Character submission

Valo Sheremetev was born into a minor prestige in the city of Perehvat, in the Duchy of Gradoslavl. His father, Baron Ustov Sheremetev, was a loyal adherent of the Duke of Gradoslavl and held his family to utmost loyalty to the crown itself. Valo met all expectations of his father, being strong of body and mind, learning much of Svarlog and his teachings as well as fine martial prowess. It was only when he gained the spurs of knighthood, knighted by the Duke himself, that things began to diverge between father and son.

Valo happily and eagerly took up his duties, carrying out the orders of his father and his Lord Duke. Eventually, it came to the young knight to collect taxes and levies owed the Duke and so he ventured to the surrounding villages and towns, collecting the sums from those that were able to pay. He returned to the castle, making his reports, only to find himself dressed down before the Duke for failing to collect all of the owed taxes. He explained that he collected what he could; but Svarog taught that it was their duty to only take what a man could afford. Anything else would bring great hardship upon a family.

The Duke sneered at the idealistic knight's ideals, commanding him to redouble his efforts and to spare no one who owed. The forlorn knight did as he was bade, collecting with more force the monies that were due. He saw the results of labor as he passed back through the towns on his way to the Duke's castle.

Those he had made to pay, even when they pledged they had not enough to feed themselves, begged in the streets or were forced to sell their lands and live homeless in the woods for shelter. His eyes were filled with the injustice of his actions and the demands of his liege lord. It went against everything he had been taught and believed of Svarog and he vowed that he would no longer work against his heart. Surely the Duke and his father would see the truth of this and change their ways...

Needless to say, the idealistic knight was met with ridicule when he announced his ideals and asked for leniency for those who were being beggared and starved. His father claimed that if he did not relent in his pleas, he would be no son of his and would not inherit the Barony after him. The Duke called upon his sworn word to heed his commands. All seemed to point to a crossroads for the knight.

Heeding the call of his inner spirit, Sir Valo struck the heraldry from his arms, removing himself from the Duke's service, even though such could cause him his life. He pledged himself solely to Svarog and no mortal man henceforth.

The greedy Duke verged on commanding the wretched knight's life for breaking the bond; but the Church interceded, using their influence to stay the noble's hand. Valo was commanded to the nearest Church, to take sacred vows to Svarog, forever giving up his rights to the Barony and barred from the Duchy upon pain of death.

The young knight met his father's furious and shamed gaze one last time before turning and leaving the castle, never to set foot on Gradoslavl soil again.

His travels took him far, exposing him to the many secrets of magic of the land, empowering his oaths and giving him the ability to truly do Svarog's work, even if the God did not lend him divine power.

<More will be forthcoming once I tie in with my orphan charge>

Crobert stands a little above average but slouches to better blend in with the crowd. He tends to wear clothes that are well made but don't stand out. The colors are simple with a modest design that any laborer would wear. He sports a Rapier and a dagger so that he doesn't appear an easy target but isn't overly threatening. His hair is unkempt and could usually use a trim and a comb but he likes it, 'cause it gives him a roguish look. His brown eyes are always looking elsewhere giving him a nervous appearance and he seldom keeps eye contact for long. His biggest goal in his appearance is to just not be noticed.

Life in the gutter sucked. Crobert was born in the gutter, grew up in the gutter, and damn near spent his entire life in the gutter. And you know what? The &^%$#@ gutter &^%$@ stank.

Crobert decided early on he was not going to die in the gutter. He watched his father beg after his leg was crushed by a merchant's horse and he tried not to remember what his mother did for money after Dad died. Crobert watched as those that were fast, clever or just plain mean got so much more out of life than those who worked hard and followed the "rules", they only seem to apply to the poor anyway.

Therefore Crobert decided to become the fastest, cleverest, and meanest thief this city had ever seen. He found the first gang that would take him and learned how to lean on people, and the art of nabbing fresh fruit from an inattentive merchant. Once he mastered these arts he found a small guild that taught him how to relieve someone of their purse. He learned how to open a lock and the common ways to trap that lock. More importantly he learned to read and the importance of education. He took some of what he stole and set himself up as the lowly son of a merchant so that he could learn to better fit in with society.

It was while cruising the taverns that he met Dalrek, a down on his luck stage performer. Dalrek specialized in minor illusions and card tricks to entertain the customers. Desperate for money he took on Crobert as an apprentice. Dalrek had very little magical talent of his own but his skill with making his tricks appear magical was epic. As he taught Dalrek different ways to distract a crowd, or make them look another way, he also taught him the little magic he could work. Dalrek though took to magic like a fish to water. Within weeks he had surpassed Dalrek in what minor cantrips he could muster and found his teachers tomes. These were thick, dusty things of a bygone age that had been handed down through his family from ages past. Dalrek's father could do little with the tomes and Dalrek even less. He was quite excited by his pupil's apptitude and encouraged him to work hard, learning all he could of magic.

Thinking that he was teaching an up and coming performer Dalrek was quite shocked when he learned that Crobert was using his newly acquired skills to better steal and soon parted way with his apprentice threatening to have him locked up. It wasn't until Crobert had left town that Dalrek had returned to pay him a visit and his families precious tomes on magic were long gone.

Now armed with knowledge and skill Crobert has found a new way to test both. Never liking to share Crobert spent time floating around various towns helping the rich to redistribute their wealth, which he was happy to pass along to others by means of drinking, gambling, and the occasional brothel. Typically he moved on to another town just as the local guilds started to learn of who was breaking their rules and stealing from those who had paid money just to avoid such things. But the time has come the Crobert to learn that he is not as smart as he once thought. He has made enough of a reputation to have several guilds upset with his antics and they have put a price on him. Learning of this from someone who just tried to kill him Crobert decides it is again time to leave town and seek his fortune elsewhere.