Kieran Exeter

A Deal is Made:
Geoff Exeter of House Exeter 12th house in the kingdom of Goldcene was never the most beloved of rulers. Bitter over his house’s lowly position and unable to produce an heir he spent most of his days brooding in his keep. Dark thoughts and darker dreams eventually drew the attention of an Unseelie hag who saw Geoff as a chance to expand her power and reach. Over the span of a few years she infiltrated his dreams and eventually his every waking thought. She promised him power, prestige, and most importantly an heir if he would just travel to her lair. One evening after Geoff couldn’t resist the machinations any longer he snuck down to the stables and tacked up his most faithful mount. He rode day and night at a fevered pace until he eventually came upon the Hag’s lair; a desecrated druid’s grove with a powerful glamour to look like a dark palace. The Hag stood upon the front steps as a beautiful dark enchantress, a wicked smile on her face. The deal she offered Geoff was simple, a child for a child. Geoff looking upon her enticing dark form of course accepted.

A year passed after that night and Geoff had yet to produce an heir. His attendants could often hear him whispering under his breath of a sour deal and a vile enchantress. During supper in the great hall with a storm raging outside Geoff called his banners, they would march off at once to the hag’s lair and claim the child she had stolen from the Exeter line. This time when they approached the palace was replaced with a small decrepit hut and instead of a beautiful enchantress the hag stood before the knights in her natural form, that wicked smile the only thing that remained the same. She offered no resistance but told Geoff he would only know strife for breaking a deal with a member of the Unseelie court. He tried to strike her down but the sword only passed through a puff of dark smoke, a wicked cackle filled the air.

Geoff returned home triumphantly new heir in tow. He would be henceforth known as Kieran Exeter named for his Grandfather. Kieran was adopted as a true son of Geoff and would one day inherit the Exeter lands. Or at least that was the plan that day in the spring 20 years ago.

Coming of Age:
Kieran grew up as most lords of Goldcene do. He was trained from a young age in courtly etiquette, swordplay, estate management, and battlefield tactics. He found them all loathsome and boring, constantly looking to the horizon and dreaming of adventure. Whenever he was required to attend lordly gatherings he would often sit by himself as the other lordlings whispered about his light blue skin and slightly pointed ears. When he reached his 16th year and Geoff began looking for a suitable wife it was quickly evident that no other lords wanted to marry their daughters to a bastard freak of a lower house. Geoff began feeling more and more bitter towards his son as questions were constantly being asked about both his background and suitability for holding the Exeter seat. Geoff had always told Kieran he was the son of an elven bar wench from the north and Kieran had never questioned it, always supposing that his odd features must have been due to his mother’s exotic heritage.

Things only got worse when on his 18th birthday an older lord who had always treated Kieran with disdain challenged him to a duel. Kieran had always been a passable swordsman but the boy he was set to face was a full-fledged knight and most of the court had written him off as a dead man. The battle went as expected with the older lord toying with Kieran, making him feel confident by backing off only to attack and show the crowd just how unmatched the two were. When the older lord decided to finish Kieran off he was in for quite the surprise, as were the other lordling spectators. Just as he was about to bring his broadsword down for the killing stroke, Kieran laying on the ground with his hands held upwards towards the sky, a blueish ball of arching energy formed between his oustretched hands. The other lord was taken aback as the ball grew and without warning struck outwards with a crack hitting the other Lord squarely in the chest. After the gasps of the crowd subsided Kieran slowly approached the other lord to find that he was dead. The disdain of the other lords grew from whispers to a full on mob and Kieran was chased back into the Exeter keep. When Geoff heard of the events he never allowed Kieran to leave the keep again.

After a few months as a prisoner in his own home wracked with strange dreams of a beautiful dark woman Kieran was awoken to the sounds of trumpets outside his window. He soon found out from the servants, with whom Kieran had found more kinship than his peers, that Geoff had impregnated his wife. Nine months later a baby boy was born and Kieran knew his time on the Exeter estate had come to an end. One night his father entered his room, dropped a pack on the floor, and told Kieran he was to be out by morning. That he would always be afforded the respect due to a man with Exeter blood but that he held no claim to the land and he never wanted to see Kieran again.

Kieran bade farewell to those in the keep who had treated him with kindness and left that night, one last glance over his shoulder at the life he was leaving behind. The nearest town to the Exeter estate was Hothshire and he headed there to decide what to do next. After staying a few weeks at the local Inn he met Pepper Thistledown an affable Halfling entertainer. After hearing his skill with the pan pipes and his story she invited Kieran to travel with the Caravan who were leaving for the Baronies the next day. Kieran vowed that one day he would become a greater man than his father and make a name for himself that Geoff could not ignore.

Character Traits
Personality Ideals Bonds Flaws
 * I take great pains to always look my best and follow the latest fashions.
 * Despite my noble birth, I do not place myself above other folk. We all have the same blood.
 * Independence. I must prove that I can handle myself without the coddling of my family.
 * The common folk must see me as a hero of the people.
 * I constantly struggle with my darker nature.