Morgrave High: Family

The families of various cast members of Morgrave High: Passing Marks.

Family of Player Characters

Alishia

Family Tree

• Lady Adreanna Orien, High-ranking member of House Orien responsible for overseeing matters of business and finance. Alishia's Mother. Intelligent, canny, and determined. Wishes her daughter would follow in her footsteps instead of shirking her studies and getting into fights. Possesses no Dragonmark.
• Lord Jarrod d'Orien, Another high-ranking member of House Orien, former Lightning Rail conductor and current engineering supervisor. Alishia's father. Cheerful, laid-back, and easy-going. Quietly encourages his daughter's behavior. Possesses a Greater Dragonmark of Passage.
• Alishia Mesbet d'Orien, tomboyish martial artist and Dragonmarked House Scion.

Descriptions

The thing about Alishia's mother is that the two of them are more alike than either one would ever admit. She's stubborn, headstrong, possessed of a fierce determination and a burning drive to succeed despite any obstacles in her path, and doesn't let anything stand in her way.

If this were the real, modern world, Lady Adreanna Orien would wear power suits that cost more than you make in a month with a Bluetooth headset and drive a BMW. Take Alishia and replace the rambunctious physicality and adventuresome nature with a keen eye for finance and a pragmatic, and occasionally rather blunt, sense of political acumen, along with a sharp wit and (when her ire is roused) an even sharper tongue. She's responsible for several sweeping reforms throughout House Orien which have helped ease the transition into a post-wartime economy and make headway in recovering from the damages suffered in the Last War as well as enabling her House to remain competitive in the wake of House Lyrandar's expanding air transport network. In a relatively short span of time, she's risen from being the unremarkable daughter of an obscure intermarried House line to a member in high standing, responsible for overseeing financial matters which affect House Orien as a whole...all of which is made more impressive when you realize that Adreanna Orien possesses no Dragonmark of her own.

Of course, the Dragonmarked Houses say that actually possessing a Mark isn't required for a member of the House to rise through the ranks, but in practice this is often not the case. Someone like Lady Adreanna, born to a family without prestige or wealth or abundant connections and no Dragonmark, would have to work twice as hard as another, more fortunate member of the House to achieve the same degree of recognition. She worked four times as hard instead, and wasn't exactly shy about stepping on the toes of those who most vocally denounced her as an "upstart with notions too grand for her station" to get where she is now. But even the people who tried to stand in her way or shout her down, as much as they may dislike it, have no choice but to acknowledge that she's well and truly earned her spot at the top of the ladder. Occasionally, the more traditionalist factions within the House still have a go at knocking her down a peg or two, but fewer and fewer of them are willing to try anymore. The last one, a distinguished Lord decades her senior from a well-established family line, attempted to do so by chastising her before her peers during a financial policy meeting and was said to have been driven from the great hall in tears by the force of her rebuke.

By contrast, Alishia's father is much more laid-back and easy-going, quick with a smile and a joke and prone to flights of fancy...and he also happens to be the bearer of a Greater Mark of Passage, making him a rather prominent figure within the House by virtue of his Mark alone. During the War, Jarrod d'Orien was a conductor aboard one of House Orien's lightning rails, shuttling troops, supplies, and sensitive information for whichever nation cared to pay the price. He had a number of adventures of his own (while the Houses were officially neutral parties during the Last War, that didn't stop them from occasionally being attacked by "brigands" or "pirates" whenever one or more nations thought they could get away with it) and is regarded as something akin to a war hero by other members of the House. He had a bright, prosperous future ahead of him, which is why it shocked a great many people when he declared, despite the very prestigious marriage which had been arranged for him, that he was going to marry Adreanna Orien, a woman with no Mark and a string of political grudges behind her. Protests were lodged, threats were made, but in the end nobody could really force them to budge...they were both too well-established and influential for coercion to have any effect, and so their marriage was grudgingly allowed.

Since the War, her father has gone from being a rail conductor to helping oversee the design of the next generation of Lightning Rail engines. His Greater Mark and his intuitive grasp of rail engineering and elemental binding ensure that he's frequently consulted by the various engineers and magewrights employed by House Orien, and he even has a couple of pet projects that he works on as time and resources permit.

