Post by Nadia on Jul 20, 2013 1:13:20 GMT -5
Name: Nadia Ylvin
Species: Humani
Class*: Crusader
Hair Color: Russet (Orange/Red)
Eye Color: Violet
Age: 24
Appearance: Nadia is fairly tall for her family, at 5'10", though she is quite lithe. She keeps her hair neat and short, only allowing a single ponytail of length. It is sometimes viewed as a bit of a childish style, but she claims it accentuates her youthful beauty. To spite her slim figure, the muscles she has are rock hard. She is not a weak little girl, and does not take well to 'chivalry.' Any man attempting to take on her burden, out of spite or more noble intentions, risks a sharp fist (or haft!) to the face for their trouble!
Clothes: I'm a link!
Born in**: Capital of Jerch. Calirce
Story***: A thousand years ago, there were many cities on the northern shores of Calirce. Mostly sea faring villages, but good places to live none the less. One day, the life in the sea just seemed to die out. One day they were there, the next, nothing. Many people took this as a horrible omen, picking up their things and leaving. Where they went was as varied and diverse as who they were, and is of no consequence to this story. What is important is who remained. A peasant by the name of Ashton remained behind. He had been a fisherman by trade, but had never felt it as his true calling. He remained behind with a handful of others, curious on what the death of the sea could possibly foretell.
Days later, the nightmare became real. Thousands of creatures, armor black as night, merely walked out of the sea. As if they did not even draw breath, they began to ravage the coast. The lights of the towns burning could be seen even from the capital, and the Holy Knights were dispatched to contain the threat. When they finally did reach the coast, they were shocked with what they found. Nothing remained. Where once there were communities, roads, any sign of civilization, all that remained was scorched earth. And in the midst of this destruction, a band of peasants had formed. Led by Ashton, they traveled the coast picking up any survivors they could find. It was a noble endeavor, but Ashton was no warrior, no strategist or genius. He was a man, and as such it was not long before the little group of refugees found themselves at the end of their rope. Blocked into a corner, the Dread Army aware of them, and moving in for the kill.
It was nothing short of divine providence that the Holy Knights discovered the Dread Army moving in for the kill. What followed was a horrible battle, but for once the Dread Army was beaten back enough to rescue what remained of the refugees. Ashton believed at that moment, and would for the rest of his days, that The Watcher had sent them there to save him and his people. He wished to repay this debt, but how? He could not fight, he was just a fisherman and a trader with other small communities.
For a time, he and his fellow refugees stayed in the capital, where the streets were filled with others of their kind. Calirce was hit hardest by the war, and even the appearance of these new allies, the Evlorei and the Lilithu, did not alleviate these problems. Much of the land was still damaged, and even with the Dread Army pushed back, and on the brink of defeat, Ashton saw what would be a long journey to recovery. But in the despair, he also saw something else. Differences. Confusion. Interest. Occasionally, the Evlorei and Lilithu armies would rest or resupply in the capital, and they were often viewed with a mix of wonder and fear. Many Evlorei could not understand the shopkeepers without a translator, and many of the shops were closed at night. It was such a waste, so many people charging exorbitant amounts for translating or purchasing aid, and people took it because their was no other option.
And so he found an Evlorei soldier in the city, one who was wounded and would remain for a time, and talked to him. Difficult at first, since neither understood each other, but in time they managed to teach each other the basics of their language. He now joined an elite part of the city, they could talk to both Evlorei and Humani. For a time, her served as a translator where needed, but he found his skills really lie in commerce. Having been a supplier of the most basic commodity, he understood how the system worked. How to trade for more or less depending on who you were talking to and how badly they needed it.
Where he differed from the traders of the capital, is that he did not put such a focus on profit that he mistreated his clients. He would shop for the Lilithu, securing the best prices and charging them a fraction of what they would pay with the others, he would negotiate with the Evlorei, or even teach them to identify the signs of poor craftmanship in some of the oddities and items foreign to their society. Evlorei seemed to have little knowledge of metal beyond an arrow head, and as such could be taught much about the quality and value of the various ores that they would discover. One such occurrence made him who he was, as an Elven scout patrol returned with a large lump of Silver Ore. They had no idea what it was, but had seen things similar to it in the capital. Many merchants attempted to pass the metal off as Iron, but before they could be taken advantage of, Ashton introduced himself and told them of the wealth they had discovered. Evlorei, at the time, had very little concept of material wealth. The odd coins the Humani traded in were worthless to them, and the ore would gain far more in supplies then they could possibly need.
