#ophefic

Yardan

Located in Central Rodinia, Yardan was originally occupied by a tribe made up of mostly nomadic clans; a minority of clans had pseudo-permanent settlements established around more remote resources.

The clans generally avoided extensive interactions with each other in times of peace and abundance, limiting contact to trades and negotiations pertaining to keeping that peace. During times of strife, clans would enlist the help of other clans or temporarily join forces to resolve a common problem. Monogamous marriages between clans were allowed, providing that one of the couple fully assimilate into the other’s clan.

While the clans have generally agreed to coexist within Yardan’s borders and share its resources, conflicts between clans have inevitably arisen throughout history, and the clans’ sometimes conflicting values and identities have kept Yardan from becoming united. As far as the people of Yardan was concerned, this was all good and well, and nothing that could not be resolved by utilising their existing agreements.

The Alpine Water Crisis

Around two decades before the Annexation of Yardan, a crisis presented itself: the alpine water sources in the north were becoming depleted, and with most of Yardan being arid, this was a problem for all the clans.

Councils were held and most of the focus ended up being the assignment of blame and speculations - some thought it was the fault of one or more of the settled clans in the area, others pointed the finger at Sastrugia, the ever-expanding and industrialising neighbour to Yardan’s north. Yet some thought it was simply the result of nature running its course, and attributed the water scarcity to droughts, fires, and earthquakes.

Riesa the Bedrock

Eventually in one of these councils, a young woman spoke up and raised an unpopular idea: for the clans to work together and search for a solution, regardless of who or what was at fault.

While this approach was previously disregarded, this time the council listened, for it seemed that the young woman had in the past garnered rapport amongst the people - multiple clans corroborated accounts of this lone traveller appearing in their times of need to lead their members to water and safe shelter.

When questioned, the young woman would not disclose her clan of origin, and no clan would claim her as one of their own (it is entirely possible that her true clan of origin had sworn to secrecy on the matter, for one reason or another). She merely introduced herself as Riesa of Yardan. When asked about her abilities, she stated that they were beyond the magic and crafts practiced by some of the clans; her power was from the gods, she claimed, and she was their medium - a catalyst for their will in this world.

The people of Yardan gave Riesa a chance, and indeed, under the guidance and protection of the various clans, she secured new sources of water. Witnesses would say that her methods was inexplicable: she seemed able to revitalise spent streams, make dammed and dried rivers flow again, and even call forth springs where none had existed before. Her deeds were accompanied by tremors deep underfoot, as if the earth itself would shift and shape to her will.

Years of effort eventually saw not only the security of water and the resolution to Yardan’s crisis, but the clans were more united than ever before. There were children who grew up without witnessing animosity between clans. For both her gods-given powers and her role in consolidating the people of Yardan, the young woman was lauded as Riesa the Bedrock, Hand of the Gods.

Clan Feran

Of the many clans of Yardan, nine actively practiced magic in some form. Clan Feran was considered a group of warrior-mages, and the most attuned of these were able to harness the power of natural elements.

Unlike those in what some would consider more developed civilisations, the Yardani people did not approach magic via scholastic and theoretical methods. Instead, the practice of magic was more approximate to shamanism, rooted in intuition and spirituality. Members of Clan Feran would, from a young age, discern and attune themselves to specific natural phenomena. By becoming familiar with them overtime, the warrior-mage would be able to master their favoured phenomenon through an understanding that is innate and instinctive.

Nel the Stormpiercer

Amongst the members of Clan Feran was Nel, a young girl considered a talented warrior-mage who seemed born with an attachment to the winds. While most of her clansmen discerned their attuned phenomenon by their young adult years, Nel had by the age of twelve attuned herself to windstorms. Gifted with sharp eyes, she also trained in the use of missile weapons.

Nel was able to combine her skills in magic and weapon in a most unique manner when there are strong winds: she could counter the gusts and gales immediately around herself and/or her weapon(s) in such a way that when she fired a missile, it would fly straight and true despite the turbulence around it.

When her clan was approached with the task of providing protection for Riesa on her more treacherous journeys, Nel was one of those chosen to accompany the young woman, as a chance for her to shadow more senior warrior-mages. The two soon fostered a close intergenerational friendship, and the girl proved her loyalty in how seriously she took to the role of being the woman’s guard. Despite Nel’s young age, Riesa petitioned for her to be granted a moniker befitting of a mature warrior-mage of her clan; thus the girl was known as the Stormpiercer, and became one of Riesa’s closest bodyguards.

