Thanks! There's no rush, even if you read only a little each day, you'll likely catch up to me at some point! That's how I read Ikros
Kerratians
The most important nobles and knights of the Eastern state of Kerrat.
Lord Junatan
Status: Prime Archon and High Magister, virtual ruler of Kerrat
Background: Junatan was an extremely talented student of the Magus Guild, but was eventually denied further learning from the school by Queen Lara, who deemed him far too dangerous to wield such power. Junatan traveled to Kerrat and was an accomplished mage by the time he got there, easily passing the Test of Truth. Junatan has been slowly working his way up the ladder and his vie for more cooperation between the powers that rule Kerrat has fallen well with the populace. Nobles have benefited from working with him as well, making him virtually the most powerful man in Kerrat.
Character: Junatan is very ambitious and has grand plans for everything. He is silver-tongued, possessing an exceptional talent for making others see it his way, and he has the power and intelligence to back it up. This comes in handy, as he prefers to let others do the dirty work for him.
High Magisters of Kerrat
Status: Rulers of the inner city
Known as: Ice, Earth, Lightning
Background: The High Magisters are powerful battle mages. Each one of them has developed his magic ability in his own way and passed the Test of Truth, a requirement for joining their Order. They are the most influential people in the inner city of Kerrat and rule from Maralissa Palace. Contrary to the Magus Guild, they do not teach the art of magic, preferring to spend their time on matters of state.
Characters: Wearing the ornate white armour reserved to the High Magisters alone, every one of them carries himself with an air of pride and dignity. The High Magisters have recently worked together with the newest member of their Order, Junatan, closely, using all of their influence to help him fulfill his political dreams.
Lord Grahel Deverre
Status: Protector of the Deverre family, Lord of Crowfort
Background: The Deverre family was already the most wealthy and influential noble house when Lord Grahel ascended to the role of protector, and his leadership has done nothing to change this, on the contrary. Rather than sticking to knightly business alone, Grahel began to get involved with the day-to-day affairs of the nation, most importantly trade. This gave his family an edge and saw it become not only powerful, but also loved, save for some merchants who think Grahel is in over his head. With their current power, this hardly means a threat to the knightly order at all though.
Character: Lord Grahel is cunning and intelligent. He spins his plots for ages waiting for the ideal moment to strike and this has made his family the biggest and most powerful in Kerrat. If you cross him, he'll hit you in a way you'll never see coming, but if you support him he'll see to it you benefit from it as well. Grahel has a great military mind and respectable skills but has laid down the sword for some time by now, claiming a lot of people possess a mind fit for military business, but few possess a mind for matters of state, and he'd rather focus on the right thing.
Sir Fabian Deverre
Status: Lord Grahel's Heir
Background: Lord Grahel has many sons, of which Fabian is the eldest and thus his heir. This has Lord Grahel worried, for Fabian never really excelled as a knight or as a leader, and sees belonging to royalty more as a gift than as a duty. Fabian often brags about how everything will be better under his rule when drunk and openly mocks the other knightly orders, which has gotten him in more trouble than he seems to realize.
Character: Whereas Grahel is a patient, cunning man, Fabian is brash and arrogant, spoiled by the riches his heritage has brought him. Despite his failures, his self-confidence remains huge as ever, but no one really takes him seriously. He fails to see this, however.
Lord Skarr
Status: Eagle Marshal
Background: Skarr was already a promising knight when Lord Grahel first became protector. He was once far more lively, until he was caught by desert nomads and spent a month in imprisonment, where he gained his scars. Since then, he became a completely different man. He proved his worth in Grahel's campaign against the desert tribes and served as second-in-command for a while. It came as no surprise that Grahel promoted Skarr to Marshal when the former chose to devote his mind to matters of state. Following his appointment as marshal, Skarr spent his time developing his magic skills and over time became a powerful mage knight.
Character: He is a quiet man, but his counsel is never far off when it is required. He is always calm and respectful, rarely showing any kind of emotion. Skarr has an exceptional mind for tactics, but often respects other's opinions even when he realizes they're in the wrong.
Laura
Status: Second-in-command of the Eagle Knights, Battle Mage
Background: Laura traveled the far reaches of Westeron and trained herself to become a mage, and when she deemed she was ready she returned to take the Test of Truth that would make her a Magister. Her world shattered when she failed the Test narrowly however, but just as she was about to leave Kerrat for good Laura was offered a job in the Eagle Knight's army. Though not officially a knight, she managed to become the Second-in-command, likely because she taught marshal Skarr as well as several other high-ranking Eagle knights magic abilities.
Character: Laura is a perfectionist. She hates to be reminded of her failure to complete the Test of Truth and has been ever touchy since the incident. It has convinced her to push herself to her limit every second of every day, and she takes every opportunity to prove herself. Laura carries apparent resent towards the High Magisters, believing them to be no better than her.
