Sylvian Artesto
Sylvian Artesto is, according to the records held by The Republic of Vel Anir, long dead. He was a decorated member of the Guard, respected for his commanding presence and cunning intuition on the field, and responsible for several successful campaigns through the efforts of he and his comrades. The liberation of the city of Farris from the elves was considered to be the crowning achievement of his career, and until the city's recent destruction, a monument to Sylvian stood in the town square of Vel Farris.
Sylvian, along with his wife Azia, dedicated themselves so wholly to serving the city that they were awarded a great many accolades. There were even talks of Sylvian being chosen for a considerable position of leadership. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the war hero while on a routine scouting deployment; Sylvian and Azia's small group was waylaid by a warband of bloodthirsty elves, eager to rip Anirian flesh. Sylvian, his wife, and all those who were affiliated with him were slaughtered mercilessly by the sharp-eared monsters.
The Artestos were survived only by their infant son, Silas Artesto, who now serves as a Dreadlord Initiate.
This is the story that is recorded by The Republic, but the truth is an entirely different matter. There were no bloodthirsty elves that day, nor was Sylvian and Azia's last stand side by side with a band of brothers that they trusted with their lives. Perhaps the biggest falsity of all, though, is the fate of Sylvian himself; While Azia's body was recovered, nobody ever found the corpse of her husband.
Appearance
Sylvian is an older man, but that hasn't stopped him from being every bit the charmer that he was in his youth. Slim of frame and just a tad above average in height, Artesto still dresses himself as though his appearance would be judged by a superior, despite having none.
He wears a white buttoned shirt, hanging loosely over grey trousers tucked into military-style boots. In addition, he wears a harness on his upper body to support the large bag of belongings on his back, and a belt with a large silver buckle bearing his family crest.
The one item he is never without is the shawl of his late wife, tied over his shoulders at all times. It serves as a reminder of what was done to him, what he fights for, and what has been taken from him.
He wears a white buttoned shirt, hanging loosely over grey trousers tucked into military-style boots. In addition, he wears a harness on his upper body to support the large bag of belongings on his back, and a belt with a large silver buckle bearing his family crest.
The one item he is never without is the shawl of his late wife, tied over his shoulders at all times. It serves as a reminder of what was done to him, what he fights for, and what has been taken from him.
Skills and Abilities
Sylvian is an extremely talented soldier, formerly a high-ranking Anirian Guard. He is highly proficient in swordsmanship, still using and maintaining the blade from his days of active service. In addition to this, he's talented with ranged weapons, horseback riding, traps, and hand-to-hand combat.
Perhaps Artesto's most notable strength, however, is his charismatic personality. Sylvian is an accomplished leader with an innate sense of the people around him and how they feel. He's not shy about using this empathy to his advantage, either, often displaying a talent for talking his way through conflict instead of fighting, convincing people over to his side, and sometimes even charming and befriending those who should be his enemy.
Perhaps Artesto's most notable strength, however, is his charismatic personality. Sylvian is an accomplished leader with an innate sense of the people around him and how they feel. He's not shy about using this empathy to his advantage, either, often displaying a talent for talking his way through conflict instead of fighting, convincing people over to his side, and sometimes even charming and befriending those who should be his enemy.
Personality
Sylvian is an extremely outgoing and charismatic man, never greeting a stranger with anything but a smile. Known to be carefree even after the tragic circumstances he lives in, Artesto prefers optimism and negotiation above violence and argument, and is never one to turn down a bit of playful banter or flirtation.
However, much of this is a cover for the hurt that Sylvian feels almost constantly over his betrayal by Vel Anir. After giving so much of his life for his home, to be stabbed in the back and robbed of his family has left a large part of the once proud soldier fundamentally broken and depressed. To say his flask has gotten more use than most would be a gross understatement, and while not a complete alcoholic, it's safe to say he drinks more than he should to stem that pain.
However, much of this is a cover for the hurt that Sylvian feels almost constantly over his betrayal by Vel Anir. After giving so much of his life for his home, to be stabbed in the back and robbed of his family has left a large part of the once proud soldier fundamentally broken and depressed. To say his flask has gotten more use than most would be a gross understatement, and while not a complete alcoholic, it's safe to say he drinks more than he should to stem that pain.
Biography & Lore
Sylvian was born in Vel Anir in an era of strict rule, when ruthlessness beyond today's standards had yet to be tempered by the reforms of the Revolution. Born into poverty and with no magical ability, Sylvian enlisted in the Guard as soon as he was of age as a means to support his ailing parents. While the monetary gain of his lowly initial rank was meager, it was enough to purchase them a respectable home to spend their twilight years in, and when they peacefully passed away, Sylvian had served too long to imagine doing anything else with his life.
Chiefly because of Azia. The beautiful woman had tended to his wounds after a particularly nasty skirmish with a group of Orcs in an expedition to the Spine gone terribly wrong, and the two of them bonded almost instantly. A combat medic, Azia was not a fan of the war and violence that Sylvian so often sowed, yet the magnetism between them drew them together regardless. In time, the two began living together, marrying soon after.
