Goal: She wishes to tighten her grip over the province of Arrowfell, to ensure complete loyalty in her court and in her subjects. Any mentions of rebellion, she wishes to seek out and quell with an iron fist, happy to make examples of those who cross her. She plans to delicately dismantle Duke Rhinecliff and everything he stands for. She also wishes to tap into the hidden potential of seeds as a way to overcome death. Not for herself, but for someone who was once dear to her.

History: She grew up in a kingdom far away, to an elven father and human mother. There, it was frowned upon to have marriage between races, so Evelyn spent most of her childhood scorned, mocked and roughed up in worst case scenarios.

Eventually, Evelyn and her parents had to live apart from society to escape the prosecution. It was around this time that Evelyn's sweet mother came down with a terrible illness. Evelyn's father, who was a practitioner in magics and alchemy, devoted his time to looking for a cure for her ailment. Alas, after much desperation, he discovered that the research papers he needed were holed up in one of the academies humans ran, and they weren't about to let an elf walk in there.

Without a cure, Evelyn's mother passed away. Evelyn's father only said there was nothing they could do, and he kept the secret of her mother's potential cure for many years, until Evelyn was old enough to read, write, and discern her father's old study notes. Evelyn confronted her father, and he confessed, saying her mother would probably be alive if he had been able to enter the academy all those years ago.

Revenge on her mind, Evelyn went to that academy, and destroyed every single human with the power of the magic her father taught her. She came home to her father, shocked and dismayed, throwing her out of the house, disowning her for her deeds.

Evelyn left her old kingdom, moving to a neighboring kingdom, a place that didn’t know her name and didn’t have an aversion to half-elves. There she became a battle mage for several years, helping win many wars. It was here she began to build a bloody reputation, with rumours of how she would rain fire on her enemies in the battlefield.

It was with this reputation that she earned a place at the king's side as his court wizard. Over the years, the king began to depend on more than just advice, and began asking Evelyn to handle his ‘dirty work' as well. She helped run organized crime syndicates within the kingdom, helping fill the king's coffers even more.

Eventually, the corruption of the kingdom came to light, and there was an uprising. At the very end, the king betrayed Evelyn and left her at the hands of the rebellers. She managed to escape, taking one of the kingdom's jewels with her as the rebels chased her out of the kingdom.

With nowhere to go and no one to turn to, Evelyn traveled by boat to Arrowfell, a kingdom she had heard was in a state of peace for the past ten or so years. She had a half-proven theory, a new type of magic based on the kingdom jewel she stole. She just needed someone wearing a crown.

She lived among the people silently, learning about them for ten years, silently hating them for the peace and happiness they had.

Eventually, it was time for her to be happy too.

Roping in a large amount of sellswords with the gold she had gathered over those ten years, she promised them more pay if they followed her well. She attacked the city at large, hoping to scatter the efforts of the city guard to allow her to slip into the castle. Many innocents died in this skirmish.

Eventually, she made it into the castle, forced King Ludwig II to surrender, and dashed his crown into the earth. She would have a new one made. There would be no trace, no reminder of this king. She was finally writing her own story, one where she would be Queen, as she deserved. One where no one would dare cross her or betray her.

Within twenty-four hours, the seeds began to burst forth at the Glasic Fields, and Evelyn was crowned Queen. She gave the men who helped her a sorrowful amount of gold, and then banished them and their families from ever setting foot in Hathforth ever again.

With the previous King Ludwig II declared dead, Evelyn began enforcing her will on Hathforth, the neighboring cities, and Arrowfell as a whole. Taxes increased, and the people murmured in discontent.

But it fell on deaf ears. Evelyn would never be chased out from her place of power again. She'd never let anyone betray her ever again. She would rule with an iron fist, and finally get what she deserved. Happiness and peace, at last. This has been going on for about two years, with the civil unrest steadily growing.

Seed: A small, purple gem in the center of her crown that glitters and pulses with power depending on how Evelyn turns her head. It is in fact a gateway between realms, connecting the mortal plane to Dremora's Shade, the land of demons and monsters. Evelyn is able to summon monsters through this seed, move between realms, and banish others to the plane of Dremora's Shade.

Magic:

x Starsign - The ability to divine from the stars where the location of a person, place or thing is. This spell must be cast at night with a sky full of stars. When this spell is activated, the stars appear in her eyes and over her cheeks.

x Fire Storm - Fire rains from the sky over a small area, igniting anything unfortunate enough to be within it.

x Possession - A five-point spell that's complicated to set up, but allows Evelyn to take over a body’s movements and speech. Five spectral needles are telekinetically moved to pierce the hands, feet and back of the neck of the target, which disappear once all five sites are attacked. Then, Evelyn can control them until she decides to release them.

x Chain Lightning - A lightning bolt hits the target, before arcing to the next, and the next. This spell differentiates between friend and foe, and can chain attack up to ten targets.

x Healing Aura - The ability to heal a single target. The target is wrapped in a white aura (many consider this to be the aura of the All-force) and all manner of wounds are healed over. It cannot heal a fatal blow, and it cannot cure sickness.

x Candlelight - the ability to create a floating source of light that can illuminate darkness.

x Detect Life - The ability to sense the presences of other who are nearby, whether the eyes can see them or not.

x The Pen - The ability to create binding contracts that an individual must sign. Thus, breaking the signed contract can result in severe side effects, such as sickness, confusion, madness, and death.

x Hover - The ability to cause an object to float.

x Tether - A step up from ‘Hover’ in that Evelyn is able to move the object with her mind by mentally tethering it to herself.

