[CHAR] Formaroth Part 2: Throne of Lies

[Klomster]

Name: Lord Claus Rotstein

Age: 28

Gender: Male

Position: Lieutenant at arms, Captain of the "Steel fist" mercenary group.
Formarothian lord, imperial advisor of war.

Personality: Brash and a bit boastful, he drives his men hard but not too much. He is known as a tough leader but fair. When he can he tries to fix up some extra bonuses for his men, and at times even pay from his own pockets.
He has been likened to an unstoppable force in battle, with little fear and little regard for personal safety. If this is because of underlying mental problems is however unclear.

Appearance: media.discordapp.net/attachments/3314… Claus Rotstein is rather tall, with a rough slightly bearded face with several minor scars and a large scar running across his nose from his right side eyebrow to the left side of his jaw. Dark hair and dull blue eyes.
He wears a very nice tailored suit of plate armour made by an artisan serving house Blackwater with a lot of subtle, yet beautiful decor. The cuirass has his companies icon painted on it, the clenched white fist atop a black background.
He carried a flamberge greatsword and carries a mace, he has a decorated battle horn and a decorated misericord dagger.

Legendary arm:

Claus Rotstein was given a legendary weapon from Giles Blackwell, the old man himself.

Within would lie a blade of unrivalled caliber. Reflecting an iridescent and metallic green, the sword's focal point is its remarkably wide blade
that measures in at two hands wide which glints brilliantly when the light strikes it. The weight indicates it is Steel at its core, gilded with
draconian scales. Uniquely, every inch of the scaled blade is pounded into a patterned formation, each overlapping structure ascending the sword to
come to a finely sharpened edge.

The guard itself is planted into the base of the blade and embellished with a pair of talons of a drake rising upward which creates an advantageous
nook to lock weapons between.

The long grip was whittled bone which was tightly wrapped with treated leather that allowed the largest of men to hold it with ease. Beneath that
rested the fierce insignia of a dragon -- a pommel with a vicious and archaic design of a great scaly head with teeth clenched and its bright eyes
featuring the same scales of the blade creating an eye-catching yet simple motif to set it apart from all others.

Background: His family was burghers of minor renown whom tended a region of farms for the lord of Scassia. Claus was the second son of his father Adolf Rotstein and thus wouldn't inherit much.
The local lord though took him in as a man at arms for his personal army, and as such he was trained to become a potent fighter. He served the lord for many years and was rather successful.... apart from his darker side.
When he drank he became harsh and at times violent, and it showed that the monotone duties of his service in a low combat area made him take to the tankard more and more often.
He finally took a step to far and was dismissed from service after punching a nobles 3rd son and trying to approach his sister. He was however only demoted to lieutenant and discharged after his family helped him out.

His life now in ruins he took even more to the tankard and eventually got thrown out from his home. Eventually he joined the Steel fist mercenary company. He quickly got a recognition because of his great battle prowess and man at arms training.
The varied duties also kept him from drinking, which his fellows from now on made sure so he didn't drink to much.
After many years of service, the old company captain decided to retire, Claus Rotstein was selected for his outstanding service and promoted to captain.

The Steel fist now returns from a campaign in the east, having fought for the imperial concord.
The steel fist consists of mainly battle hardened fighters, with some new trainees as with any army. The army has good knowledge in sieges as well.

Gear. Halberdiers, about this. But with halberds and some tassets. They carry maces as well.
youtu.be/FH9yjmmAE3k?t=1m49s (It's a music video, and i jump in midway)
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/d7/…

Pavise crossbowmen, about the same but with a pavise shield and a heavy windup crossbow and a mace.
The Steel fist numbers are supposed to be 2500 men, 750 of which are crossbowmen.
A new battlemage detachment numbers 20 mages, a group of 5 restoration mages have also been hired.
Following the war in the east, the steel fist is currently numbering roughly 1500 men, of which roughly 120 are crossbowmen. The mage detachment is on top of this number.
The mage detachment wear similar gear to the crossbowmen, minus the arbalest. Their shields are painted black with the white fist holding fire.
About 3/4 of the force is still Beilokias veterans while the last third is from the mercenaries of the Telmarion campaign. This distinction is interesting in terms of loyalties and skill.

Following the battle of "the Betrayal at home", at least half of the Fist has been killed, ALL of the scout detachment have perished and hundreds more are dead.

Skills and traits: Claus Rotstein is a massively skilled swordsman and has a strong voice, he is a potent commander.

I write the things i know he has training or exposure in.
Swordsman - Grand master
Other combat - Master
Strategy - Adept
Tactics - Master
Logistics - Adept
Economics - Adept
Negotiation - Adept
Politics - Mediocre
Motivator - Expert
Intimidate - Expert
Farming - Mediocre

Known languages.
Formarothian: Fluent.
Elven: Accented. Poor writing.
Caelic: Broken. Cannot write.
Vogani: Knows a few insults and swear words.

Flaws: Claus has a few, but notable character flaws.
Alcoholism: If he's not careful, and don't get the mental support from his friends he will quickly fall back to his alcoholic past.
While he has a much greater tolerance to alcohol because of this, if he does get drunk he will lose all his restraints and easily become violent, unpredictable and dangerous.
Unrefined: Claus is not someone who suckers up to people, even when they do earn proper respect, he is also a commoner at heart.
This can if he is not careful very easily anger people of higher status and/or nobility. Since he do treat basically everyone with the same respect as a commoner until they have fancied his liking, where he will treat them as a friend instead. Which isn't much better than being treated as a drinking buddy.
Impulsive: Claus usually goes with his gut feeling, not one to plan for ages and carefully devise a plan.
Nope, come up with a solution that seems fair enough, and then just go with it.
While he does try to plan and consider his options, he usually fall back to intuition after a while.
Post traumatic stress disorder:
The repeated violent events and supernatural horrors he has suffered in the pasts are catching up on him. And after the war in Telmarion his psyche is beginning to properly show signs of lasting damage.
He is showing more and more signs of post traumatic stress disorder, he'd never admit the wars have taken a toll on him, question is if he even knows. But he can be unstable if reminded of traumatic events.

Notable people of the Steel Fist.

Lieutenant Roogel Therp. {Deceased}

Name: Roogel Therp
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Position: Proffessional mercenary lieautenant
Personality: He goes from being chummy, loud and kind to a cold heartless killer faster than people ever feel comfortable with.
Appearance: A giant of a man, a bushy black beard and clad in the classic armour of the Steel fist, albeit with a nice silver decor. With brass rivets.
He uses a pollaxe instead of a halberd.
Background: Having joined the Steel fist when he was 20, he did so after the famine in Akki his family was suffering from. Or more like himself, seeing he tended his miniscule farm alone.
He always felt he wasn't good at farming, he had a crappy house, weedy and root and stone filled fields and on top of that the moose seemed to be after him.
When he joined the fist he felt all the more at home. He is a personal friend of Claus being one who helped him keep away from drinking.

Skills and abilities.
Master polearm fighter
Master brawler
Decent fighter otherwise
Makes friends easily when in a good mood
Expert command
Decent tactics
If possible, worse than Claus at farming

Lieutenant Asahal Harr {Deceased}

Name: Ashala Harr Died at the siege of Clarm.
Age: 22
Gender: Female
Position: Proffessional mercenary lieautenant, crossbows
Personality: Short tempered, serious, protective
Appearance: Medium long auburn hair, curvy build, looks stern but pretty... apart from the scars. Wears a filled out cuirass to give her chest more room, she wields a Corseque instead of an arbalest.
Background: A born fighter, she was an orphan, a slum child and a thief, she was currently hunted and wanted for execution when the Steel fist showed up and gave her a way out. She was 17 then.

Skills and abilities.
Expert polearm fighter
Good brawler
Decent fighter otherwise
Expert sneaking
Good thief
Expert command
Good tactics

Lieutenant Jorrel Harpe

Name: Jorrel Harpe
Age: 30
Position: Company lieutenant. Stand in chief of imperial guard.

Skills.
Expert polearm fighter
Adept tactics
Expert command
Good fighter
Master at catching people trying to nab things from the food wagons
Adept security
Excellent singing voice

Company logistician Katrina Nikos.

Name: Katrina Nikos
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Position: Blacksmith apprentice
Personality: Head strong, Stubborn, honorable, idealistic, ambitious
Appearance: Short Red hair, taller than most of her age.
Background: Katrina has spent her entire life helping her uncle at his forge. She knows nothing of her mother and father and only knows that her mother served up in the castle but was killed during the civil war. Once she reached 14 she decided that she wanted to leave Nyhem and see the world (much to the disagreement of her uncle). Once the Steel Fist mercenary troupe arrived in Nyhem she saw it as the best opportunity to leave.

Skills and traits:
Apprentice swordswoman
Expert Blacksmith
Master knowledge on weapons
Expert inventory taker
Expert logistician

Secret stuff

She is secretly the bastard child of Heylot and Anna; a handmaiden to Queen Ruth and Duncan's former (secret) lover.

Company battlemage lieutenant.

Name: Balthar Uneiuss Imazz Balthar being a fancy family name.
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Position: Company battlemage lieutenant
Personality: An honest and contemplative man, with little fear to voice his opinions and who loves to teach and has performed many lectures in the mages circle on alteration.
Appearance: A fit somewhat tall man with scruffy hair kept in as orderly fashion as he can muster, which usually results in pointing upwards. He also has a sharp mustache. He can look stern but has the broadest and kindest smile there is. Not that he smiles a lot. He is actually somewhat handsome.
He often wears very slim and small glasses with a copper frame.

Background: Brought to the circle in his early teens, he's had all the time in the world to learn about magic. Some of his teachers thought that he'd be an excellent battlemage and focused early on practising his destruction magic skills.
But after some time, he found his true calling, alteration magic. A study he's poured his essence into and even come up with a few smaller breakthroughs which he has tutored in the collective.
His passion is alteration magic and if one starts to discuss it, he shines up and goes into every possible detail.
Recently the order came from the imperial council, a battlemage detachment was to be assembled for the imperial guard. Uneius Imazz never thought he'd be choosen since he is an avid alteration mage but lo and behold they came knocking and offered him the spot.
He gave some protest but in the end he had little choice in the matter.

He now leads the mage detachment in the steel fist. A job he never wanted but the other mages were adamant in that he should lead them. Mostly since they had enjoyed his lectures in school and partly since he has decent charm and practicality to him.
Funnily enough he isn't even the best warmage in the detachment.

Skills and traits.
Master Alteration mage
Adept Destruction mage
Beginner Illusion mage
Dabbling Glyph mage
Decent Swordsman
Adept Command
Poor Strategy
Beginner Tactics

Mage detachment restoration expert.

Name: Orvel Forrin
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Position: Mage detachment restoration expert
Personality: Gruff and bitter, years of war has jaded this man to the world. But at heart he still wants to help people.
Appearance: Long fluffy curly dark blonde hair, he often wears a green headband with the restoration magics iconic symbol. He looks tired, scarred and has a slight permanent swollen lower lip, especially on his right side.

Background: Orvel has served in the army of Cawanor before being discharged for disorderly conduct.
What he did was heavily protest the ways mages were used in the second battle of Telmarion in the recent war. He got a bit 'heated' in his argument and was discharged shortly after.
He barely had time to pack before the imperial advisoral staff called for him to work in a new force with several new pupils.
He is not happy with this deal of affairs but will see what the imperial guard has to offer.

Skills and traits.
Master Restoration magic
Decent Destruction magic
Adept swordsman
Adept combat
Adept logistics
Master of improvisation, especially setting up triage
Poor social skills (only with soldiers)
Master social skills (only with 'innocents')

Others

Johan: A crossbowman and also a scout corpsman. He has light brown hair. {Deceased}
Harper: A halberdier. A dependable fighter, he has black hair, looks more stupid than he is. Best friend with,
Goyle: Another halberdier, a dependable fighter, he has brown hair. Appears brutish. Best friend with Harper.

Draft of the timeline of the Steel Fist.

DISCLAIMER! This is a very rough draft of the history of the steel fist. Some dates and a few other things are still susceptible to change. Any of this can be changed.

The official mentions and dealing with the company of the Steel Fist are scattered within the archives of Nyhem, while the mentions are often correct, it is hard to get all the data, especially with a self governed force like a mercenary group.
So considering this, the archives are well stocked in the matters of the mercenary company.
This data can be collected by anyone who has access to the archive of Nyhem. And some is well known facts by people in or outside the company itself.

The Steel Fist was formed by Captain James Formery in 412, a man who worked for the Tulza family and was rewarded for his service with funds in exchange for creating a mercenary force loyal to the Tulza family alone.
The company helped fight their dirty fights of the Tulza and did so as long as they paid. Which the Tulza's stopped. So the Steel fist abandoned them. The Tulza’s hoped for a loyal puppet, but they got Mr. Formery, who was only loyal to his purse.

The Tulza’s waned into nothingness over a span of roughly 15 years after the Steel fist refused to work for them. At least once did the Tulza's suffer from a manhunt, but records are hard to come by.
The Tulza family was recorded as extinct by the year 437.

The following 45 years are shrouded in myth, lost records and simple bad memory. A few mentions of the company exist but few have exact dates.

461: The Steel fist is mentioned in a report about Windermere. The mention is short and their captain is listed as Nathan Goyle. This makes sense since James Formery would have been 75 years old at this time and probably have not led the Steel fist for some time.

462: The Steel fist celebrates 50 years. Many reports of increased disruption can be found in the Windemere provinces for a time. A 3 month span according to reports.

467: The Steel fist is listed as participants in a troops record of the forces of Nash. Border skirmishes and waning diplomatic relations between Nash and Orog during the time does make the companies presence and employment does make sense. However no true battles are recorded between Nash and Orog during the time and their relations stabilized over the next five years.

470: The Steel fist makes an official plead for aid to several towns, and the city of Nyhem. Records state that the company suffered a tragic accident while they were travelling through the Irman strait by ship. Apparently two vessels ran aground and thus inflicted heavy losses in manpower, but primarily materiel.
The plead was written by Felicia Hartshyre. It is unknown if she was the captain of the force or if she was tasked with the plead. There is rumours that the previous captain was killed in the accident which complicates record keeping further. However a certain Doroka Hawk is seen within the list of survivors.

471: The Steel fist is restructured by their new captain, Dory Moor "The Dwarf." The records on this event is rather extensive and include an order for a new equipment standard. And that their equipment was now owned by the company and not individually paid for.
The company is designed with the armament types wielded to this day. Heavy cuirasses, polearms and crossbows. The company kept making minor changes in the equipment thereafter, mostly following technological advancements.
The nickname of captain Moor is often mentioned in records and rumors claim he was an actual dwarf. But evidence speaks directly against this, since the then most famous armour-smith in Nyhem was tasked with a suit of armour that he described as "Fit for a giant." Probably referring to captain Moor which means the nickname is probably a joke.

474: The battle of Alenius. Captain Dory Moor leads the Steel fist into the heartland of what today is known as Alenius. Reportedly the force was to seek out and destroy a dragon to quote "Prove that dwarves smote harder than beast." The whole ordeal ended in catastrophe as the expedition was ill prepared and suffered from food shortage. It is also told that the company resorted to heavy pillaging in the area. But little proof can be found.
The force achieved one of its main objectives though as it was attacked by a dragon. Reportedly the battle was a great confusion. The ranged forces were scattered and the beast also never landed.
A small poem of the event lives on in a very select few books and known by tongue within the Steel fist company itself.
"Dory the Moor, most dwarven in lore."
"The beast faced the fist, but the fist had no gist."
"Dwarf ordered loose, that hail was death."
"For not once it struck black scale, but many struck flesh."
"By miracle or luck, large bolt was flung."
"Pierced was black scale, beast wings now hung."
"From the sky beast fell, upon the banner of the fist."
"A crash was its landing, our banner now in dung."
"And from under the beast, an arm of a dwarf, clenched with ringed mesh."
"And thus Dory the Moor, most dwarven in lore."
"Dwarven no more."

The poem describes the battle and the fate of the captain of the Steel fist. With massive losses and the loss of their captain the force left Alenius.

475: A large draft was made in Telmarion, the reason it is of note is that the whole ordeal really upset the local government. There is even reports of skirmishes. "The hunt for Hoyt." was a local phrase used by some in Telmarion during the time. Which could refer to the name of the Steel Fists captain.

475: Rumour has it there was an uprising within the Steel fist, if it was one or more people is hard to know. But several people were killed.

478: The first recorded instance of "Old" Doroka Hawk being the captain of the steel fist. Rumours claim he officially took over after cpt Moor, other rumours claim he was leading the force while Moor took the credit.
It is however important to not ask steel fist personnel of this, since it is practise within the company to blatantly lie about when mr Hawk took over the company. Since some claims even predates the end of the elven invasion and some claim how mr Hawk helped the Remonnets take over Formaroth. Which is simply falsehoods.
It is however evident through several reports that mr Hawk has been active within the steel fist for a long time.

488: House De Reimer intercepts a courier with a letter to the Steel fist from house Hieze. The letter was an invitation for employment and would probably have swung the events in the following year in another way should the fist have fought for house Hieze.

489: De Reimer employs the Steel fist, but the fist suffers from problems with transportation and arrives too late to make a significant impact. The Steel fist is therefore only mentioned in a single battle.

491: The steel fist is hired by House Mandarass to defend house Willow. However the battles are not in the favor of the Steel Fist and while horrendous losses were inflicted on enemy forces, the Steel Fist is ultimately beaten and forced to retreat.

492: Early in the year Doroka Hawk gives a formal statement that the steel fist is far too beaten up to take any contracts of employment for the time being.
It is evident that this was probably an act of reason. The Steel fist is reported to have fought in multiple conflicts in the years leading up to this decision.
But it is also evident that mr Hawk could have done this to protect the Steel fist. Many rumors exist but few can be proven.

493: Numerous events are on record, but the most notable is that Claus Rotstein first appears in the roster of the steel fist.

494: After an extended rest and an influx of new recruits Doroka Hawk leads the Steel fist to Beilokias to begin a contract for the elven kingdom. Rumour has it the Steel fist was pressured from multiple sides to change loyalties to several formaroth households. Especially during the civil war but also after the civil war.
There is also rumours of threats of assassinations and treachery. Barely any which can be proved.
Doroka Hawk is believed to have left Formaroth for the time being to properly safeguard the company for the future.

497: Command is let over to Claus Rotstein when Doroka Hawk retires. Different sources about mr Hawk are available, but it is generally agreed upon that he was either 63 or 85 years old. Interestingly enough it seems as if you look upon mr Hawk in person that the later age is the correct one.

498: The battle of Shrooms. A rather inglorious event with rather good reports refer to the battle of Shrooms. Apparently it was a lengthy siege against a city of elven revolters, but the Steel fist had received the wrong location or there was a misunderstanding.
The result was however that cpt Rotstein had his men cleave their way through an extensive Beilokian fungi forest for 2 weeks trying to locate the fortress. When the correct location was finally received Rotstein was much angered since the 2 weeks of hard work was completely in vain.
When the defenders of the castle asked for a parley cpt Rotstein was repeatedly insulted and quote "offered fungi stew" that he called off the negotiations as fraud. It's later been proven that the parley actually was delaying tactics.
A later report states "Rotstein fell down upon the fortress with unspeakable force, within a day the keep was razed and the Steel fist burned two fungi forests."
Soldiers whom remember the event claim it was pure slaughter, and that Claus acted more like a madman than a captain. Fighting with blade in hand instead of commanding.

500: The battle of hymns. The steel fist engages in a land battle against an army of Vogani in their homeland aiding the elves in their conquests. Curiously enough there was massive casualties on all sides except for the Steel fist whom lost no lives and had few wounded.
While facts of the battle are hard to come by, the Steel fist claims they were superior at arms. While the numbers suggest they did not enter the battle itself until the very end.
Accurate records are hard to obtain of this incident.

501: The siege of Krypola. The steel fist enters a siege against the fortress city of Krypola which is fought against revolting elven slaves.

502: The siege of Krypola ends with a large scale battle inside its walls. The Steel fist however does not participate. Why this is does not come up in records.
The Steel Fist then returns to Beilokias to root out rebels once more.

503: With the contract with the elves complete the Steel fist returns to Formaroth in Scassia. It then marched to the capitol of Nyhem. Disrupting the grieving populace after the death of King John Remonnet. Claus Rotstein is imprisoned and tried at court but found innocent.

503: The Steel fist was employed by the imperial concord, Claus Rotstein leading the defense force of Telmarion on order by the De'Reimer family.
The army of the concord clashed with the combined army of Andris Mandarass and many of his allies. The battle was a massive slaughter, thousands perished on both sides as the Steel fist engaged with unbridled fury after the local commander Orland Tuania sent in his forces without consulting Claus.
Claus Rotstein performed an impressive tactical feat and managed to save his outnumbered army from annihilation.
However, the cost was high.

503: The siege of Clarm commences. The steel fist are in charge of the command and defence of the massive stronghold and its surrounding town.
The fighting is fierce and after a week of siege the Mandarass alliance attack the city. The town falls but the stronghold within still stands under the command of Claus Rotstein. He also orders hit and run strikes against the Mandarass forces trying to peacefully occupate the town.
After several days more, the Alliance are forced into action by the closing reinforcement armies of the Imperial Concord and thus assault Clarm.
The town is taken with force but the steel fist manages to halt the destruction of the gate and thus hold the fortress. A massive war elephant was used to drag down the gate but with a daring raid performed by Claus Rotstein he managed to take it out. Prolonging the siege. Roogel Therp takes temporary command over the steel fist when Claus Rotstein goes missing after the raid.

503: The second battle of Telmarion. The Steel fist arrive in the latter part of the battle and flank the Mandarass supply line. Most of the baggage train is seized and lord Mandarass himself is almost captured by Claus Rotstein who made miraculous recovery after a vigilante raid by Katrina Nikos to seize his body.
The capture of lord Mandarass is however ruined by a paladin of the church, allowing Mandarass to escape.
The Steel fist hand over the Mandarass war chest to the imperial concord.

503: Returning with ships back to Nyhem, the company is forced to stay outside the city which is in open riot and uproar. The Steel Fist moves in to suppress the riot after being employed for that task by the king.
The company does excellent work in the riot suppression and there are very few civilian casualties where the fist works.
In other parts of the city, many civilians perish as church troops use a far more brutal approach.

503: Claus Rotstein is given the title of court military advisor to the high king, now emperor.
Following a brutal duel with the previous military advisor, Alice Rallar. Ending in the vicious dismemberment of Alice's arm.

503: Claus Rotstein thwarts an assassination attempt upon the emperor and Lady Isabel De'Reimer. This quickly results in him being awarded the title of nobility by the emperors own hand.

503: The Steel Fist officially becomes the imperial guard of Formaroth. Tasked with the defence of the imperial family and the keep of Nyhem.

503: The Steel Fist leading the imperial relief force moves north to quell the northern rebellion in Uzgob. On the way they have a pitched battle with the Grim company, which vanish mysteriously during the battle.
The Imperial forces carry on north and reach Uzgob thus ressuplying the beleaguered church forces.

503: Trying to land in Scassia, the Steel Fist is ambushed by unknown forces, a massive battle ensues and reports claim half the Steel Fist, if not even more was annihilated in the ambush, the Steel Fist managed to board the transport ships they were landing with and sail south.
It is not clear why the Fist was disembarking on the shoreline near the city instead of in the harbor.

[TheDuncanMorgan]

House De Reimer

Family name: De Reimer

Kingdom Location: Cawanor

Crest:


Family motto: Bound by Blood

Relations with other Kingdoms:
House De Reimer is on good terms with many of the central Kingdoms that sided with them during the civil war. These include Sypius, Telmarion, Nash, Windermere and Orog. However the Kingdoms that sided with the Mandarass Alliance feel great contempt and spite towards them, particularly the kingdoms now occupied by Imperial forces such as Ralda, Coruneon and Uzgob. The De Reimer's maintain an uneasy alliance with House Blackwell and though they are ally's on the surface, the Blackwell's are currently marked as the De Reimer's main rivals. The Southern alliance hold nothing but distrust for the De Reimer family.

Family reputation: Ambitious, Cunning, Wealthy, Scheming, Power Hungry, Untrustworthy

Kingdom's main export goods: Ores; (Iron, copper, steel, gold, silver, coal, gems) equipment; (tools, armour, weapons), Stone, Woodcraft (Furniture, Tools), Clothes.

Description of Kingdom: Cawanor is a kingdom just south of central Formaroth. It has a Continental climate that is slightly colder in its southern regions. Cawanor is very mountainous with a large proportion of the kingdom (around 40%) being covered in mountains. Therefore the main form of industry within Cawanor is mining and smithing. The remaining area that isn’t mountains is mostly farmland. The farmland itself is of average fertility.

There is one settlement of importance within Cawanor, this being the port city of Cawaport. This city is located on the northern coast of Cawanor and is the smallest city in Formaroth. The river Dagma runs through it's centre. Cawaport has a similar building design to renaissance Florence. The city has a great divide of wealth between the upper class, the middle class and the working class. The upper class tend to live in one collected area in Cawaport in large mansions, basking in the wealth that the city provides them. The middle class is the main populous within Cawaport and are made up of such profession as: craftsmen, blacksmiths, shop keepers, tanners, merchants, doctors, tailors, etc. The working class is less of a working class (with the majority of working class people such as miners and farmers living in the countryside of Cawanor) and more of an underclass. The underclass is compacted into one area of the city and lives in the slum known as 'Darktown'. People who live here are mostly beggars or people who find the odd job in docks with loading and unloading ships. Cawaport is also home to the 'Great Lighthouse' a colossal structure at 100 meters in overall height. The city is surrounded by a stone wall which provides a decent amount of defence against minor attacks, but in the event of a major siege it would only provide a minimum amount of resistance.

Iredale Stronghold is located in the centre of Cawanor. It is where the De Reimer family, as well as their advisers, reside.

Family Background: The Kingdom of Cawanor has only been under the control of the De Reimer family for a short period of time (only around 10-20 years). Before that it was controlled by the Hieze family; a greedy and power hunger house that was on ill terms with the current King (Helyot Remonnet). The De Reimer family was a noble family that owned several mining systems within Cawanor. Eventually the wealth and power of the De Reimer family caught the attention of the Hieze family who became fearful of the De Reimer’s wealth and power. They decided to executed the head members of the House in the belief it would destroy the family that may oppose them in the future. However this was not the case. The De Reimer’s oldest son Patrick raised an army from those who were loyal to the De Reimer’s (which was far more than those who were loyal to the Hieze) and started a civil war which ultimately ended with the De Reimer’s becoming the new ruler of Cawanor and every member of the Hieze family with their head on a spike.

Due to the bad relations between the Hieze family and the king, Helyot Remonnet made the De Reimer family the official rulers of Cawanor and gave the family the honour of electing one of its members to the King’s council. Alasdair De Reimer was sent to fulfil this role.

Shortly after Alasdair was appointed to the High council's position of 'Advisor of Law', a civil war enveloped Formaroth between Andris Mandarass and the Tyrannical King Helyot. In order to assure the De Reimer's loyal Helyot kept Alasdair as a hostage, keeping him within Nyhem and refusing to allow him to leave his position on the high council. However this turned out to be a mistake as two years later Heylot suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Andris. During this battle Heylot was killed and his army was routed. Patrick De Reimer had ignored his kings summon's and instead marched upon the city of Nyhem. Once he was assured that his brother was safe Patrick attacked the undefended city of Nyhem and killed all of the remaining supporters of Heylot.

After the Mandarass Alliance won the war Andris disbanded his rebellion and allowed Heylot's brother, John Remmonnet to take the throne. In comparison to Heylot John was a much fairer and level headed ruler, however he was also far easier to manipulate. Through numerous schemes and politicking Alasdair was able to manipulate John into promoting him to the position of 'head advisor'; the highest position on the head council, and responsible for ruling the kingdom in the absence of a king or queen.

Family motives:
It is known that the De Reimer Family’s motives are purely the advancement and progression of their own family’s power and legacy. Though they are not known to be unnecessarily cruel or ruthless, it is believed that they would go to great extents to achieve these aims. Since their family defeated the Mandarass Alliance during the 'battle for the throne' the De Reimer's devotion to their family has grown to near zealot level. More than ever they now believe their blood to be pure and superior that of the other noble families in Formaroth.

Members of house De Reimer

High King Alasdair De Reimer

Name: Alasdair De Reimer (Previously known as Duncan De Reimer in part 1)
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Position: High King of Formaroth/leader of the Imperial Concord
Personality: Those who know Alasdair claim he has two different persona's: The one he shows to the world and his true personality. When in public Alasdair acts in a very formal and polite manner winning over nobles with ease. He is often viewed by others as being a charming man who's confidence always makes you think he is three steps ahead of you.

His true personality is that of a machiavellian; constantly looking for ways to improve his family's position and is prepared to go to any length to achieve this goal. Alasdair is very ambitious and eager to secure power for his family. To this end he is more than willing to manipulate others and scheme behind their back. In the end Alasdair's primary motivation is the good of House De Reimer and as a result he is fiercely loyal to his family. Because of this Alasdair is easily enraged when someone insults his family's name. Though his true loyalty is to his family, Alasdair does somewhat care about the people under his rules and has a genuine interest in improving Formaroth, even if only to further consolidate his families power.

When with his family, Alasdair is considerably more laid-back and will even joke with his siblings in a sarcastic manner. Sometimes he opens this side of him up to those outside of his family, though these occasions are rare and only with those he trust immensely.

Though Alasdair is just as able as his siblings to make brutal and even ruthless decisions to the benefit of his family, he is slightly more restrained about it. He is not unnecessarily cruel and takes no delight in the pain or suffering of the innocent. However when faced with a enemy whom he believes has wronged either him or house De Reimer, Alasdair can be extremely brutal and even sadistic in his treatment of them.

Before the event of the Remmonnet-Manshrew civil war Alasdair was considered to be more kind and idealistic, however due to unknown events Alasdair has grown colder over the years.

After the death of his close friend and brief lover Aurelia Vyncetta Alasdair has become less trusting of people he does not know.

Weaknesses:

Physically frail: Alasdair is weaker in strength than most other people. Many believe this to be linked with his sickly childhood and as a result he never got a chance to strengthen his muscles. Duncan's physical weakness can be easily exploited in a fight (or other situations).

Can be easily angered: Like his siblings Alasdair can be easily angered when his family name is insulted. Though he can keep his temper well hidden it can still cause him to act rash.

Untrustworthy: Due to his reputation as the snake a fair number of people label Alasdair as untrustworthy. His cunning and sly nature does not help him to get rid of this label.

Slow to trust: Ever since the Manshrew-Remonnet civil war Alasdair has been slow to trust people.

Poor Military leader: Alasdair skills at military leadership are laughable to say the least. When it comes to leading an army Alasdair has very little idea about what commands to give.

Alcoholic: Though far from a heavy alcoholic, since the death of Aurelia, Alasdair has certainly started to drink more than he used to. As of yet it has not started to effect his duties as King, but the quantity of which he drinks is increasing noticeably.

Appearance: Tall, shoulder length dark brown hair, skinny, pale skinned, Short well trimmed beard, Well spoken,
Picture of De Reimer siblings:
Skills: Master negotiator, Master politician, Master manipulator, Expert Ruler, Adept economist, Aprentice swordsman, Novice strategist
Background: After the De Reimer family won the civil war, Alasdair De Reimer served under King Helyot Remonnet within the King’s Council. He served as the master of law for two years before King Helyot Remonnet was killed during the war against House Manshrew. Once King John Remonnet was made king, Alasdair managed to use his skills in cunning and manipulation to become the head advisor of the King. Once King Remonnet passed away Alasdair, being the head advisor, became the default ruler of Formaroth. Once it became clear that no viable heir would be found Duncan appointed himself as a candidate for king. While he gained a lot of support from a number of nobles houses, many others viewed him as a power hunger usurper. The most outspoken of these was Andris Mandarass who sought to claim the throne for himself. This is led to a second civil war between the houses that supported the De Reimer's (Imperial Concord) and the Houses that supported Andris (Mandarass Alliance).

After six months of intense fighting the Imperial Concord (with help from House Blackwell) defeated the Mandarass Alliance and sent Andris and his remaining supporters into exile.

Alasdair currently resides in Nyhem. The common people have given the De Reimer siblings nick-names based of their reputation, Alasdair's being 'The Snake'. Alasdair has a force of around a 200 Cawanor soldiers guarding him at Nyhem. They are led by general Alenius. Alenius was originally a Nyhem street urchin whom was taken in by Duncan and trained as a military commander. She is extremely loyal to Alasdair for saving her from a life of poverty.

King Patrick De Reimer

Name: Patrick De Reimer
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Position: Head of House De Reimer/Head of Concord's military
Personality: Loyal to family, Pragmatic, Straight to the point, Formal, Assertive, ruthless when necessary, Intimidating
Appearance: Broad, Short dark brown hair, roundish face, Long well-kept beard
Skills: Master ruler, Master strategist, Master intimidator, Expert politician, Expert economist, Expert swordsman, Adept Negotiator
Background: Once the De Reimer family won the Cawanor civil war Patrick De Reimer was made the new ruler of Cawanor. Patrick rules the kingdom in a pragmatic way and people view him as a firm but fair ruler. Patrick himself has gained a very big reputation within Formaroth and people know better than to stand in the way of his ambitions. It is rare for Patrick to leave the Iredale Stronghold and even rarer for him to leave Cawanor. The Common people's nickname for Patrick is 'The Lion'.

During the second Formarothian Civil war Patrick acted as the leader of the Concords army, crushing the alliance forces.

Patrick is constantly guarded by his bodyguard Evennis, the ex-champion of the Nyhem arena who fights with two short swords.

Lady Isabel De Reimer

Name: Isabel
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Position: Financial manager of Cawanor/Treasurer of the high council
Personality: Loyal to family, Spoiled, Cunning, Mean-spirited, Jealous, Formal in public
Appearance: Back length dark brown hair, Tall, sharp eyebrows, rounded face.
Skills: Master economist, Master trader, Master manipulator, Expert ruler, Adept politician, Apprentice swordsman
Background: Due to being wealthy and powerful for the entirety of her life Isabel is naturally spoiled and selfish. Her mean-spirted attitude means that she doesn’t get along with many people, and the only people who she is believed to be friendly towards are her family, and her bodyguard Ulf. Isabel is also an incredibly jealous woman and will often take extreme measures of vengeance on those she believes has insulted her. Though usually, the insult is minor to say the least. Despites these traits Isabel is incredibly loyal to the De Reimer family and also has extensive knowledge on finances and the economy. Isabel has had a major role in making the De Reimer family as wealthy as it currently is. Isabel's nickname is 'The magpie'.

Isabel is constantly guarded by her personal Bodyguard Ulf. Ulf is a sadistic and brutal man who takes great pleasure in the pain of others. His only loyal appears to be to the members of the De Reimer family.

Lord Oliver De Reimer

Name: Lord Oliver De Reimer

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Position: High Lord of Cawanor, Cousin to the head De Reimer family and Head of the Branch family

Personality: Confident, Intelligent, Loyal to family (though not as zealot as the head family), pragmatic, friendly

Appearance: Exceedingly tall, thin, Short brown hair, green eyes, Large well kept beard

Background: Oliver was the eldest child of the branch family of House De Reimer. After his parents were killed by house Hieze he joined the Cawanor civil war and fought alongside Patrick against the forces of House Hieze. After the war was won and House De Reimer were the new rulers of Cawanor, Oliver was made head of the De Reimers mining industry as well as the various other infrastructures that the De Reimer family had gained from house Hieze. As a result he is a commonly associated with Isabel De Reimer and alongside her has helped immeasurably in increasing the De Reimer families wealth. Shortly after the war he married Lady Eleanor, second eldest child to house Talbert. A year after they married Lady Eleanor bore Oliver a son whom they named Godfrey De Reimer.

Skills: Master economist, Expert trader, Adept politician, Adept Swordsman

Lady Rosita De Reimer

Name: Lady Rosita De Reimer

Age: 30

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Position: Governor of Cawaport, Cousin to the head family

Personality: Kind, lively, Loyal to family (though not a zealot as the head family), political minded, Ambitious

Appearance: Long brown hair, green eyes, thin, pale skin

Background: Like her brother, Rosita helped the De Reimer family during the war. Once the war passed Rosita was made the new Governor of the city Cawaport and oversees and manages the various on-goings that happen within the busy city alongside her cousin Patrick. Rosita is also the default head of Cawanor whenever Lord Patrick De Reimer is absent.

Skills: Master Politician, Expert Ruler, Adept Archer, Adept Economist

High Magister Alice Budwin

Name: Alice Budwin
Age: 36
Sexual Orentation: Homosexual
Gender: Female
Position: High Magister
Personality: Dangerously Curious, Ambitious, Intelligent, Strange, Considered mad by some
Appearance: Long light brown hair
Skills: Master Archaist, Master summoner, Master researcher, Expert user in destruction magic, Adept user in Illusion, Novice user in Transmutation, (rumoured to be skilled in the use of Necromancy though it is unclear whether this is true or not.
Background: Alice was originally the young daughter of a farmer, but once she discovered her talent in magic she was sent by her family to the mages collage in the summer isles. There she excelled under the schools of research and destruction. Her skills eventually got her promoted to the level of High Magister. Alice was infamous in her interest in areas of magic that were considered to be forbidden.

Commander Inigo Orbino

Name: Inigo Orbino
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Hetrosexual
Position: Military commander
Personality:
Inigo Orbino is described by most to be a very serious and stoic man who has little time for anything that is not related to his duty. He holds all of those under his command to a high standard and has very little tolerance for insubordination, incompetence or laziness. Through upbringing he is a military man who sees the world through a martial lens.
Despite this stern attitude he maintains, many view Inigo to be a honourable man who serves the De Reimer family faithfully since their ascension. Inigo maintains a respectfule and formal manner towards those who he deals with, even towards his enemies.

Weaknesses:
Prideful: Inigo takes great pride being the high commander of Cawanor’s armies, almost to the point of arrogance.

Inflexible: Inigo lives to follow the rules, he does not question the orders of his superiors and will do everything by the book.

Bound to chivalry: Inigo is bound to his codes of chivalry and would rather die then betray them.

Appearance: Inigo is a tall, well-built muscular man with broad shoulders and sharp facial features. He is clean shaven and has short blond hair that he keeps well groomed. When armoured he wears full steel plate adorned with the crest and colours of house De Reimer. When off duty he opts for more practical grab over what is considered fashionable, though it is important to note that it is still of a quality suitable for one of nobility.

Background:Inigo has served house De Reimer since before they ruled over Cawanor. When house Hieze tried to purge the De Reimer nobility Inigo was one of the first to declare himself for house De Reimer and assisted Patrick De Reimer in his rebellion and subsequent victory against house Hieze. Since House De Reimer took control of Cawanor Inigo was chosen to maintain, oversee and lead the forces of house De Reimer, a position and he holds in extremely high regards. Often, he will find himself directly collaborate with the De Reimer family and despite being a noble from a minor house, holds a great deal of influence over their opinions. Alasdair De Reimer hand selected him to lead the empires forces in Seikatsu against the imperium.

