The Mhor Daeric Mhoried, Valiant
Defender of the Laurel Crown
Refer to page 39of Ruins of empire.
The Mhor is a headstrong leader. He seldom admits when he is wrong, but is not so arrogant as to put pride above the safety and security of his subjects. In his younger days, Daeric and Regien both were adventurers. Often, their adventures were put ahead of affairs of the state. They adventured for 10 years and during this time, Daeric left Mhoried in the more than capable hands of his wife Allysa Silverstone. His brother-in-law, Hector Warcrow, and Hector’s wife and Daeric’s sister, Kailwyn acted as her advisors.
Of course Daeric and Regien’s most famous adventure was joining forces with Assan ibn Daouta to defeat Lareth the Beautiful and the forces of the Temple of Elemental Evil during its second rise. Daeric himself slew Lareth and had the evil man’s remains sealed in the old moathouse. Not only was this their greatest adventure, it was their last as well.
Daeric returned to find Mhoried in dire need of strong leadership. In his long absence, Hector had fallen in battle against the forces of Markazor. Daeric’s sister in law, Deyna, had used this as an opportunity to have her husband, the Mhor’s half-brother Shaene, take control of Mhoried. Allysa was nothing but a puppet controlled by the conniving Deyna. Kailwyn and her son Benedict had been chased from Mhoried. Daeric put his sword and shield aside and replaced it with the Laurel Crown of Mhoried. He set things right, but the treasonous acts of Deyna and his drunken half-brother Shaene he has never forgiven. He blames himself for the unfortunate events beginning with Hector’s death. He has vowed to never leave the affairs of mhoried behind again.
Daeric’s wild streak during his youth caused friction between himself and Hector. Hector Warcrow served Mhoried his entire life. He eventually became General of the Guardians, the chief tactician of all Mhoried. Hector was always a strict man of high values. Daeric’s younger sister Kailwyn married the much older Hector Warcrow. She often kept the two from each other’s throats. Hector would lecture Daeric on his responsibilities to Mhoried and Daeric would intentionally shirk them just to irk Hector. Daeric took Hector’s death as a fault of his own. Because of his guilt, he has always treated Benedict as if he were his own son.
Daeric married Allysa Silverstone early in his reign. Before his adventure at the temple, they had a son (Michael). Daeric returned to find his son all most a man at age 15. He had rarely seen the boy since he was five. The next year, Michael left to join the Guardians at age 16. Thus, even though the Mhor shows pride in his son’s accomplishments, the two have never had the opportunity to become close. His second child is a different matter. Elayna was born almost two years after Daeric’s return from the temple. She is Daddy’s girl. The Mhor is never more at ease then when his daughter is on his arm. She and Allysa are the two great loves of his life. Sadly, Allysa passed away seven years ago to the blood cough. The Blood Cough is a painful disease that erodes the person to nothing and ends with a painful death. Not even the strongest of Clerics have found a way to cure the disease. Despite the urgings of Regien, and his sister Kailwyn Warcrow, the Mhor has no desire to remarry.
Daeric is now in his mid-fifties. His long hair and beard are entirely grey, but he has not yet bent to his knee to the effects of aging. He may walk slowly, but he still has steel in his eye, and none doubt that the old ranger can still use his sword with great effect.
Michael Mhoried, Captain
of the Guardians' Sword, The First of Mhoried
The Son and heir of the Mhor, Michael acts
as a trusted lt. to his father. He is a ranking officer of the Guardians.
Currently, he is campaigning in Markazor.
As the undisputed heir of the title Mhor, it is Michael’s duty to serve Mhoried as best he can. He is a warrior of great status. No one doubts that he will one day earn the rank of General after Ryn Bakuma steps down. . The people love Michael. He is the perfect picture of a future Mhor. Strong, brave and intelligent, until this past year he was the most eligible bachelor in all of Mhoried. Eight months ago, he married Savanna Haesrien, daughter of the Baron of Haesrien. Their marriage brought great celebration in Mhoried, and was a political move on Mhoried's part to quell the Duke of Alamie's thirst for war with Tuornen. Now the people hold their breath. They expect that when Michael returns from Markazor, he will make Daeric a proud grand papa.
Daeric never spent much time with Michael as The Mhor was too busy adventuring. Upon his return, he urged Michael to become a hero for Mhoried as a member of the Guardians. He insisted that Michael not follow in his footsteps as an adventurer. Michael has thus far followed his father’s wishes to the letter.
Michael was killed in Markazor while on a routine scouting mission with the Guardians.
