Dramatis Personae of Dark Empire

Lady Yana Caratillus, Fighter (NG) - Dixie

Lady Yana is the eldest daughter of Lord Cantwell and Lady Shireen Caratillus and is the heir to the Caratillus title. She is a warrior currently helping Nyremi in the war effort against the Dark Empire. She was raised (mainly by her mother) to be a proper Pershamon noble, training in diplomacy and the Pershamon style of fighting, and taught that it is the job of Lords and Ladies to care for their people. Yana was also raised on stories of the family’s original holdings that were lost when her father was a boy and her main goal is to reclaim her homeland. She is generally outgoing, cheerful and generous to all around her, although her upbringing sometimes gives her a high opinion of herself. Lady Yana serves in the King's household guard for the winter as a "guest". As she is the legitimate heir to a noble family, she often accompanies the king on his travels around the city, as well as joining him on hunts, where her archery is slowly becoming the stuff of legend. 

Stor Brightwood, Vassal of House Caratillus, Fighter (CG) - Liam

Stor Brightwood is a free landowner whose family have been vassals of House Caratillus for generations. Though he has no noble title in Nyremi, Stor is a reliable fighter and has high status among the commoners of New Ostering. Stor is on friendly terms with both Lady Yana and Brother Augustus. He is a bit cooler towards the bastard twins. Stor rarely travels or adventures, preferring to patrol the local lands and lead guards on patrols. In extreme situations, however, or when House Caratillus goes to war, he will happily join in. Stor is known for being very strong, extremely fast and largely unkillable, blessed with an ox-like endurance. Stor carries the typical Anadastran broadsword and ax, as well as the local round shield and a short bow. He wears light armor to make the best use of his mobility. Stor has joined the King's household guard for the winter as a "guest", mostly doing patrols and joining in small raids across the border. He has little patience for courtly doings, but the food and drink flow freely when he is in the city, and King Hesketos is a generous ring-giver. 

Brother Augustus Caratillus, Spear of the Dawnseekers, Cleric (LG) - Bobby

Born Osgar Caratillus to Lord Cantwell's youngest brother, Sir Oswald, Augustus joined a Nyremian sect of the church of Aurintuli known as the Dawnseekers and was "reborn at dawn" with his new name. He works as a spiritual advisor in the court of his uncle, counseling war against the Vorokhoi. He is a vocal supporter of King Hesketos II, siding with the King in his belief that the Anadastran exiles should fight to retake their homeland. As a Dawnseeker, Brother Augustus is a devout man who prays four times a day (at dawn, noon, dusk, and midnight) and personally believes that Fermas Vorokhoi is attempting to fulfill the apocryphal 7th Revelation of Taivas which will awaken Grandfather Sky to destroy the world. He and the other Dawnseekers believe that Kuolema has abandoned his duties and that only the unforgiving light of Aurintuli will right the wrongs committed by the dead. Slain by the Vorokhoi during the Battle of the Sednarak Gorge, Augustus was resurrected to serve Aurintuli as a living weapon. 

Alerius Caratillus, Acolyte of the Dawnseekers Ranger, Cleric (N) - Leo

Alerius is the son of Lady Amaranth Caratillus, younger sister to Lord Cantwell and Lord Oswald. Alerius served as a captain in the personal forces of the Nyremian king, leading a group of twenty to thirty scouts and archers. He was sworn directly to serve King Hesketos II and spent most of his service patrolling the mountains that make up the northern and western frontiers of Nyremi. After a defeat, jealous Nyremian nobles found a way to blame Alerius for the losses. King Hesketos II regretfully released Alerius from his service as a way to maintain the favor of these nobles. After this setback, Alerius eventually found his way back to the "Nyra Turn" and home. Though not a large man, Alerius is fast and clever, fighting with dual swords forged by the king's own smith. After witnessing the resurrection of Brother Augustus, he took on holy vows with the Dawnseekers, a militant cult of Aurintuli. 

Theren Graycastle, Acolyte of the Dawnseekers, Rogue, Cleric (N) - Ken

Given a choice to fight against the Vorokhoi or to labor in the mines for the rest of his life, Theren Graycastle chose to fight. Though formerly a criminal, now Theren serves as an agent of King Hesketos II. He is a grim, stealthy man who served in the mountains with Alerius Caratillus. Theren has turned his ruthless pragmatism to the service of the Sun God, having taken holy vows to the militant Dawnseekers after being one of the two witnesses to the resurrection of Brother Augustus.

Ash Stonewood, Rogue (CN) - Claire 

Bastard son of Lord Caratillus and Dame Ciyradil, and twin brother of Laurana. Unpredictable spy. After the Battle of the Sednarak Gorge, Ash began sneaking into the School of Bayan, the primary bardic school in Nyremi, to learn their secrets on the sly. In the process, he struck up an unusual friendship with an exceptional female orc named Glasha. She was the exiled daughter of the chief of a band of orcs allied with the Kingdom of Nyremi. Ash has become skilled with singing under her tutelage, as well as learning the rudiments of bardic magic on his own, thanks to his innate cleverness and his magical Elven heritage. 

“Our real discoveries come from chaos, from going to the place that looks wrong and stupid and foolish.”

― Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

Laurana Daero, Apprentice Diviner, Ranger, Druid, and Wizard (N) - Clint

Bastard daughter of Lord Caratillus and Dame Ciyradil, Laurana was sent reluctantly by her mother to live at Osterling House, accompanied by her twin brother. Trained to fight by her mother, her father continued training her at the urging of her stepmother Lady Shireen. Laurana has her mother's beauty and talents in diplomacy, making her popular in some Nyremi noble social circles. This is a constant irritation to Lady Shireen, who is torn between empathizing with a young woman in a fighting household and jealousy towards her unfaithful husband's offspring. Laurana's wood-elf ancestry made her feel at home in the woods around the manor, and at some point, she was introduced by friendly peasants to the local Druid's Circle. Here she found the acceptance and belonging she had largely been denied, as well as acquiring a deep and abiding love for the land and the people on it. The local circle took her in and trained her in their inner mysteries. Eventually, she became an accomplished druid herself. Since returning to Nyremi City, Laurana has studied under the Court Diviner, Auffroy Tirasse, who initially agreed to take her on only because King Hesketos II directly ordered it. As she is of Elven heritage and already an accomplished druid, Magister Tirasse felt it was acceptable to skip the normal period of apprenticeship and simply begin her training straight away. 

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Lord Cantwell Caratillus (NPC) Aristocrat and warrior from the central part of Old Anadastros, Lord Cantwell was formerly the boy Earl of Freywich in Anadastros but is now accorded only the title of "Lord" by Nyremi. Lord Cantwell lost his lands in the invasion when but a child, and was forced to flee. He served King Hesketos I for a number of years as a young man, during which he traveled around much of the Kehler Lands and had many adventures. Once a great fighter and a lover as well, Lord Cantwell is known to have sired children across the Kehler Lands in his prime. Now he is grown old and tired, and he despairs of ever seeing his lands again. Pressed by King Hesketos II to commit to action against the Dark Empire, he has turned to his surviving children to fulfill the household obligations to serve. It is his wish to reclaim his lost lands in Anadastros while still able to enjoy them.

Lady Shireen Hamzasha Caratillus (NPC)

Wife of Lord Cantwell, Lady Shireen is a member of one of the Pershamon noble houses that crossed over into the Kehler Lands in the century before the rise of Fermas Vorokhoi. A proud, forceful woman, her family had been forced further and further south as Vorokhoi's army advanced, finally settling in Old Anadastros. Though her marriage at a young age was arranged to unite the Hamzasha and the Caratillus families, it proved to be a mostly successful one. Perhaps the greatest point of friction was the subject of her husband's numerous infidelities. To her credit, she was able to have her oldest daughter placed in the line of succession, contrary to Kehler customs of primogeniture. Lady Shireen remains a proud Pershamon, despite having lived for decades in the Kehler Lands, and retains some useful connections to her kin back in the Pershamon Empire.

Dame Ciyradil Daero (NPC)

Half-Elf landholder from the forests of the Middlemounts, and mother of two of Lord Cantwell's children. She is a noted warrior among her people, the equivalent of a knight of some rank. Her status and undimmed beauty make her a source of friction within House Caratillus, especially for Lady Shireen. Having dispatched her two children to serve in the Caratillus household, she now periodically visits to look in on them and advocate for their status. As a representative of the Nyremian wood elves, she is thus accorded high status in the court of King Hesketos II, and speaks as an equal to most of the other lords of the realm. Unlike most nobles and courtiers, Dame Ciyradil never travels with a retinue, and rarely announces her comings and goings. She simply is there and then departs, though if an important meeting is announced it is certain she will be in attendance. 

HRM King Hesketos II, King of Nyremi (NPC)

Ruler of Nyremi, King Hesketos II is motivated by two priorities - to preserve the existence of the Kingdom of Nyremi, and to exceed the fame and glory of his father King Hesketos the Wise. His position on the throne is relatively secure, as he is well provisioned with both spies and a large and effective military. However, his kingdom is surrounded on three sides by the Dark Empire, and his alliance with his neighbors in Leinth Gemir seems eternally shaky. As a result, King Hesketos II has increased his efforts to push back against the Dark Empire without provoking Emperor Fermas too directly. It is a tenuous position indeed. King Hesketos II is a jealous, ambitious man with dreams that perhaps exceed his reach. People are only as valuable to him as they are useful, and his largesse is directly related to his underling's success. Despite this, he is both intelligent and clever, a skilled diplomat and brave enough in his own way. 

Earl Vlastimil Nyravod, Earl of the County of Nyra Turn 

Earl Vlastimil is a member of an old Nyremian family and is a notably proud, stubborn, and suspicious man. The defense of this corner of Nyremi falls upon his shoulders, a source of considerable anxiety for him. Though quite loyal to the King's father, he regards the "new" king as a schemer, untrustworthy and too clever by half. Nevertheless, he agrees with Hekestos II about the Anadastrans. The Earl derives a lot of income from traffic along the river and the bridges across it, and focuses his time and energies there and on the border. The interior regions are of little interest to him, so long as taxes are paid and peasants kept in their places. He is distrustful of foreigners, whether the Vorokhoi across the river or the resettled Anadastrans that the previous king foisted off upon him, and will cheerfully find onerous duties to burden them with whenever possible. 

Emperor Fermas Vorokhoi, Unholy Tyrant of the Western Kehler Lands

Fermas Vorokhoi is the undead semi-demonic Emperor of the Dark Empire, the largest empire on the continent. The legend says that he murdered all of his wives, children, and families in a sacrificial slaughter during a single terrible night. In exchange, King Fermas became a conduit for unholy beings, gaining power over life and death. Emperor Fermas has reigned for over for two centuries, dominating the central Kehler Lands through supernatural power, military might, and simple terror. Despite being an undead nightmare and filled with hellish might, Emperor Fermas has a carefully managed diplomatic reputation for being cool, collected, and even charming under the right circumstances.