The Valients take great pride in their direct descent from Marshal Hilsingor, the renowned general of the ancient Brintilian Empire who led the colonial expansion into the New World of Pemonia. Today, the Valients are the wealthiest nobles in the Kingdom of Donovan, and control one of the most capable armies. The family patriarch, Maillard, serves as the king’s Lord Minister of Delavon, responsible for guarding the kingdom’s eastern land borders.
The Valients, particularly Maillard, are popular rulers of their lands. They spread their wealth by investing in trade, guilds, grain stocks, and the hospitals of the Messengian Church. The kings of Donovan have often called on the Valients to lead wars and contribute extra to the treasury, earning a permanent seat on the Council of Lord Ministers.
The House of Valient once ruled the entire kingdom, and some say they could lead it again, especially as the governing House of Avaleau begins to falter from corruption and misrule. Maillard has always demurred at these notions, emphasizing his family’s loyalty to the crown and his important role as a key mediator for the king.
Arthan
AHR-than
Arthan, a young nobleman from a venerated family, struggles with providing honorable service to the weak King Erech. Despite longing to spend time with his younger brothers and Meriam, a commoner he is forbidden to marry, Arthan’s strong sense of duty prevails. His family descends from Marshal Hilsingor, the renowned colonial general of the New World, and he shares his ancestor’s boundless determination.
Arthan strives to emulate his father, Maillard, the king’s most skilled diplomat, respected by other nobles and foreign enemies alike. However, the growing instability of the Empire Alliance may prove too complex for even Maillard to resolve, especially given King Erech’s neglect of the risks.
Thrust into a powerful position before he is ready, Arthan must navigate the political intrigue of a royal court in slow collapse, while evading Arasemi’s new Candlestone assassins. Arthan learns that help can be found in the most unlikely of places, even as the shadow of war looms across the continent. Yet, as his spymaster Serdot cautions, trust remains elusive.
Serdot
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Serdot, the loyal spymaster for the House of Valient, guides Arthan through the royal court’s intrigue and the risks posed by the crumbling Empire Alliance. Recommended by Arthan’s father, Maillard, Serdot has earned Arthan’s complete trust.
Despite Arthan’s robust bodyguard, Serdot considers himself the young nobleman’s ultimate protector. He constantly probes his sources for any hint of plots hatching in the underbelly of the capital or during their travels.
The son of Maillard’s missing spymaster, Serdot comes from a long line of widsemers, rangers, scouts, and spies. He is discreet, deliberate, and astute, and takes pride in his family’s enduring service to the Valients. Though his father’s disappearance troubles Maillard and privately grieves Serdot, he remains focused on his self-appointed mission: restoring the Valients to the throne of Donovan while subtly nurturing Arthan’s ambition for such power.
Meriam
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Meriam, assistant to the Valient’s chief engineer Bellumet, captured Arthan’s heart in childhood despite her common birth. Though tradition prevents their official union, Meriam treasures their love and appreciates his father’s silent tolerance of their romance.
Raised without a father, Meriam found a paternal figure in Bellumet, her father’s longtime friend. Under his mentorship, she is mastering the intricacies of designing, building, and maintaining castles and siege engines.
A devoted follower of the Messengian faith, Meriam prays for a future with Arthan while concern for his well-being is frequently on her mind. She recognizes his destiny as a future leader of the Kingdom of Donovan and hopes that, upon ascending to power, he might dispense with the old customs and marry her. In the meantime, Meriam focuses on contributing to the Valient’s fortifications, including new designs of her own.
Danleri
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Danleri, former rector of Bredahade Academy, is an arcanae scholar haunted by his past and driven to make amends. A null alchemist by training, he conceals his talents from all but his closest confidants to avoid fueling the spread of dangerous arts.
Viewing the Order of the Candlestone as a grave misuse of arcanae, Danleri fears that Arasemis’s revival of the Order heralds an unprecedented cycle of destruction. He foresees rival factions across the world racing to uncover ancient relics, advancing arcanae at any cost.
Long burdened by regret, Danleri believes he could have prevented this crisis during his tenure at the academy. Yet, as societal structures begin to shift, he senses another opportunity emerging. This time, he is determined to act.
