Okay so I'm here. Ish. Been working on this for the last eight use hours while I've been in the car. my iPad is being dumb and not letting me send PMs. Or edit posts well. Soooo.... I'm just gonna repost the fixed CS, and also my second char. (For Rey I included a hider at the bottom explaining things.) also I apologize for any derpy formatting, my iPad hates me. (Major props to you, Wolfie, managing to write and format so well on a tablet. >.<)
βA proper lady watches the great game with blind eyes and deaf
ears, never thinking, never acting for herself. A proper lady is also probably the
most boring, brainless creature the gods have ever made.β
Name: Reyanna βReyβ Morewen
Age: Twenty-two.
Titles: Princess of Riverdale
Origin: The city of Riverdale, in the west.
Allegiance: House Morewen is allegiant to House Rathmore.
Family:
Appearance: Reyanna isnβt much to look at, coming in at a little under five feet tall. Her form is slender and graceful, despite her rather small height. Her skin is fair, her hair long, curly, and reddish-brown. The most notable thing about her is her eyesβthe right blue, the left green. Witchβs eyes, her older brother would tell her. When she was younger, Rey would intentionally comb her hair forwards, so that her green eye was hidden, and sometimes can be seen doing it still.
Personality: Rey seems, at first glance, a demure, quiet young lady, if a little distant. Sheβs perfectly cordial and civil, and does a good job of at the least pretending to be an airheaded little fool, albeit one who loves music and literature. (That part is not a farce; she is quite enamored with the arts.) She never, or almost-never, shows her true colorsβinside, sheβs a twisted sort of creature. Ambition thatβs been shoved down too many times has a way of turning sour; she craves revenge on her brother and sister and father for forcing her into the desperate, humiliated position sheβs in now. She desires power, partly as prestige for her family but mostly to do better for herself. Mostly, she just desires to hurry up and find a suitable suitor so that all the ladies of court will quit muttering about her when they think sheβs not listening.
Background: With Reyβs entrance into the world, her mother took her leave of it, something her father never quite forgave. Her older sister and brother certainly never forgave her, either.
When she was young, Rey thought the gods had cursed her. Her brother was tall and strong, her sister graceful and elegantβquite beautiful. They were being groomed for their future roles; Rey was pretty much useless, in that aspect. A spare, but a spare female. Not pretty enough to snare some petty lordβs eyeβcertainly not if she looked him in the eyes, not with her βcurse.β She was kept at home, hidden from the outside world. Almost as though her father was ashamed of her or wanted to pretend she didnβt exist. Like a bastard, without even illegitimate birth as a reason for her exile.
Her exile abruptly ended when she was twelve. Her seventeen-year-old,
recently-betrothed sister Elena had vanished in the nightβpresumably eloping with a common lover, or at least that was the rumor that spread like wildfire, despite attempts to quell it. So now they were stuck with a problemβA damaged household reputation and a socially-incapable daughter as the only bargaining chip in the game of houses.
When she was fourteen she was betrothed to some minor lordβs only son. That fell through when the boy mysteriously died, not two days before the wedding. A similar thing happened the next year, with the next engagement.
After the second incident, no one dared accept any marriage proposal that the Lord of Riverdale could offer for his daughter. Years went by. Finally, on her eighteenth name-day, she was sent to court with two guards and a handmaiden, whom were given orders to not let her return to Riverdale until sheβd secured a sufficiently lucrative marriage offer.
She knew who she had her sights set on, of course, but that was aiming absurdly high. Though to be fair, it seemed that looking for anyone was to set her sights absurdly high, given her record.
βIt's not a lie if you don't get caught.β
Name: Celesse Tulbraiss (nee Rykker) β Called βSeseβ by her family.
Age: Twenty Six.
Titles: Lady of Talsworth
Origin: House Rykker is of the lowest tier of noblesβHolding a rather small claim of land in the middle of nowhere in the mountains.
Allegiance: House Tulbraiss, which pledges allegiance to House Ralei
Family:
Appearance: The picture above was painted when Celesse was fifteenβjust a few days before her wedding. Her hair is still the same lovely chocolate shade, though perhaps somewhat less shiny and voluminous. Her eyes still retain their youthful sparkle, however. She stands a respectable five feet, five inches, and maintains a rather slender figure (though perhaps somewhat curvier than when the painting was done. You try maintaining a girlish figure after five kids!) She still favors bright colors, especially pinks, violets, and reds, but since her marriage, and especially since becoming a mother, she favors far more conservative styles.
