Name:Lord Banweald Gudethbill-Eordhweall
Gender: ♂
Age: 46
Rank: nobleman
History: As a young man, Banweald was a knight under Offa the Great who fought in several campaigns against the Welsh. For his glory in battle he was made a thegn and given dominion over the recently assimilated Hwicce, and resides at a lavish estate just south of Cirencester called Celnaer Manor, which is connected to the barracks and dungeon of the region. He took a teenage pagan as his wife, and proceeded to live a debauched and drunken life of fresh meat and wine. After ten years, Hwithryth has yet to bear him a living child, and his patience with such things is wearing thin and his eyes are drifting to nearby towns, searching for a concubine.
Loyalties: Coenwulf the King of Mercia, and The Church when it suits his purposes.
Name: Hwithryth the Barren
Gender: ♀
Age: 24
Rank: noblewoman
History: Before Hwicce was fully assimilated into Mercia, pagans were given reasonable freedom within the Wych to do as they pleased. Hwithryth and her family lived there, and she was meant to become a prophetess. After 780AD all pagans who didn't flee or convert were put to the sword, and she was taken by Banweald as a wife at just 14. She has been seething and stewing ever since, waiting for an opportunity to escape him.
Loyalties: the Wych
Name: Winoc the Dog, or more formally "Winoc Beordhorthinen Draefends-Ealdgeneat"
Gender: ♂
Age: 33
Rank: freeman
History: Winoc grew up on a modest piece of land along the River Churn where he and his parents raised sheep and sold their wool. His parents died of sickness when he was just thirteen, leaving him to tend the farm alone. He took in a wild dog shortly thereafter and named her Queen Brig; she lived for half a decade and had many litters in that time, each more profitable than the last. Since then he's become quite wealthy breeding, training, and selling hunting dogs, each a descendant of Brig herself. He now resides on a sizable estate of two hides on the northwestern side of the Churn past Cirencester. He lives a simple life, seeming to spend all of his time tending his estate, raising his hounds, and more recently reading old manuscripts at the local abbey. It's rumored that he helps hide pagans who are trying to escape to Jutland, but no hard evidence of this has been found.
Loyalties: the Wych
Name: Mildemaer of Crowland
Gender: ♀
Age: 15
Rank: freewoman
History: Mildemaer was born in Crowland, near East Anglia. She was the only child of a Celtic scholar and a Welsh dairy maid; both Christians who frequented a large cathedral. She lived in a tiny village near the coast just outside the marshes of Crowland her whole childhood until just two years ago, when the church and the town were victim to a viking raid. She claims that she fled into the marsh, pursued by two vikings, and was saved from a gruesome death by the lost Icling Queen of Mercia. Naturally no one believed these claims, and her only proof is an odd war axe. She was sent thereafter to live with Winoc, her only living relative. She now helps him around the estate and frequents the markets in town.
Loyalties: The House of Icel
Name: Justiciar Alexius
Gender: ♂
Age: 47
Rank: nobility
Appearance: {image WIP} Alexius is a very tall and quite lean man, with severe features and dark, sunken eyes. His hair is dark brown and already graying, particularly on his face. He almost always wears dark robes typical of a judge or church official of his status, akin to a very long tunic, and a red belt or wrap on his waist or shoulders.
Personality: Justiciar Alexius did not get where he is today by being kind and generous in his dealing; he has a reputation not just for being harsh and severe, but for being lethally effective in his work. He has no qualms about playing dirty to root out pagans and criminals, fully willing to break the law to make it right. This has not made him a popular man, but certainly he's a feared one.
History: The good judge was born Brennus Maccaba, an orphan thrall in East Anglia. From a young age he served many holy men and members of the clergy in various monasteries, where he learned to read and write. He was granted his freedom on the condition that he join the church, which he happily agreed to do, becoming a translator for officials and missionaries coming from distant and powerful empires. Such a position allowed him to make acquaintances among the English nobility, eventually coming to Mercia to aid in the culling of heretics.
Loyalties: the Church
Name: Wilmot
Gender: ♀
Age: 22
Rank: thrall
Appearance: {image WIP} She is slender and quite tall, seeing eye-to-eye with most men. Wilmot's hair is raven black and curly, but cropped close to her head and often covered with a cowl. Her eyes are dark brown and somewhat narrow; her skin is translucently pale and free of freckles or marks. Typically she wears a modest dress of light grey or beige, and a darker cowl and shawl.
Personality: Like most thralls, Wilmot is very quiet and humble. She is quite easily amused and distracted, often lost in her own thoughts and wondering or getting lost while doing errands for her master. She's good natured and sweet, but quite naive; easily impressed but shy.
History: Wilmot was sold as a thrall just before her tenth birthday. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to a dead son, and her drunken father was incapable and uninterested in raising her alone. She was purchased by a lowly lord near Tamworth, and spent her teenage years doing menial housework around his family's estate. Her master found himself indebted to Justiciar Alexius, and thusly sold her to him two years ago. He told her that she may have her freedom if she finds a husband or joins the nunnery, but she's not eager to do either of these things.
Loyalties: the Church
Gender: ♂
Age: 46
Rank: nobleman
Personality: The Lord of Cirencester is boisterous and mirthful. He is a prized hunter, with many war dogs and horses in his keep. Banweald yearns for a male heir, and as he realizes his wife cannot give him this, he has been looking among the thegns for a new one.
History: As a young man, Banweald was a knight under Offa the Great who fought in several campaigns against the Welsh. For his glory in battle he was made a thegn and given dominion over the recently assimilated Hwicce, and resides at a lavish estate just south of Cirencester called Celnaer Manor, which is connected to the barracks and dungeon of the region. He took a teenage pagan as his wife, and proceeded to live a debauched and drunken life of fresh meat and wine. After ten years, Hwithryth has yet to bear him a living child, and his patience with such things is wearing thin and his eyes are drifting to nearby towns, searching for a concubine.
