a Grayhope and a woman she knows very little about except she had a brief relationship with a married man and left her newborn daughter in his care before skipping town for parts unknown. For all that rough beginning, her childhood was a happy one since her father and his wife accepted her into their family without a qualm and raised her alongside their own daughter, Tanith, born only thirteen days after she was. Growing up in the Lowers meant that Emara had to learn to think fast, especially since she developed a smart mouth along with a quick mind. While she never really learned to avoid revealing her observations to the world, especially the less pleasant ones, she did learn how to fight and how to run. In order to keep out of trouble, much of Emara's early life was spent in the family garden, particularly once she showed evidence of a talent for getting things to grow. As she grew older, her skills in the garden were coupled with training as an apothecary and an ambition to become the foremost perfumier in the Compact. That ambition meant traveling to various locales in search of rare scents and flowers to add to her intoxicating concoctions. With her rarified sense of smell, she never lingers around cities for long since she finds them a little unbearable, but for her family, she makes exceptions. + |
| Ember Redleaf + | Born as the twin sister to Marina Redleaf, Ember Redreef endured the prejudice that left her and her sister treated like property by her father. She fought long and hard against the cage she was forced into, both in the social and martial worlds, spending a great deal of time outside the Mourning Isles learning the sword before finally returning after Thrax changed the law to allow women to hold lands and titles. Despite her small stature, Ember quickly grew a reputation as a frightening woman to spar against, having gravely wounded men who underestimated her without even a hint of remorse. Eventually, she and her sister found themselves as sailors on a ship, where they got their taste for adventure, working as an unparalleled team. + |
| Ember Redreef + | Ember and Marina were born twins, daughtering a father who needed someone to inherit. The politics of the question were always a struggle, and it was always his plan to marry in men for the twins and ensure the continuation of the bloodline. Still, his legacy was very important to him, and both his daughters were aggressively competent, defying convention to learn to fight as well as administrate land. When her father died, he was still daughtered, and although Ember was not the rightful heir under the law of the land, she held the land by virtue of the loyalty of her father’s men, and through political sway and fierce intensity managed to have herself declared ‘regent’ for her father’s spendthrift brother. She held the barony by the skin of her teeth, defeating two duellists on her uncle’s behalf who challenged her claim, and under her iron grip Redreef thrived. While her sister captained the first ship of the Redreef fleet with skill and verve to fight off all comers, Ember held her ground and held the land. When the law of the land changed and women were deemed eligible to inherit land under the Mourning Isles, hers was the first suit — by blood and by the choice of the Baron — in the Court of the Mourning Isles to confirm her claim. The case was settled in a publicly vaunted occasion for trial by combat, and Ember personally defeated her uncle’s chosen champion in a fight to the death, against all odds. Her uncle yielded and retired in ignominy, while Ember solidifed her rule and developed her reputation crushing revolts against her authority with an even-handed fist and the aid of her sister as her strong right arm. + |
| Emberly Crovane + | Youngest daughter of Emmeline Farshaw and Jacques Blanchard, Emberly showed a passion for the sea at an early age, though she was called back to land before she became lost to it. She was off sailing ever chance she could between lessons in ediquette. Emberly loves music and the art of subtility, she was keen to study under Marquessa Sunniva Harthall and her husband Marquis Orvyn Harthall. Here she has learned more about her passion for alchemy and intrigue. She is close to her brother Alban and talks to him often, this shy youth is still coming into herself. + |
| Emberly Crown + | Youngest daughter of Emmeline Farshaw and Jacques Blanchard, Emberly showed a passion for the sea at an early age, though she was called back to land before she became lost to it. She was off sailing ever chance she could between lessons in ediquette. Emberly loves music and the art of subtility, she was keen to study under Marquessa Sunniva Harthall and her husband Marquis Orvyn Harthall. Here she has learned more about her passion for alchemy and intrigue. She is close to her brother Alban and talks to him often, this shy youth is still coming into herself. + |
| Emberly Farshaw + | Youngest daughter of Emmeline Farshaw and Jacques Blanchard, Emberly showed a passion for the sea at an early age, though she was called back to land before she became lost to it. She was off sailing ever chance she could between lessons in ediquette. Emberly loves music and the art of subtility, she was keen to study under Marquessa Sunniva Harthall and her husband Marquis Orvyn Harthall. Here she has learned more about her passion for alchemy and intrigue. She is close to her brother Alban and talks to him often, this shy youth is still coming into herself. + |
| Emele Greenblood + | Emele Greenblood is a young prodigal woman of the Greenblood family. She and her twin brother, Eshken, were not even teenagers when their tribe was torn in two and her parents-- rebels --left to join house Riven and bend knee to Grayson. Her parents took the two young twins with them when they went. She remembers tribal life but feels that life with Riven fits her better. As the daughter of a Tribe elder she felt stifled by responsibility. She was going to be raised to hold some sort of power, like her older cousin Esoka-- but she just didn't /feel right/. She would have rather been out picking flowers, carving things, or playing in streams. As she grew up in Twainfort she was introduced to paintings, and she realized what she had been missing her short life. She took to painting like a fish to water, and saw potential in other materials, as well. Her twin, Eshken, is her rock and her anchor. When she started getting older he urged her to take on a creative profession that would also earn her money, so at eighteen she became an apprentice smith, specializing in armor. Since then she has only improved her smithing, until she was acknowledged a Master Armorsmith by the Crafter's Guild. She far prefers working on armor, finding the intricacies and the potential for self-expression much more appealing than other forms of metalworking, though weapons and jewelry are also tempting. When she can get away with it she adds a fantastical bent to her armor creations. Wings, feathers, beautiful etchings. Emele couldn't think of a world where she was not close to her brother and her niece-- Elia --so when he joined Whitehawk she went as well, offering her services as a smith to Baron Whitehawk. With her own shop in Arx and full membership of the Crafter's Guild, she's very much an asset to the Whitehawks, and she knows it. + |
| Emeline Smith + | Emeline is a criminal, plain and simple. She was born to a single mother who was an apothecary. While growing up in the lower boroughs she got in with the wrong crowd when she wasn't learning from her mother how to make perfumes and poisons. As she grew older she honed her skills in making poisons, deciding they would be quite handy should the need ever arise. Now in Arx she is trying to see who just so happens to be the criminal king pin. + |
| Emeric Redrain + | Life for Emeric has been an average one for a man of his upbringing. He was given the appropriate education and was taught the way of life he should be. Emeric, however, rarely puts his education and upraising to good use. Instead, he spends all his time having a good time and seeing what trouble he can cause. After all, what is the point of being born 'important' if one spends all their time working hard. He has two siblings, Nalea and Nathaniel, twins and his parents have passed on. + |
| Emery Ojitfor + | A young woman of new Imperial province Tongdjiyi, purportedly half-elven, if not, in fact, a byblow of the Horned Traitor. Haunted by abyssal whispers encouraging her to let go of her name and her loyalties to her people, she accepted a writ of the Undying Empire. She is grateful for the protection, and the silence in her mind. She travels the province and beyond, searching for other of half-elven blood who might be vulnerable to the influence of the Abyss. She's also training to be an adept. Word is. + |
| Emilia Godsworn + | They say that at a very young age of 14, Emilia, bruised and dirty, wandered onto the fields of battle against an Abandoned wartribe, hoisting an old war banner. As she did so, a single ray of sunlight pierced the overcast sky, and illuminated the golden and blue banner, and the soldiers took this as an omen from Gloria, that their battle would go favorably; and indeed, so it did. Emilia's story, of course, did not begin here, but more importantly, neither did it end. After the battle, Emilia approached a Knight of Solace, and asked him to escort her on a pilgrimage that will lead her all across of Arvum, and then to Arx. She warned the Knight of Solace that on this journey he will die. The Knight of Solace, nevertheless, agreed, even though he believed that the warning was true. Almost two years later, Emilia arrived at Arx, alone, the grieving bearer of tragic news about the Knight's demise to the Grandmaster of the Knights of Solace. She did not speak much of her journey, except that she tried her hardest to take the Knight's place- but he would have none of it, and defended her from the Abandoned until his last breath. Shortly after, refusing the hospitality or the company of the Knights of Solace, Emilia once more went to Pilgrim, insisting that she must go alone. Years have passed, and only rumors, for those interested in her whereabouts, existed of her deeds. She had pilgrimed the lands, giving away much of her wealth that she earned during her travels-- she was often seen at the sites of battle, as if uncannily guided there, inspiring the righteous to fight on and to struggle, and when the battle was over, she was gone. Knowing only her appearance, but not identity, had inspired a small folktale by itself, and she came to be referred to simply as the 'Paragon of Gloria'. A few years later, she was at the Siege, in the mien of a renown Godsworn Templar Knight fearlessly charging under the banners of her own unit-- the Strifebearers-- and breaking into the ranks of the Silent Army. Finally, heeding the summons, she relocated to Arx. + |
| Emilia de Lys + | They say that at a very young age of 14, Emilia, bruised and dirty, wandered onto the fields of battle against an Abandoned wartribe, hoisting an old war banner. As she did so, a single ray of sunlight pierced the overcast sky, and illuminated the golden and blue banner, and the soldiers took this as an omen from Gloria, that their battle would go favorably; and indeed, so it did. Emilia's story, of course, did not begin here, but more importantly, neither did it end. After the battle, Emilia approached a Knight of Solace, and asked him to escort her on a pilgrimage that will lead her all across of Arvum, and then to Arx. She warned the Knight of Solace that on this journey he will die. The Knight of Solace, nevertheless, agreed, even though he believed that the warning was true. Almost two years later, Emilia arrived at Arx, alone, the grieving bearer of tragic news about the Knight's demise to the Grandmaster of the Knights of Solace. She did not speak much of her journey, except that she tried her hardest to take the Knight's place- but he would have none of it, and defended her from the Abandoned until his last breath. Shortly after, refusing the hospitality or the company of the Knights of Solace, Emilia once more went to Pilgrim, insisting that she must go alone. Years have passed, and only rumors, for those interested in her whereabouts, existed of her deeds. She had pilgrimed the lands, giving away much of her wealth that she earned during her travels-- she was often seen at the sites of battle, as if uncannily guided there, inspiring the righteous to fight on and to struggle, and when the battle was over, she was gone. Knowing only her appearance, but not identity, had inspired a small folktale by itself, and she came to be referred to simply as the 'Paragon of Gloria'. A few years later, she was at the Siege, in the mien of a renown Godsworn Templar Knight fearlessly charging under the banners of her own unit-- the Strifebearers-- and breaking into the ranks of the Silent Army. Finally, heeding the summons, she relocated to Arx. + |
| Emily Deepwood + | Her mother's father was a Deepwood, first cousin to the main Deepwood lineage, who married into the Grayridge family two generations ago. The Grayridge holdings were so far from the seat of Deepwood that neither Emily nor her mother ever went on Deepwood lands, but even so she knows that's her heritage. "Be as serene as the deepest wood," her mother told her often, and she tried to take that to heart as she explored the woods in the Barony of Grayridge. But she always wanted to be more than the daughter of a minor noble, destined for obscurity and trying desperately to resign herself to that fact. And then Samantha Deepwood came to Arx and was recognized as a noble there - and Emily knew this was her moment. This was her moment to come to Arx and claim her ties with the Deepwood family. She could be something here, and she could be more important than a minor noble in the middle of nowhere, marrying and living her life without ever traveling, or adventuring, or seeing anything new. And so she came, and now she's here with a wanderlust and a curiosity about life and everything to do with Arx. She's ready to make her name as Lady Emily Deepwood. She's ready to take her place among the rangers of the Deepwood that Rymarr has so painstakingly trained. She's ready to stand against ancient threats and current enemies alike. She'll be brave, and bold, and forge right on in to this new place and family. And nothing's going to stand in her way. + |
| Emlyn Blackram + | Raised in the Northlands largely, Emlyn was born to a Northern baroness and a Blackram lord. He was the runt of the litter in his family, so to speak, and he never grew as strapping or muscular as his brothers - let alone his sisters. All in all, that never stopped him from running and playing hide and seek. Some reckoned he was the best as it. It was his love of finding places to hide, as well as his mother's encouragement to explore the wild that led to his career as a scout. What led to his career as a scholar was growing ill one winter - a winter that he nearly did not make it back from. He was close to being on the other side, and his mother proclaimed him touched by the Spirits. His father said that was poppycock (though not in front of his mother) and peppered the boy's recovery with books of every subject. Emlyn's desire to learn every nook and cranny of everything impressed his father. While his brothers and sisters were off fighting great battles, it was Emlyn who was scouting for them, assessing threats, studying enemy tactics and the wilderness around them, and calling upon the Spirits and Gods alike for their blessings and help. Emlyn has come to the city in hopes of rejoining his Blackram family and seeing about his societal debut; with most of his brothers and sisters married off, there is slight pressure from the family to do the same - though Emlyn is more curious about what knowledge and mysteries the city has to offer rather than the dating pool. + |
| Emma Valardin + | Emma was born in a line of heroes who seldom married outside the Valardin or Wyrmguard families, at least until Prince Sherrod Redrain and Prince Radley Valardin decided to marry her parents in an effort to ease the tensions between the Oathlands and the North. A full year of courtship later and Princess Larra Redrain married Prince Lyonis Valardin. Their story of duty and, some say, even love, saw the birth of three children and ended in the Sanctum decades later with the Tragedy. During her formative years Emma was touted as a bright star and hero-to-be within her household, and even though she excelled with a sword it was the people of the Oathlands who held her attention. Spending time among them she was close to their plight and while many wished she took her swordsmanship more seriously, it was in helping the downtrodden that Emma put much of her efforts, silently mustering the courage to declare to her parents a future among the Mercies of Lagoma. Her lofty moral standards and effortless grace had Emma clashing with her sisters often, all falling way too short of what Emma saw the Valardin should aspire to be. And then, the Tragedy hit. Unlike Gwenys and Damiana, she was not in Sanctum when it happened. Emma was far away delivering food and supplies to villages near Blancbier, and the guilt of not being with the Valardin in that moment completely changed Emma. Even though she immediately returned to Sanctum she did so to find Gwenys still missing and Damiana blinded, her parents dead and almost all the Valardin slain. At first she tried to stay true to herself, offer succor to the survivors, but searching deep in her heart Emma found nothing. She found herself empty of anything good, not a single word of wisdom to placate the despair of those around her. Everywhere she looked the Valardin were in pieces, and at the time, she felt completely hopeless they would ever return to former glory. Leaving Gwenys and Damiana she left Sanctum and rode to her family's home, unable to be around their suffering, unable to add anything but grief. Instead of hurting with them Emma had other plans. Those who knew Emma then and see her now are completely in shock. The woman who was once one of the most gifted singers of Sanctum, one of the most kind and warm Princesses of the Oathlands, and she has turned her gentle embrace into a furnace of righteous fire. Having abandoned the drapings of a healer, she rapidly ascended as a commander over the following years, her former training as a leader of war not forgotten, but left unused as she flirted with the life as a Mercy for so many years. All those who see the banner of her knights on the horizon know to hide their sins and failings for Dame Emma Valardin has sworn to be the cure to the disease the Mercies try to placate. + |
| Emmelline Harthall + | On the 22nd of October, Emmelline Harthall was born to Lord Edward Harthall, and Lady Jane Harthall. The baby of the family, Emmelline was given a good deal of attention by her parents. Sticking to family traditions, Emmelline learned to sew, cook, draw, and various other diversions to make her a well rounded noblewoman. Her easy temper, and amiable nature made it easy for Emmelline to befriend her governesses and tutors. She was encouraged to learn how to defend herself, but in the end, Emmelline's amiable nature made it rather difficult to learn. Eventually, she abandoned the attempt altogether, saying that it did not suit her in the least. + |
| Emmerly tyde + | Emmerly's memories of the days before the fall of Tyde are filled with shouted arguments between the father who died for the rebellion, and the mother who took her child away from it. Her mother found a couple fellow soldiers willing to sell their skills, and raised her child to follow in the same path. When she was a teen, her mother's small group merged into the Redwood mercenaries, and Emmerly joined at adulthood. After several years of competition and comparison with her mother, Emmerly accepted an invitation to join her old friend Ajax, jumping at the chance for a new start out of her mother's shadow. + |
| Emrys Whisper + | Emrys' arrival to the Whisper House is well documented. A young novice, arriving with the means to fulfil his education as a Whisper, and the talents to achieve it. His origins before that are less known, the man rarely speaks of it, and those in the know have either kept his confidence, or spoken only of fragments. Either commoners of high means, or low nobility, is the usual understanding. The man himself has never bothered correcting educated guesses, and besides, his rise to fame was always more interesting to follow than some nebulous origins. For indeed, Emrys' rise was spectacular. Finishing his education with the high regard of the current Radiant, he soon stole the hearts and minds of court. Ambitious, he rose to the highest heights, not just a star but the sun, shining bright without any rival to give him umbrage. In his twenties still, he took on the mantle of Radiant, and would keep it for a decade, till something peculiar happened. Having achieved his place in the heavens, now Emrys found fame... boring. The adoration of crowds left him indifferent, the countless requests for a companion from the highest of Peers, a chore. His interests had changed, and it was without regrets that he relinquished his title of Radiant at the earliest opportunity, choosing instead for himself the work of diplomat and teacher. It would be the path he followed for the next decades, working tirelessly to keep the peace and ensure the next generations of Whispers to enter the world stage prepared to face its challenges and bring honour and regard to the Whisper House. Now, as the world changes around him, the Whispers' patriarch must look not only to the preservation of th grandiose legacy left behind since the days of Alarice, but also to aid in ensuring that whatever future awaits the foremost courtiers of Arvum, that it lies under a bright, shining sun. + |
| Enid Frost + | Enid is not one to speak of herself often and so not much is known of the shaman's past beyond rumors that dance on the lips of the locals of Stormheart. Some say she was born of the sea and emerged from its depths on the guidance of a stormcrow. Others spin tales that she was raised by a feral pack of dire wolves in the high mountains surrounding Stormheart, driven to civilization out of hunger and a particularly harsh winter. The most broadly accepted version of her past is most mundane in its depiction of her life: a child of a nomadic tribe long lost to memory, its destruction founded at the blade's tip of a roving bandit group. Even so, Enid has stood as a beloved spiritual leader of her people for over a decade and a tie between the Stormheart of today and the traditions of its prior generations as house shaman for House Ravenseye. In that role, Enid decided it was time to expand beyond the known of Stormheart and learn what it truly means to be a part of the Compact so as to better assist her people and find the combining vein between the tenets of the Compact and the traditions she so fervently values. + |
| Ennettia Igniseri + | Growing up, Ennettia was overshadowed by her brilliant, talented older brother Karadoc-- and she loved him dearly for it. It removed all pressure from her to be outstanding. Sure, their parents encouraged her to apply herself, but in the end...everyone knew who the future of their Saik branch depended on. Instead, from an early age Ennettia knew precisely what she wanted from her place in the family: out of it. It wasn't that she had any problems with her family members. It's just that Ennettia longed for a more luxurious existence, and while she admired her family's ability to be satisfied and comfortable in their genteel poverty, she firmly decided such things were not for her. Of course her family did their best to instill good values into her... but she still insisted she was better off married to someone wealthy. And so in the midst of growing frustrations with their son's apathy towards his future, Ennettia was happily shipped off in marriage to Ilsoreno Igniseri, and moved to Granato. She had quite a comfortable, pleasant life, happily spending her husband's money and supervising the nannies raising their son. Until, unfortunately, the death of her husband in by opportunistic thieves threw a wrench in her plans to live the pleasant life of an elegant leech. Between the Arxian Siege, Ilsoreno's ill-organized records, and the lost of the Igniseri heirs in battle, Ennettia, with much lamentation, applied herself to making sure her husband's businesses did not fall. As the business recovered in the following years, Ennettia choose to relocate to Arx... and for whatever reason, also applies - and is accepted - into the forces of the Inquisition. This was as short-lived as her time in Arx, and she left a while later, back to her estate with her son. Only years later did she return, son in tow, back to Arx - apparently still on a whim. + |
| Enoch Grayson + | Prince Enoch Grayson was born as the second cousin to King Alaric Grayson IV and cousin to Princess Lark Grayson. As he grew up, he appeared to take a significant respect to the Gods of the Pantheon. While not much is known from how he was raised aside that he had been training to be a knight since a very young age, what is known is that despite his class in life, he //loves// the people, down to the lowest commoner. He often hung around the Lower Boroughs as a result. However, despite a promising life of a noble, he saw that in these troubling times, the pawns must protect the king and queen, much akin to a game of chess. Thus did he focus the majority of his life to his knighthood. Eventually, due to his skill and loyalty, despite his young age, he was given an offer to join the King's Own, the personal and elite guard of the King himself. The highest honor a knight could achieve. Thus, despite his royal bloodline, Enoch gave up his rights of nobility and joined the King's Own, where he walks this road to wherever that road will take him. + |
| Enri Jaeggere + | Enri was groomed to be a knight from a young age, as part of a family of knights serving the Cliffmore scions. This filled the young man with a sense of duty for the family and his fealty as a whole, while hoping that he would someday get to see a larger fraction of the world. As a squire, he proceeded to devour all pieces of knowledge that reached his hands, which led him to study more about the 'mad mage of the North.' Immediately identifying himself with the legendary god, Enri was fascinated by the philosophy of freedom of choice and allowing others to live their lives as they pleased. However, his experiences as a squire during the Silent War shaped the man so that he understood that true freedom would only be achieved when the enemies of the Compact are utterly defeated. As such, there's a desire in him to know the truth about the world and why so many seek to destroy the Compact. After the war, he joined what was left of the Cliffmore family to serve under the Acheron banner, eventually moving with the family to Arx, where he hopes he can keep them safe. That should also give him a chance to learn more about the world and perhaps find others with a similar mentality. + |
| Entropoly Ulbran + | They were born to social trash and grew old among poverty and strife. Their parents were without remorse in their sloven care of their child, and the world around that bubble of family did not care for what happened within it. Food was scarce and often ill prepared if prepared at all, and absentee caretakers would likely have been an improvement from the illusion of care that she must have received. From such foul ground grew an equally foul woman, remorseless for her own acts in what was likely a false sense of entitlement and revenge to a world that had provided little care back. Money has changed hands for acts of violence and vandalism before to keep this woman's life going. + |
| Enya Blackram + | An old commoner focused primarily on shamanism and mystical assistance, Enya was adopted into House Blackram as a mystical advisor after giving spiritual council to a member. + |
| Enyo De Lire + | Growing up as a single child inbetween two sets of twins was not ideal, especially considering that both her parents were dead in two different kinds of tragedies, leaving her older siblings and the rest of the family to pick up the slack. Growing up she had moments of not feeling like she belonged, that somehow she was the oddity in the family, but instead of letting that turn her bitter and angry, it made her work harder to fit in. For years she did her very best to be just like her siblings, her cousins, aunts and uncles, everyone that she could she would go out of her way to emulate her family. She learned to fight, she sharpened her mind and her body. As she grew older, however, she realized that being like everyone else (as she saw it in her head) wasn't going to make her fit in any more with the family. She was never not part of it, afterall, it was just her childhood impression of things. So she began to decide on who she was, who she wanted herself to be. There were plenty of aspects of people she had emulated that she loved, such as being active, reading, and getting into as much mischief as she could. But she had to do it her own way, to be true to who she was herself. Due to this, after fulfilling her duties to the family in service to the military she decided that she wanted to see the rest of the Lyceum, then after that she decided she wanted to see the rest of the islands that she could reach, then the mainland. Every time she went somewhere new, there was just one more new place to go after that. Eventually, though, she realized that she needed to come back home to the family and do more than just wandering around on her own. + |
| Enyo Gilden + | Growing up as a single child inbetween two sets of twins was not ideal, especially considering that both her parents were dead in two different kinds of tragedies, leaving her older siblings and the rest of the family to pick up the slack. Growing up she had moments of not feeling like she belonged, that somehow she was the oddity in the family, but instead of letting that turn her bitter and angry, it made her work harder to fit in. For years she did her very best to be just like her siblings, her cousins, aunts and uncles, everyone that she could she would go out of her way to emulate her family. She learned to fight, she sharpened her mind and her body. As she grew older, however, she realized that being like everyone else (as she saw it in her head) wasn't going to make her fit in any more with the family. She was never not part of it, afterall, it was just her childhood impression of things. So she began to decide on who she was, who she wanted herself to be. There were plenty of aspects of people she had emulated that she loved, such as being active, reading, and getting into as much mischief as she could. But she had to do it her own way, to be true to who she was herself. Due to this, after fulfilling her duties to the family in service to the military she decided that she wanted to see the rest of the Lyceum, then after that she decided she wanted to see the rest of the islands that she could reach, then the mainland. Every time she went somewhere new, there was just one more new place to go after that. Eventually, though, she realized that she needed to come back home to the family and do more than just wandering around on her own. + |
| Enyo Malvici + | Growing up as a single child inbetween two sets of twins was not ideal, especially considering that both her parents were dead in two different kinds of tragedies, leaving her older siblings and the rest of the family to pick up the slack. Growing up she had moments of not feeling like she belonged, that somehow she was the oddity in the family, but instead of letting that turn her bitter and angry, it made her work harder to fit in. For years she did her very best to be just like her siblings, her cousins, aunts and uncles, everyone that she could she would go out of her way to emulate her family. She learned to fight, she sharpened her mind and her body. As she grew older, however, she realized that being like everyone else (as she saw it in her head) wasn't going to make her fit in any more with the family. She was never not part of it, afterall, it was just her childhood impression of things. So she began to decide on who she was, who she wanted herself to be. There were plenty of aspects of people she had emulated that she loved, such as being active, reading, and getting into as much mischief as she could. But she had to do it her own way, to be true to who she was herself. Due to this, after fulfilling her duties to the family in service to the military she decided that she wanted to see the rest of the Lyceum, then after that she decided she wanted to see the rest of the islands that she could reach, then the mainland. Every time she went somewhere new, there was just one more new place to go after that. Eventually, though, she realized that she needed to come back home to the family and do more than just wandering around on her own. + |
| Eos Saik + | Eos' childhood was nothing out of the ordinary for a boy born to a noble house. He was raised alongside his younger sister Kima, five years his junior. As children, they were very close and competative with each other. When it came to the likes of sparring, he frequently had the advantage and he never let her win, insisting that the men in the world would always be bigger, and that they would not let her win either. As they grew older, approaching adulthood and responsibility began to invade their happy little life to pull their closely twined paths apart. It began when Eos first set off to begin his formal training as a knight, something he proved to have a natural talent and zeal for. It continued later when Eos was informed by his parents at the age of twenty that he needed to marry. He had some say as to whom he found the most agreeable of a small number of young noble women, but it ultimately came down to which was the most likely to help improve the Saik family status and coffers. Still, Eos sought counsel with his younger sister before making that final choice, trusting her judgement despite her years when she agreed his choice, a woman by the name of Rosalynn, would be good for him. Who knew him better than Kima? In a stroke of favor from the gods, he found genuine happiness with his wife, and in short time, a true love. In the two years to follow, he kept his fights close to home, never gone for more than a few weeks at a time with the small company of fighters from his father's lands that rode with him. His son, named Vomas, would be born when Eos was twenty-two, and everything flipped on its head. Rosalynn struggled with the birth of their child, and very nearly bled out. The physicians were able to save her, but her health never did fully recover. A deep depression took her that neither husband or child could lift. The toll of her worsening health, mental and physical, became more than the woman could bare. While Eos was away on another small campaign, before the first birthday of their son, she simply walked off a tower in the dead of night. Losing his wife broke something in the young man, and the man he is today began to form then. He left his son in the care of his family, a nanny, and a tutor, and threw himself even more fervently into any battle or fight he could find. He had always been a fearless combatant, but he became an eager one as well, developing a fierce bloodlust that gave rise to unsettling rumors of the man taking slices of fallen enemies' flesh to eat or collecting their teeth as trophies. His visits home, however strongly he loves his son, now ten years of age, and his sister, the two things which might anchor him to a less blood soaked life, stretched further between while he sought to find an answer to his pain in the visceral world of war. It was not something that could rage forever, however. In the ten years since, his years and experiences have finally started to see him to something resembling stability again. He returned home to assume the responsibilities to House and kin that had been set to the wayside while he found his way back to himself, only to find those responsibilities sending him to Arx.. + |
| Ephraim Mercier + | Ephraim came as an unexpected suprise to his parents. His mother was betrothed to the son of a wealthy Lycene merchant and certainly was not supposed to be involved with his father, but one thing led to another and their affair was eventually discovered. The impending nuptials were called off amid the small scale scandal, but to recompensate for the botched business deal the Mercier family agreed to a marriage contract instead. He arrived a few scant months later to bring panic and terror to the young and unprepared couple. Young Ephraim was a handful growing up. He was far too clever for his own good and routinely tested the boundaries of what he could get away with. Initially his flustered parents didn't know what to do and often handed him off to the servants to care for, but three more children followed and they gradually adjusted to parenthood and attempted to reign him in. Intense arguments were common between them, and when Ephraim was thirteen he was kicked out of the home for cutting his sister's long braid as a malicious prank. He spent a few days learning how to survive on his own, and while he was allowed to return, the wanderlust bug had already bitten. As his teenage years dragged on, Ephraim spent an increasing amount of time away from home, and befriended the hunters who frequently travelled through the wooded areas around Clemenstone. He began to accompany them. The time in the woods provided him with something more than useful skills - it provided him with freedom and solace. He had a natural talent for archery even as a boy and as he grew in years and practice that talent was honed. When he became an adult, he promptly left home for good to pursue new horizons and expand his knowledge of the world. The last several years were one adventure after the next, until he ended up in Arx with the city in unrest and not a silver to his name. When inquired upon, he's rather vague with the details... + |
| Ephrath Drake + | When she was but a small girl, Ephrath didn't speak. Her parents, thinking her simple, sent her off to the village smithy where she would at least be useful in assisting around the shop. Whether it was the older man's gentle ways or Ephrath's interest in his work, she eventually began to speak to and with him. After some time, he took her on as an apprentice rather than simply someone tending to cleaning the shop and around the forge. While Ephrath did take to the basics of forging, it was the smaller things she found skill at. When people would bring jewelry to be repaired, it was often Ephrath who did the work (even if none but the smith himself knew). She had a knack for it, particularly under his tutelage. When he passed away, another came to take over his shop and assumed the girl came with it. They had no time nor care for her 'playing' at the forge nor the pets (snakes, mostly) that she kept. Ephrath lost her voice again. When the new smith turned out to be an abusive taskmaster besides, Ephrath simply left. She was not beholden to him in any way: it was a job. And she felt herself skilled enough to find a job anywhere. 'Anywhere' turned out to be more difficult than she initially thought: most towns, villages, and even ships in the Isles having no need (or want) for her. So she turned her attention to Arx, opting to take the risk so many have before her. + |
| Erasmus Tyde + | Lord Erasmus Tyde was a legend. In his youth, the dashing captain and brother of Duke Victor Tyde was as respected through the Mourning Isles for his great talent as a sailor as he was for his honorable devotion to his family. Hardened in a decade of battles, he became most famous for bravely leading Tyde and Thrax forces into battle against the Pirate King Cordereon, serving as the overall commander for highlord Drake Thrax and Duke Victor Tyde at the Battle of Gray Ice Point. He distinguished himself well enough, but it was his actions after that made many of the hardened reavers take notice. It is said that Erasmus personally met with every family of every fallen Islander to relay his condolences privately, all because of a casual, offhand promise he made to deliver news to families if the worst should happen, and he was a man of his word. From then and half a hundred times since then, he showed his devotion to those that served under him. A devotee of Limerance, when he gave his word, it was certain. Well regarded throughout the Isles, he helped teach the young heir to Maelstrom, Prince Donrai Thrax, how to sail, though the lessons came to an end after Lord Erasmus respectfully disagreed with Donrai's callous treatment of commoners serving under them. "Nobles have their ranks and privileges due to our duty to serve our people," Erasmus had said to the young prince, and an argument with the heir apparent of the Mourning Isles left the two not on speaking terms. Not long after their quarrel, Lord Erasmus Tyde volunteered to lead an expedition into the Darkwater Deeps to attempt to rescue a galley of Tyde commoners who were blown off course by a storm and thought to have ventured into it by accident. He promised he would return, and the devotee of Limerance always had kept his word. Decades later, sailing out of the Darkwater Deeps, a man claiming to be the same legend has returned. While almost no one from his time period still lives, some of the oldest claim he does resemble Lord Erasmus Tyde, the great uncle of the current Duchess of Tydehall, Duchess Margot. While most think the story preposterous and he's clearly an imposter, the man has no claim to the duchy nor has he made any attempt at one- he promised always to serve the rightful head of house, which Margot clearly is, and the man keeps his promises. + |
| Erela Blackhurst + | Erela Blackhurst was orphaned on the steps of the Cathedral in Arx on a lightning filled night. The dark haired infant was unusually quiet and found only when one of the priests were returning from a late night. There was no crying from the bundle, so he feared that the child was dead, but after being picked up, the green eyes focused on the man. Hed never seen anything quite like the child before. Erela was taken in and raised by the priests until the found a family to settle her with. An older couple that couldnt have children. The Blackhurst family treated her like she was their own, but she always felt like an outsider. She was knocked down because of being an orphan. Kids taunted her mercilessly for it. When she got older she retaliated though and ended up knocking teeth out of one of her taunters mouth. Which amused more than one person. Her adopted father taught her the blade and to temper her anger, to use it when it was needed. He told her to use it at the right time. That is eventually what lead her to the Kings Own. Erela was twenty nine when she took her oaths to the Kings Own and became on of the 100. She figured with no real family, no titles and nothing else to focus on, that she could focus on protecting the King or Queen. That was eight years ago. So far shes still alive. + |
| Eric Thrax + | Eric was always an adventurous kid - nearly having gotten himself killed in his adventures as a little kid, he has always been attracted to the sea and it's mystery. He learned what he needed to be a proper sailor. He is a fierce fighter and brave to the point of foolishness at times, but he is fiercely loyal to his men and his house, never swaying from his command and always ensuring everyone gets their fair share. + |
| Erik Grimhall + | Erik{_Grimhall{_is{_the second{_eldest{_child{_of{_Abram{_Grimhall{_and{_his{_wife{_Alina{_Darkwater, along with his twin sister Sanya.{_In{_his{_youth{_he{_saw{_the{_many{_changes{_that{_Islander{_nobility{_went{_through,{_including{_the{_transfer{_of{_power{_in{_his{_own{_family{_several{_times{_over,{_as{_well{_as{_the{_issues{_of{_succession{_in{_Thrax.{_He{_was{_a{_studious{_young{_man,{_observing{_the{_ways{_of{_the{_world{_not{_with{_the{_usual{_fire{_and{_fury{_that{_his{_family{_often{_appeared{_to{_expect,{_but{_with{_a{_measured{_consideration.{_He{_understood{_that{_war{_and{_violence{_were{_the{_way{_of{_the{_Mourning{_Isles{_and{_he{_had{_a{_role{_to{_play{_in{_that{_as{_an{_eldest{_son,{_yet{_he{_also{_wanted{_more.{_{/{/It{_was{_no{_easy{_task{_to{_persuade{_his{_parents{_to{_allow{_him{_the{_opportunity{_to{_leave{_Grihem's{_Point{_in{_order{_to{_study{_among{_mainland{_academies,{_yet{_he{_did{_so.{_On{_the{_condition{_that{_he{_also{_continued{_to{_practice{_daily{_with{_a{_skilled{_arms{_master{_and{_spent{_half{_the{_year{_in{_the{_Mourning{_Isles{_in{_order{_to{_make{_sure{_that{_he{_maintained{_his{_'sea{_legs'{_(and{_was{_not{_overly{_influenced{_by{_mainlander{_ways{_of{_thinking){_he{_convinced{_his{_parents{_to{_allow{_him{_to{_study.{_And{_study{_he{_did.{_{/{/Erik{_put{_his{_mind{_to{_all{_sorts{_of{_topics.{_War{_was{_one{_of{_them,{_but{_not{_the{_details{_of{_battle{_and{_war{_craft{_alone,{_it{_was{_philosophy{_he{_was{_interested{_in{_as{_well.{_What{_was{_the{_purpose{_of{_violence{_between{_nations{_and{_how{_often{_was{_it{_served.{_What{_other{_means{_could{_be{_used{_to{_attain{_those{_desired{_ends?{_These{_were{_but{_a{_few{_of{_the{_things{_he{_put{_his{_mind{_to,{_and{_yet{_he{_did{_well{_with{_those{_studies.{_As{_he{_grew{_older{_and{_his{_education{_continued,{_he{_was{_invited{_to{_take{_a{_place{_among{_the{_Scholars{_of{_Vellichor.{_It{_was{_not{_ideal{_according{_to{_his{_parents,{_and{_more{_than{_a{_few{_heated{_arguments{_resulted{_from{_this{_invitation.{_Yet{_somehow{_he{_convinced{_them,{_and{_so{_it{_was{_he{_began{_studying{_in{_more{_depth{_in{_the{_city{_of{_Arx.{_{/{/Which{_is{_not{_to{_say{_that{_he{_did{_not{_take{_his{_proper{_place{_during{_battles{_where{_Grimhall{_was{_called{_to{_arms.{_Too{_young{_to{_fight{_in{_the{_Tyde{_rebellion{_he{_nevertheless{_heard{_about{_it,{_and{_was{_motivated{_by{_the{_stories.{_He{_has{_joined{_countless{_expeditions{_to{_quash{_pirate{_activity{_throughout{_the{_Isles,{_often{_placed{_as{_advisers{_to{_Admirals{_and{_Generals{_and{_considered{_for{_such{_positions{_himself.{_It{_was{_the{_war{_in{_Setarco{_that{_most{_recently{_brought{_him{_back{_from{_his{_studies{_with{_the{_Scholars,{_and{_has{_him{_seeking{_to{_reconnect{_with{_his{_family{_in{_Arx{_and{_serve{_as{_he{_may. + |
| Erika Blackwood + | Born within the Shav tribes of the Northeast, Erika was the apple of her father's, Ingemar Blackwood, eye. She looked so much like her mother, who had died giving birth to her. He held no resentment for his wife's death, and while it was hard and clumsy being a single parent, he raised her the best he could, refusing to give her up. And while most would have scorned her reckless childhood adventures, he praised her for the fire of her soul. He taught her everything she knows about surviving in the wilds, and discovering her affinity with animals, assisted her in honing her skill. It resulted in the young girl growing wildly, with strength and passion, and at the early age of 18 she began to assist in hunting, gathering, and exploring the wilds to protect against the dangers of the Heralds, which were a prominent danger. Her journeys away from home alone would grow longer and longer as she honed her skills at survival, but it was on such a journey that Brand and his army came for the Shavs. Her father was killed for opposing him and his barbaric recruitment methods, and Erika returned home too late. Devastated and consumed by rage, the ranger agreed to travel with her cousin Ysbail to the Capital, bringing the tribes with them, to seek justice and rid the world of the evil that preyed upon them. Living in Arx, Erika frequently retreats to the forest to feel closer to her father, and be enveloped by the familiarity of the wilds. But that doesn't mean she doesn't appreciate the civilised world of Arx and its less wild people. + |
| Eris Ibrianis + | Eris Ibrianis, born to a brood of mixed sons and daughters, was raised in a particularly martially inclined family. Ibrianis roots can be traced back to the very origins of Ostria, one of the first families to pledge themselves in service to the Mazetti family. They've had various reputations over the ages, but their claim to fame stems from their forging of House Mazetti's diamondplate sword, Allegiance. Rather than hang their hat on one accomplishment, the Ibrianis expanded over the generations to incorporate a vast number of skilled crafters mixed in with a particularly dedicated branch of soldiers. Into the latter does Eris fall, having decided young that her talents lay more in destruction than in creation. From an early age, Eris was taught under a particularly strict tutor regarding her duty to House Mazetti and to the protection of Ostria as a whole; these lessons she took to heart with all the preternatural sobriety of a youngster feeling a calling. The martial training that followed upon reaching adulthood indicated that while she was not fit to be a Glaivedancer, she proved in the early years that she was a talented swordswoman on her own accord. Thus began a brutal and utterly ruthless training regimen for the future Ostrian soldier. She worked slavishly and with great dedication alongside the young and precocious Mazetti duelist, Theron. They would later develop a friendly rivalry in their military training that would follow them well into their adulthood. When the Tor-Southport conflict occurred - in no small part due to the machinations of the former married-in member of House Mazetti, Lucien - Eris was goaded by Theron's early volunteership to sign up to military service as soon as she came of age to do so; she would die before letting him go off to battle without her. Together, they fought in the final stages of that brutal and senseless war, coming out the other side alive but marginally subdued. It was at Theron's recommendation that Eris was formally knighted post-combat and took her vows as one of the special Guardians. Afterward, she was assigned to protect then-magistrate Giulio, Theron's younger brother. The last handful of years since her assignation has seen Eris at Giulio's side and in his service. No longer destined just for the battlefield, the Ibrianis woman has slowly come into her own as more than a mere sword and shield; she has taken on the role of companion, confidante, and more. + |
| Esera Velenosa + | From her very earliest memories, Esera was being groomed to rule. For other great houses, such as the bores in House Valardin that drone endlessly on about honor and chivalric virtues, the grooming could have meant careful instruction on the proper morality and dignity expected of a just ruler. In the Lyceum and as the first child of the Archduchess of House Velenosa, that meant something rather else. Esera remembers childhood games based around guessing the motivations of other players, games of trickery and deceit. She remembers the pride of her mother when she managed even simple manipulation, and the lessons of her father that the other great houses respect strength and strength alone and remain vassals of House Velenosa only due to respect and fear. She remembers the lessons discussing other leaders that failed to heed those lessons, and how they brought ruin onto themselves and their families due to not being clever enough, not being strong enough, not being ruthless enough. Duchess Esera has never stopped learning such lessons. House Velenosa possesses neither the strongest army nor the largest coffers. They are surrounded by enemies wearing the masks of friends. But Esera knows despite that, the Fox is still feared, and that is solely due to their well deserved reputation for mastery of devious intrigue and sheer cunning. Even at a young age, Esera feels worthy of that birthright. She has a positive talent for understanding the complicated motivations and intricate interactions between all the noble houses that comprises the political sphere of Arx and her keenly agile mind has an intuitive grasp for the most beneficial way to position her house to take advantage of nearly any conflict. And if she is talented at managing groups, she is an utter master at the manipulation of individuals. Everyone has some weakness that's exploitable, has something they want. She'll find it, she'll use it, and it will be without apology or regret. She has to, after all. House Velenosa cannot afford weakness, and if she falters, they likely all die. Though perhaps it would be rude to admit that she actually rather enjoys playing the game, because she is so damned good at it. So she'll play it, and play to win... for herself, for her family, for her city, and for Arvum, but certainly in that order. + |
| Eshken Greenblood + | Eskhen Greenblood is a young prodigal man of the Greenblood family. He and his twin sister, Emele, were not even teenagers when their tribe was torn in two and his parents-- rebels --left it to join house Riven and bend knee to Grayson. His parents took the two young twins with them when they went. Eshken, being young, acclimated to life in Riven well. He threw himself into studies and learning of the new cultures. His sister also took very well to their new life. She found art and painting, and threw herself into it. Eshken being the more practical begged her to pick up a profession that would allow her a better income than painting. She apprenticed to a blacksmith and began to make armor. Shortly before his 20th birthday he met another prodigal of another tribe-- Lillian Leafchaser --she was a scout for Riven forces and he fell for her quickly. Just after he turned twenty and she twenty-one they married. Their daughter, Elia, was born eight months later. Lillian died two years later in an ambush by bandits while on a scouting mission. Eshken had just been apprenticed to Nigel Riven in matters of stewardship and finance. He threw himself into that work and to taking care of his daughter. He's utterly devoted to his daughter and to bettering her life. When the new Barony of Whitehawk was create he saw a chance for himself and his family. He offered to become the Steward of Whitehawk for Baron Silas. + |
| Eshra Rivenshari + | Born into a large family, Eshra had three older brothers, Gavier, Raqui, and Athaur, to watch out for her when she took her first steps. While she loved her father, Aegis, she was closest to her mother, Triega, and learned about the spirits and ways of navigating for their people. Instead of pulling ropes and setting sales, she was looking at maps, measuring distances and following the stars at night. For the rivers and sea were her home, and dry land was something she rarely touched. Growing up among ravashari smugglers, Eshra remembers a time when House Valardin were the enemy and tried to bring them to heel. They would try to stop their efforts to move goods for the other Abandoned Tribes. She liked nothing better than outwitting the stuffy Valardin knights who tried to enforce their rules on the Free. Of course Freedom comes with a price and she remembers the day Brand's dark magic enslaved her people and forced them to fight a battle that was not theirs. She lost many friends and family when House Thrax's navy struck down her people on the day Brand tried to breech Arx's walls. She mourns the loss of his father, former leader of the Rivenshari, his mother, former Voice, and two brothers. Their losses were devastating for the young woman. If not for Athaur and their younger brother, Mattheu, then she would have lost the will to live. When he to her and asked her help to rebuild Rivenshari, she accepted without second thought. Of course, she never realized her brother meant to take bended knee to House Greenmarch, so they would now serve their former enemy, House Valardin. At first she tried to fight it, but once it became clear that it was her only option, she put aside her differences and stood by her brother's side when he pledged to House Greenmarch. + |
| Eskandar Whisper + | Eskander was not born into the ranks of the courtesans or the diplomatic; rather, he was a bit lower. His family were mostly common-folk and he was one of the middle children, in theory doomed to learn his family's trade (his father was a rather middling merchant) and to toil out his life without ever really achieving anything of note. Eskander ultimately had other ideas. He was fortunate in that he was naturally rather intelligent and that he picked up the tools of his father's trade quickly as he grew, running errands nad messages, and helping with keeping the books straight. Of course, not being one of the eldest, he likely wasn't going to inherit anything (aside from more work) when he came of age. So Eskander applied himself and as he grew older tried to turn what he had into something more. He developed his own contacts, determined to make his own way eventually - and this brought him to the attention of the Whispers. While at the time he wasn't precisely the best of material, he had potential and in a way, he saw that house of courtiers as a way out of his situation. So he applied. Rough around the edges and still needing refining, he wasn't (at first) successful - but perseverance and a burning ambition and desire to better himself have managed to secure him a spot within their ranks. + |
| Esme Fidante + | The youngest child of Luzio Fidante and Amelia Lyonesse, Esme grew up in the city of Tor like almost all Fidante do. To say her childhood was a charmed one is an understatement. Whatever her heart desired was always at Esme's fingertips. She did not take these things for granted though and while some of her other family members might be spoiled and bratty, she was always humble and thankful for the opportunities that were given to her. There was always a strong sense of doing what was right, just, and noble within her. Though it was at a celebration for Limerance that took place around her birthday one year that truly opened her eyes, mind, and heart.{/{/They called themselves Devotions of Limerance and their songs and poetry about love, honor, and fidelity sung straight to Esme's heart. She flung herself into the studies and decided after some time of careful consideration, she would devote herself to Limerance and be one of the Devotions. She found a way to marry her passions together as she was already a champion equestrian and knew she would one day follow in her brother Ignacio's footsteps to train as a Knight - Esme founded the Calvary of Roses whose oath is to maintain Limerance's virtues. House Fidante has always been different from the other houses of the Lyceum and their moral compass of slightly more North plays well with Esme's vision for her Calvary. Leo was more than happy to see his cousin's vision come to life. The Chivalrous Duke backed the Calvary of Roses and saw to the training of Knights who wished to be mounted warriors. Esme has been working diligently on the cavalry in Tor for the past few years but when her brother Ignacio suggested they come to Arx after Leo's disappearance to offer their assistance and guidance to the new Duchess, Leo's sister, Calista, Esme knew this would be the right thing to do. + |
| Esoka Greenblood + | Esoka Greenblood grew up as the granddaughter of the Elder of her tribe, which lent her a certain status even in amidst the fluctuating lifestyle of her people. It came with a sense of responsibility, of the duty to serve her people as the Elder served her people, of the need to be well-behaved. Although war leadership was not hereditary, it was simply considered that there was going to be some kind of greatness in her future because there was some kind of greatness in her blood, passed down generationally and with wisdom. So it was a fairly structured childhood, built on expectations and hopes for a future that shattered in disaster when the tribe fragmented while Esoka was a teenager. It took her structured life and threw it into chaos and upheaval. Why she chose as she did -- to follow the rebels rather than stay with her family -- is a complex tangle of emotions for her even now, years later. But whatever the reasons she chose, she did. Young, and fierce, and too young to fight, she nevertheless followed, swore herself in defiant loyalty to Thesarin, and never looked back ... for long. Accustoming herself to a completely new set of disciplines and structures was very difficult for Esoka. The social mores of the Count's people were a struggle. Worse, her own position seemed to fluctuate and change with passing years. When she was 22, Count Thesarin knighted her. To this day, she still is uncertain why -- there were excuses given at the time about her great service to the countship, but she always had the sneaking suspicion that this was some kind of politically oriented compromise between Count Thesarin and Countess Mia about who was going to take up arms and serve the Twainfort under the aegis of knighthood. Hungry to prove herself, Esoka sought out ways to make herself critical to the county, and ended up making more mistakes early on in her service than she would have liked. The first time she was forced to face down former members of her tribe who had been raiding the fishing villages along the Daughter, she could not bring herself to raise her weapon, and stood behind her men while she sent them on ahead to take care of it. It was a 'cowardice' that she felt incapable of living down for years afterwards. She tried to resign her knighthood, but this was refused. Her need to prove herself has never gone away, not even with subsequent successes bolstering her military career and making it clear that Thesarin's judgment in raising her to a knighthood was not so strange as all that. Her early mistakes and confusions haunt her. + |
| Esra Wyrmguard + | Esra was born in Arx, the only child of a Scholar in a lesser branch of House Wyrmguard, second cousins to the current ruling branch. Bright, insightful and curious, the young Esra soaked up all the knowledge his parents had to offer, and then when he exhausted that his scholar father brought him to the Great Archive and so began a love story between Esra and all the ideas, facts and stories he could read. And read his way through the Great Archive he did, for years. Yet for all the Archive has to offer, Esra kept finding questions to which there were no good answers. Chasing answers is what got Esra out of the Archive in his late teen years, when he began spending a lot of time chasing down subject matter experts and witnesses of interesting events. Exploring and talking to people became as important as reading to expanding the young scholar's knowledge. It wasn't terribly surprising when Esra opted to join the discipleship of Vellichor at 19. His take on the religious side of matters is somewhat cerebral. He feels that ritual and liturgy are tools that people use to help reassure themselves, rather than something the gods need or demand for their own sake. He is honestly bored by ritual and less interested in the trappings of religion and the typical work of priests than he is in the ideals the gods advocate living up to. Esra believes that the domains chosen by the gods mean they want humanity to always be bettering themselves and enjoying the beauty to be found in creation. Thus his belief in the importance of going out and bettering the world directly. Esra's career has focused on field scholarship, and his penchant for resolving outstanding questions caught the leadership's eye even before his cousin Bianca achieved the Archlectorship. Today he works closely with Bianca as a reliable field scholar and has been known to gather information for other Archlectors and agents of the Crown. He is particularly interested in cases related to threats to the whole of the compact, mysterious deaths, and reported occurrences that don't make any sense. + |
| Essmor Siril + | Essmor was born and raised in the Lower Boroughs, and lived an early life full of strife and hardship. His parents were mostly irrelevant to his situation, giving birth to him was the one and only gift he received. But despite this difficulty, he learned early that those that worked hard for themselves could readily find a place in the world. Quick to make friends, he used his skills in observation to find those in the community that could help him better his situation, and never stopped. From there, especially as he grew older, he gathered a reputation for knowing people. If something needed to be found, he might know someone who could find it. A product needs to be purchased? Essmor was the man to ask. He happily positioned himself as a bridge between the lower classes and the higher, searching for any opportunity to gather the attention of those that might provide him a chance to better his lot in life. Though still working on it every day, he works hard to become someone of note. + |
| Estaban Saik + | *Background: * For the first many years of his life, Estaban grew up in the Saikland Greens where he stayed and learned to hunt and cared for his family, learning the basics of diplomacy from the noble around him. While he was a boy he learned how to hunt and helped teach his sisters how to enjoy nature, putting them in trees, having mud fights with them, and doing other fun children things with his siblings. When Estaban was fourteen years old his parents sent him off to foster his sense of adventure and desire to be on a boat. He sailed with many people but while his sister, Arcelia, was in Nilanza he often traveled with Argento sailors so that he could frequently visit her. He eventually taught his sister how to sail when her own curiosity consumed her. When Arcelia left the care of the Argento's he went to spend time with the Malvici where he spent four years learning more about the military arts. + |
| Estelle Blackram + | Estelle grew up a quiet girl, often keeping to herself and the occasional book that she was able to procure for perusal. As much as the cousin of the noble Blackram family enjoyed the indoors, she was hardly blind to the beauty of the surrounding wild lands. Often she could be found alone either atop a tower or among the tall trees near the keep. These excursions were particularly common during the transitional seasons of Autumn and Spring, giving her the chance to observe the many little changes nature wrought during such times. It wasn't until she was older that the young woman was brought nearer the aftermath of the frequent raids upon her family's lands upon her request. Driven by curiosity regarding the frequent skirmishes at the borders, Estelle couldn't bear to see the wounded soldiers in pain and did what little she could to help. Frustrated at her own unlearned skill, she turned her studies towards remedying that gap and even turning it into a focus. Finding a calling in easing the ailments of others as well as her fondness for observing changes ultimately culminated in her swearing to serve the Gods above all others, and Lagoma's service in particular. Still rather new to the Mercies, she is no stranger to orthodoxy given the militarism she grew up within, even if it never really took ahold of her own heart. + |
| Estil Navegant + | Estil knew that she would never rule after Valors passed on, even with Turo's lack of interest being Admiral of the fleet. It wasn't so much resignation to the fact of simply accepting that she will have to do something else to make herself stand out. She wasn't a fighter by any stretch of the imagination, but she was smart. A sharp mind to match her scathing wit. If nothing less, she would make herself a powerful opponent in the realm of politics. So she poured herself into the academics, or ruling an estate. While she might never be Countess, she could hope to at least assist whoever became Count. There may be a bit of resentment at the fact that she was passed over, but love for her family usually wins out. Dogedly pragmatic as the rest of the children, she's used to fending for herself and relying on her wits. While she was content to stay in Escuma, she felt somewhat left out when her father requested Turo to Arx, with her sister Regla, who she often bickered with, followed after him a month or so later. This left Estil in Escuma alone. Eventually this solitude got the better of her, and thinking that her two siblings would do well with her calm hand, decided to head to Arx herself, seeking out her family to bring prestige to the Navegant name. + |
| Ethan Merari + | Ethan was an orphan who grew up in a children's home. He has no memory of his parents, and his surname was something he chose himself when he got older. Hunger, it's been his companion through life. He knows what it's like to be on the bottom, scrapping with castoffs that no one else wanted. He knew at a young age that he was going to get out of the Lowers, by any means necessary. He fell into a gang of pickpockets, got himself in trouble with the Iron Guard. Luckily, the guard recognized the boy's actions were more out of desperation than criminal intent. He got the boy transferred to a better group home. Then he started checking in on the boy, making sure he had clothes and got him enrolled in school. Ethan, not being a fool, saw his lessons as an opportunity. He applied himself vigorously to his studies. He got into a university on scholarship. Applied himself fiercely even as he worked at the Courts running messengers. When he graduated, he got a job as a clerk and continued to work hard. Recently, he got a chance to meet a young lady, Baroness Skye Blackshore, through processing some of her paperwork. After a few conversations, he convinced her to take him on as a lawyer. It's his first big shot at serving a family and he intends like all this other stepping stones, to use this wisely. + |
| Etienne Telmar + | Born as third child to a branch family of the honorable and historic Oathlands House of Telmar, Lord Etienne Telmar was very well aware that no matter how clever or competent he was (and from an early age, he possessed a great measure of both these qualities), his most likely outcome would be as trusted adviser or Minister for his more prestigious relatives. It was not enough, and so the young Telmar convinced his parents to support his induction into the Faith at the quite young age of eighteen. There, he discovered that his intelligence and familiarity with the movement of money gave him a gift for uncovering when the Faith's funds had been embezzled, stolen, or otherwise misappropriated. After a few years of instruction and training, he found himself often assigned to suspicious parishes across the Valardin lands, where he would plot out the flow of funds and discover any misuse of them. In the process, this ended up restoring a significant amount of charitable funds to their rightful recipients. This made Etienne quite popular in some quarters (particularly those priests who valued the charitable works of the Faith, and the recipients thereof), which he parlayed into increasing roles of responsibility. But not a Seraph's position, as that would have chained him to a single parish, rather than allowing him to expand his knowledge of how the Faith was run. At least, until the Seraph of the Telmarch was discovered to be in conspiracy with the White Stewards, a secret cult which had a major part in starting the Silent War. This, and the accusations of collusion with the traitor Telmar in command of Arx's Iron Guard, could have drowned Etienne's career in suspicion and shared guilt. Instead, the priest thrived through his clear outrage and immediate request to help the Faith purge itself of other Steward collaborators. In the aftermath, he was appointed Seraph of the Telmarch, and it was thought that he would serve in that post for years before seeking another promotion. However, after the resignation of Archlector Caras, Etienne quietly called in a number of political markers in the Faith to make it clear that not only was he interested in the post of Archlector of Gild, but that he was clearly the best candidate for the job. No one is quite sure if this is simply an ambitious priest taking advantage of a shift in leadership of the Faith, or if he has a personal goal which requires him being in the heart of the Faith. + |
| Eudence Ghedren + | The last remaining member of her family, Eudence has outlived both parents, a sickly younger brother, and her husband, all while managing to spawn no children. Though her family had generally been known only as servants and stewards to the families of the west, it became an easy choice for her to abandon the name and swear herself a servant to the gods once she was left alone. Once, she was known to be a rather bright young lady, sharp of wit, graceful, and wise even in her youth - though any who knew her could remember her downfall, as her bright blonde locks faded to grey, she was left a widow, childless and alone. Despite her dashed hopes, the woman seems to have very little in the way of grand ambitions, seeming simply content to perform in the name of the gods rather than her own name. + |
| Eugene Caylerth + | Eugene found himself moving from town to town in the Oathlands, given his father's trade as a wandering blacksmith. Home was never really home for long as demand kept the Caylerth family on the road for weeks at a time. When he was of fine age, it was Eugene's turn to help where his brothers had; one having been enlisted in the provincial militia and another to a pox. Training abroad found Eugene taking up the family trade while his father ensured that old military contacts would be able to train his son in the ways of war. + |
| Eurion Ashford + | Eurion, as a child, was kind of a troublemaker, but the kind of troublemaker who is so cute about it that he only rarely actually faces consequences for his evildoing. Whenever he hurt someone's feelings, he was always so genuinely surprised -- and genuinely apologetic -- that his spontaneous gestures to fix it were generally accepted. It was not until he was a much older boy and his grandfather -- first of his close and beloved relatives to die -- died in front of him that he began to understand that there are powers in the world that one cannot out-charm or de-consequence. Still, he was a happy child, all told, so it was mind-boggling to most of his family when he suddenly -- after reaching the stubborn-jawed age of 15 -- ran away. It's not actually that unusual for young men and women of Ashford blood to think that adventure is their birthright and that they need to charge out into the world and take it, but it is a little unusual for them to do so while still too young to actually make a bank draw on their own. An Ashford cousin rescued him from himself, pulling him out of a fix that was almost entirely of his own making, and he was brought home and put to work as a scribe and squire, learning from Ashford's knights as best he could. It was during this period of time, where he was trying to prove to anyone at all that he could be well-behaved even for short periods, that Eurion spent half a summer learning what he could from the then-admiral of Ashford's navy. He was assigned as adjutant and gopher, and then as summer became autumn, he wheedled, begged and persuaded as best he could to take a position as a sailor. He was only 17, and no one would let him formally join a ship's crew until he was 18 and an adult, but he managed to earn himself an "apprenticeship" aboard a ship in the family that was, apparently, exactly the same as being a sailor aboard the ship except that he had to be supervised pretty much at all times. The open sea was Eurion's favorite, and although the hard, hard labor of a man aboardship was a huge eye-opener for the privileged son of generations of nobles, it did him good in terms of his personal growth and the strength of his muscles. Though it was a few years coming, eventually one of the ships that House Ashford commissioned was granted to his command - the STAR KNIGHT - and he has been sailing for the Ashfords' navy ever since. + |
| Evaine Silverhand + | The granddaughter of prodigals, Evaine has cultivated an air of culture, education and grace that pair well with the statuesque physiology that particular heritage has given her. She was born and raised poor, in the lower boroughs, her mother a washerwoman and her father working on the docks. They died fairly young, as people who work hard for not much money often do, and Evaine has been on her own since her early teens. They taught her well, though, and she did fine for herself through a combination of wits and training in a hand-to-hand style of combat her grandmother had brought from her tribe, taught to her own children, who in turn taught Evaine. Her beauty and grace made acting a natural choice of profession, and so she joined the Black Rose mummers and in a few years, she has risen to the very top. This is not to say she always plays the lead role in their productions, but she does oversee the booking of their gigs, vet scripts, hire and discipline actors and stagehands alike, and is the public face of the company among the citizenry. + |
