Scions of the Broken Empire (Anbennar)

[Terrafirma]

App 1

Duchy of Istralore

​

Name: Aucanna I Silistria
Race: East Damerian (Anbennarian) / Half-Elf
Age: 23
Title: Elector-Duchess
Background:

"Istralore will always serve the true rulers of the Empire because unlike the craven and the greedy, duty is its own reward. We remain steadfast to the ideals that have guided us for generations and I will not rest until my sire's murderer is brought to justice. Father…I will revere and remember you…but above all, I will avenge you."​

The powers that be have dealt a heartless fate to Aucanna. A gifted warrior wreathed grief and anger, she harnesses these otherwise terrible fonts of emotion into a force towards a righteous cause. Preferring the sword over the quill, the proud Elector-Duchess seeks to forge a just future for the people of the realm in the wake of her beloved family being torn asunder. Victims of political machinations via the highest levels of cowardice, her life as she knew it was destroyed, all in the name of seizing the Dove Throne.

However, even in her darkest moments, Aucanna is a driven woman focused on the personal tenets carved onto her furious heart. The way of the warrior is the path of bravery, the gift of the warrior is to endure all things without losing conviction, the spirit of the warrior is to remain unyielding and although the fate of the warrior is death for death smiles at all, one must only smile back.



App 2

County of Telgeir

​

Name: Artus II Vanbury
Race: Esmari (Anbennarian) / Half-Elf
Age: 42
Titles: Count
Background:

"You see, I judge all potential ventures based on their merits. When you take out the emotion, the irrational thoughts, and the picayune ideals people cling to, things become more plain. Succinct. Simple."​

Artus II Vanbury has always been a shred individual leveraging his family's ability to fuel any noble's ambition and nourish any war. Not with coin or influence or even an army but with arms. Lots of arms. Vanbury has always felt that power is where the mere mortals believe it resides: weapons. Arbiters of life and death, the nobles became noble taking with it the tip of a blade. Nations rose and fell many times on the strength of one's steel. A resource he was all too happy to hand out to those willing to part with their purses. Caring not for the dust-riddled claims of a throne that slips more and more into obscurity with each passing day, the Half-Elf is more than content with the life of opulence and comfort. Heavy is the weight of the crown, and he has no intention of lifting it. Coin is much lighter and more potent especially when it's backed by steel, his steel.

App 3

Free City of Vertesk

​

Name: Arnos Tordan
Race: Vertesker (Alenic) / Half-Elf
Age: 47
Titles: Lord Mayor
Background:

"I was elected to lead, not to read these ridiculous missives you mundane oaf. The people expect to be cared for and to be protected, above all they expect results. One cannot do it within the rat-infested confines of these halls but out there in the poverty-stricken alleys, the muck-laden piers, and even that disease-infested excuse of a brothel you stupidly quartered the Gawedi in."​

Arnos Tordan was a very ambitious man with a very meticulous plan. His problem is the utter lack of friends who could provide him the means of making sure his mayoral dreams are not crushed underfoot by invaders. The good mayor knows the wolves are at the gates and without a strong Shepard to guide the flock of the masses, the Free City of Vertesk may not be so free in a couple of years, if even that. Unwilling to let his position be potentially usurped by a foreigner, Tordan will side with any who will aid him. How else will Vertesk's beloved leader protect its people and lucrative river trade? Not necessarily a moral man, Tordan seeks to protect his power by any means allowing him to keep his options open.

App 4

Grand Duchy of Wex

​

Name: Lothane III sil Wex
Race: Wexonard (Alenic) / Half-Elf
Age: 43
Titles: Emperor
Background:

"Usurper. Traitor. Interloper. These are the words they whisper of me. Fools. We were the most loyal of servants marching to war without question, without doubt. All that blood. All those lives. Countless sacrifices and for what? For a house that nearly bankrupted the Empire and bled its citizenry white. They should be grateful I spared them from such a fate."​

The Emperor cared not for ruling. He cared not for the head-splitting intricacies of the political tug-o-war between families and special interests. Minding the realm's finances and the well-being of the people was for bureaucrats. What Lothane truly yearned for was the thrill of battle. Of massive campaigns where glory was achieved, prestige was born and riches were claimed. Even the allure of magic played second fiddle to assembling a war council for a spirited debate on how best to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.

His actions were a necessary evil. No stranger to bloodshed, Lothane could live with what he had done. Trading the battlefield for the throne the Emperor was now subject to a different kind of war, one where your adversary was capable of killing you many times. A place where it isn't armies doing battle, it's sycophants and nobles who have never even picked up a blade. Swords and arrows were replaced by coins and honeyed words. The sheer force of magic replaced by charm. All of this paled in comparison to a far greater challenge than any invading army or ambitious merchant guild…it's his son.