Loyalties: Coenwulf the King of Mercia, and The Church when it suits his purposes.
Name: Hwithryth the Barren
Gender: ♀
Age: 24
Rank: noblewoman
Personality: Icy and distant, cold and calculating. It's no secret that she despises her husband, who killed her pagan kinsmen and married her for her beauty when she was just a child.
History: Before Hwicce was fully assimilated into Mercia, pagans were given reasonable freedom within the Wych to do as they pleased. Hwithryth and her family lived there, and she was meant to become a prophetess. After 780AD all pagans who didn't flee or convert were put to the sword, and she was taken by Banweald as a wife at just 14. She has been seething and stewing ever since, waiting for an opportunity to escape him.
Loyalties: the Wych
Name: Winoc the Dog, or more formally "Winoc Beordhorthinen Draefends-Ealdgeneat"
Gender: ♂
Age: 33
Rank: freeman
Personality: Winoc is a gentle, quiet Welshman. When he does venture into town he is known to be kind in his dealings, never overcharging for whelps, and a good listener in conversation. Despite his typically distant nature, he's often very curious about foreigners and newcomers. Some pious among the community find it odd how much time he spends "hunting game" in the Wychwood, but his good nature deters most serious suspicions.
History: Winoc grew up on a modest piece of land along the River Churn where he and his parents raised sheep and sold their wool. His parents died of sickness when he was just thirteen, leaving him to tend the farm alone. He took in a wild dog shortly thereafter and named her Queen Brig; she lived for half a decade and had many litters in that time, each more profitable than the last. Since then he's become quite wealthy breeding, training, and selling hunting dogs, each a descendant of Brig herself. He now resides on a sizable estate of two hides on the northwestern side of the Churn past Cirencester. He lives a simple life, seeming to spend all of his time tending his estate, raising his hounds, and more recently reading old manuscripts at the local abbey. It's rumored that he helps hide pagans who are trying to escape to Jutland, but no hard evidence of this has been found.
Loyalties: the Wych
Name: Mildemaer of Crowland
Gender: ♀
Age: 15
Rank: freewoman
Personality: Mildemaer is fiery and talkative, disrespectful towards her elders and unafraid of holy men. She's full of energy and has a nosy thirst for knowledge, not shy about asking improper questions or striking up conversations with strangers. She loves animals of all kinds, from sparrows to stallions. It's rare to catch her without a chicken or pup in her grasp. Her resourcefulness and quick thinking make her a force in the market, but with such a short temper, she's been known to get into screaming matches when merchants won't deal fairly with her. In the short time since she came to live in Cirencester, Mildemaer has made herself quite a spectacle; she no interest in marriage or in becoming a nun, and often prefers belted tunics and trousers more typical of a small boy than a young woman.
History: Mildemaer was born in Crowland, near East Anglia. She was the only child of a Celtic scholar and a Welsh dairy maid; both Christians who frequented a large cathedral. She lived in a tiny village near the coast just outside the marshes of Crowland her whole childhood until just two years ago, when the church and the town were victim to a viking raid. She claims that she fled into the marsh, pursued by two vikings, and was saved from a gruesome death by the lost Icling Queen of Mercia. Naturally no one believed these claims, and her only proof is an odd war axe. She was sent thereafter to live with Winoc, her only living relative. She now helps him around the estate and frequents the markets in town.
Loyalties: The House of Icel
Name: Justiciar Alexius
Gender: ♂
Age: 47
Rank: nobility
Appearance: {image WIP} Alexius is a very tall and quite lean man, with severe features and dark, sunken eyes. His hair is dark brown and already graying, particularly on his face. He almost always wears dark robes typical of a judge or church official of his status, akin to a very long tunic, and a red belt or wrap on his waist or shoulders.
Personality: Justiciar Alexius did not get where he is today by being kind and generous in his dealing; he has a reputation not just for being harsh and severe, but for being lethally effective in his work. He has no qualms about playing dirty to root out pagans and criminals, fully willing to break the law to make it right. This has not made him a popular man, but certainly he's a feared one.
History: The good judge was born Brennus Maccaba, an orphan thrall in East Anglia. From a young age he served many holy men and members of the clergy in various monasteries, where he learned to read and write. He was granted his freedom on the condition that he join the church, which he happily agreed to do, becoming a translator for officials and missionaries coming from distant and powerful empires. Such a position allowed him to make acquaintances among the English nobility, eventually coming to Mercia to aid in the culling of heretics.
Loyalties: the Church
Name: Wilmot
Gender: ♀
Age: 22
Rank: thrall
Appearance: {image WIP} She is slender and quite tall, seeing eye-to-eye with most men. Wilmot's hair is raven black and curly, but cropped close to her head and often covered with a cowl. Her eyes are dark brown and somewhat narrow; her skin is translucently pale and free of freckles or marks. Typically she wears a modest dress of light grey or beige, and a darker cowl and shawl.
Personality: Like most thralls, Wilmot is very quiet and humble. She is quite easily amused and distracted, often lost in her own thoughts and wondering or getting lost while doing errands for her master. She's good natured and sweet, but quite naive; easily impressed but shy.
History: Wilmot was sold as a thrall just before her tenth birthday. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to a dead son, and her drunken father was incapable and uninterested in raising her alone. She was purchased by a lowly lord near Tamworth, and spent her teenage years doing menial housework around his family's estate. Her master found himself indebted to Justiciar Alexius, and thusly sold her to him two years ago. He told her that she may have her freedom if she finds a husband or joins the nunnery, but she's not eager to do either of these things.
Loyalties: the Church
