The Sutian House
The Sutian House
House Sutian is a Kendarian noble house of some prominence. Based in Greenvalley, the Sutians are located almost directly between Bridgemoor and Kendaria’s capital city of Dalewright, making them a notable power in the facilitation of international trade and diplomacy between the two nations.
Active political members of House Sutian include the brothers Desmond and Elarion, their spouses, and Desmond’s children. While the Sutians often bicker as any family might, they are generally aligned on matters of family wealth and try to make decisions that bolster Greenvalley’s status in Kendaria’s economy.
The Sutian household contains many lineages. Desmond and Theresa are humans, as are their four children. Elarion, Desmond’s brother, is also a human, but his husband Brimmel is a dwarf. They have adopted two children: one dwarf and one bhrunai. Finally, a raedeen who simply goes by the name “Sheen” has sworn her loyalty to the Sutians and acts on their behalf with full legal authority.
The human Sutians share many of the same basic characteristics. They tend to be tall, ranging from 5’10” to 6’3”. They all have a spectrum of blue or green eyes and dirty blonde to light brunette hair. Theresa is the one exception, with striking auburn hair that has wings of white at the temples, a mark of her age and wisdom.
Response to Tragedy
The Sutians are all deeply aggrieved when they learn of Lord Elarion’s death (in Chapter 4), and they become some of the most militaristic voices in Kendaria.
All of the Sutians are quite distraught when Elarion dies. Even Winnifred, who had quietly developed mistrust of her uncle’s motives, was deeply aggrieved to learn of his murder.
Blaise is very close with his uncle and extremely distraught when he learns of his uncle’s death. Although usually a caring and sympathetic person, he has no room in his heart to consider compromise with Nalathesh after what they did to Lord Elarion. Brimmel Rockwall, Elarion’s husband, takes an equally hard stance against Nalathesh.
Blaise Sutian
Blaise Sutian is Desmond’s second born child, and his only son. Blaise is in his early thirties and is a patron of performing arts. He enjoys acting himself, but as a member of a prominent noble family he primarily concerns himself with sponsoring troupes or shows that he thinks are noteworthy or promote social dialogue. He is currently working on writing a play to direct himself, wanting to weave in historical tales of Greenvalley. He plans to perform the play in different places around Kendaria, thereby putting Greenvalley in a more favorable light and stimulating the trade between Greenvalley and other cities.
While Blaise doesn’t mind being involved in politics and enjoys being involved with the performing arts as a sponsor, at times he feels like he has no choice. Being the only biological son of the Sutian family, he often feels great pressure to succeed. In reality, he’d much rather focus on an acting career of his own. The only people who seem to have caught onto this are his uncles Brimmel and Elarion, and they frequently encourage Blaise to take time off to do what he likes to do most.
The Wrong Investment
Blaise frequently sponsors troupes and even on occasion individual actors who he views as extremely talented, wanting them to rise to stardom. One such an actor is a woman named Valeria, with whom Blaise was quite enamored. However a few weeks ago Valeria vanished after having received a large sum of money from Blaise, and Blaise now realizes that he was probably duped. He wants to keep this a secret from his family, as he’s afraid that they’ll relieve him of his duties.
Brimmel Rockwall
Elarion’s husband Brimmel is a mountain dwarf. He has pale skin and long, coarse black hair and a beard to match. He keeps both hair and beard well-oiled and braided in thick, interweaving elaborate patterns. Brimmel has proven a staunch supporter of Desmond and the whole Sutian family, and is an especially supportive and encouraging figure for Desmond’s and Theresa’s children.
Brimmel comes from a rather simple family of craftsmen and met Elarion at a tavern in his hometown, which is located just outside of Dalewright. The two got talking and didn’t stop until the sun came up. Brimmel has never really had an interest in the political matters his husband and the rest of the Sutian family engage in, but is supportive and always willing to lend a hand where needed. With how busy the Sutian elders tend to be, Brimmel often took it upon himself to look after the kids, keeping an eye out for their wellbeing even as they grew into adulthood.
Silent Worry
Brimmel has noticed that over the past couple of years his husband has become almost obsessed with his personal wealth and status, and it’s a kind of behavior that worries and frustrates the dwarf. Elarion has changed as a person during the course of their marriage, and sometimes Brimmel wonders if he has changed too much. While he still certainly loves his husband, he worries Elarion’s tunnel vision on wealth and status might end up driving a wedge between them.
Dandelion Sutian
Dandelion, or “Dandy,” is the youngest daughter of Desmond and Theresa. She only recently turned twenty and has taken a great interest in the historical practices of courtship. Given her status, she has no shortage of suitors, whom she insists court her in traditionally formal fashion regardless of their gender. She’s a woman who knows her worth and will not settle for anyone who will treat her as lesser than she is.