Ellayna mhoried
Ellayna is only 13. She and her cousins
Benedict and Eldred did not get along so well. This was mostly Eldred and
Benedict’s fault. Ellayna, being much younger than both was often the target
of their torments and pranks. Michael often had to protect Ellayna from
both boys.
Always intelligent far beyond her years, Ellayna became the apprentice of Regien on her tenth birthday. It is her hope to one day serve her brother michael (who she adores) as advisor just as Regien serves her father.
Ellayna inherited all of her mother’s beauty. With short raven hair and the bloodmark of violet eyes inherited from her mother, she looks the picture of her mother’s portrait. The palace servants believe that she will surpass her mother’s legendary beauty. She is 13, but looks and acts far older.
Shaene Mhoried
The mhor’s “black sheep” half-brother. Shaene
is a permanent fixture at Shieldhaven. Having no ambition of his own, he
lives like a parasite on the good name of his half-brother Daeric. A compulsive
gambler and a drinking lout, shaene is too often cause for embarrassment
to the Mhor.
Shaene spends most of his time in a drunken stupor. It is not uncommon for the Castle guards to be sent looking for him, only to find him at some lowly tavern, or often with a prostitute. Shaene hires many prostitutes. He normally has the good sense to keep them out of the castle, but not always.
After the death of Hector Warcrow, Shaene allowed himself to be manipulated by Deyna. He had Kailwyn and Benedict exiled on invented charges of treason. When the Mhor returned, he set things straight; however, it was only the benevolent nature of Kailwyn that saved his head from the headsman’s block, and saved Deyna the fate of exile herself.
Shaene is as tall as his half brother, but has a large paunch of a stomach. His head is balding, and he wears his beard in two braids with no mustache. His most prominent features are his ears which are too large for his head. His clothes are always dirty and disheveled. They somehow gain this effect a mere hour after being worn.
Deyna Baswan Candor Mhoried
Deyna is the wife of Shaene. She comes from
the Baswan family. A minor house from Avanil of “old” money; however, she
lost her inheritance after her first husband, Squire James Candor, squandered
their wealth on an unsuccessful Guild based in Alamie. James was the younger
cousin of Regien, and arranged for her to remarry to Shaene, and at the
urging of his Kailwyn’s advice, the Mhor blessed the union in hopes that
marriage would straighten out his half-brother. It was not successful.
Deyna chooses to ignore Shaene’s embarrassing exploits (including his legendary womanizing) and acts as if nothing is amiss. Not a woman of great intelligence, but of great arrogant pride and very conniving, she is apt to chatter endlessly on any banal topic while her husband stands next to her chugging wine and pinching the bottom of any lass who comes too close.
Most servants whisper that Deyna and Shaene have not shared each other’s bed for some time. It is common knowledge that Deyna takes lovers from time to time. Deyna splits her time between Shieldhaven and Bhalaene where Bryce spends most of his time. Rumor in the court has it that she and Gavin Tael are “very Close”, and in the past few years she has spent more time in Bhalaene than in Shieldhaven.
She and Shaene do have one child together conceived in their first year of marriage, Eldred Mhoried. Deyna has a son from her previous marriage to the Squire James Candor, Bryce Candor. James was thirty years Deyna’s senior when they married. He died of natural causes eight years after their marriage. Deyna and Eldred are not close; However, She is shiningly proud of Bryce.
Deyna is now well into her early fifties, but still has an enticing figure. While her face is beginning to show age, and she does have some white at her temples, she looks to be twenty years younger than she should be. Rumormongers at court speculate that The Sword Mage keeps her from aging with his magic.
Sir Bryce Candor, Legion Captain
of the Militant Order of Cuiraecen
The son of Deyna and James Candor. Bryce
visits his mother often, but is not close to his step father. In public
and in court, Bryce is civil to him, but that is the extent of their relationship.
Eldred and Bryce often quarrel, and rarely see eye to eye.
Bryce is only four years older than Benedict
and two years older than Eldred; When Bryce was younger, most believed
that he would grow up to replace Ryn Bakuma as General of the Guardians.
This was not to be so.
At a young age, Regien sent him to study
strategy in Ghoere. It was an attempt on Regien’s part to perhaps smooth
things with Gavin Tael. Afterall, Bryce proved himself at an early age
to be a bright young fellow. The attempt backfired in Regien’s face.
While in Ghoere, Bryce became enraptured with Cuiraecen. Eventually, he was knighted as a Palladin. Now he is a Legion Captain in the Militant Order of Cuiraecen.