 

[ORE]

​

Name: Guildmaster Otó Vanbury (Steelhyl Branch)
Race: Human
Age: 48
Titles: Guildmaster of the Vanbury Guild (unlanded)
Background: The house of Vanbury may these days be firmly planted in the county of Telgir but its roots are broad and deep and cross Cannor. Once the house ruled the throne of Gawed, once a branch of the Vanbury, senior in age but junior in status oversaw its own steel Empire in the realms of Escann. A Vanbury has not ruled in Gawed for a long time and the coming of the Greentide shattered all of Escan. Otó is one of the last scions of the Steelhyl line, who like so many of his countrymen fled Escann and came to the lands of his distant relations. Already a skilled metallurgist and organizer Otó had the advantage of being a Vanbury without being part of Cannor's political disputes and being one of the last holders of Steelhyl's techniques. His ascent through the guild was rapid and not particularly contested. As guildmaster Otó has advocated for exploring the commercial potential of Escann. Now that the Lilac Wars are over the countless adventurers clashing with the remaining orcs and each other in that shattered land seem a growing market. And if the steel that he helps make and sell to all the dogs of war winds up in the gut of some orcish bastard in addition to making a fortune? So much the better.

 

[Easter]

Appearance:

Name: Prince-Elector Varilor II "The Young" Bluetongue
Race: Moon Elf
Age: 241
Titles: Prince-Elector of Moonhaven
Background:
An able administrator and general, this blunt elf was put onto the throne of the Duchy of Moonhaven far sooner than anyone expected. As the man that occupied it before him had dominated it to such an extent that none even dreamed of another filling it. The death of Varilor I, a man who was practically the father of the entire duchy let alone his single son, caused a ripple of change through the known elven world but was especially felt in Moonhaven and even more so in the House of Bluetongue. The fact that it was via an assassin's blade during the single greatest betrayal in the Empire's history was the cherry on top, leaving a devastating situation in the hands of the unprepared Prince.

But Varilor is not a man to grieve forever, years later he was pulling himself and the duchy out of their shock and grief. For the world continues to move around the woods of Moonhaven, plots continue to churn while usurpers continue to sit upon unearned thrones. No, Varilor can no longer hide within his duchy away from his duty. It was time to step out and truly take up the mantle of Elector-Prince of the Elves. Moonhaven would rise to meet any challenge that faced it, be it human, orc, elf, or something worse still.

 

[Fancy Face]

Appearance:
Name: Emperor Lothane III sil Wex
Race: Half-Elf (Silver family)
Age: 43
Titles: Emperor of Anbennar, Grand-Duke of Wex
Background: Lothane has finally brought peace to Anbennar. The ceaseless bloodshed of the Lilac Wars, the avarice of House Silmuna-it has been ended once and for all. Many name him as a traitor, and they are right to do so. Yet those who would curse him are the very same fools who would have gladly allowed the Empire to be denuded of silver and blood purely out of blind devotion. Their contempt is a badge of honor. What right did the Silmunas have to rule? They were chosen by their subjects, and nothing more. There is no grand mystique to their bloodline-Anbennar is full of the get of the Silver Families. It was their strength that secured their position, that allowed them to use the Empire as a tool for their own ambitions-and when their strength wavered, Lothane supplanted them, to use the title of Emperor for himself.

That is the true nature of the world. And it is for that very same reason Lothane knows his own days are numbered. His heir is a man who could only be called "adequate". His allies are a motley collection of defectors and ambitious opportunists. His enemies are many. He has no doubt the Lorentish will expect rewards in exchange for their aid during the war. It is likely that Wexonard hegemony will last only as long as he lives. But all the same, he has no intentions of simply giving in. He will face his enemies as he always has-sword in hand.

 

[Cambyses]

Appearance:
Name: Valeran III sil Vivin
Race: Bordersman/Corvarian
Titles: Duke of Asheniande
Age: 17
Background: Last of his line, a young man thrust into rulership of a reduced and broken Duchy, Valeran looks to secure the future of his inheritance against enemies both within the Empire and without. The situation seems all but overwhelming, but with luck and skill the Pale Raven may yet soar again.