| Evander Kennex + | For the first seven years of Evander Kennex's life, almost every letter sent from Stormward included the words: "And young Evander still lives." He was sickly from birth, and was so often ill and so weak even when he was well that everyone expected him to die in childhood. But year after year, somehow, he hung on. Evander's parents, maybe trying to insulate themselves from the inevitable pain of losing him, were never terribly close to him. Oh, they went through the motions, certainly, but there was almost a reluctance to it. And then Evander's mother, Lady Girasol, went missing when he was still only five years old. No one ever accused Evander to his face, of course, but still it was whispered that Lord Wayne's second wife had been unable to bear her son's sickly nature, and had thrown herself from the cliffs into the ocean in despair. But if he lacked in parental affection, his older half-sisters Catalana and Jan doted on him. Catalana was as much a mother to him as an older sister, always checking up on him, always seeing to his needs, and Jan protected him from more than one would-be bully through the judicious breaking of noses. He spent the days when he was well enough to leave his room in the library with Niklas and Elara, although he was always too ill to go with them on their various adventures. Evander grew up with the grim understanding that because of his poor health, most of the wide world would be forever closed to him, and because of this, while Niklas' interests veered towards legends and fantastic tales, Evander devoured non-fiction. History, travelogues, current events, practical books of instruction in esoteric subjects, it didn't matter. He read it all. He didn't expect his life was going to be a long one, and wanted to experience as much of the world as he could in the time he had, even if he could only experience it through books. Against all expectations (even his own), the years ticked by and somehow Evander didn't die. He got close more than once, but either through Victoria's stubbornness and skill or his own iron will, he always recovered. He even felt well enough to travel. Just a short jaunt to a neighboring island, but still the first time he'd ever left Stormward. It was a mistake that almost cost him his life. Evander was on that island, visiting what amounted to a Kennex country home, when Ford freed the thralls with the stroke of a pen, and without warning anyone. The island he was visiting held a large plantation where the thralls rioted, and violence consumed the surrounding countryside. Evander's guards were able to spirit him away in a daring escape just as the rioters closed in, but the whole experience was too much for his fragile health. He caught a fever that came as close to killing him as anything he ever had. But the experience left him more determined than ever to conquer his poor health and to use all of the knowledge he'd built up over a lifetime of reading to help his family. With the death of the Marquis, Evander has decided that it's time to make the journey to Arx, where he hopes to make himself useful -- assuming he can just catch his breath for a moment. + |
| Evangelina Masque + | Evangelina never knew her parents, from what she's gathered she'd been born to a sailor that'd perished at sea. Turned over to well-meaning priests at the next port of call on the shining shores of Setarco, she lived a childhood full of happiness and laughter, a lucky lot in life for a motherless child, she knows. Despite being raised by the faithful, she's a bit of a curious sceptic, and believes that life, love, and happiness are what you make for yourself. The stories of the gods are beautiful still, in her opinion, and like all things beautiful, she collects them as she can, though she's far from an academic. After coming of age, she became the apprentice of a smith, attracted to the proposition of making beauty with her own hands. As adept at working precious metals as she was at stringing shells onto cord to sell to visitors on the beach as a child, she soon decided to make her way to Arx, where her beautiful creations could be worn by the most beautiful and powerful people of the Compact. Who knows, maybe one day her jewellery could even be worn by the king himself, if she talks herself up enough. Modesty is, after all, overrated. + |
| Evangeline Whisper + | Evangeline crashed onto the shores of Setarco with not much to her name. In fact, she did not even have that! A tangled mess of seaweed, salt encrusted hair, and long, awkward limbs caught the attention of local sailors who eventually dubbed the young woman Evangeline.{/{/She never seemed to remember anything prior to arriving to the main island of the Lycene sea and never seemed to let it affect her as it would some others. Evangeline took it as the blessing of a new life and put herself straight to work. She proved to be useful and resourceful. Working in silk shops was a wonderful experience but the young woman did not enjoy staying indoors all day long. She had a stint working at the docks but that also proved to not keep her attention. When it was discovered that she had lovely penmanship, she was often asked to pen love letters in exchange for silver. She worked this little business of hers with glee. Evangeline was able to set her own hours and be her own boss; sort of.{/{/She drew the attention of a mysterious proprietor who inquired about the letters she wrote for people. It had never dawned on her that this lucrative job might require her to be exquisitely discreet. Letters between lovers often came with complications. Secrets that could become the ruin of a person or an entire house if she was not careful. There was a lot of power in the palm of her hand and some people were taking notice. This proprietor offered Evangeline the opportunity to study in the Courtier House right there in Setarco. He would pay for her education and she would have protection in the House as opposed to being on her own. Evangeline jumped at the chance. She had visited the house on occasion, delivering letters to and from the lead courtiers of Setarco.{/{/The rest, as they say, is history. Evangeline excelled in all of her studies and proved to be quite an asset to the house and for the other courtiers. She even assisted in the tutoring of some of the apprentice courtiers when they first arrived to the house, drawing on her own experiences from when she was an apprentice.{/{/Since her time in Setarco, Evangeline has done quite a bit of traveling and of all the places she's been to, it's amazing she's never been to the city of Arx before, and her extensive experience and talent in Setarco as a courtier leads her to believe she is prepared to join the Whisper House. She is ready for the challenges and the political intrigue that awaits in the Capitol. + |
| Evaristo Arterius + | Evaristo hasn't visited his parents since he left home at the age of seventeen, stowing away on a ship after running afoul of his stepfather - something having to do with stealing money, supposedly. When he was found, he managed to ingratiate himself with the captain and convinced the woman to keep him on her crew as a sailor. There he stayed for several years, travelling the world on a cargo ship which sailed the seas of the Saffron Chain. In late 1002 AR the ship was attacked by shav pirates intent on seizing the cargo. Evaristo and a handful of the crew managed to escape via life boat and swimming to a nearby island - thankfully the shavs had little interest in pursuing them. There they were stranded for four months, and Evaristo finally began to contemplate his life choices. They were eventually found and rescued by a passing Thraxian vessel and brought to Darkwater Watch. He made his home there for a couple of years, making silver by taking odd jobs and finding a new crew: his own. He accumulated enough money to build his own small ship and made enough "friends" to man it, and he was on the beloved sea once more. Trips to Arx have proven to be particularly profitable these days, and he finds the citizens of the Lower Borough to be his kind of people. Perhaps there are opportunities to be found... + |
| Evelin Culler + | Evelin was born as one of many in the gutters of Setarco in the Lyceum, a poor street urchin surrounded by the resplendent wealth and decadent lifestyles of the nobility that called the Silken City their home. She could only admire them from afar, and was too proud (or embarrassed), to beg from them. She watched the Ladies and courtiers with fascination, and while most would have loathed them, Evelin came to adore them. At the age of 17 she'd been dancing in dingy bars for years, but she knew she couldn't make a living in Setarco. Determined she set out to make a name for herself in the capital. Despite her work, she was still as poor as she was before, and with nowhere else to go the young woman turned to the Cullers in the Lower Buroughs. She had talent, and it wasn't long before she was adopted into their fold. They were not the only ones to notice her talents. While performing in a small darkened club in the Buroughs she was noticed by the stunning Belladonna Pravus. One thing led to another, and Evelin was employed by the Velenosean house, and sent back to Setarco not as a beggar, but as a student of the Courtier school. She would come to excel there, and now she's returned to the capital as a resplendent, shimmering dancer and performer for House Pravus' numerous parties, stealing hearts and wowing her audiences. All the while remaining loyal to those in the Lower Buroughs who supported her all those years. + |
| Evelin Starborn + | Born to a strict Valardin family, Evelin was raised as a single child fussed over by her parents. Stifled and locked down, she spent more time working than playing, and could only watch children her age play from afar. Her noble family had served the nobility for generations, and she was expected to do the same, learning much about politics and the struggles of court life. But the adolescent woman despised this life, and when she became the ripe age of 20, her rebellious streak reached a fiery crescendo. Inspired by a band of wandering lycene ravashari she took off with them, nonchalant of her parents scorn, and took to living amongst the wilds, travelling between the great cities and learning much in the way of magic. + |
| Evelynn Helianthus + | A member of a lesser known barony in the Mourning Isles, the barony of House Morewind, it was a surprise for many among the peerage when Duke Trevor Helianthus took the enigmatic noble woman as his wife. The domain seems to have thrived since she joined Helianthus and she -is- a noble woman right? so there's little reason for any concern. Of course, there are whispers that she was never seen in the domain of House Morewind in the decades prior to her marriage. Even if the family do claim her as their own. + |
| Everard Telmar + | As the youngest brother of the Duke of Telmar, Lord Everard Telmar strove to be the honorable paragon that was everything his elder brother was not. He clung hard to a knightly ideal, gaining the respect of the forces of the Telmarch as he helped lead them in battle, and quickly rose to being a well-respected knight all throughout the Oathlands. Briefly, he even held the sword of the Telmarch in his stewardship, until Arn's own son came of age to wield it as the Champion of House Telmar and the Sword of the Telmarch. Lord Everard served loyally and honorably in the wars against the Shavs for many years, before recently coming to Arx at Prince Radley Valardin's suggestion and due to his influence was appointed the Lord Commander of the Iron Guard by King Alaric Grayson IV. As Lord Commander of the Iron Guard, he has a reputation for honesty and integrity that stands in marked contrast to the sometimes corrupt reputation of the guardsmen that might abuse their rank and privileges over the lowest in Arx. While the Iron Guard is by no means perfect, Lord Everard has resolutely sought to combat their excesses and make them a force for law and order. + |
| Everett Malere + | Everett was born to a common family living a wealthy life upon a successful farm. The Maleres were well known for their incredibly fertile land, which yielded enough crops each harvest to sustain the Oathlands year-round. From his youth, Everett developed a sense of deep, unwavering responsibility for this farm. As the eldest of two sons, the land would inevitably be passed down to him; it was in his best interest to ensure its success for future generations. At the age of twenty-five, Everett married his childhood friend, Adrienne, and thereafter welcomed the arrival of their first and only child, a boy named Tristan. They lived and worked together peacefully on the farm for nine years, and then everything changed. It was a lovely summer's day that Everett took Tristan to the borders of Acorn Hill, deep within the woods, for a fishing lesson along the banks of a rushing river. When the trip came to a close and it was time to return home, they discovered all roads leading to the town were blocked by debris and littered with the bodies of dead soldiers bearing the sigil of House Moore. Panicked and fearing the worst, Everett cut a way through the debris and discovered the whole barony had been utterly decimated by an invading clan of shavs, and all those present had been killed, including his father and his sweet, innocent wife. With his home and livelihood in ruins, and a young son depending on him alone for survival, Everett had to settle and find work elsewhere. He enlisted with the Keaton Timberwolves, serving for over a year to defend Oakhaven and its forests from invasion by shav tribes and serving justice to those he believed destroyed his home and family. After a year of soldiering, and when it seemed at last all hope of returning home was lost forever, Everett learned that a surviving member of House Moore surfaced, pressed a claim for the barony, and led a successful expedition to reclaim and restore Acorn Hill to its former glory. Everett immediately reached out to his brother, Breccan, and together they committed to speak with the new Baroness of Acorn Hill about resettling on their former lands in the hopes of reviving their family legacy and starting anew. + |
| Evonleigh Whitehawk + | Evonleigh Mercier was born the third of four children in the merchant family, sister to Delilah, Kenna, and Gaius, and cousin of Silas Mercier, who would one day be ennobled as Lord Whitehawk. Evonleigh was always just a little dramatic, with a flair for tantrums or flights of fancy. She was fond of writing and putting on little plays for her sisters and cousins to perform -- a common hobby for many children, it became something she was rather good at. As she had no head for business, it was little surprise that she chose to become an actress rather than follow in the mercantile footsteps of her parents. Evonleigh joined an acting troupe that traveled extensively, though she stayed in close contact with her family. She forged a close, if tumultuous, relationship with the leader of the troupe. The two usually played opposite one another in the leads of the plays they performed, and their chemistry on stage and off was undeniable. It was rumored they might become betrothed. She chose at first not to join her siblings in her cousin Silas' House, because she was so in love with the actor Aurelius. Unfortunately, he proved less devoted than she, making excuses for putting off engagement while soaking up the attention of his fans wherever they traveled -- there were whispers of indiscretions, a "woman in every port" so to speak. Evonleigh, heartbroken, confronted him at a party in a bit of a tantrum. After a heated argument, he stormed off. It was the last she saw of him alive, because Aurelius died later that night -- intoxicated, he fell down a long flight of stairs to his death. Luckily there were many witnesses, and Evonleigh nowhere near, for otherwise Evonleigh might have been a suspect. The last words Evonleigh had spoken to the man had been unkind ones, but that seemed to make her grief all the deeper, full of regrets and guilt. The troupe disbanded without their leader, and, along with the loss of Aurelius, Evonleigh lost some of her friends as well -- those who felt he might not have died if she hadn't fought with him that night. The feelings of loss, betrayal, hurt and guilt were a complicated mix that she hasn't truly dealt with. She shut herself away for a time, returning to her childhood home, before accepting the invitation to join her siblings in Arx as a Lady of Whitehawk, eager to put the past in the past. + |
| Ewen Masque + | Ewen's journey to self-discovery began with a personal tragedy: the loss of his parents. Successful merchants from the southern city of Lenosia, they were a loving family and well-off, encouraging and supporting him in his education. Ewen never doubted, even as he came of age, that making his parents proud would be his life goal, and he excelled in legal studies motivated by the knowledge that a career as a lawyer would bring his family honor and prestige. But he had only been practicing as a defense attorney in Lenosia for a few short years before a freak accident sent his parents' wagon crashing into a ravine. All at once Ewen was faced with an existential crisis. Without his parents' eyes on him, what did he value and what purpose was there in his existence? For perhaps the first time, his penetrating insight turned decisively inward. He concluded that behind his passion to please his family had been a dark truth: that he had been afraid to think for himself or consider what else he could become with his talents. This realization of the darkness within him, and of the willful ignorance upon which his previous convictions were based, turned him to interest in the Mirrormasks and devoted study of the teachings of the Thirteenth. Having inherited his family's comfortable wealth, he has traveled to the capitol city of Arx to decide if he will try to become an official disciple of the Thirteenth. In the meantime, he broods on his purpose and mingles freely with all, commoner or noble alike, and he still practices his trade, willing to defend the accused for little or no pay (though he picks his clients more carefully than before). He is no hero and he is not particularly righteous, being willing to countenance the self-justifications of those whom others might find monstrous. But his relentless questioning has given rise to a deep sort of personal integrity, and he will face danger if it means learning what he's truly made of. + |
| Ezekiel + | There is very little to tell of the man named Ezekiel. Few records mention him at all, and those, almost exclusively in the Oathlands -- yet those that know him, would never think such. Perhaps its another fellow with a similar name? Perhaps he's a hidden identity, perhaps a host of other things. He makes his way in the world mostly as a teller of tales and occasional troubadour, yet, he's also some talents with dueling, or at least, that's what is said. He's served from time to time as a Champion for those with a need for such things, prepared as well as he might be for such things. + |
| Ezekiel Crown + | There is very little to tell of the man named Ezekiel. Few records mention him at all, and those, almost exclusively in the Oathlands -- yet those that know him, would never think such. Perhaps its another fellow with a similar name? Perhaps he's a hidden identity, perhaps a host of other things. He makes his way in the world mostly as a teller of tales and occasional troubadour, yet, he's also some talents with dueling, or at least, that's what is said. He's served from time to time as a Champion for those with a need for such things, prepared as well as he might be for such things. + |
| Ezmeralda Leporidae + | There is a song about a House Leporidae in the annals of pre-Reckoning Arvani history, an influential ducal power that had risen to rival House Pravus during the time of the Hundred Cities, before the creation of the Lyceum. Bards embellish a tale of romance turned sour and a tryst between the two houses that resulted in a violent, bloody conflict on a tiny nameless isle near Setara. The name of this war has been lost to history but the Leporidae were thought extinguished, holdings ground to dust, island razed and survivors scattered to the winds. What remained of the once proud House retreated far, far away into the Saffron Chain, vanishing during the time of the Reckoning. Ezmeralda is the last true blooded scion of the House Leporidae, a family reduced greatly in status and protected within a powerful Abandoned enclave, the Saffron Chain's city-state of Tremorus. For centuries, it was tradition that the ruling House Proscipi would marry a Leporidae into their lineage in order to strengthen their bloodline during times of great turmoil, but the numbers of the Leporidae continued to wane through the generations. The chaos in the Saffron Chain with its new Arvani conquerors from House Pravus saw turmoil in the Abandoned city-state, with the current Prefect of House Proscipi hoping ancient, ancestral ties might win favor with the new Arvani conquerors. In this time the starlit beauty was kept secured in Tremorus where she held out hope that perhaps the Pravosi might forgive her family and the last scion of Leporidae might be invited back into the fold. In order to avoid great bloodshed it was decided that Ezmeralda would be married to a Proscipi of her choice and the great city-state along with their vassals would be sworn to a new House beneath the banner of Pravus or rather, the return of a principle power in the far southeast of the Saffron Chains; House Leporidae. + |
| Ezra Riven + | Ezra found his place at a young age, or so he thought. His parents seemed to be cultivating him to help run the Twainfort. No doubt his sister would have needed help and second sons always seemed to find positions of influence and power, if never quite the title. He enjoyed the opportunity to get out with his father, Laveer, on the hunt and relished the closeness of their bond. About the time when Ezra felt that he was really starting to get into the heart of what a man ought to learn and to be, he had the opportunity to visit Pridehall. The intention was to get a feel of the larger world and build what could become important connections with their banner lords before focusing in on the needs of the Twainfort. It happened that while he was fostering with the Bislands, the Abandoned slaughtered his family in a brutal attack that left few survivors. Few things really left him feeling alone as hearing his family has been butchered and having no one else, none of his kin, there to comfort him. When it was finally deemed safe to return home, so much had changed that he felt out of place. Newly-made Prodigals seemed to be everywhere and his own sister had married one of them. It's not to say that Thesarin wasn't kind to him but it was the wrong age for him to be deprived of the father that he idolized and unlike his younger brother, he couldn't turn to this stranger to replace him. Though he tried to learn to serve the Twainfort and what was left of the House he knew as best he could, he always felt disconnected, out of place. It wasn't any fault of the people there, but it was a home that he didn't quite feel a part of. In the end, Ezra found more comfort in the forest. The woods provided a welcome respite from all of the clashing sounds and strange customs of so many new people where he doesn't quite feel natural, doesn't quite feel like himself. Better yet, he could find some lingering memory of times spent with his lost father there, and so as the boy grew into a man, he more and more his days went to stalking among the trees, seeking... who knows what as often as he was hunting down the night's supper. Peace. Or a sense of home maybe, except that home no longer really exists. His wandering uncovered long-abandoned places that left him wondering about what was and what could have been, stumbled into secret hiding spots that left him with more questions than they did answers. But at least those long, solitary days tracking a deer through the brush or scouring the ruins along the County's edge made him a fine explorer and an even finer scout. The latter is finally a role he can fill for his family and his House, a convenient middle-ground where he can rest instead of being torn between his unwavering loyalty to them and feeling as though nothing is ever quite still enough for him to settle into for very long. It hardly helps that Riven is changing still, always rushing on like the rivers they're named for. + |
F | |
| Faelan Navegant + | Faelan is neither the oldest, nor the youngest, of Dion and Annika Navegant's children. As such, there was really no expectations placed on him beyond being happy, and allowed to do what he wanted to with his life. Which was sail As a child he would accompany his mother and father out on the ships when they went, explored much of the Mourning Isles this way before many of the boys his age. When he was roughly ten years old he went to foster with Grimhall in some sort of inexplicable agreement that his parents made. Which, ultimately worked out for him for the best. See, Faelan was a little more aggressive, and surprisingly more traditional about some things, like raiding, than the others in Navegant. He ended up flourishing under the guidance of Grimhall, and has in fact spent the last decade of time sailing with them. With the rising trouble in the Darkwater Deep, and the attacks in Arx, he has been called to the capital to aid family and fealty against the Compact's enemies. + |
| Fairen Leary + | Fairen's older sister Hianara was the March. Throughout their childhood, she was an active, aggressive child, with ambitions to leadership, cavalryship, generalship. Fairen studied quietly a lot, and although he enjoyed walking outdoors amidst the trees and occasionally growing things in little garden plots on his own, he was disinterested in most of the rougher games the other children played, finding more solace in books and in the teachings of the priests and in the quiet of the stone passageways beneath the fort. As an adult, the military pursuits that had always intrigued his sister drew Fairen hardly at all. The human drama behind the history of warfare drew his attention far more than anything related to strategy or tactics. Hianara married a young Malvici cousin and began right away on the task of making new heirs only to lose her first two children still in the womb. Fairen was almost married out into the Oathlands due to an arrangement with the Laurents, but it didn't work out for a couple of reasons; the first was that shortly before the treaty signing, Hianara died in a brutal and bloody battle with some Shav'Arvani. So instead the Laurent cousin in question married in instead, tying herself firmly to the new March and essentially proving essential in teaching him to rule and lead. For the first few years of their marriage, their relationship has been one of crisp, competent tolerance, cut with occasional furors of rage-fueled drama and what Fairen testily refers to as "hullaballoo". With the Grayson banners called and war and disaster brewing on the horizon, though, even a kind-of mismatch like Fairen and Iliana must learn to set aside their differences and work together. + |
| Falak A'Sib + | Very little is known about Falak'a'sib, the so called Eye of the Prophet, save that he is a member of the Magisters of the Mirror, and that his arrival in Arx from Eurus was not spotted at all, which makes little sense with how much the tall, crippled Magister of the Mirror would stand out in the city. + |
| Farrah Whitehawk + | 'Born to House Malgentilega - a vassal house under House Pravus - Farrah grew up among the spoiled and feckless youths of high society. Granted every desire, and shielded from the consequences of her mistakes, she didn\'t quite understand life. Her mother died when she was young and her father might have wanted to keep her innocent of the world, but in truth he was inattentive and busy with his own social and financial ambitions. He believed that money was an acceptable substitute for love and did not pay attention to Farrah as long as she did not cause a serious embarrassment for the House. As might be expected, Farrah\'s freewheeling lifestyle led her into trouble. When she was fourteen years old, she was already involved with drinking and carousing with the children of other nobles. By this age she was almost considered an adult and given considerably more freedom than she enjoyed as a child. Her associations and revelries bored her eventually. She sought out more exciting pastimes and found herself gradually associating with a rougher crowd. Many of her friends at this time were nobles also seeking excitement, but into this circle of friends came some who were more interested in her money than her friendship. One of these suggested that thievery would be very exciting and enticed her into the trade. Her early failures were covered over by her family, or by "friends" in high society, and eventually she grew more skilled. But, fate took a hand as she turned nineteen years old. She planned a robbery of a temple, and during this daring raid her partner abandoned her. She was caught and created a tremendous scandal for her family. After paying a hefty fine and receiving widespread scorn, her inattentive father decided she needed to be ironed out with something to keep her out of trouble, and she was given a choice: travel to Tor and agree to study at the renown Apothecary College to learn a craft to worship Jayus and learn some discipline, or be cast out of the family and left to fend for herself as a commoner. To someone like Farrah, it wasn\'t much of a choice. She went to Tor and studied under her strict, no-nonsense uncle for three years. She grew to accept routine and the temptations which usually led her astray were removed. When she returned home her father was delighted by her progress, but Farrah had little interest in becoming a Mercy or scholar and found herself directionless once again. She reacquainted herself with the intrigues of the court, and she kept her eyes and ears open, occasionally selling information to a small group of influential clientele. Eventually, through her contacts and information brokering, she caught the eye of one of Setarco's foremost courtiers. Seeking a new thrill and being naturally suited to the profession, she traveled to Setarco and became a lovely courtier of modest noble birth, much to the chagrin of her parents who wished for her to avoid intrigues that could tempt her into scandal. But at least she was home, and she wasn\'t stealing any more. As far as they knew. House Malgentilega was destroyed along with its liege House Argento by House Pravus for treason in the fall of 1006 AR. While her father was found guilty of the same crimes of his brethren and executed, she and her siblings were given a choice to join him or to bend the knee to the new Count Amadeo due to their blood ties with House Pravus. Farrah wisely decided to do the latter, seeking to stay on House Pravus\'s good side even in spite of the family\'s losses. Farrah began to look for a way to better her social standing among her peers outside of being a courtier, and started marriage negotiations with several prominent families. In the end, however, those within the Lyceum were reluctant to commit so soon after the downfall of Argento and its vassals and Farrah began to look elsewhere. She traveled to Arx and situated herself at court, and eventually she found herself a husband in the newly ennobled Baron Silas Whitehawk.' + |
| Faruq Disowned + | Faruq was born to a long-lived and a fierce line of Ischia corsairs. His father, Abin Faruq, was sword before him and served the Seraceni family with similar tenacity as his son. Although the family was not originally related by blood to the Seracenis, Faruqs ancestors were raised to nobility many generations ago for their loyal service. This is something their branch of the family has been very proud of in their heritage, and now being truly a part of the family The title of Sword has been passed down through six generations of this family. Faruq was taught a blade and expected to continue the line of succession and he has proven worthy of the title and honor. When his father retired following the death of the old Marquis and Marquessa, Faruq took up the responsibility. He is also a capable sailor and commands his own ship and is a feared corsair. Not particularly religious, Faruq finds his own way through duty to his liege and his House. The man took charge of his lieges safety upon the death of the Marquis of Seracenis parents and acted much as an older brother to Dario as the young man came into his own. Faruq's younger sister, Malika is the only other person beside his Marquis that he is deathly loyal to. While he is fond of his brother, Nadir, he cannot help but be a little displeased that the younger man did not follow their family into martial pursuits. + |
| Faruq Seraceni + | Faruq was born to a long-lived and a fierce line of Ischia corsairs. His father, Abin Faruq, was sword before him and served the Seraceni family with similar tenacity as his son. Although the family was not originally related by blood to the Seracenis, Faruqs ancestors were raised to nobility many generations ago for their loyal service. This is something their branch of the family has been very proud of in their heritage, and now being truly a part of the family The title of Sword has been passed down through six generations of this family. Faruq was taught a blade and expected to continue the line of succession and he has proven worthy of the title and honor. When his father retired following the death of the old Marquis and Marquessa, Faruq took up the responsibility. He is also a capable sailor and commands his own ship and is a feared corsair. Not particularly religious, Faruq finds his own way through duty to his liege and his House. The man took charge of his lieges safety upon the death of the Marquis of Seracenis parents and acted much as an older brother to Dario as the young man came into his own. Faruq's younger sister, Malika is the only other person beside his Marquis that he is deathly loyal to. While he is fond of his brother, Nadir, he cannot help but be a little displeased that the younger man did not follow their family into martial pursuits. + |
| Fatima Thrax + | Many would expect Princess Fatima Thrax to be a depressed, somber young woman, haunted by her tragic upbringing. She is more than willing to let anyone think that, and then take advantage of that perception with shameless abandon. The ambitious and ruthless granddaughter of Donrai Thrax certainly would have ample justification to have turned out meek, considering the execution of her father and the banishment of her mother, but perhaps she inherited far too much of the spirit that doomed her parents combined with her grandfather's calculation. Fatima's mother, Princess Marjory Thrax, was no proper Thraxian woman in the eyes of Donrai Thrax. With far too much interest in sailing, Princess Marjory defied her father by accompanying a daring expedition to sail east to the rarely contacted continent of Eurus on a perilous voyage. Worse in the eyes of Fatima's grandfather, not only did Marjory have the temerity to succeed, but she returned with a husband, married without permission of her family, to the exiled Prince Asad of Petrioch, a royal fleeing a lost war of one of the distant Dune Kingdoms of Eurus. Prince Donrai Thrax had little choice but to recognize the marriage of the royals as Marjory was already with child, but it proved short lived- Prince Asad was found complicit in the plotting of the Tyde Rebellion and was executed by House Thrax, and Princess Marjory Thrax was all but exiled, married off to a Lord of House Pravus and unwelcome to the family. Fatima, however, is not bitter that she never really knew her parents. The half-eurusi princess was spoiled constantly by the many servants of House Thrax who sympathized and had loved Princess Marjory and Prince Asad, and she quickly learned how laughably easy it was to twist those sympathies to her own ends while seeming an utterly proper Thrax princess. As the princess grew, sometimes tutored in politics by her heartless grandfather, she saw the awe and sheer respect granted to the highlord by all of his vassals and quickly realized how vulnerable many of those same men were to deft manipulation. And oh, did she grow deft. A true princess of Thrax could never wield political power directly, of course, but why would she ever need to do so? The games are so much more entertaining with her controlling the pieces indirectly. + |
| Fawkes Laurent + | Growing up as the oldest son there was a lot that was expected of him. Having grown up in the Laurent holdings of Artshall, Fawkes, like the rest of his family, took part in the business of breeding and selling horses. A family business which his own Father and Grandfather had started. Fawkes would argue that he knew how to ride long before he knew how to walk, and might actually feel more comfortable on the back of a horse than on his own two feet in some situations. His father joined the military, while Fawkes was still young, giving the boy something more than horse breeding to fill his dreams with. Dreams of combat, fighting, sword play, and all those other adventurous, romantic notions that a child might have of what it means being an Oathlander, being a knight, being a soldier. His father eventually died in battle, leaving to to fall upon his shoulders to step up and be the man of the family. Upon hearing of his father's death, Timothy Laurent, whom only ever came to his father when his steed needed care beyond that of what his stable hands were capable of, took pity on the family and offered Fawkes the chance to become his squire, giving the family another source of income and greater social backing should they have need of it. While still alive his father would often return home from war and encourage Fawkes' dreams of joining the cavalry and becoming a knight; taking a hand in teaching him to wield a weapon, or to behave in the way many felt appropriate for a knight, or future knight. Upon being given that offer by Timothy, Fawkes at first tried turning it down, saying he needed to stay and help out his family, but it was his mother who nudged the young man into accepting and being able to actually chase after his dream. His time with Timothy was spent training to be part of the Laurent cavalry, and learning the ways of being a knight. Another war broke out in the region during this time, forcing Fawkes to join in the fighting alongside Timothy. Fortunately the campaign was short lived and successful, after which, Timothy having been impressed by Fawke's deeds worked to finish his training and further the process of getting him knighted. + |
| Fawkuhl Valardin + | Younger children of great houses that are extremely unlikely to ever sit as high lord are often encouraged to pursue other avenues for power for their families, and Fawkuhl felt an extremely early drive to make his mark in the Faith of the Pantheon. A precocious child that was marked by an early fervor for the Faith and the theology behind the different gods, he became a priest of the Pantheon while still a teenager. Even though in theory all priests of the Pantheon are equal and renounce their ties to their families as they take their vows, being the younger brother of a high lord cleared the way inside an institution that had historically been dominated by House Valardin. A popular, effective orator that was well regarded, he was still a surprise nomination for Dominus by the Legates when the previous elderly Dominus died of heart failure, but not before specifically adopting Fawkuhl as a protege and saying he 'saw the mark of the gods in him'. He was appointed Dominus unanimously by the Convocation of the Faith. + |
| Faye Ruger + | Despite growing up a commoner, Faye Ruger was treated with a degree of respect and even fear that she never could grow accustomed to. The daughter of the previous Master of Questions of the Inquisition, her father was responsible for ferreting out the threats to the Compact and bringing the enemies of the Crown to justice, and Faye quickly learned as a child just how feared the Inquisition truly was. It pained her to see innocent men and women legitimately afraid of the institution, and deeply offended her that some would imagine that her good and honorable father would be capable of the kind of arbitrary maliciousness that some ascribe to the Crown's investigative arm. Certainly the Inquisition has to make difficult, even cruel choices at times for the good of everyone, but she never saw her father be capricious or unjust, and she grew up expecting to follow in his footsteps to safeguard the Realm. Her father Berthold Ruger's death a decade ago solidified that vague expectation into a burning desire, and there's perhaps no more dedicated investigator inside the entire Inquisition. Certainly that's what her partner and constant companion Prince Laric Grayson feels about her, with his freewheeling and imaginative nature a perfect match for her dedicated, calculating resolve. It's not easy, and she's had to do plenty of things to protect the realm that can make one lose sleep at night, but this is what she was born to do. + |
| Fecundo Rubino-Zaffria + | Fecundo has a good sense of humor about his name. His mother named him thus because she had so much trouble getting pregnant that she was certain he would be her only child, and thus he would need to give her all of the grandchildren in the world. Naturally, his younger sister Miranda was born not even two years later. Nevertheless, in his mother's mind, he was the perfect child, the favored one, and the world revolved around him, and anything Fecundo wanted he could have. This might have ruined someone less good-natured than he, but despite being spoiled, Fecundo is a charming and friendly sort. As a boy, he traveled to Southport to train militarily with his father's family. Before he left, his mother made sure he had the best armor and the best weapons a boy could possibly want. Yet he wrote home at least three times, begging for another sword, claiming his had broken. In reality, he'd given them away to fellow squires who were not as fortunate as he because he knew his wealthy mother would indulge him in anything he asked. He had to swear his little sister to secrecy so that she wouldn't squeal on him, but since he presented her with one of the nicer swords, she was quite mollified and has kept his secrets to this day. Fecundo sought out the knighthood because he thought it would be an opportunity to learn new and interesting things. He went with Gemecitta's troops to Setarco and saw some awesomely weird things, so he's quite interested and very excited about seeing more of the world. One of the reasons he set out for Arx was because there are so many bastions of learning there -- and it was also an excellent opportunity to get away from his stifling crazy mother. Good with a sword and a bit of a show-off, he's always kind to those in need. He's slightly overwhelmed at the number of opportunities available in Arx, but he's drawn to the throngs of people and the endless possibilities. + |
| Fecundo Valardin + | Fecundo has a good sense of humor about his name. His mother named him thus because she had so much trouble getting pregnant that she was certain he would be her only child, and thus he would need to give her all of the grandchildren in the world. Naturally, his younger sister Miranda was born not even two years later. Nevertheless, in his mother's mind, he was the perfect child, the favored one, and the world revolved around him, and anything Fecundo wanted he could have. This might have ruined someone less good-natured than he, but despite being spoiled, Fecundo is a charming and friendly sort. As a boy, he traveled to Southport to train militarily with his father's family. Before he left, his mother made sure he had the best armor and the best weapons a boy could possibly want. Yet he wrote home at least three times, begging for another sword, claiming his had broken. In reality, he'd given them away to fellow squires who were not as fortunate as he because he knew his wealthy mother would indulge him in anything he asked. He had to swear his little sister to secrecy so that she wouldn't squeal on him, but since he presented her with one of the nicer swords, she was quite mollified and has kept his secrets to this day. Fecundo sought out the knighthood because he thought it would be an opportunity to learn new and interesting things. He went with Gemecitta's troops to Setarco and saw some awesomely weird things, so he's quite interested and very excited about seeing more of the world. One of the reasons he set out for Arx was because there are so many bastions of learning there -- and it was also an excellent opportunity to get away from his stifling crazy mother. Good with a sword and a bit of a show-off, he's always kind to those in need. He's slightly overwhelmed at the number of opportunities available in Arx, but he's drawn to the throngs of people and the endless possibilities. + |
| Felicia Harrow + | With ancestors who were Prodigal and growing up in the Lower Boroughs, life was far from easy for Felicia. 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, all the way down to Felicia and one of her other siblings. 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. It was only recent history when a fire broke out in the Ward of the Crown one evening while Felicia and a small number of the Iron Guard were on patrol. A home within the palace's ward was on fire and the majority of the Iron Guard in her presence froze. Notably at least one of them ran off to raise the alarm, but the rest stood marvelling at the flames. Felicia didn't have time for that, she wanted to get home and attend to her little garden, and have a stiff drink. She put boot to door and disappeared inside. Over the course of nearly ten minutes and multiple trips, Felicia was able to recover at least a half dozen nobles from indoors ranging from small children to adults. Covered in soot and reeking of smoke, Felicia had put herself at enormous personal risk on a whim. As happens when people of merit put themselves at risk for little noticeable gain, it gained the notice of some. In this case it was someone intimately familiar with the Ward of the Crown and that at least held a tacit relationship with the Iron Guard through mutual service. The First Captain at the time of the King's Own, Rymarr, reached out to Felicia. An offer was made, an offer was questioned. She was no knight and the King's Own were a collection of talented knights of varying degrees of skill but most assuredly known for their many acts of bravery and valor throughout the centuries. Rudimentary training was provided by a number of noteworthy names within the King's Own, prior to Felicia taking her oath. Bringing her to speed for the Silver Swords, instilling in her the importance of their duty, their professionalism, and ultimately the demand for their unified front again threats to the Crown. The price was high, without a doubt, but Felicia became Dame Felicia Harrow. Cast aside some of her obligations and ties beyond the King's Own, but in doing so earned the ability to call herself a knight of the King's Own. Which has also had the fortunate side effect of rarely wanting for at least basic needs. The palace baths? Too die for. Palace food? Amazing. The past few months has been completely worth the need to lay her life on the line in protection of the Sovereign. + |
| Felix Meadson + | Felix's mother was a barwench, and his father the bartender of a lower class hole in the Thraxian capital city. Everyone assumed Felix would become your typical ne'er-do-well, or wretch of a human being. No one expected a damned thing from him. Except one person. That one person saved Felix from a destiny of mediocrity and made him great. Everyone called him Ol' Jann. Most considered him to have the illustrious title of the Town Drunk or Crazy Old Man. He was the butt of jokes, the cautionary tale, and the constant in a seaside town full of fishermen. No one knew how old he was, but he was always there. Felix was just a kid, not old enough to hold a broom when he came upon Ol' Jann, sleeping it off in the waste behind the tavern. Felix watched him for a little while, before getting his stuffed animal and tucking it under the man's arm. Ol' Jann woke up as Felix was walking away and called after the boy. He had an old, old stuffed bear in his pack, and asked Felix if he wanted to hear a story. Ol' Jann told the best stories. Stories of glory days, of mighty battles, pirates, reaving up and down the coasts. He told stories of the mighty weapons, the heroes of legends, the great and the gory. Felix ate everyone up. He loved the stories, would often act out his favorite parts, much to the old man's amusement. He used sticks as weapons and one day, confided that he wished he could afford a real sword, so he could be a real pirate. Ol' Jann said four words that changed his life forever. "So make one, boy." Make one. So simple, so brilliant. Felix watched a blacksmith through the window one night, and thought it looked pretty easy. He snuck in and started pounding, which obviously woke up the blacksmith. Even more obviously, he was pretty angry, but saw what this kid had done, and how quickly, he cuffed the boy on the ear, told him he was doing it wrong, and showed him how. The blacksmith saw what Ol' Jann saw. There was something about this kid. Felix caught on quickly, and within the first year of his apprenticeship, the local garrison would only get their weapons repaired by the blacksmith and Felix. By the fifth year, the Commander of the garrison commissioned a weapon from Felix specifically. Soon after, the Royal Family commissioned swords from the boy, and moved him to Arx, to tend and craft for the royals there. Three months into his apprenticeship, Felix crafted his first blade, fashioned after a story Ol' Jann told about his very first sword. It was a plain thing, but heavy and sharp, and the boy rushed to present it to the old man who kept him from a life of nothingness. He found him in bed. Ol' Jann looked at the boy, and looked at the sword. He smiled, patted his hand, and then died, a look of pride on his face. Felix didn't cry. Thrax men don't cry. He left his sword under Ol' Jann's arm. The whole town showed up for the funeral of the man that had always been there, and to this day, they tell the story of the fine sword he went to the sea with, and the boy who made it. Felix never tells that story, only the ones he collects now, knowing how the world can change, because of them. + |
| Fenia Unknown + | A wanderer, Farmhand, Traveling companion of a minstrel, and village midwife for a time. Can ride well and is a decent shot with a bow and arrow, oddly enough, but her main talent is in persuasion and a knack for planning. + |
| Fergus Redrain + | Few warriors in the Northlands had as bright and promising start as Prince Fergus Redrain. Wild, bold, and a natural born talent with a blade, the prince accompanied high lord Sherrod Redrain on his first campaigns against the shavs, letting the the young man win the acclaim of his uncle and liege in battle. At first, Fergus loved the wars, winning the renown for his talents and ferocity and delighting in the honors heaped upon him, even as he was named Sword of Farhaven and champion of House Redrain. Fergus always expected the first few victories against worthy foes would be the end of it, but there never was an end. Battles dragged on, he lost more and more friends, and started to see things he had turned a blind eye to or did things he deeply regrets. Then he served with Duke Vercyn in some of the most brutal and bloody campaigns, helping 'the hungry wolf' crush some of the worst enemies in the Northlands in ways few couldn't label atrocities. That was enough to get Fergus to swear off the blade, and talented champion or no, he wanted nothing more to do with it and turned his uncle down on an offer to come to Arx, preferring to live a quiet existence up in Farhaven. And now there's more guilt for Fergus to live with. The retired champion was in Farhaven during the King's Rest, when forces unknown slew Prince Sherrod Redrain and put the king of the entire Compact into a coma. Fergus was arguably the strongest warrior in the entire north, the Sword of Farhaven, and he wasn't there. He should have been, he hates that he wasn't, but now there's no helping it. He's taken the sword again, and headed south to help his cousin Prince Darren, the new Prince of Farhaven and high lord of House Redrain. He doesn't even know who is responsible yet or who he'll be fighting, but all he can hope is he gets a chance to make amends for what's gone before. + |
| Ferrando Artiglio + | The Lyceum is renowned (infamous, from some perspectives) for its cultural bent towards a certain pragmatic flexibility in comparison to the rest of the Compact's norms and traditions. Every culture has its outliers, however, and Ferrando to his mild chagrin has turned out to be one of them. It's not that he doesn't take pride in being a Lenosian or love and appreciate his family. He is simply the kind of confident idealist that will stand up for what he thinks is right no matter the odds, and thusly is absolutely terrible at the hallmark pragmatic flexibility of the south. Growing up as an Artiglio and a prodigiously big, tough, and strong one at that, it was only natural that like his famed Captain of the Guard uncle Giovanni he would be fast tracked into the Lenosian Guard himself. Not only just because he was big, tough, and strong, but because it was also fairly clear early on that he did not have a merchant's aptitude for either wheeling or dealing or maximizing profit margins in general. Unfortunately, his tenure in the Guard was largely a debacle in the end. It wasn't because he wasn't any good at being a guard, per se; he took to armsmanship like a prodigy and went on longer patrols and worked harder than anyone. What he wasn't very good at, however, was following rules and authority. Or rather, he was when he thought they were good rules and good orders but unhesitantly went off-script when he didn't. The Guard was there to keep order, Ferrando was there to help people and lay the smack down on anybody who tried getting rough, and if that resulted in slightly less order on balance he was not bothered by it at all. He simply wasn't having any part of participating in the casual corruption or letting the minions of powerful people get away with things. Needless to say, this sort of loose cannon cop do-gooding did not exactly play well with either the criminal gangs or his superiors and Ferrando racked up a collection of immensely irritated enemies in a few short years. It was at this point that the Artiglios decided to pull some strings before Ferrando pushed somebody too far, and so he was for all practical intents and purposes kicked out of the Guard and sent to Arx. Ironically enough, he quickly thrived in Arx. As per usual, his sticking up for random strangers earned him a job when he came across someone being threatened by a minor noble and intimidated the noble into backing off. Said someone turned out to be a Whisper, and just like that he was a "remedial etiquette instructor" (i.e. bouncer) at the Whisper House with a steady salary and an excellently furnished suite to stay in, and from there soon enough rose to be the House's head of security. For a time, he also held a bit of a side hustle/hobby of "independent security consultant" (i.e. bodyguard) on a few expeditions here and there, but the return of Skald to the Pantheon of the Faith filled a hole he was never quite able to articulate before; the primacy of choices, and the importance of choosing to being true to yourself no matter if it means you stand alone. He became one of the founding Liberators of the Discipleship of Skald, and often spends time at the shrine having found it a way to help people that doesn't necessarily oblige him to intimidate bad guys (or punch them in the face) in the process. He also met the fiery forgemistress Eithne Thornburn, and over time ended up settling down with her to raise their daughter Carson together. It's an unconventional path for a kid from Lenosia, but he's made it work out, and it's worked out rather well for him at that. + |
| Ferris Ulbran + | Born an Ulbran on the streets of the Lowers, Ferris soon proved that he was never going to be a pickpocket or a sneak thief, and temperamentally he just wasn't suited to the criminal life - so his mother found him an apprenticeship with a smith, and he found himself enjoying it. After mostly churning out nails for the dockyards for a few years, he decided to take to the road and learn more; nails became horseshoes, arrow heads and tools, and Ferris wandered the breadth of Arvum as a travelling smith. After the first few crude bits of plate armour left his anvil he realised that that was what he most enjoyed making, and sought further training; after spending time with the armies of various Highlords, and more importantly with their smiths, he found himself supplying the soldiers retaking Bastion. In the wake of that conflict - and with a good purse of money in his favour - he's returned to Arx to rejoin the family and set up shop as a professional armoursmith. After all, everyone knows how much money you can make in Arx if you're good enough, and Ferris is entirely confident that he's good enough. + |
| Fiachra Greenmarch + | With a father crippled in battle prior to his birth, and a mother who fell to illness when he was but five, Fiachra grew up with the kind of fierce independence expected from those who had self-responsibility thrust upon them from youth. He always had a strong affinity for the Greenwood, and came to know its paths and all the variety of flora and fauna that called it home. Over time, he became a skilled woodsman and aided in the defence of the lands that his clan had held for centuries against all threats. Honestly, he probably would have been content living out his days there, but change is inevitable, especially as a nephew of the Greenmarch chief, Marcel. When the Greenmarch Abandoned bent their knee and became members of the Compact, the ability to be flexible in one's worldview became a trait necessary for survival. In truth, of all his immediate family members, it's probably his younger sister that most embodies that particular quality. She's headed now to Arx to embrace this new world of opportunity that has opened up to them, and their father has tasked Fiachra with accompanying Eirlys to keep watch over her. + |
| Fiachra Valardin + | With a father crippled in battle prior to his birth, and a mother who fell to illness when he was but five, Fiachra grew up with the kind of fierce independence expected from those who had self-responsibility thrust upon them from youth. He always had a strong affinity for the Greenwood, and came to know its paths and all the variety of flora and fauna that called it home. Over time, he became a skilled woodsman and aided in the defence of the lands that his clan had held for centuries against all threats. Honestly, he probably would have been content living out his days there, but change is inevitable, especially as a nephew of the Greenmarch chief, Marcel. When the Greenmarch Abandoned bent their knee and became members of the Compact, the ability to be flexible in one's worldview became a trait necessary for survival. In truth, of all his immediate family members, it's probably his younger sister that most embodies that particular quality. She's headed now to Arx to embrace this new world of opportunity that has opened up to them, and their father has tasked Fiachra with accompanying Eirlys to keep watch over her. + |
| Fianna Crovane + | Fianna was an impish child that delighted in jokes and pranks of a good-natured variety. She was instilled with a love of nature and animals from a young age by her family. While her older brothers were training with swords and axes, young Fianna could be found playing with the hunting dogs, visiting the stables, or climbing trees in the forest. There many an afternoon when her family would be forced into an impromptu game of hide and seek to coax her indoors for meals. As she grew however, her hoydenish ways became tempered as she spent more and more time working with the animals of Crovane. Her favorite lessons came from the stablemaster, learning to tame and train new horses, and later, how to breed them. Even as her eldest brother took on the mantle of Duke, Fianna stuck to her own little world of hunting and training animals. When Somhairle died and Asger was elevated to the title, she made him a promise that she would breed and train the best warhorses and hunting dogs in all of Arvum. Its a promise that she has worked hard to keep ever since. When her home was threatened by dark forces, she sent her beloved animals to the Ducal estate in Arx, hoping for a quick resolution so she could return to her self-appointed task. With Stormall in ashes, the young noblewoman finds herself shellshocked and making her way south to Arx. + |
| Fianna Volkov + | Fianna was an impish child that delighted in jokes and pranks of a good-natured variety. She was instilled with a love of nature and animals from a young age by her family. While her older brothers were training with swords and axes, young Fianna could be found playing with the hunting dogs, visiting the stables, or climbing trees in the forest. There many an afternoon when her family would be forced into an impromptu game of hide and seek to coax her indoors for meals. As she grew however, her hoydenish ways became tempered as she spent more and more time working with the animals of Crovane. Her favorite lessons came from the stablemaster, learning to tame and train new horses, and later, how to breed them. Even as her eldest brother took on the mantle of Duke, Fianna stuck to her own little world of hunting and training animals. When Somhairle died and Asger was elevated to the title, she made him a promise that she would breed and train the best warhorses and hunting dogs in all of Arvum. Its a promise that she has worked hard to keep ever since. When her home was threatened by dark forces, she sent her beloved animals to the Ducal estate in Arx, hoping for a quick resolution so she could return to her self-appointed task. With Stormall in ashes, the young noblewoman finds herself shellshocked and making her way south to Arx. + |
| Fidel Charon + | Lord Fidel Threerivers' childhood was defined by the beginning of his lifelong fascination with shamanism. Where did that fascination begin? Well, that's guaranteed to be a good story if the way the Threerivers' older generation quickly smiles, deflects, and pivots on to the next topic is any indication. Or, for that matter, the handful of his early years where not a single one of them, not even his father the late Count of Highrock, deign to mention him in their white journals at all. Those minor details aside, he seems to have had a productive adolescence and spent years traveling throughout the northlands with a more worldly aunt, acquainting himself with the land and its people, not that he ever became a shaman. They tended to find his interest uncomfortable, if not altogether off-putting. By sheer dumb luck or some vague misfortune, Lord Fidel was away from Highrock when the short but bloody conflict with House Bellerive began, serving as a wilderness guide for Scholars studying unique fauna a month out from his ancestral home, only returning as the last body was buried beneath the earth. The weeks following were something of a helpless whirlwind for poor Fidel. Uninvolved as he was in governance due to certain gaps in his education, Fidel found himself losing his cool more than once in angry tirades and rants that likely complicated the peacemaking process rather than bringing his feuding older siblings back together in friendship as he would have liked. Before long, he found himself swept away to the newly founded House Charon to serve as his sister Magaen's advisor on all matters pertaining the superstitious common-folk of their new holding. Not that he prescribes to any of it himself, of course! Let's change the subject, shall we? + |
| Filshiar Shieldborne + | Filshiar was a third son of a second son, and in many respects, no one special. His mother was a blacksmith who worked long hours at her smithy, serving the scouts of Farhaven and the knights of the House of Redrain; his father was a shaman and a healer who worked closely with the Mercies of Lagoma at Farhaven. As a boy, he trained aggressively, showing early aptitude for the blade. He was the strongest of the young boys his age, consistently; the fastest, consistently; and a stalwart influence on the youth and the squires who trained together. He was a firm hand to keep the strong from mocking the weak, gently insistent and too large and disciplined even in youth for even the sharpest young bully to defy him. It was this consistent attitude, as well as his strengths in the practice yard, that drew the attention of the knight who eventually took him on as squire. The boy whose instincts are to protect the weak until they grow stronger is a good boy to train. He spent long hours in the wilds as a squire and scout, listening carefully to the forest and learning the ways in snow or sunshine. He was never particularly boisterous, inclined to an introverted reserve, but his smile was always warm, and he made strong connections with the other squires, and as he grew older, with the other knights. His aptitude could not be denied. He was strong, and fast, and sure; and more than that, he was dedicated. He was a warrior, and an able one, who proved himself time and time again in the practice yard, and whose swordwork left nothing to be denied in the field, either. Filshiar drew many eyes by virtue of his prowess in the field and by virtue of his looks, but though he was not averse to warming the bed of this person or that, he found true connection elusive. The grand passion and romance of the storybook was simply not to be found for him in the arms of a pretty maid or a rough young scout, no matter how he tried, and he found that it made less heartbreak for others if he began to turn down advances. He focused on service and spent more time walking alone in the woods, listening to the sound of the wind in the trees, and thinking about how it could sound like music. He was in his twenties by the time he was assigned to travel to the South, part of Prince Darren's detachment to Arx, and bore quiet witness to many strange and interesting things. Already tested at the time of the siege of the Silence, he made himself impossible to overlook in battle against the Bringers, in an epic fight that should have been his last stand but for a combination of his abilities and some damned good luck. It was not the first or last time he would distinguish himself before the eyes of the Compact, but it was certainly one of the most memorable, and after it, the first overture was made to suggest that he might -- maybe, just maybe -- have the stuff to serve as a Knight of the King's Own. Someday. Someday came sooner than expected when a series of events and circumstances led him to take a warrior's samaritan aid to the King's Own in holding a bridge, during an attempt upon the life of His Majesty staged by corrupt influences within His Majesty's Inquisition. It was after that fateful day that Filshiar shyly accepted and took oath with the finest knights in Arvum. + |
| Filusae Tyde + | As a very young child the memory of screaming, jostling and the scent of just everything that can burn blazing away - Filusae still stares into the dark at night, remembering the dim gloom of days being carried away by frantic hands and a trembling voice she can only remember as Mother's. The sound of cracked lightning and feeling constantly soaked upon a small, questionable vessel through dark waters and heavy rains. Clammy hands, attempting to be comforting only creating a more horrifying experience to gaze upon a once serene face tear-stained with pale hair disheveled. Where was father? What was happening? The capacity to understand escaped her, only to be brought to light as she grew in the home of her Mother's inlaws, among House Groverfield, far from the destruction of the Sack of Tydehall and the fall of House Tyde. Murmurs through the years from her mother revealed that maybe it could have all been different if her grandfather were alive, were there. While the years passed by, Filusae was brought up fairly sheltered but well educated in things that brought her interest, taking a past-time in collecting objects that would shine or make pleasant sounds she naturally found an appreciation for coin and dealing with it. Only twice did those in the home she was raised by and with attempt to take her near the docks and ships, ending in a wildly violent exchange with some staggering away nursing scratched arms or a face. The absolute panic of being so near a ship for so little a reason as 'a fun trip' did not strike her well; Maybe just being at the docks would not have been so bad were it not for the intent to convince her to board the vile ship for such an unacceptable reason. Maybe were it to visit a pen-pal, one of two she would have been encouraged to try. Maybe. Recently a worn-looking old man has come to the door, blue eyes as so many. She shut the door in his face, a hint of unease settling over her. Only later to find the very same man in the parlor with her mother looking pale and confused... What grandfather? Who? That man would be ancient and was supposed to be long-assumed dead. + |
| Fiora Laurent + | Fiora is the eldest child of Lord Romeo Malvici, the younger brother of Duchess Adona Malvici and consequently the first cousin of the sitting Duke. Her childhood, for the most part, was consistent with those of most noble children - save for the Malvici fixation on martial pursuits, unique within the houses of the Lyceum. Fiora discovered early she had neither the bulk nor the drive to become a conventional sword and board warrior, and instead began to focus her training on archery and fencing with lighter blades and armor. She was naturally nimble, with the nearly poetic grace of a cat, and her regime was tailored to take advantage of such natural talent. When it rains, however, it pours. Her mother passed after a difficult birthing of a set of twins when she was nine, and a war between her family and the Fidantes engulfed Southport shortly afterward. Her father fell in one of the ensuing battles and she was nearly killed after a poorly thought out quest for vengeance. By age twelve, she was a significantly more sullen girl. She took her vow to mother to look after her siblings to heart, but it was difficult to do in lieu of her own emotional turmoil, especially as a teenager. No one doubted her intentions were noble, but she lashed out frequently, in public and in private. Adulthood has given her more patience and a longer perspective, but the hurt little girl is still there beneath the surface, seething and threatening to come out when she becomes overwhelmed. She is an enigmatic combination of ice and fire, and nobody is quite sure if there's more of one or the other. She served dutifully as a Voice for House Malvici for many years before the completion of the Great Road brought about a series of tense and uncomfortable situations along the border of the Oathlands and Lyceum. It was in the resolution of those burgeoning brushfire wars that she became better acquainted with the leadership of House Laurent, the Malvici's neighbor to the west. A marriage of duty was forged between herself and one of the many perfectly acceptable (and perfectly dull and utterly obsessed with horses) cousins of the duke. Since then she's been known as Lady Fiora Laurent and enjoys a position of trust within her married family. Sadly, her husband was one of those lost in an attack upon the keep that saw not only his death, but that of the duchess and several other nobles of the house. + |
| Fiora Malvici + | Fiora is the eldest child of Lord Romeo Malvici, the younger brother of Duchess Adona Malvici and consequently the first cousin of the sitting Duke. Her childhood, for the most part, was consistent with those of most noble children - save for the Malvici fixation on martial pursuits, unique within the houses of the Lyceum. Fiora discovered early she had neither the bulk nor the drive to become a conventional sword and board warrior, and instead began to focus her training on archery and fencing with lighter blades and armor. She was naturally nimble, with the nearly poetic grace of a cat, and her regime was tailored to take advantage of such natural talent. When it rains, however, it pours. Her mother passed after a difficult birthing of a set of twins when she was nine, and a war between her family and the Fidantes engulfed Southport shortly afterward. Her father fell in one of the ensuing battles and she was nearly killed after a poorly thought out quest for vengeance. By age twelve, she was a significantly more sullen girl. She took her vow to mother to look after her siblings to heart, but it was difficult to do in lieu of her own emotional turmoil, especially as a teenager. No one doubted her intentions were noble, but she lashed out frequently, in public and in private. Adulthood has given her more patience and a longer perspective, but the hurt little girl is still there beneath the surface, seething and threatening to come out when she becomes overwhelmed. She is an enigmatic combination of ice and fire, and nobody is quite sure if there's more of one or the other. She served dutifully as a Voice for House Malvici for many years before the completion of the Great Road brought about a series of tense and uncomfortable situations along the border of the Oathlands and Lyceum. It was in the resolution of those burgeoning brushfire wars that she became better acquainted with the leadership of House Laurent, the Malvici's neighbor to the west. A marriage of duty was forged between herself and one of the many perfectly acceptable (and perfectly dull and utterly obsessed with horses) cousins of the duke. Since then she's been known as Lady Fiora Laurent and enjoys a position of trust within her married family. Sadly, her husband was one of those lost in an attack upon the keep that saw not only his death, but that of the duchess and several other nobles of the house. + |
| Flavien Laurent + | Flavien was born second to an offshoot of the Laurent clan. While his older sister Lireth focused on the more political arts, Flavien was given to train as a knight to an elderly sort young. While no less grueling a curriculum, Sir Jarrek focused on imparting his wisdom to his student. As such, Flavien ended up being caught up in more intellectual pursuits by and large than the wars occurring around. While off handling some minor skirmish off for his mentor, there was some oddity at the family home. When his sister fell ill unders strange circumstances, he begged to be let back. While there were strange rumors surrounding the illness, an execution of a suitor presumably poisoning the woman seemed to allow her to come back to full health. At such a point, however, Flavien was asked to move on from this service. As such he petitioned a relative, Cristoph, to come and serve under this branch of the family should he have him. + |
| Flora Sanna + | A younger daughter of a lesser line out of Giant's Reach, Flora was called, young, to the Pantheon, in a holding that where shamanism was predominant. It wasn't that Flora felt any need to neglect the spirits particularly, but somehow she knew, Knew, with a whole heart, very young, that the gods were real, were necessary, were critical to her existence. Of course-- especially young children in an area of the North that could be scrappy, well, she ended up in a lot of ... scrappy little fights. Young and fierce, she drew the attention of a knight who was there with an entourage of Oathlanders who were seeking to potentially court one of the Marquis's family for a marriage alliance, and somehow, what with one thing and another, it was agreed that she would squire for him. Flora worked very hard as a squire, in service to Gloria and the Sentinel. It was the culmination of her life's work and her life's faith when she finally was sworn a knight before the Grandmaster of the Templars. She is still young and new to this career, but loves it with the fullness of her heart. + |
| Flynt Myrt + | Son of a commoner, who enlisted on a merchant ship and sailed the world in order to escape abuse at home. + |
| Forato Fidante + | Born a Fidante 23 long years ago, this lad fell into the hands of a southern tribe of Abandoned during the Tor-Southport war when but a toddler. Sold as a slave for a few years he ended up in the service of a Witch Doctor who was steeped in the Demonic traditions. While never truly allowed to forget his place as a slave, he gained great knowledge of the enemies of the Compact, of their religions and their tactics. For some reason the Witch kept him always near but never allowed him to be taught any vocation other than that of a menial servant. When found and rescued in a raid only a year ago, the young Fidante finds himself in a world he had only really been able to imagine, or dream of based on his most distant memories. Now suddenly a noble, instead of a slave. The fated Fidante has his future to find. + |
