Valentine St. Cyr

Family: St. Cyr's parents were assassinated in the short-lived peasant revolution, and St. Cyr was part of the counter-revolution that put down the usurpers and set Queen Marie-Catherine Montaigne on the throne.

[GM addition:] Your parents died in the short-lived peasant revolution. As Porte Mages and regular members of court, they were assassinated as the revolutionaries made their bid to over-throw the Nobility. L'Empereur Leon was kidnapped in the Chaos, and later found hanging from a tree near the shore. You were a part of the counter-revolution, stepping through the Walkway with a seasoned Porte Mage and other nobles, into the fledgling Parliament room in the former Empereur's throne room (where the furniture and other fixtures had been blooded by various nobles for just such a need) where the peasant revolution came to it's sudden end.

 The revolution was crushed that day, and L'Empereur Leon's younger sister, Marie- Catherine Montaigne has since taken the throne, renouncing the Emperor title and instead claiming the title Queen of Montaigne. She is a beautiful creature, natural porcelain skin and small ultra-feminine features. She stands only 5'4" in height, but her presence is palpable, making her seem much larger than her height would assume. She is always seen in very fine regal garb, and always accented by the finest white soft leather gloves, in the newly fashionable "gauntlet" style - long shafted with an accent of Ermine around the cuffs (Slightly more than halfway to elbow from wrist).

 She has been working diligently to appease the non-noble and peasant population in the wake of "La Petite Guerre". You know that the newly risen "leader" of the opposition is a former Lawyer Arnaud Maximillian Du Charouse, who rumour on the street has it was the brains behind the revolution to begin with, but he was not present at the Parliament massacre and has managed to clear himself of the accusations. Of course, all of the people who could have testified against him were killed in that Parliament room, so there's no way to check his story. And you don't trust him at all - he is just too polite and too accomodating. His smile seems false to you, even through the white powder and makeup that he always wears.

 You are returning from Avalon, having been sent there by the court to deliver the first "Request for Discussion" to Queen Elaine from Queen Marie-Catherine. You did not meet the "Fairy Queen" as she is sometimes called, but you did deliver the message to a member of her court. Being the honorable man that you are, you did not break the seal and read the document, which you were entrusted with much secrecy, but from what you can gather in court, Queen Marie-Catherine is seeking to smooth the ancient animosity between the two countries and hoping for an alliance which will help Montaigne gain an upper hand against the Vaticcine church which is widely suspected of funding and assisting the peasant revolution, as well as conducting a savage campaign against magic using people of all countries through the power of the Inquisition.

 St. Cyr has a paternal uncle with family, but is seldom around to visit; he feels a sort of distant affection for his cousins. He has no bastards that he knows of, and takes reasonable precautions against becoming a father. St. Cyr expects to settle down and raise a family of his own eventually, but it's not a high priority in his life.

The St. Cyr estate, in which you lived with your parents until the recent unpleasantness is still standing, although some of the fine and antique appointments were looted or destroyed in the mob that managed to drag out your parents. The estate is modest relative to some of the sprawling mansions that the Montaigne nobility are notorious for, however it is still quite comfortable at 15 rooms, with a sizeable garden overlooking 52 acres of lush green. It has, of course, since been cleaned up, and the anti-royalist sympathizer servant who let the mob in to begin with has been formally dealt with. (Read: Le Guillotine) It has a full contingent of servants and groundskeepers on duty.

 Your Uncle, Lord Jean-Christophe St. Cyr manages the estate while you are away, which recently has been most of the time. As a matter of fact, it was your Uncle who insisted that Pierre travel with you once you joined the Diplomatic Corps. "A gentleman needs someone to look after those little things while travelling. A change of clothes, a suitable companion, a good vintage."

 You carry with you a signet ring that has been blooded by your Uncle, and once a month, in the evening of the first feast day (15th), your Uncle tears a hole through the pathway to your item, and thus you, and delivers to you your monthly allowance from the family estate - 50 Guilders. You generally have the opportunity to pass a note to the dismebodied hand that appears in the evening, hovering over your item, requesting more on the following night if you have need. Uncle Jean-Christophe assures you that as you grow more proficient in the art, the two of you will be able to pass items back and forth to each other, but for now this will have to do. (this is slightly more than Noble income, as described in Swashbuckling Adventures. If this isn't sufficient, we will adjust the amount later.) Unless you can send a courier, your Uncle will have no idea where you are when this transaction happens, so it is up to you to sequester yourself away when necessary. The entire event can take less than 5 minutes.