Personality: To most, Celesse seems nothing but honorable. A kind and gentle soul, an honest, hardworking mother, a loyal, loving wife. All day she is seen on her husbandβs arm, smiling up at him and listening attentively, or keeping her older children at their lessons or playing with the younger ones. Truly a devoted mother, seemingly satisfied with her role in life. What very few people are allowed to see is what goes on after the sun goes down and the candles are lit β Though the love for her children is real, the love for her husband is a carefully cultivated act. Her heart belongs to no one. And her body? Well... That's a prize that many have sampled. It's not as though she goes out of her way to attract attention, but... When her drunkard of a husband locks himself away in the back room of a whorehouse, and some handsome little lordling catches her eye after dinner, after the children have gone to bed, who is she to turn him down? She likes having a warm bed just as much as any other woman, and besides: Tipsy, sleepy, satisfied young men always tell such interesting stories.
Background: From pretty much the moment she was born, Celesse was destined to marry one of the Tulbraiss boys. They had a rather successful gem mine on their lands and sought to expand their business, which meant mining on the neighboring Rykkers' lands. Though it hurt their pride to give up a section of their land claim, it was a very lucrative offer-- Lord Tarnel Rykker accepted it instantly and as a mark of good will married his eldest daughter to the Tulbraiss heir.
The first time Celesse met Keren, she was nearly ten and he had just turned fifteen. Even then Celesse could tell she would hate him. He was big and bulky, fat even then, and a whiny little brat too. She was calm and contained and did a good job of pretending to be enamored with him; he was childish and crude and violent.
"Mother, I can't marry him! He's a slob and he's ugly and he's whiny and immature and I just can't marry him!"
"We're not asking you to love him, Celesse, just marry him and keep his bed warm and have one or two children for him."
"How am I supposed to rear the children of a person like that?"
Her father had gotten angry at her, yelled for hours. About upholding family honor, not disgracing the name. Family before self and all. Her mother hadn't said a word while her father was yelling, hadn't said a word until that night, as she tucked the still-crying Celesse into bed. Her mother had kissed her forehead and whispered, "You don't. It's not a lie if you never get caught, Sese. Your fool of a boy would never suspect a thing, so long as you keep pretending to be in love with him."
If one sentence could have ever been said to have made her outlook on life change, it was that. She went out with friends, dressed eyecatchingly, let herself live, though she was always quick to step back and stand by her morals if things went too far for good taste. Time and time again she tried to prove her loyalty and eagerness to please to Keren, who despite this never warmed up to her.
They were married when Celesse was fifteen. Aside from their wedding night, they almost never shared a bed-- For nearly a year Celesse thought it was merely that Keren was uninterested in such affairs, until the day she heard the servants talking. He had taken many of them to his bed, and was apparently a frequent patron of certain houses of pleasure.
Whatever seed of guilt had been there before was banished -- after all, he'd gone behind her back. An eye for an eye. Whenever Keren called her to his bed she was meticulously careful about cleaning herself, about taking the herbs designed to stop a man's seed from taking root.
Whenever she was not asked to share his bed, she was left to her own devices, in her own room while her husband enjoyed himself. So it was easy to bring other men to her room, and they were more than eager to oblige. Forbidden, secret love was such an enticing idea.
It wasn't long after her sixteenth birthday that Celesse presented Keren with a daughter. The daughter of Celesse and her sister's husband, one Braeden Balenor, and yet Keren was none the wiser. Next she presented him with a son -- Sylas Balenor's. Her second and third sons were Jorren's -- Keren's younger brother. The only legitimate child in the whole batch is actually her youngest daughter -- though she isn't entirely sure of that.
βA proper lady watches the great game with blind eyes and deaf
ears, never thinking, never acting for herself. A proper lady is also probably the
most boring, brainless creature the gods have ever made.β
Name: Reyanna βReyβ Morewen
Age: Twenty-two.
Titles: Princess of Riverdale
Origin: The city of Riverdale, in the west.
Allegiance: House Morewen is allegiant to House Rathmore.