Skills:

x Horseback riding
x Swordsmanship
x Knowledge of the arcane
x Enchanting
x Alchemy

Faction: Evelyn has built up over the years the Orphan's Matron, an organization of spies that are, in fact, little children who lost their parents in the city-wide struggle of Evelyn's ascension. They blend in well, are inconspicuous, and adults tend to forget they exist, allowing these children to glean all sorts of secrets within the city.

City: Evelyn leads the city of Hathforth, and the province of Arrowfell. She is dependant on the dukes and duchesses of the other cities within Arrowfell to pay fealty to her to ensure her power over the province remains strong. Fealty is paid through appearance in court, taxes, and parts of the fruits of their labours, like harvests.

Hathforth itself is a thriving hub of commerce brought about by the port. Alongside fishing, innovation, magic and artifacts are of the main trades in the city. Mages from faraway lands make their rounds here at this port, opening up Hathforth to the world.

Beyond being the chosen city of the presiding king or queen, Hathforth also has other riches, besides fishing and trade. Its access to the reefs endow Hathforth with some of the most beautiful pearl jewelry, with artisans buying pearls in bulk to sell to other cities and provinces. These pearls aren't normal - some say they have the breath of the All-force in them, causing them to glimmer and shine when touched.

Assets: As mentioned above, Hathforth has some of the most beautiful pearls, as well as fish.

Goal: Grow his own personal power and gather information - current loyalties shaken and undecided. Provide easier access to magic schooling to those outside of the ruling class.

History: Eirwen's birth was the unintended consequence of an affair between a poor human woman and a flighty elvish noble. Said noble had no use for an unplanned offspring from lowly roots, and so he and his mother were left to fend for themselves. Eirwen inherited no riches nor political power from the noble side of his family, but he did inherit something arguably more useful: an inherent talent for magic borne by an abnormally large pool of life-force...and, of course, the elvish propensity for good looks, which gave him a slight edge in manipulating situations to his advantage.

It was his unprecedented skill that earned him a lucky scholarship at the College of Hathforth, then the attention of nobles who gave him jobs of increasing importance, and finally the notice of the Wizard Queen herself. He had always favored magic of the cold, though it was unclear whether this was merely preference or some condition granted alongside the gifts of his heritage. With sweet words and a cold heart he clawed his way up the ranks into her court, until he had at last secured a lofty position as a court mage and advisor to the Queen. The gift of a seed only propelled him further, allowing him to drown out the constant anxiety that plagued him beneath his calm facade.

And yet he was still unsatisfied. He saw how the lower class languished under high taxes and poor opportunities, observed the backstabbing and treachery rampant in the court behind all the glamour and revelry. He owed the Queen much for the favor she'd granted him, and even moreso for the riches that kept his human mother happy in her old age. And yet, and yet...he couldn't help but whisper a secret here and there, play a chess piece in another's favor, subtly shift the winds away from the throne and towards something he hoped might be better...

Seed: 'The Empty Rose' is a small floral pin of silver-blue crystal. As frost numbs the skin, so does the rose numb the emotions of the wearer, stomping down any inconveniences such as anxiety or irritation. It is this seed that allows Eirwen to play the role he does so effortlessly, to act as if leading a performance upon a great stage; were he ever to lose it, so might he lose himself to the depths of fear and discontent.

Magic:
1. Chill: A mild chilling effect sourced from the caster's hands. Useful for keeping drinks cold.
2. Freeze Substance: Freeze liquids. Substances act as they would if frozen by normal means (e.g., if a substance cannot typically be frozen, the spell cannot do so either).
3. Frostbite: A more severe version of Chill capable of severe harm to limbs, as the name implies. Like natural frostbite, this is a slower-acting spell that typically takes root over a span of roughly 30 minutes. Effects may be negated if the spell is broken during that initial time frame.
4. Ice Shield: A variant of the standard shield spell. Creates a small, protective ice barrier around the caster or target.
5. Frost Familiar: Create a small creature out of ice. Eirwen favors snakes. This minion does not possess intelligence or sentience of its own, but may be directed to complete simple tasks.
6. Frost Weave: Extend cold, spiderweb-like tendrils from the fingertips. Can be used to manipulate small objects puppeteer style. Also useful for sewing shut small injuries. Invisible unless willed otherwise by the caster.
7. Snowfall: Lowers the temperature and causes a nice little snowstorm in a limited area. This spell doesn't have much practical use, but it sure looks pretty! Sometimes used for flair during dances at the whims of the nobles.
8. (High Level) Ice Golem: A larger, more dangerous version of Frost Familiar. Creates a being capable of following more complex commands and attacks. May take the form of a humanoid or beast; the chosen form is mainly for aesthetic purposes and does not affect intelligence or ability in any meaningful way.
9. (High Level) Crystallize: Transform a living being into an ice sculpture. This is not fatal, but rather acts as a form of imprisonment; once the spell is broken, the victim returns in the same state they were prior to crystallization. This spell can also be enacted on the caster themselves as an extreme form of protection, as the subject cannot be harmed by outside forces while crystallized. This strategy is a double-edged sword, however, as the crystallized caster must then depend on an ally to break them out of their own spell.
10. (High Level) Ice Storm: A high-level attack spell that calls large icicles to rain down from the sky within a targeted area. Generally effective in combat, but weak against fire spells of a similar level. The ground where the icicles have fallen turns into a slippery surface that may linger for an extended period of time, depending on outside factors such as weather.

