Frederigo D'Honaire
Frederigo, however, did not succeed. Facing what he thought to be the dragon, he and Astra of Aquilaria were magickally banished to the scorching deserts North of the kingdom. There, they took refuge in the first dwelling they found, that of the mad chiurgeon Vincent. Frederigo was wounded by one of Vincent's creations, and later, unbeknownst to his companions, died under the lunatic's ministrations.Eldest son of the late Duke Charles D'Honaire, Frederigo was sent on a quest by the King of Allaria to do the one thing his father couldn't - defeat the dragon of the Southern Caves. If he completed this task, he would be permitted by his liege the King to take up his father's mantle, claiming as his legacy the Dukedom of Suffex.
Frederigo found himself in hell, sentenced to his damned state by the curse levied on him by Minestus, illusionist and pretender to the throne of the true dragon, Deltumnimos. There he was presented with a tempting offer which allowed him to escape hell, contingent upon his betrayal of his former companions.
Now Frederigo, secretly rechristened Thoabath, walks among the living once again, an arcane sigil branded into the palm of his hand to remind him of his fell duty. He has rejoined his companions, and soon the plans of his new demonic masters will come to fruition.
A brave man in his early twenties, Fredrigo was formerly kind and honorable, but that - of course - is no longer the case.
Astra, Princess of Aquilaria
The princess of Aquilaria did not make it to the dragon.Hailing from the kingdom south of Allaria, Astra's homeland is famous for its warrior women. However, Astra is the daughter of the King, and thus her freedoms as she came of age were quickly disappearing. Her father permitted her one last adventure, though, before she would have to take up the duties her royal blood mandated. By the maps and legends of Aquilaria, the dragon dwelled in what was, to the people of that kingdom at least, the Northern Caves. Astra's final quest was to be the delving of these caverns, and the vanquishing of the monsters within.
Instead, she was captured by the legions of pale, gaunt men who slavishly served him, and chained deep in the caverns.
It wasn't until months later that she was discovered and freed by Lord Frederigo D'Honaire. With him they both went to face the dragon, and during the fight both were banished via magick to the savage desert.
While taking refuge in the dwelling of the chiurgeon Vincent, Astra watched as the man attempted to heal the wounds inflicted by one of his creations upon Frederigo. However, a sneeze at an inopportune moment disrupted Vincent's concentration, and this distraction caused Astra to be transported into a ponderously large labyrinth.
While in the labyrinth, Astra passed through a door marked with a wolf's paw and a human hand. After going down the passageway which the door led to, she was clubbed senseless, and awoke in a prison cell. Standing, she found herself changing grotesquely, transforming into a savage hybrid of wolf and woman. Soon she found the dragon gloating over her, shortly before restoring her human form and releasing her.
Recently Astra discovered what Minestus' plan was. He had released her to spread the contagion he had implanted in her, that of the ergot mushroom which causes lycanthropy. Thought exterminated, apparently the canny old monster had his own supply, and thought to unleash the strain upon the land again. None can be sure whether this is part of his master plan or merely a feint, but Astra now seeks a cure. She is frightened by what she becomes when the moon is full, and guilty for she already has passed the curse on once. She has since been cured but during her time under the affliction she felt the temptation to simply give in to what she had become. The fact that she felt this makes her only worry about Andrea more, as the young noblewoman seems to regard the curse as a blessing.
Astra is brave, kind-hearted, determined, quickwitted and resourceful. She is outspoken, and occasionally acts rashly. A beautiful yet athletic woman in her early twenties, her outstanding features are her height and her flaming red hair.
Her admiration for and trust in Frederigo, built up during their adventures prior to his becoming Thoabath, is gradually being eroded by his more recent off-hand behaviour. She has become very fond of Lady Andrea Croix, for all that she occasionally wants to shake some sense into her.