Skills: Master tactician, Expert strategist, Expert leader, Expert swordsman, Can ride, Can read and write

Admiral Helen Bluvist

Name: Helen Bludvist
Age: 44
Gender: Female
Position: Admiral/Military strategist
Personality: Formal, Militaristic, Loyal to De Reimer family, Honourable
Appearance: Tall, Broad, Short black hair,
Skills: Master Naval commander, Master Axeman, Expert Military leader, Adept military leader
Background: Helen Bludvist originally served under the Hieze family when they were in power as their naval commander and strategist. However during the civil war she took the De Reimer side believing them to be better rulers than the Hieze family. She is known to have a close friendship with Inigo Orbino.

Alenius

Name: Alenius (named herself after the kingdom after hearing the stories of the famed Beatrice Blackwell whom she admired greatly)

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Position: Royal Bodyguard

Personality: Stern, takes her job as bodyguard with extreme pride and seriousness, street smart, much less formal and wild when off duty, unwaveringly loyal to Alasdair

Weaknesses: Uneducated; despite being the the emperors personal bodyguard, Alenius has had no form of education throughout her entire life, to the point that she is unable to even read. This is a fact that very few people know about and something she is very subconscious of.
Racist: Like most of the central kingdoms peasantry, Alenius carries many prejudice views about those who hail from the northern and southern kingdom and is outright hateful of elves.
Stubborn: If given a order by her king, no manner of conniving will be enough to persuade her to disobey

Appearance: Alenius is a tall woman yet unusually skinny for a solider. She had short ginger hair and dark brown eyes. While not pretty in regards to what high society normally regards as beautiful many find her very appealing to the eye in her own rugged way.
Background: Alenius was a orphan who grew up within the slums of Nyhem. As a child she made a living by working for the infamous criminal 'Amblewack' (not his real name) whom Alenius quickly grew to despise. She survived through pickpocketing and stealing from the rich nobles who walked the streets of Nyhem. Alenius was very gifted and one of the few slum orphans that survived to adulthood. After sneaking into the grand Arena during the yearly Tournament Alenius was able to finally see her childhood heroine Beatrice Blackwell in flesh. After being inspired by her determination and unwavering resolve Alenius decided that she too wanted to be a great warrior. After her many failed attempts to join the city guard (who rejected her for being a slum dweller and associate of Amblewack) she eventually drew the attention of Alasdair De Reimer who at the time was the advisor of law for Helyot Remmonnet. After meeting with Alenius in person and realizing her iron will resolve to be a soldier, Alasdair took pity on the woman and agreed to pay for her training if she acted as his personal bodyguard, Alenius has always been grateful to Alasdair for saving her from a life of crime and allowing her to pursue her dream.
Skills:
Mace Combat-expert
Security - master
Commander - adept
pickpocket - expert
Free running - expert
street knowledge - expert

Picture of De Reimer Family

House Raudhfell is a family that is linked to House De Reimer as Urd Raudhfell is Patrick's bastard daughter.
However it isn't necessary to read this, only if you want to

House Raudhfell

House details

Family House Name:
Raudhfell
Location:
Cawanor, Southwestern corner, near border with Thralreth
Crest:
A “glowing” red wagon wheel upon a dark gray shield

Family Motto:
“We persevere.”
Also (informal):
“Nothing good ever comes out of Thralreth.”

Relations with other Houses
For the most part, House Raudhfell is neutral towards the other noble houses, both of Cawanor and of the other kingdoms. They are willing to trade with most of them, provided that they honor any deals made.

Family Reputation:
In the noble circles of the High Court, House Raudhfell is a minor house of little note. Their lands are of reasonable size for their size, but almost tiny when compared to those of major houses. Additionally, their lands are primarily located in the southwestern corner of Cawanor, partially up in the forested mountains and hills here.

Though it is no secret that they are a mercantile power, most do not know the extent of their mercantile empire, as beyond moving others’ goods, they do not focus on any one trade, instead having distributed themselves throughout all branches of trade within Cawanor and a good number of those outside it.

What few goods they do produce themselves are inevitably limited in stock but of the finest quality. They’re known to be somewhat eccentric and not overly interested in politics or court business, so long as it does not affect their business. As such, it is an uncommon occurrence to see a Raudhfell at court in Cawanor, let alone at the high court in Nyhem.

In mercantile circles, it is well-known that anything entrusted to be shipped by Raudhfell caravans will arrive. It may take time, but it is worth the extra cost. While they naturally own a few ships, most of their trade is done by heavily guarded caravans.

Their highly materialistic and secular tendencies are public knowledge. They do not publicly oppose the church of Klebithy, but neither do they associate with them if they can avoid it, often charging extra to ship anything for the church.

While they do provide services within Thralreth, it is always at a higher cost, on account of their requirement for extra guards. Several members of House Raudhfell refuse to set foot in that kingdom.

Main Export of Goods:
House Raudhfell, while formally among the Noble houses of Cawanor, are in many ways even more a mercantile house. The majority of their power lies there, in particular in the act of moving goods for other people, be it for other nobles, merchants or commoners.

While their lands are not poor, neither are they known for producing vast quantities of anything. Instead, these lands are known to produce small, exclusive products of the finest quality, like distilled spirits, which are often sought-after by many, especially nobles. However, it is noted that the current Lord or Lady Raudhfell alone decides who gets to acquire these rare products.

While they do not hold vast lands or political power, their mercantile business has over generations made them a relatively rich house with connections all over Formaroth. However, they have rarely—if ever—expressed much interest in gaining more political power, preferring to stick to what they do know.

Their hands can often be found, directly or indirectly, in most Cawanori trades as well as many of those found in other kingdoms of Formaroth, though these hands are often only indirectly there, deals and investments having been made through agents and other mercantile companies.

Description of House lands:
House Raudhfell holds fairly extensive land claims in their corner of Cawanor, though most of these lands are made up of forested and mountainous wilderness, broken up by rivers, mountains and ruins from bygone years. There are also numerous mines on their lands, as well as the primary trade routes between Thralreth and Cawanor.

At the core of their lands stands a fortified manor that serves at the hub of their mercantile empire, even if few of their wagons ever come within sight of the manor. It is surrounded by cultured farmlands, orchards and the occasional ruins from less peaceful times. The villages and towns in this region are typically populated by people who share the house’s distrustful view of religious institutions. Most of the house’s militia and servants come from these towns and villages, something that provides these places with a steady income well above the norm for remote towns and villages, something travelers often note. While some members of the militia guard the manor, the vast majority travel the lands with the family caravans.
Family Background:
The family itself is probably some offshoot from another noble house far back in time, but for the past six or more generations of Raudhfells, their background has been irrevocably tied to trade. The Raudhfell trade empire’s reputation throughout Formaroth has grown significantly over the past twenty-five years, with the rise of the current Duke Raudhfell. It doesn’t matter where in Formaroth you want goods moved; If you want to be certain that it will get where you want it to go, you can never go wrong if you hire a Raudhfell caravan to move it. Though it is worth noting that moving goods through or to Thralreth will cost extra.

Claim to the Throne/House Motives
Historically, House Raudhfell on its own has no claim on the throne, not for Cawanor, let alone for Formaroth. However Urd Raudhfell, the heir to House Raudhfell’s current heir, is also the illegitimate firstborn daughter of Patrick De Reimer. Therefore, she has a claim to the throne of Cawanor through him, though it is worth noting that no such claim has not been put forth, nor has she even spoken with him. She is currently in the process of investigating whether she wants to know her blood father.

As merchants, they care more about stability and continued trade income than they do about politics. As such, they have not formally shown favor towards one candidate, even if it is given that they have more trade with the de Reimers than with the Manshrews on account of their relative proximity.

Known members:
Ida Raudhfell Mother, Current heir to House Raudhfell
Asgher Raudhfell Maternal Grandfather, Head of House Raudhfell
Alva Raudhfell né Mirkvidhr Maternal grandmother
Urd Raudhfell Heir-to-the-heir

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Asgher Raudhfell

Name: Asgher Raudhfell
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Position: Duke Raudhfell, Member of the lower Cawanori nobility and undisputed ruler of the Raudhfell mercantile empire.

Background:

The current ruler of the Raudhfell lands is Duke Asgher Raudhfell. As the head of the house, he makes all the major decisions for its paths, though there is no denying that these decisions are at times influenced, for better or worse, by the wills and whims of his wife, daughter and granddaughter. This, however, does not mean he is a pushover. If anything, there is a clear tendency that attempting to manipulate him leads to a result opposite of that desired by the manipulator. It takes great skill to manipulate him successfully.

He took charge of House Raudhfell some twenty-five years ago, following the death of his parents at the hands of a rivaling merchant company. Ideally, he would’ve had many more years of training before he took command, but ideal situations rarely arise. He immediately took charge of the business, involving himself far more deeply than his father and mother had, knowing that his wife of eight years was more than suited to the task of running the household. Together with his brothers _{[Who may get more detailed stories at a later time]} he set out to crush his family’s rivals and prove that he was ready to assume control over the Raudhfell mercantile company.

Considering the size of their mercantile empire and the relative strength of their opposition, it goes without saying that payback was no quick job, not something solved merely with a knife in the dark. Before he could even consider that, he had to make his opposition suffer as he had. In addition to dealing with this rival company, they had to deal with countless packs of opportunistic brigands who saw quick profits in raiding largely defenseless merchant caravans.

While he could not prove it, he had strong suspicions that at least some of those brigands had support from his rivals. They were better equipped than was average and they had oddly convenient times of striking. For obvious reasons he could not let that go on, which led to him hiring hundreds of villagers from on and near the Raudhfell lands, seeing to it that they received sufficient training with weapons to counter these brigands.

It was a slow process, but three years after his ascension, Raudhfell caravans had already gained a reputation for being safer than those of any other merchant company. But that reputation was not freely earned, for having that many guards on at all times cost money, but in the end it was worth it. For even as they had more expenses from the guards, a pattern emerged where more and more caravans reached their destinations. This logically led to higher profits and a better reputation, which in turn allowed them to charge higher prices from clients. Few clients were unwilling to pay what it cost to guarantee delivery. Or rather, few successful clients.

While he and his brothers frequently traveled alongside caravans, he did not personally lead them. Instead, he led what basically was a small army, specially trained to hunt down successful brigands and retrieve stolen cargo. Primarily cargo stolen from Raudhfell caravans, but as fewer and fewer of those caravans were robbed, he expanded into recovering cargo for other merchants, a service that Raudhfells still provide to this day, though Asgher is not involved in it himself.

With their rapidly growing reputation throughout the circles of anyone wanting to move goods anywhere, it is a given thing that their fortune grew. People began to rely upon them, choosing them over their rivals, which in turn weakened them. The particular rival responsible for the deaths of Asgher’s parents was rapidly approaching ruin as he made sure everyone knew what they had done. Some five and a half years after his ascension, he dealt the final blow through the expeditious use of the aforementioned knife in the dark. He might be good at wielding sword, axe and mace, but knives in the dark had never been Asgher’s forte. Therefore, as well as for other obvious reasons, he did not wield the knife himself. Why attempt something you know you are not good at yourself, when you can hire professionals to do it right?

With the last remnants of this rival in chaos, he quickly moved in, seizing their territory and assets, assimilating them into what many had come to call the Raudhfell mercantile Empire. At this point, when it came to moving much of anything valuable in Formaroth, people knew that the Raudhfells could be relied upon.

Unfortunately, the fates did not wish for Asgher to rise too far. The fates demanded humility, not pride from him. Thus, less than half a year later, while recovering one a stolen shipment in one of the innumerable forests to Thralreth, he was struck down by a particularly skilled brigand’s axe. Had his men been any less well-trained than they were, and had he been further away from home than he was, not to mention had the brigand’s aim been just a touch better, that would have been the end of Asgher Raudhfell. But his men were that good, he was close to home and while the brigand’s axe buried itself in his right thigh and abdomen, it missed everything vital. Even as he fell off his horse to lie bleeding on the ground, his men quickly finished up the fight, leaving none of the brigands alive and recovering the cargo. They mended his wounds as best as they could, loaded him on one of the carts and took him home.

His wife hired the best healers that money could buy, and while they saved his life and fully restored his ability to walk, the grievousness of his injuries meant that he would ne’er again father any children. To add to the insult from the fates, as he recovered, he learned that his only daughter, Ida, while being presented at court, had somehow gotten herself impregnated, by a powerful noble at that, one so far above them in rank that the very idea of asking for reparations, let alone marriage was laughable.

Considering his daughter’s utter refusal to consider marriage to any other man, he resolved to make the best of an already impossible situation. Where any other man might’ve blamed the powerful noble, his daughter or even his wife for allowing this to happen, Asgher knew that the blame lay in his lap. He had been too busy traveling the land, dealing with the family business to even notice how his daughter was growing up. There was no doubt in his mind that she had lacked for a proper father figure in her life. Upon making that realization, he swore an oath that he would make up for it. He would be as a proper father figure to his grandchild, no matter if it was a son or a daughter. He or she would become worthy of inheriting the Raudhfell name when she was older. Nothing would prevent him from achieving this goal. Nothing.

While the healers had restored his body, magic of this magnitude does not come without a cost. To this day, he has a marked limp in his right leg, and underneath his clothes the scarring is extensive. Nonetheless, he has done his best these past nineteen years to assist in raising his granddaughter and giving her as extensive an education as possible, ensuring that she has become a truly formidable young lady.

Aside from that, he has spent his time directing the merchant business, both through hired agents and through the capable hands of his brothers. Though his injuries were a setback for the business, in the end it was a minor one. The family business continued to grow, its reputation spreading further and further. In addition to that, he rebuilt the family distillery, using the fruits of the family lands to distill powerful spirits for sale. Like the family caravans, the Raudhfell Reserve has a reputation for quality, in spite of, or as a result of, the small size of the distillery.

Appearance:

image

Asgher is neither thin nor overweight. Though he is still practicing with weapons and maintaining his strength, there is no denying that he is well past his prime. His once-brown hair is now mostly white and his face is lined with age.

He has a distinct preference for clothes using the Raudhfell gray, but also mixes it in with a bright blue.

Skills:

At his age, his skills are not easily summed up. He’s got years of experience at combat, economics, animal handling, negotiations and countless other areas. However, he also has enough experience to know that others are better than him at many of these things, like how his daughter Ida has a far better head for numbers than him.

Magic:

Like most Raudhfells, Asgher has inherited a certain talent for summoning magic, being able to summon forth and control certain shades. His talent is not of such a level that he can in any way be called a master, but on account of how rare this talent is and how the church of Klebithy looks down upon it, he is powerful enough to have good use for it.

This particular talent has been in the Raudhfell family for untold generations, almost never failing to show up in children born to the family.

He is Circle-trained.

Personality:

Like his skills, Asgher’s personality is not something that can easily be summed up into just a few words. However, there are certain tendencies that shine through and that rule his behavior. He is an apt businessman, able to see opportunities where others would view the situation as hopeless. He is merciless towards those who would wish him and his ill, and he is able to see the bigger picture.

It is no secret that he favors his family and those who have shown loyalty over time ahead of those who are unfamiliar, but if someone new should show to be particularly skilled at something, then he will use them for what they are worth. Nothing, in his mind, should be wasted. Similarly, if someone has wronged him and his in the past, they will find it very hard to gain his trust. Even when he is merciless, he has a code of honor that he holds himself, his family and his employees to. He is, however, not above using hired assassins if the situation calls for it.

Relations towards others:

Towards others, Asgher is generally fair. He bears no ill will towards the vast majority of people, but he has a certain distrust towards the Church of Klebithy, on account of their policy towards his personal form of magic. He is a shrewd businessman, but keeps mostly to himself even when he upon rare occasions leaves the Raudhfell lands, however those occasions have become rarer and rarer these recent years.

The uneducated masses are not his favorite, which is why he seeks to promote education even among common villagers, especially upon the Raudhfell lands. Ignorance is no excuse he respects.

He keeps the axe that made him the man he is today hanging on the wall in his study, and he is not shy about saying that. Most would assume it is the axe he wielded in battle while defending the family name, but his family all know it is the axe that almost got him killed.

Weaknesses:

His years of fighting for the family business have taken their toll, as has age. He is no longer the skilled combatant he used to be, and while he may not like it, he cannot deny that fact. Nor is his sight as good as it once was.

His right leg, severely damaged in his final battle, has given him a permanent limp, and his innumerable scars provide him no comfort. He cares deeply for his family, so threats to his family can be a means to provoke him.

Alva Raudhfell né Mirkvidhr

Name: Alva Raudhfell né Mirkvidhr
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Position: Duchess Raudhfell by marriage, Ida’s Mother, Lesser Cawanori Noble

Background:

Born Alva Mirkvidhr, the current Duchess Raudhfell may not belong to house Raudhfell through her blood, but that does not make her any less a Raudhfell. She married Asgher Raudhfell just half a year before her fifteenth birthday. By that time, they had been in love for three years already and betrothed for two years. Had their courtship not been thoroughly chaperoned by their parents, there was little doubt in anyone’s minds that she’d not have been a virgin on her wedding night.

In any case, from the moment they were married, it took mere weeks before her first pregnancy was confirmed with the onset of morning sickness. Unfortunately, this morning sickness simply didn’t end. Weakened by this, the healers—who did their best—were not surprised when she miscarried sometime in the second month. Though heartbroken by the loss of what would’ve been her firstborn, Alva was not one to give up.

She loved her husband with all her heart, and wished for nothing more than to present him with an heir. Thus, even with the miscarriage in mind, it did not take long for her to get pregnant once more, though she was much more careful this time. Rather than taking any chances, she listened to her mother-in-law’s advice and had a midwife on retainer, obeying the woman’s advice in everything from what activities to participate in and to avoid, what to eat and not to eat and even how much rest to take.

It was almost as tough a pregnancy as her first one, but with careful assistance from the midwife, she managed to carry the child to term, naming the young girl Ida after the amount of work involved in getting her into this world.

However, even this did not come without a cost. The midwife warned her that while the child was healthy, there was a high chance of her never being able to bear a child to term again, and that she should wait at least a year and a half before trying for another.

As can only be expected, all of her and Asgher’s relatives came by to see the child, doting on it as old relatives are wont to do with infants. Even her parents, who had many other children to care for and who lived almost at the other end of Cawanor, came by. But as expected, they could not stay long. After all the visitors left, Alva’s mother-in-law began in truth to teach her the ways of running the Raudhfell household. She in turn did her best to learn, even as she obeyed the midwife’s instructions on not to get pregnant again too soon.

It took her years to even begin to grasp the finer nuances involved in running a lesser noble merchant household, but learn she did. As the years when by, she and Asger occasionally tried for another child, but it proved just as futile as the midwife had warned, whenever she did get pregnant, it rarely lasted more than a month or two at best before terminating in failure.

While these attempts failed, her lessons in running both a house and parts of a mercantile company we not nearly as prone to failure. Which was a good thing, seeing how early on in her twenty-second year Asgher’s parents were both killed, supposedly slain by brigands. But if those were brigands, they sure had suspiciously fine weapons and good armor, not to mention three the number of men typically found in a band of brigands, or so the three surviving servants claimed.

She saw just how hard the loss of his parents hurt her husband and immediately moved in to run the household and many parts of the business, while he prepared to pay the guilty back. Though she missed him when he was out fighting, there was no denying that practicing on running a house and actually running it are two things that are worlds apart. Though the next six years rarely offered them more than a night or two together in any given season, they achieved much through their cooperation, not only proving that Asgher was a worthy heir to the Raudhfell name and title, but making their family business into something that was worthy of respect all over Formaroth.

Taking on the title of Duchess Raudhfell was no easy burden, nor was it a burden she had expected to carry for at least a decade or two, if not more. In between the hard work of running the home-based parts of the family business and worrying over what her husband was up to, she had to not only make sure she raised Ida properly, but also deal with the everything involved in being a Duchess. They might just belong to the lesser nobility, but that did not change the fact that their house was a rising star in Formaroth. More and more people knew of them, and with that fact, court protocols had to be obeyed.

Therefore, in the late summer of her twenty-eighth year, she could no longer deny the fact that her daughter was rapidly growing up. She would have to be presented at court as all young ladies are, her eligibility for courtship made known, even if marriage usually wouldn’t happen for a couple of years even if someone started courting her following her presentation.

Thus, when mid-autumn came, she made sure the family’s agents were well-instructed and that business would take itself while she and Ida traveled to court at Cawaport for the formal presentation. The presentation itself went off without a hitch. Ida’s tutors had taught her many things well, but she was young, naïve and very independent-minded. Thus, Alva was in no way prepared when Ida had taken it into her own mind to explore certain… aspects… of court life. They stayed at court for only eight days, but—unbeknownst to Alva—by the time they left, Ida was no longer a virgin, having caught the eye of and gotten besotted by a noble of a similar age to her own.

It took several more weeks before she connected the dots about this. The first hint was the fact that her daughter really desired to go back to court. But of course that wasn’t sufficient for Alva to realize it. The second hint should’ve been when Ida’s period was late, but her daughter hadn’t seen fit to share that information until well after the fact. The final hint, the one that let her connect the dots was a bit over a month after the presentation, when morning sickness hit Ida. When it hit her hard.

A thorough interrogation later, and she learned what her daughter had actually been up to when they were not together at court. How she had met the young Lord Patrick De Reimer. Just how irresistible she’d found him and so on and so on.

She consoled her daughter as best as she could, calling on her trusted midwife to help her daughter. While means for terminating pregnancies existed, she knew she could never consider demanding that her daughter go through with one of them. At best, they were painful if successful, at worst they led to sterility or even death. Considering her own miscarriages, it would never be worth the risk.

---

It was most unfortunate how her daughter had attracted just the wrong rank of noble, but now it was too late to change. Her daughter was young, tough and stubborn. Though she was naturally fearful of miscarriages, she had a feeling that Ida would survive, a feeling the midwife shared. What to do about the situation beyond that was something she had no idea how to deal with. She wanted to consult her husband, but he was out dealing with a particularly brazen band of brigands, so even if she had wanted to send him a letter, she couldn’t have. Besides, this sort of information should be told in person, not in something as impersonal as a letter.

However, before she could decide on how to go about it, she heard the commotion from the front of the mansion. When she had first looked outside, she had wondered why her husband had brought a wagon into the inner courtyard. But then she saw her husband’s favored horse unsaddled, tied to one of his best men’s horses. A cold shudder of fear passed through her. What had happened?

The captain of the guards found her shortly afterwards, even as servants ran about, clearly having received instructions from someone. He informed her that her husband was not dead, but that he was grievously injured. He informed her that all available healers had been summoned, and asked her forgiveness for not consulting her first.

Her relief was palpable and she forgave him on the spot, even promised to reward him for his initiative, no matter how good or bad the outcome was. No expense was to be spared in the undertaking of saving her husband’s life.

---

Much to her relief, the healers were successful, saving his life and preventing him from being crippled by the injuries. Because of the heavy amount of magic used, his recovery was quicker than it otherwise would have been, taking a mere month rather than the better part of a year. Only when she was sure he was on the mend could she dare mention their daughter’s condition to him, both out of fear for how it would hit him, and out of the simple fact that she had needed a long time to come up with a way to phrase it.

In the end, her struggle with explaining her guilt was all in vain, for he refused to let her take the blame, claiming it was clearly his fault. He should’ve been there for Ida. She informed him when he asked about all she had gotten out of their daughter, then he asked how their daughter was handling it. She answered him as best as she could, and was present when he had Ida brought before him. To her surprise, all he did was to embrace her. He did not speak, he did not chastise. He simply embraced her.

Alva could in many ways not help envying her daughter’s much easier pregnancy. It was tough in how young she was, but aside from that, it was relatively painless. Until the time to give birth came along, mind you. The closer to that time she got, the more apparent the struggle in carrying around a womb that distended was.

Even Urd’s birth was easier than Ida’s had been. While Alva had suggested all sorts of names for the child, it was Ida in the end that decided upon calling her Urd. Once again Alva was surprised by her husband, who swore the day of the child’s birth that he would do everything he could to be a worthy father figure to Urd, to not fail her as he had failed Ida, not that he said that last bit before Ida, mind you.

In the following years, aside from a few events of note, he proved to Alva that he had not given his oath lightly. Her love for her husband only grew stronger from it. Alva in turn helped teach her daughter all she could about how to be a good mother, and how to run the house. Though she had no plans to die anytime soon, fate had shown itself to be fickle in more ways than one, so she knew it was better to be on the safe side.

These days, she has continued to deal with the business of running the house and the mercantile business. While protocol brings her to court on occasion, she largely prefers to stay away from it.

useful numbers

(format: age-month) Alva Ida Urd
Ida's birth 15-10 0 -
Miscarriage #2 17-06 01-08 -
Miscarriage #3 17-10 02-00 -
Miscarriage #4 20-08 04-10 -
Ascension 22-03 06-05 -
Miscarriage #5 25-07 09-09 -
Urd's conception 28-09 12-11 -
Urd's birth 29-06 13-08 0
Ida’s return to court 35-08 19-10 06-02

Appearance:

Hider

Where time has turned her husband’s hair mostly white, Alva’s hair is still mostly brown, only a few stray hairs here and there that have whitened. Her face is somewhat lined by age, but still mostly smooth.

Alva is considerably shorter than her husband, but not so short as to stand out among other people, a trait largely inherited by both her daughter and her granddaughter.

As can only be expected, she has a marked preference for Raudhfell gray when it comes to what dyes her clothes are made with, and as is typical this far from court, comfort and function are more important than any adherence to fashion.

Skills:

Alva has proven how she excels at managing house business, even while doing her best at dealing with other factors. Her skillset is almost as wide as that of her husband, though many areas his skills do not cover (and not covering some areas his skills do cover). She still handles many parts of the family mercantile business, especially the composition of letters and trade contracts.

Magic:

When it comes to the magical arts, Alva is not particularly powerful, but like many Cawanori nobles, she has trace talents. While she can do simple tricks, she can’t truly be called a mage. However, for all her lacks in talent and aptitude, she more than compensates through her theoretical knowledge, even into branches she has absolutely no talent in.

She may have had traces of magical talent (as is common among Cawanori nobility), but no high aptitude. She does, however, have a good theoretical education about magic and access to mages trained in many of these branches, a thing that proved very useful with her granddaughter Urd, who inherited a talent for magic that was several tiers above the family average.

Personality:

She is a kind woman, easily able to handle many parts of the family business, but also not too good at dealing with things outside her comfort zone. When, for one reason or another, she is outside that, she has proven to be less able to keep track of scattered details and signs. Over the years, she has learned to some degree to cope with that trait, primarily by staying on the family lands, effectively forcing anyone who desired to meet her in person rather than through missives to come there. Not only does that help her stay focused, but it puts her in a position of strength.

A core trait about her is that she learns from her mistakes and strives never to repeat even the smallest mistake. After her daughter got herself accidentally impregnated, she made sure to educate her granddaughter very carefully on that front, ensuring they do not make the same mistake. When her granddaughter was presented to the court, she watched over the girl like a hawk. She is careful in everything, but also just. She does not mete out punishment where it is not due, and is more compassionate and forgiving than her husband.

Relations towards others:

Alva is a kind soul, merciful towards almost everyone, but also somewhat scatter-minded. She mostly stays at home, avoiding court if she can.

Weaknesses:

Alva’s most notable weakness is her poor constitution. She is and has always been rather frail and prone to sickness. From the time she married her husband to the present day, she has gotten pregnant at least six times, but only managed to give birth to a single living child.

Another notable weakness is her willingness to forgive and her inability to hold hard grudges the way her husband can, which is part of the reason she generally avoids going to court.

Ida Raudhfell

Name: Ida Raudhfell
Age: 33
Gender: Female
Position: Noble, Countess Raudhfell

Background:

Ida’s first six and a half years of life were much like those of any other lesser noble of Cawanor, or for most other kingdoms for that matter. But from that moment on, her life deviated somewhat. At that point her grandparents were killed and her parents ascended to the title of Duke and Duchess Raudhfell, and she herself technically became the Countess Raudhfell.

In her case, the change in rank had roughly zero meaning at the time, but in her parents’ case, it changed things significantly. Her mother took over running the household, while her father went off to fight for the family’s business and honor. Not that she understood much of anything about that. All she understood was one day her father was there, the next he wasn’t. And her mother started calling her “my little countess”.

Additionally, her mother seemed to have less time for her, having her spend more time with her tutors. Considering how boring tutors were at the time, it wasn’t a particularly fun concept to spend even more time with them, which probably explains why she stubbornly refused to cooperate with them on more than one occasion. Considering how she also had inherited the Raudhfell magic, that refusal could be less than practical for certain types of tutors, even if she never went so far as to actually abuse her magic.

As she grew older, she did begin to mature somewhat, growing out of certain parts of her childish pettiness, but she never truly lost her stubborn edge. Her long line of tutors found ways to get into her mind, their being paid hinging primarily on what she learned, rather than how much time they spent teaching her. She took much better to the lessons relating to being part of the nobility than her mother ever had, lacking that frail and uncertain edge her mother had. Around her eleventh birthday they started teaching her the court etiquette common to adults, rather than those for children.

Being treated more like an adult helped a lot in earning her cooperation and she took in those lessons much the same way a sponge takes in water. By the time she was considered mature enough to be presented at court nearly two years later, she had grown mentally and physically into a proper young lady, albeit a stubborn and willful one.

It did not matter that she’d been training for just this occasion for years. She was still almost petrified with nervousness when it came to actually going to court, not to mention to go there with the purpose of being presented. That bit was more terrifying than anything she had gone through before, even more than the first time she’d summoned a shade.

She had fretted over everything, from what to say, how to walk to what to wear. Moving out there, even with her mother at her side had been impossibly difficult, and when she got out there, she couldn’t even remember any of what she was supposed to say. So embarrassing! She’d stood there, her face probably glowing red, not saying a word for what felt like hours before she remembered the words. Afterwards, she curtsied properly, then quickly retreated, making sure not to summon her favorite shade.

Only afterwards did her mother tell her of her own presentation, how that had been even worse. Apparently the only man to even bother looking at her mother had been her father. She understood why she was only told this afterwards, though. The only thing worse than going out there and forgetting the words as everyone looked on would be just that: going out there, saying the words and everyone ignoring her. How her mother had lived that down, she could not comprehend.

Later on presentations were less formal, with only one or two others. Some of the women were her age, but most were much older. Or just small children. Of the men, only one was her age, the rest, well forget them. They were irrelevant, for the one her age was simply perfect. From the way he looked back at her, it did not take much imagination to figure out he found her just as interesting.

Considering how little her mother liked court life, it wasn’t hard to get away from her. Finding the man alone was much harder, but after a day or so of fumbling about, she managed to get him alone. The first couple of days all they got in were a couple of inexperienced kisses and a little harmless touching. On the third day, they got a little further, getting familiar with certain parts not normally shown to strangers, but dared not go all the way on account of the risk of being found out. However, Patrick had grown up in this court, so he knew of all sorts of hiding places, and on the fourth day, he brought her to a favorite hiding place of his, one where they would not be disturbed. One kiss led to another, and less than an hour later, she was no longer a virgin.

The following day, she was a little sore, but very pleased. He truly cared for her! They shared a couple of knowing glances, and managed to arrange for further “accidental” encounters. By the time she and her mother left for home, she had been with her Patrick more than enough to know just how much she liked him and that he liked her just as much.

After they got back home, Ida found that she missed court. She actually missed being around people, but most of all—of course—she missed Patrick. She expressed her interest in going back, in learning more about court, but was very careful not to reveal her true reasons. Deep down, she knew that what she’d been up to was not proper for a lady of her rank, and certainly not with someone of his rank.

Her mother refused to go back to court so soon, and of course she couldn’t send Ida there alone. It was one thing to be eligible for courtship, quite another to be at court with no chaperoning relatives present. The former was acceptable, while the latter was very much not accepted. She tried to convince her mother, but found that her attempts were stonewalled. She’d nagged at her mother for a full week about it before figuring out that it wouldn’t work.

Frustrated, she mostly gave up on it, needing several more weeks to realize that something was definitely different. Not only was her period more than a week late, but she felt a bit strange. A week and a half later, the first undeniable signs presented themselves when she started throwing up in the morning, being utterly incapable of holding down food.

At that point it did not take long for her mother to figure out just what was going on. By mid-day, her mother had taken her aside and pressed her hard for every detail. She’d tried to play all her cards to not give away information, but her mother did not relent. In the end, she had given up everything. In hindsight she would probably have saved herself all sorts of uncomfortable questions if she’d done that from the start, but her pride had gotten in the way.

A midwife was brought in to examine her and to explain in more detail just what pregnancy meant, as well as explaining why her mother was so concerned for her, how almost every time her mother had been sick over the years had been failed attempts to give her a brother or sister, rather than diseases.

The midwife explained to her that she should be fine, that she had a much stronger constitution than her mother, then gave her a few instructions about foods, activities and so on. Not much later, her father returned home on a cart, grievously wounded in battle. With how rarely she’d seen him these recent years, she’d not really been close to him, but he was still her father.

Healers from all over the realm came to help him, hired to make him as close to whole as they could. With her own condition inhibiting her, she stayed mostly away, letting her mother and the healers deal with it. Only later did she learn that her mother had concealed her pregnancy from him, so as not to worry him further.

When he was informed of it, he summoned her to his side, and she saw how the healing had worn him down, making him seem far more like a shadow of his normal self. He did not look angry. He did not speak out to blame her for making such a mistake. All he did was hold his arms open, pulling her into a hug. She had no idea prior to that moment, but that was exactly what she needed. She had missed having him around.

---

She had at one point thought summoning shades to be the most difficult thing possible. Then she’d had to present herself at court, which was much, much harder. But none of those compared to being pregnant. Especially not to late-stage pregnancy. Everything was difficult. Things that she had taken for granted became challenges.

But of course she should’ve known that even those difficulties would pale to giving birth. Her mother had warned her. The midwife had warned her. Had she listened? No. The pain involved was beyond words. It was almost an entire day and night of unending pain. But if anyone were to ask her if it was worth it in the end, she would be lying if she said anything but yes.

The tiny infant girl was hers, so small, yet perfect. her pale green eyes curiously looking out at the world. The next several months—of course—she didn’t get much in the way of full nights of sleep. The midwife had warned her how the child would need a long time to sleep through the night, but warnings like these didn’t truly prepare her for the facts, even if she kept a more open mind to it after being proven wrong time and again. It was exhausting, and she had no idea how she’d have been able retain her sanity had her parents not been there for her, helping her through it.

For the first time in what felt like forever, her father was truly around, he wasn’t gone for months at a time, even took a close hand in helping her with her daughter. As years passed, urd grew from an active infant into a curious child. Ida grew closer and closer to her parents, learning more and more about what it meant to control a household, even beginning to take control of the family accounts.

Six years after Urd’s birth, following a small but bloody rebellion, the power in Cawanor had shifted. As such, someone had to go to court. Considering how her mother hated court and her father didn’t enjoy traveling the way he once had and her uncles were to removed from the line of succession, that left the task to Ida. By this time, Urd had gotten old enough not to need constant watching, so she felt safe enough to leave her in the care of her parents.

When she got to court, she quickly gathered information, comparing it to what she already had, but staying out of the limelight herself. Naturally enough, she could not help but look at Patrick De Reimer, who—if anything—was even better-looking than before, but she did not approach him in private. Though she remembered him very well, she feared he would not remember her. She certainly didn’t want to make a scene.

After that business was taken care of, she returned home, the family status no longer threatened. There she continued to take care of business and raising her daughter to the best of her ability. Over the following years, she would make numerous visits to court in Cawaport, maintaining the family’s status there, even as she kept from drawing additional attention to herself.

Appearance:

Hider

It should come as no surprise to anyone that Ida resembles her mother in many ways. They are, after all, mother and daughter. Her hair, like her mother’s, is brown. Her eyes like her daughter’s, are green.

When at home, she prefers a simple style of dress, with a focus on function rather than fashion, but when she goes to court, she strives to stick to the current fashions, something the family’s mercantile connections ensures they have ample information about. When it comes to colors, she naturally has her clothes themed with the traditional Raudhfell gray, but also enjoys mixing green into her dresses. Like her mother, she is somewhat shorter than is average for Cawanori noblewomen.

Skills:

Ida’s education is extensive, especially for being what basically amounts to a backwoods noble. She is especially well-educated when it comes to mercantile arts, negotiations and court protocol, and has been in charge of the family accounts for many years. Though her father still makes most of the decisions, she has significant influence upon them, as she knows far better than he what they can and can’t afford. She has proven herself to be a capable scribe, always writing her own trade agreements and letters, though this does mean her hands are occasionally stained with ink.

Magic:

Like her father and her daughter, she was born with the talent for summoning magics, but she has also inherited certain trace talents from her mother. From her parents as well as from her tutors, she has learned much about how to use these talents, though her use of summoning magic is not quite as good as that of her father, on account of how she hasn’t had to use it in battle the way he has.

Because of the timing of Urd’s conception, Ida has not received any training at the Circle.

Personality:

Early in her life, Ida was more than a little naïve, not willing to believe how difficult things are, even when told how difficult it would be. But over the years, as more and more difficult things happened, she learned to some degree to overcome this trait, only to find herself overwhelmed by the next such event.

Beyond this, the core thing that has shaped Ida’s personality is the conception and birth of Urd. A few youthful indiscretions and a week at court during her presentation, and she got pregnant, much earlier than is the norm, even for nobles. This also resulted in her having to grow up quickly, and kept her away from court for many years as she had to care for her daughter.

In how it made her grow up, it was a blessing, but in how it robbed her of a standard childhood, it was a curse. She became more withdrawn, focused more on family and business than upon court life, but eventually returning to court at cawaport, where she represented her family.

She is a caring and kind, but rather withdrawn woman, capable of handling many things at any one time. Because of the previously mentioned events, she also has an intense desire for control.

Relations towards others:

Towards others Ida is methodical and careful, always doing her best to see their motives and how that can be used for her and her family’s benefit. She is always on the lookout for opportunities.

Weaknesses:

Humor rarely works on Ida. She simply did not have the chance to let that sense develop. Where others might find it inconvenient to lose control, it is debilitating for Ida.

She is very vocal about her dislike of the church of Klebithy, both for how they view mages with talents like her own, and for how many of the more fervent worshippers glorify their own or their followers’ ignorance.

Urd Raudhfell

Name: Urd Raudhfell
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Sexual Orientation: Standard
Height: 158.3 cm
Weight: 50.9 kg
Eye Color: Spring Green
Hair Color: Brown

Position:
Urd’s position in the hierarchy of nobles is both complex and simple. On her mother’s side, she heir to the title of Countess Raudhfell. This title belongs to the lower Nobility of Cawanor. That is the simple part.

The difficult part lies in her father’s side. First of all, she was born out of wedlock. Second of all, he doesn’t know she exists. But she is nonetheless his firstborn child, and thus technically his heir, provided that there is no requirement for her to have been conceived within the constraints of wedlock to inherit.

As her father is Patrick De Reimer, the current king of Cawanor, she has technically a potential claim to the title of Princess of Cawanor. But as he father doesn’t know of her existence, this claim is as of yet not something she can put any weight into.