The truth of the matter is that Alishia's parents love each other very much, and they complement each other in many ways...her father acts as a moderating influence on her mother's driven nature, keeping her from burning herself out or from forgetting to enjoy the fruits of her labors, while she helps keep him focused and motivated, guiding his flights of fancy into more practical directions.

Alishia's mother makes her home at House Orien's holdings in Fairhaven, choosing to remain close to Aundair's capital in order to keep a close eye on the state of the nation's political and economic leanings...she's well aware that the Last War has only recently ended, and if hostilities are set to resume she wants to know about it beforehand. Her father splits his time between Fairhaven and the House Orien "company town" of Passage, supervising various projects at the railworks there.

Jox

Jox is a cockblocking robot, built by the government. He has no family

Edit

Jox's creator is the Lord of Blades. Relevant Quote concerning Jox from the Lord of Blades "What's a Jox? Oh yeah, that one. What do you mean he didn't detonate and take out half of Sharn?!"

Nicodemus

Family Tree

• Alexander Archer, Nicodemus' father. Avenger of the Silver Flame, and war veteran.
• Therese Archer, Nicodemus' mother. Warlord of the Sovereign Host.
• Unnamed Uncle, Getting married later this year
• Nicodemus, cleric of the Silver Flame.

Descriptions

Alexander Archer:Avenger of the Silver Flame.

A blunt and straightforward man when it comes to dealing with others, he has brown hair without a trace of grey in it and blue eyes.

He appreciates talking with members of the Silver Flame the most, acting easy around them and often smiling and laughing - often donating silver dust to churches when he's around and generally being a model worshipper of the Silver Flame. Whenever he does interact with them, Alexander always expects said members to follow the rules of the Silver Flame.

When he’s around worshippers of the Sovereign Host, he generally takes on an appreciative air for the good their work often does, and he does make an effort to spend time with them, although not quite as much as he spends with his fellow worshippers of the Silver Flame.

He has not spent much time around the Eldeen Reachest, so he knows very little about the druidic religion that exists over there. Because of this, he’s both curious and somewhat on guard when he notices that – although, seeing as people from the Eldeen Reaches aren’t worshipping something evil, as far as he can tell, he’s at least respectful of of their religion.

Should someone mention people following the Path of Light, the only real response they would get would most likely just be a blank look, aimed at whoever was talking about them. He has no idea what group they are, or what their goal is.

A personal belief of his is, simply, that people do not change from their basic selves. If you ever, at some point, worshipped, say, the Dragon Below, Alexander would watch you suspiciously, and would never really trust you. If you followed one of the Dark Six, he keeps you at arms length, no matter what else you’ve done – you could save a person right in front of his eyes, and he would still not fully trust you. And, of course, if you belong (or have belonged) to the Lord of Dust, he wouldn’t even pretend to be friendly with you, and would either attack you directly without question (if you were still a member) or just wait for the moment of your inevitable betrayal and attack you then, even if it just looked like you were about to betray them.

On the other hand, Alexander Archer is a man willing to go to great lengths to help any friends of his – even if it means running straight at an approaching group of enemies to help someone else escape, and this is something which has earned him quite a few very loyal friends in Thrane’s government, and who are currently in charge of quite a few things. Such as, for instance, who gets sent to the Morgrave program in Sharn.

He’s also somewhat of a flirt, and enjoys doing that, from time to time, casually flirting with some women when he first meet them.

In his military days, he was part of a smaller unit within Thrane’s army, who was used to attack weak points in enemy armies, quickly moving to strike at vulnerably commanders whenever they could be found, and generally causing as much chaos in the enemy as possible. This was done to stop them from managing to cross the borders of Thrane or, if they were already inside, to stop them from being capable of doing anything harmful to the Nation.

When the enemy commander was dead, Alexander and his friends were then nowhere to be found, as they escape and avoid being attacked by the enemy army, every single time. He also spent some time, together with Grace Shadar, fighting to conquer various places that Thrane wishes to keep for their own. This was at the time when Shadar had hair.

At the end of the War, Alexander and his friends had just finished an attack at Cyre, when the Mourning happened. Thankfully, they were outside the range of it, and came out of it alright.