 

[Carol]

​

Name: Merialeth.
Race: Elf.
Age: 400.
Titles: Adventurer.
Background: What has a long-lived elf not seen? What moves the mind of one born in the Silverwoods at the time of the White Pestilence? How terrible are the secrets she has gathered since then? A wanderer by nature, Merialeth has traveled the continents of Halann, picking up an art here and there to study. The eight schools of magic are a trickle on that list. She can disappear for decades before reappearing back in Anbennar. Rumor has it that to become her discipline is to deliver a dish she has not yet tasted. No one has succeeded for a century. In the Free City of Anbenncost, Merialeth has made her most recent return. She declared her wish to master shipbuilding.​

 

[grimely]

Appearance:
Name: Olor Auern
Race: Human
Age: 44
Titles: Lord Mayor of the Free City of Anbenncost
Background: A survivor of the Fourth Lilac War, Olor had been groomed for the boring but important bureaucratic administration of the Imperial City since birth. Eldest son of a well-to-do but by no means noble family, his parents bent their resources into seeing him appointed into being one of the innumerable functionaries that made the mayoral office work after he was done with his education. Still new in his role at the time of the Sack, he found himself the only member of the senior staff to survive the brutal purge of the Silmuna from throughout the city, more experienced men dying at the ends of Wexonard and Lorentish blades.

He has served a remarkable four terms as Lord Mayor of the Free City, and has just been elected to his fifth, the first and so far only man to hold such a posting since the dissolution of Dameria. They have been long, brutal years, without any of the support required from his so-called Imperial Majesty to maintain the health and sanitation in the refugee camps crowding the burnt out sections of the city, let alone rebuilt what was called in truth and now in mockery the City of the World's Desire. It is a city that he will rebuild and return to its glory, with or without the aid those who claim to be his lord.

 

[King Tharassian]

Name: Caylen V síl na Trisfer
Race: Pearlsedger (Anbennarian)/ Half-Elf
Age: 21 (Born in 1423 AA)
Titles: Duke-Elector of Pearlsedge
Background: Caylen of Pearlsedge has only ever known an Empire torn asunder by the Lilac Wars. His grandfather, Caylen IV, was the Elector who was lured into supporting the White Fox. His father, Duke Alain, was forced to cast aside honor and loyalty to stave off total destruction at the hands of the Síloriels and their allies. Caylen himself was yet unborn when Adénn the Skylance was slain, but his family is irreversibly tied to the Lilac Wars - and to the chaos that they spawned.

Despite this, Caylen himself seems a ray of hope for Pearlsedge's fortunes. His passion for learning of distant lands has manifested a determined focus on the duchy's greatest assets - its position to command access to the Dameshead and its long history of maritime excellence. Talks of trade have filled his council chamber, and even more promisingly, he seems quite able to determine how best the wealth gained from such ventures could be used to rebuild Pearlsedge.

That he was quick to adapt to his various studies in etiquette and administration in equal measure do struggle to compensate for his one great shortcoming, however - the young Duke is utterly enthralled by fantasy.

To be precise, members of the ducal household have whispered that Caylen is an avid reader of sweeping chivalric epics - tales of gallantry and heroism, to be sure, but hardly an accurate manual upon which to build one's sense of strategy. His fascination with new routes to Harimar and Haless seems also to partially stem from these romantic notions, with Caylen imagining himself in the role of the daring explorer. While idle fantasies of glory found in discovery can be harmless, though, his creative understanding of war and honor may prove disastrous if his council cannot prevent his youthful zeal from causing catastrophe. They thank the gods that they have seemed to direct that focus towards practical expeditions for now - Akasik could prove a valuable staging point for later endeavors - but what will happen if he is inclined to act upon such follies as seeking to cross the Western seas to Haless remains a frighteningly open question.

In the meantime, however, they can content themselves with the fact that he's at least considering their pleas to find a suitable wife. Perhaps that pursuit will calm him down. Or at least it could distract him for a while.

 

[DogREAL]

Spoiler: Eilísabet (Open image in another tab if you're having a hard time reading the small text)

Spoiler: Eilísabet's Skills

 

[Cosmo Rat]

Marquisate of Arbaran
Ruler: Marquis Ricard I Silcalas (Age 44 / Born: 1400 AA)
Ruler Culture & Race: Arbarani (Anbennarian) / Half-Elf
Heir: Artus Silcalas (Age 20 / Born: 1424 AA)
Heir Culture & Race: Arbarani (Anbennarian) / Half-Elf
Armies: 3/3
Fleets: 0/0
Stability: 5
Manpower: 3/6

(Images to come later)

Ricard I Silcalas

Spoiler

Name: Ricard I Silcalas
Race: Half Elf (Anbennarian, Arbarani)
Age: 44 (Born 1400)
Titles: Marquis of Arbaran
Background: Ricard the 1st of Silcalas was born to the prominent "Silver" family of the realm, his father Varil VI Silcalas and mother Evrain being focused primarily on attracting settlers to Arbaran in order to expand their populations in the vast frontier territory.