In thanks for his honesty, they gave the remainder of the value (which was the lion's share of it) to Ashton, along with a title...Ylvin. Apparently it's closest translation in Sylvan was 'Truthful One', a great honor to be given by a race he'd just met. The peasant now found himself with an unprecedented windfall, though he knew keeping it would do him no good. Once word spread of what he'd acquired (and he knew it would), he'd probably be killed in his sleep for the wealth. And so, he left. Gathering up his friends from their refugee runs, he gave them an offer. They could stay in the city, and try to make a life for themselves there among the mountains of poor, or they could come with him and try to make their fortune in this new world.
Not a person opted to remain behind. With the funds left over, and the war just having ended, he rented out a ship leaving from the coast. Not a fortnight after the island sank beneath the waves, Ashton and his new family were circling the northern end of Belorath, heading south along the east coast. Ashton was not an educated man, but he was a clever one. He had seen what the Evlorei and Lilithu had found interest in. Toys, nicknacks, foods, all sorts of things. These were what he stockpiled with his funds, and brought with him on his journey. His became the first civilian Humani ship to dock in the Yunita Woods, by what would later be the Academy. His wares were well recieved, the Evlorei never having seen such things before. But there was no system of commerce he could use here, they bartered with whom they met. And so, he took Evlorei trinkets. Toys of their children, artwork, instruments. Items that the Evlorei considered quality, but not rare.
He then continued on to Lilit Isle, continuing the pattern. The Lilithu were a bit more distrusting of him, but over time they too began waiting for his visits with anticipation. These items he received from them, he then returned to Calirce, where he sold them for coin that he could use.
The profits from his first trip were enough to hire on the captain and his crew permanently. After half a dozen trips he had enough money to rebuild the fishing towns of the coast if he had wanted to. Instead he continued his trade routes, and he lived a happy, if not busy life, with his new family. Many times other traders attempted to undercut his routes, but the Lilithu did not warm quickly, and the Evlorei had grown to love his honesty and mannerisms. Ashton was an honest man, and convinced the Evlorei that he had earned the name their kin had given him. Even if others had better to offer for less, Ashton continued to outperform them.
After many years of this, Ashton and his family finally turned their eyes to their homeland. Calirce had been badly ravaged by the war, and was still nowhere near recovery. Many of the countries had taken loses, but few besides Calirce had lost their means of making money. Their lands had been so badly ravaged that it might have taken generations to recover.
And in one bold move, Ashton met with his family and decided on a course of action to save their home. All of the survivors of the coastal attacks went before the court, claiming they had an offer of funds to help rebuild the nation. When the King and his advisers gathered to hear the proposition, Ashton spoke five words.
"How much does nobility cost?"
The silence in the chamber was so heavy it could have crushed a horse. After a moment, one of the nobles spoke up to say that such was not possible, Ashton interrupted him with his gains in wealth from the last four years, and what they were projected to be for the next five. He cited how he alone had been allowed to offer his goods to the Evlorei Royal Family, how he had been given permission to establish a side location on Lilit Isle, an unheard of concept, before repeating his question.
Over history, there have been many cases of weak noble houses marrying their children to the children of wealthy merchants. A way to increase their own holdings, while still marrying someone of 'quality', though they may be peasant.
This was the first time in recorded history that a man bought Nobility as if he were shopping at a bazaar.
On the eve of the ceremony to make the ascension official, Ashton met with his family. The seven people that had survived that hell with him. A condition was that his wealth would not have come without them, and they were his family now. As such, they were soon to all be part of the Noble House of Ylvin. They could finally pay back their debt to The Watcher for protecting them nearly two decades ago. They made a pact, then and there, that every generation of each branch of the family would be dedicated to the Church. One member of each generation per branch would become a member in service to the church of The Watcher, for as long as the bloodline continued. The eight houses, named after eight strangers who became friends, then family, and then changed the world and broke all the rules to make their mark on history.
Ashton, Cea, Lothar, Kanas, Kai, Zodimar, Devenus, Arcturus.