Nowadays, he spends some of his time looking out for the Queen, and making sure she doesn’t start trying to retake the throne, as one of his less savory duties.
Character Song: The Bard's Song, Blind Guardian

Therese Archer: Warlord of the Sovereign Host. A shorter-than-Alexander with black hair and brown eyes, she's in charge of one of the biggest villages around the area, even including some of the surrounding ones.

Quick to speak her mind, but still, at heart, a kind woman who cares about those close to her. Great at organizing groups, as well as planning festivities, which was what led to her getting to be in charge. Was the one who started to make sure that Artificiers came to the area when they had some big important celebration.

She has a weakness for playing cards, although it usually isn’t about money, instead being about beating the opponent and the fun of a challenge.

Is pleased that Nicodemus got to leave to Morgrave.

Renaya

Family Tree

• Lord Pyrion Tilvaraen, Tulanni of Summer Gales, Summer Councilor. Renaya's father. Boisterous, Outgoing, and Bullish.
• Lady Elliade Tilvaraen, Coure of Mischief and Strife. Renaya's mother. Subtle, clever, and sly.
• Severin Apheric, Renaya's half-brother through her father. An arcane aspirant in his mid 30s. Particularly good relationship with Ren.
• Kerresil Berephris, Renaya's half-brother through her mother; also in his mid-30s. Pacted to a princess of Taer Syraen in exchange for her approval of his courtship. Known for being rather suave and self-assured, even now that he is forced to shave his head due to the price of his pact being the color of his hair.
• Leiasha Tilvaraen, Renaya's older sister, 20 years old. Heir apparent and spellsword duelist, she takes strongly after her father but inherits the best of both parents.
• Renaya Tilvaraen, our familiar steampunk fairy princess. 14 years old.
• Alyanna Tilvaraen, Renaya's younger sister, 12 years old. Spoiled princess; slightly tsundere towards Ren for having left her behind to go study abroad.
• Tashric Tilvaraen, Renaya's younger brother, 6 years old. A quiet, observant child. Seems likely to grow up to be more of the steady type than his siblings.
• Baby, Renaya's younger sibling. As yet unborn; due at around the time that the winter break begins.

Descriptions

Lord Pyrion Tilvaraen: The Lord Tilvaraen is a Tulanni of Summer Gales, and a member of the Summer Council, the governing body of Pylas Pyrial. He is fairly young for that position, being not terribly far into his second century of life; his rise can be attributed in no small part both to his own natural charisma and eloquence, and to having taken Elliade as his lifebond mate, whose own contributions finally pushed him onto the council during their courtship. They were pledged to each other just after he took his seat.

Lord Tilvaraen boisterous, confident, and articulate. He is best described as a cross between Oberon with Teddy Roosevelt; charismatic and shrewd, but somewhat bull-headed and stubbornly straightforward. He prefers the more direct approach to things, and tends to leave subtleties to his wife; it's not that he can't be just as political as she can so much as that he just prefers not to be when he can get away with it. As such, he tends to be very open about his opinions and feelings, trusting to his natural charisma and, failing that, the Lady Tilvaraen's machinations, to carry through. The net result is that he often seems very aggressive in his likes and dislikes, both in terms of people and things.

Physically, the Lord Tilvaraen is an impressive specimen of an eladrin male: he stands a few inches over six feet, has a thin, but wiry build (he is a renowned duelist, in fact--he has been the primary instructor for his eldest daughter), and is achingly beautiful. His long, sky-blue hair is generally gathered into a simple tail at the base of his neck, but can be more elaborate for special occasions. And, as an eladrin lord of the Summer Council, he is rarely seen without the very most fashionable, custom tailored garments, accented with his family crest, and the seal of the city to denote his rank.
Character Theme: King of the Fairies, Amadeus

Lady Elliade Tilvaraen: The Lady Tilvaraen is a Coure of Mischief and Strife, which means that she is technically a member of the Court of the Stars rather than the Summer Court like the majority of nobles of Pylas Pyrial. This isn't uncommon, but it does mark her as somewhat outside the normal "path" to nobility therein, a status which she uses to her full advantage in running her intrigues. By birth, she was a member of House Apheric; she met Pyrion Tilvaraen due to one of her sisters having chosen him to father a child for her and her lifebond mate, and fell wildly in love with him. His place on the council is due in no small part to the side effects of her efforts to court him; seeing to his political career is one of her driving motivations.

