Magnus Tillaford Maior Maiora Mara Gentillia Augusta Marcus Martialis Mater Matina Merita Micarius Mores
Son and heir of Count Robertus Tillaford. Husband of Clarissa Benobles. Advisor and confidante of King Albanus Roster.
Magnus Tillaford is the type of son counts dream of. Even as a child he demonstrated a natural flare for leadership, governing his brothers and the sons of his father's knights like a little lordling. Sir Pelius was one of his playmates as a boy. Count Robertus spared no expense on his education. Magnus is a competant swordsman and rider, fluent in a half dozen languages, a brilliant administrator.
When the boy reached his teens, Robertus sent him to Rostilla for a summer to introduce Magnus to the wonders of the king's court. He proved witty and charming, delighting the courtiers with his pointed jests and insightful barbs. And to his father's joy, the youngster impressed Prince Albanus. The two became close friends, getting into no end of trouble together. From that point on, Magnus spent half his time in Rostilla, with the prince, and half in Tillaford completing his training. A few years ago he married Clarissa Benobles, the daughter of a powerful count. The couple has recently had their first child, a boy they've named Marcus.
When his father dies, Magnus Tillaford will become the second most powerful man in Rostilla. He has the king's ear and confidence.
Description: Tall, with narrow shoulders; athletic but not a great brute. Magnus has rich, golden-red hair shot through with unruly curls, and a well-trimmed beard. He smiles frequently and easily, though some say those smiles never reach his eyes. He has two flaws that people note. One is his temper. Normally he keeps it under tight rein, but on occasion he can fly into fits of rage. His fury is always aimed at commoners and his servants, however. Never other nobles. And so most people consider it a minor flaw.
Magnus also has a great love of control. Normally such things are unremarkable; everyone expects a nobleman to be a lord. But the least disobedience infuriates Magnus Tillaford; he expects instantaneous, perfect service from his men. Worse, he seems to expect it of the Gods. Courtiers whisper that Magnus Tillaford lacks the humility all mortal creatures need. For instance, when his wife was pregnant, Magnus often spoke of what a great man "the boy" was going to be. When a young priest pointed out that Clarissa might be carrying a girl, Tillaford silenced him with a glare. "No," he said. "He will be a boy. I've decided." "Such things are not for men to decide, my son," the priest began... whereupon Magnus laid his cheek open with his horse whip. Eyes blazing, he told the priest that if he ever challenged his lord like that again, he'd have him flogged through the streets of Tillaford.
Person mentioned in the letters from the Temple of Lil.
What you know: 1) His name is masculine. 2) He is the patron of Pater and, by extension, Vermis. 3) He considers Parvus a blind fool. 4) He wished to have Vermilla removed from Maiora's service, because he feared that Maiora suspected something. 5) He has a son. 6) Vermis made a suggestion about his son, and it enraged him; Pater fears he might try to kill Vermis, should Vermis repeat the suggestion in his presence. 7) He has a realm. 8) Canis was "sniffing around" that realm and might need to be killed.
Person mentioned in the letters from the Temple of Lil.
What you know: 1) Her name is feminine. 2) Vermilla was in her service. 3) She's Maior's "filly". 4) She may seek out "Infidels" if she becomes suspicious about the Temple of Lil's activities.
Widow of Emperor Baserius of Viridia. Empress of Viridia. Great-aunt of Caius Ferreus Optatus.
Former Captain of the Guard of Surrexus. Currently knight of Surrexus.
The son of one of Surrexus' cow-herds, Marcus has served the House for almost fifty years. He began his service as a stable-boy at the count's manor. Then, when one of the knights noticed how strong and handy he was, he was given a position in the household guard. Marcus proved to be a gifted swordsman. For years he accompanied Count Caius and later his son, Count Arius, on expeditions against the monsters that crawled out of the Witch Lights. Eventually he rose to be the Captain of the Guard.
Kind and gentle, Marcus did his duties with quiet good cheer. He married and had children, who in turn had children of their own (there's quite a passel of Marci floating about Surrexus). In time, age weakened his sword arm. Today he's a mere shadow of the warrior he once was. His loyalty is undimmed, however. When he refused to leave the heirs of Surrexus, Count Severus knighted him -- over Marcus' protestations that he was not noble enough to be a knight. Marcus is terribly proud of this -- especially because the knight's chain he wears once belonged to Sir Terrens, the treacherous knight he helped kill.
Description: Grey, grizzled hair, clean-shaven. A face full of wrinkles, from both the sun and smiles. Pale green eyes, an unremarkable face. Broad nose, thick lips -- not a particularly handsome man, and no prettier now that he's old. He remembers all the Surrexi from when they still wore swaddling clothes. Occasionally he gets bemused watching them run about and act all adult-like.