| Ford Kennex + | Sent away at an relatively early age to school and study in both Southern and Oathland cities, Ford gained unique and certain sensibilities from those 'mainlanders'. It is there he learned the nuances of politics and how to present one's self. It's also where he didn't grow the prickly, stereotypical Thrax exterior and interior. In a way he's a child of two worlds. This, was by the design of his father, Denholm Kennex knew what Thrax politics were like. His father knew that Thrax begets Thrax in an ever spinning wheel. So Denholm endeavored to take the Thrax out of his son, he needed a Thrax that wasn't Thrax to rule Stormward. And that's exactly what he got. When Ford returned to Stormward after word his father had passed in his sleep, the hold itself was already being courted for coup by an overeager captain with ambitions far larger than his status. The captain having positioned his ships in a way to blockade Stormward from the rest of the world. It's unknown precisely what happened, but within a week's time, the captain and all his ships had disappeared. While it was initially thought the would-be usurper and his cohorts had fled, months passed with no trace of them, and servants in Stormwald have refused to ever speak of what occurred. + |
| Fortescue Antoni + | Fortescue was born the middle child of three to a close side branch of the Antoni merchant family in Southport. Due to the family's relative privilege as commoners, he was afforded a solid education. He never worried about going hungry, always had a warm bed and a roof overhead. In fact, if you ask him, the great tragedy of his life was how utterly predictable and unmysterious his early years were. But things get hazy around his 14th birthday. He started realizing he could trade information for favors among the customers at his mother's shop. And then he ran afoul of the son of a smuggling operation, which - perhaps luckily - resulted in him being recruited to their cause for a little while. When he turned 16, his father enrolled him in the Southport Academy for military training in an attempt to straighten him out. It was a dismal failure. While he gained only minimal military prowess during his time at the academy, Fortescue did have the opportunity to meet Lord Martino Malvici. Seeing some potential in him, Martino agreed to take Fortescue on as a student once he completed the requisite two years at the academy. The Malvici lord brought the merchant's son in as one of the stewards and coached him on improving the skills he would need. It wasn't long after that Martino took on Lady Medeia Saik as a student, as well. In a wondrous turn of events, Fortescue and Medeia got along great! While Medeia stayed in Saikland Greens and only visited Southport on occasion, the pair exchanged friendly letters to help one another through various concerns about their studies or challenges they were facing. It took several more years, but when Medeia was called to Arx by her baroness, Martino saw the Saik Lady would bee in need of a solid assistant - who better than someone who already understood her? So, he arranged for Fortescue to travel to the city, too. With the pair reunited, they got right to work, with him supporting her efforts to host exciting events, keep a finger on the pulse of the city, and pitching in with the Saik staff. With Medeia poised to marry out, and the timely departure of the former head of staff of Saik Tower, Fortescue has found a new role to step into. How will the city treat him, now? + |
| Fortunato Grayhope + | Fortunato has always been a watcher and a sketcher, although the compulsive drawing was less charming on the household walls. And compulsive curiosity is not always charming when it involves prying into the kind of everyday secrets adults keep from children. But Fortunato survived childhood and his artistic skill got him an apprenticeship quite early. That he then learned what he thought he could from his mentor and promptly struck out on his own may be a factor in being less than financially successful. Fortunato remains on the periphery, if it's an oddly well-connected, adventuresome periphery. (Rumor has it he even ineffectually went after a Bringer or two with his staff.) Other than producing the occasional art show or temple mural, his primary public role is that of a disciple of Lagoma, and he does find fulfillment in helping people with the shifts and storms of their lives. For all his drive to know and experience, he seems to lack any ambition for personal advancement, anywhere. All that matters is the next epiphany, either for him or someone else. + |
| Fortunato Whisper + | Fortunato has always been a watcher and a sketcher, although the compulsive drawing was less charming on the household walls. And compulsive curiosity is not always charming when it involves prying into the kind of everyday secrets adults keep from children. But Fortunato survived childhood and his artistic skill got him an apprenticeship quite early. That he then learned what he thought he could from his mentor and promptly struck out on his own may be a factor in being less than financially successful. Fortunato remains on the periphery, if it's an oddly well-connected, adventuresome periphery. (Rumor has it he even ineffectually went after a Bringer or two with his staff.) Other than producing the occasional art show or temple mural, his primary public role is that of a disciple of Lagoma, and he does find fulfillment in helping people with the shifts and storms of their lives. For all his drive to know and experience, he seems to lack any ambition for personal advancement, anywhere. All that matters is the next epiphany, either for him or someone else. + |
| Franco Gilden + | Originally, Franco's family might've carried high hopes for him. He was far from the ruling line and didn't need to worry about a place of power, but he was intelligent and quick-witted enough to incite hopes of being someone truly accomplished. But too many pressures, too much fighting, and too many expectations finally began to take a toll on him. When he finally got his first taste of freedom - he took it and didn't look back. Signing up with an unruly crew of mercenaries, Franco's price for such a lifestyle was integrating himself into the darker rungs of society and travelling wherever the next wind would carry him. His contact with his family during those days were minimal, but he never completely lost touch. Stefano's understanding of his own wanderlust cemented a bond between them, even if they were rarely compared. When Alessandra disappeared and the guards that served her, obligation finally steered him closer to his roots. The death of the Archduchess Esera and the darkness hounding the walls of Arx had him abandon his more selfish intents and travel to Arx. He's picked up a variety of skills along his unconventional path, but intends to use them now to help safeguard his family. Maybe some sense of obligation reawakened in him with the recent strife. The surge of excitement in the City isn't likely to have dissuaded him near as much as it has drawn him back in, though whether or not he'll forever be able to steer away more selfish intents may prove difficult. + |
| Fray Tirkah + | Fray was born and experienced their early childhood in the slums, having to fight for scraps of food and clothing that could barely be called either. She kept to herself but was easily angered when provoked by others, which made some of the kids weary and left her alone, or others that purposely provoked her knowing she'd lose her temper easily. She lived like this for a while until about her early teens when a weathered-looking Knight who belonged to an Order called The Cleansing Blades, who looked the opposite of pristine caught her beating up other kids with a big stick. After it was over the Knight asked the girl why she was beating up the other kids, and she answered that she did it to stop them from harassing others and that she finally had enough of them provoking her and messing with others. The Knight admired her will to seek action and punish who she deemed guilty, so he took her back to his lowly, small, but recognized Order of Knights. She spent the rest of her childhood and teenage years there learning to be a Knight within The Cleansing Blades. There she was taught that everyone aside from the Crownship and gods themselves should be treated equally in the eyes of Justice. She was taught that her existence is to now defend the weak and punish the corrupt using her own judgement. + |
| Frederik Steelhart + | The middle child of his predecessor, the true heir, Roslyn Steelhart, died sick in bed after she took with an illness that to this day could never be truly diagnosed by even the best physicians in the Oathlands. Frederik never had ambitions towards the Highhill seat, but took to it dutifully, despite his younger brother, Gregor, being the favored son. Ruling the Steelhart lands with a patience few others could muster, Frederik served the Oathlands and Highhill both on the field of battle and as a shrewd statesman. On the eve of his fiftieth birthday, the nearest fishing community to his lands were attacked, and while his son Lionel and Gregor went to fight off the Shav raiders, Frederik's nephews attempted a coup in favor of their father. While the younger and cowardly of the two, Seth, thought his wife Lydia and daughter Sara easy targets, the older, Padraig, drew his sword against the Count, forcing an honor duel to the death. After killing Padraig and being badly wounded in the process, Frederik found Seth subdued by his wife, while his brother Gregor carried his son's corpse home. These events define the state of the Steelhart family now, a bitter sadness and resentment that led to Lydia's suicide. The Steelharts are loyal dogs however, and with the Tragedy at Sanctum still lingering in the minds of Oathlanders everywhere, their differences have been put aside to unite as servants to the Valardins first, and maybe, someday, a family again. + |
| Fredrik Redtyde + | Born as the third son to the Redtyde March, Fredrik was in no place to inherit any lands or real sense of political power, but he was blessed with a rather keen sense of observation and an attention to detail. And so he was often given the House's paperwork and left to tend to their businesses from as early an age as 16, a task he relished and embraced. And in time, he even married, a minor lady from a barony under Tyde, and they had two children, Garon and Alrik. Unfortunately, all of that was lost when the Tydes rose up in rebellion, washed away with the coming of thraxian banners. The Redtydes refused to abandon their liege lords, and were among the first houses wiped away in the Thraxian march to the Tydes. Fredrik managed to escape, but his wife and children, visiting the Tyde House at the time, were killed along with the rest once it was broken open and laid waste. Fleeing into hiding, Fredrik carried with him a bastard child of Tyde, along with a commoner child, and set to work disguising himself, posing as a merchant and eventually securing his own boat. He did all he could, never abandoning the Tyde cause and raising the children as his own. But many years have passed, and Tyde is reborn! After much caution and deliberation, Fredrik has come forth to meet with Margot, who he has been in contact with for many months, hoping to taie his place under the protection of House Tyde, and give his adopted children the home they deserve. And to serve. Always to serve. + |
| Freja Acheron + | A woman not made for courtly graces, Princess Freja Redrain has always felt at home in the wilds past Farhaven, prowling the wilds with a talent few can match. While many in House Redrain train for martial prowess, most of those soldiers become knights or commanders, as those of royal blood stand for the leadership for the House and rally all the northlands among them. Princess Freja pursued an entirely different calling. Something about Aunt Drea's teachings on shamanism and the old ways of the Northlands resonated deeply with the young woman, as she was raised on stories of Valeria and other women of cunning and strength and how they survived in the deep wilds. She started to train as a scout, an occupation far more frequent with commoners due to its immense dangers, and the bold and utterly fearless woman has showed little regrets of her choice. On more than once, she's led small, highly capable teams of Redrain soldiers patrolling the deep places where the shav forces hide, and leading nimble forces in dangerous games of cat and mouse agaisnt other stalkers in the wilds. As the daughter of Torrud Redrain, the former Sword of Farhaven and champion of the house, and sister to the current one, a degree of courage is expected from her. But the wild woman takes the fearlessness to a degree that catches enemies of House Redrain offguard, and is utterly relentless in seeing the North is safe and respected. + |
| Freja Nightgold + | A woman not made for courtly graces, Princess Freja Redrain has always felt at home in the wilds past Farhaven, prowling the wilds with a talent few can match. While many in House Redrain train for martial prowess, most of those soldiers become knights or commanders, as those of royal blood stand for the leadership for the House and rally all the northlands among them. Princess Freja pursued an entirely different calling. Something about Aunt Drea's teachings on shamanism and the old ways of the Northlands resonated deeply with the young woman, as she was raised on stories of Valeria and other women of cunning and strength and how they survived in the deep wilds. She started to train as a scout, an occupation far more frequent with commoners due to its immense dangers, and the bold and utterly fearless woman has showed little regrets of her choice. On more than once, she's led small, highly capable teams of Redrain soldiers patrolling the deep places where the shav forces hide, and leading nimble forces in dangerous games of cat and mouse agaisnt other stalkers in the wilds. As the daughter of Torrud Redrain, the former Sword of Farhaven and champion of the house, and sister to the current one, a degree of courage is expected from her. But the wild woman takes the fearlessness to a degree that catches enemies of House Redrain offguard, and is utterly relentless in seeing the North is safe and respected. + |
| Freja Redrain + | A woman not made for courtly graces, Princess Freja Redrain has always felt at home in the wilds past Farhaven, prowling the wilds with a talent few can match. While many in House Redrain train for martial prowess, most of those soldiers become knights or commanders, as those of royal blood stand for the leadership for the House and rally all the northlands among them. Princess Freja pursued an entirely different calling. Something about Aunt Drea's teachings on shamanism and the old ways of the Northlands resonated deeply with the young woman, as she was raised on stories of Valeria and other women of cunning and strength and how they survived in the deep wilds. She started to train as a scout, an occupation far more frequent with commoners due to its immense dangers, and the bold and utterly fearless woman has showed little regrets of her choice. On more than once, she's led small, highly capable teams of Redrain soldiers patrolling the deep places where the shav forces hide, and leading nimble forces in dangerous games of cat and mouse agaisnt other stalkers in the wilds. As the daughter of Torrud Redrain, the former Sword of Farhaven and champion of the house, and sister to the current one, a degree of courage is expected from her. But the wild woman takes the fearlessness to a degree that catches enemies of House Redrain offguard, and is utterly relentless in seeing the North is safe and respected. + |
| Furio Rossetti + | Rossetti was a name that carried influence in Tor. The leaders of the family all served the ruling house of Tor, Fidante, in some capacity or another as servants, but when a prominent leader of the Rossetti house was arrested for treason by Lucien, those that oppose the sentence split off from the spotlight and vanished into the darkness, intent on rescuing their elder. Furio was born among the sons and daughters of a generation that only knew two things; the shadows and vengeance. Independent of what the main branch of the Rossetti was doing, these cousins began to establish themselves as ruthless gangsters in the streets of Tor. Furio grew up on those streets alongside other kids, some siblings and cousins, who prowled the street like hungry and wild dogs. Mostly kids, they were spared when collected by the city authorities. Furio himself was picked up by his uncle Vulpiano who had finally gotten his freedom and returned to work for the Fidante household and vassal DiFidante. Disciplined and trained, Furio studied under the tutelage of Vulpiano, diverting from his studies to become a gardener. With the connections of his uncle, he was able to attend a prestigious university in Tor and upon graduation, he was recruited to work on Fidante's rose garden until he met the Duchess of Tor, Calista Fidante, one evening, and earned her appreciation, taking him with her to Arx. + |
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| Gabriel Bisland + | House Bisland's proud lion banners have long been recognized as one of the most steadfast stalwarts of House Grayson, and none exemplar that as well as Duke Gabriel Bisland, the Crown's Lion. As a lifelong friend of the old king, King Alaric Grayson III, they were nearly inseparable in youth and the old king had told Gabriel on more than one occasion he was his brother in soul, if not in blood. A talented and famous knight, he was so trusted by Alaric III that he often led all of House Grayson's forces in battle and has spent the better part of two decades crushing the attempted incursions by Shav hordes trying to test the borders of the crownlands, and much of the stability of recent years was done by his tireless work on the king's behalf. More than once, Gabriel was the only vassal trusted enough to offer counsel to Alaric III, though he is as excruciatingly uncomfortable giving his opinion on the murky, shifting politics of the Compact as he is confident and dauntless when it comes to war. Perhaps his largest regret then is not accompanying King Alaric III when his majesty traveled east to visit House Thrax and try to put an end to the bloody slaughter of the Tyde Rebellion. The arguments at the time made sense- the king wasn't traveling to battle after all, just to speak to warring subjects and bring them to heel, and Gabriel needed to deal with some shav clans striking out of the Gray Forest at fringe settlements on Bisland land. After Alaric III's ship was lost at sea, Gabriel even briefly stood as regent for the king's young son, Alaric IV, and ruled with the concurrence of the five high lords until Alaric IV came of age. Since Alaric IV assumed his responsibilities as king, Duke Gabriel has returned to leading House Bisland and helping his godchild the elder illegitimate daughter of Alaric III, Lady Dawn, rule House Grayson's holdings while Alaric IV saw to the Realm as a whole. In 1015 AR, when the now awakened King Alaric IV found himself under threat by Eurusi and seditionists claiming to support his shockingly alive father, Duke Gabriel announced he was giving up his title and dedicating his life to the safety and success of King Alaric IV. Joining the King's Own, and serving as one of the King's personal bodyguards and advisors. + |
| Gabriella Pravus + | Gabriella is the oldest daughter of Tiberio Pravus, a Sword of Setarco known for his skill and charisma, and a few days after her fifth nameday, she was taken by a deadly malady. Despite all the efforts of House Pravus, and the mountains of silver offered, no physician gave Gabriella a chance. Her mother, Lady Aurora Pravus, would not have it. The headstrong woman gathered her personal guard and rode out of the Silken City and would not return for three weeks. What happened nobody knows, but Gabriella returned sleeping soundly in her mother's arms, resting peacefully for the first time in months. She was cured, a miracle, and Lady Aurora never spoke of it again. From that point forward a fire lit up in the girl. She and her sister Lucrezia were wild together, and Gabriella would find herself desiring to fight. The sisters planned their future together, and while Lucrezia loved the waves, Gabriella dreamt of the battlefield. She would be knighted at the age of seventeen by the ruling Duke then, in the same day her father and the duke were assassinated, and her sister Lucrezia vanished, all thanks to House Argento's machinations. The remainder of the House had no option but to fight back. Viviana would become Sword to protect the new Duchess, the inexperienced Belladonna, while Gabriella took over the command of the Swords of the Evening, her father's men. Consumed by a desire for revenge, Gabriella was vicious in the invasion of Nilanza. None were as cruel or violent as the daughter of Tiberio, something that earned her the title The Butcher's Daughter. War washed her father's honor, but it put a stain on Gabriella's soul. She has become more of a recluse in Setarco, and some say her disease, the one that almost took her life when younger, has returned, but the knight does not confirm or deny it. In the field she looks as healthy as ever, a deadly sin, so what gives? + |
| Gael + | This is the story of a man who, fattened by decadence and luxury, fell to his unconventionally extravagant ways from a high, high perch. Variations in public knowledge leave behind an obfuscated tell to the background behind the man named Gael, but if the right Faithful is prompted - especially if hailing from the Mourning Isles while under some measure of duress - they'll be given a story that leaves little space for envy or admiration alike. But before he was man, he was boy, and as a child he wanted little. Gael was born a royal to Thrax in a night of stormy Winter. Her mother oft told of how the windows cracked to the adversity of his arrival beneath the mighty hail, covered in verglas and piled snow that too mired the moorland surrounding Maelstrom in a sea of white arsenic for but a day. Some would see this as a vile and presagious portend of doom to come, but little Gael arrived fat, his skin was pink, he had five fingers in each hand and five toes in each foot, and so his parents cared little. Not an ailment upon his body, no stigmata of the eyes, markings, nothing; Gael was just a child, like every other, and Thrax embraced him happily for it. In the halls of Maelstrom he grew, joined by other contemporaries to his age in sinister but childish acts of naughtiness all thorough the domain. He grew without sisters or brothers, but with enough cousins to fill a Cathedral, how could he care? They were the siblings he needed. Like all sprouts when dutifully watered and fed, he then grew. And quickly, too. Too quickly. Coming into his teen years destructively like the very storm that bore him, Gael distanced himself from the usual family with which he mingled when much younger by deciding that a life of violence and martial training wasn't to his taste. That like his mother, coincidentally of Lycene roots, he'd partake in things seen as deviant to some and unlike the cultural expectation of Thraxian lifestyle according to his father. And so it was that he began a life of excess in every regard. He set aside the sword, the shield and duty, to care for only himself and his needs... soon learning, that though long years may seek to separate them, action and consequence will invariably have their dreadful reunion. War came to the Compact and, consequently, Thrax. While different and more selfish than his average peer, Gael loved his family and wouldn't dare be one of the only few in his kine to be left behind, regardless of having discounted for most of his life conventional training and tutors in leadership and command. Against his mother's sheltering wishes, when the call to arms came he answered, and the day the Army of Silence came upon Arx, there on the battlements was one unprepared and unreadied Prince Gael Thrax. The war bore many heroes, but he was not one of them. He, like most, was just another sacrifice. While he had proven to have an instinct towards the sword, a predisposition for violence even if he had been escaping it his whole life, it only served in keeping him yet living inside the shuffle of his mortal coil. Having gazed upon the Archfiend's herald with his own eyes and witnessed a darkness beyond the veil if for but a fleeting moment, something broke in the mind of the then young Prince. Something in his psyche that'd never return. He sailed back to the Mourning Isles hailed as a hero like many others, with many less cousins than he had when he left. Friends, colleagues made and lost. Once again, he turned to the things he once did for dalliance, but now out of need. Wine became an escape, luxury a hideout, fleeting companionship an excuse. He swum and waded through these three in superfluity, earning a reputation as cantankerous and fond of extremes. His respite was short-lived. It turns out the war wasn't finished, and the fleets of the Gyre marched upon the Compact yet again. Technically still tied to his duties, and crestfallen from the cling of life altogether, Gael was given command of a small armada - no more than a hundred - to lead a westerly flank of Thrax in defense of the Lyceum, an act merited to having 'proven' himself in the defense of the Capitol. In truth, his only true achievement had been survival and nothing more. The flotilla in his charge would never arrive to Lenosia. Ambushed while crossing across some straits near Setarco, by an eastern boundary, a fleet twice his number came out the dark of night in a hail of fire arrows and drums of war. Gael had proven an incompetent leader, more fond of hiding in his cabin in the company of alcohol and delegating every minute task to his officers than see to their refinement himself, so when the sound of alarm - like a clarion from hell - rung across the fleet's various bells, he panicked. And fled. He deserted his post, escaping the violence of the battle in a small but speedy cog commanded by a single other sailor. The sailor told on him, for no other witness living were left, and he was tried an abandoner, a shame to the household, and made a pariah. In his shame, Prince Gael Thrax turned to the waters and drowned with said shames and his dishonor. The man who has now surfaced in Arx once more in service of the Inquisition as Confessor must be someone else with a likeness of bearing and name only merited by fate, and to suggest any different is nothing short of lunacy. + |
| Gael Crown + | This is the story of a man who, fattened by decadence and luxury, fell to his unconventionally extravagant ways from a high, high perch. Variations in public knowledge leave behind an obfuscated tell to the background behind the man named Gael, but if the right Faithful is prompted - especially if hailing from the Mourning Isles while under some measure of duress - they'll be given a story that leaves little space for envy or admiration alike. But before he was man, he was boy, and as a child he wanted little. Gael was born a royal to Thrax in a night of stormy Winter. Her mother oft told of how the windows cracked to the adversity of his arrival beneath the mighty hail, covered in verglas and piled snow that too mired the moorland surrounding Maelstrom in a sea of white arsenic for but a day. Some would see this as a vile and presagious portend of doom to come, but little Gael arrived fat, his skin was pink, he had five fingers in each hand and five toes in each foot, and so his parents cared little. Not an ailment upon his body, no stigmata of the eyes, markings, nothing; Gael was just a child, like every other, and Thrax embraced him happily for it. In the halls of Maelstrom he grew, joined by other contemporaries to his age in sinister but childish acts of naughtiness all thorough the domain. He grew without sisters or brothers, but with enough cousins to fill a Cathedral, how could he care? They were the siblings he needed. Like all sprouts when dutifully watered and fed, he then grew. And quickly, too. Too quickly. Coming into his teen years destructively like the very storm that bore him, Gael distanced himself from the usual family with which he mingled when much younger by deciding that a life of violence and martial training wasn't to his taste. That like his mother, coincidentally of Lycene roots, he'd partake in things seen as deviant to some and unlike the cultural expectation of Thraxian lifestyle according to his father. And so it was that he began a life of excess in every regard. He set aside the sword, the shield and duty, to care for only himself and his needs... soon learning, that though long years may seek to separate them, action and consequence will invariably have their dreadful reunion. War came to the Compact and, consequently, Thrax. While different and more selfish than his average peer, Gael loved his family and wouldn't dare be one of the only few in his kine to be left behind, regardless of having discounted for most of his life conventional training and tutors in leadership and command. Against his mother's sheltering wishes, when the call to arms came he answered, and the day the Army of Silence came upon Arx, there on the battlements was one unprepared and unreadied Prince Gael Thrax. The war bore many heroes, but he was not one of them. He, like most, was just another sacrifice. While he had proven to have an instinct towards the sword, a predisposition for violence even if he had been escaping it his whole life, it only served in keeping him yet living inside the shuffle of his mortal coil. Having gazed upon the Archfiend's herald with his own eyes and witnessed a darkness beyond the veil if for but a fleeting moment, something broke in the mind of the then young Prince. Something in his psyche that'd never return. He sailed back to the Mourning Isles hailed as a hero like many others, with many less cousins than he had when he left. Friends, colleagues made and lost. Once again, he turned to the things he once did for dalliance, but now out of need. Wine became an escape, luxury a hideout, fleeting companionship an excuse. He swum and waded through these three in superfluity, earning a reputation as cantankerous and fond of extremes. His respite was short-lived. It turns out the war wasn't finished, and the fleets of the Gyre marched upon the Compact yet again. Technically still tied to his duties, and crestfallen from the cling of life altogether, Gael was given command of a small armada - no more than a hundred - to lead a westerly flank of Thrax in defense of the Lyceum, an act merited to having 'proven' himself in the defense of the Capitol. In truth, his only true achievement had been survival and nothing more. The flotilla in his charge would never arrive to Lenosia. Ambushed while crossing across some straits near Setarco, by an eastern boundary, a fleet twice his number came out the dark of night in a hail of fire arrows and drums of war. Gael had proven an incompetent leader, more fond of hiding in his cabin in the company of alcohol and delegating every minute task to his officers than see to their refinement himself, so when the sound of alarm - like a clarion from hell - rung across the fleet's various bells, he panicked. And fled. He deserted his post, escaping the violence of the battle in a small but speedy cog commanded by a single other sailor. The sailor told on him, for no other witness living were left, and he was tried an abandoner, a shame to the household, and made a pariah. In his shame, Prince Gael Thrax turned to the waters and drowned with said shames and his dishonor. The man who has now surfaced in Arx once more in service of the Inquisition as Confessor must be someone else with a likeness of bearing and name only merited by fate, and to suggest any different is nothing short of lunacy. + |
| Gage Grimshaw + | Gage comes from the Oathlands, born to poor peasant farmers with little other than the land they tilled to their name. He was the Grimshaw's family only child. His childhood was often spent under the beating heat of the sun, toiling away at the soil and carrying out labor-heavy tasks that eventually formed him into a strong young man. The environs housed other families of whom came one of Gage's earliest friends--the peasant son of another family named Jacobus. He and Jacobus would spend their off-time from work fooling around, and this would continue on for several years as the boys grew up alongside each other. One day, when they were both sixteen, they decided to run off and go on a grand, foolish adventure. They didn't get far into journeying through the wilds before Gage's friend was wounded on the trail, and with the little supplies they had Jacbous could not be saved. When his friend fell, instead of returning home to face his family and the family of Jacobus he continued on roaming and fell in with a mercenary group in time. Years passed as Gage climbed the ranks and accrued the skills necessary for survival. Deciding to call it quits with the group he ran with, he decided to break off from them in the dead of the night one day and traveled to make his fortune in Arx. + |
| Gailin Fireviper + | Gailin is the second born child of House stonewood. From a young age he knew he wasnt going to be marquis but he was always strong of mind spirit and body. Great with a sword, while his older brother was being prepped for taking on the duties of the head of the house Gailin focused on Martial training. Gailin gained all the skills he needed for warfare strateg and tactics. Now that his brother has taken over the head of house Gailin followed his older brother becoming the Sword of Stoneheart. + |
| Gailin Stonewood + | Gailin is the second born child of House stonewood. From a young age he knew he wasnt going to be marquis but he was always strong of mind spirit and body. Great with a sword, while his older brother was being prepped for taking on the duties of the head of the house Gailin focused on Martial training. Gailin gained all the skills he needed for warfare strateg and tactics. Now that his brother has taken over the head of house Gailin followed his older brother becoming the Sword of Stoneheart. + |
| Gaius Whitehawk + | Gaius is the eldest child of Jerome and Helen Mercier and the only son of the brood. As a result, all the tricks of the Mercier trade were impressed on him as soon as he was old enough to learn them, and he was groomed to follow in the footsteps of his mercantile-inclined ancestors who came before him. It turned out to be a natural fit for him, but a small part of him always insisted on doing things his own way - and he did, when he decided to invest in a troupe of actors and build his own theatre on the south bank of the Gray River as one his first significant business ventures. The theater proved to be a resounding success, and Gaius's property purchases and investments indicate that his association with the troupe made him an independently wealthy man. A few years later he bought one of the largest manors in Bastion. Unfortunately, a fire lit to the thatch of the building and burned the theater to the ground, forcing the company to relocate to Arx's Blackrose Theater and merge with the Black Rose Mummers. Gaius severed his ties with the company, looking to fortify his fortune elsewhere... His next venture saw him building a fleet of sturdy riverboats and trading luxury goods such as gems, silks, furs along the Gray River, which he often bought opportunistically through researching market trends. It went well for him, until 1006 AR brought a trade embargo on Mercier goods in the city of Arx due to the family publically cutting ties with House Grayson, and the family's reputation fell as a result. In response, Gaius adapted and switched gears again: he sold his lofty manor and offered his services as a merchant to his now-ennobled cousin in exchange for joining House Whitehawk. After months of correspondences and negotiations, his cousin finally accepted, and he became Lord Gaius Whitehawk, Treasurer of Hawkhold -- and joined his sisters in Arx. + |
| Galatea Pravus + | Librarian. Archivist. Alchemist. Galatea has been called all of these things. From a young age, she showed affinity for all that was written down in books, and at the Pravus estates, she found herself more often at the margins than in the limelight. This suited her just fine: for she is not a Pravus, not exactly, and there were those who would not let her forget it. The product of one of lord Tiberio's infidelities with a nameless highborn of Valardin fealty, Galatea would elsewhere have spent her life swept under the rug. Indeed, her Valardin mother did exactly that: she sent her away to Setarco, where Tiberio was more indulgent, arranging for the girl to be raised in court, even if as an unlegitimized, fostered commoner. Her questionable circumstances led for some to shun her socially, and she had to learn to entertain herself on her own terms. This she did most notably under a senior archivist, whose protege the young girl soon became. Intimately familiar with pen and ink, learning how to mix the latter led to the wider world of tincture and tonic, and so she has become a quietly confident young alchemist. The one thing she has inherited from her mother--rumored to send her rare, anonymous letters--is the importance of honor, accountability, and dignity. Galatea aspires to be the very picture of decorum and grace, and has worked long hours at protocol. Recently summoned to the crownlands, it remains yet uncertain just what she will make of herself. + |
| Galavan Vizier + | Galavan Vizer never knew his father, but always wondered if he would hate him as much as his mother Tessa, if he met him. Tessa the Cold was a strong willed, intelligent woman of charisma. But as one of the very few survivors of the destruction of Tyde she was also extremely bitter, pessimistic and hateful. Most of this ire was directed at House Thrax for the direct actions, but the hatred that pained her was the complicity of the Crown which did nothing to save her nation or any of the many people who were killed that she called her friends. This rage spilled out into her upbringing of Galavan, who in turn inherited many of her nastiest traits and resented her for it. In rebellion of his mother, he studied the religion of the pantheon, becoming fascinated with the power and reverance of the gods. When he became of age he left for Bastion to become a priest, hoping to wash his identity of anything that reminded him of his vicious mother, and re-model his image into something more beneficial for his desires. + |
| Galen Thrax + | Galen has always been far too refined for a Prince of Thrax, at least in his family's eyes. Growing up he was particular about his armor and particular about his appearance and particular in so many ways - but his weapon of choice and his skill with it made many teasing comments go unsaid. He built up a particular fondness for a large heavy warhammer that makes his opponents shudder and very often reconsider slights given. He grew up strong and stubborn and, in a final despairing effort to turn him into a proper Thrax man was sent to sea as a sailor on a ship. The ship disappeared in a storm, only to return eight years later with Galen at the helm as Navigator. He has seen the world, or more of the world than most people would, and it has only enhanced his determination to be the voice of civilization in the heart of Thrax proper. + |
| Gareth Grayson + | Dashing young Prince Gareth Grayson was another bright royal scion, a rising knight looking to make his mark in the most prestigious House in all the realm. Bold and reckless, Prince Gareth was eager to take the fight to enemies of House Grayson, to remind everyone just why House Grayson was the greatest house. He felt immortal as many young soldiers do, and took to patrolling the barely civilized borderlands with a relish, fighting back against the shavs attempting to prey on distant vassals of House Grayson. Initially he found great success, was wildly popular with the men under him, and couldn't even see why so many helpless peasants were so terrified of the hardscrabble Abandoned that turned to brigandry and would melt back into the Gray Forest after their raids. And one fateful day, responding to a minor raid, he lead his detachment into the heart of the Gray Forest to ride down the raiders... and found himself and his twenty men surrounded by hundreds of Gray Forest Reapers. It was a massacre, and Gareth himself was only spared because apparently the Reapers knew 'an idiotic prince' was headstrong enough to run right into a trap. He was beaten, tortured, and in the end had the humiliation of being ransomed after a captivity that saw the bright and bold optimist die and something far harder be reborn in its place. Gareth was left scarred and broken, his constitution never quite recovering, and his dreams of being a great knight forever shattered. In its place, the sickly and infirm Prince Gareth surprised his relatives in House Grayson by deciding he would pursue a different calling that traditionally no Grayson had embraced- the Inquisition. His body might have been shattered, but his mind was far sharper and more dangerous than it had ever been before his captivity, and he showed an alarming eagerness to turn that mind against the enemies of the Compact. As far as Gareth is concerned, no bards will ever compose songs about the jobs he now chooses to do, and there might be stories, but they'll be the ones children are told to get them to behave. Someone has to do the dark work for the Compact. + |
| Garnet Navegant + | Garnet grew up loving beautiful things. Whether it was art, fashion, nature, or people, Garnet would most often be found trying to make things around him as beautiful as possible. Growing up, he was the life of the party, creating events for his friends from a young age, and seeing nothing as impossible if it brought people together. None of this changed as he grew up, save that he also developed a social awareness that further motivated him to host amazing events for charity. The masque he hosted in Escuma in honour of the orphans of war in 1005 is still being talked about as setting the bar for events. If there is a party happening, Garnet is almost certainly either attending or planning it. For many years, it was assumed his destiny lay in becoming a Whisper, but Garnet's also fiercely loyal to his family and made the decision to forego that noble profession - he still does love hanging out with Whispers, though! Moving to Arx is the fulfillment of a dream for Garnet. He's with his family, whom he loves dearly, and he gets to be in the centre of arts and culture and parties! + |
| Garret Navegant + | Garret grew up loving beautiful things. Whether it was art, fashion, nature, or people, Garret would most often be found trying to make things around him as beautiful as possible. Growing up, he was the life of the party, creating events for his friends from a young age, and seeing nothing as impossible if it brought people together. None of this changed as he grew up, save that he also developed a social awareness that further motivated him to host amazing events for charity. The masque he hosted in Escuma in honour of the orphans of war in 1005 is still being talked about as setting the bar for events. If there is a party happening, Garnet is almost certainly either attending or planning it. For many years, it was assumed his destiny lay in becoming a Whisper, but Garnet's also fiercely loyal to his family and made the decision to forego that noble profession - he still does love hanging out with Whispers, though! Moving to Arx is the fulfillment of a dream for Garret. He's with his family, whom he loves dearly, and he gets to be in the centre of arts and culture and parties! + |
| Garza Crown + | Most people don't ask, they just assume. On assumption, then, that you heard it from your sister's friend's chatty aunt - and doesn't she just know everything? - Garza grew up in the Lower Boroughs. His pa was a good and upstanding working man, saw him every day down at the docks, loading and unloading ships. Was some real rough chuckles, too, that day when they found him in the gutter with his skull busted in. And his ma, why, she died of the bloody wheeze, and all his li'l brothers and sisters, too. Just leaving Garza to fend for hisself. Bless him, bless him. Somewhere in the interim of boy to man, Garza fell in with the Valorous Few. He's seen at least two leaders prior to its current Captain-General, with many and more sellswords coming and going (leaving and dying) as they are wont to do. During that time he's acquired a whole host of useful skills, the least of which are his penchant for smoking and the ability to read what good. + |
| Gaspar Tessere + | The life of a young prince was exactly what one would expect. Catered parties with food too rich for a child to enjoy, endless lines of Lycene Peers visitng and chatting, remarking on how 'big' he's getting. It was all as mother, Emma Velenosa, wanted. "Nobody pays attention to children" she would remark, when instructing Gaspar to listen for bits of intrigue at each gala they attended. Unfortunately, "nobody" included his mother for many years, when she wasn't teaching him to spy on her peers. Political manuevering left her unable, or more likely unwilling, to properly raise Gaspar. Nannies came and went. Boarding schools both near and far were his home just as much Lenosia had been. But it was at those schools, in those different places that he reinvented himself each time. A new persona for new classmates and teachers. There is only one place to put those new talents to use, one court where the posturings of peer and person will require focus and patience. With a new Archduchess in control, it's nothing less than his familial duty to aid her and the rest of his kin in Arx. + |
| Gaspar Velenosa + | The life of a young prince was exactly what one would expect. Catered parties with food too rich for a child to enjoy, endless lines of Lycene Peers visitng and chatting, remarking on how 'big' he's getting. It was all as mother, Emma Velenosa, wanted. "Nobody pays attention to children" she would remark, when instructing Gaspar to listen for bits of intrigue at each gala they attended. Unfortunately, "nobody" included his mother for many years, when she wasn't teaching him to spy on her peers. Political manuevering left her unable, or more likely unwilling, to properly raise Gaspar. Nannies came and went. Boarding schools both near and far were his home just as much Lenosia had been. But it was at those schools, in those different places that he reinvented himself each time. A new persona for new classmates and teachers. There is only one place to put those new talents to use, one court where the posturings of peer and person will require focus and patience. With a new Archduchess in control, it's nothing less than his familial duty to aid her and the rest of his kin in Arx. + |
| Gaspard Blackram + | Growing up in the Blackram family meant that rough was a way of life, and lessons that anything worth having was worth struggling for, and anything given to you wasn't really worth much. Gaspard learned quickly that a people did well when everyone determined what they were good at, and did that, for the good of all. Merchants traded, bakers baked, sailors sailed, and of course, the warriors fought and protected. When Gaspard excelled in his fighting training as a child, he threw himself into his study and workouts and stopped considering anything else. He joined the rest of the family's fighters in Cloudspine leading pikemen in defending the marches, and earned a few scars and his Knighthood in action there and at Gyre, as well as a name for dependably being at the front of battle. Gaspard saw himself as staying there until he finally caught a blade or an arrow and died honorably defending his people and the lands. Perhaps unfortunately for his plans, it has been made clear to him that a Knight is expected to set an example OFF of the field as well, and if the younger Marquis can be a shining example, then damned well can travel to Arx and support him. + |
| Gaston Blackram + | Gaston, it was said, heard and understood the tongue of beasts and wild places before he formed his first syllables. Born months after his sister, he grew much more quickly than his siblings, though his elder brother would eventually overtake him. Quick to fight but even quicker to laugh, he was adored and feared in equal measure. For a time Gaston himself despaired, the boy concerned that he was too quick to anger, that he would cause great harm to someone due to his great size and physical cunning. However, his concerns and a great deal of his ferocity seemed to evaporate when allowed to wander the hills and mountains of Stoneburn, or down in the forests west of the River Gray. At the age of fourteen he left the Blackram stronghold, and for several weeks it seemed as if the boy had disappeared, never to be heard from again. Gaston returned however, wrapped in the pelt of a great wolf, his face stained with blood, the majority of which was not his own. Although his parents and his siblings worried for Gaston, they eventually came to terms with his need for solitude and to be away from civilization, and weeks turned to months turned sometimes to as much as a year away from home, returning with the results of great hunts, journals filled with illustrations of beasts, plants, and natural formations of where he had been. He became something of a local legend, alleged to know every trail and footpath north of the Lycene Split and west of the Gray River, able to find concealment in a shadow half a normal man's size, and routinely wrestled bears. One particularly fantastic story claimed that all of the wolves of Valardin and Redrain recognized him as their king. Though Gaston did his best to repute these rumors, the folk of Stoneburn do love to spin a good yarn, and it seemed to be more important to them to believe the narrative they had spun around him. As mortifying as it was, he dealt with it, and was just starting to feel it was time to return to society and attempt to become the best noble he could be when he heard of his father's death. While he sometimes misses the wilds and the serenity he tried to find there, he doesn't miss the bleak loneliness, and looks forward to trying his hand at becoming a true noble of the Compact and a peacemaker that can win stability and honor for his house. Time to be a real noble and a good man. He spent enough time in the wilds to know that the lone wolves die first, after all. + |
| Gavin Reed + | Gavin's father was a carpenter by trade, and taught him a fair bit before he died in a fire. He only has his sister now, and will protect her with every fiber of his being. + |
| Gavin Surname TBD + | Gavin's father was a carpenter by trade, and taught him a fair bit before he died in a fire. He only has his sister now, and will protect her with every fiber of his being. + |
| Gawain Blanchard + | Gawain never expected a knighthood. He never expected to be Count'sVoice. He never expected to be in line for the Countship. He expected to run amok in the fields with the other younger sons, become a horse trainer, become a soldier, and live a quiet life, marry somebody, have kids, settle down, et cetera. What stood in his way, of course, is Gawain. He was just too awesome to be held back. He had a natural knack with the horses, a ready athleticism as a boy that had him winning most of the races, and then there was the whole deal where the main line seemed not to be producing any likely heirs, which just seemed to bring greatness trippingly into his path. His brother died in a Shav'arvani raid, and Gawain earned a knighthood rescuing other Wyrmguard vassals from a great fire -- which he ran inside a burning building to do, not because he wasn't afraid of fire but because somebody had to do it and by gods, he was the fastest, what was he going to do, let people die? Gawain was toying with a religious bent, as a lay devotee of Gloria, in his youth, but when his brother died, the young knight had to step up to the plate, taking on a role as heir presumptive to his uncle, Count Blanchard. If anything, the new attention only made him want to shine harder and brighter. His uncle is super boring and he's super awesome and hilarious. His real ambition may be to social climb with a glorious princess -- duchess? who knows, who cares -- but he also has hopes of proving himself in war, and maybe rounding out the trifecta by becoming ... no, he hasn't figured that out yet! + |
| Gehenna Redreef + | Gehenna hails from what could be called the 'very traditionalist' branch of the Redreef family tree. She embraced this identity from a young age, far moreso than either of her two siblings. When Baron Landis Redreef died, and his brother Tiberius's claim to the Barony was challenged by Landis's daughters, Ember and Marina, Gehenna was a young woman freshly arrived in Arx. She had excelled in what the Mourning Isles saw as 'women's work' -- administration and diplomacy. Through that talent and her family connections, she had secured a plum role as a diplomatic representative of Redreef Shores in Arx. She was quite certain that Tiberius would make short work of Landis's unruly daughters, that tradition would be upheld, and that things would all go back to normal very quickly. Gehenna was so certain of it, in fact, that she said as much to anyone who asked. The conflict between Tiberius and the daughters of Landis was a long, grueling one, and one that Tiberius eventually lost, after Ember slew his champion in a duel to the death. With Ember firmly established as Baroness, it was more than just an embarrassment to Gehenna -- it was the loss of her job. Gehenna was recalled to Redreef Shores, and since she had been so vocal in her support of Tiberius, she was effectively kicked back down to the bottom of the administrative ladder. As the years passed and Redreef steadily became one of the Mourning Isles' most progressive Houses, Gehenna was aghast. However, that displeasure with the new status quo only fueled her. She worked harder and pushed herself to be more clever than the rest, and climbed back up to the position she once held. Now, having returned to Arx after years away, she is once again a diplomat in the service of Redreef Shores. As she sets foot in the city again, the Mourning Isles is caught between tradition and progressivism, and Gehenna knows which side she'll try to tilt things toward. + |
| Gelassen Whisper + | Gelassen came to the Whisper House after several years serving as something of an advisor and companion to a Baron in the Oathlands. He doesn't speak much about his family or past, always gently (and skillfully) turning the conversation back to those he speaks with. This, he says, is a skill he learned during his advisorship, helping the Baron deal with some of the more unruly elements of his demesne (and family). + |
| Gemma Glass + | The first years Gemma can remember were spent among the other orphans of the Tragedy. It's so easy to be overlooked when there are so many others in the same proverbial boat to nowhere. Usually the smallest of the bunch, she had to fend for herself with an oversized personality to ward off trouble and stand her ground. All she ever wanted was for a family to take her in, and she /almost/ got her wish. Taken in by one of the less-than-reputable criminal organizations of the lower boroughs, she spent several years picking pockets and irritating guards and merchants with slingshots. It was an encounter with one of the Knights of Solace that changed her life for the better. Recognized as one of the wayward orphans, who now demonstrated a keen eye and a knack for landing small targets, she was swept into the fold and (mostly) reformed of her troublemaking ways with a little bit of care and warm meals. She has since pledged the rest of her life to serving Gild and the common good. Although a part of her will always long for a life of personal prosperity, she finds meaning in the aid of those with similar circumstances. She has high expectations of the wealthy, and is not too shy to publicly nudge them toward charitable acts. + |
| Genevieve Waldenwyn + | Born in an unremarkable farming village to an unremarkable family, Genevieve always wanted more from life. Although she could appreciate the wholesome routines of her rural community for what they were, she nonetheless found them tedious and uninspiring -- a never-ending cycle of ploughing fields, harvesting crops and foraging for food, occasionally broken up by a rustic festival or a wagon ride to the market in the nearest town. The only activity that really gave her some pleasure and made her feel alive was training in the village militia, but even then she found herself wanting for more discipline and more advanced tutelage than the local watchmen could provide. At the age of 18, Genevieve left her home village and set out on her own path. She would see sights beyond the fields and pastures with a sword on her belt and a bow slung across her back, seeking adventure and coin. + |
| Genevra Artiglio + | Genevra Artiglio was born into the family of Lenosia's loyal Hounds, meaning that any career she chose would likely be heavily influenced by the city's reigning House. Some might have chafed at that, but Genevra found herself to be quite happy learning to fight with the House Guard with her ultimate goal being to one day lead them as their Captain. She worked hard and mostly maintained discipline. There were a few scrapes here and there, mostly involving some of the involved pranks she would pull. Training and working left Genevra little time to start a family of her own, but she found satisfaction in doing her job well. By the time she was promoted to Captain in her late twenties, fewer people were poisoned in the palace under her watch than had been in generations! Genevra was considered quite success by anyone's terms and settled into a comfortable position in maintaining her charges and continuing to serve with diligence. Then, Archduchess Carlotta Velenosa was killed. Genevra remained in Lenosia to protect the family there. Then, Archduchess Esera Velenosa was killed. Still, Genevra remained where she was, believing that she could best serve the Velenosa by protecting their home. When Archduchess-Consort Deva Velenosa went missing, Genevra struggled to believe that she was more helpful in Lenosia instead of in Arx, where clearly the House Guard was failing in their one, most important task. After hearing more rumors of injury and death befalling members of the Velenosa family, Genevra requested a transfer to Arx to take over from the clearly incompetent House Guard Captain at the Velenosa Estate in the capital. + |
| Georgine Dubois + | Georgine Dubois comes from a wealthy merchant family in Sanctum, one that deals in the kinds of luxuries and trends that makes an apprenticeship with a jeweler just part of the family business. Even as a child, she always had her head in the clouds, spending hours just doodling pretty things like dresses and tiaras. It was not uncommon for the girl to be carried through the workshops by her father, and she grew into a creative and inspired designer of jewelry. After several years, she decided to leave Sanctum for the very first time. The news of the Cathedral's sad state after the Heretic, Georgine travelled to Arx with no thought but to lend her hands to the effort. + |
| Geraint Blackwood + | In the bleak climate of the stormwall, the Blackwood tribe has ever stood betwixt other tribes of Abandoned, holding the peace by strength of arms and sheer determination. It was to these people, in the shadow of the blackwoods trees, that Geraint was born. The blood in his veins was that of a ruler, his father the chieftain at the time, but it afforded him little softness or coddling - unlike the nobles of some 'civilized' lands, he was expected to stand as strong as any of their warriors or laborers, and faced as many hardships as they had to test and temper his body and resolve. When time came for war, he was expected to take up arms and prove himself the leader he was born to be - and he did, time and again, blood shed by his hands earning him the respect of the warriors and his people. He wed a woman by the name of Angharad, their first daughter born early in their marriage, and their fiery relationship was as vibrant and heated as the rest of the life that he lived. When the time of his father's death came, he was ready to step up to the task, with his aging mother Mati to advise him and his people behind him. He ruled the tribe in peace - and in war - and life was good, for a time, and the tribe prospered. It was only with the birth of his third child, a son, that things began to darken rather than the celebration it should have been. It was a hard birth, and Angharad did not survive - and to compound his sorrow, the old shaman spoke that it was an ill omen of times to come. It was the shadow that lingered still upon his brow that made him listen when his eldest daughter Ysbail came to him, when she spoke of a dark time coming for the tribes, of fire and blood and slavery that would rain upon them. When she spoke of the nigh-unthinkable - bending knee and joining the Compact that their ancestors had turned their backs on. Her foresight led the tribe to be ready when Brand's forces marched, and despite his pride he knelt to their Crovane neighbors for protection as Prodigals. With the aid of his daughter, after the Siege of Arx, they united what remained of the tribes and clans surrounding their ancestral lands, and he was named Marquis of Stormarch - and led his people into a new future. + |
| Gerald Wilkerson + | Gerald Wilkerson has worked his entire life in the business of business. Buying when buying is good, selling when selling is good. Losing it all. Regaining it. His life is tale of ups and downs as can happen with one over the years in a variety of fashions. Still, he takes it with equanimity, being the sort that is rather good at landing back on his feet. Most recently, he has landed in Arx -- not so much retired from business as accepting the fact that he simply doesn't have the desire or, frankly, the stamina to do the sort of running around he might have done in the past. Travel is just not so fun anymore. + |
| Geralt Crovane + | The North breeds hard men, but no men are harder than those born to the Stormwall. At least, that is Geralt's not-so-humble opinion. Born the younger brother of the former Duke Crovane, Geralt was seeped in the rich history and heritage of the far North, always aware of the potential of inheritance while doing what he could to ensure that potential did not come to fruition. Geralt and his brother both were natural born leaders, but that was where the similarities began and ended. While his brother took to etiquette and politics, Geralt took to the axe and sword, educating himself on the nature of the world through war and bloodshed. When his brother ascended to Duke after the death of their father, he granted Geralt an army and commanded he travel forth to extend the boundaries of Crovane land by whatever manner of force he deemed necessary. The force was almost always excessive. Geralt and his merry band of brothers became adroitly adept at extermination of threats to Crovane - both internal and external - and gained more than some notoriety with Abandoned tribes in the far reaches of the North. When he reached his early thirties, his group pushed even further and spilled out into the Everwinter on the behest of his brother, spending many a year combing the deep, unforgiving snows. He did not return to the Stormwall until long after the untimely death of his brother, and only then it was for a brief sojourn to report to the new Duke, before he returned to his men. Geralt and his men were called back during the battle of Stormwall, but even they could not prevent the subsequent burning of the city. He meant to return to the Everwinter soon after, but a call from his nephew - the new, new Duke, Asger Crovane - brought him to Arx instead. But of course, that call to Arx brought with it a heavy burden - the position of Asger's General, and Frostsea, the Great Sword of Stormwall. + |
| Gerard Dastrid + | Born the son of a reasonably successful blacksmith, Gerard abandoned his apprenticeship at the age of sixteen in order to heed the call to enlist as a Telmar armsmen and do his duty to his House. Long hours spent hammering metal translated well to swinging large swords and carrying the weight of heavy sheets of plate mail. And so it was that Gerard found himself rising quickly through the ranks of the Telmar military, quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best young swordsman in the Telmar ranks. He continued his service well past his initial enlistment, his skillful swordsmanship eventually earning him selection to the Duke Telmar's personal guard. A few years later, during a visit by Prince Radley, Gerard found himself riding out with Duke Arn and the Prince of Sanctum in order to quell a small shav incursion into the Oathlands. The invading force was larger than originally anticipated, and the Duke ordered his personal guard to reinforce a crumbling flank, placing Gerard in charge of the detail. When the dust finally settled, and the shavs routed, Gerard was found badly wounded, surrounded by a dozen shav corpses who feel victim to the armsman's dancing blade. Passed over by the first wave of medics, Gerard was left on the battlefield for dead, picked up almost by chance by another passing healer. After recovering from his wounds, Gerard was knighted by Duke Arn for his bravery in combat, and given the honor of serving as the Telmar family's personal sword instructor, responsible for teaching young Ansel, the future Sword of Telmarch, how to dance with a blade. Becoming known around the Telmarch as the Telmar's dance instructor for the armsman's graceful swordsmanship, it's to this assignment that Gerard has committed himself for the past decade. With the majority of the House now located in Arx, Gerard is eager to continue to serve his family in their new home, and to make sure that future generations of Telmars do not forget their proper forms. + |
| Gerrick Bradshaw + | Gerrick Bradshaw was born to Gabriella Bradshaw of Okahaven, and an unknown man from... somewhere. Growing up without a father, Gerrick would watch the other children interacting with their dads and often come home to pester his mother with his hundred and one questions about his father. Gabriella was always patient and she would spin the most fantastic tales of the man, his deeds and adventures. There was no question she did not have an answer for and Gerrick took these tales to heart, believing in them so completely it fostered in him a nascent belief of the unrealistic and the ability to accept things some others might reject out of hand. As he grew older, instead of abandoning the stories of his youth, he set out to prove them all true. Knowing he would need a specific set of skills to accomplish this, he volunteered to join the Keaton Trackers. His inventive mind was an asset, and he often saw connections that others might have missed. He had a knack for stumbling into clues, and though his interpretation was often... unusual, it typically worked for him. His reputation as oddly effective gained him the attention of Margerie Keaton who had him transfered to her personal guard. She shared with him her belief of the Keaton Curse, and Gerrick's fertile mind dug into the story. He became her personal investigator, looking into stories of Keatons past, hunting down rumors and trying to prove (or disprove... but totally prove) the Keaton Curse was real. When his lady and the new young lord were making plans to relocate to Arx, there was no way the faithful Gerrick was going to let them out of his sight in the big bad city. + |
| Gerry Taken + | He's a shady trader, the kind who doesn't ask where the goods come from. From some of his scars and his stance, he knows how to handle himself in a tough spot. He arrived in Arx not long ago, less than a year, and has made his business mostly in the Lower Boroughs. With hm he brought his daughter, Catryn, for whom he has a real protective eye. Already a few wandering hands have resulted in quiet retaliation in a back alley until the word's spread that he doesn't take kindly to showing her disrespect. + |
| Gertrude Grayhope + | Gertie was born into a common family. She was quite sickly and frail growing up, so she spent a lot of time at home, reading. All that time spent not feeling well seemingly sparked plenty of inspiration to become an Apothecary. Anyone meeting her for the first time probably won't hear her shut up about it, the girl clearly very passionate about her work, dreaming of one day making a big breakthrough. + |
| Gesa Whisper + | Gesa's life, she has always said, was shaped by the bad habits of her ancestors. Somewhere down the line there was a drunkard gambler who managed to get him or herself enthralled. She doesn't know who, and as far as she knows her family always served House Kennex of Stormward. She was born a week before Lord Aethan Kennex, and her mother served as his wetnurse and then nursemaid. Because of this she was always close to the family, but also very separate. She may have played with them, but birth had destined her to a different path. It was a path she had no interest in walking because who wants to walk when one can laze about? Gesa knew she didn't want to toil her life away as a thrall, mostly because she hates toil, and she always envied her noble masters for the fine things they had. Her path became clear at seventeen when a traveling entertainer came to Stormward. There was her easy life, she decided. She would escape and become an entertainer. Escaping wasn't difficult. She stowed away on a merchant ship heading towards Setarco. No one missed her until it was too late. They assumed she was hiding to avoid work as was her habit. Stowing away wasn't so hard, either. Gesa is very good about lazing about, and did so about the cargo. She is also good at making friends and flirting. She secured a friendship with a young sailor and with a few suggestive comments she had no intention of following through with she managed to gain food and water for the duration of the trip. Setarco was rough at first, but it also provided her with a place to learn the skills she needed to be an entertainer. She learned to sing, dance, and tell stories. She also learned how to smile even when it's hard so she could get what she wants. And if you're sad? Well, there is plenty of things to do or take that can be distracting enough to put a smile on your face. + |
| Gesa none + | Gesa's life, she has always said, was shaped by the bad habits of her ancestors. Somewhere down the line there was a drunkard gambler who managed to get him or herself enthralled. She doesn't know who, and as far as she knows her family always served House Kennex of Stormward. She was born a week before Lord Aethan Kennex, and her mother served as his wetnurse and then nursemaid. Because of this she was always close to the family, but also very separate. She may have played with them, but birth had destined her to a different path. It was a path she had no interest in walking because who wants to walk when one can laze about? Gesa knew she didn't want to toil her life away as a thrall, mostly because she hates toil, and she always envied her noble masters for the fine things they had. Her path became clear at seventeen when a traveling entertainer came to Stormward. There was her easy life, she decided. She would escape and become an entertainer. Escaping wasn't difficult. She stowed away on a merchant ship heading towards Setarco. No one missed her until it was too late. They assumed she was hiding to avoid work as was her habit. Stowing away wasn't so hard, either. Gesa is very good about lazing about, and did so about the cargo. She is also good at making friends and flirting. She secured a friendship with a young sailor and with a few suggestive comments she had no intention of following through with she managed to gain food and water for the duration of the trip. Setarco was rough at first, but it also provided her with a place to learn the skills she needed to be an entertainer. She learned to sing, dance, and tell stories. She also learned how to smile even when it's hard so she could get what she wants. And if you're sad? Well, there is plenty of things to do or take that can be distracting enough to put a smile on your face. + |
| Giada Godsworn + | Born to a humble merchant family in Lenosia, Giada was raised quick to understand that money makes life possible in the city. She was a quick student, picking up tricks and tips with alacrity. She was, however, too independent to stay at home, contented to run a market stall. She started branching out into other business ventures, eventually finding her way towards marketing her services to various mercenary outfits that would pass through to resupply. Their stories awakened a wanderlust in her that had probably been there all along, and she travelled with one of the companies to Arx. There, she came across a recruitment drive for The Redwood Mercenary Company, and they needed a quartermaster. She didn't even hesitate. So now she's in Arx and gainfully employed, looking forward to the next challenge. + |
| Giada Morello + | Born to a humble merchant family in Lenosia, Giada was raised quick to understand that money makes life possible in the city. She was a quick student, picking up tricks and tips with alacrity. She was, however, too independent to stay at home, contented to run a market stall. She started branching out into other business ventures, eventually finding her way towards marketing her services to various mercenary outfits that would pass through to resupply. Their stories awakened a wanderlust in her that had probably been there all along, and she travelled with one of the companies to Arx. There, she came across a recruitment drive for The Redwood Mercenary Company, and they needed a quartermaster. She didn't even hesitate. So now she's in Arx and gainfully employed, looking forward to the next challenge. + |
| Gian Fuller + | The son and grandson of clothmakers, he grew up among relative comfort in a rather well-off peasant family in Gemecitte (Crowned Hill side). A second son, marked by youthful curiosity as well as a strong back, when levies were called, years ago, Gian stood forward for his family, and marched off behind the knights and men-at-arms to do his feudal duty. Many found the expedition against an Abandoned tribe to be terrifying, but for Gian it was a thing of fascination. His mind was riveted by the sheer logistics of moving so many men, so many wagons for tents and food, not to mention smiths, cooks, and healers. Then the fighting came. More of a chase than a battle, he was in youthful awe of the knights on their chargers, running ahead of his fellow peasants in an effort to keep up. Once, a knight dropped her sword, and Gian was near enough to hand it back up. At the time, hed never been more proud. On the march home, two of the grooms ran off, and Gian begged and pleaded for the chance to take the runaways place. This was how he first joined the retinue of the Duke of Zaffria. In the near 20 years since, he has served as a groom, a common infantryman, drill master, man at arms, and finally as an officer. He has spent more of his life under arms in service to the Zaffria family than he has spent outside of it. + |
| Gianna Corvo + | Gianna doesn't speak much about where she's from. Refuses to, really. She sounds and looks Lycene, so that's probably a safe bet. If she has any brothers or sisters, she hasn't said. If her parents are still alive, she hasn't said. If she has any children, she hasn't said. While she arrived in Arx, she spent time playing songs and singing in various inns, taverns, and other public places where passersby might spare a little coin. Gianna quickly made a name for herself by becoming a Whisper and then founding the Bard's College, a social organization for singers, musicians, those hoping to better their musical skills, and supporters of such artists. Her rough edges (mostly) smoothed over, Gianna continues to strive for recognition and riches. Gianna has an eye for shiny things, and is unapologetic about her plans to obtain them. + |
| Gianna Delvecchio + | Gianna doesn't speak much about where she's from. Refuses to, really. She sounds and looks Lycene, so that's probably a safe bet. If she has any brothers or sisters, she hasn't said. If her parents are still alive, she hasn't said. If she has any children, she hasn't said. While she arrived in Arx, she spent time playing songs and singing in various inns, taverns, and other public places where passersby might spare a little coin. Gianna quickly made a name for herself by becoming a Whisper and then founding the Bard's College, a social organization for singers, musicians, those hoping to better their musical skills, and supporters of such artists. Her rough edges (mostly) smoothed over, Gianna continues to strive for recognition and riches. Gianna has an eye for shiny things, and is unapologetic about her plans to obtain them. + |