Lady Tilvaraen is intelligent, patient, conniving, and subtle; she uses nearly every trick in her arsenal to keep her husband in power and to build his reputation and influence. She's the shrewd matriarch, carefully maneuvering her family around the upper echelons of power and prestige in the spire. As such, where her husband is straightforward and open, she is calculating and cunning; if he's a bull, she's a fox. While he is outright dismissive or hostile to people he doesn't like, she will always have the right blend of conciliation, flattery, and, where necessary, sensuality, to keep her family's enemies placid until she's finished getting them to tie the noose about their necks and leap from the gallows.

In terms of appearance, the Lady Tilvaraen has a sort of light, airy build, with full measure of fey elegance. She's shorter than Renaya by several inches, but has substantially more "presence" such that she rarely seems so. Her coloration is pale, both her skin and her hair, which is the color of gleaming silver. Like her husband, she tends to dress very well, as befits her station, and she favors outfits that are somewhat daring even in the Gate of Joy; her own natural beauty is just one of the tools she wields expertly.
Character Song: Seishoujo Ryouiki -String Songs Album Version-, UbiQuinta

Leiasha Tilvaraen: Leiasha Tilvaraen is the oldest daughter, conceived on the very night her parents pledged their lifebond. She is everything they could have wanted in an heiress, and possibly more: she has both her father's quick wit and "stage presence," and her mother's subtle cunning and devotion to family. Far from struggling against the expectations that were placed on her, she has thrived under them, and seeks to surpass them. Since she began accepting offers of courtship, she has been much sought after, but relatively few of her suitors can keep up with her.

Leiasha is vibrant, clever, and playful. Her love of people and the social games that come with them is surpassed only by her love for swordplay, at which she excels; it is said within the spire that her finest dancing is done with a blade in her hand. She is quite adept at getting what she wants, and generally has few qualms about letting that be known; she combines her father's straightforward pleasantness with her mother's calculating calmness into a subtle, sardonic edge to her normal vivacious disposition. In many ways, she's exactly what Renaya is not: active, athletic, social, and daring, and perfectly happy in the world that left her sister cold.

This holds true in terms of her appearance as well; she and Ren are about the same height, but where Renaya's height makes her seem gangly and awkward, Leiasha's frame has filled out to the point where she looks like an older, more muscular, and vastly more beautiful version of her sister. Her coloration does lean a bit more toward their father than Renaya's does, however; her hair is more blue than silver, and her skin is less pale, although that's as much due to her being more active and outdoorsy as to her genetics. She favors short-coats and breeches, no less elaborately tailored than her fathers, and is rarely without a sword in the (likely, given her love of swordplay) event that an opportunity for a friendly duel arises.
Character Song: Gypsy Girl, Aria Asia

Alyanna Tilvaraen: Alyanna Tilvaraen is Renaya's younger sister, by only two years, which is highly unusual for eladrin. As such, she grew up fairly attached to her big sister, who was always there for her. While the young Renaya was rather passive and quiet, Alyanna more than made up for it, being that much more opinionated and demanding to cover for her sister. The two were close, and so of all the children, Alyanna took Renaya's decision to leave the hardest; she still hasn't entirely forgiven Ren for "abandoning" her, so as much as she likes her sister, she's still angry at her.

Alyanna is bossy, headstrong, and, fortunately for her, adorable. That last bit transforms her behavior into something somewhat less obnoxious and a bit more charming. Alyanna is used to having people listen to her (either because they're family and dote on her, or because they either serve her family or wish to curry favor with it by spoiling her like a child), and is generally confused and offended when they don't. There's no spite or all that much arrogance in her attitude; it's just the way she's always been treated, and the way she expects to be wherever she goes.