It was after this marriage that Sylvian's outlook on Vel Anir began to change. For his entire adult life he'd killed for his city, without thinking of the consequences, of the lives he'd taken. Azia's perspective began to change his way of thinking. Her love of life, dreams of peace and constant pacifistic pleas slowly wore on the Soldier.
The final straw was Farris, an elven settlement that Sylvian was tasked with leading a raid on, to raze and rebuild into a proper Anirian city. These elves were not warriors, were not radical anti-human terrorists who wished to see him dead. They were helpless civilians, women and children who feared and cowered for their lives as Artesto took everything they lived for on the whim of a government who saw them as nothing but monsters.
Sylvian returned from that mission shaken to his core. This time, there was no hiding his discontent from his fellow soldiers. They saw his hesitation, his disgust...
His sympathy.
Sylvian and Azia were given several months absence, to let Sylvian recover from the Battle of Vel Farris, and for Azia to give birth to their child, Silas Artesto. Both of them doted on the boy, whose birth only redoubled Sylvian's resolve to quit the Guard and find more peaceful work to support his wife and newborn son. Upon returning to active duty, he was assigned to one final assignment before his dismissal would be processed. Nothing difficult; a band of soldiers had been wounded and needed medical assistance, along with reinforcements should the elves they'd fought back return for another round.
Sylvian and Azia departed, leaving their son in the care of the Guard until they returned.
They did not return.
It had been a trap; word of Sylvian's sympathetic rhetoric had spread, and a group of Guards had decided to punish him for his disloyal thoughts. The couple were attacked by their own men, and Azia was killed. Sylvian narrowly escaped, badly wounded and without a horse to carry him. Assuming he would bleed out and die on his own, his attackers took the body of his wife and left him alone in the dense woods.
Sylvian didn't die; he found a small elven village and pled for aid, renouncing the government that had just betrayed him. The elves nursed him back to health, and Artesto retreated into a low-profile life of solitude, not for his own safety, but for that of his son, Silas, knowing they would use the boy against him if he tried to strike back.
Sixteen years have passed since that fateful day, and the arrival of a new rebellion, stronger than any in recent memory, has drawn Sylvian from his seclusion. Now is his chance to find closure, to end the tragic book of his life on a positive note, to reclaim the glory that should never have been lost in the first place.
And to find his son.
Chiefly because of Azia. The beautiful woman had tended to his wounds after a particularly nasty skirmish with a group of Orcs in an expedition to the Spine gone terribly wrong, and the two of them bonded almost instantly. A combat medic, Azia was not a fan of the war and violence that Sylvian so often sowed, yet the magnetism between them drew them together regardless. In time, the two began living together, marrying soon after.
It was after this marriage that Sylvian's outlook on Vel Anir began to change. For his entire adult life he'd killed for his city, without thinking of the consequences, of the lives he'd taken. Azia's perspective began to change his way of thinking. Her love of life, dreams of peace and constant pacifistic pleas slowly wore on the Soldier.
The final straw was Farris, an elven settlement that Sylvian was tasked with leading a raid on, to raze and rebuild into a proper Anirian city. These elves were not warriors, were not radical anti-human terrorists who wished to see him dead. They were helpless civilians, women and children who feared and cowered for their lives as Artesto took everything they lived for on the whim of a government who saw them as nothing but monsters.
Sylvian returned from that mission shaken to his core. This time, there was no hiding his discontent from his fellow soldiers. They saw his hesitation, his disgust...
His sympathy.
Sylvian and Azia were given several months absence, to let Sylvian recover from the Battle of Vel Farris, and for Azia to give birth to their child, Silas Artesto. Both of them doted on the boy, whose birth only redoubled Sylvian's resolve to quit the Guard and find more peaceful work to support his wife and newborn son. Upon returning to active duty, he was assigned to one final assignment before his dismissal would be processed. Nothing difficult; a band of soldiers had been wounded and needed medical assistance, along with reinforcements should the elves they'd fought back return for another round.
Sylvian and Azia departed, leaving their son in the care of the Guard until they returned.
They did not return.
It had been a trap; word of Sylvian's sympathetic rhetoric had spread, and a group of Guards had decided to punish him for his disloyal thoughts. The couple were attacked by their own men, and Azia was killed. Sylvian narrowly escaped, badly wounded and without a horse to carry him. Assuming he would bleed out and die on his own, his attackers took the body of his wife and left him alone in the dense woods.
Sylvian didn't die; he found a small elven village and pled for aid, renouncing the government that had just betrayed him. The elves nursed him back to health, and Artesto retreated into a low-profile life of solitude, not for his own safety, but for that of his son, Silas, knowing they would use the boy against him if he tried to strike back.
Sixteen years have passed since that fateful day, and the arrival of a new rebellion, stronger than any in recent memory, has drawn Sylvian from his seclusion. Now is his chance to find closure, to end the tragic book of his life on a positive note, to reclaim the glory that should never have been lost in the first place.
And to find his son.
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