Friends: St. Cyr has a number of casual friends and lovers of both sexes in the countries he has visited diplomatically. His travels and his job have kept him from forming many extremely close, long-term friendships, however. An instinctively social man, St. Cyr sometimes regrets that lack.

His closest regular companion is Pierre Mignard, his manservant, who has been with him for many years. Mignard knows everything about him, and St. Cyr can't imagine what he'd do without him. He trusts Mignard implicitly and leaves all the details of managing his household in Mignard's capable hands.

St. Cyr is also fond of his aged mentor, Lord Antoine Matthieu, a noble who helped train St. Cyr as a diplomat and introduced him to porte shortly before retiring to a more comfortable situation in the Montaigne court. Matthieu is a father-figure to him, and St. Cyr would turn to him for wisdom and advice, especially in matters of politics.

He has a close former-lovers-turned-friends relationship with the lovely Lady Louise de Champaigne. They often visit when he's in Montaigne, and are the kind of friends who cover up for each other, vent to each other, and rely on each other for assistance with no questions asked. St. Cyr is more honest about his feelings with de Champaigne than with others.

Enemies: St. Cyr has few open enemies, but he has the usual rivals in court and has alienated a few men and women as a result of his affairs. Naturally, he also has his alter egos in the diplomatic world, many whom he respects, but with whom he has played play political cat-and-mouse. He is self-controlled enough to avoid being easily needled, which has significantly helped his diplomatic career. His most difficult diplomatic assignment was to Vodacce, and he has a few real Vodaccean enemies who wouldn't mind arranging an accident for him.

In particular, St. Cyr is wary of Lord Dante de Alfieri and his henchman, Cesare. de Alfieri would happily cut St. Cyr's throat over a certain woman, and St. Cyr is positive that even now several attempts have been made on his life at de Alfieri's behest. It was during his time in Vodacce that St. Cyr gained his knowledge of poisons - in order to better avoid them - and began to use his porte to better defend himself against spies and assassinations. He also became skilled at sensing motives during this assignment. It was a dangerous, unpleasant assignment, and he has no desire to return to that hotbed of intrigue.

 From your inside information as a member of Montaigne court, you would have knowledge of the (in)famous Admiral Valoix. This foppish Navy man was at one time the Admiral of the Montaigne Navy under L'Empereur, until the Castillian Armada broke through a blockade that Leon had ordered placed around the country. Although Valoix eschewed any interaction with his sailors and felt no need to travel on his ships, this night he found himself awakened from a deep slumber and dragged to the flagship of the Navy through Porte sorcery. He was informed that his time at court was over and that any further failure in the Navy would have unfortunate consequences for him.

 After this, Valoix become more dour than usual, and is reported to have killed the next Porte mage that attempted to use Sorcery in his presence.

 Since that time he has taken to the Seas, only coming ashore during the unsettling peasant uprising, where he tried to make himself a champion of the people. His disdain for sorcery helped his status somewhat, and he was considered a friend to the Council of Eight. After "Le Petite Guerre", he once again set sail rather than put up with Porte Sorcerers at court - whom he had grown to despise.

 He travels at Sea with three ships of men whom are either loyal anti-royalists, or browbeaten into non-action. He is a cruel Captain, and stories of sailors who have escaped his ships tell of routine lashings, and a Captain who has little or no regard for the lives of his men, yet demands complete and total loyalty and respect.

Career: St. Cyr entered Montaigne's diplomatic corps at 21 and has been a career diplomat for nine years, with assignments in Castille, Vodacce, and, most recently, Avalon, where he was delivering documents to Queen Elaine for Queen Marie-Catherine. He's good at the job, although he doesn't particularly like the lies and corruption that are sometimes part of diplomacy; they offend his sense of honor. He shuns working outright as a spy, although he accepts that a certain level of intelligence-gathering and -reporting is part of the job.

In court, St. Cyr has no position of great importance; he's too seldom around to have much influence. He's acknowledged for his charisma and considered a satisfactory if unimportant social companion, but he has thus far done nothing to attract much courtly attention.

Religion: Having been raised in Montaigne, St. Cyr is not strongly religious, although he has more respect for god than for the Church, and more fear of the Church than of god. His knowledge of church politics came from his time in Castille. He regards himself as an honorable man doing the best that he can, but doesn't hold much stock in the nitty-gritty rules of "moral behavior" that devout churchgoers get so uptight about. He makes it to mass and confession about twice a year, unless his diplomatic responsibilities - or current romantic interest - demand more regular attendance.

