KELTHUR

The social hierarchies in Esperia can at times be strict and are occasionally unjust. Sons and daughters answer for the transgressions of their forebears as nobles grow wealthy on the work of their underlings. Kelthur was one such victim of this. The son of a nobleman and a peasant woman, he found little welcome in any strata of society. To the workers in the fields, he was a spoiled bastard of a lord, living a life they could little understand or relate to within the walls of a castle. To the nobles of House Marwen, he was an unsightly blemish on the elegant surroundings. With only his father, Lord Marwen, on his side, he grew up withdrawn and taciturn, seldom finding a kind word or helping hand inside or outside the castle.

The primary architect of Kelthur's ostracism was his nominal stepmother, Lady Marwen. Having married into the family as a Rayne, she had always been accustomed to the best of everything. This boy existed as an insult to her, and even worse, she could see how her husband favored the peasant's child over the noble-born son she had given him. With every bullseye at the archery range, every lightning-fast parry in the sparring yard, every acrobatic feat on the castle walls, she could see the little rat endearing himself further to his fool of a father. Her own son, Dalton, preferred fine clothes and foods to martial endeavors and went largely ignored by the lord of the castle. Fearing that her son may lose influence in his own house, or worse yet, even be stripped of his title of heir in favor of his low-born older brother, she hatched a plan.

The death of Lord Marwen was sudden and mysterious, and all the signs pointed toward Kelthur as the culprit. A believable accusation and motivation, prepared well in advance by Lady Marwen and her son, were levied against Kelthur at his public trial. She revealed that he had spied and even killed in the service of their house, positing that as his list of clandestine achievements grew, so too did his resentment for the nobles who surrounded him yet refused to give him the recognition he must surely desire. She feigned pity, explaining that the boy must have been tired of furthering the status and influence of a man who had named another heir over him. Furthermore, he was intensely jealous of his half-brother, who, as it happened, was his better in almost every conceivable metric. Unfortunately, there was nothing to do about the murder of a lord other than a summary execution. The customs, after all, had to be observed. Kelthur's denials and explanations fell on deaf ears, and realizing that the trial was a mockery, he gave up trying to defend himself. As they tied the noose, he uttered his last words. The remaining Marwens would die screaming under his knife.

However, Kelthur's hateful soul does not fall asleep, and his resentment and abilities are discovered by the Eldritch Council. This mysterious organization controls the fate of the deceased behind the scenes. The elders of the Council promise Kelthur that they will help him seek revenge against House Marwen if he serves the Eldritch Council as a deceased assassin. On agreeing to do so, he becomes a member of "The Bleakest", an assassination intelligence group under the Council. Kelthur longs for the day when he can make those wicked, power-grabbing humans pay. For his mother, who died in the throes of hatred. For his dear innocent father. And for himself.

"I keep my promises,"

"Don't open the curtains! Great, this dim light is just right... Excellent... I like a room with large shadows. Remember to shut the door on your way out."

Has visit scenes with Estrilda, Orthros and Rowan.