Skills:
• Horseback Riding
• Tea Services
• Magic Theory
• Acting
• Music (Cello)

Faction: The Society of Young Magic was officially one of learning. Here those with no money or connections could demonstrate their skills in a chance to earn a magical education they otherwise could never have afforded. It had started as a charitable move on Eirwen's part; his riches had grown exponentially since gaining the coveted position of an Advisor to the Queen, and thus he could finally afford to throw out a few scholarships here and there. An unintended side effect was that this slowly gained him the loyalty of several increasingly powerful allies who owed their ascent at least partially to him. And if they might occasionally whisper secrets in his ear, giving him access to more information than he really should have had...well, it was only mere coincidence, of course. He hadn't developed an information network that answered to himself instead of the Queen on purpose, but it would be foolish of him not to press an advantage when he had one...

Goal: Roderic's goal is rather simple, he wishes to gain a fief he can call his own and home.

History: Born in a small village in the province of Arrowfell Roderic was always an imposing man. He was a large baby, so large in fact that he made his first "kill" at the age of just a mere hours after Roderic's birth as his mother passed away in childbirth. His father a kind, loving man never blamed Roderic for this and thought Roderic the trade of being a hunter. It soon became clear where Roderic's skills lie, not in the bow but in the knife and later, the sword.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck when one of the summer downpours coupled with thunder set fire to the village where Roderic was born in, leaving him without a place to call home. Thinking of himself as cursed Roderic set out to find a solution for himself. This would land him in a company of sellswords who just so happened to be wealthy enough to hire a fledgling mage. It was here it became clear Roderic was gifted in the ways of the arcane, the fledgling mage took him under his wing and taught him a bevy of ideas. Ideas that Roderic would absorb like a sponge.

Roderic would soon enter the battlefield, the company being hired by Ludwig II to protect the border. Roderic proved himself a gifted warrior supported by his minute mastery of the arcane it was here he would find himself a home. The company of sellswords became his new family and for a while, this went great.

This all changed when during a hectic ambush Roderic lost his dominant right hand. He left the company in search of a new goal in life. This is where he stumbled upon something truly bizarre. A hand of iron embedded with a small sapphire in the middle. Roderic took the hand and with his left hand, held it in front of his now stump of a right hand, and to his surprise, small bits of iron would shoot out attaching this newly found iron hand to his right stump. It functioned perfectly as a new hand and thus Roderic took up arms again, getting in contact with his old friend to form his own company, The Hands of Iron.

Seed: What looks like a glove is actually a fully iron hand embedded with a sapphire on the metacarpal. Its usage is simple, it can create a minute barrier around him that basically acts as a zone of anti-magic. During this Roderic cannot cast any spells himself.

Magic:
x Shield: Forms a simple shield around Roderic
x Summon Phantasmal Sword: Roderic can summon a sword out of thin air appearing in his hand of choice.
x Sparks: Roderic shoots small sparks of lightning from his hand
x Message: Allows Roderic to telepathically send a message to someone within his eyesight.
x Blink: Allows Roderic to teleport a short distance to a place he can see.
x Invisibility: Turns Roderic invisible for a short duration
x Ink: Basically acts as a sort of invisible ink that can only be seen by someone else casting this spell in the same way.
x Lightning Storm : Roderic summons a storm of lightning capable of wreaking havoc the same way a normal one can.

I'm leaving 2 big slots open for now as Roderic wasn't exactly educated well in the ways of arcane, I plan to use these throughout the story by either upgrading other versions or creating new options.

Skills:
x Swordfighting
x Horse-back riding
x Military Strategy
x Leadership
x Smithing
x Espionage

Faction: His own band of sellswords, the Hands of Iron, other than being skilled in combat this company caters to many a request including but not limited to espionage, sabotage and magic support.

City: The Hands of Iron reside in a small iron mine between the coast and the Glasic fields about a day's travel from Hathforth. While the Iron mine is still operative it's running on its last legs, with most of the vein having been depleted, however, the Hands keep using this location as it's basically a natural fortress. A cliff on the backside means that a frontal assault is basically all one can hope for.

Assets: None

Goal:
Peace, stability, and quiet. Having known the Queen since she was but a court wizard, Safina stays by her side out of a sense of familiarity at this point. So long as the power-hungry and the grasping stopped having silly ideas of rebellion, perhaps there could be peace for a century for once.

History:
She'd always been an urchin. Her first memories had been of an orphanage, and she'd not taken to it well. Safina lived life on the streets from a young age, picking pockets and committing petty theft to acquire the coin to avoid starving just one more day. Eventually, stealing from the wrong mark got her picked up by the local thieves' guild, who saw the potential in her to be a real sneak.

Over a century passed, and Safina rose to supplant the leadership of that guild, intent on taking it into a more extreme, yet more profitable direction. They still continued to engage in heists and espionage, but now also branched out to assassination, bringing in professionals from other nations to train killers. It was at this time that a battlemage by the name of Evelyn reached out, engaging Safina in a partnership and helping fund the guild's shift in focus.

With both an increase in their lethality and the kingdom's unofficial backing, it wasn't long before Safina's guild either forced out or absorbed all other competition in the underworld within their city. Surprisingly, now that the underworld was centralized, local crime actually decreased overall. Safina was more interested in ensuring that no one within the area had any vested interest in stopping their operations, resulting in greater long term profits, but her and Evelyn's foolish backer didn't quite see it the same way.

When the rebellion came, the guild very quietly stayed out of the entire matter. At least, they did until the king cut Evelyn loose and inadvertently revealed Safina's guild to the kingdom at large in the process. Safina wasn't able to go to her ally's aid, occupied as she was with ensuring the guild wasn't massacred as they escaped the kingdom.

In the end, barely a third of the thieves and killers she'd cultivated over the decades survived that disaster. Over the next decade, Safina remolded her organization into the Concord, traveling from country to country as hired killers as they sought to weather the storm they were put into. But this wasn't an existence she was satisfied with. Too much chaos and risk, all for nothing. No, she wanted a measure of stability back.

It had to be some form of serendipity that the Concord answered the call Evelyn sent out. When Safina realized who the employer was, she negotiated a different contract: her band of sneaks and killers would fight and spy for a position in her new order rather than any measure of gold. Wealth was temporary, as they both knew damn well. But continuity? Quiet? That would keep them alive and thriving.

These days, Safina and her Concord work to enforce the Wizard Queen's order, though it grows ever more difficult between the people's discontent and some of Evelyn's more...ambitious policies. Not that Safina would tell her that. The Concord still wasn't as powerful or numerous as her old guild, even if their veterans were far more skilled these days than they had been in the past. Still, she and the Queen share a similar enough dream of order that she'll do as she's commanded to.

Within Hathforth's court, Safina is publically known as one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, her proximity to the throne and travels under her command claimed under the guise of a mere retainer.

Seed: Empty Gaze
A black pearl embedded in a brooch worn on Safina's neck. It allows Safina to remove any perception or memory of her existence from the mind of someone that beholds the pearl for several moments. The more of Safina that is erased from the target's perception, the longer the Empty Gaze takes to recharge.

Magic:

• Shadow Blade: Forms a magical blade of darkness that can be adjusted in length and either wielded in the hand or fired at a target.
• Darkness: Conjure magical darkness to fill a dozen-foot radius. Nonmagical methods of illumination and night vision cannot pierce it.
• Illusory Image: Create a magical image in a chosen location. Physical contact with the image reveals it to be an illusion.
• Shadowstep: Flit through the shadows and reposition one's self to any point within line of sight that has an absence of light. The caster can also submerge their body within the shadows for some time, though this takes much more mana.
• Mind Crush: Engage in a psychic attack against the target's mind. Stuns briefly and can leave a foe catatonic should they be weak-willed enough. Can be repelled with willpower, but will still at least keep their senses occupied for the duration of the attack.
• Swiftness: Enchants a target with magical vigor, allowing them to perform actions quicker.
• Muffle: Target a specific area or body part to prevent from making sound for some time. Can be cast on self.
  
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• True Sight: Grants the caster the ability to see through all magical conjurations, whether it be darkness, illusions, invisibility, or otherwise.
• Greater Invisibility: The caster and all they carry become invisible for the duration of the spell. Does not dispel on physical contact.
• Time Stop: Halt the flow of time in a given area around the caster for a few seconds, allowing the caster unhindered freedom of movement and action during that period.

Skills:

• Bladework
• Marksmanship
• Stealth, both magical and mundane
• Sleight of hand
• Espionage
• Underworld connections

Faction: The Concord
An organization of spies and assassins personally led by Safina dedicated to enforcing the Wizard Queen's rule by any means necessary. Many among their number are veteran thieves and former assassins from other, similar guilds that were crushed and absorbed into the Concord during Safina's former life as a crime lord.

City:
The Concord controls no territory in the open, but are headquartered in Hathforth, with at least one cell of agents in every major city across the realm.

Assets:
Directly sponsored by the Wizard-Queen, the Concord doesn't want for funding. They hold a wealth of information and blackmail, capable of establishing contacts and connections quickly through judicious use of intrigue and information brokerage.

Misc:
Voice claim: Allegra Clark

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Goal:





History:


Seed:






Magic:

• [Levitation Magic] Gravitas Armament: The spell that earned Altina the moniker of "The Valkyrie," it involves the application of fine levitation magic to achieve an effect. In Altina's case, she makes both her armor and weapons levitate ever so slightly, maximizing her mobility and allowing her to move as if she is unencumbered by the weight of her gear. In essence, most of the heavy-lifting is done by her magic.