| Gianna Whisper + | Gianna doesn't speak much about where she's from. Refuses to, really. She sounds and looks Lycene, so that's probably a safe bet. If she has any brothers or sisters, she hasn't said. If her parents are still alive, she hasn't said. If she has any children, she hasn't said. While she arrived in Arx, she spent time playing songs and singing in various inns, taverns, and other public places where passersby might spare a little coin. Gianna quickly made a name for herself by becoming a Whisper and then founding the Bard's College, a social organization for singers, musicians, those hoping to better their musical skills, and supporters of such artists. Her rough edges (mostly) smoothed over, Gianna continues to strive for recognition and riches. Gianna has an eye for shiny things, and is unapologetic about her plans to obtain them. + |
| Gibson Culler + | It's effectively impossible to get a real history out of Gibson, as his family in the Lower Boroughs has long since decided. Gibson spent his youth helping the crime family settle some scores and seeming entirely too happy and affable while doing it, even among the blackest work the Culler family could offer. He didn't long stay in the Lower Boroughs however, leaving Arx to serve in a sellsword company 'somewhere that wasn't here' and blatantly lying virtually every time he's asked about it, to attempt to come up with the most amusing and obviously fabricated story whenever the opportunity arises. Just in the past year he returned to Arx after being missing for almost a decade, though having extremely little to do with his family now, and seeking out gainful employment among a sellsword company known as the Valorous Few. He sometimes has been seen around Arx dressing far above his station, and makes up cheerfully flamboyant lies about just why that might be the case, with the popular rumor being that he sometimes pretends to be a courtier. + |
| Gideon Thrax + | Gideon claims to be the bastard son of the last highlord of house Thrax, Prince Donrai Thrax, and a cousin of the current highlord. His father toyed with him, never formally legitimizing him or bothering to explain the reasons for his parentage (and sometimes said he was an adopted ward, casting doubt on his parentage), treating him with callous indifference. He was not often associated with the Thrax family, despite holding the name over his head. Prince Donrai, his possible father, never had him killed, but made it clear he had no interest in the child and that he had no place among trueborn children, supporting him in a minimal way to avoid the condemnation of his enemies among the Faith, and few wanted to associate with him for fear of being in disfavor with the highlord. Finding no place among the people, his journey into knighthood was a long and lonely one. He was persistent in his raising, knowing that, in his position, he had the entire world to prove wrong. On the battlefield he was a monster in his own right, furthering the path of the sword through experience, his destruction only limited by his sense of honor as he waited for each opponent to die before moving to the next. Garrisons and camps became the half-bloods home in the coming days. From an early life he raised his blade to other men, from one battlefield to the next. He adjusted little, having no rights as a young lord, and no experience as the common folk, though this was skin deep. The boy kept expectations low, he drank each night until he fell into slumber, and fought by day if there was a war to be fought. Once he was called to the table he excelled, be it a battle of brain or brawn the low expectations always helped him overcome the obstacles. He was often hateful, and discreet, but always came to be what he needed when times became serious. He had been away long now, returning home after what may have been a horrific event. The man had disappeared on the open battlefield, a crushing defeat rendering him useless with a stray arrow and numerous wounds, initially being presumed dead. Instead, months later the man came back to camp, scars lining nearly every inch of him, and his right eye missing. To this day he hasn't spoken of what had happened to him, a popular story among the men saying he had went off into the woods to find a worthy opponent and gotten into it with a bear. When he came back, in the one battle afterwards he'd fought like a beast, beyond what he had before, his sense of honor slightly diminished. A trail of near fatal wounds were left as he'd carried through, and realizing what had happened he left the advancing army. Knowing that standings within his family had changed and may allow him to return, as well as the cities siege. Be it a sense of duty, or the internal need to assert himself as one of the family, he rode home to find his place. + |
| Gilbert Unnknown + | Gilbert has not lead an easy life, only recalling his mother's touch in his deepest of dreams, the lyceum beauty having passed due to illness when the boy was but four. How this single mother and her child ended up in a sleepy village just inside the oathlands would never be known to the child with the miller and his wife who raised him only referring to his mother as 'that woman'. It was a discontent for his lot in life that lead this youth to rebel and start down a wayward path that would ultimately see him running off and joining up with a group of bandits who preyed on the country roads in his late teens. It was this newfound occupation that he truly excelled in, taking to the spear and banditry like a fish takes to waters and eventually usurping control of the little band by his early twenties. However it was at age twenty five when fortune truly shined on the man when it seemed as if she had totally turned her back. When it looked as if his band had been encircled by Duke Cristoph Laurent's men, the band of knights themselves were in turn ambushed by a war party of shav who sought to wipe out both groups in one fell sweep. Faced by this greater enemy, bandit and knight turned aside their differences and fought back against the greater force side by side, with Gilbert even managing to save Duke Laurent by fighting to drag him to safety after the man had decided he best play pin cushion for shav arrows. With this act Gilbert after a little negotiation managed to find his way into the Duke's men at arms and now had a comfy existence and a meal ticket on the opposite side of the law he'd been running from for years. + |
| Gildaren Laurent + | Gildaren grew up on an apiary on the north side of Artshall, the third of seven children. His mother and father were struggling beekepers producing honey for one of the largest meaderies in all of Arvum. His childhood was shaped by long days of hard work harvesting honey, tending to the hives, and enjoying the occasional sticks of honey. His mother died during the birth of his 6th sibling, and much of his formative years were shaped by the influences of his father. Beekeeping in Artshall was cutthroat and rife with favoritism and politics, and Gildaren's father never held much favor with the heads of the meadery, perhaps because he refused to pay the bribes they demanded. As a teenager spending time at the Haven of the Honey Bee, Gildaren found the Faith that would lead him on his life's path. + |
| Gilroy Grayhope + | What's there to know? Drifters come into the city of Arx all the time. Especially handsome, charming, troublesome drifters. Claims to be a distant Grayhope cousin from somewhere out west, or maybe south? Certainly looks Lycene, but his accent is as neutral as it gets. Says he's come to the city to strike it rich, but hasn't really explained how that's going to work. Guy doesn't have the hands of a crafter, doesn't have the bearing of a courtier or the anything for hard work. Other than that? If there's a story to tell, he's not telling it. But you know how the Lowers are. People show up every day and not all of them are interesting enough to even have a story. Sometimes they've come here to start one. + |
| Gio Malvici + | Born to the indomitable Adona Malvici long enough after his older brother Hadrian that he might have been an 'oops' baby, Gio's path was marked at birth right on his body. Being born with a twisted spine in any family is difficult, but in the Malvicis, with their emphasis on strength, he was a liability. He learned to walk late. As he grew taller in his teens, his spine twisted further. The pain was constant. Military service was out of the question, and for a member of the ducal line not to do their customary two years of military service was a source of poisonous gossip. At this point, his mother saw the danger for him: her compassion for her youngest son was starting to be perceived as a weakness, and that made him a target. So she did the only thing she could, the best thing she could, for Gio, and also for herself: she declared publicly that because he could not serve in the military, he was no Malvici, and then she sent him away. Privately, Adona and his siblings cared about Gio just as much as they ever had. He was sent away to finish his schooling in a country estate where he wanted for nothing, far enough out of sight that he remained out of the minds of the schemers who might try to use him. Gio had always had a quick mind and a razor wit, but here, with no distractions, he developed these into an education that was both broad and deep. His mother rarely visited at first, but did so more often after she handed the reins of power over to Hadrian. Hadrian defied convention by turning up from time to time even while he was Duke. Calypso, with few worries about politics, came by often to banter and sometimes ask for advice... until she didn't. Gio understood why Calypso stopped showing up after she was thrust into the position of Duchess, a place where he knew very well she would struggle, but he worried about her, especially after her letters stopped coming. Then, one day, the Duchess herself turned up unannounced with a swarm of servants who went about packing Gio's things. When he asked what she was doing, she told him she was done trying to live up to the way their mother wanted the head of Malvici to rule. She was going to do this her way. And she needed him in Arx. Now. So get moving. In that moment, he was more proud of his older sister than he'd ever been, but he was also a little bit worried about her recklessness... worried for her, and worried for himself. + |
| Giorgio Pontelaeus + | The Merchant Prince of Tremorus. Giorgio was not born to the nobility and like the rest of his exorbitantly rich, highborn commoner family he does not care in the slightest. A title does not make a man, but his fortunes do. In the philosophy of the Pontelaeus, money -is- power, no matter where you live in the world. His ambitions and breeding mark him as interesting and 'a cut above' for sure, but it is his family's ancient trade routes that make him and the rest of the Pontelaeus indispensable. They would never outright say as such but the Pontelaeus have strong ties to a small few very rich, very connected merchants and bankers that have afforded them a life of privilege, although in Giorgio's generation those connections have waned a great deal -- leading them to explore new avenues of maintaining their wealth. The Proscipi have historically gone to the Pontelaeus to bankroll any civil endeavor they were pursuing and this puts Giorgio's family in a position of influence that runs deep. Breaking away from the Pontelaeus would quintessentially impoverish the House and as such it is practically unthinkable. Every now and then one of their number has the 'honor' and 'privilege' of marrying into the principle House of the city-state but this is assuredly more beneficial to the nobility than it is to this particular family even if it is mutually beneficial. Giorgio feels hopeful and upbeat about the direction the city-state has taken and he sees a whole world of opportunity; new connections with the Compact means new money, new associates, friends, and circles of influence for him to get involved with and explore. This was the motivating factor behind his joining the Silver Consortium when he was approached by some of the current Spokes of the wheel to serve as the representative for House Leporidae. Even this far away from the rest of Arvum he has heard tales about the Great Road. To tell it true, the merchant prince has been very curious about how it all works and whether or not he can try to replicate something similar in the Saffron Chain. + |
| Giorgio Proscipi + | The Merchant Prince of Tremorus. Giorgio was not born to the nobility and like the rest of his exorbitantly rich, highborn commoner family he does not care in the slightest. A title does not make a man, but his fortunes do. In the philosophy of the Pontelaeus, money -is- power, no matter where you live in the world. His ambitions and breeding mark him as interesting and 'a cut above' for sure, but it is his family's ancient trade routes that make him and the rest of the Pontelaeus indispensable. They would never outright say as such but the Pontelaeus have strong ties to a small few very rich, very connected merchants and bankers that have afforded them a life of privilege, although in Giorgio's generation those connections have waned a great deal -- leading them to explore new avenues of maintaining their wealth. The Proscipi have historically gone to the Pontelaeus to bankroll any civil endeavor they were pursuing and this puts Giorgio's family in a position of influence that runs deep. Breaking away from the Pontelaeus would quintessentially impoverish the House and as such it is practically unthinkable. Every now and then one of their number has the 'honor' and 'privilege' of marrying into the principle House of the city-state but this is assuredly more beneficial to the nobility than it is to this particular family even if it is mutually beneficial. Giorgio feels hopeful and upbeat about the direction the city-state has taken and he sees a whole world of opportunity; new connections with the Compact means new money, new associates, friends, and circles of influence for him to get involved with and explore. This was the motivating factor behind his joining the Silver Consortium when he was approached by some of the current Spokes of the wheel to serve as the representative for House Leporidae. Even this far away from the rest of Arvum he has heard tales about the Great Road. To tell it true, the merchant prince has been very curious about how it all works and whether or not he can try to replicate something similar in the Saffron Chain. + |
| Gisele Aurum + | So many Aurums join the ranks of the Scholars that it was no surprise to the family when Gisele pledged herself as an acolyte. What did surprise them was her leaving the order instead of continuing on with her training. She's been reticent to speak of why but claims to be satisfied with the course her life took afterward: she opened a small shop that sold books and writing materials to the public. It has never been a booming business, not exactly, but between sales and the work she does illuminating manuscripts for select clients, she's made enough to keep a roof over her head and food on the table. + |
| Giselle Caron + | Giselle's father was a soldier, gone more often than he was home, and though it broke her mother's heart, it was no real surprise that he died when she was eight, leaving her with the memory of strength and gentleness, battle-field stories, and random snippets of advice. Raised by her mother who was a herbalist and avid gardener, Giselle learned the many uses of plants, especially the curative and culinary aspects. However, the lass was drawn far more to the scent and color, the artistic flair that plants can bring to dyes, perfumes, and decor. She apprenticed to an apothecary, learning the skills that she fancied most, as well as the more practical ones necessary to earning a living. Thanks to recent events, she's made her way into the city, to see if she can't learn a little more and refine her skills, making a name for herself in the meantime. + |
| Giuliano Pravus + | Half-brother of Arianna from their shared mother Vayla's earlier marriage to a sickly Grayson prince, Bryn, Giuliano's birth was an inauspicious occasion as his father died of a wasting illness shortly after, one that consumed him quickly. Vayla's next marriage produced his half-sister, to whom he became very close. Unfortunately, that bond was often interrupted due to his rarely ever leaving Setarco. Trained from an early age to be a skilled swordsman, he excelled at a style of fighting with the rapier in one hand and a dagger in the off hand. When Niccolo stepped aside to make Piero Duke, Giuliano was initially optimistic - until he saw the inherent weakness in the man. Dismayed as snakelike vassals schemed to bring the House down, he was one of Belladonna's earliest supporters - and more than one traitor died upon his blade. There were no tears shed by the young Lord upon Piero's death and Belladonna's ascension, and he vowed to help safeguard her rule by any means necessary. Time passes, and Giuliano remained one of the Duchess' means of control in Setarco, although now he finds himself called to Arx by family for new duties in service of Pravus. + |
| Giulio Corvini + | Count Giulio Corvini is the younger brother of Lord Theron Mazetti. While his brother is a master of arms, well trained in such matters, Giulio is a creature more oriented towards the mind. He is a student of the law first and foremost, at least to the public eye. His upbringing has been a matter of simple study for most of his life and then an apprenticeship with the Inquisition, though he has served from time to time as necessary as a magistrate for the family, especially on matters touched by law. He has a reputation for being even handed, cool and collected. Since his arrival in Arx, he has married, become a landed noble and left the Inquisition, now engaged in a variety of different things, of little particular import. + |
| Giulio Mazetti + | Lord Giulio Mazetti is the younger brother of Lord Theron Mazetti. While his brother is a master of arms, well trained in such matters, Giulio is a creature more oriented towards the mind. He is a student of the law first and foremost, at least to the public eye. His upbringing has been a matter of simple study for most of his life and then an apprenticeship with the Inquisition, though he has served from time to time as necessary as a magistrate for the family, especially on matters touched by law. He has a reputation for being even handed, cool, collected and very amicable. As of yet, he remains unmarried, though it is likely simply a matter of time until such occurs. Most of his history is a thing of public record. In general, these are boring matters of legalese. However, several times he has been responsible for the discovery of plots, including one act of treason. + |
| Glenn Took + | Having been one of many children of a wealthy merchant family with connections he was sent off at a young age to page for a local knight. Even for a young boy he was clumsy, slow and weak. He was taught by his mother how to read and write and had a great interest in books however at the age of 16 he had become a squire, to the shock of many and undoubtedly due to his family's local influence. That same year his mentor died and since then Glenn served a new Knight every few months, traveling from fiefdom to fiefdom in hope that he one day might become a Knight himself, growing distance from his own family and surviving of the ever dwindling financial support he receives from them. + |
| Glenys Redwine + | There are many that might look at a life like Glenys' and wonder what went wrong. By all measures, she had the best sort of start to life that any person could expect to have. She was born Glenys Ashford into one of the most respectable families in the Compact with a bright future ahead of her. She was blessed with a steady hand and a talent for healing that she was permitted to spend time developing when not adhering to her duties to the family. There were even whispers that young Glenys might see a promising career as a Godsworn Mercy, which would have left her with considerably more freedom than a noble lady with a responsibility to marry well. No one could understand why she would choose to throw it all away. Sure, many of the Ashford servants and family members remember the shouting arguments between Glenys and her father about her 'duties', but she was just a little high-spirited! Yes, she 'ran away' a couple times for weeks on end, but a lot of Ashfords are prone to adventures! Her father would certainly claim that it was when she met 'that man' that she decided to shirk her responsibilities and her title to live whatever sort of life that he could provide for her, but the truth lies rather closer to the fact that she had been primed to walk away from it all for years. She only needed a little push. That push came in the form of Hiram Kelly. Glenys met him over a game of cards. He was playing. She was drinking and trying to think about how to tell her father that she had no desire to marry or to join the Mercies or do much of anything at all that he expected her to do. One second, she was enjoying a nice glass of wine and brooding, the next Hiram was getting stabbed and bleeding all over the card table. She jumped into action, stitched him up, and that was it for her. They spent a wild couple of weeks together before the decision finally had to be made if she was going home at all. She took all of five minutes to decide, wrote her father a letter, and never looked back. They haven't always been easy years since. Glenys knows that she doesn't live any sort of life that anyone would be proud of, but she's happy in her way as she lives each day without looking too far ahead or too far back. She's still a good physician, but her skills are mostly spent amongst those for whom it might be inconvenient or unwise to visit a proper Mercy. + |
| Glister Vindrel + | Glister Vindrel was born in a farming community to loving parents. Gliter's parents were known to be hard and studious workers but also had a love of learning that they instilled in Glister as a child. Glister's favorite thing to do is absorb knowledge. Growing up in a farm community however required hardwork daily to survive. Glister learned to love working with his hands and is blessed to be in good shape form his labors. Glister's parents passed away and almost immediate Glister set out seeking something more. + |
| Gloriel Bisland + | There was a time in her life, very recently in fact, when Gloriel might have only needed gossip and ball gowns to sustain her. The frivolities of courtly life were the only bread and butter she needed! Charming and vivacious, she was accomplished in all things beautiful, leisurely, and superficial. The Bringers of Silence changed all of that. By some wicked form of trickery or deficiency of prudence, Gloriel and two of her sisters found themselves in a then-prohibited section of the Gray Forest surrounding Arx. Whatever the young women's scheme, Shavs under the influence of the Silent Army made short work of finding them. As to the rest? All that is known for sure is that while Gloriel escaped with her life, Sarielle and Lili did not. Ushered off to her childhood home of Pridehall, Lady Gloriel's recovery was a harrowing one. For nearly a year, she dared not utter a single word and even after finally being coaxed into speaking by those charged with her care, it was never of that fateful day. With time came metamorphosis. She returned to Arx as a warrior forged in her great loss, ready to face ghosts of her past, face new challenges, and if possible, to win glory. + |
| Godric Stewart + | Godric was born the third son of a third son, out in the back of beyond. His parents worked the land for their liege lord, poor but loving, and everyone around the settlement -- in the depths of the woods around Pridehall -- was more or less part of the same sprawling extended family. He was a hard worker, cleverer with his fingers than some of his brothers and sharper with his mind than most, but an odd, quiet boy who didn't really have much use for speaking when he could be dreaming, wondering, or attaching himself to stories of greater things. He learned herbcraft from an old man who lived near the edge of the woods, and when the Father Mercy of Pridehall sent his Mercies to circuit the land with the Knights of Solace for guides, he attached himself to the feet of their robes every year, and learned what he could. When he was old enough to apprentice, he earned permission to tag along, and followed in their train for awhile, but he was disgruntled by the mellow patience of those he traveled with, and demanded reasons for everything, until finally he went his separate ways with the Mercies and attached himself as apprentice instead to a traveling bonesaw named Kiton, Crownsworn, who wandered doing doctoring for pay along the roads and paths, and grew a reputation as particularly creepy for haunting graveyards after funerals and digging up the dead to study their rotting bones. There are doctors who are educated at fancy physicians' colleges, but Godric learned first from the gentle healers and then from the vicious, wandering the world with bright, fascinated eyes and learning what he could, where he could, with the appetite of a young man who wanted to know everything. He knew that Kiton was involved in some darker practices and while he didn't like it, he found he could ignore it in pursuit of his studies of anatomy, the inner workings of blood and bone, the mixtures and tinctures and practices he learned. Many young men have sins, but Godric's worst and defining one was curiosity. He never asked what Kiton did with some of those bodies, though, until one day the Inquisition came. At the end of that night, Kiton had lost an eye to the tender mercies of the House of Questions, and was Shreve Tyde's loyal man for life, as long as that was. Kiton and Godric both worked for the Inquisition after that, and if Kiton ever dug up a dead body again, he definitely never did it where Godric could see him. One night, after patching up a young woman after a particularly brutal round of questioning from several confessors, an Inquisitor of a rather different mindset caught him on his knees, vomiting, on the grounds behind the House of Questions, trying to hide his dismay. No matter how hard he tried to mask and bluff with some of the others, Laric knew him after that for what he was -- a human being with human compassion -- and when the Grayson Prince became High Inquisitor, Godric found that he no longer had to mask and bluff quite so hard. Kiton died with several other Shreve loyalists when the new Master of Questions took over the Inquisition and began cleaning house. That was when Godric found himself promoted to Inquisitor, without fear of the blood on his hands getting there in quite so hideous a way as before. + |
| Gogil redreef + | At the young age of six, Gogil had gotten lost in the forest outside his family's home. Near the same time a group of marauders tried to storm the modest estate by walking right up the front gate. They were slaughtered and Gogil returned home with a fantastical tale of a group of traveling singers wanting to perform for their family. When he was nine it is told that he was to go spend time at Darkwater Watch, but a mighty tempest sent his ship he was traveling on off course and badly needing repair that they ended up in New Hope, house Blackshore's lands. His charges were not too pleased to find that the young lordling had disappeared into the city only to be found several months later staring at wonder at a burnt down warehouse that apparently revealed a trove of stolen goods being ferried through the town. At the age of twelve another attempt to see Darkwater Watch and visit his cousins was attempted. The tale from the survivors says they could see the city as they sailed past being harried by pirates. They were cut off from the port and being dark at night they had to sail southwardly. Long month's past as Gogil's ship stood just out of reach of the raiders before a stroke of luke saw they hidden in a lagoon. The sailors and even Gogil don't talk much about those they met on the island, but there is a song about a boy and his golden eyed duck that those sailors still sing from time to time. At fifteen Gogil was thrust into the world of academia. Not overly inclined to military pursuits and only showing passing skills as a sailor he was given the task to learn numbers and history. A task that he seemed to flourish with. Especially with numbers and the seeing of patterns and stories he says lie with them. On his eighteenth birthday he was sent for by Urime, a master accountant in Maelstrom. Apparently word had reached him of Gogil's prowess with numbers and wanted to take on an underling. About a year later he was on his way home, more knowledgeable on numbers, but confused by the sudden disappearance of Urime. He was even more confused when a Princess kissed his cheek before he boarded his ship home. At twenty one he was asked to look at the books for the family that was in Arx and immediately asked to go to the city. Eagerly wanting to help fix whatever problem he had seen in them. He didn't make it. He doesn't talk about this, and the ship he was delivered on was not the one that he left on. Not until he was twenty four, he finally reached the shores of Arx. A little shocked that his cousin Ember was now Baroness, but still eager to help the family in the city in any way he can. + |
| Grady Deepwood + | He doesn't talk too much about his past - what he does mention is how hard he worked to learn the trappings of diplomacy. Always he has been the peacemaker - between his siblings (the middle child is always caught in between), because his parents (they fought with each other frequently), between his friends (children are terrible to each other). He was always sick as a child too, though as time passed he finally grew out of that for the most part. Happiest were his moments in the woods, when he could be alone. He would take books and read there, but of course his family's library was not extensive. So he found himself reading even the driest and dustiest treatises on politics, diplomacy, and history - and finding he had a propensity for it. Avidly he read and re-read, and started using some of the theories espoused in dry and dusty tomes to start settling those fights, and found he was good at not just understanding these theories but using them as well. And so he began his life as a diplomat, building a reputation for a level head and a genial nature that encouraged communication and compromise. Then he met the woman who would become his wife - she was in the woods too one day, tilting at trees to practice her swordwork. And as the poet said, 'No sooner met but they looked; no sooner looked but they loved; no sooner loved but they sighed; no sooner sighed but they asked one another the reason; no sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy; and in these degrees have they made a pair of stairs to marriage.' So it was that when his wife determined she would come to Arx and rejoin her family by heritage, so too did he as her faithful companion. + |
| Graham Byrne + | Lord Graham Stonewood, was born the youngest male of the line. He realized from an early age that he would have a lot to live up to, bigger brothers and sisters who had accomplished much or become skilled.He would from the time he could first remember trying to learn all that he could from his lessons, though excelling at martial skills the most. He was not distant from his older siblings, but after her birth it seemed he was closest to his youngest sister Arianna the two as time went on would grow to be near inseparable. The lessons would get more difficult,but the young Lord Graham would continue to do his best and it was apparent that his path would be one of a soldier as time went on. He would develope closely with his family and a protective instinct for their lands and to help those in need. It would be with his first taste of true battle that he would learn the weight of leadership, and would take this back with him. He is unchanged except in the fact that he has recently redoubled his effort in training, and feels all the more protective. + |
| Graham Stonewood + | Lord Graham Stonewood, was born the youngest male of the line. He realized from an early age that he would have a lot to live up to, bigger brothers and sisters who had accomplished much or become skilled.He would from the time he could first remember trying to learn all that he could from his lessons, though excelling at martial skills the most. He was not distant from his older siblings, but after her birth it seemed he was closest to his youngest sister Arianna the two as time went on would grow to be near inseparable. The lessons would get more difficult,but the young Lord Graham would continue to do his best and it was apparent that his path would be one of a soldier as time went on. He would develope closely with his family and a protective instinct for their lands and to help those in need. It would be with his first taste of true battle that he would learn the weight of leadership, and would take this back with him. He is unchanged except in the fact that he has recently redoubled his effort in training, and feels all the more protective. + |
| Grazia Rubino + | The younger daughter of a lesser line of Duke Rubino of Gemecitta, Grazia could never amount to anything resting on the laurels of her blood, and chose a path of ambition that relied on her intelligence and scholarship instead. While her older brother Lysander fooled around a lot and threw himself into artwork and, as far as Grazia could tell, nonsense, she pursued study and statecraft with a will. She had few -- but very close -- friends growing up, mostly among her mother's household, and her strongest relationship was with the Seraph of Gemecitta, who provided her, as she grew older, with a great deal of personal tutoring with a focus on the teachings of the Sentinel as well as Vellichor. She took on a legal apprenticeship and studied diplomacy and law. She worked frequently with the Duke as an older teenager and young woman, a relationship that was not warm but was forged steel strong out of respect. She watched as Lord Zaccheri fell madly in love with his tempestuous wife, and watched with a remote judgment and quietly did her work, backing him up in the role of assistant diplomatist and contract maven. When Lord Valkieri succeeded him as heir, Grazia wasted little time in striking up a close association and friendship with his assistant Penelope. It's possible that very few people wept for Duke Giovanni when he died, because he was a hard, hard man; but Grazia did, grieving him as one could only grieve one's particularly ruthless mentor. + |
| Grazia Rubino-Zaffria + | The younger daughter of a lesser line of Duke Rubino of Gemecitta, Grazia could never amount to anything resting on the laurels of her blood, and chose a path of ambition that relied on her intelligence and scholarship instead. While her older brother Lysander fooled around a lot and threw himself into artwork and, as far as Grazia could tell, nonsense, she pursued study and statecraft with a will. She had few -- but very close -- friends growing up, mostly among her mother's household, and her strongest relationship was with the Seraph of Gemecitta, who provided her, as she grew older, with a great deal of personal tutoring with a focus on the teachings of the Sentinel as well as Vellichor. She took on a legal apprenticeship and studied diplomacy and law. She worked frequently with the Duke as an older teenager and young woman, a relationship that was not warm but was forged steel strong out of respect. She watched as Lord Zaccheri fell madly in love with his tempestuous wife, and watched with a remote judgment and quietly did her work, backing him up in the role of assistant diplomatist and contract maven. When Lord Valkieri succeeded him as heir, Grazia wasted little time in striking up a close association and friendship with his assistant Penelope. It's possible that very few people wept for Duke Giovanni when he died, because he was a hard, hard man; but Grazia did, grieving him as one could only grieve one's particularly ruthless mentor. + |
| Graziella Pravus + | Graziella was born in the most extensive branch of the Pravus family, being the youngest daughter of Tiberio and Aurora Pravus. With years separating her from her other siblings, Grazi's interests laid elsewhere than battle and adventure: hers was a desire for intellectual pursuit, and her acute curiosity was always her defining trait, something that made Grazi Lady Aurora's unofficial favorite child. She was sweet and comely, always smiling, but the twinkle in her eyes was her mother's pride. The Argento matriarch taught Graziella courtly grace and political shrewdness, raising Graziella to be the closest thing to Aurora herself, the power behind any throne and the secret protector of her ever more reckless siblings in Gabriella and Lucrezia. While Graziella learned she always did so out of respect for her mother and a sense of duty to her family, her love for Gabriella and Lucrezia trumping her desire to control anything behind the scenes. Truth be told, the girl just adored to spend her days thinking of fabulous stories and dreaming of times when things such as demons, dragons, powerful queens and elven lords were possible. Unfortunately, when House Argento and its agents struck, the whimsical Pravus was ill-prepared to protect herself, and in the same night her father Tiberio and her uncle, Duke Piero, were murdered, Graziella vanished without a trace. For years, she remained at large, most assuming she was yet another casuality of that coup until, recently, she returned to her family. No scars, no stories, but different, somehow. Her return was unheralded but it was greatly celebrated in Setarco, but in Graziella's eyes there was too much amiss. Her mother was lost in the heart of Setarco, her sister Gabriella juggled responsibilities in Arx and the command of the Swords of the Evening and Lucrezia was half-mad and leading the Black Fleet of Pravus. The world she knew was dead, and in its place there was a broken mirror that Graziella would have to relearn in the following years. Without any fuss the young woman positioned herself by her sisters' side, the less questions asked about her the better, as she reintegrates with a family that thought they had lost her and rediscovers her place among them. + |
| Greer Thornburn + | Greer Thornburn has always lived in the city of Arx. His father worked the forge and his mother was a lower boroughs girl who caught the eye of a man with a job and prospects. The third of four children, Greer was a firebrand in his youth. His youth was one of resistance against his father's rules and desires, rebellion a way of life. That stopped when his mother died on his thirteenth birthday. When he settled down, he became his father's apprentice and learned how to hammer metal and shape it into the armor that protected the armies of the Compact. At first it wasn't a calling but over time the heat from the fires and the pounding of the metal became a part of him. Greer married young, a nice girl from a good family, and they had seven children. He's seen many things in his years but the rapid changes of the recent months - elves and bringers and blood magic - have left him feeling old. So he has recently retired, leaving the work over to his daughter Eithne. He feels he's earned it but a hammer still fits perfectly in his hand and the forge fires still burn inside him. + |
| Gregor Steelhart + | The youngest of three, Gregor was also the favorite of his father, who named him the Sword of Highhill after he beat his brother in an honor duel when they were both still young men. When Roslyn died, many expected Gregor to contest his brother's claim to the title, but Gregor was the first to kneel and it was Frederik who knighted him. Despite earning the nickname Gregor the Chillhearted for his vicousness in battle, Gregor loved his family, and like his father before him, married a noble Northern woman who bore him two sons. The first died after taking fever as a child, and his wife died in childbirth with the second, named Padraig. A second wife bore him a third son. While the third, Seth, barely survived childhood, Padraig was his pride and joy, a large boy who grew into a powerful specimen of the Steelhart bloodline. When a small fishing village near the Highhill was attacked, Lionel, Gregor's nephew and protege, ran to fight in an effort to impress his father, and Gregor rode after to protect the life of Frederik's heir. Lionel was killed in the thick of battle, and when Gregor carried his corpse home, a great storm had set the food storehouses on fire, and there were Steelhart men fighting Steelhart men at the tower. Injuring himself on a pitchfork after fighting to put out the flames, Gregor was heartbroken to find his brother had slain Padraig, and the Chillhearted succumbed to his wounds. When he woke, Frederik's wife was dead and the family was torn in half. While the Tragedy at Sanctum was exactly that, one House's hardships may be another's blessing, because it was what was needed for the Steelhart brothers to put their differences aside and show the Valardin House they can depend on the Dogs of War. + |
| Gregori Volkov + | Gregori was born the one of the many children of Ruslan's uncle. Odrev Volkov, the younger brother, and his wife Shaina Volkov to be exact, and happened to be right smack in the middle. Perhaps that is what made him so shy and prefer to sneak away to the libraries in the towns when he could and delve into the stacks. He was not really one to want to play outside or train with his other family members. Often he and Aahana would sneak away together. She was quite good at it and helped him out with that as well. As he grew older he decided he wanted to be a scholar and focuses his efforts there immensely. And now that Aahana's eldest brother Ruslan bended a knee to the Fidante ducal, he has come to join her in Arx and help her however she may need, as well as focusing upon further his studies and support to the Scholars and also learn how to become a teacher of what he does know. + |
| Gregory Grayfallow + | Gregory is the only living decedent of his branch of the Grayfallow family, being the son of Henry Grayfallow, half-brother to Emmanuel Grayfallow on their fathers side. The brothers lived seperate lives, and the families never reunited. As a child Gregory was taught to work on the farm with his father. Nobody in the village was prosperous, but the hard years were few and far between. Had life continued in this way, Gregory would likely have never visited Arx, growing up and in the course of time taking his fathers place. Then came the accident that changed the course of his life. When he was twelve he was thrown from a horse as he led it back into the stables on a stormy night. The horse was spooked and threw him. He spent many weeks recovering, and while his general health has not suffered, his back has, and can no longer bear the weight it once did. Of course, this made him fairly useless as a farmer, where long days of, no pun intended, back breaking labour are expected and endured. The Sereph of the village, a kindly woman by the name of Kayleigh, decided to take him on as an assistant and see what could be made of him. His intellect and determination stood him in good stead for this, and he learned quickly the ways of the Pantheon, beyond what every commoner knows. As time went on and Kayleigh fell into poor health, he took on the position of Sereph in the village, finding the position much to his liking, both in terms of the respect it was shown and giving comfort to the women in the village while their men were away. Gregory did however help the village as he could, leading them through troubled years, assisting where he could and keeping spirits strong with faith. So why is he in Arx? After the Triad of the Lost was found, he finds himself in need of training. He does not know what he should regarding them, and so has relinquished his position in order to head to the City and be taught what he lacks in order to serve the Pantheon better. + |
| Gretchen Moore + | Gretchen renown in the country for her travelling show of "CURES FOR ALL THAT AILS YOU" especially her 'Spirits to Lift your Spirits' (which is essentially moonshine). While she is a 'Working' Moore and many of her poverty riddled family members look down on that, they wouldn't say so to her face given Gretchen is probably the most financially stable and independent members of the family. Sick of travelling, and hearing of the 'success' of her cousins in Arx, Gretchen's invited herself along to the city to stay with them and maybe open a 'barber' shop to tend to all that ails the heavy purses of Arx. + |
| Griffin Redreef + | "Poetry" is not a word that most outside of the Mourning Isles would associate with the place, but it does exist there. When he was a young boy, Griffin Redreef displayed a remarkable ability to compose verse, to the point that his first collection was published when he was only twelve. That collection, and several subsequent folios, received widespread acclaim around the Isles, and he was hailed as an emerging virtuoso, who in time would perhaps become the defining poet of the Isles. His parents, Dua and Spencer Redreef, were happy that their youngest son was bolstering the family's reputation, but honestly weren't terribly interested in a poet. They're part of the most staunchly traditionalist branch of the Redreef family tree, and were far more keen to lavish attention on their two older children, Gehenna the diplomat and Nimue the horse-breaker. Perhaps that's what seeded Griffin's progressive leanings. As he grew of age, Griffin became more and more willing to speak out in favor of progressivism in the Mourning Isles. When Baron Landis Redreef died, his brother Tiberius laid claim to Redreef Shores, but this claim was contested by Landis's daughters, Ember and Marina. When the swords were drawn, Griffin sided with Ember and Marina, to fight for the progressive ideals he believed in. Griffin fought valiantly, even though his prowess was much more 'acceptable' than 'exceptional.' Still, he survived. But for him to survive, others had to die. Griffin slew six men on the battlefield over the course of the drawn-out conflict, and he remembers each of them clearly, and the looks on their faces as life left them. He also remembers the looks on the faces of those on his side who were cut down, and the smell of dirt made wet with blood, and what it was like to walk around in the quiet after a battle, looking for the remaining pieces of bodies that used to be his friends. When Ember won the conflict and established herself as Baroness, Griffin thought he was ready to return to poetry. He imagined that he would compose an epic about the struggle, but when he sat at his desk to write, no words came. As months passed, he found no words coming to him about anything else, either. His gift felt as though it must still be there within him, but always just out of reach, taunting him with potential. In the absence of writing, Griffin took to reading. He became a ravenous autodidact, exploring whatever took his fancy, particularly as it pertained to Death, the Wheel, and other things that weighed heavily on his mind after his time fighting. This led to his initiation into the Harlequins, where he hopes that in helping others and sifting through the legends, his inspiration will return to him. + |
| Grimgar Redrain + | Prince Grimgar Redrain, or as some call him when he is not around 'Prince Grim', he is a cousin of the main Redrain family raised mostly with his own family. As a child he was sickly, dangerously so. His mother doted on him and his father worried for his survival. As the boy grew up has was followed by a healer who was hiered to follow him everywhere. It annoyed Grimgar at first and more so when he started training to fight. They did not want to give him weapons training but in the end he won that battle. He trained his weak body into something strong. Now he is bigger than his father and twice as healthy. Now he rides for Arx, taking with him a new healer, not because he needs it but to ease his mothers worries about him. Grimgar wants to make a name for himself as a warrior and maybe even find someone to marry at some point...maybe. + |
| Grindol Unknown + | Grindol isn't sure where he is from or really how old he is even. The furthest back he can remember is washing up on a beach near Brighthold, the first thing he saw upon awakening was the great lighthouse and it's shining beacon. Since then he has wandered the world wherever the winds and his feet would take him. + |
| Guilbert Touissant + | Guilbert shares nothing from his past, due to the usual lack of people asking and the lack of a desire to tell. Once, on occassion after being pressured by a nosy drunkard he once revealed that he comes from the Oathlands, and left due to problems with an angry spouse. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, and probably won't be seen. + |
| Guinevere Priory + | The Priory family has lived in Arx proper for generations and is well known... to their neighbors at least. Ever since Guinevere's father fell ill, their reputation has shifted from one of respect, to one of skepticism. Her father, Josef, was once honored as a simple and strident soldier, but in his old age, he has fallen mentally ill and spouts nonesense that puts any who hear it on edge, talking of demons and death and telling gruesome fictious stories that he genuinely tries to portray as real. Few people are even willing to go near the Priory house especially when Old Crackpot Josef is enjoying a few precious moments of sunlight outside. Only Guinevere seems capable of keeping her father calm when he's raving, especially considering she's the only one who'll approach the man nowadays. Even her mother is keeping a notable distance. It's perhaps on the pity of Josef's sorry state that more people aren't suspicious, rather than just skeptical, especially considering all the weird circumstances that now surround the Priory household. Strange happenings oft occur at night within the house; fires, odd smells and smoke. It's reported at times, but it's becoming more and more rare for the reports to yield any results. Too often the guards who know or have heard the tale of Josef leave with a quiet request upon seeing the sorry state of the Priory household. It's a wonder that the family is even able to continue existing as "comfortably" as it does with just Guinevere's mother bringing in the bulk of the income through baking. However, it's well-known that the fires, the odd smells, all come from Guinevere and her odd "habits." These are seldom brought up and only in whispers behind closed doors though the way Guinevere always seems to come across the coin the family needs leaves one to wonder if not everyone thinks the Priory household is as crazy as they say. + |
| Gunnar Melaeris + | Gunnar Crovane has been a warrior all is his life. From a childhood spent in the mountains of his home in Stormwall and on the decks of many a ship that plied it's seas, to the battles fought to keep that home safe, one cannot help but think that war and battle is all there is to him. While he's got a warrior's heart, a soldier's training and the skills and scars to prove it, it is those things other than his skill with sword, axe, or spear that make the rest of him. He learned to hunt with the Duke's men, to sail with his captains, and how to choose a horse and to ride one for pleasure or war with his younger cousin Fianna, whom he in turn taught some of the sword and the axe to her - that she might defend herself as needed. The north is a hard place, long winters make for more than enough time to learn lessons of strategy, tactics, of how to cherish peace when it is there and to do battle when that peace is threatened. Gunnar learned these things well, and in turn taught them to those after him, making a name for himself as a skilled leader of men as well as a soldier to have at one's side. The battle at Stormwall was a turning point for Gunnar, a battle and an outcome that he is still coming to terms with. + |
| Gunter Crown + | When Gunter was placed on steps of the temple he was just assumed to be an unwanted discard of some unknown unfortunate circumstance. His name was given to him at the orphanage but he never much found any significance in names and never bothered to ask why his was chosen. He could not complain about his upbringing but he was always struck with the wanderlust and Gunter set off to find his fate. Gunter was bright but his nature sometimes made him seem less so. He was as steady as they come but he was cursed with a touch of being ugly and uncharismatic. As a young man he once had aspirations of service in the faith and in dreams of being a squire. Upon the horizon he held dreams of being a knight but his dreams were shattered when a lower yet vain knight turned him down despite a couple years of service and toil farming the soil of the knight as a teen. Gunter left the Oathland's and faired some days better than others. He was not a proud man and was not beyond the toil that others might find insulting. Gunter eventually found his way into protection work. He was always tough of chin and heavy of mitt. Never too discerning about his work and even less so about his booze Gunter was through his early thirties half-drunk, half-a-criminal, and a lost cause. It was an uncomely woman, Sally -- that actually took a liking to the brute after a bare knuckle match turned south on the drunken brawler. Gunter loved Sally. There was nothing greater in the man's heart equal to the comfort of his wife's gentle touch. Gunter left the life of crime and spent the next two decades making honest labor where he could. He would be damned if he ever would serve a Master or bow to some knight but he and Sally scraped by. Sometimes they had to tighten their belts a little more than others but Sally always kept Gunter on the straight and narrow; if not by the thinnest of margins. Sally would cook, clean, and mend to get by while Gunter might get trash, waste disposal, or other labor intensive work. The night Gunter returned from a merchant protection run and he came home to find his wife already burned to ash and he was told she died of fever two weeks prior. Gunter was cast adrift and without his compass. He has wandered and worked his way towards the Compact's capital over the last year. Gunter has set out for Arx in search of distance and a means to survive after his loss. + |
| Gunther + | When Gunter was placed on steps of the temple he was just assumed to be an unwanted discard of some unknown unfortunate circumstance. His name was given to him at the orphanage but he never much found any significance in names and never bothered to ask why his was chosen. He could not complain about his upbringing but he was always struck with the wanderlust and Gunter set off to find his fate. Gunter was bright but his nature sometimes made him seem less so. He was as steady as they come but he was cursed with a touch of being ugly and uncharismatic. As a young man he once had aspirations of service in the faith and in dreams of being a squire. Upon the horizon he held dreams of being a knight but his dreams were shattered when a lower yet vain knight turned him down despite a couple years of service and toil farming the soil of the knight as a teen. Gunter left the Oathland's and faired some days better than others. He was not a proud man and was not beyond the toil that others might find insulting. Gunter eventually found his way into protection work. He was always tough of chin and heavy of mitt. Never too discerning about his work and even less so about his booze Gunter was through his early thirties half-drunk, half-a-criminal, and a lost cause. It was an uncomely woman, Sally -- that actually took a liking to the brute after a bare knuckle match turned south on the drunken brawler. Gunter loved Sally. There was nothing greater in the man's heart equal to the comfort of his wife's gentle touch. Gunter left the life of crime and spent the next two decades making honest labor where he could. He would be damned if he ever would serve a Master or bow to some knight but he and Sally scraped by. Sometimes they had to tighten their belts a little more than others but Sally always kept Gunter on the straight and narrow; if not by the thinnest of margins. Sally would cook, clean, and mend to get by while Gunter might get trash, waste disposal, or other labor intensive work. The night Gunter returned from a merchant protection run and he came home to find his wife already burned to ash and he was told she died of fever two weeks prior. Gunter was cast adrift and without his compass. He has wandered and worked his way towards the Compact's capital over the last year. Gunter has set out for Arx in search of distance and a means to survive after his loss. + |
| Gunther Crown + | When Gunter was placed on steps of the temple he was just assumed to be an unwanted discard of some unknown unfortunate circumstance. His name was given to him at the orphanage but he never much found any significance in names and never bothered to ask why his was chosen. He could not complain about his upbringing but he was always struck with the wanderlust and Gunter set off to find his fate. Gunter was bright but his nature sometimes made him seem less so. He was as steady as they come but he was cursed with a touch of being ugly and uncharismatic. As a young man he once had aspirations of service in the faith and in dreams of being a squire. Upon the horizon he held dreams of being a knight but his dreams were shattered when a lower yet vain knight turned him down despite a couple years of service and toil farming the soil of the knight as a teen. Gunter left the Oathland's and faired some days better than others. He was not a proud man and was not beyond the toil that others might find insulting. Gunter eventually found his way into protection work. He was always tough of chin and heavy of mitt. Never too discerning about his work and even less so about his booze Gunter was through his early thirties half-drunk, half-a-criminal, and a lost cause. It was an uncomely woman, Sally -- that actually took a liking to the brute after a bare knuckle match turned south on the drunken brawler. Gunter loved Sally. There was nothing greater in the man's heart equal to the comfort of his wife's gentle touch. Gunter left the life of crime and spent the next two decades making honest labor where he could. He would be damned if he ever would serve a Master or bow to some knight but he and Sally scraped by. Sometimes they had to tighten their belts a little more than others but Sally always kept Gunter on the straight and narrow; if not by the thinnest of margins. Sally would cook, clean, and mend to get by while Gunter might get trash, waste disposal, or other labor intensive work. The night Gunter returned from a merchant protection run and he came home to find his wife already burned to ash and he was told she died of fever two weeks prior. Gunter was cast adrift and without his compass. He has wandered and worked his way towards the Compact's capital over the last year. Gunter has set out for Arx in search of distance and a means to survive after his loss. + |
| Gustave Blackram + | Towering over man and beast (and even his fellow Blackram's, if by a less considerable margin), Marquis Gustave Blackram has strived to fit in a world that is often too small for him. Hitting ones head on doorframes and having to carefully deliberate ones choice of chair may seem like minor choices, but they quickly disabused the boy of too many notions of noble privelege. This would be further reinforced by the influence of his grandmother Ingrun, who despite her advanced years remained matriarch of the Blackram family even if his father held the title. In spring and autumn he was turned out into the fields to herd and plant and harvest with the serfs, and was trained and fought several battles in the traditional Blackram style of combat: the push of pike and halberd and the greatsword, drill and discipline meant to banish lofty delusions of glory from his mind. The block, and the Blackram as a whole, survived and conquered or it perished. As his father and his father before him he provides an anchor for Telarn and Valardin as a whole: a brief lapse in an otherwise disciplined life saw him married to Achena Timberhold, the daughter of his fathers favored vassal, at the age of 20. They had a single daughter together, Sigrun Blackram, though Achena and his father would pass away just four years later from plague. He knows he should remarry should tragedy strike again and take away his beloved Sigrun, he knows that things are change. He seeks stability and continuity, but he is a man with deeper roots than most nobles do to his friends and neighbors (even if they work his land), and a ferocious desire to protect what he is left. + |
| Gwendolen Blackram + | Some time before her birth, Gwendolen's parents struck out from their ancestral home at the Cloudspine and set out to make their names on the frontier. When her mother's pregnancy became apparent, they still persisted with their nomadic lifestyle. Gwendolen was born amid their quest for fame and fortune. Long periods of time spent in the wilderness and among the village-folk did little for the girl's noble graces, but they did imbue her with practical knowledge. From a young age, she learned to ride a horse, hunt animals, and survive without the amenities of a city. Some time later, when Gwendolen was a teenager, her family decided to return to their former lives in the Cloudspine. They had not achieved notoriety, and instead earned the ire of their relatives for shirking their noble duties. Gwendolen was taken in by her grandmother and formally educated, but she didn't take the lessons well. Instead, she entertained herself with stories of adventure and came to idolize the figure of the knight-errant. At the age of 14, Gwendolen forced herself into the company of passing knights in the hope that they'd take her on as a squire. Her opportunity came some years later, when she was old enough to participate in the hunts. A passing knight, known only as Sir Wymar, was impressed with her ability and took her as his shield-bearer. During her time with Sir Wymar, Gwendolen became well-acquainted with the wider Oathlands. She put her survival skills to use and proved herself a valuable asset to her mentor. In return, he educated her in matters of chivalry and swordplay. One day, when traveling the road between Greenhaven and Highhill, the two were set upon by a band of shavs. Gwendolen took up a spear from Wymar's pack and pack and aided him in combat. She spotted a shav preparing to strike her mentor from the side, and quickly ran him through. Sir Wymar dispatched the other two with his sword. Following the battle, the old knight dubbed her on the field. By the time that Gwendolen left her mentor's employ, she was a proud knight. When she returned to the Cloudspine, she enlisted in her family's army. Gwendolen proved herself a capable soldier, and became intimately familiar with the heft of a halberd. Her unit saw combat during the construction of the Great Road, often deployed to combat bands of hostile Abandoned. Gwendolen earned a name with herself during a skirmish that took place in a peasant village. A host of shavs appeared in the night and began to set houses alight. The watchmen roused their comrades from slumber and Gwendolen took command, leading her retinue into combat. They were far outnumbered and pushed back into the center of the village, where they formed a barricade and held out. Gwendolen sent one runner to call for reinforcements, which arrived at the break of dawn. They pushed back the raiders in the morning, and her unit was finally relieved after hours of fighting. Tale of their stand must have reached the ears of her fellow knights. In the month that followed, while Gwendolen recovered from her injuries, she received an invitation to be inducted into the King's Own. She was more than eager to accept. + |
| Gwendolyn Reed + | Living a rather quiet life with her brother and family, working to pay their taxes every year, they lived off in forest province where Gwendolyn became intimate with the plant life native to their home. From an early age she learned the proper berries to consume, and which were poisonous, with every year her knowledge grew over every plant, vegetable, root and leaf that she stumbled across, eventually making her own little book with the paper her family could afford. As the years went on she blossomed into a woman, though never quite grew very tall, making her reserved and shy about her lower than average height and using her hair to create a veil over her eyes to keep herself out of sight and mind. At some point, a large flash forest fire hit while she was out gathering, instantaneous and unable to react in time she thought she lost everyone she knew. Though whether by cruel fate, or blessing by the Gods, her brother Gavin survived and she holds onto him, scared of losing all her family. Carrying herself the best she can with her intimate knowledge of the flora of the lands, she travels mainland with her brother for a second chance at life. + |
| Gwenna Redrain + | The North breeds hardy stock, and there are ways that Gwenna's life was no exception to this. A child in Farhaven, running in the snows, building snow forts, climbing trees, scraping her knees, failing dismally with spear and shield only to get up again and try again with grim determination in the set of her young jaw, nothing about these things made of Gwenna something unique among her brothers, sisters, cousins. But the lure of finer things and her mother's brewing hobby and knitting and crochet drew her back indoors for a loving seat by a crackling fire among their enormous dogs more often than not. Her strongest memories are of learning the needle, of matching bright colors and coming up with silly rhymes with her mother. She was never a wilting flower, but she always loved aesthetics, and art, and preferred the homely warmth of indoors to out, and of listening to song and story rather than trying to invent them herself. Gwenna learned an open heart and an open mind from her family. She listened to the stories of the spirits from a laughing shaman and the stories of the Faith from a smiling seraph. She learned the strength of diplomacy and subtlety from her mother and the stories of war and conquest and wildness from her father. While her older brother was close to her in age and heart, a wild hellion running madly about the woods and stones, she learned drawing and sewing and drank home-brewed ale from her mother's casks and wondered about a future where she might be the center of her own beautiful domestic picture. Politics are the doom of many a northener and it was her mother's machinations that sent her softer hands south, believing in her potential to aid Redrain, in all, maybe even to apprentice with Princess Donella and learn from her the lessons of the Southlands. It was with wide open eyes that she set out. + |
| Gwenys Valardin + | Gwenys was born in a line of heroes who seldom married outside the Valardin or Wyrmguard families, at least until Prince Sherrod Redrain and Prince Radley Valardin decided to marry her parents in an effort to ease the tensions between the Oathlands and the North. A full year of courtship later and Princess Larra Redrain married Prince Lyonis Valardin. Their story of duty and, some say, even love, saw the birth of three children and ended in the Sanctum decades later with the Tragedy. Growing up Gwenys was an hyperactive Princess who never missed a lesson from her tutors but whose dream was to be a knight, thinking more of heroics than duty in her younger years. She played the role of diplomat and unifier among her sisters, often adapting and doing what was required of her to broker peace between them. The golden days ended with the Tragedy, when Gwenys was unaccounted for weeks after the massacre, her body not found among the others. The girl returned to her family with a wicked scar on her once-unblemished face and clung to a strange blade she did not possess before. After the Tragedy Gwenys's personality changed and she was rarely seen in the Sanctum again, seemingly possessed with wanderlust and roaming the Westlands, throwing herself headfirst into any conflict she could find, and eventually crossing the Telmarch into the North, where she spend time learning from her mother's people and assisting them with their own problems, unable to return home and unable to cope with the loss of her parents. Whenever she was spotted at a tavern or skirmish, the Valardin was immediately recognizable, but soon after the victory celebrations she was gone with the morning snow. Her return to the fold and to Arx came only through a summon sent by Emma, enlisting Gwenys to fight in the name of Sanctum against Skal'daja. With her oath to serve being called into question, not even the pale-haired wildcat refused the mustering of troops, even if she convinced herself stay in Arx would be only temporary. + |
| Gyliam Tulfa + | Gyliam Tulfa was born and raised in the streets of the Lower Boroughs. He was left by his parents to fend for himself when he was no older than six years. He grew to be embittered by his situation, and often envied those more privileged than himself. Despite such bitterness, he could never have seen a future for himself beyond the average Lower Boroughs citizen's. On the day Gyliam came across the Iron Guard's recruitment drive, all of that changed. For a few years, he served as a common man-at-arms at the Iron Guard. As he trained, Gyliam proved to have a keen eye and a talent for the bow. Soon, he joined the ranks of the Iron Guard's archers. Then came the fleets of the Gyre, sailing for the Compact. The battle at Setarco, victorious though it may have been, left its mark on Gyliam. Or took it, some might say. He lost his eyesight in a terrible turn of events, when near half his face was burned off. He survived, but he was deemed unfit for duty. + |
H | |
| Haakon Eswynd + | A near-brother (cousin) to the king of Eswynd, Haakon grew up on the sea. Being of noble blood among the Abandoned meant being a warrior, and he was raised with callouses on his hands from oars, rigging ropes, and spear hafts. Never able to openly challenge the Thraxian navy, his people were raiders of the reavers, striking any merchant ships or fishermen who fell within their reach, and fleeing from any war fleet. Twice he was part of a battle against Thrax warships; neither could be called a victory. The Darkness in the Deep was known to the Eswynds for many years. At first, Haakon and his kin had been all too willing to accept bloody silver to hunt the Arvani (they did that, anyway) but as the shadows spread and tales of the blood madness trickled out, Eswynd's old allegiance to Marin grew dangerous. When Margot Tyde and her diplomats came to them, offering alliance and protection, backed by the threat of destruction before a united Thraxian fleet, the Eswynds accepted There were noises made about honor and their ancestors in protest, but for such things "the wind does not care." All that mattered was surviving the coming storm. His near-brother the king (now Marquis) married an Arvani woman to seal the alliance and remained in their home island, making heirs. Haakon and his people took their small fighting ships to sea for battle among the Tyde fleet, and did their duty against the Gyre. After the war, Haakon was sent to Arx on Eswynd's behalf, to represent his people in the court of their ancient enemies, now overlords. What could possibly go wrong? + |
| Haati Wavehowler + | All he has ever known or more can remember is the house of Thrax, from when he was very young he had been taken and placed as a thrall in the service of one lord or another until he reached ten. Only then was he placed with the man that would be his adopted father later in life Torvin Wavehowler. Torvin was a blacksmith, his specialty was weapons, but he had some skill with armor as well. It was a hard place to be for someone so young, but over the next five years he toiled and sweated under Torvin's tutelage, thinking he wasn't doing more than manning the fire and fetching tools. At fifteen years Torvin put him in front of the anvil and a hammer in hand. He was amazed how much strength he had built up over the years and in a short time having watched so long, sometimes only listening, that he was able to craft decent weapons. After anther five years he had made enough weapons and become good enough with other materials other than steel that he had earned his freedom. It wasn't only his freedom, Torvin himself adopted him and kept him working at the weapon shop he owned. Torvin never had children and Haati was more a son by that point then he would ever have born from another. It started showing when he began growing weaker and a few years later could not even hold a hammer. They didn't know what was wrong, but he died soon after taken to being bedridden, the life, his craft and he could not do it, crushed him. The shop was owned by the local lord and he wouldn't recognize Haati's inheritance of it. Things will be and things that are, his skill was useful on the for the Thrax ships he found himself a mariner, pirate to some, employing what skill he had with a bow and his weaponsmithing to good use on the oceans that were so close to what he had called a home. He spent his time on the waves, on a ship, an archer for higher and a weaponsmith t keep the money in his pocket flowing. He acquired a taste for the hopping from one wharf and docks bar to another carousing and drinking. So until recently he has done mostly what he wanted, but then House Thrax had came to him and made an offer he could little refuse. To take up shop in Arx, support their interests and he would receive all he ever desired. + |
| Hadrian Malvici + | When Hadrian was ten years old, there was the war between his cousin Count Lucien Malvici and Duke Leo Fidante for control of Tor and the Fidante family. He did not know the Count's intentions when the Count pursued a marriage to Leo's mother, the then-ruling Duchess of Tor. The death of the Duchess of Tor and Count Lucien's attempt to delegitimize Duke Leo in favor of Lucien and the Duchess's infant daughter came as a surprise. So did the war and its conclusion with Lucien's death at Leo's hands. Publicly Hadrian's mother the Duchess Malvici of Southport supported Lucien's claim. Privately, she provided him funds as a stake and then offered no more. Lucien risked everything in a single move. It almost worked! In failing, however, he lost everything, including his life. He had been so openly dishonorable even Tor's commons rose against him. Hadrian drew three lessons. First: daring to defy all convention can achieve what seems impossible. Second: never risk everything in a single throw of the dice. Third: appearance can determine reality. Accordingly, he continued his mischevious behavior so people would expect it from him. At the same time, he began claiming more authority than he had in order to intercede in conflicts among merchant princes, make donations to good causes, and launch unexpected festivals and other spectacles. Many expected his use of power he frankly did not possess yet would be checked by his mother. When protests and questions arose, she would laugh, and explain why she was confirming the young man's judgment in the matter. "He is spirited," she said, as if that explained everything. When he made mistakes, she explained the errors in private. In public, he had her full support and a growing reputation as a maverick Malvici, a roguish youth with compassion for the commons of Southport. In the eyes of many nobles, to show kindness is to show weakness. Following his mother's abdication in Hadrian's favor, one of her old ministers began skimming from House Malvici's finances. After the minister's execution, the new Duke's bouts of compassion were rarely confused with softness. His mother died of natural causes, a proud feat for a Lycene aristocrat, and had the pleasure of seeing her son come into his own before she passed. After consolidating his hold in Southport, Hadrian Malvici has come to Arx to play the game on a larger stage. + |