Nadia is of the latest generation of House Lothar. Lothar was a hunter in the old times, and was noted as being one of the most combat capable of the Eight Lords. If trouble befell the caravan, from brigands or pirates, Lothar would be on the front lines protection his family and their livelihood. Over time, his skill became no small thing, and his house only continued the tradition. Lothar also was a man of older ideals, and though he had a daughter, he forbade her to fight. It was then tradition in this House that if the eldest was a male, they would train to become Crusaders, if they were female, they would becomes Clerics. There were never any requirements put on the younger children, as they were oft left to whatever desires they had. Merchanting was strong in the family, due to it's roots, but many became mercenaries or soldiers on their own.
Nadia was the younger child, her brother having beaten her by a solid two minutes. As such, great things were always expected of her, but not a divine nature. She and her brother Nielen were always quite close, and she would often attend many of his lessons. Her parents objected at first, but found that the children's natural competitive streak with each other only served to push Nielen further in his studies, so they allowed it to continue. In time, it became harder and harder to separate the two. Nadia would dodge away from her own tutoring on lady-like behaviors to spy on her brother, learning weapon drills and combat tactics. Even viewing from afar, she learned much. Many times the two would sneak off and have a spar, the score of wins to loses remained fairly even.
And then it happened. Finally the time had come for Nielen to fulfill his blood oath, and serve the Church as his house had done for generations. He did not object to this, and found great honor in continuing the proud legacy of his family. And then Nadia announced that she was joining the Crusaders as well.
Her mother objected, vehemently, at first. But the truth of the matter was that tradition stated the younger child could pursue any interest that would not tarnish the name of the house. She managed to silence all opposition when she questioned what end could bring more honor to the house then an entire generation dedicating themselves to The Watcher.
That was six years ago. Nielen was promoted to a command status, while his sister continues to battle the raging sexism within the organization. In order to prevent a conflict of interests, when Nielen was given a command, Nadia was moved from the capital. Nielen would obvious favor her were she in range of his command, and that could cause problems. She was then made a Knight Errant, given various missions outside the borders of Calirce. She was part of a group of Crusaders known as the Lance of the Watcher, who traveled from nation to nation, striking down the forces of evil as they may appear.
Stats****-
Strength: 9
Intellect: 4
Speed: 4
Defense: 9
Resistance: 4
Species: Humani
Class*: Crusader
Hair Color: Russet (Orange/Red)
Eye Color: Violet
Age: 24
Appearance: Nadia is fairly tall for her family, at 5'10", though she is quite lithe. She keeps her hair neat and short, only allowing a single ponytail of length. It is sometimes viewed as a bit of a childish style, but she claims it accentuates her youthful beauty. To spite her slim figure, the muscles she has are rock hard. She is not a weak little girl, and does not take well to 'chivalry.' Any man attempting to take on her burden, out of spite or more noble intentions, risks a sharp fist (or haft!) to the face for their trouble!
Clothes: I'm a link!
Born in**: Capital of Jerch. Calirce
Story***: A thousand years ago, there were many cities on the northern shores of Calirce. Mostly sea faring villages, but good places to live none the less. One day, the life in the sea just seemed to die out. One day they were there, the next, nothing. Many people took this as a horrible omen, picking up their things and leaving. Where they went was as varied and diverse as who they were, and is of no consequence to this story. What is important is who remained. A peasant by the name of Ashton remained behind. He had been a fisherman by trade, but had never felt it as his true calling. He remained behind with a handful of others, curious on what the death of the sea could possibly foretell.
Days later, the nightmare became real. Thousands of creatures, armor black as night, merely walked out of the sea. As if they did not even draw breath, they began to ravage the coast. The lights of the towns burning could be seen even from the capital, and the Holy Knights were dispatched to contain the threat. When they finally did reach the coast, they were shocked with what they found. Nothing remained. Where once there were communities, roads, any sign of civilization, all that remained was scorched earth. And in the midst of this destruction, a band of peasants had formed. Led by Ashton, they traveled the coast picking up any survivors they could find. It was a noble endeavor, but Ashton was no warrior, no strategist or genius. He was a man, and as such it was not long before the little group of refugees found themselves at the end of their rope. Blocked into a corner, the Dread Army aware of them, and moving in for the kill.