From an early age, Ricard was a quiet and introverted child. One who grew up to be a thoughtful and observant young man... one who witnessed many of his distant relatives and their peers get involved in the tumultuous first Lilac war where Silmunas' excessive greed and choices were bringing the entire empire to ruin. His father Varil VI Silcalas had pledged, however distant the pledge was, to the Rose Party and joined in what was seen as a necessary coup of the empire's government. He became very active in the Empire after his pledge and engaged in court intrigue and espionage while his wife ran the territory. His mother on the other hand, more inclined to focus on internal affairs and that of the family, making sure that Ricard and his sister Gwyned were well educated, hiring a tutor to accompany each of them while handling affairs of state.

The tutor for Ricard in particular was that of Doctor Derin Isthal of Damescrown, a former court doctor and scholar who had once served in Aldres court and had come to Arbaran at request of his father originally to help Evrain in childbirth as she had miscarried prior to Ricard's birth, with Aldres' agreement. Derin's influence and lessons primarily focused on a mixture of mathematics, literature, history, medicine and lessons from the road... teaching Ricard the importance of careful planning with caravans, stitching and mending wounds, and above all further reinforced Ricard to be observant of others and their needs.

Ricard took well to riding, and had an interest in the ancient castles of his forebears, especially that of Calascandar- his ancestral home. He was impressed with knightly tales of great riders, and the wars fought against the long extinct Centaurs of his home province... and he was more impressed by the towering walls of the castle.

While it was not often that retreats to this castle was had due to the tolls imposed by the Duchy of Aranmas, its venerable history left a mark on the then young Ricard. Ricard upon reaching his 10th birthday posted by his father to Arca Dhanaenn. One of the most outlying castle fortresses to serve alongside his uncle Laurewyn as his squire, a knight lord who retained its maintenance and defence. His sister Gwyned stayed in Arbaran to largely learn how to be a scribe, studying history.

For the next number of years Ricard's focus and attention was on his studies with Derin and his duties he owed to his uncle Laurewyn. Laurewyn was a champion jouster, a drinker of hard spirits, a hunter and someone who was largely absent from court life. In this way Ricard became more focused on the frontier than he ever was in the intrigue of internal imperial politics, his relationship with his uncle primarily being one where his uncle had taught him how to saddle up quickly and ride out into the countryside to address issues.

And on the frontier, it was Orcs and the Gawedi border who were the main concern. Throughout his young adulthood Ricard saw many skirmishes alongside his uncle, and seen streams of adventurers come and go into the lands of Arbaran to fight the Orcs as they invaded and pilfered the countryside, and had seen many refugees flow through the area from Escann.

Stalwart defence was had by the border princes and lords of Arbaran, and Ricard grew to know many of them over time. Cavalry and strong walls were the lessons of his youth, in that being able to respond fast to raiders and to evacuate civilians with efficient baggage trains became a norm for Ricard. The smells of camp and triage tents became a norm in Ricard's youth, as he both assisted his uncle in battle and his tutor Dr. Derin in treating patients. The first hand experience of seeing the struggle for life and death tamed any sense of glory seeking tendencies for Ricard, who quickly became grim and stoic in the face of death, taking little pleasure in killing foes and instead being more focused on saving lives.

Laurewyn as he had gotten older had abstained from his usual jousting, being more of an observer than a participant, and had become more of a consumer of boars than a hunter of them. He had grown large and unhealthy, and increasingly violent in his mood swings especially as news from the Lilac war had reached him, which strained the relationship he had with his nephew.

When the First Lilac War had ended, Laurewyn had begun to grow ill from his drinking and had died, his lungs having been filled with blood pumped from an overenlarged heart, the consequences of a life filled with alcohol abuse and terrible diet. Before he had died, he had given the honours of knighthood to his nephew, and shared words with Ricard.... a horrible truth that Ricard has never shared publicly.

Soon after a new lord was assigned to the frontier castle, and Ricard was recalled to Arbaran city itself as he was to meet with his mother Evrain who had requested him personally.

It soon became apparent that his father Varil had died in an ambush in the Battle of Moon Council.

His sister was also missing. His mother had told him his father had sold her off to a noble in return for troop support... but she does not know who the noble was, nor where she went- that she was abducted when she was out of the city's castle keep on a diplomatic meeting to the lords and ladies of Arbaran. Ricard who knew his Uncle's secret as well, was infuriated by this information.


He had spent the weeks following this encounter hiring bounty hunters, mercenaries and others to try and find her.

Alas no search party could merit any useful truths of his sister's whereabouts... and his mother had also told him that he was to have a bride brought to him as well as per arranged by his father.