Brother of Count Arius, Surilla, and Counselor Larentius Surrexus. General of the Royal Army.
As the youngest son of Count Caius Surrexus, Martialis' prospects were limited. Caius encouraged him to consider a life in the temples, but Martialis was never overly religious. So instead the Count arranged for him to become the aide of one of the generals in the Royal Army, at High Hold. Both strong and smart, Martialis rose rapidly through the ranks until King Errans put him in charge of the garrison at High Hold, the main pass into Rostilla.
The lords and ladies of Talamanthus often passed through High Hold on their way to Rostilla, and Martialis fell deeply in love with Lady Alia, the only sister of Lord Alamar. They were wed and had one child, a daughter they named Leyna, and whom they both doted upon. Alia was no stranger to hardships and life in the army camps never displeased her. In fact she loved the wind-swept pass, so different from the chalky plains of Bendigroth where she grew up.
It was the mountains that killed her, however. The year after Leyna's birth, Alia died in an avalanche while riding back from Talamanthus. Martialis was inconsolable -- even more so a month later, when both of his parents were killed in the accident that claimed the life of his brother Arius' wife, Cara. Caught in their own griefs, the brothers drifted apart. Martialis remained dutiful, of course. But he took his comfort and his joy from his daughter, not the rest of his family. His life turned inward, revolving more around High Hold and the military, less around Surrexus. Martialis never remarried, and he poured all of his love for Alia into his daughter -- spoiling her terribly.
Three years ago, as Leyna reached her teens, Pontifex Phinias of the Temple of Legis took an interest in Martialis' faith. He encouraged the general to attend the Mysteries of Legis. Martialis was dubious... yet after his first celebration of the Mysteries, he had the most vivid dream of Alia. Phinias assured him this was normal. The fas (clean) dead could visit men in their dreams, he said. Legis often often the Gate of Souls for his faithful, that they might draw strength from their departed kin.
Lured by these nightly visitations, Martialis delved deeper into the Mysteries of Legis, until his daughter and nephews warned him that these rites were unclean and tainted his soul.
Martialis has returned to High Hold, to attempt to cleanse the Mysteries from his army. If one troop and one base are clean, he believes, the Surrexi may stand a chance of over-throwing King Albanus and his demonic allies. In order to preserve the illusion that he is the king's faithful general, Martialis voluntarily allowed himself to be disowned from the House of Surrexus -- though he made Severus swear that if he died before Albanus fell, Severus would re-instate him into the family and bury him honorably with his ancestors.
Description: Like his brother Arius, Martialis is tall and heavy-built. Black hair, neatly trimmed and short, clean-shaven. Dark blue eyes. Normally his demeanor is stern and reserved; he rarely smiles. Unless his daughter Leyna is near.
Person mentioned in the letters from the Temple of Lil.
What you know: 1) Her name is feminine. 2) She is concerned about the county of Benobles and hopes that it will open itself to the words of the Grain Mother.
Second wife of Count Arius Surrexus. Mother of Marius. Sister of Count Dignus and Sir Darius Harrans. Dead.
The House of Harrans is reknowned for its grim warriors and ice-souled queens, hard men and women who refuse to allow the dragons of the Ered Hellain to drive them from their lands. So no one understands how Harrans could have produced two cheerful creatures like Matina and her brother Darius.
Matina, her nurses swear, was born laughing. Sunny and bright, she was a font of unending optimism. She threw herself into all of her chores with great abandon. She adored embroidery -- though in truth, she was abysmal at it. Most of the Surrexi have some momento that she proudly sewed for them. A paladin's tabard for Titus, decorated with "laurel leaves" that look like little blobs of green slime... a pretty dress for Corvina, decorated with lines of embroidery that straggle drunkenly across its hems... a lovely pair of white trousers for Severus which looked fine -- but which burst at the seams during his first party at Rostilla... a delicate silken shirt for Cassius which disintegrated the first time it touched water. Marius has dozens of ceremonial robes and vestaments his mother made, adorned with semi-round "Pentads" and pentagons that arguably have six sides.
When Arius Surrexus lost his wife Cara, he quickly sought a second wife. Someone who could care for his children and see that they were brought up properly. Harrans was an honorable House... the painting of Matina that they sent was very pretty... and so he offered to marry her, without ever having laid eyes upon her. Count Tempus didn't feel that it was necessary for his daughter to meet (or like...) her future husband; as a dutiful daughter, she would marry whomever he told her to.
And so she did. And to everyone's surprise, she was very happy with her marriage.
Her good cheer and sweetness helped draw Arius out of his depression, and in time he came to love his young wife. She was kind to her step-children (if not overly loving), and devoted much of her time to good works. Matina was very religious and a great patron of the temples in Surrexus.