Thus, her formal title as of the present time is merely Lady Raudhfell, as there is no special title for the heir of an heir. While many people feel she should not be permitted to inherit anything at all on account of the nature of her birth, her grandparents have made sure to have documents drawn up putting her into the line of succession for the house title, ignoring any protests.

Background:

The nature of Urd’s birth has already been covered, as has her ties to her two families. Therefore, that will not be covered again.

Her earliest memories are of the family estate in northwestern Cawanor, with her mother and her maternal grandparents, as well as the regular crowd of servants and other employees. As noble families go, most of her childhood was fairly normal, if one discounts the lack of a father, but as she had no memories of having him around, she had no way to miss him either.

Her upbringing was largely sheltered, but included an extensive education from a very young age, in part from her family, in part from tutors. With few exceptions, her mother stayed home until about two months after her sixth birthday, but went to court for extended visits after that. Whenever her mother wasn’t around, she was left in the hands of her grandmother and grandfather, as well as her various tutors, who continued her education as befit a young noblewoman and future heir.

However, as the scion of a mercantile-based noble family, she was expected to know more. Thus, she was not merely raised at home. She was from a young age taken out, first among the people who would one day be her subjects, then later out on the trade routes. It was on the earliest of these journeys that someone tried to kill her first.

The would-be assassin naturally failed and was caught, resolutely claiming that nobody born out of wedlock should inherit a title, that she should’ve been killed at birth. Not that Urd was around to hear that, she only learned of his words many years later. From that moment on, whenever she was away from the family estate, her family sent along several bodyguards dedicated to her safety alone.

They did not even consider not letting her out. She needed to be out and about, to learn the family trade if she was ever to be a worthy heir to the Raudhfell name. Her training in the magical arts began shortly before her eighth birthday, after being tested and found to have considerable talent, though as yet hard to determine how great it was. Not only did she have raw talent in the family’s summoning magic, but she had also, presumably from her father’s side, inherited a certain talent for other branches of magic.

Unfortunately, the first would-be assassin was not alone in his opinion concerning her future inheritance. The second attempt happened on the family estates, right by one of the ruins stemming from days when this region of Cawanor was wilder and beset with armed conflicts. In many ways, like many other parts of Formaroth are today.

The second attempt on her life came shortly after her eighth birthday, when she had begun to manifest her magical talent, but while it was still largely untrained. More importantly, because she was on the family estates, she was not accompanied by her bodyguards. The only people with her was one of her tutors and a servant.

At the time, she sat beneath a ruined tower, half-playing, half-listening to her tutor, when a section of the tower near its broken tip fell out and down towards her. Had she not had any magical talents, that would have been the end of her there. But even barely trained as she was, she reacted instinctively, a massive shade shaped like a wolf appeared out of thin air, half-leaping, half-flying straight up, knocking aside most of the falling rocks, passing through the opening created by the fallen stones.

Alas, the shade only knocked aside some of the stones. One of the larger chunks—about half the size of her head—still hit her left thigh, easily breaking her leg. Another piece had crushed her right foot. The sudden and intense agony was very hard to resist, and had she not been flooded with adrenaline from the shock, she would no doubt have blacked out immediately. Moments later, a scream was heard from up in the tower and her lupine shade flew out, dragging a bedraggled-looking man out by his leg.

The two landed nearby, where the shade continued its attack to defend her, letting neither tutor nor servant approach. From what she was later told, the shade only disappeared when she lost consciousness from a combination of trauma and blood loss, and by that time the would-be assassin was all but dead.

While the servant did her best to assess Urd’s injuries, her tutor ran to get help. In short order, she’d been told, he had returned with several of the family’s men-at-arms who improvised a stretcher and carried her to the mansion, where the family’s healers had immediately begun work on her injuries. While they treated her injuries, she faded in and out of consciousness, but later learned that the healers had worked for the better part of a day and a night to both mend her thigh and rebuild her foot. Whenever she was awake, she had apparently had a shade appearing at her side, flickering in and out of existence. It had watched the healers work, but not interfered.

The presence and variety of her shades were some of the signs telling her family and her magical arts tutor just how powerful she was. Even her grandfather, who was talented at controlling his shades, had not been able to manifest two separate shades until he was many years into his training. However, even with the healers’ aid, she was still stuck in bed for several weeks afterwards. Her bones may have been mended, but they were still weak and fragile only time, rest and food would change that.

Never again in her childhood was she left alone. Her time of being without guards anywhere outside the mansion was over. It took her years to get used to, but in time she grew used to having guards around, even coming around to getting along well with them. It was neither her nor their fault that some people wanted her dead.

The third attempt on her life was by far the one closest to succeeding. This attempt happened a month after her presentation at court, on a stop in a small village in Thralreth while traveling with one of the family caravans. On the way into the village, she had been practicing controlling one of her shades on the way in, not knowing that there were many in that village who had been taught by the Church of Klebithy that shades were evil. While her guards were with her on the journey, she had, in the middle of the night, had to get up to use the privy, as there was no chamberpot in her room at the inn.

In a sleepy moment of forgetfulness, she had not woken any of her guards, thinking it better not to disturb them. She’d done what she needed, but on the way back, someone had knocked her hard on the head, rendering her unconscious. When she regained consciousness, the individual or individuals who had attacked her had tied her to a stake in the middle of the village square, and were busy trying to light a bonfire underneath her bare feet.

Her head was pounding and thoroughly muddled, so it took her a full minute and then some to come to her senses and shout for help. Unfortunately, at that point one of the villagers gagged her, preventing her from shouting further. Additionally, fear of what they were intending to do had fully taken hold of her, preventing her from focusing her magic.

As an added problem, while her body was tied to the stake with ropes, she could feel cold iron around her wrists, clear proof they had used chains on her arms. Even if she could have summoned her shades, none of them were capable of breaking metal. Moments later, the mob leaders got the fire lit, and smoke began to rise around her. Soon after, flames began to lick at her feet as the fire began to spread throughout the stacked wood and she had to move her feet often to avoid it.

The mob was beginning to cheer and make jeering shouts about purging evil. As the flames spread, Urd could no longer keep her feet out of them, and the agony made her begin to scream through her gag, something which clearly pleased the growing mob. She could almost taste the hate in the air. The rate of the fire’s growth grew, and soon flames licked at her nightdress, not quite yet managing to light it on fire. The pain was beyond words.

She tried to use her magic, but with the amount of pain the fire was causing her, she found it fickle and slow to respond. None of her training had prepared her for using magic under conditions like these. When one villager shouted out in glee that the servant of Hystix was getting as she deserved, she felt a new type of rage beginning to build within her. They thought she served one of the evil deities of Klebithy? She didn’t even hold to that faith, let alone the evil aspects of it!

Her nightdress burst into fire at this point, the flames rapidly climbing up her body as she screamed. Surely there was no hope now? But the moment she thought that, she felt this strange new rage snap out of her. She felt ice flowing through her veins, permeating her very flesh, instantly extinguishing the flames burning her. It spread from her the center of her chest and outward, both up into her head and down through her toes, then moved out of her body, replacing the flames upon the wood with solid ice crystals.

The moment the last flame died, a shockwave burst out from her, knocking down the now-shocked villagers and shattering the manacles upon her hands. As she fell down, her body half-frozen, she saw several of the family guards coming running. Then she blacked out.

---

Most of what happened over the next several weeks are things Urd herself has no memories of. Some came from her bodyguards, some from her family and the rest from the significant number of healers brought in to help her. The former two would never have spoken to anyone of the lengths to which the healers went to heal her, and the healers themselves were paid more than well enough for their silence in the matter.

Having later heard the tale of her grandfather’s maiming and added with her own incident, she now truly understood why her grandmother regularly keeps saying that nothing good ever comes out of Thralreth. She certainly grew to agree with the saying.

Even with the best healers that money could hire, Urd’s chances for survival were touch and go for more than three weeks. Working in shifts, they had worked upon her day and night, denying her body the opportunity for the eternal sleep it so desired. More than one healer feared that she would be turned into what they called an abomination from the amount of magic being poured into her, but they nonetheless kept up the healing. In the time since, Urd has come to suspect that their fears were not entirely unfounded.

Throughout the mending period—even after she was no longer at death’s door—she was always watched over by at least two bodyguards and one healer, often more. Were one to compare the magic used to heal her when her back when her leg was broken and foot was shattered to the magic now used, one could say it was like a small bucket to a large barrel, though magic naturally cannot truly be quantified in such a manner.

But even with some of the best healers in Formaroth, her body could not be restored to the condition it had before the burning. Her lower abdomen and especially her legs bear extensive burn-scarring to this day, and there are hairline scars over much of the rest of her body. The only part not blatantly scarred is her face and hands, which were furthest away from the flames and thus mostly spared. Her wrists, having been first covered in manacles that were being heated up and then shattered by ice magic have perhaps got the deepest scars.

Wherever the scarring is most intense, she has to this day reduced ability to feel much of anything. At the center of her chest, she is always cold, almost as if she truly does have a heart of ice. Between her breasts she also has a thin cobweb of blueish white lines, where the icy magic first flowed across her skin. Upon this spot she is utterly devoid of feeling.

Internally, her body did not remain unchanged. The most notable change is how several of her internal organs (liver, kidneys and several others) are considerably larger than normal, while her stomach and intestines in turn take up less space in her chest. Had she or anyone of a scholarly persuasion been aware of this, they might have theorized that it was a result of her body trying to deal with the magic poisoning.

When she finally did recover, it was clear to the rest of her family that she would need much more training with her magic. Not even their extensive theoretical knowledge could properly teach her what she needed to know. Therefore, she was sent to the Circle upon the Summer Isles to be trained by the true masters of the magical arts. She did not really want to go, but relented when they pressed her long enough with simple facts and irrefutable logic. When she did go, she was accompanied by a large contingent of guards, most of which would return home after escorting her to the Isles, but some which would stay with her the entire time there. No matter how safe some said the Summer Isles were, they would take no chances.

Prior to her journey, her mother also told her about her father, explaining that she was now old enough to know and that it would be up to her to decide what to do with the information. Her mother trusted her to make the right choice, but requested to be notified if she did choose to tell anyone. Urd did not think the time would come anytime soon that she would tell anyone about that, let alone about how much restoration magic had been used upon her. She knew exactly what the policy concerning abominations and dark magic was.

Though her education in magic had been fairly extensive before, it was during her years with the Circle that the began to understand how little she knew, how little anyone knew of magic. She was taught all its aspects, in particular how to use the talents she had, and what uses to avoid. She took to the increased access to knowledge like a sponge, absorbing all she could.

It was first here that she began to learn to truly control the aspects of her magic not dealing with summoning, though she also refined that. She had been aware of those talents and even experimented a little with them in her lessons, but had not gained any true skill with them. Here at the circle, that all changed.

She would never attain true mastery at any form, not even at summoning, but she did gain expertise at that branch and decent skill wielding Force and Ice magic. Her memories of the burning prevented her from going above the simplest of tricks with Fire magic, though.

She also learned some alteration magic, attaining what would be considered journeyman skill level, and a similar level of Illusion magic, the latter of which she learned from Lanaya Triskell Dionisa. This woman also taught her numerous things about politics, a field she had come to realize she needed more skill at if her house was to have any influence when she one day took command of it, though she hoped that day would be distant.

The Lady Dionisa wanted to use the scars of her burning as an example to others of how mages were unfairly treated, but as Urd knew that might risk revealing more than was safe, she declined. Besides, she did not want to become a symbol for others to wave about.

At the hands of the bodyguards that accompanied her everywhere on the Summer Isles, she also learned how to defend herself without magic. Because of her relative short stature and thin build, she would never become a skilled swordswoman. While she did learn to wield some slashing blades, she found that she preferred knives and daggers over slashing blades. Knives could reliably be tossed, swords couldn’t.

As a gift for her fifteenth birthday, her bodyguards had—with the assistance of her grandfather no doubt—acquired a long dirk forged of Dwarven Steel. Urd considers that item to be her prize possession, for while magic can fail, a blade of that quality cannot.

---

In the years after leaving the Circle, she has helped in the family business, even begun to take over certain duties from her grandparents. However, she has also developed a taste for traveling the land, where she looks for business opportunities for the family and represents them outside Cawanor. She also seeks to improve the lives of mages everywhere, protecting those who are weaker than her from prosecution. She has not set foot in Thralreth since the day of the burning.

At the present, her Grandfather sent her to Nyhem, where she will represent the family and determine whether they should support the De Reimer claim to the title of High King, or if the Manshrews are better candidates. Considering her knowledge of her paternity, she is hopeful that the De Reimers will prove worthy.

Appearance:

Various images giving hint to her appearance

Urd is a relatively short woman, well below the average for Cawanori noblewomen, but not so short as to stand out as such. She is known to dress casually in demure colors that do not make her stand out, always picking styles that bare as little of her scars as possible. However, while her clothes rarely stand out, she has a merchant’s eye for quality, and will never skimp on that front.

On any average day, she will typically be dressed like a rich merchant or townswoman rather than as a noblewoman. This however, does not mean she doesn’t know how to fit in at court. If she needs to, she can easily acquire clothes suitable for any level of court happening, though she will have certain restrictions on their cut.

When on the move, she naturally always has a hooded cloak, both to protect from the elements and to not stand out as much in a crowd.

Beneath her clothes she is extensively burn-scarred, especially on her wrists, legs and lower abdomen. Her chest is marked with a thin blueish white cobwebbing, a side-effect of abused magic.

Her brown hair is usually fairly straight and kept tied up. If let hang freely, it reaches down to about mid-chest, but she prefers not to let it down.

Should she ever be imbued with even more magical energy, there is no telling how she will be affected, but it is quite likely that such transformations will not be limited to her insides.

Personality:

Once upon a time, Urd Raudhfell was open, innocent, playful and carefree, as all children should be. But life did not let her keep such tendencies, terrible events turning her into a jaded and private individual, making her terrified of many things, from uneducated crowds to undressing before others to lack of control and many other things.

She has stopped believing people always have good intentions and has a habit of analyzing any situation to determine how the other party or parties seek to benefit from it at a cost to her and hers. She is especially distrustful of pious adherents to the Klebithic Church and the uneducated rural villager.

But even with how jaded she is, she seeks to protect others, especially those who cannot protect themselves, like people with magical talent born outside families with a tradition for it.

Weaknesses:

To think that Urd is flawless is to be foolish. She has more flaws than many, some mental, others physical. She is prone to many forms of fear, some of them unreasoning in their degree. They include:
Automysophobia. From the time she was burned, she learned how her immune system could be compromised. She is terrified of being dirty, the healers’ lessons concerning the cleanliness of burn wounds having burned themselves into her mind.
Dishabiliophobia. Because she knows she is not normal underneath her clothes and fears being called an abomination, she is terrified of undressing before others. It will take considerable effort from anyone to convince her to undress before them.
Demophobia. While she rarely has trouble being around other nobles or even rich merchants and townfolk, she is terrified of crowds of uneducated villagers, especially of the rural variety. If she does visit remote villages, she will always bring at least two bodyguards.
Merinthophobia. The idea of being tied up is not one she is comfortable with. If someone does end up tying her up, they risk her unwillingly unleashing magics she cannot fully control. This fear also springs up in the form of a fear of losing control, as she does not know what she might end up doing if she does.
Frigophobia. The ice magic from her burning never truly left her. At the center of her chest, she is always cold, and her core temperature is several degrees below the average for humans. This leaves her vulnerable to all sorts of conditions, including diseases of the flesh.
Pyrophobia. The very idea of being burned causes her to panic, and if she sees someone intending to burn another, she will hold nothing back to stop it from happening, even to the point of killing people.

Because of the way her internal organs have been altered by magic, she is more resistant to certain poisons and toxins, but pays the price in that she has to eat far more often and in smaller portions than others if she is to maintain her body. If she should be exposed to further large doses of Restoration magic, there is no telling how that will affect her, but it is likely to be overt and very visible.

Skills:

General:
Urd’s skills range widely, including an extensive education into what it means to be a noble, into magic and into mercantile arts, as well as a number of other fields. She is a capable scribe, a good negotiator and an apt businesswoman. While she is no shark in the ocean when it comes to politics, neither is she hopeless at it. More than anything, it can be summed up to a lack of experience. The ways of Court intrigue are not that different from trade negotiations.

Her education has only barely scratched the surface of military theories and tactics, almost exclusively where such symbology could be used to reflect upon mercantile arts.
Martial:
Her skill when it comes to all things martial are lacking. She’s got no military training, knows nothing of strategy or tactics and has nowhere near the build to wield a sword in battle, let alone heavier weapons. She has barely ever fired a bow, and only then a hunting bow back in her early youth on the family lands.

She is passable for a novice with long blades meant to slash and wound, but is fairly decent with long knives, daggers and throwing knives. She’s been taught exactly where to put a dagger to cause the most harm quickly, and is not afraid to use her dwarven steel dirk for just that purpose. This training includes dealing with armored assailants, though she would still be fairly useless on the field of battle.

Magic:
Beyond her mercantile training, Urd’s true field of expertise is that of magic. Primarily Summoning magic (where she has attained expertise), but also Destruction magic (Force & Ice only) where she is not quite as skilled. She has attained Journeyman skill level in Illusion and Alteration magic, which means that she can do a few decent tricks, but not much more.

She has a small talent for the Fire-form of Destruction magic, but that talent is not developed, because of her history with fire. If she forces herself to use it, she can at best light a small bonfire or candle.

In the field of summoning magic, she has a significant collection of shades she can call upon, all linked to various emotions and desires. Her favored shade forms are a large wolf, an oversized moose, a rather vicious but playful otter and a narwhal. Because these shades are not actually the animals they resemble, they are not quite bound by the laws of physics.

When it comes to illusion and alteration magic, she can use those primarily to make subtle alterations to her clothes, make light and hide some of her scars. While she has tried many times, she has not been able to hide the blueish white lines upon her chest.

Seikatsu Story Line

Commander Inigo Orbino

Name: Inigo Orbino
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Hetrosexual
Position: Military commander
Personality:
Inigo Orbino is described by most to be a very serious and stoic man who has little time for anything that is not related to his duty. He holds all of those under his command to a high standard and has very little tolerance for insubordination, incompetence or laziness. Through upbringing he is a military man who sees the world through a martial lens.
Despite this stern attitude he maintains, many view Inigo to be a honourable man who serves the De Reimer family faithfully since their ascension. Inigo maintains a respectfule and formal manner towards those who he deals with, even towards his enemies.

Weaknesses:
Prideful: Inigo takes great pride being the high commander of Cawanor’s armies, almost to the point of arrogance.

Inflexible: Inigo lives to follow the rules, he does not question the orders of his superiors and will do everything by the book.

Bound to chivalry: Inigo is bound to his codes of chivalry and would rather die then betray them.

Appearance: Inigo is a tall, well-built muscular man with broad shoulders and sharp facial features. He is clean shaven and has short blond hair that he keeps well groomed. When armoured he wears full steel plate adorned with the crest and colours of house De Reimer. When off duty he opts for more practical grab over what is considered fashionable, though it is important to note that it is still of a quality suitable for one of nobility.

Background:Inigo has served house De Reimer since before they ruled over Cawanor. When house Hieze tried to purge the De Reimer nobility Inigo was one of the first to declare himself for house De Reimer and assisted Patrick De Reimer in his rebellion and subsequent victory against house Hieze. Since House De Reimer took control of Cawanor Inigo was chosen to maintain, oversee and lead the forces of house De Reimer, a position and he holds in extremely high regards. Often, he will find himself directly collaborate with the De Reimer family and despite being a noble from a minor house, holds a great deal of influence over their opinions. Alasdair De Reimer hand selected him to lead the empires forces in Seikatsu against the imperium.

Skills: Master tactician, Expert strategist, Expert leader, Expert swordsman, Can ride, Can read and write

[ZB1996]

Lycaon Issorat

Name: Marquis Lycaon Issorat

Age: 36

Gender:

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Position: Grand Master of the Holy Order of Saint Elenor

Many years ago Lycaon founded the Holy Order of Saint Elenor in honor of the blessed saint and martyr of the same name. Though originally only a knightly order, and knights still dominate the organization, the order has allowed non-knights to join the order as well, transforming them into a more typical Holy Order. Lycaon’s goal is, as a pious believer in the gods, to restore the Church’s former power and glory. He knows that the only way to do this is through the King and the high nobles.

Personality: In public life Lycaon plays up his reputation as a hero, and acts friendly, amiable, and helpful with all that he congregates with. This is partially the reason that the poor treat him like a saint and hero. The other part is that he not only listens to them, but actually helps them. However, like a true saint he is never emotional, and though his words are passionate, like a true saint his expression remains stoic save for the gentle smile he wears on his face. The masses have never accused Lycaon of insincerity. Perhaps this is due to their ignorance of many of his previous actions. In court he is always as polite as possible, always remaining calm, and presenting himself as an upstanding man of chivalric virtues. It is important to notice that Lycaon is not boisterous or animated, but calm and agreeable. He is trying to be seen as a paragon of chivalry, saintly and unconquerable, not a jovial fool. It is not rare for him to unnerve people. No doubt this limits any charm he may have.

Lycaon himself knows he is not a saint, and does not concern himself especially with the veracity or depths of his actual goodness. He is in fact far more ambitious than he would have most believe. After having sat on the sidelines for so long, he is now ready to begin holding real influence. He understands that drastic measures will have to be taken. However, his chief concern right now is not becoming King. Rather, his current wish is to restore the power of the Church to its original position. Lycaon knows that that is no easy task. The Church has effectively fallen from favor for a long time, and the current Church is decrepit and corrupt. However, because atheism or monotheism (Lycaon has read that, scandalously, some philosophers have taken this latter position) has not been allowed to take hold, Lycaon believes the Church can regain its old position. Unlike many other nobles, Lycaon is a genuine believer in the gods. Despite this, he does not follow everything the Church preaches. He finds the idea that one cannot engage in sexual intercourse on feast days and on service days to be ridiculous, and does not follow it, just like everyone else.

Though Lycaon knows that he is no saint, as the masses believes, he does not think that he is misleading them too greatly. Any misdeeds he does he either brushes off as unimportant or as necessary sacrifices for a greater future. He is not an artificial man, and actually believes that he has many noble attributes in himself. Though his morality his certainly suspect, he does genuinely believe that he is moral, though he has not studied the matter, and believes he has done and will do nothing which makes him bear any great burden of guilt. He is very confident in himself, and flirts with the idea that Timtos himself favors him. Though he knows his physique is not comparable to many others on the battlefield, he is confident in his own skills to demonstrate his superiority, and show his inner strength. For what it’s worth, he is genuinely loving towards his wife and his family.

Lycaon does value the people, but he generally does not think about them in the way in which they would wish to. He often thinks of them in terms of religion. Lycaon, a warrior for the Church, would naturally be aided by an army of the faithful, which are the ever-pious masses, and he understands just how powerful a tool they can be, especially if there is popular discontent against the ruling monarch. His intentions for aiding the poor cannot be said to be altruistic or even truly to their benefit, as the people of Nyhem have not improved their state of living at all since Lycaon came to help them. Lycaon privately admit that he has learned some things from the masses, even though he is above them in all aspects. He has observed that though they are pious worshippers of the gods, they are not high-strung, prudish, or puritanical, but rather quite the opposite. He has observed that of all the types of people in the world, the poor are without a doubt the least corrupt of all, and that their indomitable spirit in the face of hardship and adversity ought to make any noble grudgingly nod his head in grudging respect.

Lycaon has genuine bravery, and will not shirk away from fighting. He has fought at or near the frontlines in numerous battles, even though it has resulted in a number of injuries in the past.

Additionally, Lycaon has moderate or liberal opinions of magic and mages. He has no problem with either mages and magic, and believes that mages should live without persecution and the Mage’s Circle should continue to be given the state’s support. He thinks that there is no reason to be suspicious of mages, and that they hate black magic just as much as any non-mage.

Weakness:
Though Lycaon declares himself to be strong, he is actually of lower-than-average physique when compared with the average knight. He is quite insecure over this fact, and hates the very idea of being overpowered in any way. Though the thought angers him, it also frightens him.

Lycaon has a weakness to women, and not just in the traditional sense. He, for some reason, cannot help but find them naturally innocent and pure. While this does not mean that he trusts every woman, it does mean that he will trust them when there is real no reason to.

Lycaon normally remains calm, but there is one thing he simply cannot abide. If someone attacks his war record and calls him an incompetent commander he will become so enraged that he will be unable to keep his calm. Perhaps he would ask them for a duel.

His extraordinary calmness and stoicism tends to make some uncomfortable with him.

Appearance:



Lycaon wears standard and state-of-the-art heavy plate armor for battle. Though it is polished and shiny, and fit for the noblest of men, it is also unadorned with jewels or gold, and is fit for battle. He does not only wear his armor in battle, however. When he congregates among the people he is always wearing his shining armor, which simply adds to their view of him as a saintly chivalric hero. Even in court he will wear his armor, both for intimidation and to make him appear as more a military man than a church man. When it is improper for him to wear his armor, he wears the proper attire of the military officers.

His face is clean-shaven, and his hair long and pale. Though he no longer has the beauty he once had in his youth, he remains handsome, and his face still has signs of his beauty from youth. For a knight he noticeable few muscles, but still has greater physique than regular people, though it is not as if such a thing could be noticed through plate armor. He has a number of scars, most notably the remnants of a gash below his cheek, but the greatest of his scars is the remnants of the wound inflicted by a war-axe inflicted in the Battle of Uzgob.

Background:

Lycaon was born the eldest son of Duke Percival II of the Issorat Dynasty, whose family had faithfully served the Du Paraquettes for nearly two centuries. Being born into the high nobility, Lycaon was given every luxury, and in return he had to both learn the strict manners of courtly life and meander through the cutthroat politics of the nobility. Not even children were free from the intrigue of the court, especially when their father was so closely connected with a king. So he spent his childhood in luxury, trying as hard as he could to stay alive. His childhood is considered to have come to an end when he was ten years old, when his father began to have him trained as a proper heir. He was put under the tutelage (at least in education) of Hanot Plasait, who had extensive as a soldier and a mercenary, and taught him martial arts, swordplay, and archery. His wife, Yzebel Plasait, taught him in rhetoric, oration, and poetry. She failed in the last one.

When he was fourteen, a peasant uprising occurred in one of the counties of his father’s duchy, and Lycaon was given a regiment of soldiers and sent to crush it. His role was mainly a formality, a peasant-born officer doing the real commanding, but it helped to establish Lycaon’s reputation as an able and noble young commander. It was not until after this that Lycaon was actually instructed in strategy, by a retired general, Count Ernst Harnish, who had previously served for decades as a general. Soon after he returned from crushing the revolt, Lycaon realized he had grown incredibly weary of the intrigue of the court, and hastily left for the capital. His father disapproved, but Lycaon was able to convince him when he spoke to him of how much safer he would be in the capital against assassins.

So Lycaon left his home of Linsdorf at the age of fifteen for Nyhem, taking Ernst Harnish, Hanot Plasait and his wife Yzebel wife with him. Though he arrived at Heylot’s court when he first arrived, he was hesitant to return, as it was quite clear that the King was mad. He stayed active in the lavish affairs of the nobles, but for the most part was an unremarkable presence, and his greatest achievement during this time was avoiding the attention of the mad tyrant Heylot. He remained quiet, and spent a considerable amount of time reading (Chanson de Geste mostly) and perfecting his martial arts. He used his considerable wealth to donate to the Church, marking his first contact with the Church in Nyhem, and established him as a friend. As a result, he created close ties with members of the local Church of the capital, and began to meet regularly with a priest named Farseth. Though Lycaon knew him to be corrupt, he was knowledgeable, so Farseth began to teach Lycaon religion and theology. Lycaon was enthusiastic and learned much, though he was always to be far from a theologian.

When he eighteen he was briefly recalled back to his home in the Duchy of Linsdorf, as his father, Duke Percival II, was concerned that his heir was still unmarried. Percival made it clear that he wished to marry his cousin, Felise of Dagensbourg, who was renowned for her beauty. However, his father overturned his request, and was instead told that he was to marry Pylia Thaner, the daughter of a powerful and rich nobleman. However, Pylia instead married the heir of a wealthy Telmarian duchy, with Lycoan being passed over. So Lycaon was allowed to marry Felise of Dagensbourg, though not without silent accusations that he wasted the opportunity to create an alliance with another noble house. He decided to stay at Linsdorf for the time, and this state of affairs remained for two years, when he was nearly assassinated. The killer-for-hire managed to sneak into Lycaon’s bed while he was sleeping, and stabbed him. The wound was far fatal, and although the official story was that Lycaon valiantly beat the assailant into submission while injured, the truth is that he screamed and a guard heard his scream and killed the assassin with his pole-arm. The plot was traced back to none other than Lycaon's own younger brother, Raimbaud. Lycaon was infuriated when he was only exiled, not executed. When Lycaon recovered completely, he announced that he was going to be relocating to the capital permanently, and would be taking Felise with him.


Felise of Dagensbourg

Once he arrived, Lycaon not only continued to be a generous and beloved benefactor of the Church, but also did the unthinkable of going among the populace. These two were intimately connected, as the Church was intricately connected to the people. If the clergy are the generals of the Church, then the people are the soldiers. This made Lycaon very popular among the commoners of the capital. Nobles lived in what seemed to be a world apart from the peasants, and normally treated them with disdain whenever they did happen to come across the masses. Because Lycaon not only walked among them and spoke to them, but also offered them aid, he was seen to them as a hero, and after months and eventually years passed they began to love and adore him. Though the last years of King Heylot the Mad would hardly seem to be the time to be causing such a stir, Lycaon was himself unusually loyal to the crown, and repeatedly spoke to the masses of loyalty and stories of brave knights who had unconditional loyalty to their king, so he was not considered a threat. During this time he was far from only engaging in charity with the poor. About four months after Lycaon returned to Nyhem, Yzebel Plasait, who had given Lycaon all of his mature intellectual education, became gravely ill and died, and Lycaon mourned her deeply. However, Lycaon moved on. He travelled back to the Duchy of Linsdorf, and founded an Order of Knights, called the Holy Order of Saint Elenor, in honor of the famous saint and martyress, and Lycaon’s father granted him a March, making him a Marquis, enhancing his prestige. A number of knights came from Linsdorf, while others were “holy warriors” with connections with the Church. The chief reason knights joined the order was that it brought financial stability and connections with the Church, as Lycaon had intricate and intimate relations with the Church.

When tempers finally rose and the country seemed to be on the warpath, Lycaon was a consistent loyalist to King Heylot, as mad and tyrannical as he was. When the Remonnet-Manshrew Civil War began, Lycaon fought on the side of Remonnet against House Manshrew. He fought with distinction in the war, bringing alongside his order of knights along with him. The Order experienced high casualties, Hanot Plaisat himself being killed in battle, and as result Lycaon opened the order to include more than simply knights and regular nobles, welcoming many who worked for and with the Church especially. Lycaon participated in the war, and was injured a plethora of times. At the Battle of Uzgob, Lycaon served as a commander and held a general’s rank along with his friend and mentor Ernst Harnish, who also served as a general. Lycaon, initially on the offensive, eventually had his position overwhelmed when the battle turned against the loyalists. Lycaon did not despair, however, and held out for such a considerable amount of time that the opposing regiment feared this would have an effect on the whole of the battle. However, eventually the Manshrewists charged Lycaon’s center and knocked Lycaon from his horse, and overwhelmed Lycaon himself. Lycaon, after engaging with the enemy in combat, was greatly outnumbered and eventually received a clean hit to the chest by a battle-axe, which pierced even through his thick breastplate of plate. Lycaon’s knights quickly surrounded themselves around the commander, carried him away, and promptly retreated. Though Lycaon was injured, it was only really a minor injury, and he would live to fight another day. Ernst Harnish himself was not so lucky, and was killed in battle.

After King Heylot was killed by Andrew Manshrew, Lycaon was driven into the countryside, and he promptly retreated to Sypius. Soon after he recovered he was attack by the forces of Patrick de Reimer, and although he survived he would never forget the horror of the battle his Order faced there. To this day Lycaon harbors a personal grudge against House de Reimer. Nonetheless, peace finally came when Patrick took Nyhem, Andrew Manshrew capitulated (at least in Lycaon’s opinion), and John Remonnet became King. After enthusiastically supporting John Remonnet as the new King, Lycaon faded from any sort of prominence.

He did not disappear, however. He knew that despite the strange victory and continuation of the Remonnet dynasty, a new order was emerging. He did not find this odd, as such a thing had happened under every monarch. However, Lycaon suspected that he still had powerful enemies, and would have to lay low until it was tenable for him to actively return to the royal court. However, Lycaon did not cease to going among the people. Now years have passed since the war’s end, and Lycaon, having gone among the people, spoken to them, and having aided them in their plight, has become something of a saint and a hero to them. The war caused the Order of Saint Elenor to grow rapidly, and in the post-war period it has only continued to grow. With his rising prominence, Lycaon’s ties to the Church have only grown, and Lycaon now has personal connections to the Grand Cleric herself. Lycaon has since began to rejoin the royal court, but he comes not as an aristocrat or heir of a duchy, but as the chivalric Grand Master of an order of knights and holy men.

Skills:

Swordplay: Tier 5 - Expert
Lycaon was taught by Hanot Plasait, veteran soldier and his martial teacher, starting when he was only ten. He has since had plenty to improve his skills, as he has had over twenty years to practice, and used his skill when he participated in the Civil War.

Other Weapons: Tier 7 - Average
Hanot Plasait gave Lycaon thorough training, teaching Lycaon how to handle other types of weapons, and not only the sword.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Tier 7 - Average
Lycaon is knowledgeable and skilled in martial arts. However, this undercut by the fact that many on the battlefield tend to have greater strength and muscle than him.

Horsemanship: Tier 3 - Master
Lycaon is extremely skilled in horsemanship, and has successfully tamed a unicorn. This unicorn, by the way, only adds his mystique among the populace.

Strategy and Tactics: Tier 4 - Adept
Lycaon was taught strategy by Ernst Harnish, a former general, and distinguished himself in a number of battles in the Civil War. Nonetheless, he has suffered a number of defeats, most notably in the Battle of Uzgob. It is worth noting he has never served as the head of his own army.

Intrigue and Cunning: Tier 5 - Expert
Lycaon was born and raised in a world where it was necessary to outmaneuver one’s rivals in court politics. Even one’s very life was often at stake. Year after year of this have made Lycaon well-accustomed to the intrigues of the court.

Theology: Tier 8 - Rudimentary
Lycaon has received some instruction by a knowledgeable clergyman in theology. This has given Lycaon knowledge about his religion and allows Lycaon to follow the conversation and argument of a theologian, but not more.

Oration: Tier 4 - Expert
Yzebel Plasait’s intellectual training has allowed Lycaon to cultivate considerable oratorical skill. Unlike some orators, he is not merely fiery and bombastic. Though he knows how to be a polemical and powerful when necessary, when he speaks he tends towards a soft, but definitely not quiet nature. This has aided him greatly, both with the higher classes and with the masses.

Poetry: Tier 10 - Poor
Lycaon is poor at poetry.

Other Characters

Sir Daeleth

Name: Sir Daeleth Brucas

Age: 47

Gender: Male

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Position: Commander of the Holy Order of Saint Elenor

Personality: Daeleth is rough around the edges; he has a tendency to be brash and impulsive in normal life. He has little patience for the manners and illusions of aristocratic society. This is due his lower-class, criminal upbringing. However, in military matters he is different, having a natural affinity for military tactics that has resulted in a natural ability as a commander.

Weakness: As it was mentioned, he is impulsive. This occasionally steeps into his tactical skills as well. He is unable to hold himself well in court.

Appearance: Though he is an older man now, Daeleth still highly resembles his old self. He has long black hair, and somewhat pale skin. He often wears his suit of iron armor, which is adorn with a thick fur cape in the back, for he feels at home in his armor.

Backgroud:

Daeleth was born in the city of Nyhem, the son of two young urbanites. Both his parents died when he was very young. This was not unusual, for the living conditions were so bad. He grew up an orphan, a hard life. He knew that if he were to survive he would have to do what was necessary, and so took to a life of crime. He began with petty theft, and then the thefts got larger. This is eventually turned to robberies and mugging. Having made a living off of crime, he began to make his way into the seedier districts of the city, where Daeleth first began his ties into the criminal underworld. He became a thug for hire, helping out in illegal operations until one mission-gone-wrong resulted in Daeleth committed a murder. It is unlikely that an investigation would have ever been launched, but Daeleth was guilt-ridden from the act.

The first chance he got he joined a mercenary Corp, The Iron Immortals. In those days war had come to Formath. Civil War between King Heylot and Manshrew’s forces had emerged, and Iron Immortals fought on the side of the rebels, and were notorious for war crimes. Daeleth was rapidly promoted due to the fact of his natural cleverness, and due to the fact that many of the officers in the Iron Immortals were being killed. In a battle against the Order of Saint Elenor the Iron Immortals were decisively defeated. However, Lycaon subsequently absorbed the Iron Immortals into his own order, and since then Daeleth has been one of Lycaon’s top lieutenants.

Skills:

Swordplay: Tier 5 - Expert

Other Weapons: Tier 5 - Expert

Tactics and Strategy: Tier 5 - Expert

Fenick of Uzgob

Age: 55

Gender: Male

Sexual Orientation: Homosexual

Position: Monk, Hermit, Ascetic

Personality:

Fenick has a very fiery soul. He is never afraid to speak his mind, and cares little for those claim to speak with authority. He has the soul of a poet, and the voice of an orator, so people flock to him when they hear him speak. He is outspokenly and constantly puritanical, constantly chastising others, whoever they may be, from deviating from what he sees as the proper morality. However, he is clearly also half-mad at the very least. He has a tendency to ramble and speak in riddles, and believes that the goddess of life herself and the prophet constantly visit him, imparting wisdom to him. He is kind and grateful to those to who favor and follow him, imparting sagely yet often incomprehensible advice, but is rude and chastising to those who criticize him.

He is a dedicated ascetic who lives out in the wilderness of the desert, living off of wild berries and bugs, and drinking only water. He fasts often, going days without food, and sometimes without sleep, often experiencing religious ecstasy as a result. He lives alone in the desert, only occasionally having company, this company being visitors who wish to gain wisdom from this strange desert hermit. He abstains from all pleasures, such as good food, excessive sleep, and the pampering of the body with lavish clothing, but he regards the worst of all the human pleasures to be sex. Fenick would gladly say that he has never engaged in such an ill practice. As regards Fenick’s other opinions, he despises what is called the Church for their opulence and immorality.

Appearance:

Fenick has a haggard and scruffy appearance. He is skinny, and with little hair on his head except for his mustace and beard. He was simple, rather worn clothes.

Background:

Fenick was the eldest child of a noble house of moderate importance in Rathikun, the Verinaia, and from the time of his birth was chosen to eventually inherit his father’s considerable wealth and land. Fenick’s early life was a comfortable one, where he was spoiled with gifts from his loving parents, and was surrounded by friends. His life changed not long after his eleventh birthday, when suddenly a spark came out from his hands. Fenick was surprised and afraid, and found himself unable to stop the fire from coming out, and by the time he was calmed down and the magic ceased coming from his hands a quarter of his family’s manor had already succumbed to flames. The Verinaia would have to build a new one. Fenick apologized profusely. His father forgave him, but it became obvious to his father that he would have to send him to the Circle.