Physically, she's still very short, just barely over five feet; she hasn't hit the growth spurt that her elder sisters did, although she's desperately hoping for it, as it's harder for her to lord over people when she's smaller than all of them. She has her mother's coloration, with only the smallest hint of blue in her silver hair and eyes, and always dresses like the little princess she knows she is.
Character Song: World Is Mine, supercell feat. Hatsune Miku (Choucho cover)

Vailea

Family Tree

• Cyrus Ebonshard, archwizard and Vailea's mentor, later revealed to be her grandfather.
• Dr. Malina Bordain, instructor of art and history at Morgrave University, revealed to be Vailea's mother.
• Vailea, ice sorceress.

Descriptions

Cyrus Ebonshard: Cyrus is a wizard, not a sorcerer, and a powerful one at that. He has a firm control on all the elements, and knows a few illusion spells while he's at it. He appears around in his 50s, rather tall for a human, Silver flowing hair with a short beard and carries himself with a quiet confidence. Trained in several forms of martial combat. Does not wear wizard robes. Instead has several shape shifting outfits, usually preferring more common clothes like cotton shirts and pants when not seeing guests. Will wear finery more inclined to a learned scholar otherwise. Always wears a dark cape that seems to show the sparkling midnight sky if one looks closely. Was a former adventurer and served several tours of duty in the war. What faction and why he left is blurred by legend. Cyrus word as a wizard is his bond. It's rare that he ever makes that pledge to something. The wizard often is sought out these days by adventurers and officials for council and aid. It is rare, but he occasionally leaves the keep for weeks at a time on important matters. Has a friendly, warm and affirming personality, but has a calculating edge. Think Uncle Iroh with Malcolm Reynolds' gallows humor. Remember, this is the guy who pushed Vee off a waterfall to get her to air warp for the first time. Even though he has no apparent need for posturing for rank, he will be a stern taskmaster when it calls for it, especially for those under his instruction or command. Prefers actions over boasting, and will prefer others to underestimate him or do sudden tests that appear to be accidental to see if a person is as they say. "Surprise Quiz" took a whole new meaning in the Keep. A lover of learning, his library held quite a lot of books with a rather generous legend, play and folklore collection along with the standard wizard books and equipment.

Xali

Family Tree

• Yarhad, Xali's father. Diplomat from his tribe to the outside world.
• Zafi-yoom, Xali's mother. Assassin/shaman and confirmed mammal.
• Xali, the gods-disavowing Dire Bat Girl.

Descriptions

Yarhad is a tough, leathery man covered in scars and the signature white tattoos made by scorpid venom. He used to be the tribe's official "Maker Of Event-Shadows", a job to witness births, deaths, marriages and heroics. Then he weaved those into the songs and poems that make up the tribe's oral chronicles.

More recently the tribe's chief assigned him a new job: "Shadowless Eyes." A dangerous task that basically means he has to cease the constant hiding that the drow prefer to do and make contact with outsiders - particularly the humans of Khorvaire. Find out what they want, who are the threats, who can be useful. His long absences on diplomatic travels were a factor in Xali's decision to come to Sharn, so that she is at least somewhat connected with the father she misses.

He is serious and dignified, fully realizing the kind of responsibilities he bears. He is clever enough to pretend that is not clever at all. Unlike his daughter, he keenly understands human society. But he doesn't show it, remaining always the backward jungle savage in the eyes of others, to his great benefit.
Signature Song: Staring at the Sun, TV on the Radio.
(A singer and a diplomat... Yes indeed, he's a bard.)

Zafi-yoom is an assassin-shaman, part of a long and proud line of mothers teaching their daughters the arts. At all times she will wear a purple flower as a hair ornament. They are zechar flowers, gifts from her husband as a sign of affection. Because he keeps giving new ones the flower she wears, like their love, never withers. Damaging or removing the flower is strongly discouraged.

She wears at all times a black scorpid-plate armor and several blades, most of them hidden. It is clear that Xali's generous curves are entirely from her mother's side, and one glance at Zafi-yoom makes the following things clear:
1: She is a mammal (and how!)
2: She fights all the time.
3: Her purpose is to flip out and kill people.

She is not the diplomat of the outfit and is uncomfortable with Sharn. Too high, too crowded, too strange. And so she does what any drow housewife would do in the circumstances: by often reminding people that she can utterly demolish them.
Signature song: Violet tree, m83.
(Dire Batgirl Milf, what's not to love?)