The Curse of Yardan

The stability and growth of Yardan did not go unnoticed by Sastrugia, Yardan’s highly militarised neighbour. While it had expanded its borders in the past by offering aid and protection to less developed adjacent nations, and subsequently establishing vassal states, nothing less than an invasion would have claimed Yardan. With a culture where magic was both exclusive and feared, it did not take much for propaganda to convince Sastrugia’s people that this “untamed and dangerous threat” of a neighbour ought to be pacified before it could grow much greater.

Yardan, united as it had become, was no match for the organised assault of the Sastrugian army. Its people wanted Riesa - their treasure, bedrock, and the hope of their nation - to be protected, and so she was left in the protection of warriors; Nel served, of course, as her personal bodyguard.

Tragically, during the last stand of the Yardani tribe, and in the midst of her attempt to channel her gods-given powers to protect what was left of her people, Riesa was assassinated.

In their shock, grief, and despair, those who remained - mage or otherwise - broke a taboo and invoked a curse upon their captors: that they would “never obtain the power for which it lusts”.

Aftermath

The few Yardani who survived the invasion, including Nel who had witnessed Riesa’s murder, were taken prisoner. Most died in captivity soon after, being subjected to mistreatment. Nel, through the intercession of Riesa’s killer herself, was spared, and subsequently brainwashed, “reformed”, and integrated into the very army that killed her people and annexed her nation.

Coalition/Invasion

Neither of them would have foreseen the return to their homeland and their reunion with one another to happen the way they did.

Aeollis G. Fjorde, who had built a life in a foreign land and paid her dues in giving back to it, returned with honour to Sastrugia in times of strife to offer a deal: for her two beloved nations to form a coalition and stand against the empire from across the sea bearing down on them with military might. With much to gain and everything to lose, she would put all she had on the line - her wit in dealing with matters of diplomacy, her intelligence in the form of technology she helped develop, and even her life to ensure that the leaders of Sastrugia would be saved, that her homeland would be preserved.

Arkos Ferani, who had long since shed the names that branded him a property of Sastrugia, arrived as vanguard to an empire's invading army. Wanting the system to go down without taking the people with it, he demanded blood of only the members of the High Chamber. He sought not personal revenge, but a way to break the wheel, to see the end to a malicious cycle that kept a nation running by sacrificing the humanity of individuals. Once a weapon, he was still a weapon, but now by his own choosing, and - despite what it might have looked like - for his own ends.

The soldier and the weapon. Safety and Trigger. Twins. Fellow oblations of the Fjorde family. "Galen".

Examination

The Fjorde twins, both and collectively named "Galen", were dedicated to the government of Sastrugia before birth as part of an agreement between the nation's rulers and the elite magical families.

Since a young age, the twins underwent regular examination to ensure that they grew up healthy and to monitor their development. It was deemed that the male and elder Galen had greater magical capacity and strong intuition, but was physically more frail and prone to mood fluctuations. The female and younger Galen, on the other hand, was born with strong constitution, tended to act more rationally and was more emotionally/psychologically stable; however she was was deemed less magically talented.

By the end of one examination, the mother of the then-three-years-old twins concluded:

"The boy is a powerful weapon, but the girl will make an ideal soldier."

Education/Evaluation

The female Galen, known as "Aeollis", was a quick learner in conventional education but showed little interest in cultivating her magical talents. She was self-motivated and keen to learn, and when presented with books and lessons, eagerly absorbed any knowledge offered to her. She displayed interest in all academic topics, but took to scientific ones well enough to warrant continued training in the subject areas therein.

The male Galen, known as "Arkos", did not take well to structured learning; his intuition however allowed him to develop his magical abilities largely independently. As such, test and experiments were performed to further evaluate his magical growth and potential. These apparently had an overall negative effect on his delicate physical and psychological disposition.

The twins shared a cordial relationship at this point, and Aeollis was the only one guaranteed to be able to placate her brother during times of distress.

Separation/Isolation

As they grew up into preteens, the twins' personalities became more apparent, as did their differences. Where Aeollis was obedient and respectful to authority figures, Arkos was rebellious and sceptical.

Their communication and relationship broke down over time, and an incident occurred when they were eleven years old: an argument between the twins escalated into a physical altercation, during which Arkos struck his sister with lightning magic sufficient to cause a cardiac arrest.

Aeollis recovered from this but retained nerve damage in her arm. After the incident the twins were physically separated; Arkos was regularly isolated for others' safety.

Indoctrination/Insubordination

In the wake of the aforementioned incident, Aeollis was sent to board at a military school and studied as a cadet. There she furthered her knowledge in the scientific fields, and conditioned her body through fitness and combat training. She took well to the nationalistic indoctrination to which she was exposed. She developed social skills, was generally well-liked by her peers, and displayed potential in diplomacy.