Fenick’s departure was not honestly the most heartfelt. They sent him off quickly, as if he was going off on a vacation. His parents both found this sort of departure normal. They had both been sent away from their families fairly early in life in order to get an education. When Fenick first arrived at the University he was nervous and out of his element, even though he had considerable talent at it. That was until he met a fellow mage apprentice, Simon, who was three years older than him. Simon befriended him, and helped Fenick to learn to adapt to the new, unfamiliar environment in the Circle. As a result, they became the closest of friends, and often studied together.

Years passed, and Fenick focused his studies on destruction magic, and demonstrated great talent and ability. The only problem was that he absolutely hated it. Fenick would look at the peace in the Circle’s gardens, and would then think of the destruction that his magic had brought, and would despair. Nonetheless, he continued his studies and his life at the Circle, because he saw no other choice, and because he had Simon by his side. When Fenick was sixteen years old, he confessed to Simon that he was in love with him. Simon was unsure of what to do, and could only reject Fenick. Fenick understood, but could not bear to stay in the Circle, since he felt like he was throwing his life away there.

Soon after, Fenick managed to escape from the Circle, and decided to go to the very opposite extreme. Lately, Fenick had been going through a religious phase, and wanted know more of the gods, and he wanted to be rid of his life he experienced in the Circle, which he had hated. So he saw no choice but to suppress his birthright and renounce his existence as a mage, and go to the Church. He joined an order of monks located at St. Carmya Monastery, headed by Abbot d’Oleron. D’Oleron discover who Fenick had been and was particular hard on him. However, it was not only d’Oleron’s harsh treatment that made Fenick disenchanted with the mainstream Church. Even in the monastery he could not escape from the corruption of the Church, and saw no real asceticism from d’Oleron and the higher echelons of the monks, only opulence. However, d’Oleron’s “training” did not have a profound effect on Fenick. He was forced to commit extreme asceticism, including self-flagellation, and had his past as a mage ousted, and was forced daily to speak of the “depravities” of his “sinful” past.

He did not spend long at St. Carmya, and was still sixteen when he left. As he wandered the countryside, a kind family took him in and nursed him to care until the wounds and fatigue from St. Carmya were recovered. Then he went to Nyhem, and after proving his identity was allowed to enter into the University. He studied first the Liberal Arts, and became Master of the Arts (the equivalent of gaining a degree) and then was allowed to move on to theology. This was a grueling program that took ten years to complete, and Fenick never finished. Once he was twenty-four he left, taking only the copies of books he had personally handwritten, the clothes on his back, and some money. He left for the hottest region of the Uzgob Desert in order to become an ascetic, and nearly died twice due to heat exhaustion. Yet in the end his body got used to it, and he successfully became a severe ascetic, who only ate to survive. He would often go on extensive fasts, and would receive visions of the gods and the saints as a result.

Sixteen years ago, Rhodanthe was in the desert, not far from his cave, when he had found an abandoned baby in a basket, together with a piece of parchment with the name “Rhodanthe.” He saw it as a holy event, and raised the child (see Rhodanthe’s entry). However, he has never claimed the child as his own, and she has always called him “Gramps.” Nonetheless, in his heart she is his daughter. Though Rhodanthe lives simply as well, she is not an ascetic, so Fenick sees that most of the food goes to her.

Weakness

His lifestyle makes it so that Fenick has very little physical strength. He is not tactful, and does not care if the one who he speaks out against and offends is far more powerful than him.

Johannia of Telmarion

Age: 44

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation Bisexual

Position Scholastic theologian (former), theologian and preacher of the Monadic Movement

Personality Johannia is very studious and well-read, and in general prefers reading and writing to public speaking and public events. That is not to say that she is shy, however. She has the ability to be fiery, often too much so for the scholastic world she served as a scholar in. Her outspokenness and fierce criticism of people more popular with the authorities caused her constant problems. Outside polemic and academic debate is usually of a quite quiet demeanor, and has few close friends. She is genuinely pious, and often ponders on morality, and believes herself to be deeply concerned with purity of character and action. Yet the truth of the matter is not as simple as Johannia would like to believe, for though she tries to control herself as well as she can and follow her ethical code, she is quite easily seduced into pleasure. Johannia loves nature and art.

Weakness Johannia has no tact and badly overestimates her own leverage and power in a situation. This is why in the past when she served as a Scholastic she was nearly declared a heretic several times and had to recant several times. Therefore, she is lacking any skill in politics. She has no combat ability.

Appearance

Johannia is a plain woman with black hair and light, whitish skin. She is thin, with small, skinny fingers. Her body is usually mostly covered, excepting her face and fingers, by her religious habit.

Background

Johannia was born in the capital of Telmarion to a house of minor noble blood. The third child, of her parents, it was expected that, unlike her brothers, she would pursue a career in the Church rather than in the military. The young Johannia had no problem with this, and was sent to a cathedral, where her uncle served as an abbot, where she spent her later childhood. There at this abbot Johannia learned grammar, arithmetic, and astronomy, as well as the Holy Books. Johannia became enthusiastic about joining the Church, but it was not the Church career that her parents wished for. Johannia wished to become a friar, rather than an abbot or bishop. This did not go well with Johannia’s parents, especially her mother. So Johannia, along with several friars, left under the cover of night, headed towards a friary. However, one day while Johannia was drinking water from a spring her brothers seized her and took her back to the castle of her family.

Johannia was put under detention, and confined to her room. Nonetheless, Johannia was steadfast in her choice. She would become a friar, and would not relinquish this wish no matter what. In an attempt to persuade her, her brothers sent Johannia a prostitute to show her what she would be missing if she took the oaths of a friar, though the prostitute was male rather than female due to a mistake on her brother’s part. Johannia would later claim she chased the prostitute away with a red hot iron poker, but this is simply not true. The prostitute and Johannia slept together that night. Nonetheless, this changed nothing, and Johannia claimed to her brothers she had chased the prostitute away. After a year Johannia’s mother saw that there was no hope to convince Johannia of falling in line with her parents, and allowed to escape under the guise of night, for this was less damaging than an open surrender to the friars.

Johannia then henceforth joined the Order of St. Zedaiya, a mendicant order. Her first responsibility was to be properly trained in the theological and philosophical sciences to serve as a defender and propagator of the faith. To do this Johannia attend the University of Nyhem, where she excelled in her studies. She studied first the Liberal Arts, and then moved on to theology. After her studies were completed, she gave her inaugural lecture on the fifth book of the prophet, and was henceforth named a Doctor of Theology. She began her career with fairly innocuous commentaries on the holy books, which were received as informative and lucid. The only objector was Bernarda Avicebrol of Yannis, who claimed there was heresy hidden in the commentaries. However, the religious authorities decided sided with Johannia. This began a long rivalry between the two.

Johannia, disappointed in the rather passive interpretation of her commentaries, wrote a four-book long work, Elaborations and Elucidations on My Commentaries on the Holy Books, which was not very well received. Bernarda claimed that her accusations against Johannia had been vindicated, and she immediately wrote a polemic against Johannia, accusing her a heresy, with the intention of invoking a trial against her. Johannia badly miscalculated her position, and was overly bold and combative with her opponents, such as Johannia, and in an ensuing trial Johannia was forced to recant positions of hers deemed heretical. Her defeat may have been due to a heavily damaging rumor (which was actually true) that she had been involved in a one-night affair with a fellow cleric. Johannia was embittered at her defeat, though she continued to hold Bernarda in high esteem as a theologian and defender of the faith against the philosophers. She soon became completely disillusioned with the Church, and even more radical in her theological beliefs. The rest is history.

Rhodanthe

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Position: Proselytizer

Personality

Her personality and mannerism is rough. She is unused to and uncaring about the courtly etiquette of higher society. She is not good with new people, and has a problem with reading people. Nonetheless, she is compassionate, full of caring for those she knows need the sentiment, and horrified by oppression and poverty wherever she sees it. She is brave, perhaps recklessly so, for even though she knows her body is weak she is never afraid to stand up and fight for what she thinks is right. She is genuinely religious, but she does not put much stock in the traditional religion of the Church or the new religious movement of Johannia. She is more of a henotheist than Johannia, and prays at night to a heavenly father, god among gods.

Appearance:

Rhodanthe is of a frail appearance, being skinny and delicate-looking. Her skin is pale and white. She has slim eyes, with deep, dark brown eyes. She has relatively short hair that not quite reach to the bottom of her neck. Her hairstyle is unadorned and simple, round in appearance, and shiny and soft.

Background:

Neither Rhodanthe nor Fenick know anything about Rhodanthe’s birth, or her biological parents. All that is known is that when Rhodanthe was still a babe she was left in a basket outside of Fenick’s cave. Fenick never saw the person who left her there, and has always claimed that it was through a miracle of the gods that she came to his home. Rhodanthe was raised by Fenick in an unorthodox upbringing, always living simply. Though Fenick never called her his child and she never called Fenick her father aloud, the sentiment is there in both of them, and she affectionately calls him “Gramps.” Fenick has raised Rhodanthe in a pious “household,” teaching her to always honor the gods and uphold the vow of chastity. Fenick, being a hermit who shuns society, never goes into regular society. Rhodanthe, however, feels differently than Fenick. She is adventurous, is not content with living in a cave all her life, and wants to explore the world. So Fenick allows her to make irregular trips to the city on his horse, Belliante. Now unrest has come to the Church, Fenick has sent her to Nyhem, under the command to always serve the gods and her vow of chastity, but to become her own person, for she is now a woman, not a girl. She was saddened that she had to leave the man who raised her, but happy that she now could see a little more of the world.

Weakness:
Rhodanthe is physically weak, and does not have much tact in dealing with complex and explosive situations.

Tydeus

Name: Tydeus of Acrana

Age: 50

Gender: Male

Sexual Orientation: Homosexual

Position: Scholastic political philosopher and theologian; unofficial theologian of the Holy Order of Saint Elenor

Personality: Tydeus has a strong, gruff personality. He in general is a very bold individual, who is not afraid to speak his mind. For just as a philosopher must always impose and uphold virtue, so Tydeus will not shrink from speaking against even the power. He possesses a natural genius in academics, which is how he has become a prominent political philosopher.

Weakness: Tydeus, as it was mentioned, does not have the proper tact to become very popular among the higher classes. He has only the average physique of a man his age who does not exercise.

Appearance: He is heavily bearded. He generally takes proper care of his appearance. He usually is seen in his ecclesial brown robes.

Background: Tydeus, the son of an innkeeper and waitress, was born in a small village. He was naturally religious, and was immediately drawn to the mendicant orders. He became a priest who specialized in evangelizing and theology at the age of twenty-one. At the age of twenty-five – already having a thorough training through systematic theology – he learned philosophy at University. His early philosophical background was metaphysical, where he dealt with the perennial philosophical problems of what Being is, and the Problem of Universals. However, he eventually dedicated himself to political philosophy and ecclesial reform, attracting controversy, although it wasn’t an abnormal for a political philosopher. Later, he became well-known as a university lecturer on political questions, which led to his status as a political advisor for high-ranking noblemen. However, he fell from favor due to his own brashness, and as a result instead became closer to the Holy Order of Saint Elenor. He has since practically become the Order’s spokesman-theologian.

[Fallenreaper]

Dyril Elian

Name:
Publically (Elven Lands)- Híril (Lady) Dyril Elian, of the Elian bloodline and granddaughter of Hír (Lord) Raton Elian.
Privately- Agarwaen (blood-stained), Umarth (ill-fated), Hin (child), N'Tel'Quess (not of the people- not elf), Uuner (nobody), etc.
By Lower Station (often slaves and servants) - Híril Dyril

Age: 31 (ages about 1.5 slower than humans)

Appearance Age: 22 due to slow aging process

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Position: Merchant (upper class within Imperial Even society)

Personality:

Value over Image

Being an Elf, her upbring places a high value on image and worth in order to advance your family to a higher status. From her birth she has been taught to hold a strict control over her emotions and give a calm presentation in public, especially when in the present of those equal or higher than her rank. Failure to hold this practice would risk her family reputation, entitling them to mockery over their ‘childish’ behavior. Minor as it might seem, recovering from it was often a chore best avoided. This didn’t mean anyone could insult her family, and by extend herself, without any repercussions and those will come in time when she’s had time to ready them.

Patience

Dyril is very patient, maybe too patient at times. She never rushes into things, as shown in her bio, and instead carefully treads into her plans. It can take months to years to set things up before she feels safe to act on her plans. In some ways this can help and hurt her. While she won’t blindly rush in on instinct, any time sensitive plans she decides to follow could become useless if too much time passes or things don’t add up in her favor. Most times it requires a push from an outside source for her to place aside her patience and go for things ahead of plans.

Motivation

She will have two current motivations. Her original motivation was to prove her worth to her family, both Elven (though she won’t admit it) and human. In order to adaptly do this, she needs to make her trading dealings work out well and benefit her family both here and across the sea. Her second one will surface the moment she learns of recent events about the death of Henry. This will develop into a need for revenge against the individual that took his life away and desire to change her exile family’s state. How long this lasts could change in the future.

Weaknesses:

Image Vanity- Like many Elves are brought up to believe, Dyril values herself and family image highly giving her sense of vanity. Not surprising since her environment has been her teacher most of her life and it is all she knows. When others attempt to ruin it,, Dyril’s calm becomes less natural and more forced. With higher and greater insult to the image, she gains a hidden spite and this builds over time. Dyril rarely forgets an insult as she bides her time, gradually seeking to gain some sort of satisfactory revenge for their insult. If left unchecked, this can eventually become obsession in her free time or influence her focus.

Isolation and Abandonment Fear- While Dyril doesn’t fully know it, she has a minor fear of being discarded and even left behind by all she knows, loves, and even is connected to. This stems from her upbring where her family regarded her as something to be ashamed of and when possible, isolated her from both public and family ordeals. If it wasn’t for Kiseo, she would’ve fallen to the effects of facing her fear a long time ago.

Mix Heritage- Being a hybrid has its perks and limitations, something that Dyril knows fully well. One biggest stigma among hybrids is that they are sterile and are unable to carry on the bloodline into the future. This can bring a promising family into extinction over time if a future heir is unable to produce children. In addition, her physical appearance is a mixture of human and Elven which makes her unappealing to either race for the most part. Too Elven for a human or too human for an Elf is a painful experience forcing her to give up on the notion of any love or family. It also makes any manipulation through sexual appeal clearly out of her skill range unless one is curious or want to try something ‘exotic’. Another issue is that her facial ticks aren’t like humans and sometimes be difficult to read.

Lack of Combative Skills- Dyril was brought up in higher society and being female, these are primary factors that denied her the right to learn combat skills. Females had higher power when it came to marriage and politics than physical or business transactions within Imperial lands which made image that more important to them since it was harder to earn and keep. Married individuals often rode upon their husband’s successes which could range from the battlefield to more common skills unfitting for a female. This means any situation that required pure physical strength or speed would put Dyril at a serious disadvantage or even worse, make her into a fool. She is unable to defend herself should things escalate into blood and violence.

Ignorance of Formaroth- Never traveled beyond her family property too often, Dyril has little to no knowledge of any thing about Formaroth’s politics or recent events. Not even the state of her present family. Any knowledge she does know is officially obtained through traders (which are few and far between) or what guests have been kind enough to share, none she fully puts trust in until she’s seen it.

Appearance:

Physical

Being a hybrid of two races, Dyril’s got characteristics that fit both her mother and father. Her mother’s are dominant which allowed her grandfather, Raton, to hide her heritage with the excuse of deformities. ‘Unique’ isn’t acceptable in Elven society like it is in their slaves, a fact she’s had to live with all her life and struggle to overcome. Compared to her relatives who sport the common dark blue (denim color), hers is a bluish-grey shade. A few have compared it to something called blue spruce trees which don’t exist in Beilokias.

She has dark, brown eyes much like her father. So far, no one she’s been with for extended time- save her family- has noticed the difference compared to their own onyx back irises. Her face is considered long by humans standards, giving her a rather haughty look like the rest of her family. However when closely examined, the subtle differences are easily seen and clearly not completely elven. Her features are fleshed out along her cheeks, sides, and forehead rounder in comparison to her other female relatives.

The thicker physical appearance doesn’t stop merely at her face, but also include her weight which is considered heavy at 146 lbs and closer to human than any female elf should be. Meanwhile, her saving grace is that she barely falls to the average height of 164 cm (5’4”) and doesn’t need to shrink or alter it in any fashion. The final abnormality is her fingers, they are still considerably long but a bit less claw like and a dead give away to her human side. Instead of three digits on each hand, she has five.

Her default expression is often neutral and difficult to read thanks of her mixed heritage. Often considered permanently stuck in a day dreaming or haughty one, which gives the impression to humans she doesn’t care about what is being said. A fact that is far from her real feelings. However, when she does smile the human in her is quite easily seen and considered genuinely appealing (not sexually), breaking the bizarre features she inherited. Her black hair falls to about the bottom of her shoulder blades, but often bounded into numerous tight braids and loop about her head back. They are pinned in place with silver hair pins that are decorated into handcrafted designs like shells, feathers, and even animals.

Clothing

In Elven culture, despite the hot and arid atmosphere, the higher social classes often wear layers of clothing that reflect their status and importance among their peers. Being a granddaughter of Elian bloodline, her dresses are the official colors of black and yellow with the crest of her family’s rank. They are linked with the Patricians making Raton and his son Dathion apart of the senate. Often, Dyril is dressed in loosely fitting dresses made of two layer skirts, a pleated shirt and binded at the waist with a belt. Upon her feet are slipper shoes and a kaftan (long over coat) is placed over her to allow her to shade her head from view.

Background:
Family
Lists of those Dyril has interacted with on a daily basis, both alive and deceased.

Grandparents

Head: Raton Elian | 175 | Alive
Angril Elian (Madrin) | Died

Uncles

Saeldir Elian | First Child | Alive
Rawion Elian | Fourth Child | Alive

Aunts

Duvainil Elian | Third Child | Alive
Crabanil Elian | Fifth Child | Died

Male Cousins

Faron Elian | First Child of Saeldir | Alive
Seregon Elian | Second Child of Duvainil | Alive

Female Cousins

Theriadis Elian | First Child of Duvianil | Alive

PreSeason 1 Recap

The story begins on the day Dyril was conceived thanks to ill fated combination of a bet and curiosity. After the recent decease of his wife, Angril Elian, Raton’s merchant trade faced possible decline in popularity and worth when profits rapidly shot down. Evidence, much to his cringe, had been planted to discredit the value of his goods causing him to seek additional options to recover from the loss. In 471 A R, Raton and his daughter Crabanil traveled to Formaroth due to establishing trade with Ralda. The Mazeltof was one of a few families that held a rich dwarven source of materials in their land and were willing to trade for then giving the right persuasion. Usually the very rare magical items (thanks to a method done by mandrakes), potions, food goods not native to the continent, silks, and other materials. Drawven metal, in any variety, was often sought after for great prices making the trip worth it and hopefully recover his reputation.

Setting aside his mourning, Hír Raton Elian and his youngest daughter Crabanil traveled to Formaroth. Crabanil was expected to take up the trade negotiations after a few years and show her own worth in her family’s eyes. This wasn’t meant to be since on the last week of being deep into trade dealings, Henry Mazeltof was roped into a bet which his companions believed was impossible for him to complete: to bed the Elven daughter of their host. Being the arrogant, strong headed individual that came with his heritage, Henry took on the challenge in exchange for greater gains and his friend’s respect.

When Raton followed his father into the final night of negotiations, Henry made his move. He followed the young Elven daughter, just hitting the cusp of adulthood, into a secluded area where he began to converse with her. One thing led to another and out of mutual agreement, Crabanil’s curiosity being a main factor, they made their way to the guest room that served for her residence here.

After the one night stand, Crabanil found herself pregnant with child. Raton, himself, found out after they departed the Mazeltof hospitality and had settled back into their own port home. Purely because Crabanil was afraid he would break off trading rights to Ralda over it. Image, after all, was everything to him.

This created stress between her furious father and her, their desires divided over the tainted offspring’s future.

Raton wanted to bribe a priest from the priesthood, made mostly of mages, to abort the growing life within her womb and rid her of the shame it brought upon the family. However, Crabanil had other ideas. She wanted to use the child as a bargaining chip and to pull at the Mazeltof’s honorable reputation get more out of their future trading relationship. Forced to admit to the fact his daughter was an adult now, Raton allowed her decision to stand but he still blamed Henry for contaminating his youngest daughter.

Being a woman of high up bring, it would’ve looked suspicious for Crabanil to avoid public affairs. This would’ve drawn the attention of spies to try to pry the truth about everything then rush back to their masters. The last thing the Elian family needed was for others to create ways to blackmail them into less suitable dealings. So together they fabricated a plausible story to cover the obvious signs of Crabanil’s upcoming pregnant image. The young Elven woman had been seduced and lied to by another Elf within Formaroth, which there was a few. This charming man later vanished into the night after both bedding her and stealing numerous valuables. While it hurt Crabanil’s reputation for the time, it did nothing to harm the bloodline’s and the fact she was with child made the rumor believable.

Through many tried to dug deeper, they often found Raton there as a wall to their progression.

It was a year later that Crabanil went into labor on their estate home. Raton was pacing the hallways with nerves rattling his every step as his daughter’s laboring screams echoed throughout the wall and making him anxious for her health. Unknown to Crabanil, he had gradually threaten her slaves into placing a subtle herb in her tea in hopes to kill the infant late in the pregnancy. It wasn’t a sure success always, but enough to give him hope to try it.
Whatever divine forces above felt he desired punish did so with a vengeance. Instead of the infant dying, it was his beloved daughter. The herb had stopped her body’s ability to clot the blood and so Crabanil had lost a lot of blood during the birth, her blue skin ashy grey in hue. With her dying breath, she named her young female offspring Dyril before she passed away. The loss cut Raton very deeply, a mixture of self guilt and blame upon the child for being born.

For the following years he held deep hatred for the Mazeltof family and it fueled his determination to almost end the trade negotiations. However, his eldest son stepped in and made the request not to due to damaging their family image. Instead, Saeldir took over the trade dealings with the Mazeltof.

Against his daughter’s careful planning, Raton never informed Henry of his illegitimate child or even considered to use her as a pawn to their advantage. In fact, he wanted nothing to do with her. Her life’s care fell upon the family who felt it was best to hide their shame. They couldn’t simply lock her way as all the senate knew Crabanil had been with child and news about the birth had already spread through prior arrangements by the now dead mother. So they prepared for the expose in the future while making her life difficult.

Over the years, Dyril found herself exposed to higher education, various arts and whatever her family’s station allowed her to learn. Unlike Formaroth, women were frowned upon to learn how to combat since they were much more fragile compared to the male gender. Court dancing, sewing, and other more mild forms of quiet etiquette were expected. Everything Dyril learned was taught to her within her family estate which for much of her childhood became her prison. Never once was she allowed to explore the various areas within the city they lived in and her inherited curiosity often pawed at her in daydreams. This wasn’t the only thing she had come to accept in her life. Her family, uncles to aunts and numerous cousins, all made it clear what she was: a blight on their bloodline. A shame that never should’ve been born. Naturally being exposed to such cruelty, Dyril fell to the background and learned to keep her voice to herself until she became an adult.

At the age of nineteen, she became exposed to her first social gathering. It was in honor of her Aunt Duvainil who had become married to another Patrician senator and the ceremony was to make their relationship publicly known. To hide Dyril’s human heritage, her fingers and hands were wrapped in cloth and were claimed to be ‘damaged’ due to her father’s unsavory lineage. This also did well to explain her other odd features that were beyond being hidden. Whenever she arrived, one of her family was never too far from her. They ensure she never spoke of her human father and even spoke for her, blocking any attempts to glean information from the younger elven woman. Most the time they gave a snooty air about it.

Around the age of twenty-one, she learned her mother’s old slave Shinx had been bred and expected a new kit in six months. Surprisingly, Dyril found herself worried over the new kit’s arrival and how much attention it would steal from her. For years, she had Shinx’s full attention on her and now something threatened it. However, deep inside she knew Shinx would not last forever and eventually she would need to replace her. If she rejected Kiseo, it would not only hurt Shinx but likely Dyril's family would give her an incompetent and nearly dead slave. That idea was less appealing than taking the risk.

Knowing she had little choice, Dyril sought out only one in the household who would faintly listen to her: Faron, her cousin.

The male, only older than her by a few years, sneered upon her request for an additional slave. He assigned an elderly and well beaten one named Lini to assist Shinx. The persian markings along Lini’s fur was maimed by numerous wounds thanks to burning to vicious beatings which was something that Shinx lacked.

A few months later, Raton had gotten in contact with Doroka Hawk and his company of mercs. Many of the soldiers had also been stationed on the outskirts of their farming property during their services and naturally, her curiosity swelled enough she couldn’t help but investigate. That’s when she met Claus Rotstein, a brash and boastful individual that happened to spy her stalking him one day. This was likely the first time she learned about humans as her interest over her own heritage became sparked the more she learned. She was fortunately enough to have learned the basic speak of humans, thanks to her family’s requirements, but she still had difficulty in making it flow naturally and had to pause to think about how to phrase her words sometimes.

This continued off and on until Raton discovered the pair during her first lesson in combat. The grandfather had been looking for Hawk when he overheard Dyril’s loud cry and the sound of a bow falling to the ground. As the elder elven man entered the doorway, his eyes narrowed and jaw set at the sight of her nursing a hurting wrist. She had let go of the bow too soon and it clipped her hand causing Claus to examine it for serious injury. With a loud, furious bark Raton summoned a no longer pregnant Shinx to the room then had the Mao usher them both back to Dyril’s quarters. What happened between them, Dyril still doesn’t know but it resulted in her being locked in her room or escorted everywhere, something that gradually tapered off over the years.

When she became twenty-eight, she had been mostly left to her own devices now. During her free time, which she had much of, she began to research and question family on her father’s side. From those who believed knowing the truth would degrade her new found determination, she learned about Henry Mazeltof and the events in Ralda. This also included her mother’s original plan to use her in tilting the favor of gain with the trading negotiations. It was a harsh thing for her to learn which took some time to accept, her desire to learn of her father assisted in distracting her mind and hurt emotions.

By this time, Kiseo had matured in the following years and been helping her mother in attending Dyril.

At first the younger Elf had difficulty in accepting the leopard cat patterned Mao, her jealousy and greed for attention conflicted with Shinx’s desperation for her young daughter to be accepted as her one day replacement. Out of all her family, Dyril was the only individual that treated her slaves with a fair merit of respect while many slaves of her family members were left broken, maimed, or worse.

There was one thing that finally won over the Elven woman’s heart, Kiseo’s gentle and empathic nature. It was something that Dyril had never been exposed to and in that moment, Kiseo was hers. Three years before their departure, Raton caught wind of Dyril’s conversations with Saeldir over their trade business. His reaction was as expected and in a sad turn of events, Shinx was the victim of it. The elderly Mao, about forty now, had been delivering a message to Saeldir over Dyril’s plans for the upcoming voyage when her path crossed Raton’s. Infurious with the fact his daughter’s shame was aiming to interfere with their family trade, he began to take his anger out on the Mao and took the message from her. Shinx died of her injuries hours later.

When Saeldir send another message inquiring about the voyage plans, Dyril quickly concluded that Shinx had been delayed or stop causing the pair to investigate. Finding the Mao, broken and tossed away, hurt the woman more than she expected as she spotted Kiseo literally break down and cry. Worried about her image in passing, Dyril quickly held the younger slave then ushered the Mao into an alley to console the sorrow and hide her own tears. Interesting enough, that was the final nail in her tolerance for her grandfather.

In about three years, she quickly made arrangements thanks to Saeldir for departure to Formaroth.

Season 1 Recap

Enroute to Nyhem, Dyril’s shipment encountered pirates which burnt their escorting ship and destroyed the whole crew. Thankfully her own vessel avoided such a fate on its way to the city. Upon arrival, Dyril was distraught to not find her human side of her family waiting for her as she made arrangements with the local Inn to stay. While within the city she met the Magister Lanaya Dionisa who politely introduced herself and took the two on a carriage ride to their temporary residence, then caught the young hybrid on recent events. Including the new High King.

Several hours later, she encountered her half sister in the main tavern room and learned of her family’s fate. They had sided with the wrong side, the family nearly eradicated during the onslaught. During the battle, Pearl was captured and held prisoner within Duncan’s prison in Nyhem. Explaining why Aljica came here, aside from following up on what their father should’ve done if he was still alive. Dyril silently took the loss. Together, both girls hatched an agreement to free their imprisoned sister through no time was officially agreed upon.

Later that evening she met the High King himself, both gaining his business and another reason to remain. The conditions were simple: she was to attempt to harvest mandrake upon Formaroth soil. It was a daring, possibly complicated vision but it would allow her to remain here.

The next night was the riots. After sending Kiseo out on an errand, Dyril’s room was broken into and in a panic she hid. As a few large thugs came in, she flew down the steps to find the tavern owner with her throat slit. Even worse… her way out was blocked by on of the upstair men’s companions.

They intended to kill her, simply because they hated magic and her nature as a half-Elf represented it. Claus was the one, an old childhood friend, who came to her rescue. He quickly put the men down and had her escorted from the burning city into the safety of the camp. She reminds there until she can find better arrangements.

Skills:

• Basic Etiquette: Being raised in higher society, Dyril was raised in the similar fashion as her female relatives. Through primary that was to ensure she didn’t mess up or create an ignorant for her family’s image. She knows how to conduct herself within a court, though she lacks a bit of knowledge on Formaroth’s customs which can easily be corrected.
• Translator: She knows how to read, write and speak numerous languages. This ranges from those in Formaroth to the conquered worlds within the Elven Imperium. Most her basic within Formaroth is thanks to interaction with Claus and his men.
• Sewing: Basic sewing as she had spent several hours learning to decorate tapestry pieces for subtle displays in her room.
• Court Dancing: She was expected to properly dance, through this is mainly in Elven fashion. She doesn’t know any Formaroth dances but with some time and practice, she could easily adapt to be able to perform them at a decent level.
• Harp Musician: Dyril is an elegant player of the harp. With this being her main activity aside from reading, sewing and other required skills for a lady, she has become rather good at playing it. The calluses of her fingers, through a bit faded, indicate she practiced rather vigorously over the years.
• Natural Talent with Crossbow: However, she’s not been able to or had any teachers willing to increase her skills in this area. This has made her remain at the novice or lower level, but she does get the lucky shot even so often. Over time, and with practice, her shot might become rather lethal.
• Good Memory: Dyril has learned to keep track of what others say with a keen memory and often uses it to determine if they are lying to her when facts don’t match up. It also makes it easier to recall when someone has wrong or owes her a favor.
• Novice Manipulator: While her heart, honestly, isn’t in it, Dyril’s ability to lie, coax, and even negotiate has grown over the years she’s worked with her Uncle Saeldir. However when compared to those have been doing longer than three years, she’s rather new to it.
• Elven Trader: In order to have some worth in Formaroth, Dyril had to learn the ins and outs of trading through her Uncle Saeldir. Was fortunate enough the Elven man wanted to step down from trading as he hated dealing with humans. However, he knew how badly it could damage their family reputation if they ceased it completely. Upon offering to take his place, he eagerly trained her into the worth of things and what risks were best. She doesn’t have the experience Saeldir did, but she isn’t the little novice she might appear to be.
  -Saeldir has made sure Raton can’t influence her trade ability… for now.
• Magical Examiner: While Dyril doesn’t know how to cast magic, she has regularly dealt with mandrakes, items and potions for the trading business. This has given her an interesting insight and more knowledge than most non casters. After spending a good portion of time with an item (A few days), she is able to tell the bare essentials over it including: if an object is truly magical, the enchantment’s quality and what it does on a baseline level. However since she’s not a mage, she’s only able to get a general sense rather than gritty details.

NPCS:

Hider

TBA as they become important and enter the IC, mainly because I’m still figuring out how to write her story and rather build support over time.

Kiseo

Name:
Given- Kiseo no last name
Names given by Nobility- Slave, Servant, Cat, Animal, etc. (need I really list them all?)
Nick to Allies and Friends- Seo (primarily to hid from her masters it’s her preferred name)
Title- Personal Slave of Híril Dyril.

Age: 11 years ( Felines mature faster, the ratio is about 1.5x faster than humans making her look about a little more than 17 years.)

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: This is an unknown factor for her, purely since interaction in areas of intimacy without express permission is forbidden and often punished. Through it is, Kiseo is taught by her masters she is suppose to be attracted to purely males. This is because a union of opposite sexes will produce kits and eventually added to the population of other enslaved rather than explore the aspect of love. Unknown to her, she does in reality swing both ways, but unless someone nudges this then it won’t be realised.

Position: (In Formaroth) Attendant to Dyril Elian.

Personality:

Invert Personality

Kiseo’s behavior and carefully chosen words give the impression she’s very shy and timid as an individual. While it is true she’s invert when it comes to her personality, she far from shy about meeting people. This side of her often shows only in private and when given permission to speak by Dyril. Though she knows she’s no longer a slave, Kiseo still acts submissive to her Elven mistress as deep down she knows if abandoned then she will likely not last very long on her own.

Curious and Observant

Unable to feed her curious and desire to learn new things by asking questions, Kiseo has learned to be watchful and listen to what interests her. Her mind trained to gleam whatever she can from the subject then make educational explanations. When permitted, which is rare, Kiseo’s excitement can get the better of her causing her to forget her place and embarrass Dyril by hurting the hybrid’s image. On these few occasions, she has been punished with a few light lashes over her bare back but it was nothing compared to past experiences. Since the Mao has learned to curb her need for answers to merely sneaking hidden looks, studying and listening in order to make accurate assumptions. She will adjust when she learns something new however so none of her information is set in stone ever.

Compassion and Protectiveness

Kiseo is a deeply compassionate Mao ever since birth, despite the harsh reality of her status. At first, she cared and watched the young kits under her care with a ferocious protectiveness from the danger of their surroundings. For many she was like a mother they never had as she attended their wounds and even shepherd them from the cliff overlooking the river and sea. Gradually when she became Dyril’s personal slave, her compassion started to flip gears to her mistress’. It only grew after her mother’s telling of how Dyril’s life really was. Most slaves assumed all the Elven masters lived in luxury and paradise, but for Dyril that was only partly true.

Over time, Kiseo began to admire how strong she viewed Dyril against her family’s attempts to tear her down and mentally torment her. However, the Mao knew those chains still existed and there was only one way to fully free her. After Shinx died, Kiseo made a promise to herself that she would help her mistress to find a place she could be anchored and severe her ties to her past. However, in order to do that it was Kiseo’s job to ensure that Dyril survived until then. The slave learned quickly how to appear uninterested, keep her head down, and casually act while listening in order to warn Dyril of unsuspected danger. Through she has her doubts her tactics would hold much assistance here.

Note: I’m still figuring her out so her personality might change and I’ll update if needed. Personality sections are really hard for me.

Weaknesses:

Low Pain Tolerance, Easily Bruised and Fear of Pain- Kiseo fears and can’t stand intense pain. When struck harshly by anything with intention to make her bleed, she can’t stop herself from flinching in reaction. She will not fight back as she’s not taught to, her eyes watering and the punishment seared into her memory. She easily bruises through they are often hidden under her blotchy pattern coat and unless you’ve seen her in her prime, you might never know it. When threat of pain comes with a gesture, or even one resembling it when someone is angry, she will automatically brace herself and assume it will happen.

Low Birth- Due to her low standings, Kiseo has very low confidence about changes in her future and in her own value. This means if she is abused, hurt, or otherwise insulted then she will often take the path of least resistance rather than seek justice for wrongs against her. Especially against those of higher station than herself. After all, she is taught she is purely property from the very beginning and have no rights to protest against how those of higher birth treat her. Though she knows deep down, she is far luckier than most slaves in the household.

Sticking Out Like A Sore Thumb- Kiseo has been pulled into the game of espionage by her mistress, Dyril, in recent few years. While in the Elven Lands she was one of many, here Kiseo faces a greater challenge that she’s never encountered before: She’s literally one of a kind here. While Dyril is the minority, Kiseo is literally the only Mao that has crossed over Elven Imperial Lands and into Formaroth where slavery is outlawed.

Weak in Strength- Kiseo, like others of her species, aren’t raised and bred for heavy labor. Due to her life time of performing lighter tasks like cooking, cleaning, climbing into high places, and other similar tasks, her strength is lacking. At max and with some some notable stress, she can deadlift about 80 lbs (average human beginner for her size, about 119 lbs) for a small time. This makes things a bit difficult should something much heavier get into her way.

Language Barrier- Kiseo wasn’t raised to understand human language in Formaroth and while she has little trouble understanding it, actually talking in it is another hurdle for her. A big issue and difference is the fact that Formaroth puts the subject as first and most important in the sentence. For Mao’s, their native language focuses on the topic, often placing it first to indicate its importance, leaving out key words, and uses description to fill in details. In addition to their verbal speech, her hands, feet and even tail will move out of habit since they include a crude but elegant sign language to their speech in order to further understanding. Here’s an example of how the structure varies, with both placed in English:

“Hello, my name is Kiseo. Would you like curry and eggs for breakfast, mistress? And will you be eating in your room too?”- Basic Formaroth

“Name Kiseo, hello. Curry and eggs for breakfast, you like, mistress? Eat in your room too?”- Kiseo in her attempt to speak basic Formaroth *

Biological

While she has strengths that humans don’t, she also has weaknesses in them. These are listed alongside her biological skills since it’s easier when separating them for me because a strength often creates a weakness if a condition is met.

Appearance:

Physical

Hider

Even before the Elven Imperium conquest over their lands, Máoróngrōng, or Mao as they are called, have practiced status breeding for generations. This has created a distinct division of their people into one of two stations: the nobles and peasantry. All have characteristics of Asian region cats, either wild or domesticated, but their appearance depends heavily on which station the individual resides in. Those once apart of the nobility class has more domesticate or small wild cat features since they rarely worked the fields, toiled in hunting, or other harsh tasks. Meanwhile, the peasantry were larger wild cats like leopards and tigers whose features lacked the delicate ability of the nobility since as writing, appearing not intimidating, etc.

Since being conquered by the Elven Imperium, the differences between the two lineages has grown larger. The Mao have been bred based purely on their master’s whims from living decoration to manual labor in the cleared jungles.

Kiseo is a Máoróngrōng which is a race of feline semi-digitigrade creatures both similar and different from humans. Like humans, she stands upright at 5'7” in overall height and weighs at a reasonable 119 lbs. She has two arms, legs, torso, and longer hair upon her head. There’s also five digit hands which are made for gripping, manipulating, and more. Her eyes are in a similar position through they are slightly more slanted compared to humans, colored ember in the irises. The pupil can slit or expand depending on the light source’s intensity, ensuring she can see most of the time. Brown hair that’s slightly lighter is highlighted with yellow streaks and kept at shoulder length, often pulled back into a short fish braid. Whatever short strands that escape the braid are shooting up in a slightly spiky fashion giving the appearance of messy and unkept bangs.