Lady Andrea Croix
In time, Andrea grew up and Fritha passed away. The banality of her day to day life got to her, and so when she could stand no more, she slipped away under cover of darkness.Lady Andrea Croix spent most of her life within her father's own fiefdom, cared for by servants, brought up extremely conservatively. However, as a child, the tales of her nursemaid Fritha filled her with an intense wanderlust. The old woman's folk stories and little white magick charms made an otherwise dreary life bearable.
As she fled at a gallop upon her horse, she was discovered by Astra of Aquilaria, who, considering it her duty, brought her back to Croix Keep.
They did not find what they expected.
Seizing an unknown window of opportunity during Andrea's abscence, her father's advisor had betrayed the keep to the dragon's men. She and Astra only narrowly managed to escape.
Following several revelations about Astra's newfound curse and a trip to Mount Cicatrice to find the necromancer Belboz, possibly the only man who could cure her, Andrea discovered she had bewildering magickal powers, above and beyond the simple cantrips taught to her by Fritha. Shortly after this, she was attacked beneath the full moon by Astra, and contracted the disease of lycanthropy herself.
Now the young noblewoman is confused by her newfound spellcasting ability, and disturbed by the troubling dreams they seem to bring. In addition, unlike Astra, she has not pushed away from her bestial side, and so finds herself almost happily sliding into savagery...
An attractive eighteen year-old, her inexperience and naiveté should not be confused with stupidity, for she is intelligent and resourceful. She is headstrong as a result of her pampered upbringing, but she is a shrewd observer and her assessments of people's character are right more often then not. She has come to admire and respect Astra, and to look on her almost as an elder sister, but she distrusts Frederigo.
Others
The Four Winds
Once, these four were considered the greatest heroes in the land. Their names were on the lips of every skald and talespinner in the surrounding kingdoms. However, perhaps their greatest adventure was their last. They had gone to defeat an evil sorceress, a betrayer who had led to her coven's destruction. After they killed her, though, they split the pieces of her amulet, having been instructed to do so in an augury. They went their separate ways, each with a piece in their posession, knowing there would come a time when they would have to reassemble them. That time has now come, and their responsibility is grave indeed, for in using the rebuilt amulet to fight a great evil, they allow the dead sorceress to live again...
Belboz the Fell(deceased)
Simon the Anchorite
This hermit may not seem like much of a threat, but in his day he was the cornerstone of The Four Winds. Rumours abound about the man who once went by the name of Simon D'Chretien, stories about the contract on his life by the Sicarii asassins, of his refusal of a fiefdom offered by the king, and of his supposed posession of a strange power which is not magick, but is potent nonetheless. One thing is for certain, though, his religious fervor and noble self-sacrifice are told in many a fireside story.
This necromancer had a dark reputation late in life, causing few to dare the travail to his far away dwelling perched upon Mount Cicatrice. However, in happier times, he was an archmage without peer, long before he turned his interests to the dark art. He was skilled in augury, and it was he who shewed the future after the killing of the evil sorceress. Shortly before his death, he was approached by Astra and Andrea, who petitioned him to cure Astra's lycanthropy. Not long after his completion of the poultice which was the cure, he died, apparently after attempting the dangerous task of uniting two of the segments of the amulet without assistance.
Aethir MacFionn
This warrior was, prior to his disappearance into the Faerie Rath within the Fey Wood, known for his fleetness of foot and nimble fighting. Where some men might need two strokes to fell a man, Aethir only needed one precise jab. After his quest to find the heart of the Fey Wood, many thought him dead, but his former brothers in arms knew differently. Recently, he has been rescued from the shifting nightmare woven by the Unseelie Court, and once again he adventures in the lands of men.
Charles D'Honaire(deceased)
A stolid man who spoke little, Duke D'Honaire was perhaps the most public of the Four Winds following their disbanding. He accepted the fiefdom and ennobling offered by the King, and continued to serve his liege both as statesman and soldier. His final adventure was into the Southern Caves, from which he emerged a morose, haunted man. He did not venture out from his keep after that, and died feeble and bedridden, still troubled by some unfathomable failing.