| Hadrian Mazetti + | When Hadrian was ten years old, there was the war between his cousin Count Lucien Malvici and Duke Leo Fidante for control of Tor and the Fidante family. He did not know the Count's intentions when the Count pursued a marriage to Leo's mother, the then-ruling Duchess of Tor. The death of the Duchess of Tor and Count Lucien's attempt to delegitimize Duke Leo in favor of Lucien and the Duchess's infant daughter came as a surprise. So did the war and its conclusion with Lucien's death at Leo's hands. Publicly Hadrian's mother the Duchess Malvici of Southport supported Lucien's claim. Privately, she provided him funds as a stake and then offered no more. Lucien risked everything in a single move. It almost worked! In failing, however, he lost everything, including his life. He had been so openly dishonorable even Tor's commons rose against him. Hadrian drew three lessons. First: daring to defy all convention can achieve what seems impossible. Second: never risk everything in a single throw of the dice. Third: appearance can determine reality. Accordingly, he continued his mischevious behavior so people would expect it from him. At the same time, he began claiming more authority than he had in order to intercede in conflicts among merchant princes, make donations to good causes, and launch unexpected festivals and other spectacles. Many expected his use of power he frankly did not possess yet would be checked by his mother. When protests and questions arose, she would laugh, and explain why she was confirming the young man's judgment in the matter. "He is spirited," she said, as if that explained everything. When he made mistakes, she explained the errors in private. In public, he had her full support and a growing reputation as a maverick Malvici, a roguish youth with compassion for the commons of Southport. In the eyes of many nobles, to show kindness is to show weakness. Following his mother's abdication in Hadrian's favor, one of her old ministers began skimming from House Malvici's finances. After the minister's execution, the new Duke's bouts of compassion were rarely confused with softness. His mother died of natural causes, a proud feat for a Lycene aristocrat, and had the pleasure of seeing her son come into his own before she passed. It was all duty and fun until a previously reclusive ruler from a city-state of the Lyceum came proverbially knocking. Bearing a contract signed by their mothers from two decades past and fulfillment of that contract sought. With the word and honor of not only himself, but his home of Southport and his House on the line there was only one option in the mind of the Duke of Southport. Ever one with a plan, the Duke of Southport accepted the terms. Shortly after Hadrian abdicated from his rule of Southport and went on to marry Marquessa Cambria Mazetti with a most unusual agreement from the past, joining her rule of the reclusive and arguably mysterious city-state of Ostria where once his cousin, Lucien Malvici, had briefly called home. + |
| Haizea Malespero + | The third of four children to an already distant scion in the family tree, Haizea was of little import in the greater workings of House Malgentilega. She was afforded an education befitting anyone of her rank, and with a special emphasis in the arts and civil technologies as befitting any citizen of Bravura. Tutors agreed she was an astute-enough pupil: by no means stellar and often nightmarishly argumentative, but gifted with an engineer's sensibilities and an artist's eye, and hard-working where innate talent fell short. There was relatively little in the way of true politicking that was deemed necessary for her to learn given how low a rung she held in the ladder of consequence. She had long been betrothed to a minor Argento noble to fortify the houses' bonds, and natural aptitude for draftsmanship and mathematics made it likely that she would lead a tame and privileged life free to pursue her crafts. But the increasing troubles of House Argento were, in turn, the troubles of House Malgentilega, and in turn that of her fiercely liege-loyal father. Even Haizea could not fully escape the sense of turmoil that befell the family. Malgentilega sent its fleet to Argento's aid when Pravus initiated the blockade--and the outcome of the ensuing battle is, of course, no secret. Haizea hastened to Nilanza in the aftermath to arrange for the dead, counting the battered corpses of her father, brother, aunts, uncles, and cousins among the casualties. Her emotions were spent, or perhaps she was merely unsurprised, by the time she learned that her betrothed had been executed with the much of the surviving Argento lot. Barely a week had passed upon removing her mourning gloves when Haizea declared that she will seek to learn under the Mirrormasks of Nilanza. Some observed this action with suspicion, deeming it a maneuver to distance herself from Bravura and demonstrate that this particular Malgentilega noblewoman poses no threat to Houses Pravus and Amadeo. But no one can argue that she stayed true to the course, taking great pains to remain inconspicuous and buried in her various studies. When the Marquessa Lianne found Haizea and extended the invitation to join House Malespero, she latched onto the opportunity to shed her disgraced family name and start anew. + |
| Hali Harvey + | Hali's parents were captains for part of the Westrock merchant fleet. She was raised on the waves. In fact born on them. Pirates were a real thing as she grew up and the constant reliance on the Telmarch Navy always grated on her. And her parents. Worries about pirates were always there. And they took her father at a young age. It set the stage for what she would become. It spurred her to become a fighter on the sea. A cutlass in Hali's hand, she learned from sailors and soldiers from a huge variety of places. For their ships sometimes carried foreign visitors as well. She helped to keep her mother's ship safe with her growing martial prowess. Yet when she began to offer her mother guidance on navigation, they suffered fewer attacks and damage from storms. She was a natural to sailing, that was sure. Despite this she still suffered her fair of mishaps aboard the Silver Spectre. On a trip to deliver crates of Coffee to Arx she found herself bedazzled by a mercenary company revelling loudly in the Traders Tavern. Their tales excited her like sailing ever had, for battle and adventure burned in her blood. The idea of joining a House's standing army never sat well with her and the merchant life was too dull. There was a lack of freedom in it. And like the seas, she needed to be free to blow where the wind took her. So she took the tests and joined the mercenary group. Much to her mother's worry and upset. Her skills rocketted her through the ranks. Today she leads the Crimson Blades marines as a Colonel with enthusiasm and skill. + |
| Halla Stahlben + | When you're born a Blackfrost, some things are simply inescapable. To bear the name of one of the oldest and proudest Houses to call the Red Mountains home, to bear the name of the first Chief who ever knelt to Valeria Redrain, is to bear the history of the North itself in your veins. It is a name that brings with it a pride born of centuries of dutiful service, steadfast loyalty, and unbreakable resolve. To be born the fifth child of the ruler of a small Barony at what seems like the edge of the world is also to have very little else. It should come as no wonder, then, that Halla clung to that tradition from almost the very moment she came into this world. Much of her childhood at Queenspeak was spent slipping quietly into the sanctity of Coronation Hall, until even her mother became so exasperated that she gave the girl a blade at so tender an age that even her Halfshav kin might call it mad. This resulted in a very small Halla joining in the exercises in the practice yard, getting beaten to a pulp by her siblings and the household squires before she was big enough to ride a proper horse instead of a pony. She never once complained about any of it, though she's had a remarkable fondness for their old master-at-arms since the day he quietly handed her a training sword actually sized for a child. In time she grew strong, and fierce, and loyal, as many Blackfrosts before her. And like her kin, Halla's pride burned hot. She carried it with her when there was precious little warmth to be found - in long, sunless winters in the halls of her House; on the raids and patrols when a campfire would have been a beacon calling every shav in the mountains down on their heads; on the long march home from the ashes of Stormwall, answering Redrain's call as her family always had. And then duty called again, but in a way she never expected. Her father called her to his side after dinner one night. They had lost too many of their fighters in the east, far too many, for what was already so small a House. And a letter had come from her mother's brother in Whitehold. A newly sworn chieftain was in need of a bride and given how quickly his lands were growing, had soldiers and silver to spare. And the Blackfrosts in turn had their name, one that would lend legitimacy to their future line. It was a match that made sense for both Houses and unlikely that another Marquis would come to their mountain-top seeking a wife. What Halla thought of the marrying a Prodigal wasn't of much concern. The Blackfrosts have failed in their duty only once in a thousand years. She would never allow there to be a second time. Called to Arx for the marriage, she left the farthest edge of the continent for its heart, from the fifth child of a hardscrabble barony to become Marquessa-Consort in the throngs of the capital. On the day of her wedding, she set aside one of the oldest names in Redrain for the newest. But she set aside none of her harsh determination or her fierce pride; to be born a Blackfrost is to bear the history of the North itself in your veins. + |
| Halsim Darkwater + | An orphan of Abandoned raids, the boy who would become known as 'Halsim' was taken in by the Darkwaters at a young age. Becoming one of the young house staff, assisting where requested. With so many different parts of the Redoubt accessible, it was only a matter of time before the young boy wanted a slice of the life the 'nobility' had, and started to pilfer little things here and there to sell. Becoming a skilled thief and spy, the boy built a reputation among the black market of the Darkwater domains over his teenage years. Sure, people noticed when things went missing, but the boy had learned the nooks and crannies of the Redoubt... and his small body allowed him to reach places the adults could not... so the game of cat and mouse that occasionally broke out continued. People took to calling him 'the wraith' for the way he just... disappeared. This, of course, came crashing down around him. One slip. All it took was one slip. By the time he was eighteen, he had outgrown one of his hiding places. It didn't take long for the Darkwater Guard to catch him, and for Draevor Darkwater to have him brought to him. Instead of executing the almost adult thief though... Draevor asked him if he was 'the wraith', that had been terrorizing his domain for years. The boy said nothing, but a momentary flinch told Draevor all he needed to know. So, he gave the boy a choice; only those guards in the chamber and Draevor himself knew he was caught. Renounce the petty thievery and learn the tradecraft of spies for the betterment of House Darkwater, or be put to the axe in a public execution a week from now. With little choice, Halsim accepted... and disappeared from the public eye. His old name? Forgotten. His old life? Forgotten. He was House staff once upon a time, but eventually, 'Halsim' emerged into the public eye two years later. Now a House scribe to the public, Halsim became one of Draevors spies... and within a year, his unofficial spymaster. This continued for a few more years, until a scandal was pinned on him by Count Draevor to avoid public embarrassment, and suddenly he was without a patron. Sensing it was time to move on, Halsim instead disappeared from Darkwater lands and went to the Inquisition, having the talent and purpose of serving the Compact. In the decade that followed, Halsim has served the Compact and Inquisition well. Then Maxmillian Darkwater recalled Halsim back to House service just before the Silent War, and was convinced by the Count to investigate various matters for the House with a delicate hand. For various reasons, Halsim agreed, and his investigations commenced for many a month. Eventually though, he found what he was looking for; Soon after, Blackshore Keep was razed to ashes, with Max inside. Halsim has since returned to the business of safeguarding the Compact against threats both internal and external... and been adopted into House Darkwater as a proper Lord. + |
| Halsim Duskwave + | An orphan of Abandoned raids, the boy who would become known as 'Halsim' was taken in by the Darkwaters at a young age. Becoming one of the young house staff, assisting where requested. With so many different parts of the Redoubt accessible, it was only a matter of time before the young boy wanted a slice of the life the 'nobility' had, and started to pilfer little things here and there to sell. Becoming a skilled thief and spy, the boy built a reputation among the black market of the Darkwater domains over his teenage years. Sure, people noticed when things went missing, but the boy had learned the nooks and crannies of the Redoubt... and his small body allowed him to reach places the adults could not... so the game of cat and mouse that occasionally broke out continued. People took to calling him 'the wraith' for the way he just... disappeared. This, of course, came crashing down around him. One slip. All it took was one slip. By the time he was eighteen, he had outgrown one of his hiding places. It didn't take long for the Darkwater Guard to catch him, and for Draevor Darkwater to have him brought to him. Instead of executing the almost adult thief though... Draevor asked him if he was 'the wraith', that had been terrorizing his domain for years. The boy said nothing, but a momentary flinch told Draevor all he needed to know. So, he gave the boy a choice; only those guards in the chamber and Draevor himself knew he was caught. Renounce the petty thievery and learn the tradecraft of spies for the betterment of House Darkwater, or be put to the axe in a public execution a week from now. With little choice, Halsim accepted... and disappeared from the public eye. His old name? Forgotten. His old life? Forgotten. He was House staff once upon a time, but eventually, 'Halsim' emerged into the public eye two years later. Now a House scribe to the public, Halsim became one of Draevors spies... and within a year, his unofficial spymaster. This continued for a few more years, until a scandal was pinned of himself, and suddenly he was without a patron. Sensing it was time to move on, Halsim instead disappeared from the Darkwater lands and went to the Inquisition, having the talent and purpose of serving the Compact. In the decade that followed, Halsim has served the Compact and Inquisition well. + |
| Hamamor Samilliam + | Hamamor appeared out of nowhere in the region of Highhill under the control of the house Steelhart. Nobody knew where such a young boy came from, how he got there or how he was still alive, but due to this nobody was interested enough to find out either. Thus, Hamamor learnt how to survive on his own, working on skills that allowed him to rely on himself and only himself. Although he stays as far away from the public as possible when he can, Hamamor still believes people in general are of good heart, and will help those in need like those who have helped him in the past. + |
| Hamil Fidante + | Ever since he was able to walk, Hamil Fidante has been interested in horses and the joust. His mother is a Devotion of Limerance and cousin of Calista Fidante and his father is a knight of the Wyrmguard who had married into the family. When he was young, Hamil's parents would take him to the jousting tilts and challenges of the knight. From stick horses and wooden swords as a child to charging coursers and large spears in his teenage years, Hamil was always going to be a Knight. He had plans to be a Knight of Devotions to Limerance with dreams of accepting the favors of ladies, and fighting for the honor of his house. When he was eighteen, he fell hard for a Lady from Velenosia that he met at a party. After what was a whirlwind romance, it seemed that the negotiations for a marriage contract were well underway. But then Hamil went off to defend the Compact against the Gyre. In the battles that followed, Hamil acquitted himself well. During one of the last battles of the war, Hamil was in full charge when a Gyre spear caught him beneath the chin and it was only fortune that kept him from having his head removed. Thrown from his horse and injured heavily, it was assumed that Hamil may never fully recover. That was the first time that love did not come to his aid. The Velenosian Lady asked her family to call off the contract and broke off contact. While this hurt Hamil, it drove him harder to recover from his injuries. It was a months-long process and when he had healed fully, Hamil had decided on a new path. If he could not have his idea of true love, he would at least uphold the honor of it -- as a member of the Champions, the bloodied rose took to the field again. For honor. For entertainment. To find a reason to be and for being. + |
| Hamish Crown + | Until just a few years ago Hamish Farmer was, as his name might indicate, a farmer. There was nothing interesting about his origins. Hailing from a village in the Telmarch protected region of the Oathlands, a hamlet on a river whose founders creatively named it Rivlet, Hamish had an uninteresting childhood on his father's farm, taking over the farm when his father died, supporting himself and his mother until she died, then supporting himself and his wife and daughter until the first died in a shav raid and the second ran off to be anywhere but Rivlet.. He was neither especially kind, nor especially disliked. He helped out the village in the winter, but benefited from others in turn. As devoted to the gods as any Oathlander farmer must be, making his prayers to Petrichor and acknowledging the rest. All in all a very boring, very ordinary peasant. Then he was crushed while changing a wagon wheel. Rivlet didn't have any Mercies or Physicians, so they made do with good old fashioned farm wisdom. Though the accident looked horrifying, Hamish was less injured than expected. Within a few days he was good as new, except for one thing. He'd found religion, becoming a devotee of the Queen of Endings in one scant moment. Abandoning his farm and the village, Hamish Farmer went to Sanctum to swear himself to the gods before the Seraph there as a disciple of Death. For three years he preached the good word of the Queen from settlement to settlemen across the Oathlands and into the North. On a return to Sanctum he was told that he was wanted in Arx. So to Arx he went. + |
| Hammar Crown + | Big and dumb, those two words have set the path for Hammar's life to this point. He has no real idea as to when he was born, just knows the date he was brought to the Orphanage, and so this is considered his birthday, for all that it matters. Hammar grew up in the Lower Boroughs, beating people up to get food, clothing and anything else that he considered essential goods. He was given a crudely made warhammer when he worked as a guard for a smithy in his youth, and has taught himself what could be considered the crude Lower Boroughs form of combat with said weapon. He knows he is likely too dumb to learn the proper use of the weapon, but his savagery when he is mad more than makes up for any practical training. Hammar went from job to job, working as a debt collector, bodyguard and selling his warhammer skill to get him through life. Hammar has used this skill to try and do better in his life, but he being not the most intelligent of men, he finds it difficult at times to figure out a sure path to get himself in a better situation. Despite this, he tries to get his name out there as a good whacker, and is certain he will make a difference eventually. + |
| Hana Grayhope + | Hana's mother was a member of a trading group that made a great loop through the cities of the realm, in an ongoing nomadic caravan. The girl spent her early life traveling, seeing goods from around the world, and speaking to many varied people. Perhaps that's why she became tired of traveling early on. Some people dream of seeing the world, but Hana's already seen it; her dreams are of waking in the same place for more than two or three days in a row, of getting to know one's neighbors. To know a city not as a tourist, but a resident. Still, if traveling gave her anything, it was an appreciation for many different styles of crafting. Bows from two different cities would have distinct looks. Blades from one city had stylistic elements that another lacked. To someone who knows the language of weaponsmithing, everything has a story to tell in the line of the blade, the shape of the crossguard, even the chips and dents of use. And a crafter can use that same language to tell a story. Now Hana's come to Arx, seeking to hone her crafting talents and perhaps make a comfortable life for herself. And maybe even meet the father she's never really known: a man named Aureth Grayhope. + |
| Hannah Wyrmguard + | Growing up on a small estate in the middle of nowhere was booooooring. And if there's anything Hannah cannot abide, it is being bored. Her father, on the rare occasions he was home, had the BEST stories. A former Ashford before he married into the Wyrmguards, Erik's stories were Hannah's favorite things. The places he'd been, the people he met... all of it was so much more interesting than Apsfel Falls. As a child, Hannah made up her mind. She would grow up and see the things her father had seen, and more than *that* she'd discover things he didn't! Being the sixth child of seven, there was not a lot of 'new' in Hannah's life. Yet another thing to do away with when she grew up. Not everything was terrible, of course. She was Wyrmguard and had the honor of that name drilled into her all her life. All the duties and responsibilities that came with it, the understanding that she was part of this chain of lives stretching both into the past and forward, into the future. It weighed upon her as a child. Still, the desire to be free, to be like her father, that was a touchstone she returned to, again and again. A promise she made to herself. As soon as she was eighteen, she would leave, head out for adventure, explore! She was dedicated to her training, both physical, in swords and daggers, as well as mental, studying, often with the youngest of her siblings, Reigna. Freedom was only a few years away. When her mother came to her and explained that a match had been made, to Hercan Gilden, she was not about to let that stop her. The most expeditious way to get her way was simply to agree to the match. So she got married. And then, she promptly left to go on her adventures. She'd spoken to Hercan every now and again. They would meet every few months or so and spend a few awkward hours speaking before they left to pursue their various interests. When the banners were called, word came to Hannah that both she and her husband were expected to muster at Setarco. She had not seen Hercan in several months and their reunion was typical, an awkward hug, kisses to the cheek and stilted conversation. As the days of tension leading up to the battle continued, she and Hercan spent the most time they ever had together, and she found, to her surprise, that he was a funny man, with interesting ideas. Then the battle came and Hercan was taken down in the cavalry charge. Losing him was not painful, she still did not really know him very well. Theirs was a poltical match in all ways and yet, the potential lost opened Hannah's eyes to the other relationships in her life that she had been neglecting for so long. That would change. She has decided to move to Arx and look up her sisters and get to know her family, before it is too late, again. + |
| Haptenna + | Claiming to hail from one of the many villages that dot the forests and hills of Graysond lands, Haptenna has recently returnd to Arx. Some might perhaps remember her for her time amongst a group of actors, performers, acrobats and troubadours who last visited the city a few years ago. Apparently, that group has since disbanded or she's left, as this time she seems to be a solo act. Those who ask are frequently met with a smile and a dismissive joke but it's clear that something happened and it's something she evidentally does not want to talk about. For now, it seems like she's just marking time, running from whatever has so obviously shaken her. + |
| Haptenna Crown + | Claiming to hail from one of the many villages that dot the forests and hills of Graysond lands, Haptenna has recently returnd to Arx. Some might perhaps remember her for her time amongst a group of actors, performers, acrobats and troubadours who last visited the city a few years ago. Apparently, that group has since disbanded or she's left, as this time she seems to be a solo act. Those who ask are frequently met with a smile and a dismissive joke but it's clear that something happened and it's something she evidentally does not want to talk about. For now, it seems like she's just marking time, running from whatever has so obviously shaken her. + |
| Haptenna Crucible + | Claiming to hail from one of the many villages that dot the forests and hills of Graysond lands, Haptenna has recently returnd to Arx. Some might perhaps remember her for her time amongst a group of actors, performers, acrobats and troubadours who last visited the city a few years ago. Apparently, that group has since disbanded or she's left, as this time she seems to be a solo act. Those who ask are frequently met with a smile and a dismissive joke but it's clear that something happened and it's something she evidentally does not want to talk about. For now, it seems like she's just marking time, running from whatever has so obviously shaken her. + |
| Harald Grimhall + | Grimhall breeds grim men, none moreso than Harald. He took to sea young, took up the sword young, and won his first glories early. His cousins and brothers no doubt harbored fears that he would seek to usurp rule of Grihem's Point, though to all of their great reliefs, he showed no interest in seizing rule, for there was joy in his life, as well: Harald also married young, being wholly smitten with the daughter of a minor vassal. There was no advantage to the marriage, no significant dowry to be had. It was encouraged by the Grimhalls only because it would prevent Harald making a more dangerous match. Yet while he would continue to do his duties aboard the ships of his family's fleet, and while he was always swift to fly to the defense of his family's interests, much of his ambition for personal advancement faded with the first cries of his children. And they had many children. While his cousin Eugine fancied himself a genius of war, and while Dmitry was the honorable and politic leader, Harald's skills always lay with the sea with the steel, and with the men who traded in both. When Tyde rebelled against Donrai, he had led the Grimhall ships north with Thrax to smash the Tyde fleet, and open the shores to the conquering Thrax armies, and Harald had reveled in the grandeur of the struggle. Yet afterward, he had been equally content to return home, as he always did after death was paid, and glories won and lost. For long years it remained so; then the chaos began in Arx. First the death of Queen Genevieve and months later Eugine was lost at sea. Harald went to Arx and was appointed Voice to impose order on the household as the chaos continued. Abruptly, perhaps proving the long forgotten fears, Harald named his famously honorable cousin Dmitry a traitor, was elevated as Duke himself, and promptly thereafter slew his kinsman in a duel. Ever since, the Grim Duke has remained a staunch voice of tradition against sudden change and mainland influence. + |
| Haramus Walrington + | Haramus has been the chief minister of the palace for as long as any can remember. Presumably he was once a young man when serving Alaric IV's grandfather, but if he was ever less than an officious, supercilious, and obnoxious pedant, no one has shared any memory of those times. While a nuisance to nearly all who know him, he has an encylopedic knowledge of the minutiae of palace protocol, which he mistakes for importance. + |
| Hardwicke Morgan + | Hardwicke has been a Sanctum guardsman for almost as long as he could hold a weapon. It was his unwavering loyalty, family history of service, and strong sense of command that eventually earned him the position of Captain of the Guard at Sanctum. It was a visit to Farhaven as part of a Valardin contingent that first brought him into a chance meeting with a dorky Northern baker named Symanthe. She was the one to start sending letters down to Sanctum after he returned (addressed quite seriously with openings like "Dear cutie butt" and "Dear serious face") and, since his duty belonged to Sanctum and hers belonged to wherever she chose to put it, she was the one to pick up her life and relocate after deciding she was going to keep him. That he managed to land such a beautiful, vibrant sort of bride was the source of much consternation to his colleagues. Their contrasting personalities proved to be a good complementary balance for both of them. They had their first child when Hardwicke was 22 and Symanthe 20, and they had another six before she declared quite firmly that she was done now that she had a brood large enough to harass her unsociable husband for the rest of his life. Their marriage has not been without strife, but it's several decades later with all their children (mostly) grown and they haven't quit yet. + |
| Harlan Ashford + | The firstborn of the Duke of Ashford, Harlan has never known a day when he was not slated to govern Ashford Keep after his father, just like his father before him. Also like his father, Harlan served a year in the Vista Glades when he came of age, the order of guards that man the ancient watch stations to the south of Grayson territory. Living high in the treetops, using rope swings and complex pulleys to traverse the distance between towers, lighting beacons using complex signals - it was quite an exciting time for Harlan, so much so that he signed up for a second year, hunting big game that threatened farmsteads on Ashford lands. All good things come to an end however, and when Duke Barton fell ill, Harlan had his first taste of life as the leader of Ashford Keep. Trained in the ways of the courtier, he put aside his bow and learned to manage lands and coffers, all the while dreaming of the next hunt behind a mask of polite attention. Harlan wears his mask well however, for despite his preference for freedom and the open range, none could accuse him of not taking his duties seriously. He dances at balls, collects the best wines, and courts women his mother would find suitable, all in the hopes that when the work day is done, he'll be free once more. + |
| Harlex Leary + | It was winter in the village Wrenholme when Harlex Valtyr was born. His father, a soldier before him, died nine months later from an infected wound sustained in an ambush by cutthroats while on patrol. They stripped him naked and left him on the road. His mother, in desperation, married her late husband's brother. He was a devout man who lacked in any useful skills. He could not hunt, farm, nor fish. All he could do, in Harlex's eyes, was pray. It didn't seem to do his family any good. At the age of twenty his step-father died when his heart ruptured while trying to clear ear-rot from the corn fields. Harlex watched him writhe on the ground, deciding then to avoid this fate. He took coin and a knife, leaving behind the empty promises of a simple life. The world proved remorseless and these years were marked with violent conflicts in taverns, on the streets of cities where he sonjourned, until at last it reached its terminus. He met a band of sellswords, the Dead Crows, and plied his trade in service of blood and gold. It was under that banner where he became a killer. Harlex was never allowed to have any enhanced views of war, soldiery and battle. It was beaten out of him by hammer blows, arrow volleys, and burying fallen comrades. Eventually this all led to the Dead Crows disbanding, leaving Harlex with nothing but the rough-worn gear on his back, the sword on his hip, and scars deep on his soul. + |
| Harlex Valtyr + | It was winter in the Gray Forest when Harlex was born on Valtyr family’s farm, healthy and pink. His father, a soldier before him, died nine months later when cutthroats set upon him on patrol. He was found, stripped and butchered, on the side of the road. His mother in desperation married her late husband's brother. He was a devout man who lacked in any useful skills. He could not hunt, farm, nor fish. All he could do, in Harlex's eyes, was pray and drink. It didn't seem to do his family any good. At the age of sixteen his stepfather died when his heart ruptured while trying to clear ear-rot from the corn fields. Harlex watched him writhe on the ground, deciding then to avoid this fate. A year later his mother died from a fever during one particularly cruel winter. This he perhaps still regrets. But afterward he sold the land for next to nothing, bought a long-knife and some traveling supplies and set out. The world proved remorseless and these two years were marked with violent conflicts in taverns, on the streets of cities where he sonjourned, whose names he can not recall, all under the banner of the Sellsword Guild. Until at last it reached its terminus. He met an outfit of mercenaries, the Dead Crows, and plied his trade in service of their cause. It was under this banner and the leadership of the enigmatic Captain Nazares where he became a full-blooded reaver. Harlex was never allowed to have any enchanted views of war. Glory and honor were beaten out of him by sword-wounds, arrow volleys, and burying fallen comrades. Eventually this all led to the Dead Crows disbanding, and Nazares’ murder. Leaving Harlex with nothing but the rough-worn gear on his back, the sword on his hip, and scars deep on his soul. + |
| Harmon Malvici + | One of Harmon's most difficult hurdles in life has been simply fitting in. His mind doesn't work the way most do, to the point that he has exhausted his old family and the closest he's had to friends. Fits of sudden shouts, running off into the night, disappearing for days at a time have all taken their toll on those who were in his life. When an experiment of his had set his home villages' leader's home on fire (he was convinced that something was hiding in the walls), he was exiled. He traveled alone, surviving by sheer will and intellect while learning about the world around him, and its "laws that the gods wrote under its skin." Harmon, ever since a child, has been searching for something he could never bring himself to explain. Along the way, he has learned dizzying amounts of things that apothecaries, physicians, and herbalists would love for him to talk about... despite the costs. He refers to himself a "Seeker", though others would call him a Savant. His talents (when focused) are used to the benefit of Malvici, able to both tend to wounds and to create tinctures for soldiers, guards, and adventurers. He's happy to do so, as well as brew the occasional beer (though he considers it a bit of a waste, but what does he know? Besides everything, you fools!) Harmon's eccentricities were a collision of worlds during his mandatory military service when the Malvici took him in. He was barely able to use a sword and bow without being a danger to anything within eyesight, but for whatever reason he was a passable wrestler and boxer, perhaps due to his knowledge of anatomy and how to bend other people in ways they're not supposed to bend. The utility of his non-martial skills outweighed the fact that he was a liability on the battlefield, and he was instead set to be a battlefield physician as well as apothecary for mixing poisons for use in the arrows of forward scouts and raiding parties. He wasn't proud of that, but it was the only way for him to pay back what he owed. + |
| Harper Ashdown + | Harper was born among the denizens of the Lower Boroughs, before being relinquished to the Tragedy upon the untimely deaths of her parents at the behest of a serial killer. She grew up close to the most impoverished in Arx and witnessed their oppression, their suffering, and their helplessness. Someone needed to stand up and protect them, and that someone would be Harper. She made sense of the chaotic, disorderly world she grew up in by formulating her own code of ethics and behavior. It was almost knight-like, if it wasn't obvious she distrusted knights. After teaching herself how to wield a blade by befriending a retired soldier and convincing him to adopt her, she decided to join the weakened Iron Guard after the betrayal of their former Lord Commander, sensing her chance to change it for the better and protect the city she loves. + |
| Harper Grayhope + | Harper Ashdown was born among the denizens of the Lower Boroughs, before being relinquished to the Tragedy upon the untimely deaths of her parents at the behest of a serial killer. She grew up close to the most impoverished in Arx and witnessed their oppression, their suffering, and their helplessness. Someone needed to stand up and protect them, and that someone would be Harper. She made sense of the chaotic, disorderly world she grew up in by formulating her own code of ethics and behavior. It was almost knight-like, if it wasn't obvious she distrusted knights. After teaching herself how to wield a blade by befriending a retired soldier and convincing him to adopt her, she decided to join the weakened Iron Guard after the betrayal of their former Lord Commander, sensing her chance to change it for the better and protect the city she loves. + |
| Harrow Steelhart + | Born to a line of nobility of the House Steelhart, Harrow was a big and healthy baby with two older brothers and one sister. At the age of four, he was already physically bigger than most of his peers, and was trained by his father - a Knight and famed sword of the Kingdom - in the art of swordplay. A natural at it, Harrow was able to best his father at the age of nine and then squired to one of the comrade at arms of his father. Trained by the sergeant at arms of their land, Harrow began taking part in tourneys and jousts at the age of thirteen. Unhorsing adult Knights and battering them down at foot, he was a natural - and soon enough victory after victory followed. One particular accomplishment was when the boy at age sixteen was able to best a Knight of the King's Own, gaining the attention of the Lord Commander and catching many eyes at the time. The young squire, when he turned eighteen, was soon enough Knighted and served in many campaigns in the name of the King for years. It did not take long before the accomplished Knight was admitted into the ranks of the King's Own. + |
| Haseo Ekraiven + | Born as a thrall to his thrall father and mother, may she rest in peace. He grew up having to work hard for his meals and anything supplied to him by those of county of Stormchaser. His father fought long and hard to buy their family name out of poverty though sadly before their father could get everything he passed on from illness. This only drove his determination even more and he bought his freedom. And thanks to his vigorous training as a sellsword he set out and proved himself to and include the Champions guild. Now he has set out to Arx to find a certain tailor he grew up with having heard rumor they were here. And wishes to set a name for himself in the Champion circuit. + |
| Haven Leary + | Haven loved music, ever since she was a young child. She loved to sing as well as play instruments, though she rather enjoyed the latter much more. Her mother got her into books, however, wanting her to get a scholarly education as well as a musical one. She always told Haven stories about when she was young, for she was previously of a common house, and wanted her children to always remember to be thankful for what they had. As a result, Haven has always had great manners, which partially came from the noble side, of which her father gently and patiently taught her. She does, however, respect those of lower status to her, and believes that yes, they may be lower in class, but not in rights of their humanity. She is the second eldest of four, and loved to help her parents care for her younger siblings. She is now beginning to make a life for herself and be on her own for the first time, but she keeps in contact with her family quite frequently. + |
| Hazel Helianthus + | Born to one of the Isles' most traditional noble houses, Hazel knew early on that she wasn't going to be the proper young lady that tradition demanded. She studied law and diplomacy, of course - but she studied swordplay as well, watching her brothers' lessons and practicing with sticks, despite the family disapproval for those who stepped outside their appointed places. It all came to a head when in her teens, Hazel lost her temper, picked up a practice sword and gave her brother a humiliating defeat; refusing to be cowed by the threat of denoblement, Hazel left the Isles to make her own way in the world. As a commoner she took the rough with the smooth and trained with the Knights of Solace, though never took the Godsworn vows; after excelling time and time again, and demonstrating loyalty as well as skill during the battles of the Gyre War and at Bastion, she was invited to join the King's Own. The honour given a King's Own knight has persuaded her family to award her their name again, as even if she will never again be a Lady she is at least acknowledged as someone to be proud of across most of Arvum. + |
| Helena Redrain + | Helena had a happy childhood, because her sister already paved the way for her. They had already gone and done things their own way, so by that time, her family was amenable for Helena to find her own path. She's tried to follow in Agatha's footsteps once. Stole her practice sword and managed to mow down a large section of hedges and topiary, taking the head off of a rather interesting rendering of an elephant. After a few more nicks and cuts, she gave it up for a while - deciding that her training can come later when she's ready. Then she followed in Elgana's footsteps. Literally. She trailed after her sister like a baby duckling and begged and pleaded for her to pay attention and play tea party with her. Elgana would spend hours sitting with her sister, and they had some tea parties that could be in books and fairy tales. Handsome frog Prince's, talking pigs and probably even a few benevolent emperors attended these teas. The middle sister doted on her little sister, and it was Elgana who helped her sister find her passion. That passion was books. They were her first true love (besides her family), and to this day her most persistent. She devoured books like they were food, and could be found hiding in a tree, nestled in between some stones, tucked in a nook in the house, or even hiding in the kitchen eating an apple as she was reading. When her sisters went to Arx, she remained behind, but after a few months of solitude she couldn't stand it anymore and followed them there. Time to be a pest again. + |
| Helewise Redreef + | Helewise Redreef was the eldest daughter of a small family in the Isles whose lands could be best described as "bleak." Her purpose in life was to be a perfect individual match in order to further these parlous fortunes, but there was a falling out, for Helewise chose other than her father when future Baroness Ember rose her way to challenge the laws of tradition. Helewise had little to offer save a sharp mind and a willingness to work, but she took to murdering people in heavy armor like a duck to water or a Lycene to treachery, and was rewarded in the fallout of everything. She did not confront her father on the field of battle: but then, not everything makes a neat little story. + |
| Helia Redtyde + | Helia was born of Victor and Cibale Andrasko, both favoured servants of House RedTyde, who served faithfully up to the death of their House, standing proud with their Lord when the Thrax came to lay waste. Helia herself was pulled from the burning rubble of her home by Fredrik RedTyde, who then fled with her in turn to exile, so very small and growing up with no memories of that horrible night of fire and death. She was raised by Fredrik RedTyde, who treated her as a daughter in truth, even if not in name, living with him on his ship as he plied the waters of the Compact. Never taking truly to her father's teachings on economics and business, she instead grew to love the feel of the waves, the roughness of the sailors they sailed with, and the life-or-death play of swords. Her father may have worried, but she grew into the role of a swashbuckling, outspoken woman with aplomb, even if it meant a flash of steel (or, more often, with her father having to soothe feelings with words or coin). Following him since she was old enough to make the choice, she has only known of Fredrik's true status for a short time, and was shocked to learn that her father was, in fact, a Lord of some stature. Once she grappled with that secret, she kept it well, and was understandably infuriated when he went to Arx without her, claiming he would 'send for her when it was safe'. But Helia doesn't /want/ to wait and just run freight or sit in Tyde hall (as an honored guest). She wants to be where the pulse of civilisation throbs; where rings glitter on the fingers of the silks, and steel flashes in the hands of quick-witted scoundrels; where the booze runs freely, and so does the silver. What could be better than that? + |
| Hella Redtyde + | Hella was born of Victor and Cibale Andrasko, both favoured servants of House RedTyde, who served faithfully up to the death of their House, standing proud with their Lord when the Thrax came to lay waste. Hella herself was pulled from the burning rubble of her home by Fredrik RedTyde, who then fled with her in turn to exile, so very small and growing up with no memories of that horrible night of fire and death. She was raised by Fredrik RedTyde, who treated her as a daughter in truth, even if not in name, living with him on his ship as he plied the waters of the Compact. Never taking truly to her father's teachings on economics and business, she instead grew to love the feel of the waves, the roughness of the sailors they sailed with, and the life-or-death play of swords. Her father may have worried, but she grew into the role of a swashbuckling, outspoken woman with aplomb, even if it meant a flash of steel (or, more often, with her father having to soothe feelings with words or coin). Following him since she was old enough to make the choice, she has only known of Fredrik's true status for a short time, and was shocked to learn that her father was, in fact, a Lord of some stature. Once she grappled with that secret, she kept it well, and was understandably infuriated when he went to Arx without her, claiming he would 'send for her when it was safe'. But Hella doesn't /want/ to wait and just run freight or sit in Tyde hall (as an honored guest). She wants to be where the pulse of civilisation throbs; where rings glitter on the fingers of the silks, and steel flashes in the hands of quick-witted scoundrels; where the booze runs freely, and so does the silver. What could be better than that? + |
| Helle Waters + | There's not much to know. Helle is an amnesiac, found wandering deep within the Gray Forest stark naked and muttering under her breath about the life of trees. A little crazy, a lot gloomy, she claims that Thrax is her fealty and shipwright is her profession, artistry the calling of her blood. Her wooden carvings, made always from reclaimed wood, are eerily lifelike and she certainly seems to know her way around the building of strong, sturdy watercraft. The rest? Is a mystery. + |
| Helvetius Nightgold + | Born to a Moreau and Nelly Nightgold, Helvetius was raised in the typical noble fashion. He was taught manners, rhetoric, arithmetic, and some of the soft sciences at an early age. Really, despite his intelligence, he puts it to little use and would rather laze about under the sun than go do anything of note. That is the reason why he is not often given the chance to lead any of his family's operations. Really, he is just a nuisance overall. He can often be seen lounging about in taverns for both the high and low born. + |
| Henrick Norgbern + | Coasting through life as a winemaker apprentice in Lycene lands, Henrick found their culture to be stale. Needing to watch for poison in every wine glass? BOOOORRRINNGG, and having every single casket produced needing to be inspected became very old. He left for Arx shortly before his 18th birthday, leaving the winery to his younger brother. Trying to find himself in the city, Henrick eventually found what he was looking for in the Crimson Blades; a family who takes care of their own without betrayal and leaves well enough alone off the job. Getting paid to hack shit up and get a reputation amongst the elite of mercenaries? Sign him up. In the year since, he's been content to remain a private in Iron Company as a heavy infantryman. He does like the idea of being the one to execute tactics, but that'd cut into his tavern time. + |
| Herbert Gavius + | A frequent face around the Bank of Arx, Herbert Gavius is one of the type of men there that would live his entire life surrounded by other people and could disappear without a trace without any notice at all. With no friends or social ties whatsoever, he is many ways a perfect banker- he goes in, does work with the Bank of Arx, leaves, and it is as if he ceases to exist outside the confines of the Bank. Bland, reliable, and utterly forgettable. + |
| Hickson Gales + | Hickson was born in Darkwater Watch, the first of five children. His father was a trader and a seaman, and his mother worked in the Darkwater household as a servant. When he was old enough, Hickson joined his father as a cabin boy aboard a trading vessel bound to Arx. It was attacked in route by pirates, but he was recovered by a ship flying the banners of House Seliki, and transported safely to his original destination. Once in Arx, he was delivered into the care of the representatives of House Darkwater. Hickson decided to remain in the city, and, after his experience on board the ship, he turned his attention to assisting the Iron Guard with criminal matters, and found himself well suited to information gathering. He has since dedicated himself to serving the Sentinel and the people of Arx. + |
| Hildegard Redrain + | The footpaths between the capital city and the north are often treacherous ones, beset by shavs, wildlife and an uninviting climate. It was on one of these paths that Hildegard entered the world, as her parents were escorted by Knights of Solace from Arx to settlements in the north. Trained from a young age to handle the hardships of the region, and raised on stories of valorous acts performed by mighty heroes from all of Arvum, Hildegard's faith in the pantheon grew to be unshakable. Inspired by her childhood experiences Knights, indoctrination into the order provided her with ample opportunity to ferry pilgrims to and from the capital. Oaths originating from the northlands were taken and upheld, and used to temper her conviction. That very devotion to the pantheon has been tested time and again. The young knight often seems one step behind chaos, no matter where it stems. During times of respite, she's taken self appointed quests that often have her visiting isolated regions of the north, though she's reluctant to discuss the nature of these journeys. + |
| Hiram Kelly + | By all accounts, Hiram Kelly came from good stock and a family that loved him well. For a commoner, his father was an apothecary held in high regard and his mother was an actress who never made it past the local entertainment. Local, of course, was somewhere halfway between Graypeak and Fen de Lire in a booming settlement called Graveway. His parents adored him, his mother in particular. He was her darling child and she was the reason he fell in love with books at such an early age, always encouraged to read any he could get his hands on. Orla Kelly could also be stern in the name of her only son as well, it wasn't an entirely spoiled childhood. She was ever on her son about his manners, believing that wherever etiquette started to unravel so too did the rest of society. When she passed, it was a great blow to the Kelly family and while it broke her husband, it pushed her son deeper into his devotion to books in order to cope with so many good memories now stained with the pain of loss. For a time, Hiram earned a living for himself as a wandering scholar with a talented hand for the quill and an inability to stay put. He was known as a restless soul amongst the villages and cities of the Crownlands through which he passed often and without ever staying for long. His polished mannerisms found many doors open for him but he only longed for the one that he could close on the ache that lived somewhere deep down in his soul. Everyone knows a stiff drink goes best with a good book and eventually Hiram learned that too. Drinking was a fine bandage for a while but when it started to unravel he found other medicines to soothe his old wounds. Expensive medicines too rich for a wandering scholar's blood. Where there is intoxication it usually isn't hard to find games of chance to get in on and in gambling Hiram at least found a way to double or triple his silver when he needed something stronger than a wash of whisky or elsewise. Not only that, he was good at it. In time it became hard to justify putting words to parchment to make a living when he could do it so much better with some dice or some cards. Eventually Hiram Kelly disappeared and it was easy enough for those familiar with him to think that he had finally found himself in the kind of tough spot that his gentleman's demeanor couldn't get him out of. Like bad news though he always turns up again and though he'd been gone for well over a year he showed up back in the Crownlands thirstier than ever to keep on in his hard-drinking and heavy-gambling ways, now nursing a mysterious wasting illness that left him an absolute puzzle to some of the finest physicians in those territories along with the kind of irreverence that often trails the walking dead when every step could be their last. Not to mention the unusual inkwork of an Abandoned nature that he now sported on one hand. Some might say it was that discourteous canny that delighted Glenys Ashford when the pair crossed paths at a little inn and tavern on Ashford lands. Others might say it was her keen mind for medicine that kept her at his side after she patched him up from a particularly bad bet with the wrong men and learned more of his mysteries. The truth is likely somewhere in the middle but only Glenys could tell you for sure. + |
| Holden Morgan + | Holden's life has been one of expectation. The Morgan family has a long history of distinguished service for House Valardin, and this weight settled most squarely on Holden's shoulders as the oldest of seven. He was born to Hardwicke Morgan, Captain of the Guard at Sanctum, and his wife Symanthe, first of a long string of children over the years that followed: Elise, Sergio, Aleksei, Warrick, Sasha, and Briseis. Although his mother was a bright, vivacious, and somewhat dorkily-humored sort of woman, it was his father that Holden rather quickly took after: stern and serious, with a constant weight of responsibility on his shoulders. While all of his siblings (save Aleksei) took on the general mantle of expectation to serve responsibly and productively as commoner vassals of the Valardins, no one took it quite as seriously as Holden. He grew up with a sword in his hand and served as a guard, soldier, and man-at-arms -- whatever was needed at the time -- for the Valardins. He earned commands of his own by his actions in the field, recognized quickly for a clear natural aptitude for leadership and an unwavering sense of dedication and loyalty that outstripped his skill with a blade, and he was a friend and ally to the Valardin heir, Prince Vance. It was no surprise that he proved himself a hero at the Tragedy at Sanctum, saving many lives at the risk of his own. The knighthood that he earned for his actions -- a recognition he would once have been so humbled by and proud of -- was little solace for the fact that his own husband and child were among those who died that day, as well as his friend and compatriot Prince Vance. He continued to serve, as life can only move forward, but recovery has been a slow, private process. And now, with Bringers at the door several years later, he has been sent to Arx to continue his service for the High Lord and the rest of the family there. + |
| Holt Weaver + | Holt was born and raised in Sanctum, a poor kid to poorer folks he was as common as they come. A couple siblings and parents who existed to labor away for what they could scratch together for necessities. Growing up in some of the roughest parts, he learned quickly that ending a fight quickly was the shortest path to success, educated only as far as the Vellichoran scholars were able in the squalor of his neighborhood, most of his experience came from life. There were a few ways to make it, start in on the more frowned upon pursuits of a young man in a bad area or try to make a life elsewhere. He spent several years trying his hand at the former, more comfortable with the physical nature of some of his tasks. A call too close to losing his pretty head was enough of a call to expand his horizons as any. So he took to the road, muscle for hire to caravans, traders and travelers, his path eventually taking him into Grayson lands. He's spent more than a decade in the Crownlands, eventually making a name for himself as a sellsword and champion for hire. A short stint for a Grayson princess landed him his current fealty to the house, though his association with the great house has otherwise been loose. His return to Arx and the Champion's guild finds him seeking work once more on behalf of those slighted and looking to prove a point. A particularly sharp point. + |
| Hope Sovlik + | Hope was born to Ariana and Siro Sovlik, three years before her sister Lucina was born. As a child, she was outgoing and loved to play games with other children. She loved music, reading, and learning the art of healing, be it herbs, potions, or by other means. While her parents were away on business or one thing or another, she would spend hours locked in her room, learning what she could via scrolls, tomes, and books. Her sister, Lucina, would study with her from time to time. When not reading or playing the violin, she would train in combat with the others. Though her parents encouraged her to follow her dreams, many weren't so keen with some of the choices she made. At the age of eighteen, she was well on her way to becoming a great healer. During that time, she also witnessed the death of one of her closest friends. She found him late one night, bleeding out on the street, but she was too late to save him. Devastated and angry beyond belief, she vowed that one day, she was going to get her revenge on whoever had slit his throat and left him for dead. She had seen her fair share of deaths, but none of those deaths had involved a friend she had considered as dear to her. From that day onward, she became more aloof and more determined than ever to become better in combat. She was also determined to master medicine, even if that meant delving into some unsavory things to do it. + |
| Horatio Mercier + | Not being understood by family, peers and society in general is simply a cross many geniuses must bear, and Horatio Mercier makes an example of the rule, rather than an exception. Born the youngest son of Benedict Mercier Horatio grew up on the family estate in Clemenstone Vale with his three immediate siblings, his aunts and uncles and a number of cousins. Having been born during the boon of the family's wealth Horatio wanted for nothing, and has no concept of hardship beyond having to deal with the constant disappointment of tutors that did not meet his high standards even as a small boy. Horatio had always been a little 'different' compared to his siblings, or cousins, or any child really. As a boy he rolled his eyes when asked by the other children if he wanted to play pretend or chase through the vineyards, and while they did that without him he collected spiders, garden lizards, and frogs. He tended to follow the grounds keepers while they tended to the herb gardens, or the flowers of the estate, and would be far more interested in the books and conversation between adults rather than anyone his own age. For the most part his eccentricity was overlooked as a phase or just that he 'did not play well with others', and after all he never did any harm with his silly 'potions' he brewed in the empty rooms of unoccupied homesteads. It was a little later in life that those quaint little mixing of herbs started to become less charming, and a whole lot harder to ignore. His father could overlook the obnoxious smells from the makeshift laboratory, he could even ignore the unsettling collection of pet snakes, tarantulas and brightly coloured frogs. The boy had strange habits, yes, but it did not affect the household. When Horatio accidently sedated his aunt for a day however, was when his parents had to try and control a child that had never had a breath of discipline in his life. The incidents grew in extravagance and Horatio's social inadequacies never did get any better. The last straw for the boy was when just a month back the homestead he'd been keeping himself to was swallowed in flames. Thankfully there were no casualties and nothing else in the estate was damaged, but it was decided then and there it was time Horatio went into the world-- and away from Clemenstone. The family can only hope they've made the right, and safest choice. Perhaps a life in the city will be enough to curb Horatio's behaviour to something acceptable, and help guide him towards a vocation that might do the Mercier name proud. Why, why couldn't he just make wine? + |
| Hulvaster Hagelin + | Known by some, Hulvaster Hagelin is the son of Ake Hagelin, a recently passed Abandoned turned Prodigal then content stonemason in the city of Arx. His mother, Viktoria Sandin, a disciple of Vellichor and scholar with a particular inclination towards the natural world and the formation of the land. The two wed not long after Ake arrived in Arx and began to readjust his life within the borders of the Compact. Ake's point of origin had always been a tight-lipped secret, and was always referred in passing as 'a closed chapter'. Hulvaster, for his entire life, knew only the streets of Arx and the surrounding countryside. His father was preoccupied with tending to older buildings in the quarter he lived in, and so for much of his childhood, he joined his mother in her scholarly pursuits - seeing much of the coast and lands around Arx, being privy to knowledge in abundance. By the time Hulvaster turned 23, his father had passed from an unfortunate work-related accident. A 'violent but quick death' it was called. Now with the one link to a history still unlearned, Hulvaster resides in a city that becomes less and less familiar to him, and a world unknown to him beyond the walls of Arx calling to him. + |
I | |
| Ian Kennex + | Ian was born the third son of a lesser branch of the family, far from power... but nevertheless, he seemed destined for greatness. He was hardy, athletic, and fearless, and he added to that a focus and ruthless drive that was almost inhuman. He found his calling at a mere five years old, the first time that he picked up a blade. From that moment on, he turned all of his being towards honing his skill, making himself into a more efficient weapon and, as he got older, a better killer. Ian followed his brothers Aethan and Porter to sea when he was nine. For his first few years, they stayed on relatively safe convoy duty, until it was judged that Ian, at fifteen, was ready for more. He'd already killed, after all, two years before -- the only one who was worried about him was Aethan, and only because Ian had handled that experience a little too well. With the youngest of them ready, the Brothers Kennex were transferred to hunting pirates. Intense Aethan, affable party boy Porter, and calm, driven Ian were making a name for themselves. It was with them that Washburn Grayson, soon to be Wash Kennex, learned to sail. Ian was starting to be acknowledged as one of the best swordsmen in the Isles. Aethan even gave him commands of his own from time to time. Only prize ships, but a real command was sure to follow. And then his life came crashing down. He was seventeen. Aethan had given him command of a prize ship they'd taken earlier that day. They set off for home together, but Ian's ship, severely damaged, fell behind. As darkness closed in that night, a powerful storm overtook them, and Ian soon realized that unless a broken line high in the rigging was spliced, the ship wouldn't bear the strain of the wind, and would sink... and the only person he was sure could get that line spliced was him. With the mast swaying wildly, he managed to repair the line, but on the way down, he fell. At first everyone thought he'd died, and maybe he should have had the sense to do so. If he had, he would have died a hero, instead of living his days as half a man, a paralyzed cripple. But Ian's focus and drive hadn't deserted him. Feeling started to come back after a little over a year, and he pushed himself the way that he always had, determined to walk again. It took years, but walk he did, and as soon as he could move around he was sent away to Arx, where he would find "more opportunity". There, his healing continued; under the tutelage of Duke Harald Grimhall and Duke Arn Telmar, he picked up a weapon again, and after that there was no stopping him. He led the Grim Fleet home after Duke Grimhall's injury at the battle in the north, and guarded a critical asset during the Pirate War in Setarco. He'll never again be the warrior he was, but in these desperate times, what he's become will have to do. Things are looking up for Ian. Prince Galen, the Warlord of Thrax, has put him in command of Thrax's special forces. He's married to Lady Zoey, formerly of Bisland -- a match far better than he had any right to expect -- and has even reunited with Wash, and with his brothers. War looms on the horizon, but Ian is a man more comfortable at war than at peace, and he's ready to fight. + |
| Ianna Greenmarch + | The daughter of Malcolm and Alda Greenmarch, Ianna grew up with the rest of the Greenmarch brood. Secluded away from the compact and its vast libraries for much of her life, she always felt like something was missing. She learned to focus her intense curiosity in to practical, helpful things. While her cousins were out learning to fight or commune with the spirits, Ianna learned how to heal their wounds and grow helpful plants. Frivolous activities always seemed to evade the young prodigal. When her family visited Sanctum she was around sixteen and her whole world was turned upside down. The books there held the secrets of so many questions she had about the world around her. Curiosity turned to questions which turned to investigations. She found herself wandering through the Fortress in Sanctum and stumbled in to the personal study chamber of the Seraph of Sanctum. She couldn't help herself and looked through nearly every book o his desk before she was found! But when she was, boy did she wish she had read faster! The punishment was severe. Though she has grown from her curious wandering days in Sanctum, Ianna has found a very interesting home here in Arx with the rest of her family that has moved to the capitol. Rumors of lost legends and magic are coming to the surface and she intends to prove or disprove every new theory she can get her hands on. the scientific method above all else. Though she still spends time helping to heal the wounds of fallen soldiers and hunters on occasion, her primary goal is in research. + |
| Ianthe Artusio + | Ianthe's only knowledge of the mother that gave her life is the account of an Abandoned ship captain who found her mother adrift at sea, clinging to her newborn daughter. The man assumed that the woman was a thrall given her condition and the weak, incoherent pleas she made as she handed him her screaming baby. The woman died on the ship a couple days later. Knowing that a boat was no place for a baby, the captain made a hasty port and passed the infant off to be fostered by a merchant family he had had dealings with in Setarco. The man asked them to call the child Ianthe after his own dead daughter. Ianthe grew up in a happy home, learning the family silk trade. Occasionally, her savior would come to visit while he was in port, igniting a longing to see the world in little Ianthe. As soon as she could, Ianthe boarded the first ship out of Setarco. By pure luck, Ianthe happened to fall into an apprenticeship with an old trader who taught her how to trade raw materials from around the world to the best artists and then sell those items to customers who were willing to pay a pretty penny for beauty. He taught her to read, to write, and the manners she needed to deal with the more genteel clients to which he catered. When he died, Ianthe inherited his client list and has been doing a brisk trade ever since. She returns to her family on occasion to share the proceeds of her business, but doesn't stay rooted in any one place for too long. + |
| Icelyn Acheron + | The product of a political match between lesser Northern houses beneath House Nightgold's chain of fealty, Icelyn was a member of the Peerage prior to taking her vows. She dove headfirst into service to the Faith in her youth following a particularly bad row with her aunt and liege, whom she regarded as cruel. Predominantly recognized now for her role as Dame Icelyn Cliffmore, Godsworn sister-at-arms of the Knights of Solace, Icelyn served as a scout for the Faith militant up until her disappearance briefly predating the Silent War. She'd been escorting a group of refugees through a mountain pass when her group was overwhelmed by Abandoned. In order to buy time enough for the others to escape, Icelyn courageously remained behind to fend their aggressors off. Presumed dead, the Compact would not hear from her again until many years later. She was taken captive and brought back to a Shav'arvani stronghold. There, she lived as a prisoner and forced manual laborer until, during an attack by an enemy tribe, she managed to escape back into the mountains. Heartsick, half-starved, and weary, Icelyn returned only to learn of her kin's decimation, seemingly countless threats to her homeland, and fears abound among Godsworn of Northern heresies. Eager to prop up and empower Faithful nobility and rightfully concerned with the fate of a very nearly lost noble line, Faith leadership encouraged a deeply hesitant Icelyn to be released from her vows. Bending the knee to the new Marquessa, she sought to convalesce in the bosom of House Acheron with the sparse remnants of the family she left behind long ago. + |
| Ida Ferron + | Ida Ferron is a skilled blacksmith, hailing from a small hamlet not far from Sanctum, and had spent as much time making and fixing arms and armor as she had repairing plows and horse shoes. She married young and had children young. Two boys and a girl. Her husband was a soldier in the Valardin army, and though theirs was no great love, he was good to her and honored her and she has no regrets. That their marriage was very cordial and polite, made his death in combat five years after they wed easier to bear. At a glance the strong woman is the very image of a hardworking, polite, plain spoken Valardin commoner. Her profession was not her true love though. Ida was the premier Pugilist of the West Marches. A student of what the Valardin like to call 'the sweet science' she was recognized as one of the very best bare-knuckle boxers in the West. After dusk there were many a night where she would fight all comers by flickering lamp light, and while her record was by no means perfect, if you were to ask someone to name a fighter that's beat her twice, they probably could not give you a name. Even now, she is notable for not only her raw power, gained from working steel between hammer and anvil, but also for her technical precision, and for having a sense of showmanship that does not come at the cost of fair play and sportsmanship. In short, she is the perfect fighter to appeal to Valardin sensibilities. She was much loved because of it and basked in the attention, which lead to great success as a smith because there are quite a few knights and lords that want to say their sword was crafted by a champion. Even Prince Edain was an ardent fan in those seemingly simpler times. Her children grew old enough to become apprenticed and moved on to live with their respective masters, and with little desire to remarry, she decided it was time to live a little and see how good she could really be before age could catch up to her and younger fighters passed her by. In 1003, she accepted a job to be one of the Valardin smiths in the City of Arx, and planned to work hard, play harder, and prove she was one of the best fighters in the land. Despite the dark times that were just beginning to dawn on the horizon, Ida couldn't help but smile and look forward to the adventures she would find. The years in Arx have treated her well. Knighted by Prince Edain, now Highlord of the Oathlands, in May of 1005, he named her the Hammer of the West. Her shop prospered early on and she has made great strides in perfecting her craft. She still fights, but her times in the ring aren't what they had been several years ago. Ida is more often seen teaching others the sweet science than going toe-to-toe with them. That isn't to say she wouldn't get into the ring, by any means; it's more that the course of her life has changed. Between being knighted and the requests for weapons from some of the city's greatest citizens, the time for late night brawls by lamp light has grown slim. She has served as an Assistant Guildmaster for the Crafter's Guild, forged House weapons, and become a Knight of the Templar Order. Her cast iron integrity and passionate devotions to both Jayus and Gloria seem to be leading her ever onward. There is still much work to be done, but then Ida is no stranger to hard work. + |
| Ignacio Fidante + | The Citadel of Tor is home to many, many Fidantes, most of whom grow up together as brothers and sisters and regarded one another as such despite being cousins. Ignacio was for a lack of better words, a wild child. He could never sit still long enough to take his academic lessons seriously and longed for the moments when he could be training with his sword. He craved physical activity from the moment his feet touched the ground until he passed out for the evening. In between those times, when he grew bored, he was a master of practical jokes and pranks. No one was safe from Ignacio Fidante. From tacks on his professors chairs to toads in his beloved sibling and cousins beds, to buckets of water teetering on tops of doors waiting for some poor unlucky person to cross the threshold. His name was often yelled in anger throughout the halls.{/{/As he grew a bit older, jokes turned to magic tricks in order to woo the girls, but he was still a clown at heart. His room was always a mess, he could never keep things straight. He had trouble concentrating and when he became frustrated, Ignacio would be very quick to anger. He also developed something of a nasty temper and was caught more than once starting brawls in the classroom until the Fidante's sword instructor took the young, fiery Ignacio under his wing. The physical practice of mastering the sword and studying warfare is what ultimately saved Ignacio from himself. No one knows for certain what the Instructor did to produce such an impressive turn around, but Ignacio's family was grateful their son found some order in his life.{/{/Ignacio remained in Tor while Leo and Dante went off to train in the Oathlands but when his cousins returned, Ignacio was more than ready to fight alongside his family for Fidante Honor against Lucien Malvici and the evils that attempted to take over Tor. When Lucien was defeated, Leo became Duke and Dante was named Sword of Tor. Ignacio was also gifted with a title of Knight-Captain of the order of The Knights of Roses, the elite house guards for House Fidante. For years, Ignacio has spearheaded the Knights in Tor and remained behind when Leo and Calista traveled to Arx. As the Arx came under threat and the leadership of House Fidante spent more and more time away from Tor, Ignacio assisted as the political liaison for his cousins in Arx and the Fidante family home in Tor, often sending correspondence and keeping both Leo and Calista informed of situations in Tor.{/{/Ignacio and his sister have since arrived to Arx to assist the new Duchess in her role, offer the moral and emotional support Calista might need since Leo's disappearance. Ignacio deeply regrets he missed the end of the Siege of Arx, while he was focusing on the defense of Tor, and now has come to lead the Knights of Roses here in Arx. There is so much opportunity. One only needs to be bold enough to seize it. + |
| Ilandra Veracrucis + | Of humble beginnings, from a young age, Ilandra was drawn to books of biology, than those involved with medicine. Before long she found her calling, for hers was a calling of the heart. She has dedicated the majority of her life dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge in the medicine field to better take care of the wounds and ailments of the people. This is so that Mercies everywhere can save more lives, for she knows the value of teamwork and tries to do her best when it comes to treating her patients, as best as she can. + |