Only a year after her marriage, Matina bore her first and only child: a son, Marius. The next year she conceived again, but miscarried. Three more miscarriages followed, each harder on the young woman. In the end, when it was clear that she would have no more children safely, Father Dolorus began to give her draughts of whore's friend, an herb to help prevent conception. Matina grieved; she loved children, and desperately wanted more. But Arius was unwilling to risk losing her too, and in the end she acquiesced. Marius, then, became the apple of her eye. She doted on him terribly and was heart-broken when he was sent to Rostilla at such a young age.
In the first year of the reign of King Albanus, Matina travelled north through Rostilla on her way home for a visit to Harrans. She was in High Hold when her husband was killed by King Albanus' guards. According to General Martialis, Matina confessed that she had had an affair with the king and committed suicide from the shame. Her brother-in-law burned her body, and returned it to the surviving Surrexi. Counselor Larentius initially testifed publicly that Arius had spoken of Matina's infidelity; later he retracted this statement and swore that he had been forced to dishonor Lady Matina.
Description: Short and slender; long, curly black hair that fell below her waist. Delicate, lady-like hands -- that were always spotted with blood and pin-pricks where she'd hurt herself sewing.
Pontifex of the Temple of Dulcea in Rostilla.
Wife of Lord Alamar of Talamanthus. Mother of Balthasar. Aunt of Leyna.
Abbot of the Abbey of Logos in Rostilla. Teacher of Marius.
Micarius is the abbot of one of Rostilla's foremost scholarly institutions, the Abbey of Logos. Young noblemen are given to his care, to receive the finest education money can buy. Many of his students have gone on to high-ranking positions within the Temples.
Despite this, Micarius' relationship with the Temples has been spotty. He has a sharp tongue at times, and cannot abide fools. Gifted students could not ask for a better mentor. Micarius is a brilliant scholar and loves nothing more than a keen, insightful debate. However the mediocre and poor students are terrified of him. Micarius caused a very awkward scene when he expelled the grandson of the Count of Galens (one of the Temple's greatest patrons) for being an "adle-brained idiot."
This may be the reason that Micarius has been passed up for promotion several times. Pontifex Phinias has continually favored other priest. Some people argue that Micarius has no ambition; he enjoys teaching and does not wish to leave Logos. Recently the party has come to suspect that the true reason is that Micarius is clean -- Phinias only promotes clergy who are as tainted as he himself.
The party warned Micarius about the demonic cults threatening Rostilla, and the abbot tried to aid both Arius and Larentius. They received a couple sendings from him... and then nothing more. His current state and well-being are unknown.
Description: Brown hair speckled with grey, balding slightly. Ink-stained fingers. Thin -- almost gaunt; Micarius isn't particularly ascetic... he just gets caught up in his studies and forgets to eat. Big beak of a nose.
Squire of Sir Lucellus.
Once upon a time (when he managed to get separated from his friend Sir Regulus), Lucellus had a nasty run-in with a chimera. He defeated it and managed to crawl back to a shepherd's hut before collapsing. And when he woke up, there was a young boy sitting near him, cleaning his wounds. His name, he said, was Mores. His parents were dead, killed by the plague. He lived with his grandfather, who had told him that if he was good enough, a paladin would come and take him as his squire. Enchanted by the tale, Lucellus did just that.
Over the next six years, Mores proved to be the perfect little squire. Lucellus adores the boy and swears he's more paladinly than his knight. Mores is always busy. Grooming the horses and cleaning their hooves. Polishing Lucellus' armor and saddle. Darning socks and repairing torn tabards with fine stitches. (Mores is an exquisite "seamstress". Lucellus gets quite grumpy, however, when anyone implies that his squire "embroiders". He "mends" things, the paladin insists. Girls embroider. Squires mend.)
The one thing the boy lacks, unfortunately, is confidence. Mores longs for compliments. Reprimands cut him to the quick, and he's forever asking Lucellus if he's done things right. Mores believes there's a right way of doing everything... and it's his job to find out what that Right Way is, and do it.
Lucellus planned on taking him to the Holy Mounds soon; this year, or perhaps next Legis Day. He's sure that once Mores is a paladin and knows in his heart that the Gods have blessed him, he'll stop worrying about being "good enough." Recent events, however, have put all those plans on hold...
Description: Like most young men, Mores hasn't come into his full height yet. He's a bit slender, with a swimmer's build rather than a wrestler's. Blonde hair, grown shoulder-length since he doesn't have to wear a helmet. Very delicate hands and fingers. Bright blue eyes, slightly snubbed nose, a heavy scattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks.