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Kerenza Edelwane
Duchess of Tarconis | Member of the Council of Ten | Leader of the Lorelettonne Knights
22 / Female / Human / Verdigris
History
Patience was the first virtue that Kerenza Edelwane learned. As the young mistress of the grandest Duchy in Verdigris, Tarconis, her parents told her of stories passed down from generation to generation, of a Verdigris that once stood on its own, unbowed to demonic might of Baelwill, and of the prophecy that had been foretold centuries ago. Each story painted a more beautiful image of Verdigris in her mind, and every night, she went to bed, dreaming of the day the tyrant nation would fall. But her own parents sought that same dream, as with her ancestors before her, and she knew that what she had to do wasn’t slay Baelwill, but to continually sharpen the fangs of those who lived at the base of Lorelettonne, so that when the gates to the Empire did open, they were ready.
She did not expect for the incarnation of death, Baelwill’s Star, to explode on her fourtheeth birthday, the magical nova banishing the night.
She did not expect the immortality of the Baelwill knights to be stripped away when an assassin took the life of their divine priestess.
She did not expect the door to the Empire would be opened in her lifespan, not when she spent so much of her early years studying how to become a great Duchess instead of a great warrior.
Two days after the priestess was slain, her parents marched off with the main force of the Lorelettonne Knights, seeking to rightfully end the tyrant nation along with other eager Knight Orders within Verdigris.
They returned to their homeland all but wiped out. The capital defense system was still online, and, despite their efforts and generations of preparation, the army-decimating magics of the Baelwill elite still ensured that not a single foot was laid upon the capital. In what should have been the entire world's celebration, Kerenza found herself an orphan instead, her parents being some of the first to be vaporized by the golden light that spilled from a single knight’s sword.
She allowed herself to mourn for a month. She allowed herself to sulk for two months. She allowed herself to reflect for three months.
And when the sixth month had passed, Kerenza got to work. She trained more diligently than ever. She spent entire days discussing the future of the duchy with her advisors. She overlooked the recruitment and training of the Lorelettonne Knights. She poured in effort fanatically, her hatred towards Baelwill now put onto a personal scale, and the years flew by.
Kerenza grew up, maturing into the silver-haired Duchess of Tarconis, with eyes of moonlight and a sword of spirits. Though her martial ability was lacking, her friends, her knights, her fallen brethren all stood behind her, supporting her rise into prominence.
The gates to the Empire may still be closed, but it mattered not. The path had been paved by her parents, and, if nothing else, Kerenza was patient.
Skills and Abilities:
Presence of a Noble
Kerenza is beautiful, enough to captivate the eyes of others wherever she appears. She is intelligent, sharp-minded after rigorously applying herself to her studies as a child. Kerenza is influential, her position as Duchess of Tarconis giving her the unwanted boon of receiving letters from countless suitors wishing to become part of the Edelwane household. All this gives her the aura of a blue-blooded noble, one that demands the servitude of others merely by being in their presence.
Knight of Arms
Through her personal training, Kerenza has attained aptitude with every standard weapon within the Verdigris military, from swords to axes to polearms to bows to hand-to-hand. Though she is not prodigiously overpowered in any particular area, she can hold her own with anything, and her ability to understand and exploit the strengths and weaknesses of any weapons has allowed her to overcome more skilled opponents time and time again.
Honor to the Nameless
Verdigrisian magic stems from ancestor worship, in which knights embody the legends that their ancestors had claim to, granting them the ability to perform what could only be considered miracles. Kerenza, however, is not merely a knight. She is the Duchess of Tarconis, the domain that lays claim over the highest mountain on Yismel, and her bloodline stretches across centuries, each individual having some reason for fame. She could have worshipped any of them, and obtained some semblance of god-like power.
But instead, Kerenza paid tribute to millions of nameless knights that fought to protect the sanctity of her lands, granting them immortality through remembrance. Spectral knights from ages past rise out from the lands, pledging their loyalty to her and striking down those that choose to oppose her. They share their strength and knowledge with her, and though each, individually, pale in comparison to the heroic legends, they are more than a match when gathered all together.
Her nameless knights can become her weapons, her strength, her army, and with them at her side, Kerenza knows that she never truly has to fight alone.
