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Devlin of House Jarvis
Devlin was a cousin of Edwin, the Lord in waiting of House Jarvis. His mother Viviana was the Lady in waiting to the Baroness and his father Tayvor was the master of the hounds. Devlin's sister Karabel was a beautiful young lady that showed promise to cement a relationship with neighboring house Jhaltero, though her personal interests mirrored her father's.
While Devlin had the natural knack the whole family exhibited towards architecture, his talents seemed more predisposed to find odd corners, echo chambers that allowed someone to listen to distant conversations, and back passageways used by halfling slaves. His aunt saw in him a wild streak, prone to mischief with a rowdy demeanor, often dragging the young lord Edwin into trouble. She first sent Devlin to the stables, where he learned the duties of the marshalsea, then onto a local college at arms. Her intent was that Devlin was to be the House Marshal when Edwin assumed the Barony, hoping that she could temper Devlin’s talents to the benefit of the family.
While at college Devlin encountered Raktavi. Raktavi seemed to know everyone, had a friend in every crowd. While you were with him you never wanted for anything. Raktavi would often invite Devlin out drinking at the Thrashing Badger and lifted the veil for Devlin. He showcased the corruption of the Church of Asmodeus, he titillated Devlin with the subjugation of the nation in the hands of House Thrune, and finally inspired the faith of Cayden Cailean. Devlin was enamored with a religion where no one was slave to another, where a person was free to develop and mature as an individual instead of being given directions by someone else within their life. Devlin did not feel bound to blood or contract and began a life where he often stayed out, associating with individuals that could be called the underworld of Kintargo. He learned the skills of climbing and movement from one gentleman who claimed he had visited all the noble houses without invitation. Another compatriot educated Devlin on how to charm coins from the citizenry with a kind word and light touch. Legerdemain was taught by a young lady who had practiced games a plenty on street corners. Devlin blended this into his martial training and his knowledge of Kintargo’s people. Devlin walked proud, his finger finding the pulse that beat beneath the city streets and within the citizens that called Kintargo home.
As Devlin developed his skills and personality so did Kintargo develop, though as Devlin flourished, the city withered. The rot that gnawed at the roots of the city, Barzillia was appointed Lord-Mayor by house Thrune. Devlin and his maligned associates chaffed at the control, the hated edicts that Barzillia brought with him. Many of his friends, including Raktavi, went missing when martial law was called down. No more could he visit the young lady with her games of guided chance, no more could he learn how to pray to a priest instead of the god the priest served. The few of Devlin's companions who remained met every evening at Clenchjaw's to discuss the changes within the city and the end game of house Thrune. Then, on the Night of Ashes, house Jarvis fell. Delvin’s mother Viviana and father Tayvor are purported to be missing. When his sister Karabel disappeared from the boarding school for young girls, Devlin began to seethe. He has found temporary shelter among the students of the city, other individuals who have taken up the torch of his missing comrades. Devlin is beginning to think the chaos that is fomenting is a wonderful time to take to the streets, showing exactly how great his displeasure with Barzillia is. Thus he finds himself in Aria Park with few friends but many acquaintances.
Devlin carries himself like a predator, fully aware and present in his surroundings. His hand is casually hooked through the basket of his estoc, the thin fingers eagerly dancing across the polished surface. Each step is measured and weighed, taking energy expenditure into account against how to twist or turn as need dictates. As the light strikes his eyes, a deep amethyst glow focuses on each person, assessing the threat they present. His signet ring and clothes wait for him in a stash, hidden within a small hollow, avoiding association with his disgraced house not for shame, but so he can strike while his foes look elsewhere. His black hair is cut short, a spiked mess since he lost access to his grooming kit. Well-crafted leathers gird him, leaving him free to move when the time comes. This night, he is not the hunted, but a lean wolf hungry for prey.