It was nothing short of divine providence that the Holy Knights discovered the Dread Army moving in for the kill. What followed was a horrible battle, but for once the Dread Army was beaten back enough to rescue what remained of the refugees. Ashton believed at that moment, and would for the rest of his days, that The Watcher had sent them there to save him and his people. He wished to repay this debt, but how? He could not fight, he was just a fisherman and a trader with other small communities.
For a time, he and his fellow refugees stayed in the capital, where the streets were filled with others of their kind. Calirce was hit hardest by the war, and even the appearance of these new allies, the Evlorei and the Lilithu, did not alleviate these problems. Much of the land was still damaged, and even with the Dread Army pushed back, and on the brink of defeat, Ashton saw what would be a long journey to recovery. But in the despair, he also saw something else. Differences. Confusion. Interest. Occasionally, the Evlorei and Lilithu armies would rest or resupply in the capital, and they were often viewed with a mix of wonder and fear. Many Evlorei could not understand the shopkeepers without a translator, and many of the shops were closed at night. It was such a waste, so many people charging exorbitant amounts for translating or purchasing aid, and people took it because their was no other option.
And so he found an Evlorei soldier in the city, one who was wounded and would remain for a time, and talked to him. Difficult at first, since neither understood each other, but in time they managed to teach each other the basics of their language. He now joined an elite part of the city, they could talk to both Evlorei and Humani. For a time, her served as a translator where needed, but he found his skills really lie in commerce. Having been a supplier of the most basic commodity, he understood how the system worked. How to trade for more or less depending on who you were talking to and how badly they needed it.
Where he differed from the traders of the capital, is that he did not put such a focus on profit that he mistreated his clients. He would shop for the Lilithu, securing the best prices and charging them a fraction of what they would pay with the others, he would negotiate with the Evlorei, or even teach them to identify the signs of poor craftmanship in some of the oddities and items foreign to their society. Evlorei seemed to have little knowledge of metal beyond an arrow head, and as such could be taught much about the quality and value of the various ores that they would discover. One such occurrence made him who he was, as an Elven scout patrol returned with a large lump of Silver Ore. They had no idea what it was, but had seen things similar to it in the capital. Many merchants attempted to pass the metal off as Iron, but before they could be taken advantage of, Ashton introduced himself and told them of the wealth they had discovered. Evlorei, at the time, had very little concept of material wealth. The odd coins the Humani traded in were worthless to them, and the ore would gain far more in supplies then they could possibly need.
In thanks for his honesty, they gave the remainder of the value (which was the lion's share of it) to Ashton, along with a title...Ylvin. Apparently it's closest translation in Sylvan was 'Truthful One', a great honor to be given by a race he'd just met. The peasant now found himself with an unprecedented windfall, though he knew keeping it would do him no good. Once word spread of what he'd acquired (and he knew it would), he'd probably be killed in his sleep for the wealth. And so, he left. Gathering up his friends from their refugee runs, he gave them an offer. They could stay in the city, and try to make a life for themselves there among the mountains of poor, or they could come with him and try to make their fortune in this new world.
Not a person opted to remain behind. With the funds left over, and the war just having ended, he rented out a ship leaving from the coast. Not a fortnight after the island sank beneath the waves, Ashton and his new family were circling the northern end of Belorath, heading south along the east coast. Ashton was not an educated man, but he was a clever one. He had seen what the Evlorei and Lilithu had found interest in. Toys, nicknacks, foods, all sorts of things. These were what he stockpiled with his funds, and brought with him on his journey. His became the first civilian Humani ship to dock in the Yunita Woods, by what would later be the Academy. His wares were well recieved, the Evlorei never having seen such things before. But there was no system of commerce he could use here, they bartered with whom they met. And so, he took Evlorei trinkets. Toys of their children, artwork, instruments. Items that the Evlorei considered quality, but not rare.
He then continued on to Lilit Isle, continuing the pattern. The Lilithu were a bit more distrusting of him, but over time they too began waiting for his visits with anticipation. These items he received from them, he then returned to Calirce, where he sold them for coin that he could use.
The profits from his first trip were enough to hire on the captain and his crew permanently. After half a dozen trips he had enough money to rebuild the fishing towns of the coast if he had wanted to. Instead he continued his trade routes, and he lived a happy, if not busy life, with his new family. Many times other traders attempted to undercut his routes, but the Lilithu did not warm quickly, and the Evlorei had grown to love his honesty and mannerisms. Ashton was an honest man, and convinced the Evlorei that he had earned the name their kin had given him. Even if others had better to offer for less, Ashton continued to outperform them.