• [Levitation Magic] Sterling Cerberus: A feat of magical endurance, Altina can passively float 3 greatswords without much exertion. These blades form a defensive perimeter around her, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Altina can also treat her blades like projectiles, hurling them with worrying speed towards her foes.

• [Earth Magic] Scaleskin: Altina can siphon any mineral within the immediate area to reinforce herself or others, providing an extra layer of protection. Once made a target of Altina's siphoning, steel and other metals will inevitably lose their integrity. Likewise, earth that has been stripped of its lifeblood will also start to turn to mush.

• Shatterblade: With each swing of the sword, Altina projects magical energy outwards to extend her effective range. Intending to imbalance her foes, or simply repel bombardments coming from a distance, if she is given enough time to concentrate magical energy on her sword, Altina can even uproot trees in one strike, like a hurricane ripping through a forest.

• [Earth Magic] Cortège of the Einherjar: "To split the ground into intricate slabs, and then put them together, architecting the visage of the human form and imbuing it with human-like sentience." Such a painstaking process prefaces the activation of this spell. However, in spite of the time it takes to cast, its benefits far outweigh its costs. In short, the spell manifests an army of humanoid golems numbering to the dozen, equipped with weapons made of enchanted stone. What makes Altina's creations particularly fearsome is their ability to regenerate from the ground or nearby rocks, or even by re-attaching the severed parts. Conversely, the spell can become rather taxing to maintain the more her creations are injured. She will be forced to dispel it if its magical expenditure reaches heights she cannot effectively manage.

Goal: To back an outcome most advantageous to the Isle of Caelin and its business interests.

History: Mirie is the daughter and only child of the previous Duke of Caelin, a proud and stubborn man guided by emotions that often stymied the development of his lands. Her mother, on the other hand, was an influential merchant lady who taught her much of what she knew in trade and statecraft before sadly passing to a sudden illness during Mirie’s twelfth summer.

At its core, Caelin was not a land that was abundant with resources. Independent and proud of it, it was a windswept isle, but prosperous and wealthy from the flow of Northern trade from foreign lands to the mainland, and from the financial institutions that sprung from it. This made the city of Grand Bank, at first named after its large land banks along the coastline, into the de facto financier of the province.

Aside from the small peninsula on the mainland opposite the Grand Bank that housed a lighthouse and ferry, the duchy was entirely contained on the Caelin Isle. Combined with a large merchant fleet that could be pressed into wartime service at any moment, it was a natural fortress that made Caelin nearly impossible to seize without outsize effort.

When Lugwig II unified Arrowfell, Caelin refused to bend its knee. Unfortunately for all involved, in the absence of the moderating influence of his wife, the Duke of Caelin’s governance of the Isle had become increasingly divorced from reality.

It resisted even past the fall of Rockhold and Aethera. It resisted nearly into ruin, for while it could not be taken easily, the strength of its institutions and merchants relied on its relationship with the mainland.

An idiot could see this, but the Duke could not. Left alone, the Isle would burn from the inside, but his daughter moved to prevent it.

In the twilight days of Ludwig II’s campaign to unify the province, Duchess Mirie donned the ducal crown at the age of fifteen, but her accession was not smooth. She would wear a reminder of the struggle that fateful night on her face for the rest of her life, and the mental scars for just as long.

In the end, as Lugwig assembled his fleet, he and the new duchess were able to come to a mutually beneficial agreement, for Caelin needed Hathforth’s patronage as much as Hathforth needed the island. Mirie would kneel to the new king, but Caelin would enjoy greater autonomy in exchange for more favorable rates and services to the crown as Arrowfell’s bank.

As duchess, Mirie was not a good role model. Although blessed with good looks, she was extremely hedonistic; she drank, wore scandalous dresses, and most certainly slept around—it was hardly a scandal if nearly everybody knew she’d allegedly shared a bed with half the province. Nonetheless, she was a duchess that people respected, a woman that knew what her people needed and how to give it while enriching herself at the same time. She grasped the given peace and ran with it, making herself, the people of the isle, and its merchants more prosperous than even before under the reign of the king.

When the rebellion came, destroying the perfectly good status quo, she quietly stepped in line, for while the king was a good man, as it had been before, survival came with working with the new Queen, Hathford and the mainland. The discovery of the Glasic Fields served merely as further reinforcement.

As long as the new management would continue the mutually beneficial relationship between Caelin and the Crown, the duchess would not take issue with the Queen. Nonetheless, she began to look for alternative arrangements and mitigating steps. Given the queen’s dubious actions, what proper leader would not make plans? It felt likely that the woman would soon turn her full attention on the riches of the Grand Bank, and over ask.

However, she would remain to see where the wind would blow. For now, both the Queen and the good Duke Rhinecliff remained valued clients.

It was just good business.

Seed: The faceted ruby-red crystal that hangs on a necklace between her breasts is the Aequum Ventis. It allows Mirie to align mundane crystals to the seed’s tune. Once aligned, she can observe and instantly teleport herself or others to one of the assigned crystals even over vast distances, although the longer the distance, the longer it will take for it to recharge.

Magic:

• Ice Blade – Instantly condenses and chills the water in the air to create a wieldable solid blade of ice.
• Wind Blade – A sharp, fast burst of air that can cut into flesh and hard leather.
• Fair Winds – Manipulates a bountiful gust of wind that can do many things, from small things like dropping a piece of paper in the user’s hands, creating strong upward drafts to mitigate falls, to grander acts like propelling a sailing ship to cruising speed or blanketing a large area with windy weather.
• Wind Storm – An upgraded, violent version of the previous spell that create storm-like wind effects in a small area. The smaller the area the more concentrated it can be, allowing the user to blow down walls or send people flying.
• Wind Shield – Creates a violent thin layered section of air around the caster or a target that will deflect physically based attacks up to a point. Allows and accelerates outward attacks.
• Mental Shield – Passively shields the mind from intrusion or control. Greater intrusions require both mental effort and tapping into further life-energy beyond the initially crafted rune.
• Seal Room - Wards a room, preventing those outside the room from entering or eavesdropping through physical or magical means.
• Binding Contract – Similar to existing variants, this grants the ability to create truly binding signed contracts. Breached contracts will result in terrible side effects up to and including death, however lesser penalties can be specified.
• Reveal Element – Determines the rough composition of objects nearby, as long as the caster has an understanding of the objects.
• Detect Lie – Well, are you fibbing or not?

Skills: Swordsmanship, commerce, leadership, military strategy, logistics, seamanship.

Faction: Outside of being the head of House Agustria and ruling Caelin, Mirie’s own trading business, assets, and board seats give her de facto leadership of the Grand Bank Consortium, a body of companies based in the Grand Bank that make collective decisions for better business. While she cannot directly control the decisions the constituent companies make without overstepping, it allows her to leverage more assets and a network of merchants for information.

City: Mirie’s seat of power is the city of the Grand Bank, located on the Easternmost peninsula on Caelin, and three days from Hathforth by sea. Importing most of its food to feed its populace, the island, while known for its beautiful landscapes is itself is relatively barren land, with little resources besides scattered communities that grow a bit of wheat or the island’s specialty product, olives. Much of the splendor of the island is centralized in the Grand Bank, a bustling city of trade second only to Hathforth. A forest of tall ships make their home in the harbor here as the first port of landing with Arrowfell, carrying all sorts of goods from the Northern lands which often continue on to Hathforth. Despite the eye-catching merchant houses built of imported marble in its market center, it is perhaps the least religious city in the region. Hedonistic establishments galore cater to all walks of life, from weary sailors looking for a warm bed and a night’s companionship to high-class clubs where merchants and nobles drink, smoke, and gamble the night away as they conduct their deals.

The Grand Bank, although named after the geographical feature, has lately come to embody its true name as the banking capital of Arrowfell. Although the population of the city is on the smaller side for a trade city and ducal seat, its citizens rank among the wealthiest, chiefly among them the Duchess Mirie, financing and insuring merchant endeavors and high-capital projects across the province. Militarily, it has little in the way of a standing army outside merchants’ guards, but its trading fleet can easily be pressed into the maritime defense of the island if necessary.

Assets: As mentioned above, the Grand Bank is truly a grand bank, and little else. However, it does export olives and olive oil in limited quantities, in addition to the typical fisheries of a port city. Fermented fish sauce is another local specialty, although very divisive.

Goal: Wants to see the Wizard Queen fall to avenge her love

History: Nyx grew up in a land where Fey were very prevalent but left when she was old enough to travel the world. She wanted to see all that life had to offer. For 30 years, Nyx visited many places and experienced the different cultures the world had to offer. The changeling had a worldly view and an appreciation for life.

At the age of 53, she found a human boy who she fell deeply in love with. Bertram Rhys was as ‘boyish charm’ as they come and brilliantly minded. His magic wasn’t very powerful, but his kindness and compassion were. As Bertram got older, it became more clear to Nyx that she didn’t want her love to live such a short life. The two were trying to find ways for a human to live longer when Nyx sought out the academia for knowledge.

Finding discrimination at its doors, the human Bertram Rhys volunteered to get more information on behalf of both. On the first day of their new journey, Bertram went to the academy and died alongside every magical human in the vicinity. Since that fateful day, Nyx has followed the Wizard Queen, waiting for a weak moment to strike.

That opportunity came to her on the heels of Duke Laurent Rhinecliff. Nyx has disguised herself as the sister of her beloved human, a girl by the name of Olivia Rhys, catching the eye of the Duke. He cornered her one day and forced her to reveal her true form to him. She reveals the reason she seeks revenge and to save her own neck, she joins the rebellion. For the next two years, Laurent himself sponsors her education in order to train her in the art of spying, deceit, and forgery. Nyx’s final test came in the form of getting her own seed by infiltrating the gardeners of the seeds.

Now officially part of Duke Laurent’s retinue, Nyx plays Olivia Rhys as a ditzy musician who loves to flirt and pretends not to know of the salacious rumors as to why she’s in the duke’s chambers at night. Underneath the guise, Nyx helps the rebellion by spying and retrieving any information that might bring down the Wizard Queen.

Seed: Nyx wears a long white gold chain around her neck that’s easily tucked into her shirt. At the end lies a single blue-green variant of the feldspar crystal.

Bertram’s Dawnbringer allows Nyx to have resistance to Sleep and Charm magic, giving her clarity to withstand spells designed to trick her. This seed works 20% of the time.

Magic:
Shift - ability to change their appearance not through illusion but through small physical transformations of the body. Clothing and possessions are unaffected. Limited to humanoid forms and can only impersonate those she’s actually laid eyes on. Able to alter facial features, skin coloration & texture, hair length & color, race, sex, size, height, and weight (these last three are within the limits of human scales). Takes anywhere from several seconds to a solid minute to transform, based on how much their form was changing, and new appearances last until they change again. Someone with a gifted sight would be also able to expose them.

• Small Shift, Low energy (Think of just the eyes or just the hair.)
• Moderate Shift, medium amount of energy (This could be something like the entire face or the color of their skin.)
• Large Shift, high energy (This would be changing every single little detail, such as shifting into an entirely new appearance.)

Skills:

• Language (able to learn new ones easily)
• Harp
• Singing
• Lute
• Forgery
• Impersonation
• Disguise
• Sabotage
• Espionage

Faction: Serves the Rhinecliff Duchy

City: Odonfield, two days travel east from Hathforth

Assets:N/A

Goal: To avenge the late king who he failed to protect and his sister and save the kingdom from the Wizard Queen's rule.

History: Roland was born the third child of the Corrin family and was not expected to rule or gain anything of note. He was directionless, and while he did well in his studies and marital training. Nothing grabbed him, and as he reached adulthood. Roland was unsure of his future and would busy himself by dealing with bandits.

That was when his older sister recommended the idea of becoming a member of the King's royal guard. As it would be a great honor to become one, and it would suit him, given his nature and the family's ties to the king. Roland after thinking about it would agree and would train himself and join tournaments to show off his courage and martial skills. Which would grab the attention of the king and after being knighted by the king himself, he was allowed to join the king's royal guard.

For years, Roland sent in the royal guard and grew to like his position and made friends with the other royal guards and some of the court. His older sister, despite her duties as heir and later becoming duchess, would visit him when she could. Life was good for him, and the kingdom at peace. It seemed like he made the right choice in life. That was until everything changed that day when Evelyn launched her attack on Hathforth.

That day, Roland did his duty and protected the king the best he could. Only it was not enough, and he would barely survive and fell unconscious during the battle due to his wounds. When he woke up, he learned that the king was dead and a usurper, the Wizard Queen, had taken his place as ruler of the kingdom. To make matters worse, his sister was at Hathforth when the attack began, she also perished during the battle. Now sick with grief and pain over the death of the king and his sister. Roland would think about things as he recovered and when he did. Rather than accept an offer to be a member of the new royal guard, he chose to return home.

Now back home and welcomed back by his older brother, who was now Duke of Vaili. Roland would make a choice and instead of idling by at his family's estate. He plans on avenging the king and his sister and free the kingdom from the Wizard Queen's rule.

Seed: A blue signet ring that is worn on the left hand of his ring finder. His seed allows him to empower himself physically and mentally. Becoming a bastion of both physical and mental strength while passively protecting the wearer's mind and body from foreign control and manipulation.

Magic:

Fortify - Roland can make an object that he is holding more durable as long as he is holding it.

Magic bolt - Roland is able to fire a bolt of pure magic from his hands or from a weapon he is holding

Shield Wall - Roland summons a wall of shields directly in front of him that are 6'5 feet tall, and the longer he sustains it, the more life force it consumes.

Spear Rush - Roland summons a magical spear that he throws, and wherever it lands, he can teleport to it.

Pull - Roland is able to pull a target towards him within a certain range. The heavier the target, the more life force is needed to pull the target towards him.

Push - Roland is able to push a target away from him from within a certain range, and the heavier the target, the more life force is needed to push the target away from him.

Backup weapon - If disarmed, Roland is able to create a melee weapon made out of magic.

Mental Link - Roland is able to establish a mental link between himself and one other person, allowing the two to communicate mentally with each other within a certain range.

Healing Hands - Roland is able to heal wounds with a physical touch of his hands and are able to heal most wounds but, not fatal ones nor sickness.

Guardmen - Roland is able to summon two shades that resemble armed guards and can command them for any task. By default, they last for about five minutes unless dispelled by magic or have taken enough hits to cause them to disappear. There is a cooldown between summoning, the longer they are active, the longer the cooldown.

Skills: Swordsmanship, martial arts, horseback riding, weapons expert, military strategy, and history.

Faction: He has secretly created a faction called The Sparrows, a small but growing spy network that Roland runs with help from a loyal former royal spy. The Sparrows consist of former royal spies, lowborns, merchants, and those orphaned by the Wizard Queen. While small in comparison to the other spy networks in the kingdom, they are the most motivated as they all lost something or someone to the Wizard Queen and are growing in size.

City: Roland does not control the city of Tarin and simply operates out of there. Only taking temporary control of the city whenever his brother is away. The city sits on the northern, eastern part of the Shimmering Lake, just at the end of the Torna Mountains and the river that feeds into the lake. Thanks to its location, the city enjoys the benefits of iron and copper from the Torna Mountains and freshwater fisheries. They are known for their crayfish and freshwater crabs. However, agriculture is limited, and half of the food comes from either the fisheries or trade. Though the city acts as a trade stop for caravans coming in from the east and those traveling along the river into or out of the Shimmering Lake.