Family:
Lord Anderon Morewen β Father
Eliyanna Morewen (nee Pravost) β Mother
Ser Evyn Morewen β Elder brother
Elena Morewen β Elder sister
Eliyanna Morewen (nee Pravost) β Mother
Ser Evyn Morewen β Elder brother
Elena Morewen β Elder sister
Appearance: Reyanna isnβt much to look at, coming in at a little under five feet tall. Her form is slender and graceful, despite her rather small height. Her skin is fair, her hair long, curly, and reddish-brown. The most notable thing about her is her eyesβthe right blue, the left green. Witchβs eyes, her older brother would tell her. When she was younger, Rey would intentionally comb her hair forwards, so that her green eye was hidden, and sometimes can be seen doing it still.
Personality: Rey seems, at first glance, a demure, quiet young lady, if a little distant. Sheβs perfectly cordial and civil, and does a good job of at the least pretending to be an airheaded little fool, albeit one who loves music and literature. (That part is not a farce; she is quite enamored with the arts.) She never, or almost-never, shows her true colorsβinside, sheβs a twisted sort of creature. Ambition thatβs been shoved down too many times has a way of turning sour; she craves revenge on her brother and sister and father for forcing her into the desperate, humiliated position sheβs in now. She desires power, partly as prestige for her family but mostly to do better for herself. Mostly, she just desires to hurry up and find a suitable suitor so that all the ladies of court will quit muttering about her when they think sheβs not listening.
Background: With Reyβs entrance into the world, her mother took her leave of it, something her father never quite forgave. Her older sister and brother certainly never forgave her, either.
When she was young, Rey thought the gods had cursed her. Her brother was tall and strong, her sister graceful and elegantβquite beautiful. They were being groomed for their future roles; Rey was pretty much useless, in that aspect. A spare, but a spare female. Not pretty enough to snare some petty lordβs eyeβcertainly not if she looked him in the eyes, not with her βcurse.β She was kept at home, hidden from the outside world. Almost as though her father was ashamed of her or wanted to pretend she didnβt exist. Like a bastard, without even illegitimate birth as a reason for her exile.
Her exile abruptly ended when she was twelve. Her seventeen-year-old,
recently-betrothed sister Elena had vanished in the nightβpresumably eloping with a common lover, or at least that was the rumor that spread like wildfire, despite attempts to quell it. So now they were stuck with a problemβA damaged household reputation and a socially-incapable daughter as the only bargaining chip in the game of houses.
When she was fourteen she was betrothed to some minor lordβs only son. That fell through when the boy mysteriously died, not two days before the wedding. A similar thing happened the next year, with the next engagement.
After the second incident, no one dared accept any marriage proposal that the Lord of Riverdale could offer for his daughter. Years went by. Finally, on her eighteenth name-day, she was sent to court with two guards and a handmaiden, whom were given orders to not let her return to Riverdale until sheβd secured a sufficiently lucrative marriage offer.
She knew who she had her sights set on, of course, but that was aiming absurdly high. Though to be fair, it seemed that looking for anyone was to set her sights absurdly high, given her record.
Her first betrothed was epileptic (well, I guess "prone to having fits" would be the more commonly used description) and died of a seizure. She doesn't know this and is convinced it was poison, because she found him dead in his bed with blood frothing out of his mouth and no other obvious wounds. The second death was kept secret from her -- a gruesome murder with a knife, though it was done as a part of a feud between her betrothed's family and another family, nothing to do with her. She found out about it from listening to the servants whispering, but somewhere in the translation she missed that it had nothing to do with her family, and so she still blames herself for both deaths.
Both were of minor houses, rather unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
Also, her sister is not dead, just missing. Rey believes her to be dead though. So much death on the poor girl's conscience.
Both were of minor houses, rather unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
Also, her sister is not dead, just missing. Rey believes her to be dead though. So much death on the poor girl's conscience.
The house words are, βWe never forget.β
The house sigil is a golden owl, perched on a pair of crossed scythes, on a field of dark green.
House Morewen holds a large tract of land, a fertile river valley. Their keep is a rather small fortress, simply called Riverdale Keep. The true value of their land claims is in the human resources of the small city of Riverdale and all of its outlying farms.
The house sigil is a golden owl, perched on a pair of crossed scythes, on a field of dark green.