Here is where the feline distinctions come in. Her ‘skin’ is actually fine yellowish brown fur covered with lanceolated, black spots much like a leopard's’ along her sides. Along her neck, mouth and inside of her limbs are lined and colored white to contrast with her outside fur. She walks on her toes with retractable claws on her both her feet and hands. There’s also cushioning pads along her palms and fingertips, while they are on her toes, ball and heel of her foot. From the tip of her tail bone are additional vertebrae which create a tail about the length of her slender torso which is hardly easy to ignore since its tip is usually swishing side to side.

Her face holds the most obvious and alien characteristics, which blend human and feline facial features together in a sharp and elegant way. The shape is slightly diamond like giving it a long and sharp appearance but reasonable width compared to Elven kind. Her nose tip is closer to her lips giving her a bit of downward curve profile with the top of the nose bridge indented less than the average human. Her ears are rounder with a white spot over each, resting at the sides of her head. However, they are able to rotate forward, up, down and a bit backwards to catch any sounds that surround them.

This is the closest representation

This isn’t her face, or hair, but the structure. For the more domestic cats they might be gentler or wild might blocker depending on the breed. However the nose, lips and forehead is pretty much the same structure.

Clothing

When Kiseo was still a slave, her garb was molest and simple due to the nature of her status. While Elven servants were given worn hand downs to reflect their position in the household, most indoor Mao were bred for living decoration and quick service skills. Like many that worked in the home, she often wore a simple wrap on her upper torso covering from her underarms to the bottom of her breasts and specially designed loin cloth that came to mid thigh. The basic materials are designed to show as much fur as possible without exposing any unwanted gender identification. Due to their long tail, the rear flap was often split in order to allow free movement. She was one of the lucky ones that didn’t have their tails severed into a bob because it was an annoyance.

The most clothing she owned was a linen shirt and simple pants without shoes. Through they are in decent condition for her status, they do have both dirt, food and other stains from her rare work in the fields and the kitchen. The fields were harsh because of the elements so the slaves, in order to make them last longer, were often given a linen shirt and pants every year to protect them. They were used in the kitchen to prevent their fur in certain places and from shedding into the prepared dishes.

Background:

Pre-Season 1

Notes: House slaves: 25 avg, due to extreme abuse while field slaves lived up to 40 avg. Dyril’s slaves lived much longer due to better care, extending their lifespan much closer to a natural life span of 60+ years.

Keep in mind, Mao age at about 1.4 faster than humans which means her bio will cover less years and one year will cover more than one when it comes to physical/mental aging.

Kiseo, like many Mao, was born into slavery. There was no pre budding commitment or love between her mother, Shinx, and the stranger that sired her. In truth, Kiseo’s knowledge of him was pretty simple: he was the one she got her coat pattern from and he was a slave of another Elven Patrician branch. The union was arranged by Hír Raton through a minor sum strictly to replenish their Mao slave stock and possibly acquire a pretty fur pattern for display. The more exotic the coat, the more like it would be admired and easily hid the abuse many slaves suffered day to day.

For the first three years, Kiseo would be blissfully ignorant of this fact like all kits of that age.

After being born in 492 AR, she was allowed to remain with her mother for about a month. This was considered unusual for most slaves since the masters often required they become useful quickly. Oddly enough, it was by Dyril’s orders that Shinx care for Kiseo rather than wean her within the week. This was likely the primary reason Kiseo was considered healthier as an infant. While Shinx cared for her child, Lini, an elder Mao, replaced her during her allowed recovery period. When the month expired, young Kiseo was passed from her mother’s arms into others to be cared for in Shinx’s absence. Not being weaned yet, she sustained on rice milk, gruel, and porridge for the next two months. Though she had about three weeks more of her mother’s milk compared to the others, the substitutes still lacked the needed nutrition for her early development and gradually slowed it. She couldn’t run until the year 493 AR, her appearance close to a very thin three year old.

Theirs lives, while mostly work, had its moments of imagination. The children’s primary responsibility was to help the too far crippled with the tiny garden outside their assigned hut, their primary source of food for meals in the summer. It was during this time, Kiseo became attached to an older kit Ferat who shared the bamboo hut with her and about ten others. Ferat was a young, leopard Mao with pretty pattern coat and a shy nature. Through she was only older by one year, she seemed very observant and began to teach this to Kiseo over time.

Limited in resources, Kiseo, Ferat, and the other kits learned to use their surroundings and imaginations to great effect. They often made a game out of the harsh realities by putting on pretend auctions or working under a ‘master’. Sticks to rocks, anything was free game for a toy in their minds. They played ‘lily pad’ (think a crude hopscotch game) to skimming rocks across the drinking ponds and created dolls or quills to draw shapes in the dirt. Throughout the day, about two minor meals with a large meal at the end of it. On holidays they enjoyed a wild fish master Raton Elian allowed them to keep from the sea, but the size was always pitiful, unable to feed all the hungry mouths in the hut. This forced a few volunteers to gave their rations, in turns, up for the younger ones.

Time changes things and as she got older, her observant nature quickly began to break through the illusion of childhood happiness. By this time, she was considered three and the overwatcher of the younger kits still naive in their lives. She began to notice a pattern that whenever a kit reached the age of four, a month later they would become absent from the group. This pattern started to bother her over time since her own fourth birthday was coming close.

The night Ferat didn’t return to the kit group, Kiseo laid wide awake in her bed. She heard the field slaves trudge in, like normal, and begin to pull the herb pail from the corner. Without thinking, Kiseo quickly twisted about in her small space on the floor as she heard a familiar voice break through the snoring. It was Ferat, sobbing, as she turned her back to the older tiger Mao. With the night version gifted to her by her race, Kiseo pressed her hands over her mouth to muffle a horrified squeak. All along the leopard patterned back were numerous scars glistening with fresh blood. Her linen shirt was shredded while the Mao began to apply a paste, crushed within his paw with a rock, then traced each vivid line causing Ferat to recoil in pain and bit upon her linen’s sleeve to stifle her cry.

Shocked by the sight, Kiseo couldn’t pull her eyes way as she drifted slowly to sleep. It was her first hint of reality, but she didn’t fully understand it.

When her fourth birthday hit, it should’ve been a day of joy and modest celebration even when forgotten dread lingered in her heart. Being a slave, hardships never hit when individuals were prepared for it. Watching the newest kits, about six, she caught sight of one of the field slaves dragging what she assumed was a sack toward the master’s property edge. It was too far to determine details, a fact she would’ve been glad for, as she went back to her own given task. Later that day, she learned the elder Mao Lini had gone from this world. It didn’t take her long to recall that scene and knew it was proof that their lives matter little to their masters and were easily replaced.

It was a month later, Kiseo braced for her future. She was quickly surprised when her mother came casually walking toward the hut and mentioned she was there to retrieve her. Since her birth, Kiseo’s interaction with her mother had always been limited to an hour once or thrice a week.

These times weren’t given by the masters, but stolen by her mother in the dead of night when Shinx stole away from the house, down to the hut and took her sleeping place beside Kiseo. While the other slaves knew it was happening, they turned a blind eye to allow the pair their peace together. It was primary by voice, thanks to numerous lullabies, that Kiseo knew her mother at all. So when Shinx requested Kiseo to follow her, naturally the chance to spend time and feed her curiosity was too good to pass up. During their walk, Kiseo learned she would be attending a Híril Dyril who would eventually become her master.

A short, cold bath in the sea cleansed her of any filth or external parasites before they made their way into the house. That bath made weekly turned out to be one of many expected requirements. At first, the tasks were small and things she could already do well. Fetching water, supplies, meals and more often left her feet blistered, sore and cracked on the pads. Even worse, she was often clipped, halted or forced to do other tasks by the rest of the household purely to delay her in serving Híril Dyril. This resulted in her being punished a few times.

While the lashings were only skin deep, Kiseo didn’t like the pain in the least and sought to avoid it. She became smarter about her paths through the household and purposely taking longer detours rather than short cuts. In order to make up the difference, she would push herself harder to speed up. While she still was considered slow, the tactic worked. Eventually Kiseo began to avoid crossing paths with Dyril’s family at all. Over the year, Kiseo learned to show her respect, awe and even loyalty toward her would be new master. Something that filled her mother with pride as it endeared the hybrid Elven toward her.

Kiseo’s fear of pain developed when she seven years old. A young adolescent, her built and height would’ve had many humans mistake her for a young ten or twelve year child, she felt sorrow as she helped Shinx pack for Dyril’s yearly exposure to the Elven affairs. Naturally, her mother would accompany the Híril to attend to her during the trip and leaving Kiseo home.

It was a mistake Dyril would later regret.

About a day after Dyril left, the current mistress of the estate, Duvainil, assigned Kiseo to the main house slaves numbers. For the three months that her master was gone, Kiseo learned what true cruelty was and why many house slaves had numerous scars. One incident stuck out in her mind: the day she was ruthlessly whipped for an accident not even her fault. Faron, the very one that killed Lini, had purposely stepped on her tail and then jerked it back without warning. Trying not to fall into any of her ‘masters’, she immediately dropped the food she was holding and crumbled to the floor, her heart racing at the torment that awaited her. Duvainil frowned deeply then ordered two servants to take her out back where she was tied up to the punishment tree by her arms. Frightened, Kiseo pleaded for forgiveness but her words fell on deaf ears. By the Aunt’s command, about sixty lashes were made across Kiseo’s back. She was left hanging there for hours until a tiger Mao named Ting pulled her down. She was then ushered back to the hut where an elder prepared the healing paste. Ting later left to inform Dyril about what had happened.

What occurred between the young mistress and her Aunt, Kiseo had never found out. All she knew was that later that day, Shinx came to retrieve her and then took her into the house. In the kitchen, Dyril was waiting patiently for the pair. When Kiseo noticed her, the child immediately hit the ground and whimpered her apologies in a desperate voice. Tears fell from her eyes while she braced for the worst. It didn’t come as Dyril leaned down and helped Kiseo to her feet, her five digit grip firm but gentle. With a simple gesture, the Mao was pulled into a chair where Dyril motioned for Shinx to clean and wrap the wounds. This would be one of a few rare, caring actions Dyril would perform during her life.

The next time was when her mother was killed and she learned how much Shinx truly meant to the half elf. Fear had tilted and raged in her heart when the news about Shinx’s absence reached them. It wasn’t like her mother as both of them knew. Without a bit of nudging, Kiseo dressed Dyril for travel then placed on her linen shirt, pants and even a hand-me-down cloak of itchy material before they left for the docks. It was an hour later when the older Mao was found.

She was discarded under the docks with her neck broken and tilted at an odd angle. Kiseo was the first to find her in the grim twilight of the dawn. The horror and sorrow to her heart over the loss broke her down immediately as she cradled the lifeless corpse.

Any other master would’ve beaten her into submission then sent her home, but Dyril lowered herself and pulled Kiseo upright. Gently, Dyril guided them both from the open area into a local back alley hidden from view. After they finally became hidden from sight, her mistress allowed her to sob uncontrollably. Her own tears covered the ones the Elf was holding inside herself. When both females had composed themselves once more, they both knew how it happened and who had done this. It was a deep motivation to Kiseo to begin to take over her mother’s duty and help pass letters between Dyril and Saeldir. Over the course of the next few years, she began to help Dyril by assisting in her research, delivering letters, and other smaller tasks for her owner. Every bit was critical toward their trip to meet the Mazeltof and across the sea.

Season 1

After a harrowing time on the sea onroute to Formaroth, they arrived in Nyhem safely at the cost of their escort ship to pirates. Upon arriving, they encountered the Magister Lanaya Dionisa who politely introduced herself and took the two on a carriage ride to their temporary residence. The mage then caught them up on events in the country, including the new High King.

Several hours later, Dyril and her encountered her master’s half sister in the main tavern room and learned of her family’s fate. They had sided with the defeated armies of Andrew, the family nearly eradicated during the onslaught. During the battle, Pearl was captured and held prisoner within Duncan’s prison in Nyhem. This explained why Aljica came here, aside from following up on what their father should’ve done if he was still alive. Dyril silently took the loss. Through most might assume she felt nothing, Kiseo knew better. This pain drove the Mao to want to the only remaining family her master had. Together, the two girls (Kiseo roped into it, through not complaining) hatched an agreement to free their imprisoned sister through no time was officially agreed upon.

Later that evening she went along with Dyril to meet the High King himself, Dyril both gaining his business and another reason to remain. The conditions were simple: she was to attempt to harvest mandrake upon Formaroth soil. It was a daring, possibly complicated vision but it would allow her to remain here for far longer than originally thought.

The next night was the riots. After sending Kiseo out on an errand, Dyril was attacked in her room and reunited with an old childhood face named Claus. Unsure what to make of the human, Kiseo hasn’t any official opinion on him. The day after the riots they learned Alicja had used them to break out Pearl far earlier than expected then needed their help to get her out of the city. This plan gave Dyril little to no warning until now.

Kiseo knew the complicated situation as well as the delicate state the trust from her master had fallen into. Through she didn’t like Alicja’s drunken companion, the Mao volunteered her assistance. It was allowed on the condition if she was caught… Dyril would deny any knowledge about her involvement. It was a heavy risk for them both.

During the night, Kiseo managed to meet and help draw away the guards while Alicja and her allies managed to escape the city. So far, Kiseo believes no one knows about her involvement. It’s something she hopes stays that way for a long time.

Skills:

• Farm Experience: Very limited, but she does know how to grow and tend to mandrakes in the fields. This is usually only to get them to sprout and keep them healthy, but if they fall ill due to disease or need harvested… she won’t be much help.
• Able to Read and Write: This is primary Elven, Mao, and quite a bit of basic human. All taught out of need, rather than by allowance, purely because she is made to write out numerous things for her master and assist in the research over Dyril’s family in the last past three years.
• Cooking: The Mao, due to her requirement to take of her mistress, has been educated to cook primary Elven dishes.
• Mending Clothing: Is an excellent seamstress when it comes to repair, altering and other basics in clothing care.
• Language: Kiseo understands the language used by Formaroth, but speaking it is another matter. This allows her to eavesdrop and spy in a fashion that most might not realize, most the information being pulled back to her master for Dyril’s own personal use later on.
• Fast Runner: Being the only slave to Dyril, an Elf of many needs, Kiseo has learned to be fast and to navigate her path in the best possible way. Through most types of terrain, through when it comes to a run of endurance, she often falls behind the more athletic humans.
  
  • Spell: Metal Skin
    
    This spell makes an individual's flesh become as hard as steel armor for a limited time, gaining resistance to non magical piercing and slashing damage.
    
    Duration: 1 hour
    Classification: Restoration
    Range: Individual
    Concentration: Yes
    Limitations: This spell requires active focus and concentration from the user, which means that any action done to cause distraction has a chance -50/50- to cancel out the effect early. This spell doesn't protect against internal wounds such as internal bleeding, broken bones and other related wounds caused by high power impacts. Included and not limited to bludgeoning weapons, crossbow bolt (won’t penetrate, but hurt) and other weapons that able to hit with the same impact force.
    
    Notes: I have a method to keep track of this during use, but a great deal of if stops or continues will depend on the scene, story and other factors.

Biological Traits

• Flexible and Agility: Being a Mao, her feline traits give her advance flexibility by allowing her to dislocate her collarbone and squeeze into tight spaces most humans can’t. However it falls short of domestic cats ability making it difficult to fit her body into anything smaller than about 1/2 her shoulder width, mainly since her clavicle isn’t free floating or she couldn’t lift anything in her arms above her head.
• Balance: With her tail, she’s got excellent balance when darting across narrow bridges or areas as well as able to twist her body about on her feet when falling from high heights (about 7 m max). The bad part… her tail can get in the way of things if she’s not watchful.
• Claws: Retractable claws are noted on her fingers and feet, but they are primarily for climbing, delicate manipulations, and minor self defense rather than any sort of decent combat weapon.
• Silent Walking: Mao, when bare foot, are silent in their walking. Unless it’s on very weak floorboards or you strain to listen, you likely won’t hear when Kiseo walks up and stands beside you. Another thing to note, her movements in her attempt to be quiet are often slow and cautious as she still can make a sound if careless. So she’s not going to be running while using this skill.
• Higher Hearing: Higher hearing than humans, her ears about to rotate and can pick up faint sounds often missed by humans. While not as high as felines, her ears still are sensitive to extremely loud sounds. An example is the clashing of swords. Any similarly loud sounds will briefly hurt her ears, causing her to flinch in discomfort, distract or make her go temporarily deaf.
• Night Vision: Kiseo has limited night vision up to twenty feet, making her nearsighted in almost complete darkness. Everything is displayed in black and white making details like color hard to determine. Anything beyond the twenty feet is a complete, unreadable blur to her and straining will not help. In addition, unexpected or warned flashes or light will temporarily blind and hurt her depending on the exposure time and harshness. So say you stick fire in her sight suddenly when her eyes are in night time form, she won’t see anything for a good minute or more until her eyes readjust from the sudden change (varies with how long).

*_{Keep in mind, I’m trying and it might not be an accurate attempt to mimic a foreign Chinese individual trying to speak broken English. However, it should get the gist across.}

[Sundered Echo]

Lanaya

Name: Lanaya Triskell Dionisa (or to those who know her personally, Lana)

Titles: Duchess of House Dionisa, Magister of the Circle, Magisterial advisor to the High Council, Founder of the Collective.

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Position: Noble / Magister

Personality:
Lana is a woman of many masks. Amongst the majority of company, she maintains the appearance of a proud and knowledgeable Sorceress, cloaked in mystery, beauty and demure smiles. Yet amongst those that she knows share her views, she is quite different. Here, she will discard the facade and let her arrogance and extreme views shine through more readily. Though extremely well practised in concealing her emotions and presenting the exact image she needs to get the most of the people around her, she is not entirely unflappable. When in a very emotional state her mask may slip, and her true face will be revealed. Here she can be extremely biting with her words, or inspired to great emotionally fueled outbursts.

She is persistent and prejudiced, holding those without magic in contempt, requiring them to prove themselves before she will consider them even remotely equal to her and swiftly condemning those who make mistakes or work against her… Though it is rare she shows this element of her thoughts openly. When wronged, she is a curious mix of vengeful and ambivalent. Though she is eager to hold a grudge, she understands that she cannot let such things get in the way of her plans, and so will only act on her spite if it will not interfere with her grand schemes.

On a personal level, she greatly enjoys travel for the sake of sight-seeing. She enjoys singing, dancing and the primal freedom of motion given to her by her shape shifting. She enjoys tantalising and tormenting men, and is responsible for a number of local superstitions about mermaids, dryads and river nymphs. Most of these encounters are glorified games of hide and seek for her, and she rarely lets them become physical. She very much enjoys her high stakes political games, yet finds the administration and logistics that so often go with them somewhat dull.

Weaknesses:
- Lana hates and fears the idea that she might be a pawn in someone else’s plans. She will act quite irrationally if she believes she is being manipulated, and forms grudges with those who succeed in manipulating her.
- Lana is extremely arrogant, viewing humans without magic (mundanes) as lesser forms of humanity. She is quite callous with their lives, eagerly sacrificing many mundanes to save a single mage. She is also prone to underestimating them, and thinking the worst of their motives and actions.
- Lana despises physical violence and combat of any kind. She has not trained in any form of such combat and would be more dangerous to herself with a blade than any enemy. While she is neither excessively frail or unnaturally weak, she will always be easily overpowered by combat trained individuals. She has no qualms regarding magical violence however.
- Though she does not know it, Lana is barren, unable to have children or even get pregnant. She will be the last true blooded Dionisa.
- Not entirely herself…. Of late, Lana has not been acting quite herself. She has been irritable, prone to excesses of negative emotion, and far less diplomatic than usual. She isn’t entirely aware of this, and the reason for it remains a mystery….

Appearance:
Lana is of average height (5’6), and low weight, maintaining a slim appearance. She is not particularly curvy, but nor is she unpleasantly lanky. She has pale skin, green eyes and straight copper-red hair stretching down to her waist. However, few have seen her in this natural state. As one of the most skilled illusionists in formaroth, Lana often subtly alters her appearance. Common alterations include more vibrant color in her eyes, hair and lips, and occasionally a very faint glow.

She quite often moves about either naked or wearing only underwear, with an illusory dress visually indistinguishable from the real thing as the only thing to cover her modesty. In colder climates, when she expects to be in extremely close proximity to people or when she is traveling, she will wear either a full dress decorated with illusion or warm, simple travel clothes. In addition, she regularly accentuates her appearance with illusory jewelry that rivals what even the high queen would have access to.

Finally, she always wears a simple necklace with a large red gem as its centerpiece. It is always present and visible no matter what the rest of her outfit may be.

Lana

Lana Courtly Dress Example

Lana Travel Attire

Lana Alenius Dress

Background:
Born Lanaya Triskell Dionisa, first daughter of house Dionisa, a minor noble family living in the capital city, Nyhem, Lana’s early childhood was a relatively normal one as far as noble children went. As soon as she was able to speak, her education began, her parents obsessing over ensuring she would be a worthy continuation of the line. Despite this, they still eagerly granted her almost every wish, doting on her in the extreme, particularly when she did well in her classes. Needless to say, this quickly turned her into a spoiled brat who expected to get whatever she wanted whenever she wanted.

Near her seventh birthday, everything changed. An abrupt and clear manifestation of magic drastically altered her parents view of her. Suddenly, in their eyes, she would not be able to continue the family in any way. Though it was not exactly a dishonor for her to be a mage, it ruined their carefully laid plans for the future. Though it was not her fault, she was nonetheless blamed for the manifestation of magic. No time was wasted in contacting the Summer Isles to inform the mages they had another child to take.

Mere days later, she was collected by mages from the city and sent on her way to the isles. The last expression she remembered on her parents faces as she was taken was one of profound relief. To her, it seemed they were happy she was gone.

By most standards, the journey to the isles was a smooth one. To Lana, it was something else entirely. She had never traveled beyond sight of the city before, much less been on a ship. It was terrifying at first, but once she realised she was safe, both from the strange mages around her and the road and sea, she began to look upon the wilderness with wonder. After a time, however, she became so eager to see the next grand sight that she became impatient with the slow speed of travel. Fortunately for the mages accompanying her, she only began to act up the day before arriving at the Isles and the Circle proper.

The mages identified her as a possible trouble maker early on and did their best to eradicate her attitude, knowing how much of a catastrophe it could be to teach a child with such a mindset how to bend the world to their will. Their success was limited, and by her tenth yeah she had changed from openly demanding to subtly manipulative.

Her magical studies went on regardless, though in the first two years they were extremely unfocused. Early on she lacked discipline, and had a tendency to flit between the next most impressive magic on the list, dabbling in the basics of many different kinds of magic. She was a nightmare for the teachers, who could see clear signs of potential and finesse in the basic techniques she learned, but regularly found themselves being informed by the self important young girl that she was going to go learn something else instead.

By her tenth birthday, Lana had finally decided on a type of magic to focus on - illusion. For three years she focused exclusively on illusion magic, despite her teachers recommendations that she study more broadly. Her focus within the field was broad, focused both on illusion to create art and illusion to aid in subterfuge. When she was thirteen, the wanderlust of travel began to once again grip her. Initially, she roamed the area near the circle during her downtime, but quickly decided that walking was far too slow. This led to her taking an interest in shapeshifting. By taking the shapes of other creatures, she reasoned, she would be able to travel faster. To the surprise of her teachers, she did not abandon her study of illusion at this point, instead balancing her time between the two pursuits more reasonably.

By the age of 15, she had become quite capable with several bird forms, each suited for a different kind of travel. With these new skills, she decided to travel back to the capital city and visit her parents, hoping that perhaps, they might be happy to see her again.

Initially, they were. But the initial joy at seeing their daughter again lasted only a short time before they tried to incorporate her into their political machinations once again. For a time, she stayed, hoping to be something other than a playing piece in their political games, but however valuable a piece she was to them, she was never more than that. Three months later, she left once again, returning to the circle, now with knowledge of what it was like to be on the receiving end of manipulation. She decided when she left that she would not be manipulated ever again.

Upon her return, she further diversified her magical studies - picking up destruction magics to better defend herself against those who might seek to control her with force. It was only one year later that the Remonnet-Manshrew civil war broke out. Lana did not have the dubious pleasure of taking part, instead watching events unfold from afar, safe on the Summer Isles. Her personal hope for much of the war, was that the Remonnets would be victorious, but that the despotic king Heylot would fall in battle. Safe as she was, however, it was all somewhat surreal, affecting her little until the end came. With the conclusion of the war came news of the fallen.

Several of her friends from the circle, older, more battle capable mages, had left to fight in the war - none returned, all sacrificed for some tactical advantage or another at the hands of generals who often did not understand their abilities. As well, she discovered her parents had supported the now dead King Heylot. Whether from fear or greed, she did not know, but as minor as they were, they were not spared the fallout. They were among those to die at the order of Patrick De Reimer, though they were not important enough to warrant his personal presence.

The entire affair convinced Lana that the leadership of Formaroth could not be trusted to the political machinations of the mundane, the unwise who held no magic. She kept this opinion to herself at this time, knowing that agitating about it would get her nothing at this time. She requested, and was granted, the chance to study politics and governance within the circle. As with most pursuits she set her mind to, she learned quickly, though not abandoning any of her magical studies.

In particular, she was seeking ways to push her newfound agenda without having to become directly involved with any particular family as an advisor. At the age of twenty, she was deemed to be sufficiently capable to leave the circle, however, she was also sufficiently capable in Illusion and shape-shifting by this point to begin assisting in teaching novices in the circle. Thus, she remained on the Summer Isles in the official role of a teacher, while continuing her own studies in fields both political and magical.

At the age of 22, Lana decided she had studied sufficiently to try her hand at some real politics. She was able to call in sufficient favors at the Circle to gain the rank of Magister and choose a specific house to become advisor to. She chose the minor House Thale, a once proud Nyhem noble house with a singularly weak leader - Lord Dominus Thale. At first she advised on magical matters only, but within the first year she had influenced Dominus to follow more and more of her recommendations regarding non magical matters. After her third year as advisor, House Thale was totally dependent on her for its running.

Five years after her becoming the Thale advisor, Lana was speaking openly for Dominus, having become head of house Thale in all but name. It was then that the last of the Remonnet Kings died, leaving no heir. Lana saw the ensuing Throne War as a great opportunity to further her plans and rise in power, or perhaps even become the High Queen herself by marrying one of the squabbling Kings herself.

Though it has cost her much, including her close friend High Magister Aurelia and many of her early followers, Lana has gained much from the war. She has formally founded the Mages Collective, an organisation dedicated to safeguarding those with magical talent beyond the Summer Isles. She has drawn many powerful High Magisters to her cause, and many lesser mages from more prejudiced kingdoms have also flocked to her banner. She has joined the Council of the new High King, Alasdair De Reimer, and restored her family name and privilege to new glory. She has forged a secret relationship with Eli Blackwell, hoping to one day rule Formaroth at his side as High Queen.

Yet she is not without enemies. Relations with Alasdair have become somewhat more strained of late, and the now dead Lord Dominus Thale’s son Thanatos lurks in the shadows, resenting her for many a slight, both perceived and real. She is poised to become the de facto opposition of the anti-mage Johannia Heretics, and though she still claims allegiance to the Circle of Magic, some amongst its number are growing tired of her agitations, weary of her growing political power, or perhaps both.

Despite it all, she has never wielded more power than she does now, be it magical or political. Fueled by ambition, she is poised to seize even more influence and use it to change Formaroth forever.

Skills:
Magic:
Illusion - Grand Master
Lana is one of the foremost Illusionists in Formaroth. Though there are those in the upper echelons of the Circle that could rival or exceed her, none beyond the Summer Isles can claim that privilege. She can create all manner of illusions large and small. She can create convincing moving illusions. She is especially adept in the long term maintenance of illusions, and smaller illusions such as her illusory clothing cost her almost no mental effort to maintain over the course of an entire day. She is well versed in the art of creating illusions that fit well enough into their environment to be overlooked by all but the most attentive of people. She is equally as adept with sound based illusions as she is with visual ones. Finally, she can also maintain multiple high quality illusions at once, the smaller they are the easier it is to maintain more of them.

Her recent research efforts have been focused on tying Illusions to Glyphs, something that she has finally succeeded at after some correspondence with High Magister Barden. As such, she can now create illusions that only trigger when their corresponding glyph is triggered, functioning much like traditional destruction glyphs.

In addition, she has seemingly developed a capacity for much larger illusion spells of late. While her upper limit on size was once roughly roomscale, she can now conjure illusions the size of buildings or ships with enough effort. The cause of this sudden boost in magnitude is unknown.

Shapeshifting - Adept
Lana is a decent shape shifter, though with a somewhat limited repertoire of shapes to take on. Her most notable feat in the realm of shape shifting is the ability to shift with not only her clothing but a number of small objects or a small backpack as well. It takes more casting time and effort to do this, but its benefits are self evident. In addition, since acquiring High Magister Drevala Blackwell’s codex and High Magister Aurelia’s notes, she has been investigating many other shapes beyond the ones she has currently mastered.

Her current set of shapes are:
Eagle - moderately sized, normal plumage with a crimson band around its neck.
Owl - small sized, dark plumage.
Falcon - small sized, normal plumage with a crimson band around its neck.
Tern - moderately sized, normal plumage.
Songbird - three different variants, all normal examples of their species, excepting a red band around their neck.
Dolphin - Normal sized, normal coloration.

Destruction - Master
Lana is a powerful destruction mage, having studied the school extensively during her time at the Circle. She is particularly focused on dealing with crowds of lesser foes, and has also studied Glyphs extensively. Of particular note is Lana’s ability to change the point from which her spells originate, summoning bolts from the sky or other unexpected vectors.

Force - Lana’s grasp of Force magic is strong. She can create both wide and narrow waves of Force, easily enough to knock a man over. She has also studied how to generate such waves from sources other than her hands, and though such spells still require a somatic element, she can bring force down from above or other directions. She can fully integrate Force based attacks into glyphs.
Notable Spells include:
Glyph Circle of Force - Lana creates a circle of Glyphs around her feet, or around a group of people she is in (though this enlarging requires time to cast instead of being instant) that will detonate when crossed by an object sending a radial wave of force outwards.
Suppression Field - Creating a sustained downward force in a wide area around her, Lana can drive weaker individuals to the ground and hold them there as long as she keeps putting effort into the spell. Strong foes, Armored Foes and other Mages will at most be forced to their knees.

Fire - Lana’s grasp of fire magic is the strongest in her destructive arsenal, and she is capable of generating incredibly hot fires in bolts, sheets or glyphs.
Notable Spells include:
Glyph Circle of Forceful Flame - As Glyph Circle of Force but with an added flame element. Insufficient to overcome plate.
Spontaneous Immolation - Summons a relatively cool flame from directly beneath the target with almost no warning.
Dragons Flametongue - Requiring a pre-existing source of flame larger than a torch, Lana can, after an involved casting process, generate a controllable tendril of fire hot enough to melt narrow holes in steel plate.

Ice / Water - Lana’s capability with Ice magic is less than fire, and she cannot generate temperatures much lower than freezing. She can however, create a wide aura of this lowered temperature around herself, as well as the typical ice bolt type attacks.
Notable Spells include:
Moranion’s Precipitation Avoidance - A fairly simple spell to be cast when it is raining, this will stop Lana from getting wet in the rain. It will make anyone next to her more wet though, as droplets are diverted around her.
Localised Rain - If humidity is high, Lana can cool the air enough to make it rain for a short time. This can supply her with water to freeze or use as is.

Lightning - Lana’s least capable elemental magic, she is limited to summoning a single directed bolt from her hands, or, if outside and in sufficiently cloudy weather, above. Though not strong compared to what other mages can achieve, she can easily kill with this lightning.

Like all mages, she is capable of working with others of her kind to generate larger, more destructive spells. Given her great power and knowledge, she is often elected the leader of such a channeling group when involved in one, though not always.
Notable Group Channeled Spells:
Ball Lightning - A complex mixture of Fire and Lightning, the group summons a searing ball lightning from the sky above that they can direct. This horrific spell will instantly immolate all it touches, but cannot be maintained for long unless in a large and well prepared channeling group.

Restoration:
Lana can heal paper cuts. As a known bane of mages the world over, the vile paper cut is something Lana spent the minimum possible time studying restoration to counter.

General Magical Knowledge:
Though incapable of effectively casting any other forms of magic, Lana is quite familiar with all forms on a theoretical level, in particular recognising what a spells desired effect is likely to be and methods of countering or mitigating it. This knowledge allows her to accurately advise on all but the most extreme and specialised of magical matters.

Her knowledge of general magical theory is also fairly extensive, though often not up to the level of more dedicated Magisters, as she does not dedicate as much time to its study as most of her similarly ranked peers.

Mundane:
She is a capable dancer, both in typical courtly manner and for performance’ sake.
She is a skilled singer, both with her natural voice and that of the songbird form she can take.
She is an adept ruler, though focused on magical solutions to problems.
She is a master manipulator, unafraid to employ magic in her manipulation but not relying on it.
She is a skilled swimmer, having swum with the dolphins near the Summer Isles long enough to learn to take their shape.

Drevala Blackwell

Name: Drevala Blackwell

Titles: Princess of Alenius, High Magister, The Dragonslayer

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Homosexual

Position: Princess, High Magister

Personality:
Perhaps the most amicable of the Blackwells, and also the most dangerous. While she is no martial master, the woman has a pleasant air and a friendly smile- disarming qualities on top of a surname that bears nothing but lethal intent. The woman is a far cry from the martial and military prowess presented by her siblings, and is, still, a bit distanced from the statecraft presented by her brother. She is a genuinely amicable woman, with some reservations to those outside her family.

She is one who puts faith and trust in her family, and is quick to trust others. She was raised and educated primarily by the mages of the Summer isle rather than her father's brutal manner of raising his children, thus she has drastic alterations from the usual Blackwell harshness.

Weaknesses:
The Dragon Slayer is protective of her family to a lethal degree. She'll not throw herself in the middle of a debate or argument, or even into a single combat scenario, but she will throw herself in harm's way to shield her family, and will even sacrifice on objectives and tasks in order to heal and take care of her loved ones.

The Dragon Slayer finds trust to come easy. She believes in the good and natural intents of others, and easily finds herself trusting others.

Magically Dependant; The Dragon Slayer is dependent upon her shapeshifting and healing magics. Without them she is probably the least martially capable amongst the Blackwell family, which still makes her admittedly a good fighter, but she is one that relies on her natural penchant for shapeshifting to see her through issues from combat to day-to-day travel. She'd feel trapped without it.

More Beast than Women. Drevala spends a great deal of time outside her own shape, and it has had an effect. She finds herself more comfortable and at home among the birds and the beasts, rather than the high flying political games of her fellow humans. While not antisocial or shy, she prefers to leave the politics to others, and will never be anything more than a pawn in others schemes. An extremely valuable pawn, but a pawn nonetheless.

Appearance:

A woman with short black hair and an athletic form, whose strength does not lie in her own body. Her skin is soft, unlike her siblings', and her voice is softer still. She does not have the hard gaze that analyzes threats, but rather the inquisitiveness of a natural learner and profound thinker. She has a natural grace that permeates all actions, and despite her plain-ness she has a sort of nobility and serenity about her.

Of course, at another moment she may appear to be any variety of creatures.

Background:
Drevala is a peculiarity amongst the Blackwell for she bears magical power. This being said, she was not forced into the Old Man's usual test, and was instead sent to study at the Summer Isles- where it was found that she grasped magical concepts with exceptionally quick aptitude. Having chosen the school of shapeshifting, Drevala was quick to attune to the magic and discover its finer nuances. Restoration was but a secondary schooling for her, and she has but standard understanding of its principles.

Shape shifting- now that was something Drevala was truly interested in. Studying animals, learning just what made them move and what muscles accomplished which task- it was a deeply liberating experience for the young Blackwell. Learning how to fit into another creature's skin created a deep empathy for others within the woman, as well as a deep understanding of her own body and natural instincts.

Tapping into the primal urges that lie within the concept of life itself were what Drevala found to be key in fine tuning her art. Humans, through their construction of civilizations and religions, have distanced themselves from these internal urges- have warded themselves away from their primal instincts of fear and survival in order to reward suicidal and reckless concepts of honor, courage, and bravery.

Drevala's acute understanding and belief in natural instinct and animalistic urges are a driving force in the woman's actions and life, and have played into her distinctly singular understanding of the art of shape shifting to extreme efficiency.

To put it in the Lay; Drevala is an animal in human's skin, and finds shedding her natural form to come easily to her.

Drevala's most notable achievements were during the Blackwell Dragon War, where she gained her title of 'The Dragonslayer' due to her unprecedented display of tenacity and efficiency at the eradication of the great beasts known as dragons.

A tale of the Dragonslayer

She was alone. She was often alone these nights, with naught but her own inconsistent skin as a shield against the chill wind of the mountains. Drevala forsake clothing on nights such as this, and stood bare to the world as she breathed in the chilled air of the high mountain tops.

A single breath drew in, then the woman threw herself from the Cliffside and into the air; her body warped and twisted, and she fell for little more than a few seconds before her body now possessed the shape of a great bird of pretty- a monstrously sized falcon. She was on the hunt tonight, and her prey was of a size and power far greater than the falcon's usual prey.

Tonight she hunts dragons

The great falcon swam through the thin air, fighting to gain purchase in the high altitude and climb ever so much higher. Soon she was above the tops of the mountains, and could see for eternity in all directions.

Far below her, a great bonfire raged; her family, in its nightly celebrations of survival and of a challenge sought on the morrow. While her family rested, recuperated, and made merry... Drevala went on the hunt. She had learned the weaknesses of the great fire breathing worms through a year of careful study- she had studied scales, bones, teeth, talons, muscle, sinew, tendon, spine, tail...She had studied the creatures in their entirety, and had found their few weaknesses.

She had discovered a way to overcome the great dragons with but the power of common beasts.

She soared away from the camp and flew for roughly an hour before she came across a dragon. They were beasts, and beasts needed sustenance- thus they could be easily found when hunting. Drevala, being of her instinctual nature, could easily find the places most frequently hunted by Dragons by observing the habitat in a similar fashion as she was now.

The dragon was low to the ground, beating its great wings slowly as it powered its almost lazy flight along the forest tops. It was truly a stark and contrasting violence when Drevala's talons blinded the creature a few moments later as she pecked and clawed at its vulnerable eyes and destroyed the creature's primary observational tool.

Drevala had but a few moments to do this, but this was a practiced action, and as she beat her wings furiously to arc away from the dragon and laterally towards the ground, the great beast roared with fury and pain as it cascaded downward in its blind flight- its body tearing through the tree line and eventually slamming into the mountainside with a tremendous crash.

By this time, Drevala was standing, naked and human once more, on the ground far below and observed the higher ground the dragon had ultimately slammed into. The ground shook, and the mountainside rumbled with an impossible force as stone and rock tumbled downward and cascaded over the still form of the great beast.