| Iliana Leary + | Iliana Laurent was born the younger cousin of a lesser Laurent line and expected to be used in a number of ways: as a soldier and as marriage fodder. Life met up with her expectations in each of these ways, if not in the way she initially expected. She trained as a squire to a commoner knight in service to the Valardin, an unusual arrangement born in part from her family's practical, workhorse approach to life generally. She earned her military service the 'right way', so to speak. She was the subject of marriage negotiations with the Marquis of Leaholdt, where the brother of the sitting Marquis would join her in protecting her home and providing more Laurent heirs. Iliana didn't care particularly who she ended up marrying at that point; she was without romantic interests of her own, after having had only a few passing flirtations with fellow soldiers that never went anywhere dramatic or soul-filling. What came as a shock, however, was a few days before the ink was likely to be put to contract, the Marquis died, and her brother became, unexpectedly, the new Marquis of Leaholdt. Iliana prayed for guidance, not sure what else she could do. She dreamed of riding through the woods with her spear in hand, and took it as a sign -- whether it was or not -- that she should go through with it anyway, despite the dramatic overturn of her fortune and future. She had met Marquis Fairen Leary only a few times and found him quiet, not very military, and neither particularly interesting nor particularly objectionable. She married him for duty, and expected no love. What reality did not prepare her for was the shape of that middle ground. Fairen alternated between being aggressively competent (fine) and deeply annoying (not fine). She never hated him, but sometimes she wanted to hit him with a brick. They have yet to successfully create an heir, although not for lack of trying (on A SCHEDULE with CALENDAR DATES highlighted in COLORED INK are you even SERIOUS yes, yes apparently he is oh my god). + |
| Ilinca Corvini + | Ilinca was born to the ruling family of a noble House. The eldest daughter, it was intended from the very moment that she came into the world that she would one day wear the mantle of leadership, overseeing all that belonged to the Corvini. For most born into such a position, this would mean a life of duty and expectation, yes, but also a life of wealth and of privilege. Not so for her. On the contrary, the life that the Corvini carved out for themselves after fleeing their lands three centuries ago was not an easy one. The new lands that they claimed on the far western shores of Arvum were neither lush nor welcoming, and for each year of living memory, they had only grown harsher and less hospitable. The time they had left was limited, their strength waning, and they knew it. And so her family had one expectation of her and it was always quite clear. Ilinca's duty was to ensure that her people survived -- by whatever means necessary. The question was how? Asking it - over and over and over again - soon became the center point of her life. It resulted in an insatiable appetite for answers and an education that could be called "unusual" at the very best - and even then, only if the speaker was feeling particularly kind. The problem was one to be examined from every possible again, with every possible solution considered and every bit of Corvini's past learned at the knees of the family matriarchs that came before her. What she had not expected was the solution that they found - or, rather, the solution that sailed into their port one still spring morning, bearing what seemed to her to be half the flags of the Houses of the Lyceum. Marriage. The Corvini would return to the Compact, and in order to seal the bargain between them and their would-be liege-lords, their heir apparent would wed Giulio Mazetti, a Lycene lord she'd never so much as seen, let alone spoken to. Her feelings on the subject were her own - and entirely irrelevant. This was the solution that they needed, the solution that would guarantee her House's survival. So when her mother but the question to her, she agreed with nothing more than a long, sober moment of reflection and a silent nod. Now she finds herself in Arx - a city she knows almost nothing about, save for what scholars could scrape together from their small library, with its books that are a few centuries out of date. She is surrounded by that seem not so very different from her own one moment and entirely foreign to her the next. And she has no idea precisely what her place is here, save that she is supposed to be securing safety and prosperity for Iasu. Thank the gods for sending so many of her kin along with her; her brothers and her cousins may well be the only allies she'll have. + |
| Ilira Starling + | On an early golden morning in the southernmost Saffron Isles, when the breeze of the coolest season refreshed the sultry air, an infant was discovered beneath a tree along the shoreline, swaddled in seasilk and peacefully asleep. The Shav'Arvani tribe who inhabited this island were, reasonably, perplexed. She was speculated to be everything from a gift of the shamanic gods to a runaway couple's unwanted, and many spread word of the abandoned child, but no claim was made and no lead could be found on her origins. So into their fold she was taken, bestowed to a pair of young newlyweds. Her newfound caretakers deliberated with their fellow tribespeople around the nightly bonfire on what to call their charge, the most noteworthy suggestions that of Little Sun for the hue of her eyes and Freedom for the circumstance of her discovery. Thus, her name in full and in their native tongue became Ilira the Little Sun, which she would one day reinterpret as Ilira Starling. These were the inauspicious if mysterious beginnings of the woman who now occupies Arx, much of her life spent beyond the Compact and much of her story unknown to most. She came as a literal shadow of herself, wearing blacks and grays where color once prevailed and speaking low and soft where vivacity once brimmed. Her first order of business upon arrival was to claim an apprenticeship with the Whispers, leveraging her connection to a former Radiant who took her on as protege during her studies in Setarco more than a decade prior. After a year of service and another few of full membership, she, in a move that still surprises many, retired amicably from the house and reclaimed her original name: Starling. She's done her own thing since, establishing herself as an icon in both modeling and designing, reconstructing a home gifted her by Natalia Elwood into an opulent villa, and gradually emerged as a public performer. Despite the contentment and luxury in which she now revels, she remains in search of the answer to her greatest mystery, her heritage, for no story is complete without its beginning. + |
| Ilira Starlys + | A shav scout discovered baby Ilira abandoned, well-swaddled and tucked against the base of a tree. She was carried home with him, to a small tribal village by the coast. Situated within a forestal patch on the southernmost island of the Saffron Chain, the people thrived through nature, their structures built from and on the boughs. At campfire that night, the infant was presented, and elders agreed to adopt her as the tribe's own, if a search for parentage came to nothing. In the next days, speculation on her origins buzzed: the product of a broken fidelity contract? A change of mind? Perhaps she was lost, or stolen? Meanwhile, word of her was spread without answer; none knew of or claimed the child. Thus, at one of their nightly fires, a call was made to name her as their own. Ilira bloomed into an absolute ball of energy, under the care of Healers Lilia and Ahria Starling. She learned quick, became a deft hand at the bedside of the sick, and developed repute for her wit and sweetness. Her affinity for animals drew rebuke when once, in the village's makeshift library, she gathered a menagerie of bunny, mouse, and chipmunk to read with her. It baffled grownups how she managed to catch them, and more so when she began to teach other children. Her other keen talent, as evinced at each campfire, was her musical inclination. She had babbled along to the villagers songs before she could speak, and at four-years-old, stole a lute from an elder to strum. Her voice always carried a force and soul, powerful beyond her age, and her way with words translated to clever lyricism. She picked up a myriad of instruments--flute, lyre, fiddle--but lute became her favored. That fire in her music reflected throughout her personality, in her vivacious demeanor, the quirk and whimsy of her manner, and her propensity for goofy shenanigans. Throughout her childhood, Ilira grew curiouser of references to the world beyond the forest, to a silken city, to the Pravus, the Thrax. Upon request, she was told of the Thrax Dynasty and their sovereignty over the Saffron, of Pravus wiles and custom, of a luxurious city called Setarco that dripped with silk and scandal. She wanted to go. Thus, when a pair of traders mentioned a trip to Setarco that would fall close to her tenth name-day, she requested that she might accompany them and potentially linger there for a while. When she arrived, the city intoxicated her in color, fragrance, chic, and culture alien to her. At a garden party, her mischief drew the attention of the Radiant of the Whispers. Ilira expressed her love of art, music, and described her roots, which endeared the Whisper, who offered to take her in as a protege. Interspersed with visits to her village, the following three years refined Ilira's every grace and talent. Her Radiant mentor trained her to weave and sew fine materials, set her hands on new instruments, and supplied her with a range of books, as well as lessons in etiquette and finesse. On spare days, also, Ilira would join the sailors on the docks and learn of the boats and the sea. It all mesmerized her. After a while, she began to catch eyes and attentions with her ability, and as she grew, her budding beauty. She contrasted those around her with her delicately pale skin and wild dark hair, but worth more remark was the way her ears curved to fine points, the tilt of her eyes and gold within the blue. Her beauty struck, strange and increasingly luminous. On her thirteenth name-day, she returned to her village in the forest and remained for the next few years, though a restlessness built in her. She would go on explorations by herself, often for days at a time. While as spirited as before, she developed a reserve, and many suspected there to be a paramour she kept to herself. At 16, she decided to act upon her desires, and obtained her own sailboat. She said she would return after a few months, and wished warm farewells to her tribe with one last song around the campfire. She never did. Until now, Ilira has been away and seems somewhat reticent to speak on all those years. She is different, keened and refined by her experiences, with a competence in combat unafforded by her upbringing. Despite this, there is a warmth and deep joy evident in her return, and she faces Arx with fresh intentions and two swords at her back. + |
| Ilira Whisper + | Ilira came to Arx as a shadow of herself. She needed both a soft place to land and something to rebound off, a new opportunity, and the capital never disappoints. The life she has led the last few years is distinctly different from the one before, of which she rarely speaks in more than vague terms. She'll tell freely of her childhood, her abandonment to a shav tribe of the Saffron Isles, of her years in Setarco she spent as a youth to hone graces practiced and innate. The details thin as the recount progresses. By sixteen, she was traveling on her own up and down the Chain and beyond, known to all for her beauty and vivacity. "Ilira the little sun," many called her. And then something happened at eighteen: she disappeared. For months, there was a search to no avail, until, one day, she reappeared on the shores of her island by the same tree the shav had found her beneath as a newborn. When asked where she had gone, she only said, "A place afar," with a conspiratory smile for the horizon itself. She did not linger in the place she once called home long. Life and adventure awaited her beyond, and she went forth into the world to pursue it. The gaps between contact grew longer and longer. The people who knew her would notice changes each time she returned--a new skill or a fresh look, or simply the experience that weighed behind her eyes. But the last return was different. She seemed half of herself, withdrawn and solemn in a way completely uncharacteristic to the scintillant girl of before. She retired to that island a while, contemplating her next steps and deriving comfort from her old home. It was in this time that she first set her sights on the capital--the fresh start it presented. So late in spring, right around the formation of the whirlpool, she readied herself to sail north. Ilira slipped into life here with quiet, delicate ease. She joined the Bard's College first, the Whispers second, serving her role as courtier with grace and subtlety for three years. Some of her greatest talents were kept all but to herself in this time. But gradually, through connections, resources, and support, she shed that reservation and rediscovered her fire, a phoenix's change from the person she arrived as. She thirsts to live and do and be all that she may, and everything cultivated to this point is just a beginning. So the question remains: a beginning to what? + |
| Illisahn Valardin + | The daughter of a once great military official, after an arrow took his knee he fell into a deep drunken depression. Kept almost completely shut in, she only learned he few lessons from the broken soldier, and less of the world outside. After his early passing, she found herself suddenly thrust into a world she had little knowledge of, pursuing the only profession she had a chance at. Although often looked down on, her spirits are rarely dashed. Often those with some patience even find her entertaining, as she finds great magic in everyday occurrences and objects deemed quite mundane by the usual populace. She has a fierce loyalty to Valardin, although she barely understands what that means. She is often found on her time off asking questions of anyone that with answer, although her uncivilized manners tend to get her in trouble with those that have a quick temper. + |
| Ilmia Leary + | Being born with parents who travel a lot can take a toll on young children, stripping them of their ability to make friends. Especially when that young child grows up an only child, to a family that favors books than socializing. Ilmia Leary, on the other hand, is a unique case. All of these obstacles were just challenges for the young Leary girl, and oh, does she love a challenge. Everywhere her family went, Ilmia immediately put in the work and effort to make as many friends as she possibly could before the next move. It was practically like a game to her, with a ledge she kept to record her 'score' as she went. Not that she needed a book, considering her exceptionally keen memory. When she came of age, Ilmia set off on her own, seeking to make a name for herself rather than just piggy-backing off of her father's name and relic collecting reputation. No place is safe. From the coldest of Redrain lands, to the most liberal cities of the South. Now, however, it's time to explore one of the most prominent cites in the whole Compact: Arx. + |
| Ilsa Innes + | Hillward. A town in the Oathlands of little renown. But it was home. From the moment of Ilsa's birth, a place of hard work and graft, of joy and delight. A place of simple pleasures for simple folk. Folk who knew the wisdom of the woods and who gave thanks for the gifts they were given by the gods. Ilsa was born into a house of wise women, her own mother, having lost her husband soon after her daughter was born, lived with her sister's family, with her mother and aunts. A family of women tending to their own. From her youngest days, she trailed at the heels of these wise women, learning their ways, learning the secrets of herb and flower. The power of poultice and potion. The wisdom of speaking to the gods and to the spirits of the land. And when she came of age, she took her place as a wise woman herself, tending to the needs of the town and of the countryside. Knowing, always, that the day would come when she would find her way to the wider world, to places of greater renown and grander vistas. A place where she could ply her craft and hone her skills. And now, her chance has come. And Arx awaits. + |
| Ilva Fidante + | Raised in a low-class household, she was the second of five children, and she spent much of her childhood rounding up her siblings and helping her mother. An inquisitive soul, she took what scraps of knowledge she could find in the form of stories and books. It was not uncommon to find her listening to the anecdotes and tales of an elder or a world-weary soldier. Ever seeking knowledge, she chafed at the mundanity of her childhood surroundings. When she was old enough, she left, seeking answers to questions she had yet to even ask. + |
| Ilvin Steadworth + | Born the son of a Grayson man-at-arms and a knight, Ilvin was a fish out of water early on. He was the second child, and his sister showed every sign of the warrior temperament. Born early and a little undersized, his parents didn't really have the money but hired a wetnurse and a nanny for him that they couldn't really afford to watch him. He was a happy, adventurous baby that grew into a happy, imaginative child, but he found more allure in books and stories and daydreams and songs than he ever did in running around and playing with the other children outside, and because of a tendency towards wheezy lungs, he spent most of his time following the seraph of Bastion around, when he wasn't stealing time in the libraries or listening to the songs and stories of the Devotions of Limerance. His parents were never sure what to do with him. He showed no aptitude or interest in weapons or hunting or outdoor pursuits. He had a head for figures and he liked pages. If you brought him a book, he could entertain himself with it for weeks! It was Ilvin himself who came up with the idea, a solemn thirteen year old with a hint of what would one day become a telltale twinkle in his eye, when he asked his parents about what it took to become a Devotion. Ilvin's education continued. He was ravenous for information but more he was ravenous for human stories. As a teenager, he tried to hear everything without creating a stir or causing problems for others. He became godsworn young, and threw himself into his work. The Faith needs people who are good at figures and can parse sentences as well as it needs people who can listen with an open heart. It was a good choice of profession for him. He did not choose Limerance as first in his heart lightly; it was more that he loved all the gods, but the devotion that needed him most, and his good humor and his complacent legal understanding and his open, open heart, always seemed to be Limerance. When he became Archlector of Limerance, it was not so much the culmination as any great ambition as the fact that the job had become open, somebody needed to do it, and it almost seemed like a foregone conclusion that it should be Ilvin. He stepped up with grace. + |
| Imane Zeva + | Imane Zeva was raised in Arx and her childhood was pretty normal. Her mother was a seamstress and her father was a broker. She lived happily in a little two room home above the shop her parents worked in. She managed to get a decent education, and her mother taught her how to sew and design clothing when she caught her daughter taking bits of fabric to sew into doll clothing. When she came of age, her parents had saved enough to buy a modest farmstead outside of the city, and they began to pack up to move. Imane decided to stay, the city is what she knows, and she isn't ready to leave yet. + |
| Imi Deadfall + | Imi Deadfall is the last of her line, the daughter of a Baron whose stand was epic, noble, and yet ultimately one that brought about the fall of House Deadfall. She was raised in the lands of ice and snow, far to the north where the sway of the Compact comes to its most tenuous end. In the frozen plains, under the shadow of tall mountains, Deadfall eeked out a living in leather trade and ice-shipments to lands further south and kept guard on the northern most frontier for their liege. The only daughter born to the Baron, Imi was raised with affection and a great deal of indulgence. Squiring with the Sword of Deadfall, Imi learned the arts of war and battle. Studying under the priest of their village, she picked up the rudiments of Pantheonic religion. And watching her father at court, the young woman was tempered with a sense of true justice...and later learning that being truly just is a difficult road to walk when politics requires greater flexibility. When the Bringers of Silence began their march, Deadfall was in the way. Betrayed by Tolamar Brand the village was overrun while trying to buy time, to delay the Bringers from marching through the pass that the Deadfalls held. Imi wanted to stand next to her father, but was instead sent away, to the south. She would have protested harder, had she not been charged with seeing the defenseless to safety. So she road south before the battle, leading the way on a hell-bent charge to safety. It wouldn't be the first ride south, as she had to keep going before each new onslaught. The people she lead south grew with each village they went through, until finally Arx was in sight. But Arx did not provide safety, and Imi got her wish to stand in defense of the defenseless, to try to exact justice on the Bringers. For her valiant efforts in the Siege of Arx, and recognizing her family and holdfast were gone, Imi was offered a chance to join the King's Own and take up the silver sword. It's an opportunity she accepted, and has served them without complaint since then. + |
| Imogene Seraceni + | Of the many unexpected things that Imogene has done in her life, the least expected of all was being born in the first place. Her parents were both in the autumn years of their life, the youngest of their children nearly grown, and everyone thought it was well past the point at which any additional offspring might be expected. And then, in spite of it all, there was Imogene. + |
| Indio Ravenseye + | Indio was born into Ravenseye, brother of Cassian, but quickly withdrew into the military upon reaching adulthood. He trained persistantly and worked hard to climb the ranks until he could command his own unit but his ambitions don't end there. Indio still works to raise in ranks to this day, hoping to keep his family and lands safe from Compact enemies. + |
| Ingrid Grimhall + | Ingrid{_is{_the{_fifth{_child{_of{_Duke{_Harald{_Grimhall{_and{_his{_wife{_Anneke,{_with{_more{_than{_a{_handful{_of{_little{_brothers{_and{_sisters{_as{_well.{_It{_is{_easy{_to{_be{_overlooked{_in{_such{_a{_family,{_especially{_when{_one{_is{_an{_Islander{_born{_a{_girl.{_Yet{_from{_an{_early{_age{_Ingrid{_determined{_that{_she{_would{_not{_be{_overlooked. {/{/While{_Duke{_Harald{_focused{_on{_the{_education{_of{_his{_sons,{_bringing{_them{_up{_to{_be{_strong{_leaders{_and{_fierce{_warriors,{_Anneke{_tended{_to{_the{_girls.{_It{_was{_apparent{_early{_on{_that{_Ingrid{_had{_a{_sharp{_mind,{_one{_that{_could{_make{_her{_extremely{_useful{_to{_her{_family.{_As{_such{_her{_education{_spared{_nothing.{_She{_studied{_law,{_economics,{_and{_even{_theology,{_all{_with{_the{_intention{_to{_serve{_her{_family. {/{/A{_time{_came{_when{_tutors{_at{_Grihem's{_Point{_were{_not{_enough,{_Ingrid{_surpassed{_all{_that{_they{_might{_have{_taught{_her.{_Reluctantly{_(very{_reluctantly){_the{_Duke{_and{_Duchess{_allowed{_her{_to{_leave{_the{_Isles{_to{_complete{_her{_education.{_She{_studied{_law{_and{_economics{_briefly{_in{_both{_Lenosia{_and{_Arx{_before{_returning{_home{_to{_find{_the{_threat{_of{_war{_on{_the{_horizon.{_A{_war{_different{_from{_any{_others,{_waged{_by{_dark{_forces{_that{_many{_did{_not{_understand.{_At{_this{_point{_Ingrid{_took{_it{_upon{_herself{_to{_learn{_even{_more,{_for{_Grihem's{_Point{_needs{_someone{_who{_knows{_how{_to{_combat{_unseen{_threats,{_as{_well{_as{_how{_to{_prevent{_them. {/{/She{_travels{_to{_Arx{_now{_to{_join{_her{_family,{_vowing{_to{_do{_all{_that{_she{_can{_with{_her{_talents{_and{_abilities{_to{_see{_Grimhall{_thrive. + |
| Ingvar Grimhall + | Third oldest of Duke Harald Grimhall's children, and identical twin to the late Sivard Grimhall, Ingvar struggled to stand out among the sheer number of siblings he grew up with. He was not the eldest son, nor did he have the sort of unique skills that brought his twin notoriety, so he developed a rather reckless approach to his training, and to life in general. There are those who claim, however, that due to this, and the wanderlust inspired by the stories his favorite maid told him while growing up, there is no one who knows the island of Grihem's Point better than he does. Sometime after he got his first taste of real violence, he developed a distaste of it that many of his fellow Islanders find odd, to say the least. Though his skill at arms has not suffered for it, as those few who have faced him can attest, he simply does not have the relish for combat that many seem to expect from him and his kin. This did not stop him from fighting in the recent war against the Gyre, where, from all accounts, he was quite active in the Battle of Setarco. In the wake of those battles, he returned to Arx with his brother and father rather than going back home. While there, stories of other explorers in the capital city of the Compact caught his attention, and he desires to learn more of those tales while serving his house's interests. + |
| Inigo Malvici + | The cousin of the sitting Duke, Inigo grew up in the luxury of the Lycene city state of Southport. His childhood was one of plenty, offering him all a child could wish for. He and his more elusive sister, Fiora, were never left wanting. That is, until the Tor-Southport war. It changed everything for the Malvici family. Preparations for war became more than just a precaution, they became a necessity. He was only eight years old when it happened. Inigo felt the call even then. To the blade. He would hide knives in his boots and train with them whenever he could. The formal blade training of every twelve year old citizen of Southport couldn't come quick enough for him. And when the day finally came, he embraced it with the same passion he seemed to have for life. When the war was finally finished with his cousin Lucian's demise, Inigo vowed never to let such a thing happen again. He would protect his family how he knew best. With the blade. Now in Arx brought along by his cousins Duke Hadrian and General Calypso, Inigo serves as the families Blade Master. A champion fighter and devoted guard for the young Duke. His smile and quick wit serve the family just as well as his blades. + |
| Insaya Bergere + | It was Insaya Bergere's lot in life, as a younger daughter of shepherds, to help work the farm. She showed early technical aptitudes and ended up doing a lot of handyman work first around the house and then, later, around 'town', where she apprenticed with an artisan and developed a reputation as a tinker. She was a mousy girl, quiet and inobtrusive, who drifted through the shadows and learned much of the world by observation and listening. While her elder brother earned acclaim and became a Knight for the Valardins, Insaya worked quietly as a tinker, and eventually joined a traveling caravan and traders and workers who traveled the Oathlands together. Insaya kept up a careful correspondence with her family and with her brother from afar. She also remained indelibly curious. As a teen, she fell in with some other travelers and eventually began gathering information and spying for a man named Elwood who paid her for simple gossip, the kinds of things that neighbors tell each other but not strangers. Elwood eventually told her that he was a servant of the Inquisition on a long, long case study of a coven of witches, usurers and tax evaders, and that with her help, he'd uncovered their network deep in the roots of the countryside. He took her on as his 'apprentice'. Insaya made herself completely indispensible to his work, becoming exactly the young woman he wanted her to be, but never yielding herself to him despite his repeated blandishments. When he returned to Sanctum, she went with him ... and discarded him immediately to attach herself as a spy in the household of the Seraph of Sanctum. She worked as a handyman for the better part of the year, sifting through Sanctum society and learning all she could about the inner workings of both her household and the Oathlands nobility and all of the gossip that servants tell each other but not their masters. The end result of this was that at the end of the year, she had a letter of recommendation and a solid pension with which to travel to Arx and join the heart of the Inquisition. Her cleverness and her powers of observation served her well with the Inquisition. As a social chameleon with a habit of making herself indispensible, she carved out a ready niche for herself among the investigators serving the Inquisition, with an especial focus on busting larcenious disappearances of intermediate to large sums of money among lesser nobles and middle class merchantmen who should really know better. + |
| Iona Bisland + | Iona never imagined she'd be the one sitting in the Assembly of Peers in Arx, trying to diplomatically assuage the concerns of other noble lords or work towards building lasting agreements that contribute to peace. In her youth, she was a fiery hellion, a princess of House Redrain undoubtedly responsible for her father's hair turning gray at an early age. Never one to back down from a fight, she drank, she brawled, she didn't even make the slightest attempt to ape southern notions of propriety and mocked those that did. But in spite of all of that, no one in her family was as fiercely devoted to her father as she, and she would do as she was bid, though she always expected to one day be the general of House Redrain's forces or one of its great war heroes. That was not to be the case. Though she had a reputation as a firebrand, Iona was was liked by her peers in the North. She certainly didn't think of herself as diplomatic at all, but despite the brawls, her father kept noticing that his fiery daughter was the one with an instinctive talent for de-escalating the fights to keep them at bruises rather than swords, or to jokingly talk down other nobles from doing things mindnumbingly idiotic, or to pragmatically grasp simple solutions to please feuding parties. And though to say she fought the decision was an understatement, she ultimately was sent south for a political marriage in a place that could badly use a Redrain voice to make northern opinions heard at court. She expected to hate her betrothed husband-to-be, but she'd grudgingly admit her father chose the match with care. Duke Gabriel Bisland, one of the old king's closest confidants, embodies many of the ideals she most admires. A southern knight, true, but the Crown's Lion is fearless, unwaveringly devoted, painfully honest, and one of the most honorable men at court. Which also makes him excruciatingly unsuited to politics, in her opinion, so Iona has spent the better part of the two decades of their extremely happy marriage representing House Bisland at the Assembly of Peers, doing her best to keep her old family in House Redrain and her new family under the Graysons close and at peace. + |
| Iosif Grimhall + | Born the middle child of three to Velmund Helianthus and Alvilda Helianthus (nee Wesgard), he grew up in Sungreet in the House of his family with many cousins, aunts, and uncles around him. Iosif was always the lone wolf, the deep thinker, and the odd one of that generation's litter and to no one it was more apparent than him. His family indulged him and his brothers would tell you that it was because of this precocious, solitary nature that his mother adored him the most. If it was true though, she would never let on. It was this nature that led him to find his camaraderie in the kennels his family kept. From a young age, he found more of a kinship with those dogs than most humans he encountered. It was here that he began to learn the basics of animal husbandry and by the time he was barely a man, he was a master of the art. Which is of course, why they let him take his dogs out on the water with him. While he was a good and adept sailor and reaver, affording him the opportunity to sail alongside more than a few well known Thraxian reavers, it was his command of the dogs as soldiers that made him stand out. He could head out alone with his dogs on a small boat with only a sword and a pair of oars and could overtake a large ship. (And to be honest, the dogs were a whole lot less trouble than most Thraxian sailors and were far more welcome in most establishments they stopped at, besides). Recently, the Mourning Isles has passed leadership of House Thrax from Donrai to Victus and with him, Victus has brought no small amount of social upheaval. Not that he cared for politics even in the slightest, of course, but he supported the Compact in the Silent War, then the Gyre War. He never expected to be in a position where he would be able to influence politics even within his family but as fortune would have it, his mother approached him with the opportunity to marry Sanya Grimhall. The match would promote peace between Grimhall and Helianthus and help to formally cement the relationship between the two Houses, as it began to look like the Mourning Isles might see civil war. He rose to the challenge. After a three month courtship, they were married. Then, as they were establishing themselves in Grihem's Point and introducing his parents to hers, the now famous Battle of Sungreet took place. His cousin Duke Ivan Helianthus, and brother, Jovian Helianthus, lost their lives. It took him some convincing but he persuaded his parents to stay at Grihem's Point in the relative safety of neutrality where together they could still affect positive change in the Isles. The tides of change have come again, as they always do, and now he and his new wife, Sanya, rise to new challenges on the horizon ahead. + |
| Iovita Igniseri + | Iovita Igniseri has the dubious distinction of being the third child of the Marquesa Igniseri of Granato. Born less than a year into the union between the Marquesa and her second husband, a lesser count who had courted her -- pursued her -- relentlessly. Her birth did little to improve the situation in the eyes of her seven year old twin brothers, Vincere and Pietro. Before she was even a person, she was already a point of contention: Vincere, seven minutes the elder and future Marquis, campaigned endlessly and aggressively for the name Teodora, up to and through the moment she was legally recorded as Iovita, instead. Her father, Oberion, was bookish, intelligent, and not unaware that his stepsons favor eluded him despite his best efforts. Iovita, though, adored him: utterly and obviously. Precocious and often brought along for the twins lessons, she was an eager audience; despite her age she was included, encouraged to keep up as best she could. When Iovita was five, her brothers thirteen, tragedy struck again: her father was killed in an accident in the Lycene countryside. Rumors surrounded the death, investigations and accusations all flying over her head. Iovita understood enough: that her father was dead, that Evidence said her mother was responsible, and that Something Needed to be Done. The damage suffered by the Marquesas reputation capital was staggering. In a play to keep her remaining capital intact, arrangements were made to strengthen bonds of loyalty: the children were to be fostered, to become wards of the two households. Iovita understood, up to a point - but when she heard her brothers were being sent to House Rubino, she stopped listening. She should have kept listening, though - her destination was House Zaffria. Not Rubino. In Gemecitta, she was able to see her brothers with unpredictable regularity - not often enough, in her frequently and loudly voiced opinion. She was also able to return to her studies - at the same level. None of her instructors ever inspired the same level of adoration and zeal as her father had, but Iovita was still an avid and eager learner. A generously granted garden plot flourished with her, its contents revised and refined as they both grew; soon it was all but full of plants for healing, save a small section dedicated to ones for hurting. Overshadowed by her mothers third marriage, Iovitas official declaration of intent to pledge herself as an initiate, and one day become a Mercy of Lagoma was met with little fanfare. If she had expected more, or was disappointed -- she hid it well. Her contact with her immediate family turned more often into correspondence, especially once her brothers gained their majority and returned to Granato. By the time she took her vows and began the life of an initiate, her own was - and had been for some time - marvelously uneventful. Uneventful, that is, until six months ago. The death by poisoning of her third husband, Marquis Sir Jalawyn Igniseri, heralded the Badger of Granatos heavily-advised departure from Arx, and appointment of her heir in her absence. That heir, of course, being the new Marquis Igniseri: Iovitas oldest brother, Vincere. With Pietro at -- or never far from -- his side, her brothers ventured to the capitol to take control of the failing boat -- the sinking ship -- of their family fortunes. As soon as she found out about it -- about all of it -- Iovita Igniseri wasnt far behind. + |
| Ira Dedalin + | Ira came to the Apothecary College of Tor at the age of sixteen from "somewhere north" after a spot of "financial trouble." Ira soon entered apprenticeship at the college, under the sponsorship of some minor noble courtier. An apt student and a proficient alchemist already, Ira was leading lectures by his third year at the college. Genius was not without its tradeoffs; those who liked Ira well knew him as a quirky young man. Those who did not like him? Well, let's just say that he was one of the more "outstanding" cases of independent study at the academy, and his intelligence was matched only by his ambition and social oddity. Oddities that ranged from attending lectures without any shoes, to wasting College money on experiments involving the effects of major and minor musical scales on the humors of animals. An equal disciple of medicine, anatomy, and music, Ira's more philosophical bent had him breaking from the College and taking employ with House Fidante. And what better place to take employ than Arx, a city plagued by mysteries and the unknown at every interval? Ira set upon a carriage at once, gathered his meager belongings, and travelled to serve Duke Leo Fidante upon the recommendation of the College. Of course, the college may have only been too eager to see him go to Arx. There, his studies of such obscure things as the mind, and the effects of moon phases on the potency of alchemical elements could take flight... and fly well away from their prestigious college. Since arriving, Ira has focused himself quite solely on the interdisciplinary studies of the mind, a subject Ira has dubbed mentalism and has all but pioneered, dubbing himself First Mentalist and founding an asylum for the insane and deranged. Now Doctor Dedalin plies his trade to those poor souls who need him most in the Lower Boroughs. + |
| Iraia Nightgold + | The youngest child and only daughter to Lorton and Isolde Nightgold, Iraia grew up in the mountains with six older brothers. She was a headstrong child with a seemingly insatiable curiosity and appetite for adventure that seemed to know no bounds. Instead of growing up and out of her wilful ways, Iraia became only more fractious and restless, as if in search of an answer to a question she didn't quite know how to ask. It ended in disaster, in a mysterious and almost fatal fire that cost Iraia her looks and almost her life. She retreated from sight and society to recover, secreted away at her childhood home back in Stonedeep for well over a year, little mention of her heard throughout the passing seasons. She is recently returned to Arx, gone to live with cousins in an apparent attempt to rebuild some kind of a life. + |
| Irisa Wainryte + | Growing up in a mixed county, Irisa's family were river people who worked boats, and she had a lot of opportunity when she was young to see how the Greenblood children played. She was fascinated by them, even as a little girl, and tried frequently to get herself involved in their games, to learn their language and to become one of them despite the fact that she looked different, acted different, and was raised different. Her parents disapproved, and so did her brothers. But there was just something about being other than she was that wildly appealed to her. Not all of those she tried to befriend were people who were good for her, and the more and more frequent time that she spent hanging around as far away from her family as possible -- particularly in her early teens -- took her to some dark places. When she was rejected by a tribesman boyfriend at the age of 15, she fled from that familiar source of solace to hurl herself into the kind of nasty, bad troublemaking that any family would be dismayed by. Running with a mob that called themselves 'river rats', she ended up addicted to Dust by the time she was old enough to really be an adult. One of Thesarin's knights ran a raid that captured several of these malcontents, including Irisa, but it was her youth that saved her from the worst of it. First the knight brought her to a priest, and they healed her of her physical harms as best they could; and then the knight, being herself Dame Esoka, whose history was with the Greenblood people, brought her to a different kind of healer, who walked with her in the forest and helped her, with martial and spiritual training, to overcome her addiction. Irisa swore off drugs and swore off violence except in aid of others. She learned to be excellent with a weapon, and to return to her love of the different and strange that had first charmed her when she was a child. She also learned to love honor above all things, and to find a higher purpose for herself. And there was nothing she loved more than the blended life of the Twainforts, because she felt very strongly that Thesarin -- and his knight, Esoka -- had saved her life for some higher purpose. When one of the baron's men challenged Thesarin to a duel over what came down to a cultural dispute -- whether one of the 'Shav people' of the Twainforts could marry one of the baron's sons -- Irisa leapt into the fray even though it was not her station or place to do so. She made a public proclomation that she would be Thesarin's champion, whether it was in that duel or any other, for any dispute relating to his tribal roots. Both charmed and exasperated by her impulsiveness, the Count agreed that she could fight the duel for him. She won it so handily and with such flowing grace and poise that the Twainforts elevated her and made her Dame Irisa Wainryte, and brought her with them to Arx as part of their retinue. + |
| Irkucist Vinci + | Irkucist was born to Coutn Aracelis Vinci of Stormchaser and Countess-Consort Lasandra Vinci on a stormy summer day. They were more than pleased to have a son they could call heir... it was a shame that, even at an early age, Irkucist was constantly ill. He managed to make it through childhood, though, perhaps in part due to the Thraxian blood coursing through his veins. Since too much physical exertion tended to make him sick, he had a habit of hiding in the libraries and conducting research from a young age. His sickness was, thankfully, limited only to his body, and had no effect on his mind. As he grew older, he grew more and more determined to become a scholar, before finally travelling to Arx in pursuit of that dream. + |
| Iroh Keaton + | Lord Iroh Keaton was born as the second child to Lady Sallah Keaton nee Crovane and Lord Morden Keaton, one of Keaton's greatest legal minds. Unfortunately, his upbringing was riddled with perfectionism by his overbearing father, who saw him as a sort of the golden child compared to his younger sister Amari and older brother Aric. His mother passed when he was all of six years old, making Iroh grow distant for the next few years. Much to Lord Morden's frustration, despite Iroh's gifted mind, Iroh did not even bother attempt to learn the finer points of the legal systems of the various lands. Instead, Iroh was fascinated by the art of war and the skill of command. In order to pursue this effort, Iroh also learned the art of combat, eventually departing his family's safety to learn amongst the huntsmen that Keaton is famous for. For years he learned the trails, how to shoot true with an arrow, how to identify an animal by their footprint. But he learned so much more: He learned strategy. The art of surprise, the mastercraft that is tactics. For such a time until his twenty-fifth year of life, Iroh has taught the rangers, the huntsmen, of Keaton to train them for their task at Keaton Hall. He rooted out criminal or hostile Shav elements from the Oakheart Wood to the Shadowood. He has assisted in previous battles where needed, such as the threats of the Gyre and the Silent War. But with the curse over the Keaton family being lifted and hearing of Keaton's plans and ambitions, Iroh has decided to return to his family to assist them in their goals. It was finally time for Iroh to truly write his story. + |
| Irony Aerisian + | Ironna Aerisian -- Irony to her friends, and /everyone/ is potentially a friend -- comes from a farm of no particular note near an unremarkable village along a boring road between two slightly-more-notable towns, where she was the youngest of five children and /constantly/ overshadowed by her siblings. In short, as she will lament to /anyone/, she has absolutely no interesting stories about her childhood or past. (Unless people want to hear complaints about being stuck in the same old /boring/ place every day for /sooooo long/. Those she can muster no small number of.) Her father left long ago, to hear her tell it, and she was raised just by her mother -- and when her mother passed away, young Irony decided to strike out on her own. And so she's come to Arx; initially she hoped desperately to join the Champions. Or become a knight. Or do /something/ interesting. Something none of her siblings has done yet. Because she will be the First at /something/, and something that will make a /difference/. Lately, however, her interests have focused far more specifically on knighthood, and how to be a True Knight. The sort of knight that makes a difference in the world -- the sort she thinks her mother might've been proud of. + |
| Isabeau Telmar + | To be a knight is nearly synonymous with House Valardin, but Princess Isabeau Valardin knows that it is vastly more important that someone capable is directing those swords than necessarily wielding one herself. Isabeau grew up caring for her family, and as much as she respected her uncle Prince Radley, it was clear that he and most of his brothers were warriors at heart. She learned early on that even when she became convinced of the proper course of action, something very self-evidently true, it was difficult for her to get her opinions heard properly. Proud warriors, confident in their talents on the field, seemed ready to dismiss any suggestion in politics or rulership, and she watched mistake after mistake happen because of pride. Isabeau cares deeply for her family... and learned that she needed to sometimes save them from themselves, and gently nudge many of the individuals in her life in the right direction if they were too stubborn to see it. Once she became accustomed to guiding family for their own good, it became almost force of habit to subtly bring others around to her point of view with the right charming word, a certain amount of flattering attention, or knowing just what they wanted. Her uncle seemed so proud when he gave 'Princess Isabeau a chance to make her mark' by sending her to Arx to represent House Valardin at court, not really realizing it was her idea that she had been working at for months. Isabeau cares about House Valardin deeply and they need her. They just might never realize it, and it's up to her to take care of matters by slowly guiding individuals to the proper course of action. It is, after all, for their own good. Mostly. A few might just be for fun. + |
| Isabeau Valardin + | To be a knight is nearly synonymous with House Valardin, but Princess Isabeau Valardin knows that it is vastly more important that someone capable is directing those swords than necessarily wielding one herself. Isabeau grew up caring for her family, and as much as she respected her uncle Prince Radley, it was clear that he and most of his brothers were warriors at heart. She learned early on that even when she became convinced of the proper course of action, something very self-evidently true, it was difficult for her to get her opinions heard properly. Proud warriors, confident in their talents on the field, seemed ready to dismiss any suggestion in politics or rulership, and she watched mistake after mistake happen because of pride. Isabeau cares deeply for her family... and learned that she needed to sometimes save them from themselves, and gently nudge many of the individuals in her life in the right direction if they were too stubborn to see it. Once she became accustomed to guiding family for their own good, it became almost force of habit to subtly bring others around to her point of view with the right charming word, a certain amount of flattering attention, or knowing just what they wanted. Her uncle seemed so proud when he gave 'Princess Isabeau a chance to make her mark' by sending her to Arx to represent House Valardin at court, not really realizing it was her idea that she had been working at for months. Isabeau cares about House Valardin deeply and they need her. They just might never realize it, and it's up to her to take care of matters by slowly guiding individuals to the proper course of action. It is, after all, for their own good. Mostly. A few might just be for fun. + |
| Isabetta Gilden + | Since very young, Arianna's older sister made it very clear she had no desire to inherit. Isabetta didn't wish to lead, she wished to experience life. When they were both young, they used to engage in mock swordfights and terrorize the maids, and Isabetta was always a little stronger, a little better at climbing those trees. Then Arianna's health began to decline, and Isabetta found herself without a partner in crime when it came to her adventures outdoors, but with as much interest in exploring the wild lands around Caith. Growing up did nothing to settle this appetite, but it did expose her to a number of other comforts that she came to enjoy just as much. She spent a number of her teenager years in Lenosia, learning etiquette and refinement with members of the Velenosa family. Diplomacy never became a good subject for her, with her tongue just being a little too sharp at times but she did establish strong bonds, in particular with the heir to the Velenosa throne, Esera. They became good friends, even if she often delighted in terrorizing that boy, Talen, just to see Esera fawn all over him. When she returned to Caith after her studies and time with the Velenosa family, she became the Mistress of the Hunt under Baroness Alessandra, and after her disappearance and that of her guards, she was instrumental in helping rebuild the Gilden House Guard, dedicating her life to hunting down criminals that tried to use the chaos of those time to escape into the lands around Caith. The awakening of things of myth, the threats the Compact is facing and the recent death of her friend, the Great Duchess Esera have led her to Arx, where perhaps she can understand better what happened to her dear friend. + |
| Isatis Relanah + | Found by a passing merchant in the cold arms of a penniless beggar's corpse, the feverish babe stirred the pity of the man, who took her with him intending to nurse her back to health before leaving her at the nearest orphanage. Her first year in the world was a battle for survival, as she was a frail babe who seemed to be plagued by sickness constantly. The merchant, having devoted an entire year towards sustaining this young life found that, when the babe's condition had finally stabilized and the time came to give her up, could not do so, thus adopting her as his own. Her formative years were relatively peaceful ones; though she would grow to be strong and healthy, her early years were dotted with sporadic bouts of crippling illness. With her father constantly away on trade ventures she was often left in the care of her uncle, who owned an upscale armory. She became fascinated by the focus and dedication of the smiths at work in the forge. She learned as much as she could from them, picking their brains for every bit of knowledge and technique that they were willing to impart. On her 15th birthday, when her father had returned after a venture gone awry, she quietly confided in him that she would like to pursue a career as a smith. She spent the next three years apprenticing at her uncle's armory before finally deciding there was no more she could learn. Leaving her home, she traveled on a journey for knowledge, attempting to learn as many forging techniques as other smiths were willing to impart, which is to say, more often than not, very little. But that was a lifetime ago to her mind; how she had the energy to travel as she did then, she did not know. Now, she's happy to settle down and make her hammer sing. + |
| Iseulet Aryn + | My mother was a merchant's daughter with the finer taste of things. She made a few poor financial choices after her father died and she tried to take over the business. She managed to get herself indentured into the Blackshore House. Found herself serving at the Keep. She was only indentured for five years, but managed to catch the Blackshore Baron's interest. Needless to say, we were born nine months later, myself and Thesbe. Those cerulean blue eyes marked us as one of the Baron's by-blows. While he didn't deny his parentage, he certainly didn't seem to be interested in doing more than passing coin to my mother to see we were taken care of. No interest past doing his duty because his eyes were set on marrying another silk. It's fine, the stories I heard in later years makes me think being removed from his madness was probably for the best. Mother sunk her payoff into a pub on Blackshore Isle. She served those sailors coming in and out of port. Along the way, I heard all kinds of stores of adventure. Was it any wonder I convinced my twin to jump on the first ship out of Blackshore Isle? I wasn't going to be /his/ daughter there forever. New journeys, new paths have allowed both of us to come into our own. Too bad about mum though. Breaks my heart that she didn't survive the attack on the Isle. But fortunes are low at the moment, my sister is sick of being on the road, and I have a new cousin building up a house. Might be a good time to jump in and get recognized in a way that would have never happened when my father was alive. + |
| Iseulet Blackshore + | Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter with a taste for the finer things in life. Following a series of unfortunate financial decisions after her father died and she took over the business, she found herself indentured into the Blackshore House and serving at the keep. Her indenturement only lasted for five years, but during this time she managed to catch the Baron's interest and nine months later, the twins Iseulet and Thesbe were born. The Baron never denied his parentage but he didn't seem to be interested in doing more than passing coin to their mother to see that they were fed and had no interest in them past doing his duty. His eyes were set on possibly marrying another noble, but judging from the stories passed down to Iseulet and Thesbe this was possible for the best, as he was known for his madness, cruelty, and malice. Iseulet and Thesbe's mother took her payoff from the Baron and invested it into a pub on Blackshore Isle that served sailors coming in and out of port. It was a struggle to make ends meet and it's where she learned how to sing for her supper, but it gave Iseulet an early exposure to stories of adventure, excitement and intrigue on the mainland that instilled within her a wanderlust. A wanderlust that lead to Iseulet convincing her sister to escape the tiny island and go on an adventure of their own. They were 16 and ran away to the mainland and traveled Arvum together until rather recently. The cataclysm that hit Blackshore Isle took the lives of both parents and much of their family (what little they knew) and after hitting a rough financial patch the two decided to head to Arx to join their cousin and the new Baroness, Skye. Upon arrival, they were welcomed warmly and found a family they had never known before. When the will of Iseulet and Thesbe's father surfaced requesting them to be ennobled, Baroness Skye was gracious enough to extend both the offer of legitimization. Iseulet accepted and set to work helping rebuild Blackshore. Along the way, she was named Blackshore Minister of Coin and found her calling as a courtier and truly blossomed, founding The Empyrean and began to reach for the stars in a way she never thought possible while her father was alive. + |
| Iseulet Seryn + | Iseulet's mother was a merchant's daughter with a taste for the finer things in life. Following a series of unfortunate financial decisions after her father died and she took over the business, she found herself indentured into the Blackshore House and serving at the keep. Her indenturement only lasted for five years, but during this time she managed to catch the Baron's interest and nine months later, the twins Iseulet and Thesbe were born. The Baron never denied his parentage but he didn't seem to be interested in doing more than passing coin to their mother to see that they were fed and had no interest in them past doing his duty. His eyes were set on possibly marrying another noble, but judging from the stories passed down to Iseulet and Thesbe this was possible for the best, as he was known for his madness, cruelty, and malice. Iseulet and Thesbe's mother took her payoff from the Baron and invested it into a pub on Blackshore Isle that served sailors coming in and out of port. It was a struggle to make ends meet and it's where she learned how to sing for her supper, but it gave Iseulet an early exposure to stories of adventure, excitement and intrigue on the mainland that instilled within her a wanderlust. A wanderlust that lead to Iseulet convincing her sister to escape the tiny island and go on an adventure of their own. They were 16 and ran away to the mainland and traveled Arvum together until rather recently. The cataclysm that hit Blackshore Isle took the lives of both parents and much of their family (what little they knew) and after hitting a rough financial patch the two decided to head to Arx to join their cousin and the new Baroness, Skye. Upon arrival, they were welcomed warmly and found a family they had never known before. When the will of Iseulet and Thesbe's father surfaced requesting them to be ennobled, Baroness Skye was gracious enough to extend both the offer of legitimization. Iseulet accepted and set to work helping rebuild Blackshore. Along the way, she was named Blackshore Minister of Coin and found her calling as a courtier and truly blossomed, founding The Empyrean and began to reach for the stars in a way she never thought possible while her father was alive. + |
| Ishmael Gilden + | Ishmael was born to a family of low significance in Gilden lands to a blacksmith. It was clear from a young age the boy was not made to be a smith, though fortunately he had some older brothers who could take over the business should his father grow ill. The boy was uncommonly bright though. He started off by handling payments his father received, and working with other suppliers to lower the cost of production. His father saw a bright future for his youngest son, and got him to apprentice for another merchant in the city. It was while working there, that he ran into the Previous Barron of House Gilden. Impressed with the lads intelligence he brought him in to manage his household. Ishmael excelled at his position and continues to serve House Gilden to this day. Though word has spread of some of the issues they have faced with the Baron's son being killed. Eager to assist, Ishmael dispatches himself towards Arx to serve his family and his new Baronness. + |
| Isidora Valardin + | Isidora is the youngest child of multiple siblings and lost her father not very long after she was born. She is, in fact, a fair bit younger than her older siblings, save for her older twin sibling, at least 10 years. She was an unexpected child and is often faced with over protective family members because of this. The education Isidora was given involved social graces but they just not stick very well. It was quickly discovered that she was a skilled healer and very much enjoyed it. While her family often tried getting her to better her social and combat abilities they mostly left her to her tending to those in pain, having seen how well it suited her. When the approach of her birthday came her family decided to send Isidora to Arx. + |
| Iskander Dawkins + | The Dawkins were once the Duquenso, a noble House of some standing in the Lyceum whose seat was razed to the ground, its peers stripped of their titles, holdings, with any claim to nobility some ten or more generations ago. There are no known records of what caused this fall from prominence, those records were destroyed or perhaps the story is just that - a story. Iskander was born into service of House Inverno. His father's father was a gentleman's gentleman, to quote a notable Steward. He was tapped very young to assist with and manage House affairs, groomed and schooled, trained and, eventually, made himself indispensible to Ludovico even as Tessera was learning her role to lead the House. In no small part, Iksander is why Caina survived the brief leadership of Contessa Tessera and Count-consort Mario. They have disappeared into wine-soaked reverie, and he remains. + |
| Islin Harthall + | Born to Duncan and Onora of house Harthall, Islin was one of several children. He grew up among the nobility, learning the arts needed to be a proper gentleman. That said he was always an adventurous sort. He learned to fight with a sword, favoring quickness over pure brute strength in most cases. He was a lean and quick sort, his body being just as quick as his tongue in most cases. Learning how to sail and command the attention of his fellow men he wound up becoming a captain in the Harthall merchant fleet by the time he turned twenty. He developed a bit of a reputation among his fellow sailors for being willing to take risks no one else would go near and come out mostly unscathed at worst. He was followed through life with a rather random sense of luck that in some cases that was balanced by occasional periods of time where people swore he was cursed. Still his ability to fight and talk his way out of tricky situations has served him well...so far. Now he has come to Arx and rumors have it that his family may be seeking a marriage match for the wild hearted Lord. + |
| Isobella Velenosa + | Like many a Fox that bears the name Velenosa, Isobella hails from the beautiful shores of Lenosia. Clever from a young age, she delighted in puns and riddles, sitting at the knees of the silver-tongued elders who lived and died by words weighed in gold. Perhaps then, it came as no surprise that she decided to go into politics. Honied words coupled with the Velenosa pride in keeping her word made her a trustworthy advocate, and as a young woman her accomplishments in seeing Lenosian wines and vintner cuttings shipped over land and sea were modestly impressive. Of course, as a Velenosa with a gift for pouring wine as artfully as selling it, Isobella was as well-known for planning parties as trade routes, collecting secrets and debts like fragrant flowers. The scent of commerce and intrigue eventually enticed the young woman to Arx, where she might put her blossoming talents to use for the good of the Lyceum. + |
| Isolde Velenosa + | As a child Isolde was considered shy and withdrawn, an introverted young woman of rare smiles and haunted eyes. Her family would try to break her out of her shell by including her constantly in every minor social function, which she appreciated but remained just as reticent afterwards. Then came the Mirror's Masquerade. The Eclipse of Mirrors is the largest holiday of the Lyceum, that bloodmoon of every few years when all the houses of the Lyceum pay homage to the Thirteenth, particularly at the Mirror's Masquerade. Isolde was forced to attend by her family, just another masked young woman to enjoy the games of the feast day as a mirror-masked actor played the part of the Dark Reflection, dancing and jesting with all the guests in honor of the dark god. In a rare departure from tradition, the actor picked Isolde as the evening's 'favorite', a rare blessing by the Thirteenth that is blasphemous for an actor to give... but even more blasphemous for the audience to scoff at, and cast doubt upon the actor. The party all cheered for the dark god's favorite, the dances continued, and for that night Isolde was the pinnacle of Lyceum society. She changed after that. She was now confident, charming... and determined to preach the benefits of the Thirteenth to the rest of Arvum that allowed superstition to cloud their appreciation for his gifts. It's not uncommon for high born nobles to become disciples of a particular god, but it's very rare indeed for a younger sister of a duchess, let alone the Grand Duchess of the Lyceum, to become a disciple of the least worshipped god of the Pantheon. She knows full well that spreading understanding of the Dark Reflection is quite an uphill battle, but the shy girl is long gone. She believes in herself, her family and her faith, and will win over others. + |
| Itzal Culler + | Being the eighth of eigth children is something of an achivement. It signals the end of an age, the definite decision of a mother that she is quite done with bearing children into the world. And the distinct impression of being unwanted, of being that one extra bite of the cake soon made to regret by an uppity stomach. Itzal's childhood was not one surrounded by motherly warmth, but rather by the rough upbringing expected from older siblings, various uncles and aunts, and the harsh words of a resentful progenitor. Itzal wasn't alone in this situation, however. While having been born so shortly after the seventh was most likely one of the reasons why his mother chose to never have children again (and keep that oath till death came for her), it also gave him a sibling of his age to share much of his experiences with. That sibling was Mae, his older sister, and she proved a lifeline of sanity, madness, peace and trouble that he could never have done without. It should come as no surprise then that he developped a similar way to avoid trouble, and tasks. Indeed, he swiftly became known to vanish as soon as work needed to be done, and prove so difficult to find that doing it themselves was usually less work for his family than to find the youngest Culler. While his skill at hiding would eventually force him to perform particular jobs, it also granted him more free time than most. That free time, he would spend listening to the various musicians of the city, listening to reciting poets or sneaking into the theater to witness the latest plays. It changed him, those outings of his, and soon he was making his own music and writing his own poetry... with various results. It's not that he was bad at it, though he had much to learn. It's that he found entirely too much amusement mocking his audience as impressing it, making fools of nobles that might have proven wealthy patrons with his wit and sharp sense of humour. The life of a courtier held no interest for him, yet if not that, what? The answer came when he was seventeen. One day, he was simply... gone. No word, no warning, just gone. Off to travel the world, it was assumed, when he didn't return for days, and then weeks. Gone, or dead. It hardly mattered for anyone but those closest to him. Time passed, till five years had come and gone. The King had fallen to his restless sleep, woken up again, Arx had suffered an invasion and siege and now prepared for another battle, High Lords and Ladies had come and gone, and Itzal returned as if nothing had happened. Giving various tales, each grander and more impossible than the last, he never gave a straight answer as to where he had gone, or why he had left. Yet he has returned, and now seems happy to have returned to the Lowers of his youth... and resume his various other activities. + |
| Ivar Halfshav + | Ivar was an odd lad, prone to flights of fancy and distractions, never fully embracing the identity of a young nobleman. Eventually, a twelve year old Ivar simply wandered off one day, leaving his family behind with only a dagger and the clothes on his back. Taken by stories of his people's past he sought to see if he could survive like they once did. He survived, lost and alone, and soon he came to enjoy it. His childish flight of fancy had lead him to where he thought to be his true place, hunting in the wild forests and sleeping in hidden caves. He grew strong, grew bold and eventually, lonely. He has since returned from his self imposed exile, finally feeling the call of home. + |
| Ivarr Saltblood + | Ivarr was born to a former thrall-turned-pirate and a woman stolen during a raid, an inauspicious start to the young man's life. Most of Ivarr's memories of his mother are peaceful ones, though short-lived, as he was taken to ship as soon as he was old enough to stand and take some part of it. It's his father that was a driving force in Ivarr's life, a warrior and role model that shaped the way he looked at the world. Spending his formative years at sea, Ivarr learned the ways of sailing, of fighting, and of piracy as a lifestyle. Fate is inexorable, however, and Ivarr can still recall the day they were overtaken, his father's guts laid out and body tossed to sea, his own capture, and the death of most of the crew. He was pressed into service, this time as a Thraxian thrall, and his story nearly ended there. At the age of sixteen, however, they were overtaken by pirates and reavers and he distinguished himself with bloody skill - so much so that he was given his freedom, and a name. From that point onward he sailed in defense of the Thraxians, though often he found it easy enough to convince his crew mates to make a stop and raid a village, or take an unsuspecting merchant in their long ship. It was his bloodthirsty disregard of rules that led the crew to pick him as captain of the ship, and that built up his reputation as a true Thaxian, a man of blood and iron and salt. It was only when the tradition of keeping thralls was threatened that he decided he needed to become more active, and find someone to swear himself to. An ambitious man, he's come to Arx to look for an ambitious leader to follow, to make rich, to kill for, and to advance with. + |
| Ivy Blackram + | Born the youngest child of the youngest sibling to the ruling line of Blackram, Ivy is secure in the knowledge of her relative unimportance to the continuance of the family line. It also allowed her the luxury of largely doing as she pleased growing up. Oh she attended her lessons and learned all the usual subjects for a lady of a noble family. She also escaped every chance she got to go racing around the Cloudspine, especially with the goatherds. Blackram's goats fascinated her since her youth, especially those bred towards size and power. Bullying those in charge of them into teaching her the vastly fascinating subject of war-goat training, Ivy was a quick study. While she has some basic skill with polearms, she would never count herself a soldier, vastly preferring the commonsense healing techniques learned in the stables. When her talent for medicine became known, her mother was quick to have her train with the Mercies, grooming her towards joining them. Ivy disappointed her mother in that, her bedside manner not up to standards despite their best efforts. She returned happily to the Cloudspine and the goats, bringing in more training that she applied towards the care of the animals. There Ivy would have stayed, too, had it not been for the growing popularity of the goats in Arx. She set forth to handle their care personally, leaving the bulk of the herd in the capable hands of the Blackram goatherds. + |
J | |
| Jacali + | Her father was some high-up in the city guard here or there, the details are a bit muddy and typically left well out of the conversation. Her mother was a herbalist, some unwashed nobody that captured the heart of that crusty old city boy. None of the family got along. Her father wished for her to join the guard, or the army, find some sort of direction in life. Her mother wanted her to be a free spirit. Apparently they couldn't decide on the best course of action, so they sent her away, made her somebody else's problem. That somebody turned out to be an apothecary, one which made her his apprentice. Shucks, you know, she doesn't really know where he is now, but rumour has it he wasn't exactly the best guardian in the world. What's it matter, ey? She's here now, shop of her own, destined to be the very brightest of shining merchant stars! ... Don't believe it? Just watch. + |
| Jacali Crown + | Her father was some high-up in the city guard here or there, the details are a bit muddy and typically left well out of the conversation. Her mother was a herbalist, some unwashed nobody that captured the heart of that crusty old city boy. None of the family got along. Her father wished for her to join the guard, or the army, find some sort of direction in life. Her mother wanted her to be a free spirit. Apparently they couldn't decide on the best course of action, so they sent her away, made her somebody else's problem. That somebody turned out to be an apothecary, one which made her his apprentice. Shucks, you know, she doesn't really know where he is now, but rumour has it he wasn't exactly the best guardian in the world. What's it matter, ey? She's here now, shop of her own, destined to be the very brightest of shining merchant stars! ... Don't believe it? Just watch. + |
| Jace Redreef + | Lord Jace Redreef is the nephew and salt-son of Lord Tiberius Redreef, who was the brother of Baron Landis Redreef. Baron Landis had twin daughters and no sons, and so Tiberius ensured that from a young age, Jace was given an education befitting one destined to inherit the title of Baron. After all, if Landis died without a son, the law of the Mourning Isles would not allow the domain of Redreef Shores to pass to a daughter. In the eyes of traditionalists like Tiberius, such a thing would be borderline heretical. One of young Jace's tutors was a retired Knight, who impressed upon the boy the importance of honor and duty. These lessons dug in deeply, and became an unshakable part of Jace's personality. He was never under any illusions as to why his uncle was overseeing his training. He knew that he stood to inherit a tremendous responsibility. He knew that he might be a Baron. When Baron Landis was slain, Redreef Shores did not pass to either of his twin daughters, but rather to his brother Tiberius. Landis's daughters, Ember and Marina, objected to this quite strongly, and their objection took the form of raising an army and instigating a civil war within Redreef Shores. They took and held the Crimson Keep, the barony's castle, for the duration of a grueling conflict. During all of this, Jace served as an aide-de-camp to his uncle, rarely seeing combat against "the rebels" himself. The end of the conflict came when the Mourning Isles' law changed to allow women to inherit titles directly. The question of Redreef's heir was immediately put to a trial by combat, and Jace was present for the duel to the death between his cousin Ember and his uncle's champion -- a duel which Ember won, and where she became "the Bloody Baroness." In that moment, the idea of Jace ever becoming Baron of Redreef Shores seemed to evaporate into thin air. Honor compelled Jace to do what he felt was right. The purpose of the duel was to end the conflict, and so the conflict was ended. Rather than seethe, he accepted his cousin's right to rule, and put himself into the service of Redreef Shores. He overcame any suspicion through dedication to the needs of the domain over any desires of his own, and in time was named Sword of Redreef. As Redreef Shores became one of the most stridently progressive domains within the Isles and his Baroness gained increasing fame (and notoriety) as an iconoclast of traditions, Jace kept his thoughts to himself. In 1015 AR, the Compact of Arvum went to war with the Dune Kingdom of Skal'daja in the Battle of Pieros. Jace was there, captaining one of Redreef's ships, right in the thick of the fighting. Improbably, his ship suffered no casualties other than Jace's own eye. Upon his return, he was hailed as a hero. Jace himself is more modest about it, even uncomfortable. The things that happened in that battle have changed how he sees the world in more ways than one. + |