Anderon Morewen β Lord of Riverdale
Eliyanna Morewen (nee Pravost) β Former lady of Riverdale
Evyn Morewen β Heir Apparent
Elena Morewen
Reyanna Morewen β Princess of Riverdale
Eliyanna Morewen (nee Pravost) β Former lady of Riverdale
Evyn Morewen β Heir Apparent
Elena Morewen
Reyanna Morewen β Princess of Riverdale
House Morewen holds a large tract of land, a fertile river valley. Their keep is a rather small fortress, simply called Riverdale Keep. The true value of their land claims is in the human resources of the small city of Riverdale and all of its outlying farms.
βIt's not a lie if you don't get caught.β
Name: Celesse Tulbraiss (nee Rykker) β Called βSeseβ by her family.
Age: Twenty Six.
Titles: Lady of Talsworth
Origin: House Rykker is of the lowest tier of noblesβHolding a rather small claim of land in the middle of nowhere in the mountains.
Allegiance: House Tulbraiss, which pledges allegiance to House Ralei
Family:
Lord Tarnel Rykker β Father
Lady Kynsee Rykker (nee Langward) β Mother
Carden Rykker β Twin brother
Ser Ashten Rykker β Younger brother
Kyana Balenor (nee Rykker) β Younger sister
Lady Kynsee Rykker (nee Langward) β Mother
Carden Rykker β Twin brother
Ser Ashten Rykker β Younger brother
Kyana Balenor (nee Rykker) β Younger sister
Lady Addysen Tulbraiss (nee Sapner) β Mother-in-law
Lord Wyllen Tulbraiss β Father-in-law
Lena Pryor (nee Tulbraiss) β Sister-in-law
Lord Keren Tulbraiss β Husband
Ser Jorren Tulbraiss β Brother-in-law
Taria Tulbraiss β Eldest daughter (11 years old)
Wyett Tulbraiss β Eldest son (9 years old)
Kevven Tulbraiss β Middle son (7 years old)
Adienn Tulbraiss β Youngest son (6 years old)
Kirra Tulbraiss β Youngest daughter (4 years old)
Lord Wyllen Tulbraiss β Father-in-law
Lena Pryor (nee Tulbraiss) β Sister-in-law
Lord Keren Tulbraiss β Husband
Ser Jorren Tulbraiss β Brother-in-law
Taria Tulbraiss β Eldest daughter (11 years old)
Wyett Tulbraiss β Eldest son (9 years old)
Kevven Tulbraiss β Middle son (7 years old)
Adienn Tulbraiss β Youngest son (6 years old)
Kirra Tulbraiss β Youngest daughter (4 years old)
Appearance: The picture above was painted when Celesse was fifteenβjust a few days before her wedding. Her hair is still the same lovely chocolate shade, though perhaps somewhat less shiny and voluminous. Her eyes still retain their youthful sparkle, however. She stands a respectable five feet, five inches, and maintains a rather slender figure (though perhaps somewhat curvier than when the painting was done. You try maintaining a girlish figure after five kids!) She still favors bright colors, especially pinks, violets, and reds, but since her marriage, and especially since becoming a mother, she favors far more conservative styles.
Personality: To most, Celesse seems nothing but honorable. A kind and gentle soul, an honest, hardworking mother, a loyal, loving wife. All day she is seen on her husbandβs arm, smiling up at him and listening attentively, or keeping her older children at their lessons or playing with the younger ones. Truly a devoted mother, seemingly satisfied with her role in life. What very few people are allowed to see is what goes on after the sun goes down and the candles are lit β Though the love for her children is real, the love for her husband is a carefully cultivated act. Her heart belongs to no one. And her body? Well... That's a prize that many have sampled. It's not as though she goes out of her way to attract attention, but... When her drunkard of a husband locks himself away in the back room of a whorehouse, and some handsome little lordling catches her eye after dinner, after the children have gone to bed, who is she to turn him down? She likes having a warm bed just as much as any other woman, and besides: Tipsy, sleepy, satisfied young men always tell such interesting stories.
Background: From pretty much the moment she was born, Celesse was destined to marry one of the Tulbraiss boys. They had a rather successful gem mine on their lands and sought to expand their business, which meant mining on the neighboring Rykkers' lands. Though it hurt their pride to give up a section of their land claim, it was a very lucrative offer-- Lord Tarnel Rykker accepted it instantly and as a mark of good will married his eldest daughter to the Tulbraiss heir.