Bryce is on good terms with his uncle. Bryce truly believes that one day Ghoere and Mhoried can be allies. He seems to be ignorant of the fact that Gavin Tael is a complete Tyrant. He serves the Order first. Unfortunately, the order is publicly seen as a war machine puppet well controlled by Gavin Tael.
It is clear that Deyna hopes to wed Bryce to Ellayna, and before his joining of the Militant Order of Cuiraecen this was considered a certainty. Bryce, always wanting to please his mother, makes it a point to visit the young girl whenever he comes to Shieldhaven. This past year, he asked permission of the Mhor to Court her. Daeric refused, stating that she can not be courted until reaching her marriage age (15). Most speculate that the Mhor will never let her court him. A puppet of Gavin Tael would be a dangerous man to give a station of that much importance to. After all, Michael is always on the warfront, if anything should happen, that would make Ellayna heir. No doubt, Gavin Tael has encouraged Bryce to pursue her in marriage.
Bryce is an extremely handsome fellow. His dark hair and striking blue eyes are legendary amongst the young ladies in waiting. He is tall, well muscled, the king of etiquette and is quickly gaining a reputation as a master swordsman. He has the annoying habit of being arrogant without realizing it.
Eldred Mhoried
Eldred is the son of Deyna and Shaene (although
there is speculation as to rather Shaene is or is not his father, but most
disregard these rumors as false. Eldred looks like his father). Eldred
takes after his father in many ways. He can’t stay away from rough taverns
beneath his station, and his eye is easily caught by a game of dice and
pretty lass.
Two years younger than his half brother Bryce, and only a couple years older than his cousin Benedict, Bendict and Eldred grew up together. Together they were considered the terror of all the Mhors servants. Benedict and Eldred’s pranks grew to legendary status, and are still talked about today.
Disliked by his own mother, ignored by his father and his uncle, and constantly at odds with his half-brother, it was a wonder that Eldred did not turn out to be just like his father. However, Kailwyn took an active interest in the boy. Eldred not becoming a complete monster was also due to the influence of Benedict. While Benedict was every bit as mischievous as Eldred, Benedict also had a better head for common sense. Basically, \Benedict has always known when enough is enough. After much trial, Eldred has learned this trait as well (At least somewhat). The Mhor has all but dismissed Eldred as being the same as Shaene. This is a constant thorne in Eldred’s side. He would like nothing more than to prove himself to his uncle. At the age of 16, he left Shieldhaven to join the Guardians. He has served honorably, but Daeric still shows no signs of recognizing the boy.
Eldred and Bryce have never gotten along. Bryce is very good at pointing out Eldred’s flaws and Eldred is terrible at receiving criticism. Michael often played the role of benevolent big brother to Eldred, and he did the same for Benedict.
Eldred is an accomplished fighter. He was never quick at book learning, but picked up the martial arts readily. He is no match for his brother, and Bryce takes every possible opportunity to prove such to him. Eldred is quick tempered and Bryce uses that to his taunt him into fights.
Eldred has always been underweight for his height. He is 6’2” and 135 lbs; however, his slight build is off set by his quickness. Too often he is compared to Bryce. While Bryce is strong and handsome, Eldred is skinny and plain, almost homely. He has sandy brown hair, brown eyes and ears too big for his head. It is his too big ears that mark him the son of Shaene.
Kailwyn Mhoried Warcrow Bakuma
Kailwyn is the benevolent mother of Benedict
and the younger sister of Daeric. She is the widow of Hector Warcow. Hector
was killed in Markazor, leaving her to raise Benedict alone. Ten years
ago, after a long courtship, she agreed to marry General Ryn Bakuma.
Kailwyn has always been too liberal in Daeric’s opinion in reference to her parenting views. A woman of vast intellect, she saw that Benedict had a first rate education. Benedict, being a typical boy, saw to it that he learned the skills he really wanted to know.
Kailwyn often acted as a mother to Eldred, and after the death of Allysa she took on the role for Ellayna as well. Eldred’s own mother ignored him since birth. As a result, Eldred thinks of Kailwyn as his mother and Benedict as his brother. Kailwyn’s one weakness is her generosity towards Shaene. She has always believed that there is hope for her half brother. Daeric gave up on him long ago and now only tolerates him, Kailwyn still tries to make him into a decent human being. It is not uncommon for her to bail Shaene out of difficulties, or to lend him money.
Once an attractive woman, Kailwyn has grown pleasantly plump. Beauty can still be seen in her face. She always dresses proper and proper is a good word to describe her over all.