Arkos was encouraged to continue developing his skills in magic, and was offered education in relevant scientific areas to that end. He accepted these but only up to a rudimentary/foundational level, and preferred to improve his magical prowess through trial-and-error. He was deemed unstable and dangerous - strict rules, regulations, and restrictions were put in place to ensure the safety of him and his handlers. Despite this, he remained dangerously obstinate and was frequently insubordinate to even his parents.

Migration/Desertion

Having grown into a young woman demonstrating unwavering loyalty to her nation and its values, Aeollis was given clearance to leave Sastrugia, go abroad, and attend the Academy of Heroes, which focused on the education of magic. By the time she graduated, she received a fellowship offered by a foreign university to continue fostering her passion in scientific research. She sought and received government permission to accept the offer.

The year following his sister's migration overseas, Arkos was reported missing. This was openly presumed to be a case of kidnapping, but desertion by Arkos' own initiative was considered a possibility.

Installation/Induction

Four years on and Aeollis had settled into the university and been installed as a tenured academic. Her contributions to the understanding of electromagnetism and other related fields of physics were widely acknowledged.

Arkos had by this time resurfaced in a nation who was considered an adversary to the one that had taken in Aeollis, as a fully-inducted agent under a high-ranked military officer.

New Era

Both twins had now settled into their roles outside of Sastrugia -

Aeollis was a researcher, diplomat, and single mother, responsible for the physical theories behind the development of technology that safeguarded her new adoptive nation. She was always eager to offer her skills for the defence of this country she now called home, always keen to cater to the needs of its leaders. For this new happiness, and for the future happiness of her daughter, she would gladly work.

As an ideal soldier.

Arkos answered to one man who served an empire, acting as his agent where force and bloodshed was needed. In the depths of war he found his peace, in destruction he found belonging, in corruption he found humanity. In a foreign land, in a household made up of broken individuals, he found a family bound by loyalty, and it was one he would willingly serve.

Zylin Skerr

One of the most successful oblations from the most prominent Elevated Family of Sastrugia, Zylin Skerr, who was offered for lifelong service to her country at the age of two, had proven to be a prodigy in material physics and weaponry. Such skills and knowledge culminated in her unique ability to cleave through matter with the application of little strength and magic, securing her a place in a covert military force as an assassin before she reached her teenage years.

She was offered special exemptions, from access to training and resources usually only open to veterans who have earned them through years of service, to the exemption to keep long hair and wear makeup and jewelry.

Riesa of Yardan

At thirteen years of age, Zylin participated in the final battle that saw to the completion of the annexation of Yardan. During the height of the battle, she slayed a woman regarded by the Yardani clans as "hand of the gods": Riesa of Yardan, a young woman whose gentle disposition and powerful earth-moving magic were believed to be able to bring Yardan to internal peace, self-reliance, and cultural advancement.

With her death, the battle and the nation of Yardan itself were lost, and the remaining people cursed Sastrugia to "never obtain the power for which it lusts" as they were either killed or taken prisoner.

Nel of Clan Feran

The Yardani prisoners were subjected to procedures of brainwashing, experimentation, or both; eventually, only a twelve-year-old girl would survive - Nel of Clan Feran, a talented warrior-mage with power over the winds.

Nel was tenacious - this had in fact caught Zylin's attention, and she petitioned for the younger girl to be spared harsher treatment. After months in captivity, however, the procedures inflicted upon her caused her to be subservient to the very people that destroyed her nation, people, and history.

Renamed Petronilla Ferani, she was deemed "successfully reformed" and integrated into Sastrugian society. Three years after her capture, she was serving as a sharpshooter in the army.

A mere six years later, Petronilla was forcibly retired from field duty due to a serious injury to her hand sustained during a skirmish. She became coupled with her ex-subordinate - Aren Fjorde, an oblation from another Elevated Family - almost immediately.

Aftermath

Zylin would eventually mentor Aren and Petronilla's children - a pair of twins, brother and sister - in combative magic and material physics, respectively. She cared little for these "Yardani mutts", but strove to do her job well, nevertheless. She had sundered the hope of Yardan, and she would carve its endlings.

As she aged, she continued to hone her skills, and made a name for herself by successfully completing high-profile missions one after another, only putting a short pause in her career when she had a child - a son - for the sole purpose of having a progeny. Several of her grandchildren inherited at least a fraction of her talents.