The first time Celesse met Keren, she was nearly ten and he had just turned fifteen. Even then Celesse could tell she would hate him. He was big and bulky, fat even then, and a whiny little brat too. She was calm and contained and did a good job of pretending to be enamored with him; he was childish and crude and violent.
"Mother, I can't marry him! He's a slob and he's ugly and he's whiny and immature and I just can't marry him!"
"We're not asking you to love him, Celesse, just marry him and keep his bed warm and have one or two children for him."
"How am I supposed to rear the children of a person like that?"
Her father had gotten angry at her, yelled for hours. About upholding family honor, not disgracing the name. Family before self and all. Her mother hadn't said a word while her father was yelling, hadn't said a word until that night, as she tucked the still-crying Celesse into bed. Her mother had kissed her forehead and whispered, "You don't. It's not a lie if you never get caught, Sese. Your fool of a boy would never suspect a thing, so long as you keep pretending to be in love with him."
If one sentence could have ever been said to have made her outlook on life change, it was that. She went out with friends, dressed eyecatchingly, let herself live, though she was always quick to step back and stand by her morals if things went too far for good taste. Time and time again she tried to prove her loyalty and eagerness to please to Keren, who despite this never warmed up to her.
They were married when Celesse was fifteen. Aside from their wedding night, they almost never shared a bed-- For nearly a year Celesse thought it was merely that Keren was uninterested in such affairs, until the day she heard the servants talking. He had taken many of them to his bed, and was apparently a frequent patron of certain houses of pleasure.
Whatever seed of guilt had been there before was banished -- after all, he'd gone behind her back. An eye for an eye. Whenever Keren called her to his bed she was meticulously careful about cleaning herself, about taking the herbs designed to stop a man's seed from taking root.
Whenever she was not asked to share his bed, she was left to her own devices, in her own room while her husband enjoyed himself. So it was easy to bring other men to her room, and they were more than eager to oblige. Forbidden, secret love was such an enticing idea.
It wasn't long after her sixteenth birthday that Celesse presented Keren with a daughter. The daughter of Celesse and her sister's husband, one Braeden Balenor, and yet Keren was none the wiser. Next she presented him with a son -- Sylas Balenor's. Her second and third sons were Jorren's -- Keren's younger brother. The only legitimate child in the whole batch is actually her youngest daughter -- though she isn't entirely sure of that.
House motto: "Gold in peace, steel in war."
Sigil: A gold mountain lion on a field of sapphire blue.
Holding: Talsworth Castle is a small stone fortress tucked in the end of a box canyon, in the somewhat drier, more arid region of the mountains. There is little vegetation-- the whole surrounding land is a bit of a wasteland, and is rather dirty and torn up from all of the gem mining. There are several small, ramshackle towns in the area and a few pitiful farms, enough so that the house doesn't need to ship food in to feed its people, but there's certainly not a surplus. They are a rather wealthy house, however, by virtue of the gemstone mines they keep control of.
Sigil: A gold mountain lion on a field of sapphire blue.
Lord Keren Tulbraiss -- Lord of Talsworth
Ser Jorren Tulbraiss
Lady Celesse Tulbraiss -- Lady of Talsworth
Taria Tulbraiss -- Princess of Talsworth
Wyett Tulbraiss -- Heir apparent
Kevven Tulbraiss
Adienn Tulbraiss
Kirra Tulbraiss
Ser Jorren Tulbraiss
Lady Celesse Tulbraiss -- Lady of Talsworth
Taria Tulbraiss -- Princess of Talsworth
Wyett Tulbraiss -- Heir apparent
Kevven Tulbraiss
Adienn Tulbraiss
Kirra Tulbraiss
Holding: Talsworth Castle is a small stone fortress tucked in the end of a box canyon, in the somewhat drier, more arid region of the mountains. There is little vegetation-- the whole surrounding land is a bit of a wasteland, and is rather dirty and torn up from all of the gem mining. There are several small, ramshackle towns in the area and a few pitiful farms, enough so that the house doesn't need to ship food in to feed its people, but there's certainly not a surplus. They are a rather wealthy house, however, by virtue of the gemstone mines they keep control of.