Regien Candor, The Mhor’s
Advisor
Originally from Avanil, Regien is the only
human to ever have been excepted as an apprentice by the High-Mage Aelies.
The Candor line is a family of great heritiage, but little money. For this
reason, Regien set out early in life to seek his own fame and fortune.
After leaving the service of Aelies, Regien cast about for a home. He was invited by Endira Mhoried to serve in her name. He has done so ever since. Daeric was given to him as his charge. During the Mhor’s younger years, Regien indulged Daeric in his wish to adventure. Their exploits are now legendary.
No one knows how old Regien is, and even though he appears human, many wonder if he has elven blood in him for he ages slowly. While Daeric has outgrown his urge to adventure, Regien never has. He is not often at Shieldhaven. He is known for his far travels, and his thirst of women. He married for the third time in his life thirty years ago. His third wife is the meek and mentally ill Gwena Pilsearn. They have one child together, Taerlyn, but are rarely seen together. It is a known fact that Regien has many children, both legitimate or not. Taerlyn is the only one he takes any interest in, which is not much. He once showed mercy to his dead cousin’s widow Deyna by arranging for her to marry Shaene. In the events following Hector Warcrow’s death, some believe that it was he who convinced Daeric not to exile her.
Regien shrouds himself in mystery. He rarely speaks publicly, preferring to speak privately. He controls most of the sources in Mhoried and a few beyond. He is not often in Shieldhaven, but attends court regularly. He spends little time with his daughter and even less with his wife. He wears dark gray robes of silk, often decorated with intricate stitching. His hair is white, and he keeps his long beard in braids.
Gwena Pilsearn Candor
Gwena is the estranged wife of Regien. Always
meek and shy, it was a shock to everyone when Regien showed up at Shieldhaven
with her and announced that she was his new wife. Later that year, she
gave birth to Taerlyn.
Gwena has always been plagued by fits of catatonia. She will slip in and out of a catatonic state with no warning. Sometimes she remains so for hours, but it has stretched many weeks in the past. When she is not catatonic, she stays locked in her apartments with her nurses reading and knitting. She has only attended court a few times in the past thirty years.
Gwena is like a ghost at the castle. Sometimes she will escape from her nurses and wander around, not always remembering where she is or who she is. She is a pale thin woman with wispy blonde hair. Her features are stretched across her skeleton like dried skin. She is only 45, but seems much older in her weakened state.
Taerlyn Candor
Taerlyn is the daughter of Regien and Gwena.
She left shieldhaven at age sixteen and in the almost ten years since,
she has not often returned. However, occasionally Regien calls upon her
to do tasks for him. In those cases, she does visit.
No doubt Regien wished for her to become her apprentice, but Taerlyn has never shown any talent or interest in magic. She now lives the life of a traveling adventurer. Her main traveling companion is her Lady Consort Ruornad (a Lady Consort is a warrior sworn to protect a maiden until she is wed).
General Ryn Bakuma
Ryn is the General of the Mhoried Guardians
and the second husband of Kailwyn. He and Hector Warcrow grew up together.
When Hector was General, Ryn served as second in command. After the death
of Hector, Daeric appointed him General. Now Michael Mhoried serves as
second in command. Ryn is expected to retire soon. He is past the age of
60, and his advancing age is catching up to him. Most think he will retire
after the current Markazor Campaign.
Ryn fell in love with Kailwyn, but it was Hector who captured her heart. After allowing for her Year of Mourning, Ryn asked her to marry. She refused, but did begin courting him. After many years, Kailwyn relented and became his wife.
When Kailwyn and Benedict were exiled by Shaene and DeynA, Ryn hid them at his private estate until Daeric returned and lifted their exile.
Ryn spends most of his time in the field. He has never been at odds with Benedict, but the two have never become “father and son”.
Jared Soreto, Lady’s Consort to
Ellayna
ok after. She will be at her Jared is a
seasoned warrior in his late thirties. Since the age of 20, he has pledged
his life to defending Ellayna Mhoried until she is wed. Before becoming
the Consort to Ellayna, he was a Sergeant in the Mhoried Guardians.
Jared is a tall silent man with a wicked scar on the left side of his face. He takes his job seriously, and is suspicious of everyone. Ellayna often pulls pranks on him, a trait she inherited from her older cousins Benedict and Eldred.
It is customary that a Lady’s Consort be granted an estate and hereditary title after his Lady is wed. Ellayna is not an easy child to look after. She will reach her marriage age in two years. No doubt, Jared is counting the days.