Sir Jaiko
Status: Eagle Knight
Background: Born from minor nobility, Sir Jaiko saw tough times as a page, always mocked for being 'closer to being a swineherd than a knight'. He always ignored the mockery however, and worked hard to become one of the best knights among the Eagle Knights. Lord Grahel sometimes leaves Jaiko in command on smaller missions, and the knight rarely disappoints.
Character: Sir Jaiko is rather nonchalant and easy-going as far as knights go. Though he is not bitter towards those who mocked him, he subtly reminds them of their mistakes when they praise him now. The knight is quite flamboyant, as can be seen from his strangely dyed and styled hairdo. He enjoys sparring and typically gets along well with even those men belonging to other orders, though he thinks the Crimson knights are sometimes a bit humourless.
Sir Jorne
Status: Eagle Knight
Background: Sir Jorne is the most recent addition to the Eagle Knight's ranks. He's so far struggled to take his place, but little by little his abilities are expanding.
Character: Jorne is a typically chivalrous knight who believes in the ideals of knighthood and often loses his sense of reality. He's never seen any true combat yet, but is all too eager to prove himself. This can only end one way.
Duchess Angelica
Status: Crimson Protector, Lady of Grimkeep.
Background: Angelica was promised to the Lord of Grimkeep before she was even born. She spent an isolated youth in the Grimkeep, rarely being allowed to see the sun. When her husband died, Angelica refused to step down despite her lack of an heir and took over his role as Protector. She has since carried on the traditional ways of her order, largely isolating the Crimson Knights from most of the surrounding lands and rarely getting publicly involved with the others.
Character: Angelica is headstrong and stubborn, but not unintelligent. So far she has managed to retain a high level of authority even among the notorious Crimson knights and shown to be a capable, if not very innovative, leader. As the first female Crimson Protector in history, she requires it to be perfectly clear people have to take her seriously although she's a woman. To underline this statement, Angelica is always seen wearing armour.
Lord Goeting
Status: Crimson Marshal, Lord of Szyl
Background: Lord Goeting was originally a commoner mercenary who fought shortly in the campaigns of Lord James the Black when he was still just a kid. When the war died down, he traveled to Kerrat, where he became a reputed arena fighter who has remained undefeated until this day. He was soon noticed and received offers from all knightly orders. Eventually he joined the Crimson knights, likely because their Commander at the time was very old and he had a bigger chance at leadership with them. By the time the Commander finally died, Lord Goeting had proven to everyone he was the most capable for the task.
Character: Dark, cunning and charismatic, Lord Goeting is everything a Crimson commander has to be. He is probably the only Crimson knight who's popular with the populace, largely because of his great jousting abilities. He is also a common advisor to Duchess Angelica in matters of state. It is believed he wishes to marry her to become the Protector of the Crimson Knights after Angelica's death, and though he has never openly proclaimed this wish, this has brought him at odds with Count Adam.
Count Adam
Status: Noble, Lord of Frostfall
Background: Count Adam used to be an influential Crimson knight at Grimkeep's court until Angelica became Protector and sent him away, for she had never liked the man, and for good reason. Finding it scandalous that a woman could become Protector, Count Adam has done everything in his power to undermine her leadership and prove that he would be the better man for the job. He has some support among the nobles, since he always seems to know what's going on at the Grimkeep. Lord Goeting has proven to be a worthy adversary in this game, often thwarting the Count's twisted plots.
Character: He is a cold, harsh, and prejudiced man who is disliked by the peasants, who all live in fear of him. Though he is almost too old to stand up to the challenge, he tries to cross and outmatch Lord Goeting at every turn, making them rivals. Despite his obvious hatred for her, the Count has offered to marry Angelica on many occasions to inherit her title, and each time she has profoundly refused.
Dame Cassandra
Status: Second-in-command of the Crimson Knights
Background: No one truly knows where she originated from. All that is known is that Cassandra was once a powerful mage who traveled the countryside until she offered her loyalty to the Crimson knights in exchange for knighthood. Seeing the benefits of having a female sorceress on her side who would prove women are capable as well, Angelica granted her her wish, further enraging Lord Adam. Since she joined the Crimson Knights Cassandra has taught the beginnings of magic to several apprentices, including the dark knight Xalen, but she refuses to teach them anything past the basics.
Character: Though reportedly once a stunning woman, it is claimed Cassandra's usage of the Black Arts has scarred her visage, so she always hides her face in public. She prefers to work alone and rarely makes public appearances. She is smart, but quickly riled.
