GENERAL

The Ussuri name originated from an ancestor from Ular Kel. While they were once well-to-do, Taldor’s shifting political climate drove the family into debt several generations ago. The family eventually managed to acquire a home in the backwater town of Railford, though it remains in lower-class status. The Ounas family is local to Taldor.  

Amgun Ussuri and Kemi Ounas

The parents of the family. The two met as children when they were both working as cheap labour at local farms and factories. After behaving as reckless teenagers, their first child was born when Amgun was seventeen years old and Kemi was fourteen. For the next four years, Amgun mostly worked away from Railford in an attempt to collect enough savings to have a reasonably stable life, and returned thereafter to build a proper family with Kemi (who by then was pregnant with Kherlen). Though they were never married, the children have all unofficially taken their father’s name (Amur prefers not to use it however). 

Once the first two of their children were old enough and could take care of their younger siblings, and the family had established enough of a support network in the local neighbourhood, the couple could afford longer time working away from home on longer jobs in bigger towns. In fact, at the time of Argun and Zeya’s accidental deaths, they were both out of town. 

Despite having their ups and downs, the couple genuinely adore one another as life partners, and see it as their shared duty to raise their children to be respectful, god-fearing, and law-abiding citizens, no matter how great or small their contributions may be. The couple strove to support their children in their ambitions, and worked for as long as they could. At the age of thirty-six, however, Amgun sustained a spinal injury at work, rendering him paralysed from the waist down. The couple retired early, returned to live at their home in Railford, and relied first on their savings, and now on their youngest son, Kherlen, to support their finances. 

Once a quiet, reserved, yet optimistic young man, Amgun has matured over the years into a dutiful husband and father who is, to this day, still deeply in love with Kemi and frequently shows his affection for her. While he does love each of his children and tries his best to counsel them, he appears as a rather stern and distant father - this is partly due to his absence from their early lives. He has gotten much closer with Kherlen following his debilitating accident, and Shilka has warmed up to him significantly after seeing how doting he is as a grandfather. He currently lives in Railford, in the small family home, where he spends his idle days maintaining the limited amount of plants that would grow in the poor soil, and experimenting with plant-based pigments and dyes as per Shilka’s suggestion. 

Kemi, in contrast to her partner, was a forward, hot-tempered girl who resented the mundane and repetitive. She once dreamed of travelling to Andoran, encountering new opportunities, and starting a new life, but this was compromised when her first child was conceived. Convinced by Amgun’s dedication to raising the child, she was eventually moved by his love and devotion, and built a family with him. Over time, her idealism was replaced by serenity, as she now spends most of her time caring for her spouse, though she still can’t resist hounding travelers for their stories of foreign lands. 

Argun and Zeya Ussuri

The two deceased children of the family, who died in a flash flood while the parents were away. Zeya, who was four years old at the time, was playing on the riverbank when a sudden torrent of rain caused the banks to fail. As their sister was washed away, ten-year-old Argun and six-year-old Kherlen tried to retrieve her. Argun perished in the attempt, but Kherlen was rescued and his life preserved by Sarenite clerics (one of whom, a female half-elf named Saone Rhone, eventually became Amur’s mentor and benefactor) who were nearby the town at the time, and rushed to the scene to provide their aid. The then-seven-years-old Amur was tasked with taking care of the infant Shilka on the day, and had remained home.

Argun mostly took after his mother - headstrong and outgoing, he prided himself as the big brother of both the family and the children of the neighbourhood, and would not hesitate to stand up for those he consider his responsibility. Fiercely independent, he liked to put on a brave face, and kept worries to himself. He was very stubborn, and would even butt heads with his father if he felt that his siblings were being unrightfully chastised. 

Zeya, being the first girl born to the family after three boys, received a lot of doting from both parents and spent her short life under the watchful eyes of her older brothers. She was quite timid and easily startled, but she had inherited her mother’s curiosity, and would happily wander into new places to play alone. She loved small animals, and was particular fond of frogs and fish.

Kherlen Ussuri

The middle child of the family, who filled the role of the eldest better than Amur did after the passing of their two siblings. After his life was saved by the Sarenite clerics, and learning of Amur’s admiration for the work they did when the community were recovering from the disaster, he actively encouraged his older brother to find out more about the faith. It was only after Kherlen’s firm assurance that he would take care of the family that Amur found the will to give his life to the church.