Jarlath D'Honaire
Jarlath was present at the razing of the Tower, and he was burned very badly as well as blinded. However, this explosion unhinged something in him, both mentally and metaphysically. Jarlath may presently be the most powerful wizard on the planet, even though his own magic is eating him alive from the inside out. Another peculiarity bestowed on him by the explosion, Jarlath is blind, yet has perfect precognition of all the upcoming events in his life, serving as a second sight in spite of his deadened eyes. A frightening aspect of this sight, though, is the fact that all the visions he has end at the point at which he reaches the Grove of the Seven Sisters. Whether he will die at that point is uncertain, but what he does know is that when the time comes, he will be well and truly blind once more.The seventh son of Charles D'Honaire, he went against his father's wishes and went off to the Tower of Ilxior to study magic. From then until his death, Charles D'Honaire refused to acknowledge his youngest son, apparently due to an inherent mistrust of magic. After his father's death, Frederigo attempted to contact Jarlath only to find the Tower of Ilxior had been razed, his brother apparently taken with it.
Rowena D'Honaire
Rowena is a headstrong woman with a surprising tolerance and proficiency with the courtly intrigues of the High Kingdom. Increasingly though, her feelings of frustration and futility have taken the fore. Presently, she tires of the politics of the aristocracy, and yearns for an adventure of her own, if only to overcome the sense of impotence she experiences in the courts of the King.The only daughter of Charles D'Honaire, and sister to Frederigo and Jarlath D'Honaire. As her father gradually became a recluse, she was forced to assume mature responsibilities at an early age. Upon her father's death, she became the de facto ruler of the D'Honaire holdings during Frederigo's quest, in spite of House Mollari's regency over the duchy.
The Jackals of the Court
They hold no great positions within the court, at least not publicly. Individually, they are thought of as only minor nobles, rulers of inconsequential fiefs. This is an image they themselves cultivated. None seek to contradict them on this matter, for collectively, they have enough power to bring the court to its knees. The Jackals of the Royal Court are the members of the aristocracy most skilled at intrigue and conspiracy, and their skill is such that very few could actually name them, much less implicate them in any of the plots they have pursued.Lady Constancia
An heiress of a fiefdom in the Royal Province, she seeks to gain power through her son's actions, as well as through her connection to the other Jackals. If her son is successful, she will be the de facto ruler of the duchy of Anfang. In addition, she has been tainting the Queen's food to make her barren, in conjunction with the conspiracy of her fellows.
Lord Sarlo
The son of the late Duke of Sarlo, soon to be named Duke himself, barring interference from his siblings. He also stands poised to have his son named ward of the King, and thus in the immediate line of royal succession.
Duke Zular
Duke of Trescent, and titular head of the House of Mollari, he has positioned himself as the most likely choice to be named Regent of the High Kingdom, should the King die before his heir come of age. He presently also holds the duchy of Suffex in regency, as it was he who raised the questions as to Frederigo's worthiness to hold the duchy.The Nephilim
The remaining beings of this near extinct race dwell in the ruined city found in the Northern Wastes. They are, according to legend, giants born of the union of fallen angels and humans. Two warring tribes, each reduced to a single man, war across the shattered city, called the Anakim and the Rephaim. A third Nephilim, Mahmoud the Elder, plots to kill each of these tribes, having decided it to be time to let the shattered city rest in obscurity and silence.
Minestus
Through many decades of misdirection and rumour, the wily illusionist who calls himself Minestus has managed to convince all that dwell in the area around the Southern Caves that he is truly the dragon. Instead, he is a wizard of some skill, adept at illusions and falsehoods. He taps the significant power of the true dragon who sleeps beneath the mountain, and his pawns and influence extend very far indeed.
Deltumnimos
The great sleeping wyrm beneath the mountain, Deltumnimos is at the center of a magickal web of ley lines which tap the power of his dreams to power the growing empire of the illusionist Minestus. Almost a demigod in his own right, Deltumnimos is an alien being with destructive power beyond belief. He has slept since before recorded history, and perhaps Minestus unwittingly does humanity a favor by keeping the fell beast slumbering still.
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