Born the fourth eldest child in an Enoran family of eight, Eliano chose to become a Sworn Maiden at a young age, a semi-religious status of male recognition. Brutish, driven, and stubborn, Eliano is never the type to miss out on training or defending his own from any threat, great or small. He was originally conscripted to the Anocuran army before taking his father’s place in an Old Trial, to be judged by Amari beyond the Saltblood Barrier.
While skilled in understanding melee combat, he is hopeless at handling emotional complexities and will often outright avoid them to his own detriment. Despite an arrogant streak, he is earnestly devout and utterly loyal to his friends. Like his father, he enjoys the company of Lamiak and can’t stomach the thought of eating poultry. He has lofty goals of becoming a commission officer as his uncle before him and is eager to prove himself in any way.
Eliano’s reverence towards religion and elves is occasionally scoffed at by Relmin and questioned by Yerli. While he believes in a general equality among the races, he harbors some bigotry against Deotians, whom he deems unworthy of Amari’s mercy. He does not often question his society or state, but does support his sisters’ decisions to branch out into nontraditional fields.
Heto Hantu Khesar of Sal-Truss
A lanky young Deotian boy representing an older brother charged in the Smith’s Quarter Riot. He seems to be in shock at the unfortunate events unfolding around him.
Etten Srana
An elf child belonging to the Sect of the Light, Srana is an orphan of little skill and less luck. She has tendencies towards whining, cowardice, and fright, though earnestly tries to get the approval of others. She was last seen watching over the Ark that the Sect of the Light was deemed to oversee.
DAVREY FAMILY
Davrey Calios
Eliano’s father, Calios, served six years in the Sea People’s conflicts before retiring to run a Lamiak courier service in Saltrust. He saved Sancia Rennin’s life twice in war and has kept him a close friend ever since, to the point of marrying one another’s sisters despite their class differences.
He feels an enormous amount of guilt and sorrow over the death of his younger sister, Filumena, and assisted Rennin in attempting to apprehend one of her alleged attackers. Calios was seriously injured in the Smith’s Quarter Riot that followed, and was charged with inciting the violence as Rennin was considered too laudable to indict. He despises Deotians and sincerely believes the country would be better off as a whole without them.
Davrey Lelia
Lelia is an acclaimed lutist and composer in Saltrust, from the well-established Golden Doe Sancia family. On the side, she manages a variety of properties throughout Doveland that she plans to entrust to her children upon their marriages. While she technically has more wealth and power in the marriage, her relationship with Calios is largely equal and supporting. They never quite left the infatuation stage after marriage.
She has a reputation for being radically anti-classist for marrying down into the secondary class and promoting women’s education, though she maintains some prejudices against Lamiak and Deotians.
Sancia Rennin
Lelia’s elder brother and Eliano’s uncle, Rennin was a well-respected commissioned officer commanding a fifth of the Anocuran army, as well as serving as Governor to the disputed territory of Resoulena. He set up Calios’s marriage to Lelia and was shortly married to Eliano’s agnatic aunt, Filumena, after her first engagement went sour publicly.
Seven months after their marriage, he was restrained and beaten by a group of Deotian men and left to witness his wife’s rape and murder. In the long recovery that followed, he took to preparing wealthy or promising young men that would eventually join training phalanxes for mandatory conscription, including Eliano. He has no children and never remarried.
After attempting to seize one of his wife’s attackers years later, he was gravely injured in the Smith’s Quarter Riot. He is currently kept in sleep in the Southgardens temple, though his condition remains critical.
THE SIBLINGS
Larue Minano
Minano co-owns and runs a textile business with her husband, Diolo, in another city. As the eldest of the Davrey children, she tends to be more mature and aloof for her age, keeping a calm, composed air about her. Among family, she is sharp, level-headed, and occasionally surly when she senses falsehoods.
Her husband is Qenotese and was a minor officer in the Franec war. They have a moody infant son named Delnin.
Davrey Lelana
The second eldest sister of the family. She takes after her mother, studying lute, voice, and composition under her supervision. Though she holds some traditional views of women’s place in society that grates on her siblings’ nerves, Lelana is quite practical and resourceful when she needs to be.
She is engaged to an Enoran named Cortin from the city Brickstooth, and is quite excited and impatient for her marriage.
Davrey Relmin
Eliano’s immediate elder sister. Gawky and soft-spoken in most circumstances, Relmin feels most confident apprenticing as a scribe alongside her best friend, Orsino. Her doubting and often irreverent nature makes her prone to hesitation and yielding to stronger personalities.
Relmin was the linchpin in Eliano’s plan of committing perjury against the state, and is consumed by the guilt of sending her brother onto an seemingly impossible task. Of all the children, she is the only to question the state’s decision to make such an extreme move and doubts their motives, though she has little support.
She plans on acquiring her citizenship to get full salary at court and eventually study law.
Davrey Yerli
The youngest daughter of the Davrey family, Yerli attends the Sect of the Earth for her second year of general education when not suspended for starting brawls with other students. She is one of the youngest of her study group, but is quite attentive and bright.
Yerli has a hard time letting things go when she deems them unfair or unequal. She finds many social mores grating and unnecessary, and struggles to come to terms with her place in society.
Davrey Summas
The youngest son of the Davrey family. He is boisterous, brazen, and loud, but sweet-natured and friendly. He was originally destined for conscription to the Anocuran army before Eliano stepped in as a Sworn Maiden.
He is quite indignant about being the baby of the family, but still sleeps with a stuffed animal.
OTHER CHARACTERS
Japer
A loyal and long-time friend of Eliano’s. Japer is a rare sort of lamiak in that he has married, has some money to his name, and chooses to live in one location.
He can be quite insolent about admitting his limitations, which has led to a severe injury at least once in his lifetime. He has three chicks with his wife, who he met through a brazen act on Eliano’s part.
