[hider=Bastien de Warenne][center][color=slategray][h1]ℬastien de Warenne,[/h1] [sub]Allons, Dieu ayde[/sub][/color] [img]http://i.imgur.com/VklTMFa.png[/img][/center] Name: [indent]ℬastien 'Ariel (Lion of God)' de Warenne[/indent] Age: [indent]26[/indent] Appearance: [indent]Bastien has long, blonde hair that is slicked back to keep his face clear of long stringy strands of hair. His entire face is more or less framed by hair, due to his long beard also being a prominent feature. His beard is slightly more blonde than his actual hair for reasons unknown. He has a tall forehead, but it is cut off by his bushy eyebrows, which gives his face a wisened and slightly older look than he really is. His brows are often furrowed, making him look somewhat intimidating yet at the same time, perhaps somewhat [i]kind[/i]. His cheekbones are high up, and visible above his beard, providing stark contrast. Other facial marks include several scars, some of which are hidden by his beard. Two of them are visible on his face -- one cuts across his eyebrow, leaving a dark spot where no hair grows. The other runs next to his right eye across the side of his face, about three centimeters in length. As for his body, he is well toned but not to the point of bulking in muscle. He just works hard and whatever his body looks like due to that, he'd be satisfied with it. Not that it matters - he is not going around bare chested. He is always wearing a modest tunic, not showing off too much wealth, and wearing simple clothes fit for a nobleman but that are not flashy. One accessory that everyone can note is a small cast-iron cross hanging from a leather length of cord around his neck. He's a very pious, religious man, as are most people from his province.[/indent] Known for: [indent]Bastien is well renowned around the kingdom for being one of the most prominent warriors. However, he is certainly not the best, and he is too humble to admit that he's even as much as 'good'. Never the less that's what he's known for. Furthermore, he is known to be very religious and takes his religious duties quite seriously.[/indent] Dirty little secret: [indent]He is rumored to have fathered a bastard son. The child is approximately ten years old now, and strongly resembles his father. Of course, this rumor is true, but nobody is sure that it is true, as Bastien's father has made sure to deny everything to save the family from suffering a blow to their prestige. Bastien himself never spoke about it, for fear of ruining his fathers reputation and his own.[/indent] [b]Skills: [/b] [indent]He's a good sword fighter, and is very pious. He can mop the floor with any of the standard guards in his province, and has been known to win tournaments on occasion. Furthermore, another skill is that he can recite religious psalms and texts from his mind, without having to read them, due to his extensive studies of the religion.[/indent] Motto: [indent][i]Allons, Dieu ayde[/i] -- [i]Let's go, God aids us.[/i][/indent][/hider] [hider=Dieuporteille][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/aDpO9Uz.jpg[/img] [sub][i]Garron de Warenne, liege of Dieuporteille[/i][/sub][/center] Name of the Province: [indent]Dieuporteille[/indent] Name of your liege: [indent]Garron de Warenne[/indent] Position: [indent]Dieuporteille lays in the west, close to the border with the other kingdoms. [/indent] Specialty: [indent]Home to many knights and nobility, Dieuporteille seems to have a knack for producing honorable, virtuous, loyal and brave men who are ready to die for the name of the king. While they do not field the largest army -- in fact, they are relatively small in number -- they do produce good soldiers. [/indent] History: [indent]Dieuporteille used to be a kingdom of it's own -- or, matter of factly, it used to be a small kingdom the size of a grand duchy. The petty king that ruled here was overthrown by the mighty force of Emperiat, his family dying in the process. Now that there was no king left, a new vassal was appointed. A non assuming, pious knight who had done the king a great service was chosen to take seat and manage this location, for which the knight was ever in his debt. This was the founder of the Warenne family line. Ever since that day they have lived here, ruling the lands in name of the king. Dieuporteille has always had great relations with the kings, mostly for their piety and loyalty to the king. Garron de Warenne, the current duke of Dieuporteille, was a close friend of the former king, as they had been close friends ever since king Andèris had shown his just and virtuous side. It was no surprise that when the good man died, Garron announced a week of public mourning, as well as daily services in the province of Dieuporteille. Now with the choosing of a new king, Garron has sent his son and heir, Bastien, to take a seat as an advisor. Despite the risks of sending his only son, as well as his heir, he has faith that Bastien will fulfill this task with great diligence and will do his best to guide the king. [/indent] [b]Population Dieuporteille;[/b] [indent][i]Free farmers;[/i] [indent]80,512[/indent][/indent] [indent][i]Serfs;[/i] [indent]31,233[/indent][/indent] [indent][i]Craftsmen and artisans;[/i] [indent]70,009[/indent][/indent] [indent][i]Soldiers;[/i] [indent]12,653[/indent][/indent] [indent][i]Noblemen[/i] [indent]5,897[/indent][/indent] [indent][i][b]TOTAL:[/b][/i] [indent]200.304[/indent][/indent] [/hider] [hider=House de Warenne][center][img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Grand_Royal_Coat_of_Arms_of_France_%26_Navarre.svg/2000px-Grand_Royal_Coat_of_Arms_of_France_%26_Navarre.svg.png[/img] [color=slategray][h1]House de Warenne,[/h1] [sub]Allons, Dieu ayde[/sub][/color][/center] [indent][color=slategray]Current patriarch;[/color] [indent]Garron de Warenne[/indent][/indent] [indent][color=slategray]Current heir;[/color] [indent]Bastien 'Ariel, Lion of God' de Warenne[/indent][/indent] [indent][color=slategray]Seat;[/color] [indent]Court de Dieu, 'Court of God'[/indent][/indent] [indent][color=slategray]Dynastic Claims;[/color] [indent]✣ [i]Warenne, a small castle in the most north-western tip of Dieuporteille[/i] ✣ [i]By greater extent, all of Dieuporteille[/i][/indent][/indent] [indent][color=slategray]Position within Emperiat;[/color][/indent] [center][img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Crown_of_a_Duke_of_France.svg/100px-Crown_of_a_Duke_of_France.svg.png[/img] '[i]Grand Duchy, Court of God, and Marcher Lorship of the Western provinces, protectors of the borders, Vanguard Riders of the combined forces of Emperiat, and Grandmasters of the Order of Saint Michél[/i]'[/center] [indent][color=slategray]Notable achievements, titles and positions;[/color] [indent]✣ [i]Marcher Lord of the Western Borders[/i] ✣ [i]Controller of the Order of Saint Michél[/i] ✣ [i]Protectors of all Followers of the Paragons[/i] ✣ [i]Honorary protector of the Convent of Maretzia[/i] ✣ [i]Prime responsible for the subjugation of the Khargit Khanate, with due respects already paid to Eskandria[/i] ✣ [i]Staunch supporters of the emperor[/i][/indent][/indent][/hider] [hider=The Order of Saint Michél][img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Collar_of_the_Order_of_the_Golden_Fleece.svg/2000px-Collar_of_the_Order_of_the_Golden_Fleece.svg.png[/img] [center][color=slategray][h1]The Order of Saint Michél,[/h1] [sub]As He says, so we do, for we are but swords in the grip of the Lord, blessed be his name.[/sub][/color][/center] The Order of Saint Michél was brought to live by the most noble of houses, house de Warenne, staunch followers of the word of the Lord and his Paragons, and prideful supporters of Emperiat and it's Emperor. It was created five years after the conquest of Dieuporteille by Emperiat, and was created as an offer of good will between the emperor and their new vassals. It's primary purpose, however, laid not in the support to the empire, but in amassing a large following of nobles that swore loyalty not only to the Emperor, but also to the Order of Saint Michél, in order to further the position of the house of Warenne. [indent][quote=An oath of the Order][i]As we turn our eyes to the West, to there where our enemies lay, we must not forget to watch East too, to the great empire of Emperiat, lest we forget our loyalty lies not only there, at the seat of the Empire, but also it's people -- loyal followers of God and his Paragons. And so we solemnly swear that we, the Knights of Saint Michél, shall protect the people against heretics, infidels, non-believers, vagabonds, bandits, plunderers and looters. In the name of the Lord...[/i][/quote][/indent] Although it is not unlikely the Emperor saw through the real intentions of the creation of this order, he seemed to not care too much, as a noble order would be helpful in smithing an army for further conquests. And as the Emperor saw it, that is how it happened. In every war, small or big, for defense or offense, knights of Saint Michél were involved. At some point, the Knights of Saint Michél even took over the task of protecting the emperor during a distressful time period where the regular guards were compromised. The house of Warenne has been involved with this Order since it's creation, naturally since they are the ones to create it. And as fate would have it, this tradition has not gone unscathed. [indent][quote=Oath of the House of Warenne, as said by Othried of Warenne, repeated by every grandmaster after him][i]Everlasting is my oath, never to be broken for not a man, not a paragon, and not even by the lord himself. I pledge my life to the purpose of the Order of Saint Michél, that my service might benefit my emperor, the Lord and his Paragons. That my service might be my death, like Saint Michél died on the sword for his emperor, that I might die on the sword for mine. In the name of the Lord...[/i][/quote][/indent] The house of Warenne is still the primary caretaker of the order, the position of grandmaster being held by Garron of Warenne, the heir being Bastien naturally, as the title is hereditary. This way, the duke of Dieuportielle, becomes the grandmaster of the Order, unless somehow one of the two titles abdicates early. However, despite abdication being possible for a grandmaster, service to the order will never be removed, as the oath you take is for life, and even for death, as you must continue to serve the emperor and the Lord, as well as his paragons, long after you die. Such is the life of a Knight of Saint Michél. However, rather than a burden, it is seen as a great honor, if not the greatest. [indent][quote=Motto before battle, characteristic to the order][i]Sacrilege before glory, repentance before death, that the battle may be swift, and the pain be numbed, for the Lord we are equal, but for my blade we are not. In the name of the Lord...[/i][/quote][/indent] [/hider]