Sir Xalen
Status: Third-in-command of the Crimson Knights
Background: Xalen was saved by an Eagle Knight at a young age when rampaging mages attacked his village, but his parents did not survive, thus the Eagle Knight took their place. He trained to become a Knight to get his vengeance even though he knew he was not like the others. One time the Knight's sons saw him training and beat him up for it, but seeing how bravely he had defended himself, his stepfather finally decided Xalen could become a knight. Tired of hearing how a quest for vengeance was unsuited for a knight, he left the Eagle Knights and joined the Crimson knights instead, where he was knighted, which caused a lot of friction between the two orders. Cunning, powerful and resilient, he easily became an officer.
Character: Xalen is silent, always hiding his face and emotions, but his sarcastic remarks are never far off. He refuses to fight in jousts or mock fights. The dark knight is often shunned by the Eagle Knights for turning down their order, but barely seems to take note of their existence. The only person Xalen seems to open up to on any level is Sir Garth. Xalen is extremely unforgiving and driven by a lust for vengeance. Often when he's not at Garth's side, people don't know where he is at all, though some claim he is always searching to further his power and hone his skills.
Sir Garth
Status: Protector and Marshal of the Dragon Knights
Background: The Dragon Knights are the only Kerratian order where titles are earned through vote instead of blood. As the son of one of the greatest Dragon Knights in recent history, Sir Garth was almost destined to become the next Protector. He took this attention very lightly and just did his thing, but ended up being the best choice nevertheless. Sir Garth is one of the few knights who can stand up to Lord Goeting in a fight and apart from Sir Jaiko the only one who has ever managed to unseat him in a joust.
Character: Garth has a very open personality. He is a very popular, young knight, always smiling and quipping. This might give him a false air of nonchalance, because actually Garth has an excellent eye for detail in everything that he does, as some of his more skilled peers have noticed. His best friend is the dark knight Xalen, despite the obvious difference between their personalities.
Lord Wrynn
Status: Second-in-command of the Dragon Knights, Lord of Dragontown
Background: Wrynn was expected to take the place of the last Commander before Garth emerged and took this place. Despite this, Wrynn carries no grudge towards his Commander whatsoever. He has carried on his task as second-in-command, and become a trusted adviser to the young knight, often helping him in situations where a little experience is required and reminding Garth of what his father would have done during the seldom occasions where the knight is at a loss.
Character: Wrynn is greatly respected, and he treats others with the same amount of respect. He often voices how he feels concerned younger knights are living their lives too fast, and often storming forward too blindly. Younger knights find this endlessly amusing, and though he tries to hide it, Lord Wrynn sometimes does too. Apart from being a worthy second-in-command, Wrynn is also adept at overseeing the day-to-day affairs of the Dragon Knight's surrounding lands and can be considered as something of a governor at times.
Sir Brockram
Status: Dragon Knight
Background: Born from a rich merchant family, Brockram was raised to realize he was always above the others. Feeling the life of a merchant wasn't challenging enough for him to deploy his enormous potential, he used his family's money to buy himself into the Dragon Knights. Though he struggled in his first years, Brockram continued to believe in himself and became a capable Dragon Knight.
Character: Sir Brockram is an ambitious braggart and sometimes seems rather simplistic because of it, but many believe his overbearing behaviour has a satirical edge to it and accept him for what he is, because he certainly doesn't lack for courage. His advice is usually taken very lightly however, for it commonly involves allowing him to charge off and deal with the entire opposition all by himself.
Sir Talaris
Status: Dragon Knight Lieutenant
Background: Sir Talaris was born from high nobility, and he expected to become Commander of the Dragon Knights because of it. Life has often reminded him that he chose the worst order to rely on his heritage for recognition, and, while an adequately skilled knight, he has failed to tread in his father's - who had been Commander for a short time until he'd gotten killed - footsteps.
Character: Sir Talaris is angry and frustrated, and takes pleasure in humiliating others. He is easily offended and quick to draw his blade, seeing everything as a personal insult. Sir Talaris is known for openly confronting his Commander. Garth usually shrugs his criticism off and has shown extreme patience with Sir Talaris, yet the young knight continues to feel extreme contempt towards him.
Lyonne
Status: Mage-in-service, Dragon Knight's Warrant Officer
Background: Lyonne claims to have been a wanderer for all his life until he, claiming he was sick of the solitude, journeyed to Kerrat to offer his services. Though he is clearly one of the mysterious Saah'di Mages (commonly known as 'Purple Mages'), he has refused to reveal any of their secrets or teach anyone. This has not stopped him from becoming a valuable asset to the Dragon Knights.
Character: Lyonne is quiet and reserved, preferring to observe rather than speak. Once he starts talking, however, the words flow out like a waterfall and it's easy to lose track of him. He is not ill-natured, but the signs of social isolation still show, as he is often the subject of jabs without seeming to realize it.