Hobbies: St. Cyr is a people person. If he doesn't have to study or do paperwork for his job, he'll seek out others for dinner, drinks, cards, shopping, riding, or romance. He'll attend opera and theater as part of the social rounds, but isn't an afficionado. St. Cyr loves pleasure; good clothing, food, and wine - things of high quality that are physically gratifying. He dislikes pain and hardship, although he's learned to bear discomfort stoically when diplomatically necessary.

Physical: Of medium height and build, St. Cyr is exceptionally handsome without the court's ubiquitous face-powder, beauty spots and wigs, all of which he prefers to avoid if possible. He wears the latest fashions well but chooses a slightly conservative cut, as befits his age and position of responsibility. His hands are blood-red, marking him as a sorceror.

In Montaigne, you are free to show your hands in public, although there is still animosity among many non-nobles and peasants against the nobility and some of the still-remembered harsh policies of Leon, so some will avoid you, and other will openly disdain you. With your gloves on, some may look at you with suspicion, but fighters often wear gloves as part of their livery, so it won't be an obvious sign.

In other countries, especially Castille, you probably don't want to walk around without gloves on. In Castille, many would be sufficiently suspicious of a Montaigne noble with gloves on that you may actually be openly referred to as a Sorcerer - with common folks making the sign of the cross and otherwise protecting themselves from the "evil". If any common person openly accused you, you could usually dissuade them with your charm and skills, so so far it hasn't impeded you too much. In diplomatic circles, if you worked it right ( and you mostly have ), there might be some suspicion, but no open antagonism.

 St. Cyr has dark, streaky blond hair, which he prefers to wear natural and drawn back with a ribbon, and friendly hazel eyes. He usually wears warm colors: tan, brown, yellow, gold, beige, cream, and camel. He looks more dramatic when wearing jewel-tones of green and black, but as his job is usually to make friends rather than impress people, he normally sticks to the gentler palette. Like most swordsmen, he often wears gloves to protect his hands and has his suits cut narrow at wrist and ankle but looser at shoulder and hip, so that he can move freely but not need to worry about excess fabric getting in the way of his draw.

The year is currently 1670 AV (Anno Veritas)

The history of Theah is as written until Julius 15, 1669 "Bloody Feast Day" What I refer to as "Le Petit Guerre"

Septimus 25, 1668 -

The beginning of the Montaigne Revolution

This is the day that your parents are attacked by a mob of peasants, captured, "tried" unfairly, and executed.

Nonus 7 - the Montaigne Parliament is assembled

Nonus 8 - Montaigne nobles announce government in exile in Eisen.

1669

Julius 15 - "Le Petite Guerre" or "Bloody Feast Day" Montaigne nobles, led by Leon's daughters Marie-Catherine and Anne, and Anne's husband Jean-Marie Rois et Reines use Porte magic to enter the Parliament chambers and engage the council members that had overthrown them. All of the Council of 8 are killed. Missing from the meeting, but not part of the official council, is Arnaud du Charose, a charismatic supporter and advisor to the council.

Julius 28 - Arnaud du Charose is found and brought before the throne. He manages to convince the assembled royals that he has been misunderstood and was petitioning for leniency and a return to royal rule. While the sister's don't believe him completely, he is a popular figure among the people and it is considered bad politics to have him executed while there is so much adversity to the throne. They let him go with a warning that he will be watched. He returns to the streets a hero to the anti-royal peasantry.

 Corantine 15 "The Restoration Feast" - Marie-Catherine Montaigne is crowned the Queen of Montaigne by her sister Anne. All references to the title of L'Empereur are struck from official documents. This is the beginning of a kinder, gentler nobility in Montaigne.

 Octivus 8 - You are asked in secrecy to deliver an important missive to the throne of Avalon.

 Decimus 22 - after waiting patiently ( and managing to entertain yourself thoroughly ) you are granted an audience with a member of Queen Elaine's court. The meeting is overly polite, and the missive is accepted with a great flurry of grandeur and etiquette.

 Primus 4, 1670 AV - after staying in Avalon over the Prophet's Mass week (which is generally ignored in Avalon, although a great deal of festivities do take place) you attain passage on "Le Femme Fatale", a fast 3-masted Merchantman bound for Montaigne.

 Primus 8 - Montaigne coastline is in sight. And thus the adventure begins....