Still, the thrill of snuffing out a "hand of the gods" as Riesa called upon her power was etched into her being. Even after decades of fighting, hurting, and killing, the memory would still evoke a stinging heat that spread under her skin, like an itch she could not reach.

When he first resurfaced, having defeated with his companions the lich called Drazmorg, the townsfolk - what’s left of them, after the grueling siege - greeted them as if they were heroes. Their faces, although weary, were spirited, hopeful, despite their loss.

He knew, though, that this was a pyrrhic victory through and through. The final battle was exhiliarating, but after he rode out the high spirits from being able to contribute significantly to the fight, he was left asking the questions of what could have been:

If only he hadn’t gotten associated with the wraith. If only he hadn’t enabled her to take the Stone of White. If only he hadn’t fallen from grace before the final confrontation. If only he had been the paladin that he’s meant to be…

Then so many lives could have been spared.

At the initial defense of the city walls. At the confrontation with the undead dragon. At the pit swarming with ghouls and people.

If he hadn’t fallen, the walls might not have been breached. Savram might not have died. He might not have had to mercy-kill all those civilians kidnapped from their homes.

He was no hero.

These were his failings, his crimes, his sins. As he’d told Darathaxyl in his trial, they were his to bear, and his to confront.

And so, he made a pledge:

He would watch over Darkmoon Vale, whose queen had preserved him.

He would stand by his companions, who had fought for and with him, where he could.

He would continue the life of an adventurer, so he could encounter those in need, in atonement for all the help he could not give.

Saone Rhone

Half-Elf | Female | LG | Cleric (Merciful Healer) | 46yo

Absalom born and bred, Saone was raised as a sheltered only-child of devout Sarenite parents. At age twenty-five she volunteered to be a missionary, only to be told that she needed to experience being an adventurer to equip her for life outside of her hometown. She worked with various parties of adventurers, until three years later, she returned with the sixteen-year-old mercenary Roan, and convinced the church to aid her in buying off his contract.

Rohan “Roan” Zaiho-Minh

Half-Elf | Male | NG | Fighter (Titan Fighter) | 34yo

An immigrant from Tian Xia, Roan was fresh-off-the-boat when he met Saone through a mercenary company at Qadira. Having been trained in combat since a young age, he had begun adventuring at eleven years old, and provided a dependable companion to Saone despite his age. After his contract was bought off, he was free to go where he wished, though he chose to remain in close contact with Saone, and aided her throughout most of her journeys.

Ardiere Ardevel

Human | Male | LG | Inquisitor (Sanctified Slayer) | 31yo

A native of Andoran, the child of a mother from the Golden Legion of the Eagle Knights and a lay Sarenite father, Ardiere was raised to possess a strong sense of justice and obedience to authority. By the age of twenty-one, he was competent and trusted enough to be assigned to keep an eye on Saone, who along with Roan was causing minor concerns with her reckless actions (e.g. picking up “strays”). He acts as the voice of reason and sometimes the devil’s advocate, eventually becoming an official member of the ephemeral party.

Veyle Magenet

Tiefling | Female | CG | Wizard (Poleiheira Adherent) | 62yo

Veyle was happily adopted by a human Varisian couple, who sent her to study at the Acadamae once her inclination for magic manifested. Her adoptive parents had long since passed away, and she worked at the college as an assistant to the scholars and teachers. Despite being magical by birth, she at first preferred studying the theory of magic (particularly those from the Conjuration and Illusion schools), and then its applications. As such, she longed to travel and experience magic in other contexts and situations.

Saone (cleric) and Roan (fighter) met at the respective ages of 28 and 16, when the former was gathering life experience as an adventurer at her superiors’ behest, and the latter was a new arrival to Avistan and working as a mercenary. Saone bought his service, and was impressed enough that a year on, she brought him to Absalom, and convinced her superiors to give her allowance to buy off his contract from the mercenary company.

Soon after, she was sent to Kelesh, along with Roan. While passing through Taldor, the two aided the town of Railford, which was struck by disaster. Amur, then 7 years old, was one of those that benefited from their help.

The following year, having completed her assignment in Kelesh, she returned to Absalom, picking up Amur along the way as the boy wanted to go with her. Roan went his own way, occasionally joining Saone on her deployments (including when the inquisitor Ardiere was assigned to the team, and when the team of three secured the wizard Veyle), and eventually met the 18-year-old sorcerer Ganren at the age of 23.

5 years later, Saone proposed meeting up with Roan for a short adventure with their charges, as Amur, who was 18, was shadowing her at the time, and would benefit from the experiences of teamwork with people from outside of the familiar.

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.