When it comes to the political matters her family is engaged in, Dandy is still trying to figure out where exactly her interests lie. On one hand, she wants to help maintain the family’s wealth and status, but on the other hand, she has seen problems arise in Greenvalley that she feels could be tackled with the right amount of investment. She wants to help the people of Greenvalley without bleeding the family’s funds dry, which is a puzzle she has not yet solved.
Unknown Stalker
Ever since Dandy made her interest in being courted public knowledge, she’s had the feeling that someone is keeping their eyes on her. Sometimes she swears she’s being followed or catches an unknown figure watching her from afar before disappearing into the shadows. These incidents have made her slightly paranoid, which is something that negatively affects her ability to judge potential suitors, as she worries her stalker is among them. She has not yet mentioned this to her parents, primarily because she’s unsure if she is actually being stalked, or if it’s just all in her head.
Desmond Sutian, Baron
The eldest Sutian brother, Desmond is the de facto ruler of the small city known as Greenvalley. When he is not in public, Desmond is a kind, fatherly man with a strange, goofy sense of humor. In public, Desmond puts on a different persona. His fatherly nature still comes through, but in much more stern, disciplined fashion. He is unlikely to crack a joke at public events, and while he is quite reserved, a caring smile will still warm his face when he offers assistance to his people.
Desmond’s peaceful yet strong disposition makes him a great mediator, and he spends several hours each day in open court, offering to negotiate peace between disgruntled common folk. He also plays peacekepeer within his own family, always looking for compromise. His desire to find the middle of any argument can cause him to overlook clear wrongdoing in favor of finding an amenable solution, something which other political figures have tried to exploit.
Blackmail
Recently, Desmond started to receive blackmail from an unknown source. In these letters an interest in his daughter Dandelion is expressed, and the sender pressures Desmond to give them her hand in marriage in exchange for keeping some Sutian family secrets under wraps. Desmond is unsure what these secrets are but also doesn’t want to risk anything unsavory leaking. He’s trying to track down the sender of the letters to have them tried, as he’s unwilling to give away his daughter without her consent. So far he’s only told his wife about the letters, not wanting to alarm anyone else, especially not Dandelion.
Elarion Sutian
Lord Elarion is the younger brother of Baron Desmond Sutian and the husband of Brimmel. He’s known as quite a serious figure, though in his home life he tends to relax a little more and even crack the occasional joke. Elarion is loyal to his family, but also relentlessly pursues personal gain in the form of individual wealth and status. Posed with the question of betraying his brother to such ends, Elarion would be corruptible for the right (very high) price.
Elarion primarily focuses on the import and export matters in Greenvalley, ensuring goods are properly taxed and go where they need to. There are a few people in the city that have grown to dislike him, believing that too many taxes are collected or that distribution of the goods isn’t fair. It does not bother Elarion, however. He knows it is impossible to be liked by all.
Hidden Jealousy
Desmond has been the de facto ruler of Greenvalley for a while, a position that was passed down from their mother onto him. Elarion has always harbored a quiet feeling of jealousy, wishing he had the position his brother has. This is something he has never discussed with anyone, in part because he feels ashamed, but also because he doesn’t want to be seen as a potential traitor, even though he knows he’s capable of being one.
Garen Rockwall
Garen Rockwall has the Rockwall name as he is adopted rather than truly of the Sutian bloodline. A dwarf in his mid-twenties, Garen has a spray of freckles and a striking red beard. He’s quite close to his parents as well as his younger sister Renga, over whom he’s quite protective. In general he has a caring personality and is very strongly opposed to injustice, wanting to fight it however he can. He is very interested in military history, physical health, and combat. He hopes to one day get an opportunity to prove his strength as a military commander.
Garen has also shown some interest in Greenvalley politics, though hopes never to be as directly involved in running the city as the rest of his family is. Regardless, he has a close bond with his uncle Desmond and often inquires about his various tasks, wishing to understand what he does. He is quite a curious man, always open to learning new things regardless of the subject.
Retracing the Bloodline
Garen has always been happy about his adoption. He got adopted when he was quite young and he loves both his fathers as much as one would love a biological parent. Regardless, his curiosity has gotten the better of him and he has begun to search for traces of his biological family, wanting to learn more about them. Recently he found a lead that he believes will lead him to his biological mother, but it would require travel, meaning he would need an excuse to be away from home for so long. He doesn’t like lying to his parents, but he also does not have the heart to tell them what he’s up to.
Melody Sutian
Melody, the third child of Desmond and Theresa, has a head for numbers and has taken management of the Sutians’ financial and economic record keeping. She works closely with her parents, who still actively lead the noble house, providing them with reports and economic projections when they contemplate any important decision.