| Jack Bathwater + | On his first birthday, Jack was dumped at a Shrine of Limerance near Sanctum. That it was at a Shrine and not in a river, or out in the woods, is the whole of the wealth and kindness the man inherited from his parents. Jack grew up an orphan, and that life taught him much of what he knows today. Be good, smile, learn who will help you, and take every opportunity you get. Even if it's less than ethical. At age twelve, while walking past the local barber surgeon, Jack happened across a message that had failed to make it all the way into the mail box. Breaking the seal, he found that a young was scheduled to arrive in two weeks time to serve an apprenticeship. The poor lad's mother had taken ill, and the family could no longer afford to be without him. He and his family would have to, regretfully, forfeit this opportunity. Only, that message never arrived. Two weeks later Jack Bathwater - what sort of name is that? - arrived as he was scheduled to. Luck would have it Jack was skilled with a blade. He was quite successful, and soon enough had gathered up enough silver and found a sponsor to send him to a proper medical academy. Jack perfected his art, and as he did, he moved into the sciences. Surgery and alchemy came easy to him, and coin was easy enough to earn, but the work became boring. He became fixed on the more obscure and stranger elements of science, which, sadly, did not pay. And that's when Jack started playing cards. And dice. And anything else that could turn a quick profit, so he could continue to pay the rent on his apartment, and continue to buy up costly supplies. The addiction to curiosity (sure, we'll call it that) led Jack to going a little too far in... to debt, that is. Well-spoken and well-read wasn't enough to get Jack away from some very bad people who were set on ensuring he paid up. Which is exactly when Jack decided he didn't really care for his freedom anyways. He called in his few remaining favors amongst the nobility, and ended up standing before the Duke of Westrock Reach, accepting the position of House Physician. Life's not so bad serving the nobility. + |
| Jackson Brooks + | Growing up in the Lower Boroughs of Arx, Jackson always felt there was plenty more outside of the low-quality living he had dealt with for the majority of his life growing up. His mother was a simple bartender in a tavern and his fater was...well, let's just say he did enough, but just barely. That is until he drowned because he fell off a pier while drunk. In the eyes of the eldest son Jackson, he died as he lived. And now suddenly, he was the oldest of three kids. And he had to step up into manhood at thirteen. The docks that he had lived near for so long in his life ended up being his ticket out, while helping pay to his family. A family friend, a Captain of a trading vessel, took pity on him, taking him on a cabin boy. And that was good for a long time, working his way up the ranks of being a sailor. The downside is that he ended up spending a lot more time in Lycene than he had anticipated. But that in itself wasn't horrible either, the young man falling in love with that part of Arvum. He would move from ship to ship, spending time as a sailor, privateer, a pirate, a trader, and swashbuckler. Many names, many faces, and he loved them all. Eventually, he took on a ship for himself, offering to deliver goods for a fair price. Granted, he never really went into details about how sometimes he got the job done, but he did take a certain amount of pride in always filling deliveries. Made plenty of good working relationships and contacts in Arx and elsewhere in that time, hauling freight, people, and even cargo that he was asked to 'not ask too much about'. Willing to keep his reputation intact, and with a healthy amount of self-preservation, he never tempted fate too much. While he was no stranger to seeing action on the high seas, taking part in plenty on his own considering his somewhat own bloody past, he had put that life aside. And a freighter was good work and plenty of good pay involved. Which did eventually draw the notice of others who he would likely call 'old friends'. They attacked his ship, the Savior's Haste, and even having a pretty fast ship, it was designed to outrun, not outfight. And this time, there wasn't time to gain enough headway. A battle on the decks his ensued, his crew, the hardened sort, were outnumbered two to one. So come to his surprise when another ship intervened. Being captained by Salazar Argento who had come to his rescue. His proverbial bacon saved, Jackson felt at that point he owed the man who had just saved his life and swore his loyalty to Argento as one of their captains. In the time since, Jackson has been able to return to his career of cargo hauling, with the occasional questionable dealing on the side. Old habits and all. Some might call him a cargo hauler, others might suggest he's some kind of privateer or smuggler. Truth is, as Jackson simply says, he's a man out to make a decent living. + |
| Jacque Lyonesse + | Born four years before Sasha, Jacque was a boy who dreamed of being a chronicler, a writer, an explorer. He fancied himself becoming a wise man that would teach children the right ways of the Oathlands. The young Jacque set out to try and become this sort of scholar, only to find out that he fell short of it. What he did not fall short of in his education was the physical training. He took to sword and physical exercise tirelessly, impressing his tutors in this regard, while disappointing in every other. He was adequate as a warrior but he was no genius, no smart man; average at best, he struggled with those more complex instructions, before neglecting them outright, in frustration he would opt for the path of the warrior, instead. One that he did not choose for himself, but the only one that was viable for him to walk. This became even more so when Sasha was afflicted with her illness. Out of worry, and protective brotherly concern, he became reliable with a blade, a man of strong build and nimble agility, but also tireless endurance. When his sister went to Arx, he lingered in the Oathlands and traveled the fields, assisting the subjects of his House in a number of different undertakings, all voluntary. He would escort merchants and travelers in the roads and assist the enforcers of the High Lord's law against those that would violate it. However, beneath that steely warrior's exterior was a growing sense of frustration with his life. And it is because of this that he traveled to Arx, in order to fulfill his life's dream without neglecting what led him down the path of martial prowess. He will be a scholar, aye, but he is a warrior, and will be one until he can no longer lift a sword on his own. + |
| Jacque Valardin + | Born four years before Sasha, Jacque was a boy who dreamed of being a chronicler, a writer, an explorer. He fancied himself becoming a wise man that would teach children the right ways of the Oathlands. The young Jacque set out to try and become this sort of scholar, only to find out that he fell short of it. What he did not fall short of in his education was the physical training. He took to sword and physical exercise tirelessly, impressing his tutors in this regard, while disappointing in every other. He was adequate as a warrior but he was no genius, no smart man; average at best, he struggled with those more complex instructions, before neglecting them outright, in frustration he would opt for the path of the warrior, instead. One that he did not choose for himself, but the only one that was viable for him to walk. This became even more so when Sasha was afflicted with her illness. Out of worry, and protective brotherly concern, he became reliable with a blade, a man of strong build and nimble agility, but also tireless endurance. When his sister went to Arx, he lingered in the Oathlands and traveled the fields, assisting the subjects of his House in a number of different undertakings, all voluntary. He would escort merchants and travelers in the roads and assist the enforcers of the High Lord's law against those that would violate it. However, beneath that steely warrior's exterior was a growing sense of frustration with his life. And it is because of this that he traveled to Arx, in order to fulfill his life's dream without neglecting what led him down the path of martial prowess. He will be a scholar, aye, but he is a warrior, and will be one until he can no longer lift a sword on his own. + |
| Jadara Platinum + | The life of a Child of the Emperor is a tumultuous thing that begins with leaving behind everything they know to embrace a solemn and necessary duty. Combating the forces of darkness is an insurmountable task, with many obstacles, and none know this more than the Platinum Emperor who has lived long enough to see the pitfalls and many failures of his former Orders. His children are the result of painstaking efforts taken to create the perfect weapon to defend the Empire and its ideals, although that is not to say they are not loved or appreciated for who they are. Many of his children would argue that is not the case if the accusation were levied. Jadara's life in Daobujin Bo was as could be expected for one of the Emperor's children with most of it lived within the prefecture of the Undying Palace and lessons learned from the House of Swords -- the elite and prestigious military academy that all children attend as part of their extensive education. When Dara was not studying or training her free time was spent engaging in games of pursuit upon the rooftops of the city which was as a second home to Jadara and her siblings. Eventually she was deemed able to take on the name of Ikhan and after completing her second task the burdgeoning youth was granted the name Kaiti and sent out into the world to do what children do -- execute their Father's Will and maintain peace and prosperity in the Empire. Once, she even had the honor of being called Daolu, but an incident in Petrioch saw her disgraced and demoted back to the rank of Tesugan where she remains until she can prove herself again. Serving under Zulana in Arvum was an opportunity to reclaim what has been lost, but she was summoned back to Daobujin Bo by her Father before having succeeded quite yet. The voyage is a very long one, even on the swift vessels of Jadairal and there is no way she should have returned so soon but she has. Nonetheless, the junior Emissary is here to offer her undying support to Zulana-shizhe, her older sister, to Kozu, her elder brother and to those who have come from the Empire to join them here in Arvum. + |
| Jael Laurent + | Jael has a serious case of sibling ribalry and it's the kind of thing that is life defining. Her sister was best at everything and everything that her sister wasn't the best at, her brother was the best at. It led to a childhood of being unusually tempestuous, and parents -- and nannies, nurses et al -- who kept trying to find different ways to channel Jael's impatience and rage into something more constructive. Arts and crafts did not cut it. Jael was a wild child. She broke discipline and ran out into the woods and fields all the time when she was young. Unfortunately, even in the civilized center of House Laurent's territory at Artshall, running out into the woods is a really bad idea. The first time she ran away from home to live in the woods and become a baby bear -- this didn't work -- it was worth a knighthood to the beekeeper and woodsman who brought her home. The second time, she was a teenager in the high dudgeon of a tantrum, and it took her brother and a squad of armed men to bring her home. She was 17, and too young to fight as a soldier in any man's army, but not too young to be forced into an unofficial squiredom to the knight who had rescued her years before. Jael learned to control her temper. She learned to control her impulses. She learned not to run away from her problems, most of all, but to face them head on. So it was that she strode into the office of her brother, the Voice, and demanded -- at the age of 21 -- that she be given something -- anything -- constructive to do. So Jael began to train with the scouts. She began to study with the Seraph of Artshall. She began to grow and learn and blossom into a woman of stubborn will and derring-do. And when her brother became the Duke instead of the Voice, she had earned enough trust with him that he gave her wings to fly with, and made her his Voice as well as his heir. Let's see what she does with it. + |
| Jaenelle Velenosa + | Jaenelle led something of a charmed life. As the granddaughter of Prince Donrai Thrax, she was distant enough from the Prince of Maelstrom to be spared the more dangerous side of Thraxian politics but still close enough that she was given an excellent betrothal match to a handsome, well born noble. A Velenosan prince, even! They met and courted in Arx, sparing Jaenelle again from the more dangerous Lyceum and married in a beautiful ceremony that celebrated the renewed ties between two of the greatest houses in the world. Of course, not everything could be good luck. They weren't married long when a tragic accident took her new husband from her. While she's very sad, the Duchess Esera Velenosa assured Jaenelle that she's still a welcome and important part of her new family. So that helps. Yay! + |
| Jaerith Keaton + | Growing up the youngest child of Ambrose and Anastasia Keaton, Jaerith learned swiftly that life rarely goes where you expect it to, that there is no chance of controling everything that comes to pass, and, most importantly, life is short and a squandered opportunity might never come again. A memory haunts him in the dark of night at times, telling his mother he did not want to walk along the river with her. Instead she went to see if her husband would go with her and ended up being thrown off the ramparts by an escaping prisoner. It is something he avoids thinking about on those rare occasions the memory resurfaces. The past is over, done and gone. There is no sense in focusing there, Jaerith keeps his eyes forward, looking for any opportunity to try something new. His taste for adventure was only tempered by the same military-focused upbringing that each of his siblings received as well. Jaerith had a natural gift for sailing and a head for catching smugglers using the river routes to ambush merchants. He developed a unit, dubbed the Riverdogs, and trained them to specifically patrol those routes to protect traders and their barges. The ever changing nature of the work suited him, as did the constant travel, but in time, even that has become a bit rote. The horizon is not as new and exciting as it once was. And the people he sees day to day aren't as full of surprises as they could be. A restlessness has settled in Jaerith, an itch for something new. Word travels that experienced river sailors might be in demand in Arx, and with his House's presence growing, the time might just be right to relocate to the seat of the Compact. + |
| Jalal Whisper + | Jalal was not always Jalal Whisper, instead taking up the name when he joined the Whisper House. The name which he was born to is practically from another time, another life, another world. Something so very far removed from what Arx and the rest of the Compact holds that it might as well be nothing more than a dream. He is not the first to have arrived in Arx with a sad story of having fled his home, and probably will not be the last either. However it is the time before Arx that truly shaped who he is. He was born in Eurus of common blood, the son of a dancer, and he, like his father before him, became a dancer at a young age, when actually began to show promise as one. That was at a very young age, and since he has spent the majority of his life learning, perfecting his dancing, and continuing to new ways to incorporate dance in all of his pursuits. Eating, living, breathing dance in such an almost single-minded way. Though the reality is, that there were always other things waiting to take up his time, other pursuits that found themselves occupying his day to day living, that held just as much influence over him. However, nothing is perfect. There came a point where life in Petrioch became unsafe, more so than usual, with the city having come under siege by some outside force. At that point Jalal had made the decision to leave, and despite the dangers of the crossing, he took to the sea in an attempt at getting away from the Dune Kingdoms. He did, somehow, rather successfully, make the crossing, and has since taken up residence within Arx and joined the Whisper House where his past remains all but a mystery to anyone besides himself. + |
| James Chereau + | James never knew his father, he split from his mother shortly after he was born. His mother, Elizabeth grew up in the service of nobles, giving her an access that made her a target for someone like James' father, a con man. His father went by many names and a drifter but he was a character that was hard to forget. A very charming man who made a career of conning nobles and rich commoner until vanishing into the night. Taking his mother's family name, Chereau, James was raised by his mother and the two lived in a very small shack inside the lower boroughs. The silver his mother made was enough to keep them fed and repay a debt Elizabeth's family had accumulated with the local gang that held territory in their neighborhood. Too busy with working multiple jobs, James' mother was unable to watch after him and so the streets raised him. As he became older, he became more troublesome. Picking fights with beat iron guards and other children. He lost contact with his mother after being picked up by the iron guards the first time, spending a couple weeks with others kids in prison. When he got out, James was taken to the Tragedy and placed under their supervision. As a teenager in the lower borough, he developed skills that made him a person of interest to the local gangs, his lack of identity also made him a perfect recruit. He did work for the various gangs as a thug, a drifter like his father, but he was unable to settle down with any one of them in specific. It did not help that James became an avid dust user, building an addiction to the substance, and was always in and out of prison. At the start of the Shav campaign, debts were collected and one of those debts were the ones held by Chereau and Thrax. Bounty hunters tracked James to the lower borough, forced him to join their ranks and supplement the troops at the rivers as a sailor. He worked for them and at the end of the campaign, his family's debts were forgiven. With his release documents in hand, James made his way back to Arx. Paying back the debt with a conscription also allowed him to claim a small inheritance of six thousand silvers and property in the city. + |
| Jameson Valardin + | Prince Jameson never wanted the greatness he was born into. He was (And is) expected to take up his role to go forth and shake hands and make friends and lead in the way he is meant to...and he wants none of it. Some day he might, of course, but currently he wants other things. He was always at home in the wild, and he would constantly sneak out either on his own, or convince his hunters and guards to take him out. He was a natural with a bow and the wild, and became skilled there while still lacking many of the normal social niceties his position expected. He is educated, as well, to a point. Skilled from many private tutors, he often takes a book with him into the wild, to read in the 'silence' of it all. During the recent wars he aided his house, not as some metal-clad knight, but as a leader of the scouts and wilderness spies. He found great use there. Recently, he was promoted to Master of the Hunt. + |
| Jamie Greenmarch + | As the eldest son of Alda and Malcolm Greenmarch, Jamie enjoyed the first couple years of his life being the sole focus of their attention. He was an energetic and impulsive youth with a fearless streak that often got him into a bit of trouble. As time passed and more Greenmarch children entered the world, it was difficult for his parents to spend the amount of time necessary to keep him busy. Being the oldest, Jamie very quickly established a close bond with his grandmother, Maryn Greenmarch, who enabled his free spirited nature by passing on the family's old traditions and teachines in the ways of Shamanism. The concept of spirit and being in touch with the wilderness around him was the perfect answer to his personality. It shaped him in many ways into adulthood, including the advantage of understanding two different belief systems and opened his eyes to new ways to perceive the world around him. As he grew into a young adult, he was ultimately knighted and earned a place with the Knights of Solace, though he was quite the unorthodox member. His knowledge of the land and tactics saw to it that many of his responsibilities and missions revolved around scouting, establishing forward operations, and protecting healers and the populace on the fringes of friendly territory. Though he is a Knight, more often then not the people he has directly fought alongside and for have referred to him as the Ranger for the way in which he fights, his understanding of topography and how to best use that to the advantage of his allies, as well as his tendency to remain segregated from those around him, including his brothers-and-sisters-at-arms. A couple years ago, he was sent out on an escort mission to ensure the safety and well-being of healers who were traveling to the outskirts to provide medical care and attention to the underserved populations. In time, his mission statement evolved as he began to face off against not just simple bandits and raiders, but pirates and darker things. Protecting the common folk at these areas and the healers he was initially sent out to escort has earned him somewhat of folk hero status amongst the fringe populations. They call him the Spear of the Greenwood for his first to fight attitude, always at the tip of the proverbial spear defending those that cannot defend themselves. His combat style, his experience, and the man that he is has been rooted deeply in Shamanism and it is not something he will readily give up. He walks a fine line between the Pantheon and Shamanism, though those who have fought beside him or been saved by him care little about his personal beliefs so much as his actions. Returning home after years of service, the prodigal son finds that the world he was once a part of has continued to spin despite his absence. With his return just over the horizon, Jamie signed on as an instructor with the Academy of War to not only pass on the knowledge and experience he has developed over years at the frontlines, but also to strengthen Greenmarch's ties to House Keaton and the Compact. + |
| Jan Kennex + | Jan Kennex's first act in this life was punching Victoria (who had just delivered her) square in the nose with a tiny fist. She came into the world fighting, and she's been fighting ever since. At first, Jan had to fight just to fight. Her mother was determined to make a lady out of her, and there was no way anyone would be willing to teach a girl to use a sword, anyway. Almost no one. Her younger cousin Ian was really weird and threw the occasional epic, screaming tantrum, but he was a prodigy with a blade, and he didn't care that she was a girl (she's not sure he even noticed). Jan practiced with him until he went to sea, and then she practiced alone. But these two lives, the life she wanted and the life dictated by her gender, came into conflict as she grew from girl to woman. Her sister Catalana covered for her as long as she could, but now there was talk of setting up a marriage. Jan had to make a choice, and few people could have made the choice that she did. She left everything behind -- title, privilege, name -- and ran away to the mainland to become a mercenary... all with the knowledge that she might never be able to come home again. It was a steep learning curve, but Jan's grit saw her through. She took to mercenary life, and her natural leadership skills and noble bearing marked her for command. When the commander of her company was killed in a skirmish, she was elected by the rest of the company to replace him. With every victory (and every fat payday), their loyalty grew. They trusted her, so when she got the news that the ban on Isleswomen in the military had been lifted and she proposed becoming oathsworn Kennex fighters, they agreed to follow her, even though most of them thought that the 'Lady Jan' thing had to be a joke. Jan returned triumphant with a battle hardened group of new recruits to the Kennex corsairs, every last one of them personally loyal to her. The corsairs were in a sorry state at that time -- ill disciplined and ill trained -- and Jan lobbied hard to be put in command so she could smarten everyone up to her high standards. There was a lot of shouting, and Ford had his vocabulary forcibly expanded, but Jan got her way. As captain of the corsairs, Jan saw the men and women under her command through the chaos after the thralls were freed, through the carnage of the pirate war at Setarco, through the assassination of Ford and Kennex's rise from the ashes. Only a few people of her original mercenary band are left, but those that have replaced them, while a bit scruffy and not always given to fair and honorable fighting, have become just as loyal. She knows there will be fighting to come, and she and her corsairs are ready. + |
| Janora Grayhope + | Born into a family of soldiers, Janora felt destined for much the same. She grew up practicing fighting with boys, as well as her father, before joining a local unit soon into adulthood, joining her family's legacy. + |
| Jarel Redrain + | Born in September 15, Jarel Redrain has always been interested in being a dedicated warrior for his people. And thus that has been the majority of his focus as he grew older. Many would claim that Jarel was definitely born to be one, probably in no small regard due to his strength and dedication. Growing up he would be around warriors whether they were nobles or otherwise. That wasn't a distinction he was worried about. So he learned all he could from his peers, becoming a ferocious combatant. More so with the bastard sword he seemed to favor. It can be stated that he is everything a Northerner should be up and including how barbaric he can be in a fight. After years of training and becoming an adept warrior, Jared Redrain has been living in Arx for some time, where he does what is best to serve his people, as well as support his other family members. + |
| Jareth + | He was born on the streets of Arx to a light-skirted woman who couldn't claim to know the identity of Jareth's father. At a young age he joined with the other children on his street into a loosely formed gang, picking and scratching for scraps to supplement what little they were provided with at home, but it was evident early on he lacked the brawn to roll drunks in alleys, or the deftness to separate heavy purses from expensive belts. Jareth's strengths lay in his confidence and his ability to charm those around him and to convincingly embrace whatever role was required of him. He was a fast-talker, a patter man with a silver tongue and the ability to blind the eyes of his audience to the streaks of dirt on his face and the shabbiness of his clothes. His ability to talk his way out of (and into) trouble didn't go unnoticed, however. He fell in with the Black Rose Mummers, putting his natural charm and talent for acting to use for himself and the troupe, though it is clear he supplements his income as an actor through any means his silver tongue allows. + |
| Jareth Crown + | He was born on the streets of Arx to a light-skirted woman who couldn't claim to know the identity of Jareth's father. At a young age he joined with the other children on his street into a loosely formed gang, picking and scratching for scraps to supplement what little they were provided with at home, but it was evident early on he lacked the brawn to roll drunks in alleys, or the deftness to separate heavy purses from expensive belts. Jareth's strengths lay in his confidence and his ability to charm those around him and to convincingly embrace whatever role was required of him. He was a fast-talker, a patter man with a silver tongue and the ability to blind the eyes of his audience to the streaks of dirt on his face and the shabbiness of his clothes. His ability to talk his way out of (and into) trouble didn't go unnoticed, however. He fell in with the Black Rose Mummers, putting his natural charm and talent for acting to use for himself and the troupe, though it is clear he supplements his income as an actor through any means his silver tongue allows. + |
| Jareth Masque + | He was born on the streets of Arx to a light-skirted woman who couldn't claim to know the identity of Jareth's father. At a young age he joined with the other children on his street into a loosely formed gang, picking and scratching for scraps to supplement what little they were provided with at home, but it was evident early on he lacked the brawn to roll drunks in alleys, or the deftness to separate heavy purses from expensive belts. Jareth's strengths lay in his confidence and his ability to charm those around him and to convincingly embrace whatever role was required of him. He was a fast-talker, a patter man with a silver tongue and the ability to blind the eyes of his audience to the streaks of dirt on his face and the shabbiness of his clothes. His ability to talk his way out of (and into) trouble didn't go unnoticed, however. He fell in with the Black Rose Mummers, putting his natural charm and talent for acting to use for himself and the troupe, though it is clear he supplements his income as an actor through any means his silver tongue allows. + |
| Jaromir Redrain + | Jaromir was born the youngest son of Torrus Redrain, a noble Prince of House Redrain and one of the highest lords of the north. It was easy to see from a young age that where many of his family took to battle with the wild abandon that is practically bred into his family, Jaromir was calm and collected, though filled with a cold fire in his soul rather than the raging flames of other men. Jaromir was always a fine knight and a fair mind, but where he really excelled was the combination of the two, melding both. His childhood was spent in the councils and private chambers of the noblest of the north, absorbing their tactics and strategies. At the age of 17 he took up the position as a tactical advisor to his late uncle, the Lord Sherrod, and performed his duties ablely and with aplumb. For unknown reasons he resigned from the position at the age of 21 and tried a short stint as a horsebreeder holding a fair selection of fine warhorses. This didint last and not much more than a year later he had sold the last of his stock and traveled south with his elder Vallen in tow, joining the Valourous Few - a Mercenary Company of questionable reputation but incontestable results. + |
| Jarryck Buckwheat + | Born in the Crownlands to nobody of importance, Jarryck was born a large baby. His parents were both farmers, and as Jarryck grew stronger and taller, he was made to work on the farm, something he was good at, since it was physical. He found the work tiresome, however, and was always fighting the other boys, when he could. + |
| Jasher Thrax + | As the youngest born to a lesser branch of the Thrax family tree, Jasher is far removed from the line of succession. In the aftermath of his parents' execution for treason, he and his four siblings were placed under the protection of their dictatorial grandfather, Donrai Thrax, the late Prince of Maelstrom. Living under his watchful eye meant deriving relief at being overlooked as often as he was, and ultimately contributed to the development of his sharp observational skills and appreciation for structure and certainty. He was more or less left to his own devices, free to discover for himself where he fit into the family and world at large so long as he did not shame his house in the process. One day, at the ripe age of thirteen, Jasher slipped his house guards in disguise and enlisted to become a cabin boy aboard a trade vessel. Isles lords taking to sailing is hardly unusual, but the prince was far too young, and did so without the explicit approval of his grandfather. When he was eventually located and retrieved, Donrai considered what ought to be done about it. Rather than punish Jasher for his impetuousness, he decided that if the boy would chase the salt so ardently, he should give himself to it in full, but the proper way. Thereafter, he was provided hands-on training aboard a ship so long as he agreed to keep out of trouble and tend to his studies. Each job well done was rewarded with additional opportunities, and in time he grew to be an exceptional sailor and respected leader. While many of his family members moved to Arx upon reaching adulthood, Jasher was justly putting pirates to the sword aboard his own ship, the Sea Drake. What little time he spent ashore was shared with books or family, rarely with strangers. Societal pressures and constraints inherent to nobility have always frustrated him. The prospect of marriage was approached as a grim duty he'd someday be expected to fulfill, yet while there has been no shortage of eligible women, he has never shown an interest in courting them. He rarely entertains romantic overtures in general, but it is common knowledge that he is strictly attracted to men. Over the years, strong familial ties and lasting friendships inevitably sank their deep hooks into Jasher, and those long periods spent away grew fewer and farther between.Threats of all forms bid him return to support and defend House Thrax and The Compact at large. He is a veteran of the Gyre War, Silent War, the Lodge and the Battle of Pieros Bay. He returned to Arx at a most auspicious time, on the eve of the sacking of Bastion, and the cusp of yet another series of bloody conflicts. + |
| Jasmine diFidante + | Jasmine is what you get when you mix a Saraceni mother with a Fidante father to settle some dispute about whose ship sunk whose first. All this is to say, the marriage was not one born of love, but of duty, and one of the rockier examples of just how political marriages can be. There was a lot of drinking involved on both sides. All of this left Jasmine to play on her own, as she found it was best to not be under foot when either parent had gotten too far into their cups. She loved them both and did not need, nor want, to hear what one might say of the other. So she quickly learned to scuttle away with her favored toys and find the quiet places. And then she discovered the other children; the ones who hid from their tutors, or the ones who just wanted to see the sky and fresh air, to smell the city of roses. And Jasmine launched a new career at the age of eight: Ringleader. She would gather up the other children and arrange games, keeping them busy and out of sight. By the time Jasmine hit her majority her skills had only grown. She'd spent time learning, of course. She could dance if she had to. She could could and write. But really, if Jasmine had one talent by eighteen? It's that she knew how to get into, and out of, trouble. Very few were surprised, then, when the offer becoming a diFidante was made to the family that she would accept the chance to get a little further away from her mother and father. After all, Volkov woods looked like a lot of trouble, and would need a lot of getting in and out of. + |
| Jason Elio + | The child of a well to do dye merchant Jason led a relatively pampered childhood. He doted on heavily by his mother with gifts and sweets. When he came of age his Father attempted to teach him the art of trade and the economics of the realm. The endgame being for his son to take up a partnership and help grow the company. However, at this point business was difficult due to the local merchants guild ostracizing him due to social faux pas that embarrassed the guild in front of the Count. So, his fellow merchants have been imposing a "tax" on all the goods heading towards his shop as a punishment. Due to this the Elio family had to cut back. Which left Jason without all the usual conveniences and luxuries he was used to. So while he learned from his father in the day, he would go at night and try to steal from merchant homes of his friends who had started to shun his company. His knowledge of the homes payed of in his first couple attempts and had amassed a small hoard of coin, silverware, and spices. However, Jason became over confident and got himself caught by a house guard in his third attempt. He was about to be struck down before the guard recognized it was him. He was flogged, placed in stocks and crippling fines were placed on him that fell on his family. This ruined the family business. The merchants taking full advantage to outcast his father from the guild. Without the protection of the guild his suppliers quickly raised their prices or threatened to take their goods to another merchant. His father couldn't afford to pay it. Within a couple months the dye shop was no more. Jason's mother died due a sickness that swept through the city that attacked her while she was suffering from heart break and stress. His father disappeared shortly after this, under unknown circumstances. . So Jason was left with nothing but the clothes on his flogged back. Ever since he's made a name for himself in the Lower Boroughs as Conman, a thief, but someone that can get the best price from any fence. + |
| Jasper Steelhart + | His father, Lord Aaron Steelhart was cousins to Roslyn, Frederik, and Gregor Steelhart. A minor lord, he supported the main family by manning his fortress by the sea and assisting his cousins with protecting the shoreline. He married to Lady Lilian Ashford, while still in his mid-twenties and bore Jasper shortly afterwards. The oldest of three, he often found himself the protector of his two sisters. With his mother's tales of knights and valor, bolstering his Valardin heritage, and his father's fine example, Jasper knew that more than anything he wanted to be a knight. For many years, Jasper's life was consumed with his training. He excelled with not only the joust but also in melee with his sword. He even had an opportunity to foster with Frederik, developing connections with his other Steelhart clan. He spent time with Lionel and Sara. Even Padraig and Seth. When news of their betrayal that led to Lionel's death and Lady Lydia's suicide, he was devastated. His loss did not stop there. His parents were murdered at the Tragedy of Sanctum, suddenly trusting him sooner than he wanted into being the head of the family and caring for his little sisters. He met a woman, claiming to be Lady Blackshore, who was suddenly there as a friend, a confident. She had recently lost her fortunes and being the kind host, he offered sanctuary to the woman until she could contact her family. With all the pressures, he found himself leaning on her more and more. Obligation become love and finally he proposed marriage. Everything moved quickly as his bride urged him not to wait, to move forward. Eager to start his own family, he went along. Except the wedding never happened because his bride disappeared the night before their wedding day. He contacted the authorities, fearing the worst had happened to his bride, only to find this woman never existed. She was false in her words and took advantage of a young lord. Jasper learned a hard lesson on trusting others. The next several years were spent getting things back in order, rebuilding his finances and seeing to the education of his sisters. Dreams of being that dashing knight were put aside for more practical matters. Although, with the recent rumblings of war and call to banners, Jasper has felt the stirring once again. He finds himself in Arx to find husbands for his sisters and perhaps become the knight he originally put aside to see to his family. + |
| Jasra el-Farah + | "Why do the sun and the moon constantly switch places?" a young girl asked her tutor. "Why can't they be out at the same time?" The girl pulled a flower blossom from one of the vines growing in the palace garden, studying it carefully while dismantling the bloom one petal at a time. The blossom began to turn to ash in the girl's hand and the tutor looked down on her, reflecting back her own face in his mirrored mask. "Death does not want anything to live eternal, so it kills the sun and the moon and makes them to be reborn each day in their time." It's later, years later, and a different robed figure in a different mask guides an older girl through some labyrinthine hallways. Through the wooden door they pass a woman screams, heart-wrenching and piercing. "Why do they always scream?" the girl asks her current tutor. "Because they have been brought near to death through their injuries, and now must be yanked back from the claws of that jealous Goddess," the Magister answered. And so went Jasra tutoring for years. Each week she would spend time with tutors who would show her how to be a diplomat, and an equal amount of time being shown the religion of the Silent City. This was the life of a Princess of the Silent City. Until one day the question became, "Why do I have to leave?" and the answer was, "Because the Dune Emperor will not leave you alive if you do not flee." Since then Jasra has been running. Running until there was vast water between her and man that supposedly wanted her dead. Running until she was working for the Skal'dajans under a false name. Running until she was able to be 'liberated' by the House or Pravus. And now Jasra is just another refugee. Another exotic face and voice clogging up the streets as she looks for a way to retake what was hers, seeking out others she's heard of that may have similar goals. But that's not enough for her mind; it's needs challenges. So she's joined the Faith as a Mirrormask, ready to put her questioning mind to use. + |
| Jaufrey Whitehawk + | Unlike most first generation Whitehawks, Jaufrey was not born a Mercier, but a Tyndall. He is the eldest child of Lord Bedivere Whitehawk, the sitting Baron's uncle from his mother's side. He lived most his life as a commoner until his father was brought into the noble fold, and he and his younger brother were ennobled as part of the agreement. They were taken from an impoverished farm to a luxurious manor - a transition he had some difficulty adjusting to. Jaufrey had to leave his old friends behind, but greener fields undoubtedly were on the horizon and in his reach. Before that, he was a farmboy who had aspirations of becoming a knight. His mother was a self-taught historian who routinely read him to sleep, and he admired all the heroes of old, particularly Mathias Caretta 'the Red'. He finally earned his chance by becoming a squire of a Bisland knight. His natural athleticism and skill served him well, and helping defend the carriage carrying the knight's wife and daughter led him to getting knighted at the incredibly young age of sixteen. Ego swelling, he believed he had a shot at becoming the youngest member of the King's Own, and made for Arx against the protests of his father. He utterly failed the test given to him by the Lord Commander, and returned home stung, angry and determined to prove them wrong. Two years have cooled his head, and his new obligations as a newly-minted noble have made him look elsewhere for glory and fame. His cousin Silas has allowed him to be the Sword of Hawkhold - a title he believes he will one day outdo - and he enlisted in the Champions Guild to better his skills and increase his renown. He will be a legend one day and take his place in the Hall of Heroes. He's sure of it. + |
| Javarn Evrith + | Growing up for most of his life as the son of a blacksmith, Javarn has always had dreams of grandure, and of living a life of adventure much to the dismay of his father. Still, Javarn secretly learned at an earlier age than normal how to read, and spent most of his youth neglecting his duties to his family, instead preferring to layabout with a good story, or out wandering the woods looking for adventure. His dreams were seen to fruition when the then Marquessa of Leary commissioned his father for a project of a blade. As the Marquessa retrieved the completed work for her sword, she witnessed something special in the boy, and conscripted him into her service as her squire. With his life turned around, Javarn had been given the opportunity to train and learn under the guidance of the Marquessa's tutors, preparing him for battle and teaching him proper leadership tactics. In a sick twist of fate, newly Knighted Sir Javarn Evrith helped to lead the charge, along side Marquessa Hianara in a brutal battle against raiding Shav'Arvani tribes. The battle was bloody, and the results were his witnessing the death of that very same Marquessa, and leaving Sir Javarn as one of the few survivors. + |
| Jay Rosen + | A humble family whose matriarch is a seamstress in a barony outside of Bastion, the Rosens are no strangers to hardship. Jay was born a middle child in a household of four other children while his mother did her very best to keep them all sustained with her occupation. She is credited for keeping her family together after her husband died unexpectedly while on a winter trip to the Northland. Jay's sisters found jobs as soon as they were old enough and he did most of the manual labor whenever a repair around the house needed to be done. He was no stranger to gardening, building fences, stable duty, or cooking while his mother worked. In his youth, Jay discovered a talent for mending his own clothes whenever he found a tear in his pants or shirt from outdoor work he had been doing. Needlework brought a sense of deep satisfaction whenever he could repair a garment and save it from being tossed out. When he was of proper age he acquired an apprenticeship at a local tailor's shop where he learned the basics of running a business. In addition, the proprietor introduced him to the art of fashion and that's when he found his one true love: making clothes. He began to design and sew his own clothing, only to branch out and tailor for others when his confidence and experience grew. The more clothes he made, the clearer his vision became: he knew he was meant to become a Disciple of Jayus, join the Crafters Guild, open his own shop, and create clothes for all in the city of Arx. + |
| Jayanthi Hawkeye + | Jayanthi was born to a nomadic family of Abandoned and for a while she travelled with them until they died when she was about eight years old, killed off because they believed to be out to destroy the Compact. Like all of her family Jayanthi was given a choice to bend the knee to those of the Compact, specifically the people of Farhaven. Even at eight Jayanthi knew she had little choice. IT was bend the knee or die for the actions of her family. At least that is how she viewed it. Which then began her life as a member of those sworn to the Redrain family. Much of it was spent with the temples learning of the pantheon. Though, she got away with focusing more on artwork, healing, and apothecary because she proved to have an aptitude for them. At seventeen she met the love of her life and married him a few months after she turned eighteen. She took his name of Hawkeye. When she turned twenty one she had a daughter with him, called Jayleen. When Jayanthi turned twenty four Jason disappeared, she never found out what happened. With Jayleen Jayanthi searched for her husband, though, so far with no luck. Her travels lead her to Arx. Perhaps in Arx she will discover what happened to him. + |
| Jayden Ravenseye + | A Ravenseye cousin, Jayden grew up in Stormheart as a quiet, content and attentive child. He was an imaginative young man, often just staring at the cold wind as it rustled through the winter trees around the, lost in something that mesmerized him. His father taught him when he was old enough to hold a knife steady how to carve and widdle, intending it to just improve his reflexes and the strength of his hands, but little did the man know but he was dedicating his son to a future of art and beauty. That's not exactly typical for the his house. Sailors and the like for the most part, the life never suited Jayden. As he grew older, he became fascinated with the idea of instruments-- wood and wind, his favored spirits-- and turning his creative talents into making them. He came to Arx a couple years ago, and has made a name for himself for the quality of his instruments that he makes, names, and then gifts to those who are of need or worthy. + |
| Jayeth Black + | Born a bit more than three decades ago to a smithing line that can claim generations of metal workers, Jayeth was named in honor of the god Jayus, another hand to wield the hammer of the Black family in a tradition unbroken in the memory of his ancestors. He took to the craft from a young age, fierce expectations set on shoulders that would one day be broad enough to support them. An active, boisterous youth, he often fought, played and got in trouble, though his general good nature and hard to repress smile held through even the strictest of punishments. By his twelfth year, he was already larger than most men and his physical growth would not stop any time soon, the rambunctious smith touched by his love of craft and life. He was a smith in his own right by his late teens, but hadn't opened a shop until he was in his twenties. He spent years mastering his craft, refining his abilities to their utmost even while maintaining an irrepressible nature. In the winter of 1004, after the Alaric had fallen ill, Jayeth's own luck turned, a commoner that would end up disappearing in the tumult after the Night Grove incident. Another, smaller, incident happened. Reyna happened. He discovered her injured just outside his smithy, two others corpses not far from her. He took her in and, when others came to see about her, knocked enough heads easily enough to change minds. It was a mistake, in many ways, as the person he'd rescued was pursued by a jumped up merchant with noble aspirations. Even worse, she was a bandit. Still, he forged his path as he did all things in life, a friendship growing between him and the bandit girl. Weeks of quiet lowered their defenses enough that, while out shopping, Jayeth's smithy was burned to the stone. Many men searched for them at this point and, with little help and his family at risk, they fled. It was months of skipping from town to town, laying low for awhile before they were forced out once more. It was only when they got to Arx that the pursuit stopped. There was no reason for it, no way to know why or how, but they found shelter in the Lower Boroughs and respite from their chase. With few options left, Jayeth has set about looking for work or patronage, he has the skills, he just needs the space and maybe then, they can breathe. + |
| Jeffeth Bayweather + | Jeffeth was orphaned in the Boroughs, probably in some kind of kerfuffle over the drug trade, although honestly who knows-- the priests and disciples and Knights of Solace who took over his rearing at the Tragedy never really seemed to know who his parents were, and no one who he asked could remember his mother. Presumably he had one, and didn't just appear in a basket at the orphanage one day, but these things can be hard for a little boy to find out. Because he was a big, strong boy in his early teens, the Cullers flirted with trying to snap him up as a runner, and there were times -- when he was cold, and hungry, and tired, say -- that he was tempted. But there was just something about the lines of work that were available to him that palled, and he slipped away from those friends, those connections, those chances, and plunged into the Faith with a will, a grown man with a little boy's unstinting gratitude for the opportunities he was offered. He began as a Disciple of Gild, thinking that that was enough, and worked in the orphanage that had raised him, spending patient hours with children who were often frightened, and angry, and brimming over with fear and frustration. One day, he decided that he wanted to be a true Knight of Solace, the way those who mentored him were; to see the world, to protect those who needed protecting, and to always come home from his sojourns to take care of the children back at home. He threw himself into it with a will, and became one of the mainstays of the Knights: his warmth and unstinting optimism are enough to make up for his simplicity for most. + |
| Jei Sevoi + | Jei was squired to Paere Laerne, an older Knight who had taught Jei for the last couple of years. Jei's family was killed at a young age and he lived for most of his life as an urchin. He made a living by stealing food and necessities for himself and also was apprenticed to a healer who owned an apocathery. She unfortunately died and Jei was forced to steal again. He came across Paere while attempting to steal the Knight's purse. After hearing the boy's tale, he was made into a squire by Paere and was set to be knighted, but Paere died. Jei professes it was illness and a reaction to his medicine, going on to say he had no reason to kill Paere when the man was committed to knighting him soon. But many within Paere's circle claim Jei poisoned the knight because the knight -refused- to knight Jei. Jei has since traveled to try to become a house guard or potentially squire under another Knight with the Deepwood house. + |
| Jenessa Lyonesse + | To carry the name of Lyonesse, it means one is well-acquainted with calamity and hardship, of expecting tragedy and the worst in all manner of things, and it's no different for the youngest sibling of the family. Jenessa was born in the summer of 990 A.R., a handful of months prior to the harshest winter of her existence. She was just a babe when the crisis struck, a supply train robbed and looted by shavs, leaving the family - among others - roughing it that season. They are a rather industrious lot, making do to make ends meet, but there was a constant threat of starvation, of death from exposure - more so for a babe of a few months, and it nearly took her life. It was a struggle for survival, and many thought the young Lyonesse wouldn't make it, but to the surprise of many, she did. Life is never easy, it has its trials and tribulations, but it's all the more true for the Jinxed. Though she survived infancy, growing into childhood, it wasn't without hardship. During her younger years, tragedy befell the family with the loss of the third son, Dormire, who had been found dead in a calm lake, a victim of drowning. The grief from losing her brother had still been present a small few years later when the eldest, Marcorr, lost his life in a freak accident while seeing to the feeding of his horse. Both had been returned to the Wheel far too soon, young and full of promise, but it was a reminder that life can end at any time - that it's best to enjoy it to the fullest whenever possible. To live as if it was your last day. She learned this all too well at a rather young and tender age - but it hardened her, in part, as the life of a Lyonesse tends to do. Unlike the majority of her siblings, Jenessa didn't undergo knighting, finding her interests leaning more towards scholarly and intellectual pursuits. Nevertheless she still attended the academy where she took her studies seriously, nose in the books, though still trained - to a degree - under Sir Jak Whitemane. It was inescapable, being in a martial family, and where Marcorr, Rymarr, Demura, and Dormire were knightly, Anabelle the socialite, the youngest Lyonesse took it upon herself to become the hunter and scout of the House - or one of them, anyway. Despite her preferences, the need to know how to defend herself and the March was a non-negotiable necessity, yet she took to it easily enough, enjoying the solitude that being a reconnoiterer gave. It was from there she found a love of exploration and investigation. In recent years, war has come and gone, battles fought against various forces - but she was too young to join; her studies were incomplete. Despite the fact she was homebound, it didn't deter her from helping where she could: keeping the March scouted, on the lookout for hostile Abandoned, going with hunting parties to ensure food was kept on the tables of many, helping to guard supply caravans - lest a repeat of that winter occur again. Now that the war with the pirate fleet is at an end, bringing with it some semblance of peace, Jenessa has come of age. She's set out on her own adventure, heading to Arx where she'll continue her studies while joining her family with the hopes of assisting where possible - and explore a little, too! + |
| Jenna Whisper + | Jenna was always the kinda to be a homebody, her upbringing was one of learning to do homely and gentle things, having no siblings or the like she became more or less embroiled in the doings of others, often lending people an ear even at a young age. She may not be the best for conversation, but her voice is something of a small marvel and very beautiful. She enjoys singing for people and Entertaining others with her voice. + |
| Jennyva Shepherd + | Even when she was very young, Jennyva realized her father wasn't the greatest of rulers. Duke Gregor Shepherd, called 'the Butcher of Graypeak', was certainly widely feared. Respected as an extremely capable battlefield commander, relentless in his warring against shavs... and completely indifferent to politics ("the idle sport of courtiers", he said) or the importance of balancing the demands of different vassals ("they are vassals and I rule, there is nothing more to it", he said). Jennyva's mother Irene was every bit a soldier like Gregor, but understood political realities in a way he never would, and privately confided to her daughter that she was quietly certain she had kept House Shepherd out of senseless wars with other houses at least three times, and encouraged Jennyva to follow in her footsteps. Duchess Irene's tragic death in battle against shavs, a death that almost certainly would have been prevented if Gregor hadn't offended two other houses that had offered support, changed House Shepherd. In Duke Gregor, it hardened his resolve against Abandoned into an unreasoning blood feud beyond all reason. In Jennyva, it made her convinced she had little choice but to master politics or House Shepherd was doomed. To Jennyva's considerable surprise, she actually enjoyed it. Politics was like a vast puzzle of endless contradictory goals of scores of competing factions, a vast tapestry she could unravel. Her father largely ignored it, but while barely an adult she mended House Shepherd's acrimonous relationship with its vassals, saw the resentful loyalty owed her house turn into something like real comraderie, and started to make inroads to establishing some true resolution of disputes with other noble houses of the Crownlands. She also started to realize she could manage people so deftly it almost became second nature. It was obvious to her what they wanted, and how to reach something mutually satisfactory, how to explain away something belligerent and moronic that her father said, how to play off the biases of different competing factions to get an agreement settled at the table. She was, all agreed, going to be a spectacular ruler. And then her father ennobled his oldest friend from a long disgraced branch of House Shepherd and made a technically older cousin she had never met heir. Yes, yes, Jennyva knows her father rambled on and on about house honor and erasing stains and righting a terrible wrong and being the proper reward for a lifetime of service and yada yada yada but it was SO like him to spectacularly screw things up right as he died. But Jennyva ultimately realized it doesn't really matter all that much who has the title- she can work with this. This is fine. Everything's fine. + |
| Jephray Pike + | House Pike was one of the larger houses on Tyde and within it two contentious brothers, Hudson and Jameson Pike. though Jameson the eldest ruled most of the family split itself in loyalty to either the Lord or the Captain Hudson. It was into this simmer conflict that Jephray was born. Like his father he was made for the sea and spent his youth on deck moreso than land. He learned to swim, fight and Captain a boat. Both father and mother made sure he worked for his want to instill responsibility and grit. The eldest, Jeph surely was the grittiest. by eighteen he was Captain of his own ship and by 19 set to be engaged to a Wake of Tyde. But such joys would not be realized. For rebellion lay in the Fishes that grew too bold. Tyde rebelled and with it came half the banners of Pike, the family torn as Hudson preached caution and loyalty. Jameson would have none of it. While Hudson gathered his fleet for his overlords Jameson struck his brother at his costal garrison. His ships sank, and family butchered in their beds. Jephray was first hung then drowned and left to the see before his father and mother before they were similarily executed. The same followed for his siblings by cousins and kin. It was known as the Salting as Hudson and his wife were sent in salted barrels to Tydehall as signs of loyalty. Jephray however survived, his body picked up by fishermen and taken down to the Thrax once the situation could be sussed Given that his father still had survivg loyal men who could attest to the deed, Jeph was given a ship and sent back to aid Victus Thrax in the salting of Tyde. By ship and by field Jeph brought his Hurricane to bare. Jephray lost an eye in the great battle in which Victus slee the Duke of Tyde, but he gained a knighthood. An honor it is to serve as a house knight and Captain for house Thrax. Exiled by the surviving member of his house, Jeph who styles his colours with a Black fish instead of red on a field of blue and green is ever Thrax's man. There are rumors he might be offered a marriage of a lowest cousin, but his loyalty was sealed with water in his lungs a long time past. + |
| Jeraldan Crown + | A heedless but handsome fellow. Was having a stroll when suddenly all went black. The next thing he came to feel, was the intensive throbbing pain and the crusty rinlet of blood coming from the back of his head. Without having a clue as to where he is, nor where he came from, he's seeking out for someone who might be able to give him some guidance. He has a thing for good literature and some talent for finding lost stuff. He's also a goodhearted fellow and usually honest. Even though he might not be able to remember much as to who he was, before he woke up bleeding and in pain, at least he still knew his name. Not knowing where to go, he sets out to find civilization and get at least some basic wound treatment. + |
| Jeremiah none + | Jeremiah knows the meaning of luck. He knows the meaning of food, and the meaning of many, many, many other words. Jeremiah does not necessarily know the -experience- of most of the words he knows, however. + |
| Jericho Valardin + | Jericho was born the middle child as one of multiple children, though his father had passed away by the time he was six years old. Thus, wanting to help protect his remaining immediate family, Jericho became extremely protective....later wanting to become a knight for Valardin, even though he was one of it's many Princes. It was then discovered Jericho's immediate skill with the bow and his ability to survive and hunt, quickly becoming a more than capable warrior. He was knighted in the Oathlands when he turned 19. Years passed, and he built a reputation for himself. The White Wolf of Valardin had returned to the Oathlands from his travels of keeping Valardin grounds safe for the Knighting of his cousin, Princess Alis. Once that had been finished, he accompanied her back to Arx as part of her personal guard envoy. Now he has decided to remain in Arx, willing to lend a helping hand to his family and city. + |
| Jerrica Grayson + | It was always assumed that as the first daughter Jerrica would take up a martial path. She talked early and often and her strong opinions varying from what was offered for dinner to the way the gardens at the house were kept were at first met with smiles for her zeal and then grimaces when she would find something she thought was wrong and harp on it until people would have it changed. She was trained in the finer points of archery at a young age and seemed to take to it, but when she was six years old she was brought along on her first boar hunt and was so horrified by how many armed nobles chased the poor, terrified animal and how brutally it was ultimately brought down. And then they expected her to eat it! Her parents tried to explain that boars were dangerous creatures that were responsible for many a stray hunter's death but Jerrica would have none of it--and from that day forward never again ate meat in her life. Sure, the boar might have been dangerous, but it was just one boar being chased and heckled by a dozen or more armed men and women on horseback! Every year after that she campaigned to end hunts for sport, something her parents would not give in to. She still attended, chanting in a loud voice about how barbaric it all was until she was just left at home in her teenage years to not cause yet another scene in front of her parents' friends. From Bastion she embarked on many a letter writing campaign to numerous other houses and dignitaries in Arx, railing against practices she found lacking, such as going to war so often. Jerrica simply could not understand why so many men and women needed to die for a cause when so many things could be worked out through mediation. Many of those letters (most really) went unanswered, but she found herself with a growing interest in diplomacy because of it. Soon she realized that in order to use these skills she needed to be in Arx and wrote her parents a 52 page manuscript detailing all the reasons why they should send her to the city. They took one look at the pile of papers and decided to just send her, much to her delight. + |
| Jessa Deepwood + | Jessa's maternal grandfather was a Deepwood, a first cousin to the main Deepwood line who married into the minor Grayridge family. Jessa was one of no less than fifteen children in her generation of the Grayridge family, and with no responsibility -- and indeed, no hope of responsibility -- she focused herself on pursuing a dream of knighthood. Many a hapless log around the Grayridge lands felt the bite of her first sword when she was little more than a child; she grew to be a strong swordswoman. Jessa is the elder -- by far -- of the two sisters: she was seven when her sister Emily was born. And the two sisters could not seem more dissimilar: where Emily is lithe and agile, Jessa has the thicker, more curvy form of a woman built for strength rather than speed. Where her sister has a boundless curiosity about the world, Jessa has a desire to simply protect those around her, family and House most of all. Some have joked she always knows precisely how far from her her sword is. Indeed, she once dreamed of joining the King's Own -- but instead, she met Grady and discovered a new dream: a family of her own. And when her sister Emily decided to set out to rejoin their ancestral house -- the Deepwoods -- Jessa followed, along with Grady. Deepwood presented opportunities for advancement, for making her name in Arx, for her family... and as always, to try to keep her sister Emily out of trouble. + |
| Jessamine Fawn + | Jessamine is well aware that not all stories with such sad beginnings end up progressing so positively, a fact that has only made her embrace the goodness of her life all the more. The true circumstances of her birth remain a mystery to her. All she knows is that her very loving parents found her abandoned and, unable to have children of their own, took her into their home and hearts. She was never the brightest or wittiest among her peers, but she tried valiantly to make up for it with her willingness to share and play peacemaker. Far from a wilting flower, she has no issue speaking up when needed or doing she sees as right or necessary, she will just happily defer authority to a more competent individual in the right situation. Those skills have served her well in adulthood: a helper, not a leader, she is more than content with her role as aide to those who need her services, from the injured to down-on-their-luck. To the frustration of many, she is an eternal optimist, stubbornly refusing to accept defeat in almost anything she deals with. Even the painful loss of her father, who abruptly disappeared a short time ago, has resulted in her carrying herself with her chin held higher in determination as she tries to unravel the cause. Now that her father has vanished and her mother is too elderly to run the family business, Jessamine has taken over care of the Traders Tavern at night while spending her days balancing apothecary orders and offering her healing services as needed. It keeps her busy, but there is little she hates more than idle hands, save for maybe the abuse of adorable creatures. + |
| Jeta Crown + | Jeta's family was a large one. There were her parents and uncles and aunts and cousins and her many, many brothers and sisters. As a tribe of Ravashari, it only made sense for them stick together as they travelled the roads from holding to holding. There, they traded and entertained. Jeta's mother was a healer and her herbs and poultices were always in demand, as was the goods they brought from other holdings. Jeta loved this life when she was younger. She loved being free and feeling free. She loved seeing all the world had to offer and the wide variety of rare luxuries they would buy and sell. Though neither of her parents put any emphasis on education, Jeta especially loved when they had a book with them. Just opening a book up and seeing the lines on a page felt magical. As they travelled, she browbeat a series of village children until she could work out the words on the page for herself. Truth is, they likely played into every negative stereotype one has of their type. For every legitimate trade, they also had black-market goods and goods that were scavenged from wreckages of caravans that had been attacked on the road. Plus, sometimes on the way out from a village or holding, if they felt cheated, they might help themselves to wares that hadn't been properly secured. It was a dangerous life, even before things got truly dangerous. After Brand, Jeta was sure her father's and uncles would join those giving fealty to the crown. It would give them more legitimacy in their trade after all. It rankled her when nothing changed. It was like a curtain had been pulled aside. Instead of seeing only the magic of their life, now all she saw was the less savory bits. Her father, once adored, now seemed stubborn and foolish and cruel. Each day that passed she became more and more disillusioned with the life, until one morning, she woke earlier than the others, took a horse, and set out on her own to find her own fortune in Arx. + |
| Jev Serving the Bislands + | Jev grew up in Pridehall. His childhood and teen years are of very little note. He grew up to two commoner parents - one an artisan and the other a teacher. He was well studied and well read at a very young age. He took leave from his family to Arx of his own volition. There was no real rhyme or reason to it. He just wanted to see what it was like. He could not have been happier living on the streets in the boroughs and rubbing elbows with folks from all walks of life. He studied with the scholars for a time - got kicked out of that. He worked a pub for a week, got fired from that. Tried his hands on the docks - stopped showing up. He's tried his hand as an artisan, tailor, crafter, barber's assistant.... Fired, fired, fired. Somehow - who knows how? He probably couldn't even tell you how! He was 'discovered' by House Bisland and put to work to tend to the library and do other sorts of odd jobs around the estate in Arx. He soon found himself asked all sorts of mundane questions about things like 'politics' and 'diplomacy' and asked to look at ledgers... It's all very confusing. + |
| Jhond Langst + | Forty years ago Ser Ameli Langst was a proud member of the King's Own. An expert rider and terror in the ring with a spear she had a promising future ahead of her... until a training accident cost her her leg. A wooden waster broke and the splintered wood stabbed into her leg. The would never healed properly, it festered and her leg was lost just above the knee. No longer able to serve she disappeared to the Lower Boroughs to drink her sorrows away. Ameli ended up as a clerk for a disreputable shipping company along the docks and so came to the attention of one of the rare Eurusi that served on a smugger's crew. Their romance was brief and fiery and resulted in the birth of Jhond before his father one day took sail and the ship he served on never returned, presumed lost at sea. And so Jhond grew up in the Lower Boroughs of Arx, raised along by his mother with tales of her past glory filtered through the hard truth of their current existence. It was not a terrible childhood. He had food most of the time and was well liked as a child. He proved to have no fear of heights, excellent balance and a terrible sense of self-preservation so could often be found climbing and leaping from things that would make most peoples stomach turn. There may have been some rumors about him being a second story man, but he was never caught at it. A decade ago he left Arx for adventure, joining with caravan guards and explorers in search of the next thrill. Clambering up ruins or spelunking into caves, he grew to have something of a reputation as a man willing to take chances for the thrill of it (a maybe a little silver). He was good at what he did, loved it, but two years ago his desire for challenge caught up with him and he fell from a crumbling tower and broke his leg. He was lucky the group he was with included a Mercy that tended to him and made it so that his wound healed fully, if slowly, but while he was recovering he was forced to remain stationary in the nearest city. Soon after he was able to walk again, though aided by crutches, his natural charm earned him the friendship of a local Whisper who then had him introduced to the others of the House. By the time he was fully recovered he was a courtesan in truth and some months later a Whisper in title. Now he has come home to Arx to serve in the Whisper House he had only walked by as a child. + |
| Jian Cai + | Cai Jian grew up among the wealth and privilege of minor nobility. She was educated enough to show a swift mind; tutored enough to be a gifted orator; and beloved enough by her mother and father to be thought the heir to the family name and the carrier of all of its honor. But Cai Jian knew that was not what she would do. She knew it from an early age, everytime she stood on the balconies of Daobujin Bo and looked across the city streets with their perfect makeup, their lack of crime, their lack of poverty. Cai Jian knew that she had a role to play in bringing perfection beyond the capital city and that she would do so with the grace granted by the Thirteen. When the time came, Cai Jian joined the priesthood and spent her time in study, in contemplation. She learned patience. She learned giving. She learned that some people needed the kind of help that offering a bowl of rice could never achieve. Cai Jian took to heart the lessons she was taught. And when Cai Jian heard a delegation was being sent to Arvum, she knew she had to go. It called to her, pulled at her. The delegation would need spiritual guidance, and so would the people of Arvum. + |
| Jinnean Silenthi + | There are times in life when each of us must take that step to survive, and survival can cost us a belief or even our family. Life after this time is about piecing ourselves back together the best way we're able. I don't know if you can imagine what it might be like to lose everything, but many out there do so frequently, and they must all face survival. They need not do so alone. + |
| Joan Greenmarch + | Joan's early life is filled with little of note, other than being raised among the Abandoned of the Greenwood. She was an aggressive child, always the sort that just couldn't play nice. Much ado was made about her people's kneeling to Valardin, but the event meant little to the young Joan. Although she was regaled with tails of her people's heroic resistance, she was never the type to hold her people's history in great reverence. When the people of Greenhaven were deprived of their shav ways, Joan's parents were among the first to embrace the Compact. They sought to use their daughter as a stepping stone to a greater life, and Joan was presented to many traveling nobles and knights as a potential squire. She was eventually taken on as a squire to a knight of the Telmarch, known as Sir Amis. After seasons of rigorous training and servitude under Sir Amis, Joan rose as a knight of Greenhaven upon her coming of age. She returned to the Greenwood a changed woman, inducted into the pomp and ceremony of the foreign Oathlands. Though she swore an oath to the lords of her people, she felt as if she didn't belong among her fellow prodigals. + |