After many years of this, Ashton and his family finally turned their eyes to their homeland. Calirce had been badly ravaged by the war, and was still nowhere near recovery. Many of the countries had taken loses, but few besides Calirce had lost their means of making money. Their lands had been so badly ravaged that it might have taken generations to recover.
And in one bold move, Ashton met with his family and decided on a course of action to save their home. All of the survivors of the coastal attacks went before the court, claiming they had an offer of funds to help rebuild the nation. When the King and his advisers gathered to hear the proposition, Ashton spoke five words.
"How much does nobility cost?"
The silence in the chamber was so heavy it could have crushed a horse. After a moment, one of the nobles spoke up to say that such was not possible, Ashton interrupted him with his gains in wealth from the last four years, and what they were projected to be for the next five. He cited how he alone had been allowed to offer his goods to the Evlorei Royal Family, how he had been given permission to establish a side location on Lilit Isle, an unheard of concept, before repeating his question.
Over history, there have been many cases of weak noble houses marrying their children to the children of wealthy merchants. A way to increase their own holdings, while still marrying someone of 'quality', though they may be peasant.
This was the first time in recorded history that a man bought Nobility as if he were shopping at a bazaar.
On the eve of the ceremony to make the ascension official, Ashton met with his family. The seven people that had survived that hell with him. A condition was that his wealth would not have come without them, and they were his family now. As such, they were soon to all be part of the Noble House of Ylvin. They could finally pay back their debt to The Watcher for protecting them nearly two decades ago. They made a pact, then and there, that every generation of each branch of the family would be dedicated to the Church. One member of each generation per branch would become a member in service to the church of The Watcher, for as long as the bloodline continued. The eight houses, named after eight strangers who became friends, then family, and then changed the world and broke all the rules to make their mark on history.
Ashton, Cea, Lothar, Kanas, Kai, Zodimar, Devenus, Arcturus.
Nadia is of the latest generation of House Lothar. Lothar was a hunter in the old times, and was noted as being one of the most combat capable of the Eight Lords. If trouble befell the caravan, from brigands or pirates, Lothar would be on the front lines protection his family and their livelihood. Over time, his skill became no small thing, and his house only continued the tradition. Lothar also was a man of older ideals, and though he had a daughter, he forbade her to fight. It was then tradition in this House that if the eldest was a male, they would train to become Crusaders, if they were female, they would becomes Clerics. There were never any requirements put on the younger children, as they were oft left to whatever desires they had. Merchanting was strong in the family, due to it's roots, but many became mercenaries or soldiers on their own.
Nadia was the younger child, her brother having beaten her by a solid two minutes. As such, great things were always expected of her, but not a divine nature. She and her brother Nielen were always quite close, and she would often attend many of his lessons. Her parents objected at first, but found that the children's natural competitive streak with each other only served to push Nielen further in his studies, so they allowed it to continue. In time, it became harder and harder to separate the two. Nadia would dodge away from her own tutoring on lady-like behaviors to spy on her brother, learning weapon drills and combat tactics. Even viewing from afar, she learned much. Many times the two would sneak off and have a spar, the score of wins to loses remained fairly even.
And then it happened. Finally the time had come for Nielen to fulfill his blood oath, and serve the Church as his house had done for generations. He did not object to this, and found great honor in continuing the proud legacy of his family. And then Nadia announced that she was joining the Crusaders as well.
Her mother objected, vehemently, at first. But the truth of the matter was that tradition stated the younger child could pursue any interest that would not tarnish the name of the house. She managed to silence all opposition when she questioned what end could bring more honor to the house then an entire generation dedicating themselves to The Watcher.
That was six years ago. Nielen was promoted to a command status, while his sister continues to battle the raging sexism within the organization. In order to prevent a conflict of interests, when Nielen was given a command, Nadia was moved from the capital. Nielen would obvious favor her were she in range of his command, and that could cause problems. She was then made a Knight Errant, given various missions outside the borders of Calirce. She was part of a group of Crusaders known as the Lance of the Watcher, who traveled from nation to nation, striking down the forces of evil as they may appear.
Stats****-
Strength: 9
Intellect: 4
Speed: 4
Defense: 9
Resistance: 4