However, but a short few seconds into this unnaturally caused phenomena, the dragon's fiery breath erupted into the night air as the great creature thrashed and rose from ground, throwing the rubble from its body and roaring.

It was wounded and afraid; the words barely registered in the back of Drevala's mind. Rather, she saw this as 'my prey is weakened', and crushed all sympathy she had for the creature. She needed to be a predator, not an equal, in order to beat it. The falcon could cripple the dragon, but she needed the raw power of one of nature's strongest creatures in order to combat it further.

And so, with great lumbering steps forward, Drevala once more turned into the great falcon and flew high into the air, skirting the edge of the dragon's furious flames, and alighted atop the cliff above the beast once the rockslide had concluded.

She waited for a few moments, reverting back to human skin, until the beast had calmed and fire no longer flew in all directions. Then she shut her eyes tight and slowly slipped down the mountainside, her form changing in the span of a minute to the minute form of a mouse.

The mouse was far too small to be detected by the dragon, and far too little to be smelled in the aftermath of the scorched stone.

The dragon had no way of detecting Drevala until it was far too late; the mouse, at the dragon's feet, suddenly grew into the iconic guardian of the forest- the form of a great bear.

The bear lunged through the air with a roar and brought its full weight down upon the neck of the dragon, forcing its head towards the ground where its fire was nullified by its lack of angular direction. The dragon's body was still a threat, yes, as the bear's claws and teeth could not pierce its scales- but Drevala needed but this one strike to bring her critically wounded foe to its death.

As the great bear drove the dragon's head towards the ground and brought the ultimately surprised beast to the ground in a tremendous crash, the bear's body reared up and brought its entire weight crashing down upon the base of the dragon's skull.

Caught between unyielding stone and the startling power of a great bear, the dragon's scales held steadfast; however, the dragon's innards- being protected by nearly impenetrable bone and scale- was simultaneously scrambled and destroyed by what usually kept it safe. To put it simply, the impact had smashed the dragon's brain against its own skull and killed the beast.

Drevala had, once again, overcome a dragon using naught but simple woodland creatures as skin. This night, it was the roar of a bear that echoed throughout the mountains.

During the Throne War, Drevala faced many losses and difficult situations. She blames herself for the dire injuries and following radical personality change of her youngest sister Naomi. She also blames herself for the loss of her other sister, Beatrice, who was slain fighting Andriss while her father looked on without acting - a fact she has not forgotten. Though her familial losses have pained her deeply, she also holds hope that Lanaya will join the Blackwell family by marrying Eli, a union she strongly encouraged, for it will bring Lana as close to her as realistically possible. She is very much in love with Lana, but knows that the feeling will not be reciprocated by the completely oblivious Magister, and considers making her a sister the next best thing.

In addition, she has joined the Mages Collective at Lana’s request, and as a High Magister sits on its council, though rarely acts beyond supporting Lana. She does not particularly believe in the Collective, especially as her own jurisdiction of Alenius already treats mages with great respect.

Skills:
Magic:
Shape Shifting - Grand Master
Drevala is without a doubt the most accomplished Shape Shifter outside of the Summer Isles, and possibly even the world. Her repertoire of shapes is as numerous as there are types of animals, and her ability to shift into larger or smaller variants of those shapes is practically second nature to her. She is able to shift very rapidly into most forms, with only the truly massive forms requiring a longer casting time. She can easily shift with her clothes and weapons, though she has been known to forget this in casual or rushed situations. Her most outstanding accomplishment in this field, however, is the ability to take on the form of a full sized Dragon. This is a secret known only to two other people - Lanaya Dionisa and Giles Blackwell.

Restoration - Adept
Drevala is a capable healer, able to heal both her own and others wounds, though only for one person at a time. She suffers somewhat in the area of complex organ reconstruction however, and for severe wounds must spend a great deal of time and effort, combined with more mundane medical sciences.

General Magical Knowledge
Drevala’s general knowledge of magic is broad, but deep only on the topics of most interest to her, namely shape shifting and restoration. Nonetheless, her title of High Magister was not gained by default, and her knowledge rarely fails her in analysing magical matters.

Mundane:
Martial Skills - Adept
Drevala is a capable warrior in her human form, whether armed or not, however she prefers simple weapons such as the spear. Even though she is a mage, she is also a Blackwell, and all Blackwells are born fighters. This statement is perhaps most true of Drevala though, for she fights more through instinctual understanding than learned or practiced art.

Strategy
Drevala’s grasp of strategy is unconventional but effective. Though she has not acted as a commander in many traditional conflicts, she led the Dragon war, and developed a good understanding of asymmetric combat and guerrilla style warfare there.

Education
Having spent a great deal of time in Circle of Magic, Drevala’s education on all manner of matters is significant, and her knowledge has only been heightened in Alenius, thanks to her good relationship with her brother Eli, with whom she shares a love of knowledge.

House Dionisa

Family House Name: Dionisa
Kingdom: Nyhem
Crest: A stylised blue Rose on a midnight background.
Family Motto: Persistence Conquers All
Relations with other Houses:
House Dionisa, having only recently been restored by royal decree, enjoys both suspicion and admiration from most other Nyhem nobles. It is directly beholden to House De Reimer for restoring it, yet with Lanaya in charge, it is unlikely this debt will be considered. She does, however, ensure good relations with House Blackwell.
Family Reputation:
House Dionisa’s recent history is rather tumultuous. Prior to the fall of King Heylot Remonnet, they were a somewhat influential house in Nyhem, held in good standing for the luxury goods they produced. Yet they sided with the Mad King and fell along with him, being declared officially a dead house when Lanaya’s parents were executed. Only recently has the house been restored to existence by High King Alasdair De Reimer, and with Lanaya as its only member. In Nyhem, the nobility is unsure what the resurgence of the house will mean for local politics. On the one hand, they seem favored by the High King, yet on the other hand they just absorbed House Thale in its entirety, despite a legitimate Thale heir still living. Beyond Nyhem, it is unlikely many even know of the House, and if they do, depending on the age of the rumors, they may have all manner of probably wildly inaccurate views.
Family Background:
House Dionisa rose to prominence two hundred years ago as a wealthy family of vintners were elevated to full noble status by the High King of the time, allegedly for making ‘the finest drop ever to pass the lips of royalty.’ They grew slowly but surely, eventually becoming a reasonable economic power in the great city, though little known beyond Nyhem. The family itself has always had difficulties maintaining its line, with high rates of infertility among its women, yet a distinct tendency to end up with more daughters than sons. This has been kept a secret, seen as a shame rather than something to acknowledge and perhaps cure with magic.

The recent history of the House is bloodsoaked and abrupt. With the family having dwindled to only the Lord and Lady and a single daughter, prospects for the lineage to continue were looking grim. Economic success was great, but it seemed that as more wealth was accrued, more family members died and less children were born. Ultimately though, none would get to see whether nature intended the Dionisa line to die, for the former Lord and Lady sided with King Heylot in the last great war. When the war ended, they were executed for their allegiance, their daughter, Lanaya, spared only by virtue of her being a mage in the far off Circle of Magic. Yet even she had her noble title stripped from her for her parents poor choice in allegiance. So ended House Dionisa.

And yet, Lanaya became as skilled a stateswoman as she was a mage, and for services to the new High King Alasdair De Reimer, she had her family name restored to glory, and so began the new House Dionisa. Though this restoration came with some of the Houses old lands, it seemed as though they would have to work their way to wealth once more… Until Lord Dominus Thale of House Thale died suddenly, bequeathing all of his land and wealth to Lanaya. This sudden takeover of a functional noble Houses holdings has ensured that Dionisa is on the path to greatness again, and though still not as wealthy as they were, they now command more land, people and militia than they ever have.

Yet Lanaya remains without heir, or even husband, and the House is beholden to her will and motivation, which goes far beyond mere economic dominance of Nyhem. It remains to be seen if the resurgence of the House will last, or merely create a short lived puppet for a radical Magister.
House Motives:
House Dionisa consists only of Duchess Lanaya Dionisa, and so the Houses motives are her motives. Yet some distinctions can be made, for she is skilled in statecraft and uses her House as a Noble House should be used, rather than squandering it on whim.

The Primary motive of the House is to see to the betterment of mages in Nyhem, and to this end its guard is well trained in specialist knowledge usually known only to the Summer Isles guard. Along with general security, the guard searches the city for young mage talent overlooked by the Circle recruiters, and maintains a bounty for information pertaining to such.

A secondary motive is to restore the former economic power of the House. Once well known for their wineries and patronage of seamstresses and lace-makers, the resurgent House Dionisa is a shadow of its former wealth. It seeks to reclaim this lost economic power, and exceed it, a task made easier by the integration of the former House Thale farmlands. Ultimately, it seeks to control the supply of both food and luxuries into Nyhem.

Family Members

Name: Captain Reginald Moros
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Position: Dionisa Captain of the Guard
Personality: Captain Moros is a dedicated and loyal guardsman. A veteran of House Thale, he was initially confused at the shift to House Dionisa, but believes in the will of the once great Dominus Thale. He also has a healthy respect for Lanaya, thanks to both her teaching and willingness to expend her own wealth on helping the more common people of the city, even if only the common mages of the city. He has a somewhat fatherly, protective streak that often kicks in when he rescues young mages from the streets. For the most part, he follows the leader of the House without question, but does have enough initiative to question orders if they seem unnecessarily bloodthirsty.
Appearance: Moros can almost always be seen in his guard captain armor - a plate breastplate and pauldrons over a full suit of chain, with the Dionisa tabard. When not in his armor, he usually just wears the padded layers that would be under said armor. His face is worn beyond his years, for he has seen much blood in his time. He has a well kept beard and mustache, though both this and his short hair are beginning to grey. He carries himself as one who values his duty and believes in his Lord, yet a touch of deep weariness can be seen by the end of the day.
Skills:
Melee Combat (all typical infantry weapons) - Adept
Command - Apprentice
Battlefield Inspiration - Adept
Anti-mage tactics - Apprentice
General Magic knowledge - Novice
Weaknesses:
Getting Old - Moros is not as young as he once was, and would prefer to retire with all his limbs attached in five years or so. Accordingly, he is a cautious commander, perhaps overly so, and he will usually avoid engagements with warriors he knows to be far superior to himself.
Sick of Massacres - He has seen one too many blood-soaked massacre occur in Nyhem, and is quite sick of them. If he thinks events are deteriorating to the point where another massacre will occur, he may begin to act irrationally or be open to an allegiance change.
Protective - Moros never had children of his own, and so he considers the mage children he rescues from the street at Lanaya’s bidding to almost be his own. He will go to extreme lengths to keep them safe, including putting aside his dreams of retirement.

Name: Seneschal Victor Elan
Age: 44
Gender: Male
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual
Position: Seneschal
Personality: A quiet and reserved man, Victor prides himself on accuracy in record keeping. He has little time for those below him in rank and generally prefers to be left alone to focus on his job.
Appearance: Pale skin, a bald head and an elaborate, greying moustache and goatee ensure that Victor is fairly recognisable, despite his usually drab clothing.
Skills:
Administration - Expert
Espionage - Apprentice
Poisoning - Novice
Swordplay - Novice
Weaknesses:
Survivor - While some may consider it a strength, Victor’s uncanny ability to weather Nyhem politics has more to do with a tendency to always switch to the winning side at an opportune moment than any real talent of any sort. Consequently he can be easy to bribe and corrupt if his current master isn’t doing well.

Arianna Zerrikan

Name: Arianna Zerrikan

Age: 22

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual

Position: Tide Master

Personality:
Arianna is a fiery and independent woman, resentful of the expectations of greatness placed upon her, yet at home in command of others. A sailor at heart, she tends to be direct and concise in her speech. She is trained in dealing with nobility, but not a natural at it. She is not a schemer, but a strategist, eager to apply military and magical theory to any problem she is faced with. She is stubborn, determined and prone to holding mild grudges. There is little she fears, and that which she does she tends to charge straight at rather than cower away from, often over-estimating her capabilities in the process… She is used to being known by the reputation of her family name, and tends to be aloof and distant when meeting new people, though she enjoys the chance to get to know people who have never heard of her or her father.

Weaknesses:
Brash - Arianna is quick to act and prone to solving problems directly, even when such an approach is risky and dangerous to herself or those around her.
Untouchable Fantasy - Arianna believes that there is no problem that she cannot outrun or out fight, either directly or through the influence of the Summer Isles and the Navy. She does not realise how tenuous her position is, or how many enemies she already has.
Politically Overconfident - Arianna has been trained to deal with Nobles, but she has never truly engaged in politics. She believes she knows what she is doing, but in reality she could not be more out of her depth when dealing with the schemes of the Nyhem court.

Appearance:
Arianna is a typical Summer Isles native - with tanned olive colored skin and flowing brown hair that she usually keeps in a neat bun. She has brown eyes and the strong, rugged hands of a sailor. She typically wears practical clothing suitable for life on a ship in the warm Irman sea. She always carries a utilitarian dagger and is often seen with a shortsword at her hip as well. While not unfamiliar with the loose robes of the more scholarly mages, she is fairly unfamiliar with dresses, preferring more practical finery - the sort one could fight or climb rigging in without first having to rip a skirt off...

Background:
Arianna Zerrikan, daughter of Arthur Zerrikan, the legendary Admiral of the Summer Isles Zephyr Fleet, is very much defined by her father's shadow. As a Summer Isle’s native and the daughter of two mages, Arianna was tested for magical aptitude from a very early age, and to no-one's surprise, was found to be a mage by the time she was 4. As soon as this was discovered, she was guaranteed a place in the Circle.

Arianna’s early life was uneventful. She was middling in her studies, neither excelling nor falling behind. Her most notable attribute at the time was a higher than normal aptitude for summoning magic. Once she had learned the basics of magic, she branched out into Destruction and Summoning almost immediately, supplementing her magical learning with close combat and sailing classes.

She was thirteen when her father achieved fame and glory - destroying a grand pirate armada and killing the notorious Akki Noble come pirate lord at its head. Arianna was still too young to truly understand much of what was going on, but as the next generation of the now mighty Zerrikan bloodline, her life was affected in many ways.

Her father, despite being at the Summer Isles more often, suddenly had less time for her as he was drafted into frequent lecturing at the isles Naval college and meeting a seemingly endless string of officials, nobles and admirals from the mainland. Her teachers suddenly expected greatness from her in every area she studied. Her classmates varied between sycophancy or avoidance thanks to her new found celebrity-by-association status. Finally, she came under immense pressure to work towards Tidemaster, and later Grand Tidemaster, status and follow in her father's footsteps. While it was always something she had considered, it was now seemingly out of her hands.

It took nearly a year for Arianna to adapt, during which time she did poorly in all of her classes. Yet eventually, she did adapt, through a combination of will, rebellious desire to forge her own path, and the lessening of pressure as the magnitude of her father's deeds faded with time. Now largely without any close friends, she threw herself into study, and began taking naval strategy classes as well. She still never excelled in anything quite as much as her instructors seemed to expect, despite becoming an effective summoner very quickly and grasping naval strategy at a very young age… Yet this only seemed to spur her on.

At the age of eighteen she was deemed capable enough to join the crew of one of the Summer Isles Catamarans, where her study took on a far more practical nature. At first, the captain and crew were hard on her - believing she had only gotten the position thanks to her father's influence. Which was true, though she did not know it. She quickly found herself volunteering for the most dangerous of tasks and leading the way in combat and investigations both - though often with reckless abandon that got her - and others - injured more than once. It also led to her developing a somewhat aloof attitude towards those she does not know well.

Despite this rocky start to her career however, one cannot live on a ship for any length of time without forging a strong bond with ones crew, and within six months her crew had come to respect her, and she them. She took part in several tours of the Irman sea, hunted a few pirate ships and learned a little about every Kingdom bordering the sea. She also spent more time back on the Isles, whenever the ship needed shipyard maintenance or the crew was due any extended leave. She, like most of the magically inclined crew, took the time to visit the Circle again and cram more classes in to heighten her magical power, though she also always made time to update herself on the latest naval theory at the college.

Late into her twenty-first year, Arianna was promoted to Tidemaster when the captain of another Catamaran decided to retire… Ahead of several other more experienced candidates and at an age that makes her the youngest Tidemaster to command a Catamaran in the history of the Zephyr fleet.

The realities of command have tempered her fiery nature somewhat, but she remains a dynamic and aggressive captain compared to her peers. Her reputation in the fleet is very mixed - the older officers tend to see her as an inexperienced upstart coasting on her family name, but the younger sailors look up to her as an example of what can be achieved by a dedicated, determined student. She is oblivious to the extent of her influence on the fleet in this manner, seeing only a continuation of the isolation she has lived with since her father became famous.

Recently, she has become swayed by the rhetoric of Lanaya Dionisa and the Mages Collective, thanks in no small part to seeing first hand the destruction and rampant piracy wrought by the squabbling Kings of the mainland. Yet she is ever the Summer Islander, and prefers a milder interpretation of the concept of mage supremacy, one that doesn’t marginalise her trusted mundane crew members or plunge the Isles into conflict.

Skills:
Magic:
Destruction - Master
Arianna is a well trained, if a little inexperienced, Tide Master. This means a significant focus on Destruction magic of the sort useful at sea. While not the most accomplished war mage in Formaroth, she does have a great deal of training in group cast spells, making a her presence on the battlefield more significant than one might expect for a mage of her youth. She has also trained in Glyphs for combat application.

Force - Arianna’s study of Force magic is quite unusual in its focus, though quite normal for a Tide Master. In addition to typical blasts, she has trained in esoteric uses like conjuring winds and applying slow, steady Force on large objects, like ships. These feats require a group to achieve though.

Fire - Though not a prime focus for Arianna, the control of fire is nonetheless paramount on a ship. She has focused primarily on controlling existing flames, as well as smothering them magically.

Ice/Water - One of the key abilities of a Tide Master is control over water. Arianna is no exception, and demonstrates the ability to control a significant amount of water on her own, going so far as to pull it out of the air in humid environments. She can freeze and thaw large amounts of Ice, allowing her to shape a battlefield with ease. With a group of mages, she is able to move the water around a ships hull in such a way as to propel it forward at incredible speed, or bring it to a complete stop.

Lightning - Arianna’s personal favorite among the schools of Destruction. She has trained in manifesting storms of bolts from even mildly cloudy weather. She can chain bolts from her hands to strike up to three additional targets beyond the first and she can fatally electrify small areas of water. With a group, she can conjure lightning at extreme range and of a ferocity easily able to set a ship ablaze.

Summoning - Adept
Most Tide Masters choose to learn either Shape Shifting or Summoning magic, with the more difficult Summoning being known as ‘The Admirals Choice.’ Arianna has put significant effort into the study of Summoning, and has befriended two shades.
Albatross - A somewhat ungainly sea bird of large size, this shade regularly accompanies Arianna when she is at sea, serving as a scout, soaring far above her ship.
Orca - This formidable and sizeable shade is seen only rarely, usually manifesting either when Arianna is hunting a large sea creature with her crew or in particularly fierce combat. But when it does arrive, it is a fearsome and intelligent combatant, making the water near her even more of a no-go zone, lest a foe wishes to face many shredding teeth.

Alteration - Novice
Arianna studies Alteration primarily for a few utility spells. Water Breathing in particular comes in handy for a sailor, though she has been known to employ limited telekinesis for small, intricate tasks like tying knots in rope.

Mundane:
Sailor - Master
One does not become a Tide Master without also mastering the many intricacies of traditional sailing, including more versatile skills such as stellar navigation. This also includes climbing, both with and without ropes, as well as, obviously, swimming.
Melee Combat - Expert
Arianna is a capable combatant, wielding the kinds of weapons typically found on a ship with skill and precision, though her personal preference is a shortspear.
Naval Strategy - Adept
While nowhere near the level needed to match a Grand Tide Master, or even live up to the expectations placed upon her, Arianna is still a reasonably capable Naval tactician, having led her squadron to victory on several occasions.

[JaisonJ97]

Name: Jain Surya of House Ifreet
Age: (23)
Gender: (Male)
Sexual Orientation: (Women, but his true love dead. Oh, she dead. Very dead)

Position:
Captain of the Magi and a member of the 7. Status Unknown: Washed up on a foreign land with no idea who he was or how he ended up there. Amnesia.

Personality:
Friendly. Loyal to his friends. Will happily joke around with his friends at a local watering hole or something.
A great sense of pride and honour. Honour bound to serve those who save his life. (especially a lot of these in battle).

Interest in old books and aesthetics.

Also, has developed a second personality named Marid (a powerful shade which the Draivim call Djinn) due to years spent on the battlefield. So, you might catch him with a dark aura around him from time to time (and no, you’re not imagining it so best to avoid him if you feel it). Moody. Likes to slaughter his enemies on the battlefield with no mercy, no prisoners.

Appearance:

·Black hair with grey speckled about. Tanned Skin. Green eyes (glows slightly at night due to a the bloodgrass potion he takes to enhance his battlefield prowess).
·Very lean but a bit muscular. 6 feet high.
·Got a thick scruffy beard as he has not groomed or maintained his appearance for a few months (he was shipwrecked).

Attire:
Standard uniform of the Magi Detachment (A small contingent of Military Mages):

Black, knee length, waterproof coat made with a light fabric coated in a special oil and lined with small hardened steel plates stitched strategically around the inner lining covering vital organs. (below the waist the 4 of the plates are visible). Tightened around the wait with a black leather utility belt with several pouches. A second utility belt also attaches to the main belt and is slung over the left shoulder diagonally across the torso.

Green shoulder armour containing the insignias of the House of origin and the Daimyo he serves on his right shoulder, and his rank insignia and regimental insignia on the left shoulder.
A dark green cloak.

A 30-inch, straight, blade without a hilt-guard hangs in a sheath behind him. Hidden under the cloak (quite heavy blade for its size as it has a tungsten core making it quite heavy and harder to melt). This makes for some interesting use of fire magic.

Prefers to wear a pair of riding boots and fitted clothes to allow him to move about more easily.

Background:

A captain in the military of the Draivim Empire. Military Mage from a long line of Military Mages of House Ifreet (Adopted into the house from one of the mountain clans as per tradition).

Age 7: Adopted by the family of House Ifreet from his clan.

Age 8-15:
Discovers his potential for magic and especially an affinity for magic.
Trains in the arts of Pyromancy and Alteration until aged 15 and enrolled into the Corps of Military Mages in service to the Empire as was the Ifreet family tradition.
Discovered talent for Command and Tactics. Proficient tactician.

Age 19:
The Battalion he was assigned to was nearly wiped out in an ambush, killing about 200 men including most of his superiors, leaving a single general alive but mortally wounded.
The general gave the order to rally the survivors and to fight to the death to preserve their honour. He quickly rallied the surviving 30 men including 17 battle mages, commanding them so skillfully that they managed to repel an enemy infantry force significantly outnumbering them (got lucky that the enemy mages didn’t arrive in time for the battle).
In the end there was only 7 survivors. All of them mages.
Earned the nickname of Fire Djinn due to his proficient use of Pyromancy in successfully wiping out the attackers.
For his actions he was assigned to the Magi with the rank of Captain. (Captain of the Magi are ranked just above the generals of the standard military, meaning if they wanted to, they can take command of the armies at will on command of the Emperor without question).
The Magi is an organisation of Highly Proficient Military Mages. An ancient organisation tasked with the security of the Empire by any means necessary, undertaking various special missions such as espionage conducting war.
He was also given command of the surviving mages of his battalion and formed his own small detachment of Magi.

Age 23 (current age):
Mysteriously washed up on the shores of a foreign land and suffers from amnesia. He has no recollection of how he ended up there and doesn’t remember certain details from his life. Only remembers his name after looking at a metal medallion with his name and the house crest etched onto it hanging from a small tungsten chain attached to the hardened steel plate protecting his heart.

Skills

Pyromancy

Alteration

Expert spy

Battlefield alchemy (creating certain potions to aid healing, performance, and manage pain)

Proficient battlefield commander.

Warrior mage: Skilled Close Quarter Combatant and swordsman making use of pyromancy to aid in combat.

Also unique to him, he can heat his blade made with a tungsten core instantly using pyromancy; So when it cuts his enemies, it burns and sets their clothes and flesh alight even before the blade makes contact with it. This also makes the blade glow almost red hot but the tungsten core prevents the blade from melting or breaking when heated. This however does result in the blade being blunted after the use of the spell meaning it need to be sharpened after the spell is used. This is an instant spell that takes a great deal of focus to control and can only be used in very short bursts, else the blade will either melt or bend.

Weaknesses:

Amnesia: has trouble performing certain spells due to it.

Multiple personality disorder: has a much darker hidden persona sealed away that perks up from time to time.

Addiction: Suffering from withdrawal from a certain alchemical potion for performance on the battlefield he made using Blood Grass that he got addicted to before he lost his memory (doesn’t remember why he’s suffering or how to make this drug and so will suffer for the next month until it leaves his body fully).

[Fading Memory]

Blackwell family description - 'They be Dragonslayers'

Death's No Stranger

Kingdom Location
Formaroth -> Alenius, Akki, Glarmion

Relations with other Kingdoms
Imperial Concord - A rocky alliance, loosely held together by the betrothal of Naomi Blackwell and Patrick De Reimer

Family reputation
Dragonslayers
-The Blackwell family has a fierce reputation, for they are well known as the slayers of dragons. A great many, many, dragons.

Strong as Iron
-The Blackwell family was born into a noble house from the ashes of warfare, and their people are a hard and strong people.

Duty before Honor
-The Blackwell family is one who sees 'getting the job done' as superior to the concept of 'Honor', and their use of guerilla tactics and clandestine operations in the past is noteworthy.

Queer Fighters
-The Blackwell family is notorious for training to combat foes without the use of shields, and typically wield additional weaponry in the off hand or adopt the use of larger weaponry in the stead of traditional sword-and-shield pairings

Kingdom's main export goods
Raw goods: Lumber, coal, ores
Skilled goods: Weapons, armor, agriculture//seasonal crops

Kingdom's imports
Alenius' imports alter to accent any shortages and emergency needs
-Primary imports consist of skilled laborers and educators, rather than any material needs
-Secondary concerns are dependent upon the Alenius' kingdom's own production of goods, and is typically shifted to correct any shortages seen; alternatively, exports may be cut to offset this rather than imports made
-Importing goods is seen as a last resort

Description of Kingdom
Alenius is a land that, in recent years, has prospered greatly. Prior to the Blackwell family placement upon the kingdom, it was a simpler land that was heavily dependent upon its neighbors for goods such as tools and food, and had seen considerable damages due to dragon attacks frequenting its southern provinces [quite near the mountain ranges] that left the south almost entirely uninhabited, save by those few wanton dragonslayers seeking their glory.

With the Blackwell placement preceding the Mandarass-Remonnet civil war, considerable industrial upheaval occurred in the kingdom. The Blackwell family instituted more rigorous agricultural practices, which dragged the kingdom out of its dependency, and allowed it to further progress into its own enterprises and expand the kingdom's demesne.

Under Blackwell rule, the dragons plaguing the south of the kingdom have been slain and the land made habitable, allowing the kingdom of Alenius to expand into its own profitable mining and prospecting enterprises, further eradicating the heavy debt that originally lay across the land.

Now, the kingdom is powerful economically due to its centralized production and lack of consistent imports. The military of the kingdom is comparatively small in regards to its neighbors, yet highly trained and elite under the Blackwell standards, and has a high reserve force that is constantly in training circulation to keep the civilian populace prepared in the event of a war.

Following the crown war, the kingdom has expanded to include Glarmion and Akki, which The Blackwell House works to assimilate steadily.

Family Background
Summarized - See individuals for further explanation
The Blackwell family is one bred from the fires of war, and hardened in combat like the harshest of irons. Originating as a peasant family who served as a mercenary company, the Blackwell family saw extensive combat and operations in the Mandarass-Remonnet civil war, where they served as a guerrilla unit, a misinformation broker, as well as a strong backbone in central battles when the need arose.

Their extensive operations in crippling the Mandarass forces at every available opportunity, as well the spread of misinformation through the enemy [Mandarass] forces, was a critical role they played in the war. They targeted high priority persons, sabotaged supplies, engaged in open warfare to a considerable extent, and by the end of the war the Remonnet's had them hoisted up to the position of nobility due to their display of effectiveness and loyalty to the crown.

However, peasants cannot simply be made noble without angering the other vassals of the kingdom. The Blackwells were granted land and territory in what is known as the kingdom of Alenius, which at the time following the war was little more than an inhabited wasteland of barren fields and scorched earth. The land was facing incredible debt.

The kingdom of Alenius had sided with the Mandarass forces in the beginning of the civil war, and as a result had been utterly crushed by a massed Remennot attack as a pre-emptive measure, and the ensuing battles backed the Alenius nobility into Hell; dragons at their backs and an overwhelming enemy at their fronts. Needless to say, the kingdom of Alenius was rendered a non-issue in the war.

Upon being granted their title and lands, the Blackwell family continued to serve the Remennot's until near the end of the war, when they withdrew from the combat in order to govern their lands and recouperate from the extensive combat they had seen.

In the following years, in the face of having their titles revoked and land squabbled over by neighboring lords, the Blackwells turned the same lethal efficiency they carried for the art of war towards the art of statecraft; the core Blackwells, the ones who had served in the civil war, were masters of the arts of war and death, but many of their extended family and subservient citizens were farmers and simple artisans. Rather than trying to institute the standard reconstruction process, the Blackwells deferred to those who understood the earth and the tasks that needed to be done.

Those who could best get the job done received the highest positions in the Blackwell society, and through the constant struggle for improvement the land became fertile once more, and the people's fortitude returned as- rather than with swords and shields- they fought with hoe and sickle to win back the plentiful peace they once had.

The only issue was that of the uninhabitable wastes in the south, where the prospect of ores and mining stood as a saving grace for the land of Alenius. Many dragonslayers had gone into this southern land in an attempt to fight and gain glory by slaying one of the great beasts, but none had succeeded. The Blackwells, however, were backed into a corner in the face of crippling debt and a rebuilding society. The Blackwells were not ones to back down from a challenge.

So the Blackwells went south, to the mountains, to hunt dragons. They left the army they had grown through the years of combat and war behind to defend the territory with The Shadow as governor, and left with but a small elite group of soldiers rather than employing vast numbers of dragonslayers- opting instead to gather up the wanton heroes already present in the country rather than warn their surrounding threats of the family's planned absence.

However, the rumors were hardly enough to prepare the Blackwells for what awaited them in the south. What they intended as a speedy mission quickly developed into a task that took the span of a few years, with the forces back in the northern half of Alenius holding the land and warding off possible threats. The Blackwell family had anticipated but a few dragons that had grown into many by years of myth and rumor, but the truth of the matter was both harrowing and boldening; There were hundreds of dragons in the south of Alenius, and the Blackwells had found another war on their hands.

And war for the Blackwells is like harvest for the farmer; it revives the spirit, and makes one look to the future.

The dragons in the south were steadily eradicated into manageable numbers; nearly two hundred dragons having been slain by the Blackwell family, and a vast quantity of those were accredited to a single member of the family alone. Scales, claws, teeth, and bones were harvested from the creatures and sent back to Mercy [the renamed capital of the Blackwell kingdom].

Now, only a handful of dragons still survive in southern Alenius; hardly enough to pose a threat to the Blackwell family, or the people of Alenius. The south became an industrialized powerhouse for the country, and the north evolved into an agricultural cornucopia...

Beatrice Blackwell's death shook the Blackwell family, save for Naomi Blackwell. Drevala, in a depression and a desire for new horizons, started being away from her family more and more, opting instead to drown herself in magical research and Lanaya's Mage's Collective while she handled her grief. Eli Blackwell, Naomi, and the Old Man all returned to Alenius with Beatrice in order to give her a proper Blackwell funeral...

Various mottos of the Blackwell lands, and their origins

"Death's no Stranger." ~ The Old Man; in response to threats from the Mandarasss during the civil war - Adopted as the family motto

"I'll choose death." ~ The War Maiden; when prompted to turn coat in the civil war - Adopted as a military slogan

"Send me more!" ~ The War Maiden; Her disappointment at the lack of a challenging foe during the civil war conflicts she took part in - adopted as a military slogan

"Salted earth doesn't grow." ~ The Lord; his grim displeasure at the land they had been titled - adopted as a military slogan.

"Never falter, never fall." ~ The Dragonslayer; during the Dragon War - a common saying

"What are we?" + "Forged in dragon's fire!" - Pre-battle mantra of the Blackwell military

"Dragons were hardly as big an issue as this". - A comical colloquialism of the Blackwell lands
---

family motives [See; individual characters]
-The Old Man...Is tired.
-The Lord of the Blackwell Family seeks to sustain the rule of the blackwell family in the face of ever-worsening relations with the Concord.
-The Shadow seeks to ???????
-The Dragonslayer seeks to protect her family to the fullest of her ability, regardless of the challenges they face. This includes her ever-more-frantic research into the regenerative arts.

Naomi Blackwell seeks to enlighten the masses.

The Old Man

I've forgotten more about war than you'll ever learn - The Old Man

Name
Giles Blackwell
Old Man Blackwell

Age
63

Gender
Male

Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual

Position
Head of the family - King of Alenius, Akki, and Glarmion

Personality
An exceptionally harsh man, Giles Blackwell was a man born for war. His speech is slow and deliberate, carrying both authority and weight, and despite his age the man's physicality carries strength that few men possess. He walks in the refined manner of those who fear not death, as if they're entitled to every step they take- and none shall deny him that right. His slow and deliberate speech hints of an analytical mind, and despite his low birth the man has no shame or humility about him.

He was forged in dragon's fire, and of man's steel. There is no fear within the man, but no courage; purely the honest duty of a soldier.

The Old Man's treatment of others is blunt, yet fair. He'll not treat anyone different, save his own family whom he treats far harsher than anyone else. A man of great expectations, for he has accomplished much.

Appearance
The man's hair is greyed, and scars mark his face. He is aged, yes, but his body is hardly withered. He is known as 'The Old Man', yet his body still has the strength and dexterity of men half his age. His hands are rough, hard, and calloused- quite unlike other lords of his status, who would ordinarily have softer and more delicate features. His height is average, and his stature itself is not anything special- but his presence is unmistakeable and the very air around him thrashes with the authority he bears. He, for all intensive purposes, has the appearance of a man whose word is law.

Skills and traits
Giles Blackwell is renown as, perhaps, the greatest soldier to ever partake in the art of war
Tactician - Excellent
Combat [General // Warfare] - Master
Command [General // Warfare] - Excellent
Martial Weaponry [All varieties] - Master

Statesmanship - Average
Education - Average
Diplomacy - sub par
trade - Sub par

background
Giles Blackwell has never been anything other than a soldier. From a young age he was introduced to the soldier's life through his own father, who commanded a small mercenary force to marginally profitable results. At this point in time, the Blackwell family was a respected name in the common folk's community.

His mother was a simple tavern wench, and thus Giles was naturally attracted to his father's lifestyle far more than his mother's, and left at a young age to join in his father's adventures. However, for some time the young boy had no place in his search for his father, and thus spent considerable time just wandering the various kingdoms of Formaroth in a search for his own purpose.

For these travels of his life, he was not Giles Blackwell. He was known during this time simply as Pounce the Stray. This is not a time of his life that many remember, or bothered to learn, but it is perhaps the most critical time in Giles Blackwell's life. His time as Pounce the Stray defined him moreso than any other period in his life, including his time in war.

The only way to understand why, is to see it.

Pounce the stray

Pounce rubbed the back of his hand across his jaw and staggered back. He rocked on his feet lightly. The young teen was bleeding from one eye, and the other was swollen shut; his vision was a red haze of blurry figures. His body was heavy and fatigued, but still the boy stood and swayed. He refused to fall, even now, even as his body began to lose function.

"That all you got?" He croaked out, coughing as the words left his mouth.

"Shit, look at 'im- maybe we should leave him alone."

"Yeah? And what, let this beggar walk away? He stole from the market then ran, you know we can't let this go unpunished."

"You want to take this kid in an-"

Pounce couldn't let the third man continue speaking, and shouted out in anger at their casual conversation in the face of his pain.

"I'm no thief!" the young boy shouted, shifting his feet back and solidifying his stance. "And if I was, I'd own up to it!" His head reeled as he shouted, his own words echoing in his head. In his rage, the boy's thoughts scattered as his head filled with steam and red haze. He was vaguely aware that he was running towards the voices before something solid slammed into his face and he was sent sprawling on the ground, a wave of blackness overcoming his consciousness.

---

When Pounce awoke, he could hardly see. The red haze was gone, and he bore bandaging over his body. Most of the pain was gone, but as he blinked his eyes slowly the numbness in his body was replaced by a dull ache. Pounce had been in fights before, but he had not taken a beating quite like this one; the town guard had accused him of thievery and beat him.

Pounce was no thief, but he appeared to be a beggar and was easy to blame. Pounce had no doubt that the guards who did this got a promotion, or a raise, or some sort of exaggerated tale to tell. He grimaced and rubbed his head with his left hand as he sat up, and a woman's voice scolded him sternly;

"Stay seated, boy, you've hardly recovered. I'll need another day with you if I'm to make all the aches die down, but if you'd rather suffer feel free to rise." She sounded nice enough, Pounce decided, but definitely older and less patient than he'd like.

"I'm fine." He said gruffly, forcing himself up into a sitting position. His head had begun to clear and his vision steadily improved. It was queer, knowing magic was at work on your body. "Where am I?"

"Right now you're lucky to be alive, and lucky to have gotten off with such a light punishment for thievery." came the woman's voice again. "You're also lucky that I'm a nice woman who helps all who need it and not some greedy hag who peddles her wares from a streetside shop."

Pounce couldn't help but chuckle at the woman's demeanor, before shaking his head and grinning. He pulled his hands into fists and stretched, before splaying his fingers and looking down at his hands as he often had when deep in thought about life and where to go next.

However, as he looked down, his grin froze in a hideous plaster upon his face. This hideous mockery of a smile was formed from a singular realization; Pounce's right hand was missing its ring finger.

Pounce had been marked a thief for a crime he had never committed.

While this singular instance of the story of Pounce the Stray is short, it was a defining factor in the man's life. While on the extreme side of the spectrum, it is but an average experience of the man's youth. As he grew, his natural penchant for fighting became honed into a soldier's edge; at the age of fourteen he finally found his father's mercenary troupe and discovered that his father had died, and in turn Giles fought his way up to the leadership position with tooth and nail, until he dominated both the mercenary company as well as the battlefield with his hones combat expertise as well as his fledgling tactician's mind.

Years later, his own children joined him in his travels when he sired them. By this time, Giles was a battle hardened veteran, grizzled and forged by years of combat in the elven empire as well as on the Formaroth lands. His children were following in his foot steps, and when they first came to him he sent them on a yearlong journey around Formaroth without their names in order to make them discover how harsh reality was on their own. One of his daughters was even magically capable, and he sent her to the Summer Isles until she could control her gift.

When the civil war broke out, it was only another battle in a life-long war that Giles Blackwell had been fighting.

Following the death of his daughter Beatrice, and the escape of Andris, Giles became a sombre man, his age finally seeming to catch up to him.