| Joaquin + | The details of Joaquin's past are both easy to uncover, and difficult. It's known the man was born in Setarco, and from what he's shared of his own story, he was born in a troupe of entertainers who counted the then ruler of House Pravus as their patron. Another detail is his parents' occupations. One was an entertainer such as him, an actor and singer, while the other was a smith who had left the secure and comfortable life of an established blacksmith in favour of the person they loved and the call of adventure. Which was his mother and which his father, however, changes from telling to telling, and every piece of information one might get from the man himself is similarly bound to Joaquin's whims. Still, the man cannot change what others remember. It's known he was part of a troupe and eventually decided to strike off on his own, arriving at the court of House Pravus during the time of the kind and (too) benevolent Duke Piero Pravus. There, the man entertained with his musical ability and his stories, his acrobatics and dancing. Yet they were not the things that would earn him the title of Jack of Blades. His remarks, as sharp as the blades he would personally shape from the forge to then perform in dangerous feats of agility. It was fun, but even a fool could see Piero was heading Pravus right into a cliff. As things grew worse and Pravus withered, Joaquin left. He did so without warning nor explanation, perhaps enjoying the invisibility that commoners seem to possess where the highborn are concerned. Where he went seems to be most easily answered with "everywhere", traveling throughout the various territories of the Compact and even beyond! So he claims, at least. He'd return to his home of Setarco every now and then, to entertain and then disappear off to another region of the Compact. More recently, he's decided to travel to Arx. Why? Why not? Joaquin's not one to simply give explainations, after all. Why expect differently here? + |
| Joel Rosen + | A humble family whose matriarch is a seamstress in a barony outside of Bastion, the Rosens are no strangers to hardship. Joel was born a middle child in a household of four other children while his mother did her very best to keep them all sustained with her occupation. She is credited for keeping her family together after her husband died unexpectedly while on a winter trip to the Northland when her children were young. Joel's sisters found jobs as soon as they were old enough and he did most of the manual labor whenever a repair around the house needed to be done. He was no stranger to gardening, building fences, stable duty, or cooking while his mother worked. During that time, Joel discovered a talent for mending his own clothes whenever he found a tear in his pants or shirt from outdoor work he had been doing. It was by pure happenstance when he began to barter with local shopkeepers for yards of fabric to bring home that it all made perfect sense to him. Rather than save something old, why not obtain something new through trade? Bartering was a skill that he sharpened over the years and his path eventually led him to the city of Arx where the opportunity to open his own shop as a clothier beckoned to him. + |
| John Grayson + | A young Grayson Prince who has come from Bastion. While he has spent most of his time in Bastion, that doesn't mean he is not aware of the changes happening all around Arvum. He is. Or at least as far as the recent news. It took a while for him to convince his Bastion bound family that he was better off helping the Compact. Specifically since he has dedicated most of his life being a dedicated scout, tracker... A ranger if you will. He figured he could lend his aid, whatever aid that was, to the main family. Lucky for him, his family approved. With their blessing he has come to Arx, intent on defending it after news had spread about the compact's wars and struggles. John has always respected his family and as such he is a proud man of what his family name means. It is this pride that has led him to believe that, just as the Grayson claims none other greater then, he must do everything in his power to make sure House Grayson remains being the greatest of all. And he will protect it from any threats. Even if those come from within Arx itself. + |
| Jonathan Fieldstone + | Hailing from the area around Oakhaven, Jonathan's family were the simplest of farming folk, tending to their fields and their heads of cattle. They were poor, but he and his four siblings never went hungry. A bright (in personality, if not in wit) boy, Jonathan was taught some of the higher educations by a kindly apothecary who lived a couple plots over, and was thus usually the one sent into town with the crop, or to buy supplies. It was on one such trip that Jonathan returned to his beloved farm in ashes, a scene of utter devestation. The crops were stolen, and the house burned. They even butchered the cows. He searched high and low, but could not find of his family, despite months of searching. So, he headed to Arx, like many in search of a more promising future... + |
| Jophiel Bisland + | Having spent many of his formative years as a ward of House Melaeris, Jophiel's passions as an adult remain forever colored by the experiences and perspectives gained from his father's birthplace of Astarrea. Much of his professional reputation as a talented mediator and secular counselor centers around his work with former thralls and those members of the peerage responsible for helping to free them. Never one to pass up an opportunity to foster new friendships, Jophiel remains famously slow to alienate or condemn those still economically reliant on the practice. In fact, marriage contract negotiations with a princess of House Thrax and the Bisland lord were in talks for some time. The arrangement might have been a great success had the relevant Voices not proved unable to reach a happy compromise. In the wake of the Battle of Pridehall, Jophiel set aside his longstanding humanitarian efforts in Thrax fealty territories to return to the Crownlands. His work there soon shifted towards assisting those suffering from wartime bereavement and battle fatigue. It remains his focus to this day. + |
| Jordan Ober + | Jordan grew up a peasant boy, his father a blacksmith and his mother a seamstress. Both were perfectly happy with their lot in life and the family lived quietly and uneventfully in their village, which is just how they liked it. Until a band of marauding Shavs decided to raid; at the time, Jordan and his sweetheart were in the barn, exchanging private caresses with each other. They both hid out well until a group of Abandoned broke through the door of the barn, trying to look for stragglers. Outside, blood and carnage took place as the raiders plundered and killed anyone in their path. Armed with only a pitchfork, Jordan did what most teenage boys trying to impress their girlfriends do: he charged blindly into the fray. Except what happened next should not have quite happened -- in a stroke of absolute luck, as no one could call it otherwise, all four of the Shavs somehow found themselves killed by that charge as a haystack fell upon the first and he hit a wooden fixture on the floor, while the other three struck each other fatally in the confusion, letting Jordan walk out of a bad situation with his sweetheart in tow. They parted ways afterwards: she thought he was up to something sinister like dark magic and decided to run for the hills instead of sticking around with him. But all is well that ends well: in short order, his life would take a sudden and unusual upturn: having taken up the sword of one of the Shavs, he would go on to be challenged by a wayfaring knight who confused him for anything BUT a peasant boy, despite his insistence -- and to this knight's great upset, he had to surrender his weapon and armor when Jordan won by forcing him to stumble back into a rock and drew first blood. Before forfeiting those, however, he knighted Jordan on the spot, who would go on to pledge his sword to a Crownlands baron in desperate need of able-bodied fighters for the Silent War. Unfortunately for this Baron, his people were ambushed by the enemy and cut down to a man. That man being, unsurprisingly, Sir Jordan. A treetrunk fell over the campfire and started a minor fiery incident and he took the opportunity to flee, stabbing a foe in the process and running for dear life. Jordan is now a hedge knight of some experience; having no-one to pledge his sword to, he travels from one place to another, seeking to do good deeds and hoping his luck doesn't run out. So far, it hasn't. + |
| Jorn Honor + | Jorn was the apprentice of a legendary blacksmith. After his master's untimely passing, he decided to embark on his own journey. He seeks to hone his craft and find rare elements to forge a weapon worthy of his master's teachings. + |
| Jorunn Stahlben + | Growing up in and around the Bonespire to the North, Jorunn's upbringing is everything you would expect a young lad's in such an environment to be. Rules to govern his life were strict and simple, as was the physical training he underwent in order to not only defend himself, but his family and allies. With the constant threat of danger on the white horizon, Jorunn steadily grew into a tall, gangly young man. Yet despite any awkward motions, he proved himself when he came of age - helping to repel repeated threats and constant attacks from the enemy. As one of the small few to survive the Silent War, Jorunn was left with what many of the other survivors were left with: death and grief. While many of his surviving kin felt betrayed that the family had reached out to the Compact for survival, Jorunn was of the view that it was at least better than extinction. Still, with his immediate family and friends dead, and his Chief in Magnus venturing to the South, he packed up and left the icy halls of the Bonespire to try and find some sort of new purpose. His travels took him far and wide, though as a Prodigal he found forging new friendships more difficult than anticipated. Some found it difficult to talk to him, while others ignored him outright. This view was initially returned in favour, scouring at those whom had no right to judge him. Yet despite the hostilities, he made do by selling his services as a sword for those that needed it. In carrying out these services, thereby exposing himself to the trials and tribulations of the local townsfolk, he began to witness philosophies quite different to those that he experienced growing up. Unlike life on the Bonespire, children were simply allowed to be children. Adults could work a hard day without having to worry about getting invaded at night. Without the constant state of threat on the horizon, citizens were able to flourish in a far more natural state. In fact, as the years passed, Jorunn found himself quite enamoured by the Compact and subsequently its leadership. Though he didn't know much of the King, one couldn't help but be suitably impressed by how the Crown had managed to keep all of the Houses in some sort balance. Local villages dubbed him the 'Bear of the North' - a friendly enough character to converse with, but absolutely savage when it came to battle. Of particular note was his defence of a travelling caravan from 'at least a dozen bandits, four dogs and a chicken' - an encounter which he neither confirms or denies to those that continually ask. After eight years of this life, wandering from town to town and territory to territory, he finally arrived in Arx. With a focused determination he now steps forth, hoping to find some sort of purpose for his life that derailed nearly a decade ago. + |
| Jorunna Nightgold + | Jorunna was born in the mountains. The summers were busy, the winters - harsh, but before she could even fully walk and forge a straight path on two legs she was riding the Fjord Wild Horses. Funny, how she remembers them more than she does her father's face, but his smile surrounded by bristly beard and the bellow of laughter is still as sharp as the feel of the beast beneath her that threw her for the first time and awakened her into her first fight for survival that left her scarred and her father dead. But she woke weeks later to the news that hardened her heart and froze her very soul. Not much is known about Jorunna and her mother in those years due to the distance between thm and the civilization within the mountains save speculation. For a few years she came down, selling horses captured, tamed, and trained into hauling the heavy loads from the mines. Then her mother's presence all but disappeared, and few times she arrived with a sturdy man at her side upon horseback, his silence doing no favors for the rumors to spread. Only one year later did Jorunna come alone again, and has ever since, plying her trade and disappearing back into the mountains - only seen rarely at the taverns between 'civilization' and her secluded home. Sometimes, though, the inner bass of drums is not just a heartbeat, but a calling; through the last year more and more has been seen of the woman, despite her words being less-than-telling. + |
| Jorygg Crovane + | Second son of the second son, Jorygg had your general upbringing of any family member in Stormwall. It wasn't until he allowed to really start spending time with hunters and rangers that were in the family employ when he started to come into his own as a person. While his siblings and cousins prided themselves on either being sailors or warriors of the house, he focused on the methods of hunting and scouting. Turned out he was a fair shake at it, and as time passed, those in Stormwall would see less and less of him, ranging to the west and to the north of their holding. He had an affiliated with the military, acting as a scout for Crovane warbands, or being a look out on of the longboats, being a decent shot with a bow happened to assist him in the latter situations than the former, having taken to hatchets when he's run out of arrows. He saw his fair share of adventure both in combat and exploration. Sometimes, he'd simply say he was going scouting and vanish for weeks at a time, to do nothing more than spend time in the wilds, always in an effort to hone his ability at survival. It wasn't until he was around 20 years old is when he was thrown into a marriage with a woman from Thrax to affirm some trading treaties and just the general fact that they at times shared the same waters with each other. She was a cousin in the Darkwater line, and they got on well enough. Friendly, at least. There was no outright hostility, though with the birth of their son a year later is when people would say they actually became close. Sadly, that would not last. Four years later, his wife, on her way back to Stormwall from visiting her family, died at sea, all hands were lost aboard. It left Jorygg a widower with a young son to tend to on his own. His wife had been the better parent, he had been passable at best. But did his best he would do. His son, Dafydd(or just Dai as everyone called him)was only four, and Jorygg knew that his adventures in the wilds would have to be put on hold for a time. Good thing he stuck around, as five years later he would be apart of the effort to drive back the Gyre's army on the shore of Stormwall, and later within the city itself until it was ravaged. He had sent Dai away long before any action happened and by the time it was done, found out that somehow he had lived through the whole thing, though with a handful of scars to show for it. With Stormwall reduced to ruin, there was nothing for him to do but to pack up his things and head to Arx. Maybe his cousin Asger could have some use for him there. + |
| Joscelin Arterius + | While most adolescents were busy planning for their trades (or their plans to escape the family trade by joining up with a military unit or eloping), Joscelin was obsessing over headier things like composition, and line, color, shape, weight. A critical eye for how things 'should be', her obsession gave her the unique ability to create beautiful wearable pieces of art. River-stones, random bits of this or that, set together and arranged into something aesthetically pleasing -- be it brooch or bracelet or pendant, and then tossed aside as the next inspiration took her. Eventually, her mother had to admit Joscelin's talent and aptitude, and it was she who took her to smiths until she found one that would teach the girl how to safely work metal and glass. The complexity of her creations simply took off. A striking, delicate brooch clasped to the high neck of her mother's dress caught the eye one day of the young Duchess Iona Bisland, and she became Joscelin's first noble patron. A formal apprenticeship wasn't far behind and soon enough, Joscelin was making a name for herself as a promising tradeswoman. In the past, after making master-class jeweler she worked with the Bisland's liege, the voice of Grayson, Lady Dawn. Excelling in the jeweler trade, Joscelin found satisfaction in her work and her creations, and the generous clientele that ranged from commoner to noble. These days, she toils with joy as the Crafters Guild guildmaster, elected into the position just after the beginning King's Rest crisis, an unexpected path that has been far more rewarding that she could ever have dreamed. She splits her time between Guildmaster, caring for -that- extended family, and caring for her own family in the wake of her husband's death. Stubborn, she likes things her way, whether it's a design or her life, her atelier, her home, or her family. Acceptance that she can't always have this has led her to vent her frustrations in the world by swearing. A lot. So while she might bend to the whims of fate, it's with much fussin' and cussin'. + |
| Josephine Arcuri + | Josephine{_Arcuri{_grew{_up{_in{_Lenosia,{_commoners{_within{_the{_Lyceum.{_Scattered{_across{_the{_city,{_they've{_been{_a{_near{_constant{_sight{_with{_their{_skill{_of{_manipulating{_metals{_to{_make{_pieces{_of{_jewelry{_or{_any{_other{_items{_that{_one{_might{_find{_they{_need{_delicate{_metalwork{_that{_a{_full{_smith{_couldn't{_do.{_This{_was{_how{_Josephine{_grew{_up{_all{_those{_year{_ago.{_Small{_fingers{_are{_good{_for{_gathering{_those{_bits{_of{_metal{_and{_working{_polishing{_cloths{_in{_small{_tight{_spaces.{_{/{/She{_was{_one{_of{_five,{_squarely{_in{_the{_middle.{_Fully{_set{_to{_carry{_on{_the{_family{_trade{_even{_when{_a{_few{_of{_her{_siblings{_did{_not.{_As{_she{_grew,{_the{_woman{_learned{_how{_to{_choose{_the{_best{_metal{_for{_which{_piece.{_Why{_some{_were{_not{_fit{_for{_small{_pieces{_and{_other{_metals{_were.{_She{_had{_a{_keen{_eye{_for{_gems{_and{_soon{_made{_a{_name{_for{_herself{_as{_a{_solid{_lapidary{_for{_the{_family{_that{_would{_not{_cheat{_a{_customer.{/{/One{_day{_she{_caught{_the{_eye{_of{_a{_soldier{_and{_soon{_enough{_they{_married.{_Children{_followed{_a{_plenty,{_no{_less{_than{_seven{_of{_them{_though{_the{_years{_and{_not{_a{_single{_set{_were{_twins.{_As{_with{_her{_family,{_half{_of{_her{_children{_went{_on{_to{_become{_sailors,{_soldiers{_and{_two{_of{_them{_joining{_her{_in{_the{_family{_trade{_of{_being{_jewelers.{_Through{_war{_she's{_lost{_a{_husband,{_lost{_one{_son{_to{_the{_sea{_and{_another{_more{_recently{_to{_the{_war{_in{_Setarco.{_The{_living{_children{_are{_all{_in{_Arx{_and{_Josephine{_has{_decided{_to{_pick{_up{_roots{_from{_Lenosia{_and{_move{_to{_the{_city{_and{_take{_her{_shop{_with{_her.{_To{_be{_closer{_to{_her{_children,{_have{_the{_protection{_of{_the{_city.{_She's{_too{_old{_to{_keep{_taking{_boats{_to{_see{_them{_and{_she{_has{_grandchildren{_on{_the{_way.{_ + |
| Josiah Harthall + | The courtship of Ovelia Harthall and Fillip Harthall was a long and romantic one. Josiah is their eldest child of five and was the star in his mother's eyes with how he was always so curious and wanting to research and go off and solve mysteries even at a young age. And his thirst for such knowledges only grew strong as he grew older. At the age of eighteen he joined the Scholars and also begin his training in the Inquisition. Family business called him back home from his research when his mother and father fell mysteriously ill and sadly both fell victim to it and met an untimely death. Now that all the matters are handled, he has come to arx to aid his Marquis cousin as well as return to his duties within the Inquisition and Scholars. + |
| Joslyn Manicelli + | The Manicelli family had served the Fidante house for generations. She was a part of a long tradition of family servants that grew up knowing their palace as a home. Both of her parents raised her alongside the nobility, and even though they were always reminded of their place in the house, she grew up to be very close to Calista. So, from a very young age, she was groomed to be the perfect servant for the young Lady so that when they came of age, she would serve her as a personal lady's maid. She took well to her training, enjoying every aspect of it, everything from the dressing and makeup, to the etiquette. She also took well to her other training, to prepare her for the life that was to come. Upon coming of age, she was hired to join with Calista and attend to her every need, and to be at her side in all things, including and especially anywhere danger is present. With her combat training, she was perfect for assuring that Lady Calista would be kept safe, and she took to the task readily. It was something she'd prepared her whole life for, and she was ready to serve, and protect. + |
| Joslyn Rivenshari + | The Manicelli family had served the Fidante house for generations. She was a part of a long tradition of family servants that grew up knowing their palace as a home. Both of her parents raised her alongside the nobility, and even though they were always reminded of their place in the house, she grew up to be very close to Calista. So, from a very young age, she was groomed to be the perfect servant for the young Lady so that when they came of age, she would serve her as a personal lady's maid. She took well to her training, enjoying every aspect of it, everything from the dressing and makeup, to the etiquette. She also took well to her other training, to prepare her for the life that was to come. Upon coming of age, she was hired to join with Calista and attend to her every need, and to be at her side in all things, including and especially anywhere danger is present. With her combat training, she was perfect for assuring that Lady Calista would be kept safe, and she took to the task readily. It was something she'd prepared her whole life for, and she was ready to serve, and protect. + |
| Joslyn Stonewood + | The Manicelli family had served the Fidante house for generations. She was a part of a long tradition of family servants that grew up knowing their palace as a home. Both of her parents raised her alongside the nobility, and even though they were always reminded of their place in the house, she grew up to be very close to Calista. So, from a very young age, she was groomed to be the perfect servant for the young Lady so that when they came of age, she would serve her as a personal lady's maid. She took well to her training, enjoying every aspect of it, everything from the dressing and makeup, to the etiquette. She also took well to her other training, to prepare her for the life that was to come. Upon coming of age, she was hired to join with Calista and attend to her every need, and to be at her side in all things, including and especially anywhere danger is present. With her combat training, she was perfect for assuring that Lady Calista would be kept safe, and she took to the task readily. It was something she'd prepared her whole life for, and she was ready to serve, and protect. + |
| Jourdain Wyrmguard + | The only son of Clement Wyrmguard, who was himself a younger son of Ubald Wyrmguard, Jourdain Wyrmguard never knew his mother, who left shortly after his birth. Some witnesses claimed to have seen her walking along the mountain paths in the early morning, the day she did not come back. Tracks led up, but none led down. He was raised by his father alone, and by the family retainers. As they lived a little distance from Blancbier proper, where the forests gave way to the mountains, life was marked by continual and intermittent clashes with the Abandoned tribes who inhabited the hills. This push-pull against nearby Abandoned was a fact of existence; he saw his first shavs from an early age, and with regularity over the course of his life. Conflicts arose frequently between the Abandoned and his family and people, who shared a small amount of space on mountainous land which already had little to give. Descended from an oft-overlooked cadet branch of Wyrmguard, an important cross-family match was not particularly sought for Jourdain. He married close to home, to a younger daughter of Count Philippe Blanchard: Isabelle, who he fell for at the young age of eighteen. His father let it pass, as Clement let pass most things which did not unduly disrupt the avoidant state he lived in ever since his wife's disappearance. It was a decent enough match. Jourdain loved his Blanchard wife, and he loved the daughter they had, who was always asking questions, exploring, reading, and wanting to know -more-. He loved them enough that when disease took them both after eight years of marriage, they took with him much of his strength and zeal for life. Duty became a replacement, for a while. His father dealt less and less with family issues, and more and more things were left to Jourdain. When the Silent War broke, it was Jourdain who faced the main of it, and not his father. Despite his grief, he took these duties on. There was business to take care of, and his father could or would not take care of it anymore. A few short months after his wife and daughter's passing, Jourdain rode out at the beginning of the day with two men-at-arms, and returned at the end of the night alone. By the next week, with very little said, he left his family lands entirely, and was not heard of again for years. It would be two years before he appeared again, in Arx, swearing himself to the Faith to do a yearlong penance. At the end, he gave his sword in service as a Templar, though to all accounts he does not seem to believe his absolution stops there. + |
| Jovarn Grimhall + | Hailing from the richest lands in the Mourning Isles, Jovarn has the unfortunate distinction of being one of the few noble-born in living memory to have been cast out from his house and reduced to a common life. Originally a child of the Grimhall family, Jovarn was betrothed at a young age to a young noblewoman of a wealthy family; as he grew older he resented the forcefulness with which he was lead towards marriage, and many other things about his family and their way of ruling, that by the time he was twenty years of age he was given a choice: Marry and produce children, or be exiled and disowned. So for the last eight years Jovarn has been travelling the Compact, from the halls of the Redrain to the dockyards of the Lyceum and everywhere in between. Drinking, singing, and bedding as often as he likes. + |
| Joxur Deepwood + | He grew up far from Arx, one of many in a large family. But of all of them he knew what he wanted from an early age. Of course, it's fairly easy to become the best swordsman in a town with no swordsmen, so he traveled early. Gone more often than not in search of training, Joxur saw enough of the world around him to get a pretty good idea of what he wanted to do and be. And then he went home - and instead of finding his family waiting for him, he learned that his two favorite sisters had left for Arx. One of them with a husband in tow that he'd never even met! So he set his sights on Arx and headed out once more - sword by his side, dubious armor worn and ready, to seek greatness among the denizens of Arx. + |
| Jozef Blackram + | His father is a noble man known for his skill with forging blades, a skill he had to put aside once he became more known in the court, from Sanna in Redrain who married a Valardian lady from Blackram in the Oathland. When Jozef was born they moved south to Cloudspine, where he was raised, learning their customs and religion in favor of his father's. With a bright education from a university in Artshall under his belt, Jozef became a squire of Duke Edmund Laurent, serving under the man for many years, and eventually becoming a knight himself. Then his mentor died from illness and Jozef, stricken with grief, left Artshall and the Oathland to never be heard from again. He fled north where he took on his father's trade, as a blacksmith, and camouflaged as a courtier inside the Sanna court. During his time in the north, he met a Patheon missionary and the two came to be close friends. The priest helping him practice their religion. Jozef also learned about the stars from the priest. He became obsessed with the notion that stars could fall on Arvum, that he wanted to see one himself. So much, in fact, that he left home for a second time, this time though to chase falling stars. The wilderness was cruel but Jozef had to learn to live off it as the clans do. After many years in the wild, looking up for falling stars, he returned to the court to look for his priest friend, and hearing that his friend was among the clans, trying to convert them, he ventured to track him only to encounter what was carnage left behind by wild shavs. His priest friend left on a cross for the birds to eat him alive. The sight was so intense that it buried an image into his mind. He brought the priest down, giving him a proper burial. Nowhere else to go, he came back to Cloudspine, his mother's house, to face her and his father for the shame he brought when he left the service of house Laurent. He swore vengeance through duty and to appease his family, offered himself as a potential bachelor for house Blackram to dispose of in an advantageous marriage. + |
| Julea Sanguine + | Julea's mother is a reknown and wanted pirate known as the 'Red Claw', and her father a retired Redrain soldier. Their match was unlikely and short lived and resulted in the birth of Julea. When she reached the age of 8, she was sent to live with her father, who, after having retired from his job as a sellsword, instead built a life for him and his daughter, creating swords and weaponry of considerable skill. He taught Julea his trade, and when she was old enough, she took it upon herself to come to Arx, and make a name for herself. + |
| Jules Fabron + | Jules was born into a blacksmith family, the fifth of too many. His father did most of the unrefined work while his mother put on the details to it. Early on they thought Jules would probably be more inclined to follow in his mother's side of the work but it was not to be. Jules found himself on the outside of the family trait but his parents were not to have a beggar son and they sent him on to receive an education. He learned well enough but scholarship and numbers were far too much like work to be to his liking. He picked up what he needed to in order to be able to move on the fringe of society and was able to find an odd job for some lord or lady, usually delivering some trivial message to another noble. While delivering a message to a vassel of a lord, he caught a glimpse of their life. He has made it his goal to participate in that life and what better way than as some assistant to a noble family. He's headed now to Arx to find the job of his dreams, one that requires minimal effort and maximum pleasure. + |
| Julia Grayson + | Around Bastion and in the Grayson manor, she's known as Aunt Julia. No one can quite remember how exactly they're related to her, and most just assume it's so far out on the fringe as to not matter. And so this older Grayson has simply taken on the name of Aunt Julia. Most of the younger generation can probably remember a time when they've sat with her around a fire, eating sweets and listening to harrowing tails of ghost stories or of her adventures throughout the Gray Forest and Beyond. And do no be fooled into thinking that the stories she weaves do not have at least some measure of truth to them. Julia has spent her life working as a kind of bounty hunter, feeling drawn to the work. It's not escaped prisoners she looks for though, but the requests of towns who have nowhere else to turn for assistance. It's the strange adds in taverns advertising a basilisk in a nearby swamp; the village that claims to be haunted by the damned undead; or the hamlet that's known no sleep since the banshee wail begins. Most folks would tell you those things are fictional. The ghosts were just prospectors trying to run off the locals from a silver mine. The basilisk was some large lizard. And most of the time Julia would just smile and say, "Of course, but the work needed doing." Most of the time. Then, a few years back, Julia surprised the family by announcing one day she was taking her Godsworn vows. Since then she's been in service to the Pantheon, mostly hanging out with the Harlequins and the other Death Priests. She had a real calling for it. When asked she'd mostly joke it was all the years she'd spent ghost hunting, only now she got to do it in the service of a goddess. + |
| Julian saik + | Growing up in the Saiklands with a southern mother, and a former oathlander as a father, Julian took to training to be a knight like his dad at an early age. Much younger than his brothers, and older than thier children, he did not have a lot in the way of close friends or companions growing up. So he buried himself in his training and lessons on commanding forces, to maximize how effective he could be for his family, so as to make his father proud. He squired from the age of tweleve and was officially knighted at the age of eighteen after fighting to protect the children of one of his cousins from a group of highway men, nearly costing him his life, but keeping the children safe as a result. Since then, it kind of became his official duty to travel with the Saik children that were fostering elsewhere, to watch over them and keep them safe, offering them weapons training if they so desired. Recently, there has been less need for such a duty so he has come to Arx at the request of his Baroness to see how he might be of assistance now. + |
| Juliana Igniseri + | Juliana and her twin brother Sebastian were born to cause trouble. Even from the age of six, Juliana was known for her bossiness (and it only grew as she did). She was always rather obsessed with fashion, even if she had no interest in the actual tedium of sewing or fine metal work. But that was what servants were for, to make the things she demanded of them. As a girl, the things she demanded were often absurd, but she brooked no disagreement. As she aged her tastes refined until she was almost always considered the most fashionable, most avant-garde lady of the court. But she wasn't content with only dressing herself, she also became keenly interested in dressing everyone else. She would always be the one setting what was and wasn't fashionable in the court, and often took on proteges to teach and tutor in the ways of fashion. These proteges usually ended up as acolytes who helped to extend her power and influence all the further. Juliana developed a taste for toying with people and eventually took to manipulating them in more than just what they wore, with her and her brother often playing elaborate games to try to manipulate others this way or that and see just how crazy a thing they could convince them to do. Unfortunately, scandal was always following her brother around and as a good sister she often decided to move with him, to help keep him out of trouble, of course. + |
| Juliana Pravus + | Juliana and her twin brother Sebastian were born to cause trouble. Even from the age of six, Juliana was known for her bossiness (and it only grew as she did). She was always rather obsessed with fashion, even if she had no interest in the actual tedium of sewing or fine metal work. But that was what servants were for, to make the things she demanded of them. As a girl, the things she demanded were often absurd, but she brooked no disagreement. As she aged her tastes refined until she was almost always considered the most fashionable, most avant-garde lady of the court. But she wasn't content with only dressing herself, she also became keenly interested in dressing everyone else. She would always be the one setting what was and wasn't fashionable in the court, and often took on proteges to teach and tutor in the ways of fashion. These proteges usually ended up as acolytes who helped to extend her power and influence all the further. Juliana developed a taste for toying with people and eventually took to manipulating them in more than just what they wore, with her and her brother often playing elaborate games to try to manipulate others this way or that and see just how crazy a thing they could convince them to do. Unfortunately, scandal was always following her brother around and as a good sister she often decided to move with him, to help keep him out of trouble, of course. + |
| Juliet Fidante + | When many think of Tor, they think of the fortress-like, militaristic city that shares a border between Velenosa and Valardin lands. Juliet has never cared for the military however, nor the proper and pious behavior of her neighbors in the Oathlands. Where her brother Dante embraced swords, Juliet embraced stems - the stems of flowers, the stems of wine glasses. Surrounding herself with fragrant beauty is Juliet's pastime of choice, be it new silks, fresh lillies, or similarly-minded young nobles. Reigning over the social scene in Tor, she delighted in pushing the boundaries of her less liberal Valardin acquaintances, hosting tongue-in-cheek garden luncheons as well as parties so scandalous that they're only whispered about in polite company. One such party went a bit too far, and the resulting scandal saw one young lady's reputation plummet so far she disappeared from the public eye, and several young lords were sent off to train in the Oathlands for a time. It was determined that Juliet would travel to Arx and present herself at court, learning some true responsibility. Juliet made some token protests about leaving, but was more than a little glad of the chance to leave the sordid past behind her in Tor, moving on to a bigger, higher-stakes social scene in the capital. Responsibility? As if. + |
| Juliette Datura + | Juliette's family has been part of the Compact since her grandmother was a girl, around 50 years or so. Her mother died in childbirth and she never knew her father, leaving her to be raised by the iron willed old woman. That said, their beliefs have never entirely shifted to reflect that of the Compact. While all the gods of the Pantheon are formally acknowledged, any outside of Petrichor and Mangata are mainly just paid lip service. She was raised in Setarco where strict adherence to orthodoxy in the Faith was never much of a priority. A wealthy old trader by the time the girl was born, her grandmother named her in honor of Juliet Fidante, as the older woman spent some good stretch of years in Tor before Juliette was born. More than interested in her grandmother's vocation, Juliet herself nonetheless attended the Apothecary college in Tor rather than learning diligently from the grand matriarch. Recently she has come to Arx with the passing of the woman who raised her, however, struck by the chance to study trade in the Capital city. + |
| Juneau Hawthorne + | Yes, Juneau was born with that unquenchable wanderlust. Even from a young age, she absolutely positively knew without a shadow of a doubt she did not want to be a sheep farmer like the rest of her family and stuck in the old farm outside of Blancbier. Her mother blames her nature on her (deceased) father and her step father blames it on lack of discipline - and of course that's how a lot of fights started in the Hawthorne family. She doesn't know really how they end because she's already slipped out five minutes ago and has disappeared back into the trees. But don't worry. She's always made it home in time for dinner. Well. Mostly. When her brothers were born, a great weight was lifted from her shoulders and she went from a flighty pre-teen to an almost entirely absent teenager. Chores? Brothers can take care of those. She's not inheriting any of it, why would she be interested in laboring away her youth? So, she stuck to what she was best at. (Basically anything but chores). Years passed by almost too quickly, and she began experimenting in survival and exploration. She began traveling further and further away from home into the wilderness and having her own private adventures staying away for longer and longer stretches of time. When the right time presented itself, she took off on her own in the middle of the night. She left a note and come morning, absolutely no one was surprised. Taking a meandering east-ish following the rivers (mostly) she eventually found herself exploring the roads and traveling and seeing all of the world from Farhaven to her newest landing, Arx. Hearing of its opportunities piqued her interest and she's ready to stick around for a little while but she knows it won't be long until her feet and curiosity begins to itch. She's joined the Explorer's Guild and the Scholars to start out with, enrolling in classes and signing up for explorations to keep her mind busy between trips. + |
| Juniper Crown + | Every child goes through a truth-telling phase. "His nose looks like a dry toad, she's bow-legged as my pony!" they say. Then they grow up. Juniper also grew up but she never lost her preference for adhering to the truth as she saw it. Child of a father who worked in the mines and a mother who carried shield and spear to protect others, Juniper was the cuckoo in the next of their little family. Her parents and her siblings were all large, healthy, stoic people; no one quite knew what to make of their small, sweet and social child-- especially as she was prone to pointing out the realities of the world and people around them. But she was endearing in her own way. As she grew older, she earned a string of successively ridiculous nicknames like Pebble, Slip, Fidget and Flop, all of which broadcast the bemused love her family had for her and her curious ways. They went above and beyond to secure her a life more appropriate to her needs, with small, slender strings pulled by her mother to secure her a place as bodyservant to Rhea Nightgold. There, they hoped, she could receive the education best suited to her particular strengths. And there, in spite of humble beginnings and her preference for unabashed honesty even in refined company, she excelled. So much so that when Rhea was transported to Arx, it was determined Juniper would go with her as a "positive influence". What the social soothsayers did not expect was that Juniper, though still adoring of her mistress, would be lured away to join the Whispers. The new heir smell hadn't even worn off of her lady yet! But there she is, ensconced as fresh-faced and earnest courtier in a city where lies are frequently used as currency and her tendency towards truth-telling may carry a distinct liability. + |
| Juniper Whisper + | Every child goes through a truth-telling phase. "His nose looks like a dry toad, she's bow-legged as my pony!" they say. Then they grow up. Juniper also grew up but she never lost her preference for adhering to the truth as she saw it. Child of a father who worked in the mines and a mother who carried shield and spear to protect others, Juniper was the cuckoo in the next of their little family. Her parents and her siblings were all large, healthy, stoic people; no one quite knew what to make of their small, sweet and social child-- especially as she was prone to pointing out the realities of the world and people around them. But she was endearing in her own way. As she grew older, she earned a string of successively ridiculous nicknames like Pebble, Slip, Fidget and Flop, all of which broadcast the bemused love her family had for her and her curious ways. They went above and beyond to secure her a life more appropriate to her needs, with small, slender strings pulled by her mother to secure her a place as bodyservant to Rhea Nightgold. There, they hoped, she could receive the education best suited to her particular strengths. And there, in spite of humble beginnings and her preference for unabashed honesty even in refined company, she excelled. So much so that when Rhea was transported to Arx, it was determined Juniper would go with her as a "positive influence". What the social soothsayers did not expect was that Juniper, though still adoring of her mistress, would be lured away to join the Whispers. The new heir smell hadn't even worn off of her lady yet! But there she is, ensconced as fresh-faced and earnest courtier in a city where lies are frequently used as currency and her tendency towards truth-telling may carry a distinct liability. + |
| Jurn Thornhall + | Born the second of four children to the Shaman of a nomadic tribe of people. He was always a boy of nature, and he took liking to the hunters of the tribe from the time he was old enough to help carry their quivers. Though if ever inquired that's all he really remembers...he calls it a 'Stress induced forgetfulness'. Though what is known is that Jurn Thornhall was a survivor of the Thraxian genocide, and believed to be the sole survivor of his once proud nomadic tribe, though the facts of that are uncertain. He was taken in by house Deepwood as a Prodigal, and has developed himself from his natural adoration for the hunt into being an astounding member of the elite Deepwood Rangers. His attention to detail and committed drive to succeed have elevated him to become an officer of the Rangers and recently requested of his presence in the city of Arx to provide as a liaison for the training of units. + |
| Jyri Tersk + | Jyri was a young son of the Black Elk tribe, born into a family of warriors. His parents fought, his brothers and sisters fought, and he too was meant to fight. The quality of the horses the tribe bred quickly led to their soldiers dominating the battlefield, making ample use of their array of weaponry, which consisted of javelins, a sword, and bow and arrows. They clashed frequently with rival tribes who resided around the Gray Creek, but their martial might paired with speed and mobility on the battlefield crushed their enemies with ruthless abandon. With his skill with the spear and his rapport with his steed and wolf, Jyri quickly became a famous personality on the battlefield, acquiring the byname the "Red Wolf" by enemy tribes. Then Tolamar Brand arrived. The Black Elk tribe fought valiantly, but they stood no chance against the metaphysical powers of their new foe, and after suffering tremendous losses they were forced to flee their land. Jyri and his infant son survived, while his siblings and young wife did not. Ashamed for falling, but knowing he was the only one his son had left, Jyri led himself and the other survivors to Arx where they sought shelter at the refugee camp. There he met the Lord Commander of the Iron Guard, and accepted the position of the Iron Guard kennelmaster for the silver and the opportunity to fight against Brand once again. He intends to put his life back together, one piece at a time. + |
| Jyri Whitehawk + | Jyri was a young son of the Black Elk tribe, born into a family of warriors. His parents fought, his brothers and sisters fought, and he too was meant to fight. The quality of the horses the tribe bred quickly led to their soldiers dominating the battlefield, making ample use of their array of weaponry, which consisted of javelins, a sword, and bow and arrows. They clashed frequently with rival tribes who resided around the Gray Creek, but their martial might paired with speed and mobility on the battlefield crushed their enemies with ruthless abandon. With his skill with the spear and his rapport with his steed and wolf, Jyri quickly became a famous personality on the battlefield, acquiring the byname the "Red Wolf" by enemy tribes. Then Tolamar Brand arrived. The Black Elk tribe fought valiantly, but they stood no chance against the metaphysical powers of their new foe, and after suffering tremendous losses they were forced to flee their land. Jyri and his infant son survived, while his siblings and young wife did not. Ashamed for falling, but knowing he was the only one his son had left, Jyri led himself and the other survivors to Arx where they sought shelter at the refugee camp. There he met the Lord Commander of the Iron Guard, and accepted the position of the Iron Guard kennelmaster for the silver and the opportunity to fight against Brand once again. He intends to put his life back together, one piece at a time. + |
K | |
| Kace Redrain + | While the rest of her siblings seemed to be made for war, Kace made her mark on the land itself. Oh she could fight alongside her more illustrious siblings, but she'd always preferred simpler things. Working the land, tending the flocks and herds. She worked hard to ensure that Redrain's harvests and herds kept the fealty in food through harsh winters and harsher wars. She married young, her father arranging for Tomas Velenosa to marry in to Redrain shortly after her twentieth birthday. They had a pair of children quickly, two boys named Ciaran and Braden, then settled into a steady life at Farhaven. The death of her siblings Fergus and Freya, then later Anze, drew her to Arx for the funerals though she didn't stay after any of them, instead returning to her own family in Farhaven. When the call to arms came for Stormwall, Kace and her husband both answered, but only Kace made it back. Having spent the last months in mourning for her husband, its only now that Kace and her boys are making the trip to Arx to finally rejoin her family. + |
| Kador Bigges + | A man who grew up in dire straits, Kador. He did whatever it took to survive, as he did not have much family growing up. All he had was his size to help him. It didn't take long before a band of mercenaries picked him up, helping him on his way to become a warrior for pay. He grew into a very large, strong man, who knew how to hold his own in a fight. For years, he stayed on this path of his, never straying for long. + |
| Kaede Starfinder + | Kaede was born on the sea. While she doesn't remember a great deal about her early years, she remembers the pitch and yaw of a ship, and wood under her feet rather than land. She was still young when the pirates took her world away from her. She lost everything; her home, her family, and even her name. It was a miracle that she didn't lose her life as well, but she was found by Ravenseye sailors clinging to some of the wreckage of what had once been her ship. Dehydrated and delirious, she was nursed back to health by a sailor who had had no children of his own, and was determined that the child would live. + |
| Kael Keaton + | How does one hide a noble child? An heir? For Countess Nadine Keaton the answer was found by claiming the babe stillborn, and ghosting him away into the night to be raised by a loyal governess and keep hidden his identity. The plan was always to have him summoned after the danger (rumored to be Kael's Blackshore sire) passed. Except Nadine Keaton fell, the story saying she took her own life, and her sister Lady Margerie - not wise to the plan - reluctantly took the mantle of Countess. It was a great time later that she found out the truth and summoned the boy, now a man, to take his rightful place. The year was 1005 AR when Kael Keaton agreed to become Count, and began his transition. For months he spent time with tutors and agreed to a political marriage of his Aunt's arrangement. In 1006 he came to Arx, married Reigna Wyrmguard, and the pair began building. In 1009 AR the Count was granted the title of Marquis for steadfast work and expansion of their domain as well as contributions to the Compact. Now experienced in leadership, with numerous losses (the worst, if you ask him, the loss of his wife in 1017 AR) and triumphs under his belt, Kael continues to be a steady traditional presence in Arx as well as Oakhaven. + |
| Kael Steelhart + | Scandal recently hit the House of Steelhart as one of their little known secrets - secret even to prominent figures within the House - came to light. The child of the true heir, Roslyn Steelhart, has recently resurfaced. The child was whispered to be a bad omen, conceived in lies and false desires. At first, the child was wanted, a symbol of a foolish love. But when that love turned to ash, as betrayal's dagger twisted in her gut, the love she'd had for the child was forsaken. The betrayal ate at her and whispers say that she was taken to madness before whatever mysterious illness took her physically. There were those that knew of Kael, however. The midwife, loyal to the House who was ordered to declare him stillborn, taking him from her sight. The governess that raised him, treating him as one of her own. Then there was the mysterious benefactor, the one that made certain he had silver for a suitable rearing. The only hint of his origin, no last name, were the Mastiffs that he was supplied with. It was that mysterious benefactor that illuminated Frederik himself to Kael's unfortunate circumstances, and the Lord fetched the boy so that he could take his proper place in the family. He thought, he hoped, that the child had perhaps escaped the heavy price that came with being a Steelhart. The new Lord is shrouded in mystery, newly arrived, newly recognized as Voice (as a trial, it is rumored), and placed in the thick of the fire even as Frederik plans to retreat further. As a parting gift, to make no question of his legitimacy, a wife was acquired for him from the noble Wyrmguard family. + |
| Kahlana Crovane + | A woman between worlds, Khalana dances the fine line between House Crovane's wild Abadoned roots and the 'social refinement' she was taught when sent off to Farhaven as a child to learn a thing or two. Spending those few years along Freja Redrain left an impression and the pair were always off in the wilds, causing trouble, or getting into anything and everything they shouldn't just for the thrill of it. The childhood pasttime grew into something of an obsession for Khalana; even after she traveled back to her own ancestral home she found herself always seized by the need to go looking, searching for answers when others had given up ages ago. Now something of an 'Investigator Extraordinaire', the young woman finds her calling in Arx and while she is far more comfortable in the wilds of her home, she'll laugh in the face of any of the court's challenges with that infamous, untamed Crovane pride. + |
| Kaia Bisland + | The youngest daughter of Samael and Sabitha Bisland. Showered in wealth and a long military heritage, Lady Kaia Bisland --just like her eldest sister, had the finest education growing up. Her father was one of the finest lawyers in the Compact, which does, of course, mean that he wasn't around very much. For her mother, life was a constant flurry of social occasion and diplomacy. She spent most of her younger years in Pridehall, apart from the occasional trip, with Sabitha and Zoey, to the Oathlands to visit their Laurent cousins. Her chatty spirited nature contrasted to that of her quiet and soft-spoken sister. Who -unlike her- would spend long hours of study in the library, along with their cousin Lailah –in hopes to toss aside her fears of not measuring up to the Bisland firstborn standards and expectations. The sister’s relationship was a good and healthy one. If Kaia was ever in trouble, she knew she could confidently trust on Zoey to have her back and protect her. Nonetheless, she’d suffer her sister’s occasional exasperation and _’THE LOOK’_ if she followed her for far too long. Leading her to keep her distance as well as trying to give her sister as much privacy as her frisky nature would allow her --in hopes of avoiding being a constant nuisance. Overall, Zoey was the perfect role-model for Kaia -who loved and admired her deeply. Still, there were times in which she would toss all that aside, only to become her cousin Michael’s partner in crime, when it came to pranks. Not pressured at all by the weight of being a Bisland firstborn; and, caring too little for the family’s long list of formalities, she would often sneak out into the Pridehall gardens where she would find herself daydreaming about the: adventures, fabled romances and faraway places she had only read about in the less scholarly books. When she was 16, her sister Zoey moved to the city of Arx. The distance made it hard to communicate; still, they made it work. It wasn’t long before she got word of her sister’s engagement to one of the Kennex’s. She was happy for her sister; but also, reasonably and genuinely apprehensive with the recent development. Having her parents, horrible, marriage as a direct example; she had grown to be a bit apathetic regarding the concept and nature of the noble’s wedlock –and yet, she hoped that when the time came for her and her sister to take part on the dreadful -but necessary- ceremony, they might get lucky enough to correspond their respective suitors. Two years passed, before she was finally summoned to the city of Arx. In the aftermath of the Lodge, duty to the family called: securing economical and financial positions, assisting to the minor tasks offloaded onto the rest of the family, etc.; she was instructed to journey fast and settle in the Bisland Manor located in the Grayson’s district. It was a fact, she had already come of age and was old enough to take part on the dreaded marriage market. Now that she was in Arx, she expected to be of use to the family; but more than so, she hoped to find more about herself and her inner desires. The Society of Explorers certainly seemed like a good start. Other Facts: She used to have a secret crush for Killian Ashford since the first time she saw him during his stay in Bisland as a squire; although, he never learned of it. Naturally, when she arrived to Arx and news of his death reached her she was a little overwhelmed; but she got over it quickly. + |
| Kaia Malvici + | The youngest daughter of Samael and Sabitha Bisland. Showered in wealth and a long military heritage, Lady Kaia Bisland --just like her eldest sister, had the finest education growing up. She was found to be a very competent and insightful intellectual. Relying mostly on reason, knowledge and intuition, she would continue to perfect her abilities as both a charmer and mediator; leading to her tutors to eventually recognize her potential as a future diplomat of the house. Few could rarely find the strength and willpower to tell her no. No wonder she grew up so spoiled! An innately perceptive leader and commander, skilled with the bow as much as her words. The little bossy lady of the house, according to Dariel, would always be ready to host with the great Bisland glory and might. Her father being one of the finest lawyers in the Compact, meant that he wasn't around very much; whilst for her mother, life was a constant flurry of social occasion and diplomacy. She spent most of her younger years in Pridehall and Bastion - getting acquainted with a few of the nobles and royals from an early age; that was, apart from the occasional trip with Sabitha and Zoey to the Oathlands to visit their Laurent cousins, as well as a few trips here and there to the various vassal lands. Pearlspire being one of her favorites. It was during this time that she built up most of her social connections with both the Laurent's, Grayson's and vassal houses. Not at all pressured by the weight of being a Bisland firstborn; and, caring far too little for the family's long list of formalities, she would often sneak out into the Pridehall gardens where she would find herself daydreaming about the adventures, fabled romances and faraway places she had only read about in the less scholarly books. Her chatty spirited nature contrasted to that of her quiet and soft-spoken sister. Who unlike her- would spend long hours of study in the library, along with their introverted cousin Lailah -in hopes to toss aside her fears of not measuring up to the Bisland firstborn standards and expectations. Good thing that was not her! No pressure here! Oh - but if only she had known the role that awaited for her in the future. The sister's relationship was a good and healthy one. If Kaia was ever in trouble, she knew she could trust in Zoey to have her back and protect her. Nonetheless, she would suffer her sister's occasional exasperation and 'THE LOOK' if she followed her for far too long. Predictable sibling reactions, right? Overall, Zoey was the perfect role-model for Kaia - who loved her and admired her deeply. Even if, at times, it would all be tossed aside when she chose to become Michael's partner in crime. Ah, the brother she had never and would never have - that was Mikey. Brace yourself for the pranks and mischief! Slipping straw behind the other's necks, running around the rooms with muddy shoes, shooting dung bombs to the guards, crazy snowball fights, climbing up trees and the stables - actually, that one didn't end quite well for Kaia. Forget it! You shall not hear of it. Let's stop here. Moving on! When her sister Zoey moved to the city of Arx, the distance made it hard to communicate; but still, they made it work. It wasn't long before she got word of her sister's engagement to one of the Kennex's - Lord Ian. She was happy for her sister; but also, genuinely apprehensive with the recent development. Having her parents, horrible, marriage as a direct example; she had grown to be a bit lethargic regarding the concept and nature of the noble's wedlock -which was often mere business, treaties and strategic arrangements above all else. This, however, did not prevent her from dreaming and hoping that when the time came for her to marry -unlike her mother, she would be corresponded and be perhaps even happy. In the aftermath of the Lodge, duty to the family called. Securing defenses and both social and financial positions was a must. She was instructed to journey fast and settle at the Bisland's estate. There, she was appointed Minister of Histories. (Remember all those books she didn't want to read when she was younger? Well, too bad! Say hello to her little friends: quill and ink.) Her life was now an endless journey of research, scribbling, and LOTS of reading! Darn it Michael! Presently, here in Arx, she hopes to find more about herself and her inner desires; and, now, with talks of a wedding soon on the horizon, admittance to the prestigious Scholars & Society of Explorers, and danger brewing and rising in all corners of Arvum. What adventures could possibly await? + |
| Kaiden Shepherd + | The son of Duke Gregor Shepherd's younger brother Wilhelm, Kaiden's childhood was not what might have been called a happy one. Wilhelm was a man of skill and some leadership ability, but when his brother passed him over for Sword of Graypeak in favor of a Knight by the name of Sir Bentley Crownfall, his father became bitter and nursed his resentment. While Kaiden was still young, Wilhelm's resentment manifested disastrously when he ignored the Duke's orders and led nearly a third of the forces of Graypeak into an ambush. Duke Gregor was robbed of seeing justice upon Wilhelm though, as Wilhelm himself died in the battle. Not wishing for the reminder of his foolish (or some said traitorous) brother, Duke Gregor wasted no time at all in arranging a marriage for Kaiden's mother in the nearby Lyceum, sending the mother and her young son away, though Kaiden retained the name and lineage of Shepherd since it was specified such in the original marriage contract. Growing up the only one bearing the name of Shepherd in a land strange to him from what he had known left Kaiden isolated, learning to rely upon himself and trust slowly. The isolation was no better in the times when his mother would send him to visit his kin in Graypeak, to retain the ties with the family he would return to upon adulthood. This is not to say that he was not loved or seen to by his mother and step-father. He had excellent tutors as a child, and in time arrangements were made for him to squire in Bisland like so many of his generation. When he reached adulthood, he returned to Graypeak as a Knight and resumed his father's title, but the gulf between he and his uncle was vast and bitter. He spent much of his time away from Graypeak, on various adventures or quests, but he seemed just as willing to be gone from 'home' often, travelling far and wide for over a decade. When Gregor died and Malcolm ascended to the title of Duke, suddenly ennobled and named heir, Kaiden showed no discontent and traveled back to Graypeak, to be among the first to swear to the new Duke. + |
| Kaine Algair + | Born to a common family in the Crownlands, Kaine Algair's lot in life was meager at first. The seventh-oldest of ten children and farmhands-to-be, the beginning of Kaine's story is often that of a common farmer. However, Kaine saw a need to stand out. From as early as five years old it was clear that he would be bored with the simple peasant life. As he grew a bit older he preferred fixing and building things around the house, helping make clothing for himself and his siblings, and fitting horses with horseshoes. Watching a few of his elder siblings leave for Arx, Kaine knew that a brighter future waited in the city for him. As a young adult, Kaine prepared to set out and earn an apprenticeship with a craft guild, promising his parents that he would visit and bring home silver for them from time to time. Kaine slowly learned a wide variety of crafts, but his lack of dedication meant that a guild was reluctant to help him. For most of the time he spent in the city, Kaine focused on teaching himself, and impressing potential customers with his works. + |
| Kako Frost + | Kako is a healer by nature. From the time she was a child, she sought to heal the injuries of living creatures. She spent her youth studying herb and healing alike. She generally does not distinguish between friend or foe, but simply those of good nature, and those of evil. + |
| Kalani Seliki + | Kalani is the second born child in the her branch of the Seliki family, Kalani and her siblings are a close knit family unit with all the push and shove, noise and drama, love and chaos that comes with a normal family life. Her mother, one of Orrin Seliki's younger sisters, passed along her love of medicine and healing, from father she gained a love of knowledge. Her focus, her passion, allowed her to focus on her studies and learn as much as she could through the long stream of apprenticeships over the course of her education. In many ways, learning how to fight, in some respects, came as naturally as anything else. But then, being one of four children she knew how to rough and tumble, squabble and fight as a child. Actually learning how to fight, to swim and dive, to climb and balance, to trust herself and above all to respect and love her family, her people, their way of life is part and parcel of the young woman that she is. Some of her earliest memories are set in wind swept beaches, the light and sparkle of the sun reflecting off of the waves, of diving deep and climbing along the cliffs with nothing more than a handhold and sheer plucky gumption to keep her from falling, then bouncing - while screaming - onto the rocks below. After the recent conflict that resulted in almost all our the fleet being destroyed, and after seeing so many of their people wounded, she has traveled to Arx to seek more training with the healers that are based here. There may come a day when the decks of their ships may run with blood again, and when, if, that day comes, she intends to be prepared to fight - and heal - as the need arises. Plus, if she just so happens to be on hand to keep Peri from bleeding to death, all the better! + |
| Kaldur Crovane + | As the youngest of the Selikis, growing up he was something of a Mama's Boy, always running to his mother and grandmother whenever he was afraid. But held rapt by his mother's stories of adventure and bravery, and wanting to please his father, he struggled to face his fears, and by the time he was twelve years old, had taken his first cliff dive, a frequently enjoyed sport of the region. The act in itself was a release; he realized to confront a fear was to conquer it. When his mother died, he was devastated, grief spurring him to challenge himself, sometimes recklessly, facing the ultimate fear of mortality. He dove into his martial studies, becoming one of his father's knights, fighting in battles ashore and at sea, eventually setting his sights on a project of vision and extraordinary scope, in good faith and aware of the risks, but unafraid: The Great Road. The Great Road has brought the best and worst out of the people of Arvum, arvani and shav'arvani alike, Kaldur included. He was terribly disheartened by the strife the Road stirred and ignited, buoyed then by family and friends to remember why he began the work in the first place. He joined the Knights of Solace to walk and protect the Compact's roads. With friends and allies, he led a pilgrimage to walk the entire length of the Great Road, something he thought he would not be possible in his lifetime. Upon return, one of the original inspirations for the Great Road - overland transit to far flung Stormwall in the wake of its destruction in war - became a bond by vows of marriage, Kaldur joining House Crovane as Duke-consort to Duchess Fianna Crovane. The marriage put to rest the remnants of strained relations between Stormwall and Old Oak. + |
| Kaldur Seliki + | As the youngest of the Selikis, growing up he was something of a Mama's Boy, always running to his mother and grandmother whenever he was afraid. But held rapt by his mother's stories of adventure and bravery, and wanting to please his father, he struggled to face his fears, and by the time he was twelve years old, had taken his first cliff dive, a frequently enjoyed sport of the region. The act in itself was a release; he realized to confront a fear was to conquer it, and so he took to learning the martial disciplines with gusto, and started to find the anticipation of danger to be somewhat thrilling. When his mother died, he was devastated, and it pushed him further into the notion of challenging his fear, of which his true remaining one is ultimately death. Now, he serves competently as one of his father's knights, but still takes the time to challenge himself with new experiences and enjoying that thrill that certain types of danger can bring. + |
| Kalila Crovane + | Much like her nearly identical twin sister, Clara, Kalila took the route of becoming a healer. She was the kind to tag along with her siblings, wanting to be with them and learn everything that they were doing. Though, she never did take a liking for violence. She favored most tending to life and making just a little bit more light in the world around her. Although she grew up in Stormwall she has traveled all over The Compact and met many interesting people and learned how to work very well with others. She is a talented diplomat as a result of years traveling across the world and has become a well-cultured woman. + |
| Kalivan Greene + | Born and raised in Arx, Kalivan never had the opportunity to meet his parents, his mother taking ill shortly after his birth, and the identity of his father unknown. Thankfully, he had his maternal grandfather Jerem Greene to take him in. For as long as anyone's bothered to remember, the Greene family have been apothecaries, physicians and healers sworn to House Thrax, respected for their quiet professionalism and discretion. Little Kalivan was more than happy to follow in the family trade, and the first sixteen years of his life was spent as his grandfather's apprentice, learning much under his excellent tutelage. Just shortly after his seventeenth birthday, though, the home/laboratory they shared was destroyed in a fire none could determine the cause of, but thankfully nobody was harmed in the blaze. Already in advanced years by the time he'd adopted Kalivan, he took the loss of his laboratory as an opportunity to retire to more gentler climes in the south. Kalivan, for his part, took this as his opportunity to see the world and learn, and set off to the north to try and glean something of their shamanic traditions. It's unclear whether or not that really panned out for him, but he did greatly expand his knowledge of herbs and plants while among the dark primordial forests. After about three years and a modest peasant fortune spent on his voyage, he returned home to Arx. + |
| Kamaria Mairelli + | Born and raised in Brassfall to a successful mercantile family, she grew up learning the family trade. As a single child, it was devastation when at the age of 13 her parents were washed away in an accident that would have left her a penniless orphan til she came of age. That is, if she hadn't been something of a smooth-talking economically minded prodigy. Friends in high places petitioned for her emancipation and the inheritance of her family's business. It was a bit of a risk on their behalf, but it paid many dividends in the long run. Eventually, by the time she was out of her teens, she was even more successful than her family before her. By the time she was twenty-three she had chosen a husband that was equally as keen with his business sense and combined forces to produce one of the more successful mercantile companies the Lyceum has seen to date: the Mairelli Mercantile Company. By the time she was thirty, her husband was dead after he was a little overcome with greed and overreached a deal. He was barely recognizable in the state he was found in. Again alone, she carried on. Most recently, she's become good business partners with the new Marquessa-Consort, Lycoris Hawkmour. After several successful business transactions the two became penpals until Lycoris became convinced that she needed Kamaria in Arx to help her manage her House's affairs. + |
| Kamon Vyner + | Kamon was born to a woodcutter and his prodigal wife, in a small hamlet within Artshall lands. He lived a simple childhood with his younger brother, Jadon, living off the land and hunting with his father. He learned his mother's tongue and under her tutelage was taught first aid and remedies. He befriended the village shaman, and even became his pupil in spite of his father's tacit disapproval. His fruitful life was suddenly upended when a band of brigands raided their settlement after initially being denied food and shelter. His family was brutally massacred in the attack, and he was severely wounded and saved only by the grace of the Crimson Blades, who happened by while on an assignment for one of their clients. The brigands were swiftly disposed and a tramautized Kamon was taken into their care. Plagued with survivor's guilt, but feeling obligated to repay their kindness towards him, the young man agreed to join their ranks to lend them his useful skills in medicine. With a few years of disciplined training he became an efficent warrior in his own right and he considers the Blades his new family. + |
| Kanduo Enlau + | An immigrant, hailing from the poorest reaches. Another man looking to make his share in Arvum. Primarily working as a carpenter, but, often works small and frequent tasks and errands around town. He doesn't particularly specialize in much, and his life is mostly mundane, and so he's often been known to make his way through taverns and pubs and stir fights and chaos as a form of amusement to break up the monotony of peasantry life. + |
| Kanean Ironfoot + | Being born into the Ironfoot clan meant being as hard as the metal from their namesake. His ancestors got their name because they were so tough, so relentless that none could match their stamina in battle. Being the second second of Tuscak, an Abandoned shav traditionalist who was fed on the fires of hate for the Compact, he was raised to raid and burn the fields of his enemy. His mother shook him from her skirts when he was old enough to stand on his own. Any weakness or tenderness was beaten out of him by the time he was ten. When his father put a bow in his hand, because his leaner stature and keen eye made him a natural, he practiced with the intent that he would make his father proud. Brand was a plaque upon the Abandoned Tribes of the Oathlands. He took the fuel of hate that lived in the Ironfoot's hearts and fanned it out of control. Kanean was there along side his father and brother, possessed by the dark magic to deal death to the citizens of Arx. He felled many that day. But the Gods that protect the Compact managed to break Brand and release the Abandoned tribes that were under his sway. Leaving the once proud tribe broken, leaderless. His father was angry the day the Oathlanders came to the encampment to gloat over their handiwork. He urged Kanean and his brother to enter the crowds, warning others not to listen to the false promises that bending knee would bring. He watched as his cousin was brought on stage, a boy too young to be cheiftain. Then it all fell apart. An Oathlander with the help of Rivenshari arrested his brother and himself. He was sent to prison with the outrageous crime of trying to murder his own cousin. He was caged with his brother for months, even after his father died in a trial by combat. It was during his captivity that he learned the truth, the horrible story of how his father tried to get his cousin to light himself and his sisters on fire to protest the Compact. How his father tried to start war again before his people had even recovered. When they were brought to trial, to speak to the tribunal, Kanean denounced what his father had done and gladly bent on knee to Count Athaur Rivenshari. He took an oath that would bind him to the Compact that he once fought. While he will make up for his past wrongs, he is not broken. He is still of Ironfoot. + |