Alina silna Trisfel of Pearlsedge on the other side of the empire was being brought to Arbaran... and Ricard to marry her, and Evrain told him that with his father dead- he had become the new Marquis. She pleaded him to marry the girl and at least give her a good life.

Ricard did not hate his mother, but feeling immensely betrayed by his father, he chose not to mourn his death.

Becoming the Marquis at the age of 24, and becoming a married man in one fell swoop... Ricard focused on his duties and tried to make the best of things.

Ricard married Alina dutifully, who had tried to make his new maritime wife feel at home in the landlocked Arbaran... bonding with her primarily over romantic horse rides along lake shores and other natural scenery, and having ordered the creation of river gardens in Arbaran that were open to the public, as well as more private areas for their family to enjoy. He even learned how to row solely to bring Alina out to the water, of which she dearly missed.

Ricard, now well in his 40's, had over the past decade has been building up funds and slowly expanding each settlement. He had also sired a son, Artus, with his wife Alina after they were married and the help of the now very old Dr. Derin who had delivered his son alongside the midwives of Arbaran. He looks to the future of the province with weathered eyes, wishing to keep the peace and expand Arbaran peacefully without meddling in the affairs of others too much. His now adult son Artus however proves to be a serious headache for the Marquis, for while he loves his son very dearly, is also very concerned with his son's desire for glory and fortune, and his untempered lust for adventure and exotic women.

He fears his current heir is far too irresponsible, and has been of recent times... butting heads with his son while burdened with his own painful memories.

Artus Silcalas

Spoiler

Name: Artus Silcalas
Race: Half Elf (Anbennarian, Arbarani)
Age: 20 (Born 1424)
Titles: Prince
Background: Artus had grown up largely in Arbaran, but had travelled to each city of the realm and of course the majestic castle of Calascandar. Unlike his father though, Ricard had not issued Artus to become a squire for any particular lord, instead opting to personally train his own son in Arbaran itself. While Ricard and Artus do not hate each other by any means, Artus has much more fancy to imagination than his father who is more pragmatic minded. While he was also educated by Dr. Derin Isthal, the old man could not keep up with the energetic young lord in his escapades and constant shenanigans that he has with his adventurer friends, who had become infamous around Arbaran for their chicanery. This has drawn the ire of his father Ricard, who grows increasingly frustrated at the immaturity of his son.

Like his mother, Artus has a passion for romance and stories, and is very much enthralled with the lives of adventurers, sellswords and wandering poets. Artus would love nothing more than to see distant lands, to explore territory taken over by the Greentide searching for treasure and to fight fearsome foes. To woo distant maidens and become a knight of yore, to enjoy ale after hard travels and experience the world.

Having neglected his studies, Artus is bored with life in Arbaran and has come to chide his father for being stuffy and stuck in his ways... and rumour has it, Ricard is very much tempted to give Artus what he wants- and send him out on deployment to the border to "mature" him in the ways of the world. As far as Artus is concerned, the further away he gets from home and the sooner he gets on the road to adventure will open the world to him, and he has great ambitions and dreams of becoming a questing knight and to eventually lead Arbaran and make it live up to the potential of being the Adventurer's Capital of the World.

Alina silna Trisfer

Spoiler

Name: Alina silna Trisfer
Race: Half Elf (Anbennarian, Pearlsedge)
Age: 35
Titles: Marquess
Background: Hailing from distant Pearlsedge, Alina was a child of the sea from a clan that dominated it. Early on she was fascinated by sea travel, and loved to spend time on beaches and along the waterside. A young lady of court, she was however eligible for political marriage and when she had found out she was to marry the ever far Ricard of Arbaran... her life had been turned upside down. She had entered a depression early on in their marriage missing her home and family. Thankfully for her, Ricard was an empathetic man- and while he was no poet who could string along words of comfort and love to her, he did put in great amounts of efforts to make her feel at home with the construction of beautiful river gardens and frequent lakeside trips via horseback. She however stopped riding by the time she had become pregnant with Artus, and has since mostly travelled by carriage.

In her spare time, of which she has had ample amounts of, she had taken to growing grapes and expanding the vineyards of Arbaran and as a result had made a business of selling Arbaran wine. She has also made investments into other agricultural pursuits including bakeries and wind-mills.

Alina engages in writing, and often has wrote poems for her husband and has brought up their only child Artus with the world of poetry, teaching him about the great poets of the land and their history. Painting images with eloquently spoken words, she has encouraged her son's imagination and sense of artistry, but is very hesitant to see him leave from Arbaran city itself and is a doting mother and worrywart, as Artus is her only child.