He worked to save up as soon as he was able, and when he came of age, he applied to become an official city guard, and eventually was posted in Golsifar. After his father’s accident and early retirement, he became the primary supporter of his parents’ finances. Of the family, he is the one who stays in the closest contact with Amur, and the brothers correspond reasonably regularly by mail. Though Amur never returned to Taldan lands (at least pre-CSS), Kherlen has paid him several visits in Absalom over the years when he could spare the time and the coin.

Lawful Good Ranger. Following his older brothers’ death and departure, Kherlen became closer with his parents, and with conviction and perseverance, grew into a man of strong will and principle. He is hardworking, occasionally to the point of being a workaholic, and is generally quite tense. He can be rigid with rules and protocols, which makes him come off as rather cold and apathetic. He is extremely loyal to those he trusts, however, and would go to great lengths to help someone if he is convinced it is for the best.

Shilka Baikal née Ussuri

The youngest of the family, who, given the circumstances, never had the chance to get very close with her siblings. As such, she grew up as something of an only child, and felt little sense of belonging for her hometown. She followed her brothers’ footsteps and left home as soon as she was able, and was between jobs in Oppara for some years. 

While working for a tailor, she met a cloth merchant who traveled through Elsekulp, and ended up moving to work in the smaller city. There she worked for said merchant, through whom she met a weaver, Angara Baikal. She eventually married him, settled in Elsekulp, and had one daughter, Lena, followed by two sons, Kumoi and Irkut.

She currently stays at home to take care of her three children while her husband works during the day. She helps with supporting her parents where she can, and following her father’s accident, she came up with a way of keeping him occupied by asking him to tend to specific plants back at the family home in Railford and experiment with the pigments and dyes that can be extracted from them. Since becoming a mother, she has bonded with her own parents more closely, having seen a side of them that she has not experienced, or cannot remember. She exchanges letters with them, as well as her brother Kherlen, regularly, and tries to visit them at least once every year.

While she cannot remember much of Amur, his recent visit has been a pleasant experience for her, especially with how he interacted with her children. They now exchange letters (with the children’s input guaranteed) to keep in touch.

She has a detach sort of independence, and a deep desire to find the way she wants to live. She shows affection as well as disdain openly, and can be quite blunt and brusque when she feels strongly about things or people. She would not hesitate to call out her loved ones if she judges their behaviour or decisions to be wrong. She can also be rather impatient, which can lead to her jumping to conclusions.

Angara Baikal

Shilka’s husband, to whom she was wedded when she was nineteen and he was twenty-six. He comes from a family of weavers and has a broad network in the fabric trade within the country. His lives in Elsekulp, with some of his relatives directly working with well-to-do travelers who pass through the city, though he himself works in a district that focuses mostly on the primary industries and does not usually directly engage with said travelers.

He met Shilka when she arrived in the city to work for one of his associates. Initially attracted by her eagerness to learn and tenacious ideas, he eventually grew attached to her integrity and honesty, even if her tactlessness does bother him sometimes, especially when it rubs his mother, who lives in the same household, the wrong way. At the moment, his relationship with his wife is on the shaky side, with one of the factors being how much money she is sending her parents, and the extra work he has to put in to accommodate for his father-in-law’s hobby. Nevertheless, he avoids expressing his frustrations for the sake of his children, for whom he tries to maintain a mild, peaceful household.

Being significantly older than his wife, he is also more mature, with good work ethics. He is a man of few words who is adequately diplomatic when he does speak. Preferring to keep the peace, maintain the status quo, and avoid conflict, he tends to bottle up his frustrations, though he does occasionally succumb to bouts of anger. Even when he is not on good terms with his wife, he is dedicated to his family, and is a loving, affectionate father.

Lena, Kumoi, and Irkut Baikal

The three children of Angara and Shilka, aged six, four, and one from the start of CSS, respectively. They have lived all their lives in Elsekulp, and sometimes make their way to the busier parts of town, where they are exposed to the glamour of the upper class. They live in an extended household with their parents, as well as their paternal grandmother, who is rather frail.

Lena is an outgoing, cheerful, and quick-witted child. Entranced by beautiful fabrics from a young age, she dreams of becoming a tailor, and can behave rather vainly, occasionally throwing tantrums when she is dissatisfied with her appearance. Even if she is mischievous sometimes, her cleverness makes her very charming, and she is very protective of her brothers, especially her baby brother, Irkut.