 About Thierry du ChabannesThierry du Chabannes CR 1/2
Chevalier Thierry du Chabannes is the bastard son of Jeon-Pol du Chabannes, le Comte de Chaîneîle, lord of the small chain of islands lying off of the coast of Cauldron. Sixty-five years ago, there was one of the fiercest hurricanes in memory ripping through the jungle islands. In its wake, a strange sailing ship was washed up on shore of one of the islands. When the new count arrived with an armed contingent of his men, they found the angular planes and sweeping curves of the ship to confound the eye with it's nearly impossible geometry. There were even skates coming out from the bottom at angles to the keel beam that made no sense as they would surely be under water and only create drag Among the wreckage, they found survivors. More than two dozen elves had holed up within the bowels of the ship to ride out the storm when the winds had become too much for their craft. Unlike the elves they were used to from Elvenhome or Hollowsky, these elves were taller than men with procelain skin and amethyst or amber eyes. That they came from the sea was obvious. Just as obvious that their ship was wrecked. A wizened elf stepped forward and introduced himself as Alsindrel, the captain of the ship and leader to his people, crew. His bearing, dress and the exquisite long black blade strapped to his back lent to a noble lineage as much as his archaic speech. For while du Chabannes could speak elvish, theirs was an unusual dialect and he had trouble understanding them. They requested sanctuary and permission to live and plant trees to replace their broken beams, spars, mast and boards for their ship on this island. Jeon-Pol graciously acquiesed to their request as a gesture of noblesse oblige to a peer. Over the next several days they erected simple structures for shelter and then set to planting seeds across the islands. The comte offered use of plows and men to help them clear the land they needed, but they politely declined saying that theirs was a task that could be accomplished without troubling their host or altering the landscape of his domain. He watched as their priests prayed over the plantings and wondered at how they were nonplussed by the years it would take such endeavors to pay off. During his frequent visits, he slowly came to know Alsindrel and his people, learning that they were an extended family group. Very friendly and outgoing they always welcomed him to their encampment.
What started as shy glances turned to self-conscious smiles and then to secret touches when no one was looking. When their young romance finally found fulfillment, they kept it to themselves at her insistence. She warned that her people frowned on the inclusion of outsiders and it would not go over well. Of course, it did not take long for Alsindrel to realize what was occuring. He was livid at his daughter's actions and deeply resentful at du Chabannes, however; as his host, he was above direct reproach. The elder elf sequestered his daughter and remained coldly polite as civility demanded to le Comte de Chaîneîle for the ensuing months. Amazingly, during the course of that year, the seeds had grown to saplings and were now full grown trees. Jeon-Pol understood then that they were not priests at all, but druids who had caused the rapid growth. Their crop was ready for harvest and the elves would soon have their ship repaired and be gone. He implored Alsindrel to relent and allow him see Q'orielle. The elf leader had only grown more cold and distant over the passing months and would only consent to their reunion when the ship was ready to depart. Two weeks later, the wood was felled, cut and shaped to fit the ship. Repairs complete, du Chabannes arrived to wish the elves well on their journey and to see his love again. The elves had their ship sitting in the water at anchor. It was pristine and looked brand new; all sign of damage erased. Alsindrel was at the shoreline with several of his people and a long boat waiting to take them back. As Jeon-Pol approached, the elf stepped forward with another elf in a hooded cloak at his side. Alsindrel thanked le Comte de Chaîneîle for his hospitality and explained that as repayment they had left some of the trees. Those trees would seed the island and grow into the extremely durable but light weight wood that they used. Their growth would not be altered and was naturally slow so for the next several generations the wood would be scarce. In time, the island may produce enough to build ships of their own. Stepping forward, the hooded figure reached up and revealed herself to be Q'orielle. She looked drawn and worn with swollen, red rimmed eyes, seeming to have aged years in just months. As her cloak fell back, she was shown to have a bundle in her arms. Looking once to her father, her shoulders slumped and she listlessly extended the blanket wrapped bundle to Jeon-Pol. Accepting it, he found that it was a tiny babe. Alsindrel explained le Comte's own seed gift could not be accepted, but it was hoped that he would find benefit from the result. The elf then took his daughter by the arm, turned and left for their ship. No one looked back. The count took his son home with him. Perhaps in some fit of twisted humor, he named the boy, Thierry, which meant "ruler of the people" in the old tongue. He ensured that the baby was well cared for and kept him close in memory of his lost love. Several years later, the comte arranged for a marriage to the daughter of another noble and in the agreement, set aside his bastard son from the order of succession. His new wife was put out by the presence of a reminder of her husband's early indiscretions and finally wheedled him into sending the boy away. Sending him to Hollowsky amongst those who may better understand him and able to cope with his inherited long life span and accompanying slow development, Thierry lived at a small academy. There he was classically educated as well as trained to fight as any proper gentleman should be. Displaying an innate talent for spellcasting, he was also apprenticed to one of the myriad journeyman wizards. One of the few dictates his father insisted upon was Thierry be trained in the bastard sword. Not only was it the ancestral arm of House de Chaîneîle, but he believed it imperative that his son overcome any prejudice regarding his personal ancestry. In the words of a well-known irrascable dwarf, "Never forget who you are, for surely the world won’t. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you." To this end, le comte gave Thierry a bastard sword of his own. Although it was plainly more than a great sword to the boy at the time, he was instructed that it was never to leave his side. He was to always carry it with him, even to his classes and worship. A man was only as good as his weapon and then he was only that good if his weapon was at hand. It was in Hollowsky that he first met Aisling Birthistle. A petite half-elf girl, seemingly more pixie than elf, especially with her love of pranking, she quickly became his best friend. Apprenticed to a witch, she would often hex other pupils and even adults who irked her. Thierry found himself envious of her ability and spent hours with her learning how to emulate her hexcraft. They were inseparable. Their shenanigans quickly became the stuff of legend among the students and the staff's lament. For a dozen years, they ruled the roost and organized all of the illicit activities of the academy; creating their own private empire of petty larceny and mobs of hooligans from amongst the half-elven children of Hollowsky's inhabitants. The two decades of their education and training kept Thierry and Aisling close and it was only natural that their friendship grew into a partnership. Once finished with their schooling, they set out to be adventurers. First, they visited Aisling's family then they sailed for Theirry's home. |