The Lord

Father is a man of iron; I shall be a king - The Lord

Name
Eli Blackwell
Lord Blackwell

Age
32

Gender
Male

Sexual Orientation
Heterosexual

Position
Heir - Prince of Alenius

Personality
A charismatic fellow, yet reserved by nature. He bears the force of will that his father carries, yet has a sort of hesitance about him that makes him come off as more thoughtful and less brash. He is a courteous fellow, but is quick to count himself nobody's underling and to declare himself equal to all. He is an honest man, and being a Blackwell he is hardened to the throes of battle and war, and thus has a heavy weight when it comes to matters of human life.

Appearance
He is a man. Dark hair full of youth and vigor, and a face made rough from hard work and hard battles. He is not the soldier his father is, and that disparity is obvious even at a glance. His gaze is that of a man who judges all he sees, and seeks to better himself as well as those around him through his actions. He is tall, and strongly built; an athletic man with a strength inside him mirroring his father's, but not the harsh military authority.

He is a man who one would find it impossible to lie to.

Skills and traits
Lie Detection - Master
Diplomacy - Very good
Statecraft - Expert
Charisma [general] - Expert

Combat [General // Warfare] - Good
Tactician - Excellent
Martial skill/combat - good
Command - Good
Naval command - Very good

Construction - good
Labor Organization - Very good
Trade and Economy - Expert
Animal handling and training - Very good
Eli is an avid falconer, and cares deeply for his beloved falcon dubbed 'Mary' as a nickname for 'Marionette', in reference to a childhood friend known as 'Doll-Girl'

Background
The only surviving son of Giles Blackwell, king of Alenius. The story of Eli Blackwell is best told like most others; begin at the start, struggle through the midst, and finally reach the end. As a youth, Eli was turned out of both name and house- much as his father had done- and sent on his own journey around Formaroth.

Eli's name during his travels was simply 'Mouse'.

The Tale of Mouse

Mouse was a slender boy, with the beginnings of strength and athleticism in his bones. He was quick on his feet, fast with his hands, hard on his friends, and easy with his enemies. Most importantly of all, he was in love- the love only the young can bear for another of their own, a promise for the future rather than anything tangible in the now.

He loved Doll-Girl. In the city of Nyhem, of all places, is where the two met, and it is Nyhem where Mouse spent a majority of his travels. Unlike his father, Mouse did not get in an abundance fights nor did he get charged with crimes he did not commit. Rather, Mouse was a king among beggars; He could disarm someone with a smile, make a friend in a conversation, gain trust with a wink, and talk his way out of just about any issue that came up.

Doll-Girl was his only worry and concern in the world. She was a young, sickly, sort whom he had made the acquaintance of one fated evening when he was seeking Asylum from a storm. He had broken into an old warehouse by the river of Nyhem, and when he was inside he was startled to discover a girl. She was dressed in exquisitely fine clothes, unmistakably noble or royal in some fashion, and yet was out here in the storm much the same as a beggar boy.

The two studied each other for a moment, then a dialogue ensued;

"My name is-" the girl had begun, only to be cut off by Mouse's rough rebuttal.

"Don't tell me. Out here, we're all the same. I have no name, so you have no need of one either. Call me Mouse, and I'll call you Doll-Girl because you look like a marionette. Besides, knowing your name would ruin the illusion." Mouse's words were even and friendly, but distant as one would expect. The girl, lowering her head, seemed hesitant to respond, but as Mouse made himself at home and tried to find somewhere dry to sit about, she seemed to relax.

"A-Alright I suppose. Mouse...Doll-girl...Almost sounds like a tale from a storybook, doesn't it?"

"I wouldn't know, never had a storybook. From the look of you, it would definitely seem like you'd be the type to have storybooks and servants and three meals a day. Welcome to a different kingdom, Doll-Girl; the kingdom under everyone else's boot. I'm a king, you're a queen, and everyone else you meet's just the same. We have no wars, no battles, no heroes; simply one grand adventure." Mouse was a natural raconteur, and he was getting the itch in the base of his skull that came with all great stories he told. "It may seem undesirable to someone who's every-day attire is much like yourself, but there is a liberation in being beneath everyone's concern. There's power in being ignored and discarded. There's new perspective when you're at the lowest of the low, with nowhere else to go."

It was at this point that Mouse faced Doll-Girl fully and sized her up in a masculine head-to-toe glance.

"You're pretty, but you'll just be sold off as a wife for political means or made into a priestess, or something along those lines." Doll-Girl scoffed at this and waved a hand dismissively, shaking her head.

"You're too old fashioned- and you say you never had any storybooks? I could be a soldier, a queen, a priestess- anything I want to be when I grow up!" And it was Mouse's turn to scoff and wave a hand dismissively, his smirk a sly hint at his jested mockery.

"Oh yes, you can do anything you want so long as it satisfies your noble purpose. Politics don't allow for freedom, at least not for someone like you."

"What do you mean someone like me?"

"Someone who wears dresses, runs away from home or gets lost from her parents, and is forced to hide in warehouses with the king of beggars nipping at her heels." Doll-Girl's silence was somewhat weighty, and she outright turned away from Mouse and walked to her own corner. Mouse was content with allowing her to do so, but followed her with his gaze evenly. Her sneezing a few moments later was only an excuse to do what was in his nature anyhow; Mouse rose up and followed the girl, before roughly depositing his jacket in her lap- startling the girl somewhat.

"Doll-Girl, don't you remember what I said? We're all equal out here under everyone else's boots. I share what I have, you share what you've got, and in the end we're all alive."

The girl pulled the jacket about her hesitantly, but nodded her thanks.

"I don't h-have anything to share with you."

"Answer me one question then."

"...A-Alright."

"Did you get lost, or did you run away."

"I ran away."

At the girl's admittance of that, Mouse gave her a wide grin.

"Then, Doll-Girl, all you have to do is come down here and visit me from time to time when you run out like this again."
----

Mouse's tale was one of charisma and learning, and from Doll-Girl he learned the finer points of court intrigue and politics, and from Mouse Doll-Girl learned what the world was really like and how to tell if someone was lying or honest, and even how to throw a proper punch.

They promised to always meet back in the same warehouse every so often and would leave signs for each other that they were there. However, Doll-Girl was often sick and they didn't get to frequently be together. This did not deter Mouse however, as he often found some way to get to see the girl when she was sick and try to cheer her up.

He was thrown from the castle's rooms more than once for his presence, but they simply could not keep the boy away from the sick girl. Eventually, thanks to the girl's protests, they allowed Mouse to visit her briefly.

Doll-Girl's death marked the end of Mouse's life, and a hard and stone-hearted Eli Blackwell left Nyhem the same night.

Eli was trained much as his father had trained; with desperation and anger at the world, and a need to revitalize the spirit. He did not bear the natural penchant for combat that his father- and siblings- bore, but his time in Nyhem had educated him better than any formal education in the art of economics.

Eli was soon growing into the very definition of a lord despite being simply a member of a mercenary troupe, but his way with people and his way with money was a great boon to all who worked with him. Becoming the prince of Alenius only marked what was seen as an inevitable event for Eli Blackwell, for none who met him could deny his noble air and penchant for statecraft.

He would have become a king one day, regardless of if his father had earned the kingdom for him.

Following the death of Beatrice Blackwell, Eli secluded himself within castle Mercy of Alenius and disconnected from the outside world for a time. Little has been heard from him, or of him, since the end of the war. all that can be known is he is frantically at work to balance the economics of three kingdoms at once into one sustainable economy.

The Shadow

Coin is far superior to blood; Uncle just pays the best - The Shadow

Name
Vivian Blackwell
The Shadow

Age
26

Gender
Female

Sexual Orientation
Everything/Anyone

Position
Assassin // Spymaster

Personality
Vivian is a rakish woman, very aware of her curves and body. However, her core personality is one that is safeguarded closely. She is a very troubled woman, disillusioned from the ties of family and the strength of blood- she values only people's actions, not their words, and coin. Promises are not a thing she believes in, only collateral agreements and down payments.

Appearance
Vivian is a beautiful woman, and yet it is nearly impossible to find her attractive without her wanting you to do it; her gaze is piercing, her movements hint at a lethal efficiency, and her form fitting clothing is undeniable for function rather than form.

Of course, this look of lethality can swiftly switch to one of flirtation and innocence- and can just as easily shift to one of inconspicuousness and leave people's gazes travelling over her and finding it hard to focus upon her.

She is simultaneously beautiful and iconic, and ordinary and intangible.

Skills and traits
Stealth - Expert
Perception - Good
Lie detection - Expert
Manipulation - Good
Infiltration - Expert
Assassination // Lethal striking - Expert
Disguise - Very good
Vocal Disguise - Very good

Crossbow mastery - very good
Short blade skill - very good

Background
Data missing, information to be filled out at a later date

Vivian Blackwell is the niece of Old Man Blackwell, and acted as both an assassin and spy during the civil war when she was 15 years old. Much of the information regarding her youth is kept secretive and undisclosed. Many view this woman as a tool rather than a human being, and it is apparent that she sees herself in a similar manner.

Facing war at the age of 15, her suicidal nature lead her to the reckless and dangerous endeavors of a spy rather than the soldier life she had trained for. Rather than grabbing up sword, spear, and halberd, she took up a crossbow and a black cloak. Her services during the war served as the primary functionality of the Blackwell family as a mercenary unit, as it was Vivian who- acting as serving women and prostitutes- spread misinformation and gathered up intelligence on the enemy movements during the war.

She even assassinated key targets, such as particularly competent soldiers and officers, and sabotaged entire sections of the enemy's supplies whenever possible. Despite the woman's lack of known background, her track record and accomplishments are well known- even if she, herself, is not.

The Blackwell family has, naturally, accepted the accusations and notoriety for utilizing spies and assassins, but Vivian Blackwell herself has never once been named or acknowledged in order to maintain her functionality.

Nothing has been noted, heard, or ascertained of Vivian since before the war for the crown.

The War Maiden - Deceased

I am a soldier, a fighter, a champion- send me bigger foes, send me stronger opponents; challenge me! - The War Maiden

Name
Beatrice Blackwell
The War Maiden

Age
29

Gender
Female

Position
Princess of Alenius - Champion of the Blackwell Family

Personality
Beatrice is an overwhelmingly stoic woman, except when in the heat of battle. She has a distinct apathy for all matters except those involving proving herself and matters of combat. This does not make her a hot headed warmonger however, and she will rarely instigate combat herself.

Appearance
A large, imposing, woman of average height. Her body, possessing immense strength beyond her size, is thus muscled and athletic in an almost masculine manner. Her feminine features are thus limited- at least, when she's wearing armor they are.

Her face is hard and angular, with her waist length hair often intricately tied up to keep it short. Her body, while muscular, is still female- only she dilutes this feminine body with clothing specified for women who wear armor and tend to perform heavy, laborious, activities.

Skills and traits
Beatrice is a woman of immense physical strength, and possesses a physical power superior than even males of her age and size. Her fortitude and endurance are equally immense

Combat // Fighting capacity - Master

Other - Sub par -> Good range

Background

One of four living children of Giles Blackwell, Beatrice is, by far, the most martially capable of his offspring. When the woman was turned away and discarded her name, as Giles forced all his children to do, the girl simply enlisted into his mercenary company as a stray rather than Blackwell, and spent the next years as a nameless fighter within the troupe. Her name during this time was 'Mule'.

The Tale of Mule

The dirt tasted bitter, clogged her throat, made her feel worse than she'd ever felt before. She pushed herself up, her body battered and broken. She lifted her face and scowled at the man standing before her; an imposing, aged, man who held a dirk loosely in his off hand, and gestured in a mocking manner with his primary.

"C'mon girlie, can't you just land one hit?" the man sneered and backed up. Mule's hand gripped at the heavy wooden handle of the training greatsword that had been crafted specifically for this training; it was truly an exquisite weapon when she had first gotten ahold of it, but by now it had worn down into a veritable mass of wood with iron at its core.

It had developed into a weapon rather than a training tool, something she'd carried with her into battle. But now? It served her not one bit. Giles was simply far too experienced for the powerful weapon's blows to land, no matter how finely the young girl tried to maneuver the blade. She grit her teeth, spitting out a mouthful of filth ridden saliva, and brought the greatsword up to bear on her shoulder; the weapon was gripped in one hand, with the flat of the blade resting on her shoulder, and her other hand poised up before her as if cautioning off a blow. It was a peculiar stance, but it was also heavily defensive. The girl was shifting her assault.

"Damned old man, I'll hit you yet." she hissed, crouching down a bit lower as she studied the man's loose posture. He was standing in an almost relaxed manner. Mule, however, was incredibly battered and had several open wounds- light, but painful- across her arms.

Mule's assault was sudden, but the elder soldier seemed to have no issue preparing for it:

Mule stepped forward and shrugged her shoulder forward, launching the greatsword blade forth in a manner that relied on its weight moreso than her own strength to send the blade crashing down. Giles sidestepped the arc of the weapon and brought the dirk up, a small smirk on his face. Mule brought her arm across swiftly, catching the blade on her forearm and halting its arc halfway, stepping back to have the point of the weapon aimed at the man's chest as she backed away.

He had avoided every strike so far, and if she left herself too open he retaliated. She needed to do something reckless to get through his defense. All she needed to do was land one single hit and she'd be able to feel as if these years of training had meaning. The girl grit her teeth and let the blade fall low, sliding her free hand up its length until she was gripping its hilt with both hands. She kept the blade low, bringing it behind her and low to her knee; a stance meant for powerful strikes, but left for very little variety in her blows.

She rushed the older soldier, and brought the blade swinging violently upward with an immense power that seemed foreign in her small body. Giles simply stepped back out of the swing's reach and brought his dirk u-

Mule released the sword mid-swing and sent the heavy blade soaring forward at Giles, who had to swiftly shift his dirk to deflect the airborne weapon; a simple act of catching the wooden blade on the dirk's flat and shifting its trajectory to the side. Mule, however, was not stagnant as the soldier deflected her secondary attack. The girl launched herself forward viciously, sprawling onto the ground and launching herself upward underneath his guard--

Only to find the old soldier's free hand grabbing at her throat and pushing her body away from his, and lifting her into the air.

"Girl, what was the first thing I ever taught you? Always have a weapon on hand."

Mule struggled for breath in the man's grip, but glared at him solidly and tried to deliver a kick directly towards the man's chest. Giles just threw the girl aside and sheathed his dirk, a disgusted look on his face.

"Get up, grab your sword, and keep at it. Until you hit me, you don't have a name."

These words are what echoed in Mule's head for three years.

Beatrice earned her name back, and became a fighter to rival her father. After years of continuous combat and training, the Old Man is still superior to Beatrice, but Beatrice is capable of holding her own against the man. During the civil war she acted as a vanguard for the combat the mercenary troupe saw, and following the conclusion of the civil war she was named Champion of house Blackwell while her father served as king.

Drevala Blackwell

Name: Drevala Blackwell

Titles: Princess of Alenius, High Magister, The Dragonslayer

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Homosexual

Position: Princess, High Magister

Personality:
Perhaps the most amicable of the Blackwells, and also the most dangerous. While she is no martial master, the woman has a pleasant air and a friendly smile- disarming qualities on top of a surname that bears nothing but lethal intent. The woman is a far cry from the martial and military prowess presented by her siblings, and is, still, a bit distanced from the statecraft presented by her brother. She is a genuinely amicable woman, with some reservations to those outside her family.

She is one who puts faith and trust in her family, and is quick to trust others. She was raised and educated primarily by the mages of the Summer isle rather than her father's brutal manner of raising his children, thus she has drastic alterations from the usual Blackwell harshness.

Weaknesses:
The Dragon Slayer is protective of her family to a lethal degree. She'll not throw herself in the middle of a debate or argument, or even into a single combat scenario, but she will throw herself in harm's way to shield her family, and will even sacrifice on objectives and tasks in order to heal and take care of her loved ones.

The Dragon Slayer finds trust to come easy. She believes in the good and natural intents of others, and easily finds herself trusting others.

Magically Dependant; The Dragon Slayer is dependent upon her shapeshifting and healing magics. Without them she is probably the least martially capable amongst the Blackwell family, which still makes her admittedly a good fighter, but she is one that relies on her natural penchant for shapeshifting to see her through issues from combat to day-to-day travel. She'd feel trapped without it.

More Beast than Women. Drevala spends a great deal of time outside her own shape, and it has had an effect. She finds herself more comfortable and at home among the birds and the beasts, rather than the high flying political games of her fellow humans. While not antisocial or shy, she prefers to leave the politics to others, and will never be anything more than a pawn in others schemes. An extremely valuable pawn, but a pawn nonetheless.

Appearance:

A woman with short black hair and an athletic form, whose strength does not lie in her own body. Her skin is soft, unlike her siblings', and her voice is softer still. She does not have the hard gaze that analyzes threats, but rather the inquisitiveness of a natural learner and profound thinker. She has a natural grace that permeates all actions, and despite her plain-ness she has a sort of nobility and serenity about her.

Of course, at another moment she may appear to be any variety of creatures.

Background:
Drevala is a peculiarity amongst the Blackwell for she bears magical power. This being said, she was not forced into the Old Man's usual test, and was instead sent to study at the Summer Isles- where it was found that she grasped magical concepts with exceptionally quick aptitude. Having chosen the school of shapeshifting, Drevala was quick to attune to the magic and discover its finer nuances. Restoration was but a secondary schooling for her, and she has but standard understanding of its principles.

Shape shifting- now that was something Drevala was truly interested in. Studying animals, learning just what made them move and what muscles accomplished which task- it was a deeply liberating experience for the young Blackwell. Learning how to fit into another creature's skin created a deep empathy for others within the woman, as well as a deep understanding of her own body and natural instincts.

Tapping into the primal urges that lie within the concept of life itself were what Drevala found to be key in fine tuning her art. Humans, through their construction of civilizations and religions, have distanced themselves from these internal urges- have warded themselves away from their primal instincts of fear and survival in order to reward suicidal and reckless concepts of honor, courage, and bravery.

Drevala's acute understanding and belief in natural instinct and animalistic urges are a driving force in the woman's actions and life, and have played into her distinctly singular understanding of the art of shape shifting to extreme efficiency.

To put it in the Lay; Drevala is an animal in human's skin, and finds shedding her natural form to come easily to her.

Drevala's most notable achievements were during the Blackwell Dragon War, where she gained her title of 'The Dragonslayer' due to her unprecedented display of tenacity and efficiency at the eradication of the great beasts known as dragons.

A tale of the Dragonslayer

She was alone. She was often alone these nights, with naught but her own inconsistent skin as a shield against the chill wind of the mountains. Drevala forsake clothing on nights such as this, and stood bare to the world as she breathed in the chilled air of the high mountain tops.

A single breath drew in, then the woman threw herself from the Cliffside and into the air; her body warped and twisted, and she fell for little more than a few seconds before her body now possessed the shape of a great bird of pretty- a monstrously sized falcon. She was on the hunt tonight, and her prey was of a size and power far greater than the falcon's usual prey.

Tonight she hunts dragons

The great falcon swam through the thin air, fighting to gain purchase in the high altitude and climb ever so much higher. Soon she was above the tops of the mountains, and could see for eternity in all directions.

Far below her, a great bonfire raged; her family, in its nightly celebrations of survival and of a challenge sought on the morrow. While her family rested, recuperated, and made merry... Drevala went on the hunt. She had learned the weaknesses of the great fire breathing worms through a year of careful study- she had studied scales, bones, teeth, talons, muscle, sinew, tendon, spine, tail...She had studied the creatures in their entirety, and had found their few weaknesses.

She had discovered a way to overcome the great dragons with but the power of common beasts.

She soared away from the camp and flew for roughly an hour before she came across a dragon. They were beasts, and beasts needed sustenance- thus they could be easily found when hunting. Drevala, being of her instinctual nature, could easily find the places most frequently hunted by Dragons by observing the habitat in a similar fashion as she was now.

The dragon was low to the ground, beating its great wings slowly as it powered its almost lazy flight along the forest tops. It was truly a stark and contrasting violence when Drevala's talons blinded the creature a few moments later as she pecked and clawed at its vulnerable eyes and destroyed the creature's primary observational tool.

Drevala had but a few moments to do this, but this was a practiced action, and as she beat her wings furiously to arc away from the dragon and laterally towards the ground, the great beast roared with fury and pain as it cascaded downward in its blind flight- its body tearing through the tree line and eventually slamming into the mountainside with a tremendous crash.

By this time, Drevala was standing, naked and human once more, on the ground far below and observed the higher ground the dragon had ultimately slammed into. The ground shook, and the mountainside rumbled with an impossible force as stone and rock tumbled downward and cascaded over the still form of the great beast.

However, but a short few seconds into this unnaturally caused phenomena, the dragon's fiery breath erupted into the night air as the great creature thrashed and rose from ground, throwing the rubble from its body and roaring.

It was wounded and afraid; the words barely registered in the back of Drevala's mind. Rather, she saw this as 'my prey is weakened', and crushed all sympathy she had for the creature. She needed to be a predator, not an equal, in order to beat it. The falcon could cripple the dragon, but she needed the raw power of one of nature's strongest creatures in order to combat it further.

And so, with great lumbering steps forward, Drevala once more turned into the great falcon and flew high into the air, skirting the edge of the dragon's furious flames, and alighted atop the cliff above the beast once the rockslide had concluded.

She waited for a few moments, reverting back to human skin, until the beast had calmed and fire no longer flew in all directions. Then she shut her eyes tight and slowly slipped down the mountainside, her form changing in the span of a minute to the minute form of a mouse.

The mouse was far too small to be detected by the dragon, and far too little to be smelled in the aftermath of the scorched stone.

The dragon had no way of detecting Drevala until it was far too late; the mouse, at the dragon's feet, suddenly grew into the iconic guardian of the forest- the form of a great bear.

The bear lunged through the air with a roar and brought its full weight down upon the neck of the dragon, forcing its head towards the ground where its fire was nullified by its lack of angular direction. The dragon's body was still a threat, yes, as the bear's claws and teeth could not pierce its scales- but Drevala needed but this one strike to bring her critically wounded foe to its death.

As the great bear drove the dragon's head towards the ground and brought the ultimately surprised beast to the ground in a tremendous crash, the bear's body reared up and brought its entire weight crashing down upon the base of the dragon's skull.

Caught between unyielding stone and the startling power of a great bear, the dragon's scales held steadfast; however, the dragon's innards- being protected by nearly impenetrable bone and scale- was simultaneously scrambled and destroyed by what usually kept it safe. To put it simply, the impact had smashed the dragon's brain against its own skull and killed the beast.

Drevala had, once again, overcome a dragon using naught but simple woodland creatures as skin. This night, it was the roar of a bear that echoed throughout the mountains.

During the Throne War, Drevala faced many losses and difficult situations. She blames herself for the dire injuries and following radical personality change of her youngest sister Naomi. She also blames herself for the loss of her other sister, Beatrice, who was slain fighting Andris while her father looked on without acting - a fact she has not forgotten. Though her familial losses have pained her deeply, she also holds hope that Lanaya will join the Blackwell family by marrying Eli, a union she strongly encouraged, for it will bring Lana as close to her as realistically possible. She is very much in love with Lana, but knows that the feeling will not be reciprocated by the completely oblivious Magister, and considers making her a sister the next best thing.

In addition, she has joined the Mages Collective at Lana’s request, and as a High Magister sits on its council, though rarely acts beyond supporting Lana. She does not particularly believe in the Collective, especially as her own jurisdiction of Alenius already treats mages with great respect. Her time in Nyhem is spent primarily in fervent research of Regenerative magics, but she also seems to focus on her Mage's Collective work as well. These are how she is choosing to handle her grief.

Skills:
Magic:
Shape Shifting - Grand Master
Drevala is without a doubt the most accomplished Shape Shifter outside of the Summer Isles, and possibly even the world. Her repertoire of shapes is as numerous as there are types of animals, and her ability to shift into larger or smaller variants of those shapes is practically second nature to her. She is able to shift very rapidly into most forms, with only the truly massive forms requiring a longer casting time. She can easily shift with her clothes and weapons, though she has been known to forget this in casual or rushed situations. Her most outstanding accomplishment in this field, however, is the ability to take on the form of a full sized Dragon. This is a secret known only to two other people - Lanaya Dionisa and Giles Blackwell.

Restoration - Adept [But Steadily Increasing]
Drevala is a capable healer, able to heal both her own and others wounds, though only for one person at a time. She suffers somewhat in the area of complex organ reconstruction however, and for severe wounds must spend a great deal of time and effort, combined with more mundane medical sciences.

General Magical Knowledge
Drevala’s general knowledge of magic is broad, but deep only on the topics of most interest to her, namely shape shifting and restoration. Nonetheless, her title of High Magister was not gained by default, and her knowledge rarely fails her in analysing magical matters.

Mundane:
Martial Skills - Adept
Drevala is a capable warrior in her human form, whether armed or not, however she prefers simple weapons such as the spear. Even though she is a mage, she is also a Blackwell, and all Blackwells are born fighters. This statement is perhaps most true of Drevala though, for she fights more through instinctual understanding than learned or practiced art.

Strategy
Drevala’s grasp of strategy is unconventional but effective. Though she has not acted as a commander in many traditional conflicts, she led the Dragon war, and developed a good understanding of asymmetric combat and guerrilla style warfare there.

Education
Having spent a great deal of time in Circle of Magic, Drevala’s education on all manner of matters is significant, and her knowledge has only been heightened in Alenius, thanks to her good relationship with her brother Eli, with whom she shares a love of knowledge.

The torturer

I've no interest in war or thrones, I just want to be happy - The Youngest Blackwell

"The World Will Open Its Eyes." - Naomi Blackwell, The Torturer

Name
Naomi Blackwell
The Daughter

Age
16

Gender
Female

Sexual Orientation
Not really interested to be quite honest.

Position
Princess of Alenius

Personality
The first of a new generation of Blackwells, the youngest daughter of Giles Blackwell.

This girl has not suffered the same trials as the other Blackwells, and has been spared the tribulations of war and the scarring sights of murder and battle. To this extent, she is both innocent- yet not naïve. She is a Blackwell, and was trained and educated as thus, but is both innocent of murder and innocent of battle.

She is a princess, more similar to the style of behavior of Drevala in that she is amicable and friendly, yet also bears the analytical behaviors of her brother Eli.

Appearance
A young, delicate, and uncalloused girl. She bears not scars of combat, nor the hard hands of a dedicated fighter. She has the analytical eye of one who often debates of strategy one night, but also of philosophy the next. She has the voice of one who has authority, yet also the voice of one who you can call a friend, and also the voice of one you would call a child.

She is truly a youth, but has a harsh cynicism about her. She is innocent, and reluctant to do the deeds her family considers common place, and has a deep fascination with human behavior and the nature of civilization as a whole, and this is apparent in the way she carries herself; a curiosity that glimmers in her eye, a careful manner of moving the body, a self conscious glance towards herself when others are around and she believes herself to be invisible, and most importantly of all a careful silence that begs others to speak and for her to listen.

Skills and traits
Average in all aspects

Torture - Exceptional
Lie Detection - Exceptional
Manipulation and Intimidation - Exceptional

Background

Naomi is but the youngest, and least accomplished, of all Blackwells. She was left amongst the castle of Mercy during the Dragon War, and was too young to have seen combat during the Civil War. She is truly a rarity amongst the Blackwell, and is a cherished object amongst the family.

She is, by all standards, but an average girl- hardly noble, and hardly capable of combat by Blackwell standards, but she is a Blackwell Princess...and thus...quite valuable an asset, nevertheless.

The Flaws of House Blackwell

The Old Man
The Old Man is a man few would call flawed, and few would challenge- this is true. However, he possesses a few critical flaws that are central to his personality and mannerisms, and these flaws are unyielding with the rest of his personality.

The Old Man is prideful and judgmental. He holds himself of a higher stature than even other nobles despite his common blood, all because he fought and clawed his way to where he is, and he is likely to be brash and harsh in these regards when he senses a weakness or cowardice in others.

The Old man, additionally, suffers from a very mild case of paranoia. Some would argue his paranoia is healthy rather than detrimental, but it is still present nonetheless. He is a crafty and wily bastard, and he sees the map of Formaroth as a chess board rather than geo-political map. He assumes people are spying on him, because his house is known for its clandestine networks and underhanded tactics.

The Lord
The Lord is the shining symbol of pride. Where his father has a healthy dose of pride, coupled with an iron core of judgment, Eli Blackwell has a strong natural pride. He considers himself as noble as one of common birth can get, and even sees himself as a more capable statesman and economist than members of the Imperial Concord's royal council.

The Lord is an ambitious person. Incredibly ambitious. His ambition is not secret- he has declared that he will become king of Formaroth one day, and with the beginnings of a new civil war it may very well be safe to bet he's plotting to work his way into the middle of the Crown War

The Lord is terrified of failure. Failure is equivalent to death in his mind. When you enter into diplomacy between kings, and organize the economy of a nation, and handle the state and legal affairs of said kingdom, even the smallest mistake can ripple and destroy years of work.

The Shadow - Vivian Blackwell
Little is known about the Shadow. This title of 'The Shadow' is not even known publicly.

As for the woman known as Vivian Blackwell, little is known about her as well. She is only niece to Giles Blackwell, and this distance from his personal lineage marks her as less important than his sons and daughters.

However the woman does have flaws; greed, hedonism, selfishness, paranoia, apathy, sociopathy, and disdain for blood ties being the easiest to list.

The Dragon Slayer

The Dragon Slayer is protective of her family to a lethal degree. She'll not throw herself in the middle of a debate or argument, or even into a single combat scenario, but she will throw herself in harm's way to shield her family, and will even sacrifice on objectives and tasks in order to heal and take care of her loved ones.

The Dragon Slayer finds trust to come easy. She believes in the good and natural intents of others, and easily finds herself trusting others.

Magically Dependant; The Dragon Slayer is dependent upon her shapeshifting and healing magics. Without them she is probably the least martially capable amongst the Blackwell family, which still makes her admittedly a good fighter, but she is one that relies on her natural penchant for shapeshifting to see her through issues from combat to day-to-day travel. She'd feel trapped without it.

The Torturer - Naomi Blackwell
Naomi is no longer the naive little girl she once was. She's betrothed, angry, violent, and has found herself to be one who has a great propensity for harming others. Her fervent belief in her philosophy that the gods themselves are one of man's greatest deceptions binds and warps her, causing her to treat others like fools and ignorant peoples.

She is stubborn beyond belief, and incredibly sadistic and Masochistic. She enjoy pain, whether inflicted or received, and has taken to entitling herself the 'Torturer' of castle Mercy's dungeons. Her care is more often than not a death sentence.

[Nib]

Ignocious Phlemonte

Name: Ignocious Phlemonte

Age: 36

Gender: Male

Sexual Orientation: No one

Position: Alchemist

Personality: Ignocious is a brilliant man and knows it and does nothing to hide his own arrogance. He doesn’t care whether he upsets others and believes in sharing his true thoughts of a situation. He has no time for pandering or dancing around politics and others’ egos; his is enough for him to handle. He is as blunt as a smith’s hammer at times, but has a cleverness as sharp as the surgeon’s scalpel. He becomes obsessive when it comes to his work in his lab and will let other things go when they don’t align with his current work. He is nothing if not dedicated to his work, some may even say he is a workaholic.

Weaknesses: Bluntness and arrogance cause most people to avoid interaction with Ignocious. He also throws himself wholeheartedly into his work, which makes it difficult to keep up relationships of any type or get out of his lab much; it can also lead to him having tunnel vision at times. Because of these factors, his health and social life are not in the best state.

Appearance: Ignocious is a tall, slender man with a frame some would describe as frail with a pale hue to his skin that adds to the appearance of frailness. In contrast to his pallor, he has dark curls that hang past his ears, though his large ornate earring of gold and sapphire is still visible in his left ear. He has gaunt and pointed features with cunning, bright blue eyes. His thick lips seem to be perpetually smirking. Ignocious usually wears long-sleeved tunics of bright colors and ornate trim and embroidery with plain black trousers, long boots, and a sweeping coat of jet black material. When in his lab, however, he wears plain and functional clothing. He carries himself with an air of arrogance to the annoyance of others.

Background: Ignocious was born to a wealthy merchant father and so lived a rather comfortable life until his mother died of an illness when he was young. After that, his father sought comfort in wines and opiates. That didn’t leave much time for Ignocious aside from the occasional slap or kick. His father’s indulgences sapped their wealth, so by the age of eleven Ignocious and his father were living in squalor. No one wanted to sign contracts with the drunkard and opiate fiend his father had become. Despite this, he somehow seemed to always find the money for his fix.

Ignocious found out where his father was getting the money when the men came and took him as payment for his father’s debts. All the man could do was drift off into another opiate-fueled dream as the men took his adolescent son from him and cleared his account. To repay his father’s debt, Ignocious was forced to work in a brothel. He worked in that brothel for years until a wealthy man different from the others came to see him. He paid his father’s debts off in full and took Ignocious away. The man was a friend his father had made through business contracts and said he was sorry to see what had happened following his mother’s death, including the death of Ignocious’s father while he was working in the brothel.

His father’s friend was a wealthy banker named Arthur Phlemonte. He adopted Ignocious and let the boy continue his studies where he left off following his father’s collapse. From there, Ignocious put his past behind him as best he could, taking his patron’s last name. He excelled in his studies and eventually was accepted into the Alchemist guild at the age of twenty-three. He has since thrown himself into his work, preferring his lab to interaction with others.

Skills: Ignocious has a brilliant mind when it comes to his research and lab work. He throws himself fully into his work and has dedicated hours upon hours to his work. He has a keen mind suited for figuring out problems and finding answers to further his work. He is amongst the most talented Alchemists in his guild, but his general attitude has kept him from advancing too far. To compliment his alchemical prowess, Ignocious is also well-versed in the properties of certain plants used in both medicine and poison as well as other various potions.

[Randyfourballs]

Name: William "Willy" Flin

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Sexual Orientation: no particular preference just what ever he feels like paying for.

Position: Merchant Lord

Personality: Brash and cocky who believes that because his wealth is earned, rather than inherited, he has more practical skills than many other power players giving him a naturally hostile attitude towards them (unless they pay well). Despite his naturally hostile and cocky nature he has a level of respect for the poor and downtrodden as he finds that they remind him of when he was in his youth. While an easy going fun lover, any who try to prohibit his goods and services have made a spiteful enemy.

Weaknesses: his main weakness is his prideful nature as he will attempt to do anything no matter the risk as he feels the need to show himself to be the greatest merchant lord in all of Formaroth. He also as an intense love of alcohol celebrating at every occasion. His final weakness is his cocky nature making him never truly see or care about dire situations.

Appearance: A tall large built man, pale skin, gray eyes and a scar wrapping around his left eye. He has jet black,hair held back loosly in a greasy knot with a rough but somehow maintained beard which is more of a dark hay colour. He wears fine silks as the custom of his native land of Akki however his differ from most as he has adopted a black silk robe with yellow arms and chest and matching yellow shoes. He wears a taxidermy bear pelt on his shoulder with it's head resting on his left shoulder. It is rumored that he slew the bear himself while on a trade expedition in Raeldar. However there is also a rumor the bear was just bought from a local vendor. But that rumor is slowly dieing out...

Background: Born to a mother who loved him so much she died before even getting a chance to hold him and a father who's bakery was the pride of joy of his life leaving his son to the curb to tend to his bread. By the age of 8 William had learned the most valuable lesson in life is survival. He saw a gang of money launderers entering into the family bakery and after hearing smashing, yelling and fighting he left out of his bedroom window to live an independent life from then onward. His father died that night from a fire caused by the launderers however when questioned prior to execution for murder they where heard saying that the fire came from up the stairs... From the bedrooms... His life remained uneventful until the age of 12 when he got a job, on board the "forgotten soul" a small trade vessel, as a look out. At 16 he began to hate and spite his crew, so while on shore leave he met a band of marauders and sold his crew out; there were abouts and travel roots in exchange for ownership of the vessel following the plundering. By 20 the forgotten soul was now a huge well built galleon and trading all across the world. By 23 his ownership fell to two more ships after a band of marauders unfortunately fell victim to food poisoning while on shore leave. By 27 he was a world famous trader trading everything from fruit, weapons, spell books and even narcotics including the highly addictive and illegal Pixie Gall. Owning 8 ships including the forgotten soul he is now the largest independent merchants
Now he has just returned from a long trip from Beilokias to find Formaroth in a state of uncertainty. One things for sure, there's a profit to be made here.

Skills: a master of diplomacy and trading, while also a skilled swordsman he puts little effort into it.

[AndrewCooper]

House Mandarass and Uzgob

Family Name: House of Mandarass
Kingdom Location: Uzgob Desert
Crest: Orange background with a black bear

Mandarass Crest

Family Motto: Strength in Honour
Relations with other Kingdoms: Unsure
Family Reputation: Popular, Trustworthy, Wealthy and Respectful
Kingdom’s main export and goods: Exotic fruits and animals
Description of Kingdom: The Uzgob is the most North kingdoms in the land. It is also considered to have one of the hottest climates and to have the most barren land. However through the exotic fruits and trading with other kingdoms Uzgob has become one of the most prosperous kingdoms despite its location. Uzgob has a natural border of a mountain range which appeared due to a giant earthquake which happened thousands of years ago; this has proved useful when invading armies are concerned. However due to the state of the land many invading armies either ignore Uzgob or usually turn back due to the little food resources. Then further north there is River Gonzo which also acts as a natural border for the dead lands.
The biggest settlement of Uzgob is the city of Andromeda. Andromeda is located in the very centre of the Uzgob Desert. Its very existence was due to the founders of the city discovering a giant underground lake they later called Eden and through this the city grew. The building structures of Andromeda are designed to be similar to Damascus during the crusades. There is a little difference between the classes due to the fact that the people have to get along to survive the desert so the classes are treated equally. The Mandarass family live in the central castle in the very centre of the city. The middle and low class live equally in city which surrounds the castle. A coliseum lies within the city as well as there where they hold non-lethal gladiator battles and sport related games in which everyone even the Mandarass family even attend. The city is then surrounded by a wall which protects it from armies. The middle class is made up of inn keepers, shop keepers, merchants, doctors and politicians. The lower class have also have merchants, shop keepers and a few politicians. Other professions are craftsman, blacksmith and gladiators and sportsmen.
Fort Scarab is located at the point where the River Null meets the sea it’s heavily fortified and holds the majority of the kingdoms navy. The fort is large enough to hold all the sailors for the ships.
Family Background: Uzgob has been under the control of the Mandarass family for one hundred years. The Mandarass family came into power through being chosen as the next family to come into power as the previous house had no living heirs. Over the last fifty years there was a troubled relation between the Mandarass’s and the Remonnet’s this was mostly due to Helyot Remonnet’s paranoia towards the family. Eventually war broke out between the families due to Helyot’s assassination of last lord of the family Uwais Mandarass. His brother Andris quickly rose to power and led the Mandarass’s to victory and killed King Helyot Remonnet himself on the battlefield. News about the Mandarass’s victory spread across the land increasing the popularity of the family. Relations between the Mandarass’s and the Remonnet’s were restored with the new king John. John made a debt to Andris promising him that he would repay Andrew for the loss which the Mandarass’s suffered.
Due to the Mandarass’s popularity the family has become a popular choice of an ally with many of the houses however with any families which were loyal to Helyot the Mandarass’s have become a targeted but the family is very well protected.
Reason of claim to the throne: The Mandarass’s believe that it is time to collect their debt by making Andris the new King. Even though Andris is content with Uzgob he willing to pursue this debt. Andris’s aims are that if he can become king that he hopes to unite the kingdoms even though this will be very hard.