Melody is usually quite reserved, though not shy. She likes to keep to herself and focuses mainly on her work. She finds a kind of peace in working with numbers and has proven to be incredibly smart, possibly smarter than any other Sutian. She tends to be modest about this, however, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself.
Creeping Anxiety
While Melody has had a good upbringing and generally doesn’t have many stressors in her life, feelings of anxiety have slowly crept into her being. She often feels on edge for reasons unknown to her and occasionally suffers from mild anxiety attacks that have become more frequent as of late. She tries to hide this from her parents, not wanting them to worry about her ability to perform her duties. Only her cousin Garen knows, as the two are quite close and often confide in each other.
Renga Rockwall
Renga is the youngest member of the Sutian family. A bhrunai in early adolescence, she is fascinated with technology and wants to hone her craft as an innovator. She spends most of her time in a little workshop her parents rent for her, having many blueprints scattered about. She hopes that Greenvalley can eventually become an industrial center for innovation and technological development.
Renga is often quite energetic and a tad scatterbrained, though rather brilliant. She is very social, though often hides in her workshop for days on end, not speaking to anyone but herself. Sometimes her parents worry that her passion consumes her too much and thus they frequently encourage her to spend some time away from the workshop.
Dubious Investor
Recently Renga was approached by a man who has caught word of her craft and sees her potential. He has offered her a large sum of money to invent things for him, an offer Renga took in her enthusiasm, but is now starting to regret as some of the requests are rather dubious. She is afraid that if she refuses, she will get in trouble, but is also unwilling to tell her parents about the mistake she made, worried that they might stop renting the workplace for her.
Sheen
A paragon raedeen who found the Sutians shortly after she came into existence. Sheen appreciated their kind but disciplined hand in ruling Greenvalley and the countryside around it and pledged herself to be a loyal servant of the Sutian family, traveling through the region as a spokesperson and magister to resolve disputes on the Sutians’ behalf. In return, the Sutians treat her like family, considering Sheen doesn’t appear to have any family of her own.
Sheen enjoys her work, often taking time on her low-urgency travels to explore the landscapes. She feels she appreciates her surroundings more than most and keeps a sketchbook where she tries to capture what she sees in pencil and ink. Sometimes she draws the Sutians as well, which most of them consider to be something flattering.
Dreamscapes
Recently Sheen has been dreaming a lot about a landscape she does not recognize, but that calls to her in ways she cannot explain. She is unsure if this place truly exists, and if it does, why she feels so drawn to it, but the itch to go out and find it increases with every dream she has. The only problem is that she doesn’t want to abandon the Sutians, feeling like it would be a breach of loyalty. These conflicting feelings affect her more than she cares to admit.
Theresa Sutian, Baroness
Desmond’s wife, Lisa, is a passionate, firebrand politician who fiercely advocates for the prosperity of Greenvalley. The common folk of Greenvalley hold her in high regard and she often hosts charitable events or sponsors free meals for all at local inns and taverns. Her compassionate heart and actions, coupled with her husband’s measured and just leadership, makes her a very popular figure not just in Greenvalley but in the whole region of central Kendaria.
Coming from a lower class family herself, Lisa understands what it’s like to have to live day to day. She’s an example of someone who didn’t let sudden wealth and status get to her head, and quite frankly, she doesn’t exactly care about either of those things. It’s why she has taught her children not to take their nobility for granted and to not let it seep into their personality.
Possible Scam
Recently, Lisa was involved with a charity event set up by another noble, which turned out to be quite successful. However, Lisa has since caught word that the raised money has not yet reached the people it was meant for and she has a sneaking suspicion that there might have been foul play. She worries that this might damage her reputation, as it is public knowledge that she supported this event.
Winnifred Sutian
Winnifred “Winnie” Sutian is the eldest child of Desmond and Theresa. She is known to be deeply insightful, often attending Desmond’s open court hearings and consulting with him on the cases presented. Her uncanny judgment of character has also led her to harbor quiet misgivings about her uncle Elarion, sensing that he could be bought off to betray the family.
Winnifred is currently studying law, wanting to help make the world a more fair place. She knows there are plenty of corrupt lawyers and judges, often giving out unjust sentences for the right price. She hopes that once she has finished her studies, and using her family’s wealth, she can reverse this phenomenon and ensure people are tried fairly.
Old Laws
During her studies Winnifred has stumbled upon an old Kendarian law that could potentially threaten the power her family holds over Greenvalley. In essence, the law states that every forty years, a baron family is to be audited by their duke. During this process, the duke may choose to allow public forums in which citizens can vote to cast out the baron family and replace them with anyone who has enough popular support - although the duke themself may veto this. While Winnifred knows that most citizens of Greenvalley are fine with how things are now, she also knows that there are plenty of people who would be happy to invoke this law and vote them out. On one hand, she wants to alert her family about this law, but on the other she feels like keeping it under wraps might be best.