Xenograg on Himself

(Art by Isaura Simon)

Physical appearance:

“I stand five feet, ten inches tall and weigh about twelve stone.”

“I have greying black hair and beard, brown eyes, sun-darkened skin, broad shoulders, and large hands.”

“I was born in Year 13 of the Imperial Calendar, and am now well over seventy years old.”

Cultural and personal background:

“My homeland was the Empire of Demodar, the largest state on my homeworld. As with all empires, a dominant minority rules over many subject peoples. War and conquest are its foundation.”

“I am of mixed heritage. My father’s line came from the steppe, one of the horse people that are the ruling elite. My mother was of the olive-skinned river valley people.”
(Art by Todd Falk)

Personal history:

“I was raised mostly by my mother, Arra thu-Darelir. My father was almost always on campaign.”

“At the age of twelve I began my training in the new, professional, imperial officer corps. We took sacred oaths of loyalty to the Emperor above all else—even kin. We learned how to fight and how to lead, and a select few of us learned more: the new war magic called sorcery. It was the power upon which the Empire was built and maintained, and the Imperial School was its center.”

“At the age of eighteen I was commanding a cavalry wing. Despite winning accolades at the battle of Annicar, my youth and inexperience resulted in an overall lackluster performance as a field commander.”

“I became a general staff officer in the imperial palace until the emperor’s sudden death. Within weeks a palace coup forced me to flee for my life along with my first wife and newborn son. I was twenty years old and would spend the next twenty in exile.”

“My wife died during the first year of exile.”

“While in exile, I apprenticed myself in a traditional magic school. I quickly found that my training as a sorcerer was even more incomplete than I feared. The great gaps left in my education at the Imperial School put me at a severe disadvantage amongst the other magicians. To this day I lack proficiency in several disciplines.”
(Art by Isaura Simon)

Titles and Ranks:

“I was awarded the permanent rank and title of General after the battle of Annicar. It is a Imperial title of merit, unlanded and non-hereditary.”

“The Darelir were exterminated in a civil war while I was in exile. Going against tradition, I forsook my paternal inheritance and took the surname of they who were my mother’s kin.”

“The surname prefix ‘thu-‘ denotes a member of a noble family. Until recently, I used the prefix ‘kathu-‘, identifying me as the head of the once-great House Darelir. Having faked my death in the Empire, my eldest son inherited that position. He has since discarded it in favor of our paternal lineage. My children by Amaltea use Darelir as a surname.”

“In Year 69 I established a small holding, the beylik of Xenodar, in Rhydin‘s far north.”
Miscellaneous:

“It was in Year 53 that I met and married my second wife, Amaltea of Barsi. It was only after the wedding that I found out she is the queen of that small island country. It was her wish that I be crowned and co-rule with her as Sovran (as they spell it in Barsi).”

“In Year 55, I helped restore the rightful emperor, grandson of the one I served, to his throne. This ended my exile and brought great honors to House Darelir. My eldest son is perhaps the man most trusted by the emperor. I also have the emperor’s full trust, which led to my becoming headmaster of the Imperial School.”

“In Year 69 faked my own death in the Empire. This freed me of numerous duties others could perform, and gave me the time to meet the many other obligations I have in Barsi and Rhydin.”

“The emperor was assassinated in Year 73, and a usurper once again sits upon the Imperial throne.”