Assets: Tarin assets are mainly iron, copper, freshwater fish, crayfish, freshwater crabs, trade, and controlling one of the entrances to the Shimmering Lake.

Goal: Become a knight, make a name for himself; potentially become a royal guardsman, but ideally, be able to earn his own title and fief (since he's too far down the line to hope to inherit his father's, of course).

History: Born the fifth son of The Right Honourable Seumas Prosser, Viscount of Dinbevin, Callum's prospects for life were not looking the greatest from the outset. "One for the land, one for the war, one for the church, and pray for no more" was taken literally by his father until the last line, where he instead felt it necessary to produce a fourth for the waters and a last to be spare for all the rest. While he still enjoyed a noble's upbringing, wealth, and education, the options left open to Callum were quite limited: Apprentice under a trader and eventually take up a mercantile life helping his eldest sibling in the maintenance of the family estate, follow the next into a military occupation, follow the third and give himself over to the church, or follow the fourth into a life on a boat.

While his father's primary hope was that he would take the first—indeed, that's what he was first educated for—Callum eventually chose to follow the path of his second eldest sibling, hoping that way that he might make a name for himself and perhaps even be granted a title of his own. He spent a period of time afterwards as a page to a local knight, one of his father's retainers, who taught him much of being a knight; a little earlier than perhaps he should have, but the man was already advanced in years, and he wanted to take care of the young lord's education as much as possible. Unfortunately, during Callum's true squireage, misfortune struck and his mentor was killed by a bout of sickness.

Without any heirs, he left his belongings to Callum, including a Seed that he had once claimed after a duel with a former rival; much of the rest of the estate was converted to monetary value and passed into the hands of the Viscount, ostensibly to be held until Callum was officially knighted and came of age. Seeing a possible opportunity in the growing discontent among some of the dukes, Viscount Seumas arranged to have his youngest son's squireage and knighting fulfilled by the Corrin family, perhaps even as the squire of Sir Roland Corrin himself.

Of course, as Callum was soon to learn, even the most secure plans in his life were likely to crumble to dust at a moment's notice...

Seed: An emerald gem and three shards of it carved off in its shaping. The primary, largest stone is simply set in a bronze ring; of the remaining shards, one is roughly half the size of the primary stone and the other two are half again as large as the first shard.

The shards long to return to one another whenever parted; when set in a weapon, the smaller two shards can be called to return to the one who wears the ring, with minimal control over their orientation in flight to try and ensure the wielder doesn't possibly impale themself. The largest offers greater control, with the weapon bearing the largest shard able to be controlled telekinetically. The size also corresponds to the distance at which the effect of the shards works—the smaller pair can be recalled from the distance of a good spear throw, no more than one hundred and fifty feet; the larger stone is only effective out to twenty.

Magic:

• Sparks: A stream of electricity arcs from Callum's fingers towards a target. Usually not immediately lethal, but certainly damaging, and accompanying muscles spasms can prove incapacitating for the unaware.
• Ember: Generates a small flame, that can either be thrown at opponents or used for more utilitarian purposes.
• Aegis: Creates a small, ephemeral shield that Callum can wield to protect himself from spells and physical attacks. More limited, perhaps, in size and scope than many more common shielding spells—but the more focused nature of it makes it an exceptionally energy-efficient spell to use.
• Mindblank: As a dedicated spell, Callum is able to focus his energies inward, 'raising the volume' of the constant stream of surface-level thoughts running through his mind. Against an active mental probe, this will make it exceedingly difficult to pick out anything of use amidst all the useless noise filling his brain.
• Compositional Analysis: High level; through careful focus, Callum is able to discern the material make of an item or a small group of like items. Very useful when detecting counterfeit coins, but extends beyond that single use. Best paired with traditional methods to avoid an excessive expenditure of energy trying to divine every last little detail.

Skills: Horsemanship, general weapons use, low-level mental white noise, and a keen mind for trade...despite his desire to avoid a mercantile life.

Faction: None currently; some possible ties to the Corrin Sparrows, though with the death of their leader this is minimal at best, for the time being.

City: The town held by Callum's family, Dinbevin, is situated roughly equidistantly from Odonfield, Tarin, and Nordor, on the western bank of the Shimmering Lake. Founded by a community that used to live nearer the Fey river, a mark that is still evident in the surnames of some of the more prominent families and some of the place names surrounding the area, Dinbevin and the viscounts that have controlled it have been known in the past for a moderately independent sort of mindset—not one that leads them to stake it out entirely on their own, mind, but that they have played fast and loose in the past with which of the dukes surrounding them they'll align themselves with. For the last few generations, their allegiance has been given to the Dukes of Vaili.

Assets: Dinbevin is a town whose native industry is devoted mostly to farming and fishing, as there is little elsewise of direct economic worth; however, due to its placement, it has a thriving trade industry, with travelers and merchants from around the Fey river, Tarin, Nordor, and Odonfield all stopping through on a somewhat regular basis.