House Mandarass (Previously known as House Manshrew in part 1)

Family Members
King Andris Mandarass (Known as Andrew Manshrew in part 1)
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Position: Head of House Mandarass
Personality: Protective of family, ambitious, thoughtful of subjects, honourable, respective of culture
Appearance: Medium height, short dark brown hair, slightly muscular, tan skinned, right arm has been cut off from elbow

Andris Mandarass Picture

Skills: Expert Negotiator, Master Politician, Master Ruler, Expert Swordsman, Master Tactician, Master Strategist, Expert Economist
Weaknesses: Andris won't change his mind once its set towards a goal only Fajera, Nizaar and Saahir can change his mind. Andris is too trusting it doesn't take too much to earn his trust. Andrew is too idealistic his dream for Formaroth may in they way of better judgement. Andrew's code of honour may get in the way of victory.
Background: After his older brother Ramzi Mandarass was assassinated by order of King Helyot Remonnet Andris quickly rose to power. To prove himself as a capable leader to his fellow politicians Andris spent three days in the Uzgob Desert alone with barely any food and water to survive, many thought that Andris would not survive but on the eve of the third day Andris returned, till this day Andris has told no one how he survived. Once he was established as the Lord of House Mandarass Andreis declared war on the House of Remonnet. Eventually the war between the houses led to Helyot leading his army into the Uzgob Desert to confront Andris, this wasn’t the best idea. Andris waited for the army to be weak of starvation and thirst and then finally defeated the army with his own and killed King Helyot in single combat. After the war was over Andris focused of improving his own kingdom until one day he was invited to Nyhem by the new High King; John Remonnet. Andris accepted even though he did not know what to expect out of this new King. Fortunately Andris found John to be an honourable and decent man. Before departing to his Kingdom Andris was told by John that his family would be repaid after what they had been through.
Andris’s forces consist of his land army which he leads alongside with his military and political advisor Nizaar Azzam and then his navy which is lead by friend Saahir Mohiuddin. Andris also commands his own personal guard which are trained and sworn to protect the Mandarass family.
After loosing the 'battle of the throne', Andris has gone into self-imposed exile alongside his remaining supporters.

Grand Duchess Fajera Mandarass
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Position: Lady of House Mandarass
Personality: Loving towards family, respectful of Andris’s ambitions, formal
Appearance: medium height, long red hair, beautiful, elegant dresses
Skills: Expert ruler, Expert politician, Expert economist, Expert negotiator
Background: Fajera came from another political family in Andromeda. Once she reached 18 years old many political family members were asking for her hand in marriage. For an entire year she turned down every man. By that time the yearly masquerade ball was around, her parents forced her to go so she could find a suitor. After a few hours Diana was approached by a mysterious boy she didn’t know why but she had a quick fondness for him near the end the ball the couple retreated somewhere private where the boy revealed himself as Andris of House Mandarass. After a few more secret meetings Andris asked for Fajera’s hand and she accepted.
Andris and Fajera have been happy since but after the war with House Remonnet they have been trying to produce an heir but so far they haven’t had any luck but they still try. However when she is not helping Andris run the kingdom, she takes care of Ramzi’ three daughters.

Hamsa Mandarass
Age: 16
Gender: Female
Position: Heir to House Mandarass
Personality: Cunning, Driven, Loyal to family
Appearance: Small, Blonde hair
Skills: Adept ruler, Expert tactician, Adept politician, Adept Negotiator
Background: As the current heir of the House of Mandarass, Hamsa is learning to become the ruler of Uzgob. Even though she is being currently being taught best the best teachers in the country she prefers the company of her uncle and is always eager to listen to his stories.

Hishma Mandarass
Age: 14
Gender: Female
Position: Second in Line to House Mandarass
Personality: Militaristic, strong, Loyal to family
Appearance: Short dark hair, scar on left cheek
Skills: Expert Swordsman, Adept Tactician, Adept strategist
Background: Hishma started sword training when she was young she has taught by her uncle but her main teacher is Nizaar who is her main role model. She always pushes herself to the limit to improve her skills. Nizaar believes that one day she may surpass his and her uncle’s swords and may become the best swordsman in the country.

Kabeera Mandarass
Age: 11
Gender: Female
Position: Third in Line to House Mandarass
Personality: Friendly, adventurous, loyal to family
Appearance: Long blonde hair, skinny
Skills: Adept Naval Commander, Apprentice Tactician
Background: Being the youngest member of the Family of Mandarass, Kabeera is not expected to take on any responsibilities at this time. She spends time with Naval Commander Saahir Mohiuddin. When she was young she has always dreamed of sailing and exploring the world. At the current time she is learning from Saahir on Naval tactics. If she continues she may become one of the first female naval captains in Uzgob.

Nizaar Azzam
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Position: Political/Military advisor of House Mandarass
Personality: Loyal to Uzgob and honour-bound to it's people.
Appearance: Medium height, short dark hair, chin beard, missing right eye
Skills: Master Tactician, Master Strategist, Expert Swordsman, Master Negotiator
Background: Nizaar met Andris when they were very young. In a short time they became best friends. As time passed and Andris came into power Andrew appointed Nizaar as Political and Military advisor. This became a wise choice as together they were able to outwit the Remonnet army which ultimately led to their defeat. Andris and Nizaar work together constantly to perfect their battle plans.

During the battle for the throne Nizzar betrayed Andris and joined the concord; believing that Andris has become power hungry and corrupt, making him unfit to rule over Uzgob. Nizaar is currently the provisional ruler of Uzgob.

Saahir Mohiuddin
Age: 36 (deceased)
Gender: Male
Position: Naval Captain of House Mandarass
Personality: friends of Andris, adventurous
Appearance: tall, medium dark hair, short dark beard
Skills: Master Naval Commander, Master Tactician
Background: Saahir and Andris met in their early teens. Andris soon realised Saahir love for the navy and his skills as a naval captain. When the war between the Manshrew’s and the Remonnet’s began, Andris sought Saahir’s expertise in the navy and offered him a place as the captain of the navy. This became invaluable when the Remonnet navy began a surprise attack on Fort Scarab. Through Saahir’s leadership the navy was able to counterattack and were able to cripple the Remonnet navy which some believed had shorten the war by two years. After the war the people of Uzgob saw how important the navy was considering that the majority of the country is desert.

During the war for the throne Saahir was killed by Giles Blackwell while trying to bide time so that Andris and his followers could escape Formaroth.

[Popcornzy]

Name:
Full name: Amaranthis (coming from the flower named Amaranth - The amaranth flower is one of the symbols of immortality and has been used as such a symbol since the time of Ancient Greece. Indeed, the word comes from the Greek amarantos, meaning the "one that does not wither," or the never-fading (flower).
Nickname: Flower

Age: 21

Gender: Female
Sexual Orientation: Unknown
Position: None
Personality:
Adventurous – Amaranthis adores adventuring around the broad forests of Legon. She often ventures outside of Legon as well but masks herself in a grey cloak covered in beautiful grey wolf fur.

Fearless (within her territory)– Often gets into dangerous situations whilst living and adventuring around the forests. Wild animals can be both friends and foes. Nevertheless, life has put Amaranthis through enough of those situations since birth.
Fearful (outside of her territory) – Often fearful when exploring outside of the forests of Legon as others of her kind are unknown to her but she often sees them and they try to approach her. She seems curious to respond back but fears of the reactions somewhere she is not familiar at and is unable to blend and hide.

Moody/Impulsive – Amaranthis changes her mood every minute. As soon as she thinks of doing something she stops and does something completely different. As soon as she feels happy and energetic seeing the refreshing sunrise she stops and thinks of the upcoming sunset to end her day.

Sneaky – She likes to blend in with nature… whenever “one of her kind” shows up she becomes one with the green forests in order to observe them. She once came so close to “one of her kind” she stole a woolen bag full of things that tasted good and shiny things that she couldn’t chew on.

Crafty – Amaranthis loves making things from fur and anything green. Building a shelter is a must especially in colder times.
Gullible/Childish – being taught peace by Lily, Amaranthis believes that everyone is kind deep inside. She often falls into situations where she decides to trust enemies (enemy wolves) falling into dangerous traps leaving her with bad wounds.

Appearance:



Short and slim, straight posture. Tanned tender skin absorbing every sunray with joy. Long red hairs, black colored curious eyes, red lips often forming into a smile. Covered most of the times in ivy and flowers in summer times. In winter, covered in soft wolf fur and sometimes stolen things from “one of her kind”.
Amaranthis has always had these green markings all over her body since birth. From her face to her toes. She never knew how they appeared all she they were there all of the time.

Background: Amaranthis was raised by a woman with the same green markings named Lily. Lily raised Amaranthis to speak with animals and nature. She taught her of peace and meditation of love for green and its astonishing gifts. She taught her of craftsmanship. Lily would often speak with unicorns.. she had the ability to.. she brought it to Amaranthis as well. Other than that, Lily never spoke of “The past”. She said that she had found Amaranthis curled up as an infant in autumn leaves in the forests.
As Amaranthis grew older – age 16, Lily died torn up by a pack of wolves’ enemies as she stepped into their territory trying to make peace once more. Amaranthis grew in anger but after a while she decided to come into peace with her own mind and accept that nature gives and takes as Lily taught her ones.
Amaranthis often explored the endless forests of Legon, until one day after the death of Lily she stepped even farther away and found herself in a completely unknown territory. There were strange big shelters made from stone and some of her kind walking around, one of those just like Lily and her! She was astonished to find them but grew in fear to get close.
Now at the age of 21, Amaranthis knows her kind is close but strange. She often roams around the towns and markets sneaking trying to find out more as curiosity kills her. Now, she knows her kind is different, they shapeshift, lift things without even touching them. She has recently seen one of them carry a unicorn horn. That could not be good. She feared.

Skills:
Crafting
Speaks/Interacts with animals
Meditates
Sings

[JaisonJ97]

Deleted

[DELETED32084]

The Shogunate of Akaiba

The Shogunate of Akaiba

Ruling Family:
The Sadatake Family

Shogunate Location:
Seikatsu

Family motto: Katana de ikiru ka,-gatana de shinu ka!
Live by the Sword, or Die by the Sword!

Relations with other Kingdoms:
Akaiba is, incredibly, at peace with her cultural sisters, the Kingdoms of Toiba and Noiba. The same cannot be said for her northern neighbour, Okin. Shortly after the sundering of the Empire into three Shogunates, the Okin had sought to size control of several gold and silver mines in the north of Akaiba. The Akaiba had responded in force and so began a war that has lasted nearly a hundred years and resulted in the virtual subjugation of Okin by Akaiba. Only the northern regions of Okin remain unconquered and it is no secret that Akaiba is coming to finish what Okin started.

Family reputation:
Ambitious, Cunning, Wealthy, Scheming, Loyal, Organized, Honourable

Kingdom's main export goods:
Metals; (Gold, silver, copper, steel), Stonecraft, Woodcraft (Furniture), Silk, Foodstuffs (Rice, Fish, Whale Oil).

Description of Kingdom:
Akaiba is the Southwestern most Kingdom state on the continent of Seikatsu. The climate is mostly temperate with four distinct seasons, except for the southern most provinces which have a humid subtropical climate characterized by warm and wet summers and mild winters. Much of the Kingdom is covered in forests, tall hills, and lush valleys. Further north, to the East, mountains tower into the stunning blue sky. The main source of food for the Kingdom comes from small rice paddies found across the the land.

The Capital city, Shinkyo, is built on the Western most point of the continent and boasts the largest single human urban population in the known world of almost a quarter million souls. Sprawling across the mouth of three different rivers, the city is well served for water and sewage is dumped out to sea to prevent disease. Public baths are common, though broken down by castes, to ensure cleanliness. Felons, imprisoned for minor crimes, are set to cleaning rubbish and garbage away every day. Most buildings are made of paper and wood, allowing them to be easily rebuilt if damaged by an earthquake. This does create a fire hazard however and on occasion hundreds, if not thousands, are consumed by accidental blazes.

Rising above the city on a flat-topped mountain is Sadatake Castle, a fortress so huge it is said a garrison of 10,000 soldiers can reside within its walls. The fortress boasts its own lake, gardens, small forest and a game park. The Royal Family resides here, aloof from the chaos and confusion of the city below. Accessed by two ramps chiseled from the very stone itself, one to the north and the other on the south, it is an imposing citadel that has never been taken by an enemy.

There is no official religion in these lands and people tend to rely on their personal spirituality rather than an established faith. The people of Akaiba are hard traditionalists and honour is the most important part of their lives. They are incredibly polite, even to their enemies and will rarely express their emotions. It is sometimes said that they have two faces, one for the Akaiba and one for the Gaijin (foreigner/outsider).

Unlike Formaroth, gender roles are far more dominant within society and in most places the society is still very much patriarchal. Though men and women are not prohibited from taking up roles not stereotypical to their gender, it is considered an oddity. The Province of Taiyō however is a exception to this rule and men and women share equal levels of power and are not pressured towards a particular role. This is due to back in the warring periods, this province lost almost all of their men to war and the women took up and successfully defended themselves, earning their right to be considered equal to men. Taiyō has produced an elite cast of Warrior Monks and Nuns famed throughout the continent.

Social roles also play a large part in society and people are expected to take up the profession of their parents. To take up a different profession to your parents is considered to be a great dishonour to your family, though exceptions are can be made, especially during times of war.

Though the Akaiba are not hostile or even unfriendly to foreigners they tend to treat them with mild neglect, viewing them as Gaijin who do not understand the culture and who should not be trusted. This prejudice stems from most foreigners not understanding the strict social rules (etiquette) in Akaiba society and therefore they appear to come across as rude and blunt.

Magic and the Akaiba:
The Akaiba are a magically gifted people, but not in the same sense as the Mages of Formaroth. Magic on Seikatsu is wielded through Runes rather than gestures or motions. Runelords are tattooed with a rune that grants them a specific power, such as a spell foe invisibility, or fireball. Many Runes are defensive as well, common ones are used to strengthen a Runelords resistance to fire or cold.

Two schools exist where can be Runelord is trained, one in the capital, and another in the Northeastern mountains.

The Runesmith is a far more rare and difficult trade. These masters are trained not only with the knowledge of runes, and blacksmithing, but how to imbue said runes into a weapon through the application of mandrake oil.

Family Background:
Up until a hundred years ago Emperor Hirotomi held sway over the Three Sisters (The Kingdoms of Akaiba, Toiba, and Noiba) and ruled with an iron fist until his death at the hands of unknown assassins. The old fox did not die without a succession plan however, dividing his Empire between his three sons and issuing a final plea that they seek to live in peace. Incredibly, the brothers managed to do just that. It helped that other nations on their borders mistook the official breakup of the Empire as a sign of weakness and tried to grab what they could.

Shogun Sadatake Hirotomi Sadatake, the deceased Emperors eldest son, had been granted the lands of Akaiba and when Okin troops spilled over the border he responded with force. It took him twelve years of hard fighting to drive the Okinese back across the border, and even more time to secure defences along the river which traditionally marked the division of their lands. During this time he married and sired three children, twin sons and a daughter.

Sadatake Hirotomi would eventually die on the field of battle while leading his armies north into Okin. His sons, Kaito and Ruuku, then fought for the honour of becoming the new Shogun of Akaiba, and the right to rule Sadatake Family. Ruuku triumphed and hacked his brothers head from his shoulders before taking up his fathers mantle as Shogun. He at once sought to continue his fathers campaign against the Kingdom of Okin and the neighbouring states locked horns in what would become nearly a sixty year conflict.

Twenty years ago Ruuku joined his father in the halls of history when he was felled in an Okin ambush and his body torn to pieces by the victors. He was succeeded by his son, and current Shogun, Sadatake Ayeka. In fine family tradition Ayeka swore to continue the war against Okin. Unlike his predecessors however, he waged war with infinite patience. No longer did he permit his soldiers to slaughter villages, nor rape women, ordering that all religious shrines be left unmolested. He took the time to advance, conquer a region, ensure it was pacified, before moving on to the next.

These tactics bore fruit and the Okinese suddenly found themselves being forced back on all fronts, frustrated at every turn by cunning Akaiba diplomats and spies who worked tirelessly to feed information back to the Shogun. The time has finally come for Akaiba to strike a death blow against Okin and finish what they so foolishly started a hundred years before.

Family motives:
Ayeka intends to crown himself Shogun of Akaiba and Okin, a single nationstate spanning the Western reaches of Seikatsu. There is not a person on the continent who cannot not clearly see that happening already. But deeper than that, hidden behind his polite smile and generosity, is a desire to conquer the whole of Seikatsu, to become Emperor. Noiba sits on the precipice of oblivion with no heir to follow a barren King and Toiba struggles beneath the rule of a drunken womanizer. It begins in Okin and, given enough time, his strength will spread across the continent.

Shogun Sadatake Ayeka

Name:
Sadatake Ayeka

Age:
59

Gender:
Male

Position:
Shogun of Akaiba

Personality:
Ayeka is cunning man who wears the mask of friendship and diplomacy as comfortably as a geisha wears a silken kimono. He trusts literally only one man with his life, General Kakuei Tanaka, who is entrusted with the safety of Ayeka and his possessions. He excels at promising everything and yet delivering nothing when negotiating with the Gaijin, considering them little more than a nuisance he must tolerate to ensure trade.

His campaign in Okin, far less bloody than his fathers, has quickly marked him out as a man of immense patience and tactical forethought; something he plays up whenever he is given the opportunity. He makes no secret that intends to make himself Shogun of the West, it would be impossible to hide such ambition anyway.

Behind the open book of a man he pretends to be lurks the real Ayeka. A man who intends to conquer the whole continent using whatever means necessary. Already his agents have rendered his cousin in Toiba infertile, knowing that they will look to a strong leader when the old man dies. He feeds exotic slaves and gifts to his cousin in Noiba, sending all sorts of distractions East to weaken his cousin in the eyes of his own court. Yet more agents move among the Samurai, whispering rumours of Ayeka's strength and suitability as a ruler in his lands. Would he not make a great ruler for all Samurai. For those who would disagree, there are always the Ninja, ever ready to kill for a price.

His own son and daughter are treated as tools to wield as he sees fit and each one, in keeping with the strong sense of honour famous among the Iba, follow his directions and seek to earn his approval. As for his wife, she exists to produce him children and otherwise lives in more or less splendid isolation.

Weaknesses:
Aging/Injured: Ayeka is an old man and, while he can still ride a horse, his days of single combat are over. Battle wounds from his youth remain on public display, a limp in his left leg and a missing right eye. He would hardly be a challenge for a well armed teenager.

Utterly Ruthless: Both a strength, and a weakness, Ayeka is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to achieve his goals, even his family. This does not make him immune to grief however and behind his mask lies a deeply passionate man who feels the pain of many decisions he has made.

Distrustful: Ayeka trusts only one man completely, and that man is not his son.

Poor Combat Leader: There is a distinct difference between the ability to lead soldiers into battle and the ability to plan campaigns. Ayeka, even in his youth, was hardly a passable regimental commander. Lucky for him, his birthright placed him in a position where his ability to look at the bigger picture was vital.

Appearance:
Tall, cropped black hair, strong but with a noticeable belly, darker skin, short well trimmed beard, limp on his left leg, and a missing right eye that has been replaced with purple glass.

Skills:
Master strategist, Master Ruler, Master manipulator, Expert politician, Adept economist, Adept Runelord, Useless swordsman.

Background:
Ayeka was the only son of Shogun Sadatake Ruuku. As a youth he was trained from childhood to become the next ruler of Akaiba. He was an excellent individual swordsman and archer, excelling at other such things as poetry, writing, swimming and horseback riding. His career as a soldier ended the same day his father died when the ambushers drove an arrow into his left leg as he was forced into a shameful retreat by the surviving bodyguard. It took them to long to reach a healer and by the time the wound was treated he was barely able to walk, let alone run or fight.

As the heir, and now Shogun, he had a lot of other events to keep his mind off of things as he took control of his fathers Kingdom. His first act was to order the halt of the current advance into Okin. For several years he had listened at his fathers councils and noted that no matter how brutal the repercussions, the populace still remained loyal to Okin and supported any soldiers who need their help.

He made sweeping changes to the way the Akaiba armies conducted their campaigns. It did not make him popular with the common foot soldier but the smartest among them began to notice fewer attacks out of the darkness, fewer poisoned wells, and fewer men found strangled on the picket line. True, they were still at war, but agents sent north by Ayeka had been quietly pointing out that the armies of Okin were doomed. They pushed local populations to welcome the Akaiba troops with open arms and ensure their own survival.

Though his attention has been to the North, Ayeka has never forgotten his dream of uniting all the Iba peoples under one banner. Still more agents work behind the scenes in the courts of his cousins, spinning webs and laying the foundation for their eventual inclusion into his Empire.

Crown Prince Sadatake Daichi

Name:
Sadatake Daichi

Age:
25

Gender:
Male

Position:
Crown Prince, Son of Shogun Sadatake Ayeka; Samurai

Personality:
Daichi is cunning and cruel on a level that very few people can imagine. The cruelty that he suffered at the hands of Imperium slavers following his capture at eighteen left him scared and vengeful. The once handsome and confident young Prince has become a twisted and evil person, driven only be the desire for revenge and to make his enemies suffer as he suffered. Many of those in Akaiba fear him and his men, the Kempeitai, the secretive intelligence branch of the Shoguns government. Even among the stoic people of Akaiba, Daichi is considered a serious person. He rarely smiles, never laughs, and is known to enjoy inflicting pain on others.

Daichi loves one person, his sister. To what extent this love goes is anyones guess, but he dotes on her and she has forever accepted him. He respects and fears his father for a number of reasons but the two men are dangerous indeed when they put their heads together.

Weaknesses:
Daichi is a cripple in the purest sense of the word. Both his knees were broken by the Elves, all of his teeth pulled out or broken, and his feet badly damaged. He cannot sit or stand without being in pain, he often fouls his own bed because he cannot get out of it in time, and he incapable of wielding any weapons at all.

Appearance:
Daichi was once a tall and proud young man but the injuries he suffered at the hands of the Imperium have left him bent and twisted. His shaves his head completely, scorning the Samurai style top-knot he has every right to wear as his birtiright. His teeth are either gone or broken, painful to the touch. His right leg is bent and gnarled, forcing him to use a cane. Both his feet are badly mangled and angle inward causing him to walk duck footed. His once broad shoulders have shrunk to little more than the that of a youth. His fingers, all broken before healing into a gnarled mess, had to be rebroken when he was rescued, healing again into some approximation of claws.

It is his eyes that still give life to an otherwise piteous being. They are a pure and hate filled black. Like two pools of evil that try to draw you in and drown you.

Skills:
Spymaster - Spies, assassins, mercenaries, all of it falls into Daichi's purview and he wields those resources with terrifying skill, both within Seikatsu and abroad.
Master Rune Lord (Madoushi) - Daichi has had plenty of time on his hands following his release and funnelled much of his energy into developing the magical traits common in his family line. His skill in Necromancy is unrivalled and he has turned his hand at manipulating the oceans as well.
Useless fighter - Daichi couldn't fend off a child.

Background:
Daichi and his twin sister were born in the spring at the height of the cherry blossom blooming period to Sadatake Ayeka, the Shogun of Akaiba. A fitting birth date for the children of a nation who's culture embodies beauty and mortality. Their early years were spent with their mother until they were old enough to hold a bokken, a wooden sword, and it was then that their lives took a different turn. Daichi was captured by an Imperium slaver when his ship was attacked shortly after his eighteenth birthday.

The dashing young Crown Prince would spend two years in captivity as his captors tortured him for their amusement, and for information on Seikatsu, and more importantly Akaiba.

Daichi was rescued in a daring raid led by Taketora, the same General who now leads the Northern Army of Akaiba. The General, horrified by the young mans disfigurement and pain, offered to kill Daichi there and then. Daichi refused and, to this day, often regrets his choice. However, he seeks revenge in the most savage way and intends to ensure the death of as many Elves as he can manage before he finally goes to his ancestors. Was he anyone else's son, he would have been left to die but the Shogun, himself recently injured by an arrow, ensured his son was cared for and given whatever he needed to thrive.

Emotionally and physically shattered, Daichi turned to magic for solace and quickly showed great skill in Necromancy. His studies into this darkest of arts led him to others who moved beyond the bright light cast by civilization. He met rogues, assassins, thieves, ronin, and spies. He cultivated those contacts with great care, building an impressive network of agents throughout Seikatsu. He was surprised, and gratified, when he approached his father with what he had done. The use of such agents had always occurred in Seikatsu and only failure, or capture, could bring dishonour on the employed of such assets.

With his fathers blessing he formed the Kempeitai, a branch of the government that exists on paper to "Educate" and "Inform". In reality, Daichi began to wield the underworld forces he had discovered as a weapon on his fathers behalf.

Crown Princess Sadatake Kanna (Played by Saix

Name: Sadatake Kanna

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Position: Noble, Daughter of the Shogun Sadatake Ayeka, Samurai

Personality:
Kanna is a confident young woman and takes after her father in some ways. She is cunning on both the battle field and when dealing with others, often catching her opponents off-guard due to their misogynist views of the capabilities of a woman in a position of power. She has the capacity to be ruthless and will be so when it comes to her twin brother and upholding her father's wishes. Kanna desperately seeks her father's approval to avoid the fate that her mother finds herself trapped in.

However, underneath it all is a compassionate woman who cares for her people and will try to find a fair middle ground when possible, but only if it doesn't interfere with her father's orders. If one is fair with her, she will respond in kind. Offer anything less, and she will respond with malice. She is not generally swayed by emotions and handles most situations with a calm perspective. After a long demanding days, she enjoys taking a nice hot bath followed by some quiet time with a canvas and some brushes.

Weaknesses: Kanna is closest with her twin brother and will do anything for him to a fault. Her biggest fear is to lose her other half on the battlefield and not being able to do anything to stop it. Her next fear is sharing the same fate as her mother, married to a lord who will keep her locked away from the world and all it's wonders. After those two things, there isn't much else she has come to dread on this earth. While Kanna is mostly a calm woman, once she is set off she can have the most terrible temper and act without regard for her own safety or to her limits.

Appearance:

Kanna stands taller than most women of Seikatsu with a height of 5'6" (167.3cm) with skin so pale that she doesn't bother with whitening it with makeup like most other women and thick hair as black as raven's feathers that reaches her lower back. She has a slender, but muscular build, as she trains daily in various combat styles. She has a decently sized chest, about the size of grapefruits, but she keeps her breasts tightly bound so that they don't interfere with her swordplay or serve as a distraction for men.

As cultural standard demands, Kanna is often stoic, showing little emotion other than what is acceptable when in public. In more private settings or when provoked, she'll show more raw feelings. When in the field, she'll wear men's clothing over women's, taking comfort and ease of movement over beauty and societal standards. Because of this, she will also have her hair up in a high ponytail, so that is stays out of her face, rather than spend time on some elaborate up-do. She wears a katana and a wakizashi strapped to her hip for most occasions, showing her status to others as a samurai. The only time she is without either of those blades are when she has to be in a formal setting dressed in a kimono, but she will always have a tanto, a knife about 6" (15cm) long, on her person for protection.

Skills: Kanna is a talented artist, capable of recreating any scene or object from memory with great detail. As a daughter of a Shogun, she is trained in the proper etiquette and customs of her people. In terms of combat, she has the following skills:
Average Swordswoman - Kanna had to modify her sword style to accommodate for the fact that most of her opponents would be able to easily strike her down if she relied on strength alone. Thus, she focuses her training on speed and her ability to parry strikes.
Poor Archer - while she can string a bow and nock an arrow, she has poor aim and will often miss the target.
Average Martial artist - Kanna is a capable martial artist who focuses more on using her opponent's movements against them, rather than trying to use the strength of her blows to win a match.
Adept Strategist while on the field - Kanna is able to analyze the battle in front of her and make decisions accordingly. She shows promise and will flourish under guidance.
Master Rune Lord (Madoushi) specializing in restoration and blood magic - Kanna is a highly skilled rune lord with in depth knowledge of the human anatomy and physiology. This knowledge is also what allows her to be a formidable blood mage as she can cause any wound to become more severe. She often pairs blood magic with her swordsmanship to secure victory in a fight.
Adept equestrian - Kanna has a love for horses.

Background:
Kanna and her twin brother were born in the spring at the height of the cherry blossom blooming period to Sadatake Ayeka, the Shogun of Akaiba. A fitting birth date for the children of a nation who's culture embodies beauty and mortality. Their early years were spent with their mother until they were old enough to hold a bokken, a wooden sword, and it was then that their lives took a different turn. Kanna showed promise as a Madoushi and was trained in the restorative arts until she became a master at the age of 20. During her training and research into her mastery, Kanna also developed skills as a blood mage, becoming useful to her father not only as a healer, but as a weapon of death as well.

Among the less traditional schooling that is not often provided to women, Kanna was taught the way of the sword as well as hand to hand combat, which gave her the status of samurai on top of being the shogun's only daughter. Both skills were modified so that she could fight on equal terms of most men. More traditionally of women of her status, she was taught to read, write, how to behave as a noblewoman, and what is expected of her in society. Her younger days were busy and packed to the brim with studying, but she always found the time to paint and draw as it was her only outlet from the stressors of status.

Determined to be more than just something to marry off for political gain, Kanna has spent her entire life trying to live up to and exceed her father's expectations. The past five years were the most impactful for her as she has shown that she wasn't a burden to the other samurai and was more than capable of holding her own on the field. She has been under the wings of an elite samurai unit, the Okuri-Okami, who answer directly to the shogun. The Okuri are distinguishable from the other samurai by their masks. It's a half mask that covers the lower portion of their faces, from the nose to the chin, with the design of a wolf's snarling muzzle. The Madoushi of the unit wear more full faced wolf masks with only their mouths unobstructed so that they can channel spells more freely. Kanna wears her own mask that depicts a white faced fox with red markings and blackened extremities.

Notable Characters

Daiki - Shoguns personal bodyguard - Intro
Emon - Commander of Shoguns bodyguard - Intro
Hideki - Economic Minister - Intro
Katsuzō - Spymaster - Intro
Nagatoki - Commander of the Shogunate Army - Intro
Taketora - General of the Northern Armies - Intro
Heo Jeong - Crown Prince of Okin - Intro

Random Nation Information

Military
Samurai (30,000)
Militia Levy (60,000)

Hatamoto = General
Samurai = Knight
Ashigaru = Spearman
Runelord = Mage

Civilian
2.8 Million (Between Akaiba/Okin)

Post Catalogue

1. Okin pushed to the brink
2. The Shogun consults his council
3. The Building Blocks of Empire
4. Okin Submits and Noiba returns to the fold
5. Daichi Intro
6. Daichi Questions an Elf
7. Kanna Leaves for Formaroth and Daichi arrives at Tanaka Castle
8. The Might of the Imperium
9. The Imperium aligns with Akaiba
10. Betrayed: Part I
11. Betrayed: Part II

[Saix]

Name: Sadatake Kanna

Age: 25

Gender: Female

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Position: Noble, Daughter of the Shogun Sadatake Ayeka, Samurai

Personality:
Kanna is a confident young woman and takes after her father in some ways. She is cunning on both the battle field and when dealing with others, often catching her opponents off-guard due to their misogynist views of the capabilities of a woman in a position of power. She has the capacity to be ruthless and will be so when it comes to her twin brother and upholding her father's wishes. Kanna desperately seeks her father's approval to avoid the fate that her mother finds herself trapped in.

However, underneath it all is a compassionate woman who cares for her people and will try to find a fair middle ground when possible, but only if it doesn't interfere with her father's orders. If one is fair with her, she will respond in kind. Offer anything less, and she will respond with malice. She is not generally swayed by emotions and handles most situations with a calm perspective. After a long demanding days, she enjoys taking a nice hot bath followed by some quiet time with a canvas and some brushes.

Weaknesses: Kanna is closest with her twin brother and will do anything for him to a fault. Her biggest fear is to lose her other half on the battlefield and not being able to do anything to stop it. Her next fear is sharing the same fate as her mother, married to a lord who will keep her locked away from the world and all it's wonders. After those two things, there isn't much else she has come to dread on this earth. While Kanna is mostly a calm woman, once she is set off she can have the most terrible temper and act without regard for her own safety or to her limits.

Appearance:

Kanna stands taller than most women of Seikatsu with a height of 5'6" (167.3cm) with skin so pale that she doesn't bother with whitening it with makeup like most other women and thick hair as black as raven's feathers that reaches her lower back. She has a slender, but muscular build, as she trains daily in various combat styles. She has a decently sized chest, about the size of grapefruits, but she keeps her breasts tightly bound so that they don't interfere with her swordplay or serve as a distraction for men.

As cultural standard demands, Kanna is often stoic, showing little emotion other than what is acceptable when in public. In more private settings or when provoked, she'll show more raw feelings. When in the field, she'll wear men's clothing over women's, taking comfort and ease of movement over beauty and societal standards. Because of this, she will also have her hair up in a high ponytail, so that is stays out of her face, rather than spend time on some elaborate up-do. She wears a katana and a wakizashi strapped to her hip for most occasions, showing her status to others as a samurai. The only time she is without either of those blades are when she has to be in a formal setting dressed in a kimono, but she will always have a tanto, a knife about 6" (15cm) long, on her person for protection.

Skills: Kanna is a talented artist, capable of recreating any scene or object from memory with great detail. As a daughter of a Shogun, she is trained in the proper etiquette and customs of her people. In terms of combat, she has the following skills:
Average Swordswoman - Kanna had to modify her sword style to accommodate for the fact that most of her opponents would be able to easily strike her down if she relied on strength alone. Thus, she focuses her training on speed and her ability to parry strikes.
Poor Archer - while she can string a bow and nock an arrow, she has poor aim and will often miss the target.
Average Martial artist - Kanna is a capable martial artist who focuses more on using her opponent's movements against them, rather than trying to use the strength of her blows to win a match.
Adept Strategist while on the field - Kanna is able to analyze the battle in front of her and make decisions accordingly. She shows promise and will flourish under guidance.
Master Rune Lord (Madoushi) specializing in restoration and blood magic - Kanna is a highly skilled rune lord with in depth knowledge of the human anatomy and physiology. This knowledge is also what allows her to be a formidable blood mage as she can cause any wound to become more severe. She often pairs blood magic with her swordsmanship to secure victory in a fight.
Adept equestrian - Kanna has a love for horses.

Background:
Kanna and her twin brother were born in the spring at the height of the cherry blossom blooming period to Sadatake Ayeka, the Shogun of Akaiba. A fitting birth date for the children of a nation who's culture embodies beauty and mortality. Their early years were spent with their mother until they were old enough to hold a bokken, a wooden sword, and it was then that their lives took a different turn. Kanna showed promise as a Madoushi and was trained in the restorative arts until she became a master at the age of 20. During her training and research into her mastery, Kanna also developed skills as a blood mage, becoming useful to her father not only as a healer, but as a weapon of death as well.

Among the less traditional schooling that is not often provided to women, Kanna was taught the way of the sword as well as hand to hand combat, which gave her the status of samurai on top of being the shogun's only daughter. Both skills were modified so that she could fight on equal terms of most men. More traditionally of women of her status, she was taught to read, write, how to behave as a noblewoman, and what is expected of her in society. Her younger days were busy and packed to the brim with studying, but she always found the time to paint and draw as it was her only outlet from the stressors of status.

Determined to be more than just something to marry off for political gain, Kanna has spent her entire life trying to live up to and exceed her father's expectations. The past five years were the most impactful for her as she has shown that she wasn't a burden to the other samurai and was more than capable of holding her own on the field. She has been under the wings of an elite samurai unit, the Okuri-Okami, who answer directly to the shogun. The Okuri are distinguishable from the other samurai by their masks. It's a half mask that covers the lower portion of their faces, from the nose to the chin, with the design of a wolf's snarling muzzle. The Madoushi of the unit wear more full faced wolf masks with only their mouths unobstructed so that they can channel spells more freely. Kanna wears her own mask that depicts a white faced fox with red markings and blackened extremities.

[Konan375]

Name: Matai Fleck

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Position: Last child of the fallen House Fleck

Personality:

Matai is a man who finds comfort in the presence of books or the dead. He can read a book and understand what it tries to convey. After looking into the dead, he can understand what killed them. People are much harder to deal with, and thus, he can find himself at a loss for words or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time to people. If he could hole himself in a library he would.

Weaknesses:

Slow to trust:

Can be single-minded

Not a social speaker

Appearance:

Matai stands at 5’4” He has dirty blond hair which he keeps short. His face is clean-shaven (not that he can grow hair on a good day) and holds a boyish look that makes him appear younger than he is. He has dark green eyes. A small scar runs diagonally across his right eyebrow.

Background:

As a child, Matai would often be found with his nose in a book. His brothers and sisters teased him about it, but it never bugged him. He got back at them by with pranks caused no harm and could be seen as simple accidents. Nothing that couldn’t be laughed off.

Then his little sister got sick.

It started off as a cough, nothing to pay attention to, but then it got worse. She started to get massive, body-wracking coughs that brought up blood. She passed a few weeks later in the night while Matai was at her side.

It was an awful tragedy that struck the whole family, but it wasn’t the only one. Soon, another brother got sick, then a sister. Before he knew it, Matai was the only one in his family that hadn’t gotten sick. Because of that, he was sent away to a neighbouring house with one of the family’s guardsmen to spare him from the sickness.

As the two of them were on the road, they were attacked by a group of four bandits. The guardsman was better skilled than the bandits and cut them all down, but not before getting wounded fatally. The last thing that Matai remembered was the light fading from his guard’s as he lay against a tree.

Matai was told what had happened before he woke up in Mother Ashwood’s cult. They had found the bandits on the road, with his guard standing over them and holding Matai. The guard had turned to the one that found them and asked them to keep Matai safe before falling to the ground, dead.

They had seen potential in him and brought him into the cult. Matai had no say in the matter. If he broached the subject of leaving, he’d have the fact that they saved him hung over his head. Without a way out, Matai decided to learn what he could from the cult. As it turned out, there was some sort of potential in his abilities and he could grasp the understanding of Necromancy faster than most, and for the next 12 years, he studied and improved and even started some experiments of his own, but he’d never trust anyone who’d hold him being saved as over his head, and if he got a chance to get out, he would.

Skills:

An adept Necromancer: Matai has spent the past 12 years studying Necromancy, and with the help of some natural talent, he’s reasonably skilled in necromancy, can probably raise two undead to fight for him or hold one undead indefinitely.

A skilled surgeon: Years of studying corpses has given Matai an understanding of the bodies of a few races. But corpses aren’t all that he has practice bandaging up. The cult medic decided to train Matai in how to fix up all but the most severe types of wounds.