M A T H I S - D E - C O U R V A G N E
Details
Full Name: Mathis "Max" Alexios Courvagne
Race: Half-Human, Half-Dratori (Kalen)
Sex: Male
Age: 27
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 261 lbs
Birthdate: 29th of Glade, Year 93
Birthplace: Railón, Daravin
Profession: Noble Lord
Housing: An Entente estate in the city of Levarin, Railón.
Partners: None
Titles: Veir of Railón
Factions: The Entente
Fluencies: Common, Raillén
Conversationals: None
Ineptitudes: None
Appearance
As a half Kalen-Dratori, one will notice quickly the mixed lineage of the man, who bears with him the slightly sharpened ears of a half-blood, forest green eyes, height seemingly uncharacteristic in comparison to his human relatives and a naturally athletic build apparently sustained by genetics alone. However, at the same time, Mathis' heritage is not incredibly obvious. Many humans in Daravin are known to have slightly sharper ears than the norm — an ode to the remnants of Siltori genetics — and his are not incredibly sharpened. His green eyes do not appear unnaturally opaque like Dratori’s often are, and many of the shades that compose his form appear to be natural to any human man born in Daravin’s south.
This offers the Courvagne something of a privilege; the opportunity to be regarded as a human, evading Railon’s humano-centric rhetoric, while acquiring the benefits of Elven appeal. As Kalen are known for their open, seductive charm, Mathis is no exception; he is a man who appears to emanate attractive qualities, from his smile to a masculine suave that seems to overlay his body language and expressions inherently.
To go further into his physical details; Mathis has short, slick black hair often combed and kept in a suave style. His skin is as dark as one would expect of a Half-Kalen, a result of his father's tan complexion and his mother's relatively neutral caramel Kalen tone. He is known for his sculpted features, with a charming, wide smile and dimples accompanying them. Mathis body is often considered to be rather shapely: he has a developed, muscular upper body with pert pectorals and a smooth but well-defined abdomen, with an adonis belt leading to his muscular legs. His arms, as well, are sturdy and muscular and lend to an appearance of almost soldierly strength.
The man is often considered reminiscent of the Clockwork business-class; he is traditional in his style in hair, adornments and attire, often wearing charming vests and slim pants that compliment his shape. Accompanying this exterior impression is the way in which he first regards others - with coolness, distance, and apprehension.
Personality
In some ways, Mathis is an archetypal Dratori, though with that often belligerent and carefree element to his personality shaped by a life in the Entente. The Candor having formed him, self-repression has become innate to his otherwise open and flagrant approach to life. Taught to always control his desires, his ambitions, the details of his personality down to the curl of his lips before speaking a word, or the shifting of a brow... the Dratori has learned to regard others coldly at first, though with an arm extended to the Courvagne often comes intimacy and longing previously withheld. A desire to be understood, and to express; to be expressed towards, to communicate openly. Conversation -- and particularly those words shared which are very personal or fundamental -- are core to the desires of the Ententer, and shape much of his decisions in communicating with others.
Of course, to some degree, emotions and interpersonal understanding come to the half-blood freely. Being half-Dratori, Mathis' emphatic understanding of others is rather severe, and it appears to invert unto his own state of mind; Mathis often begins to feel an abundance of emotions that are difficult to manage, and due to the nature of the Candor he is forced to internalize them. Perhaps ventilating these overabundant emotions in the only way tolerable to a Veir, Mathis finds a plethora of ways to levy with this state of hyper-tension. For one, the Ententer acts with uncanny aggression towards others when challenged, especially those without the means for reprisal. He tends to act tough and imposing beyond his means, though as a Veir his threatening behaviors are often taken very seriously, further validating this line of offense.
Within the Entente he tends to behave in a highly intrusive and often overtly sexual manner, tying the open possibility of sexual gratification into near-any tense interaction with seemingly willing members of the elite. Mathis maintains a wide, but fragile intimate web with many of his Noble peers and a consistent cycle in his life is one of blooming attraction, euphoric bliss, and the gut-wrenching feeling of betrayal. Still poorly understanding his empathic qualities, the half-Kalen leads a very chaotic life.
While not precisely core to his personality, Mathis' state as a half-Dratori has resulted in a somewhat dampened if unique empathic perception. As he has not yet fully tapped into the ability drawn from his Dratori blood, the Courvagne frequently feels something akin to a sharp, intuitive perception of other’s current mindset and intentions, rather than full emotional clarity. He is often more easily able to determine truth from lies, which is where — shaped by the Candor — most of his intuitions appear to gravitate towards. Mathis is quickly able to determine the trustworthiness of those around him, feeling a keen sense for deceptive behaviors even if he cannot logically place them.
In addition, he finds himself rather innately talented at encouraging interior aspects of other’s personalities towards the surface, building trust in himself and helping manage desires and thoughts most repressed. Thus, while Mathis' reluctance towards others often limits his number of contacts and peers, the people he endeavors to interact with are often made close friends of his who find that in his presence, they can openly explore the parts of themselves that the Candor often forces mute.
Mathis is, over time, improving in learning how to utilize his Dratori ability. There are some he finds that he can relate to much stronger, exactly in the way that regular Dratori can. He does not understand this sensation very well however, and, often tends to fear or even avoid it.
History
To understand Mathis, one needs to go back into the near-but-distant Daravinic histories, exploring the intrigue that often occurs between the privileged but endangered houses. House Courvagne has known prestige for a long time, thriving from the fall of Silor and the concurrent sentiments of nationalism and industrial growth. The family, back then of modest grifters, reshaped their image through art: they were designated to purge Elven influences and mold Clockwork propaganda across the streets of Amoren, and they performed their duty well.
The family became known for this art; for the statues and sculptures they constructed of Kaitos, of monuments to victory, of Elven defeats. Later, they were known for their business sense. The wealth they garnered for their famous art was invested well, into infrastructure and thriving industries, and before long 'Vagne' was known as the architect of a contemporary Couronne, so much so that 'Cour' was honorably added to their name by the governor of Ectahl-Prior.
And before long, Courvagne became House Courvagne, as they joined the Clockwork Empire's elite. More than a few governors of Couronne were chosen from among their ranks, though the fluctuation of power did not always favor them. Still, by the time the Sundering unknowingly loomed on the horizon, the family remained well-positioned in Ectahl-Prior's west. And when the Sundering hit, they were one of the few powerful families to survive.
Not long after the emergence of this new world, in the Age of Sundering, revolutionary sentiment once again swept through Ectahl-Prior. Rather than being focused upon Elves, this new sentiment was set against the Imperial Elite of old, business families that had previously extorted the masses and had utilized the waning days of the Empire to engage in unmitigated corruption. Masters of propaganda and well in-control of their image, House Courvagne crafted a narrative around itself; as the justicars of this movement, heavily motivated to neutralize the remnants of the Imperial families that still mired the realm in their misdeeds.
Courvagne aligned themselves with upstart revolutionary women and men, and promised them slices of Couronne and the titles to match them. By the end of this crusade, the families involved had cemented themselves as the arbiters of public sentiment, enacting justice on the behalf of common men. Though often the names of the public enemy were propagated by Courvagne itself, hoping to eliminate its old rivals and gain further monopolies on their corners of industry.
When the Empire united, Courvagne was named Montese of Rioven, the de jure Lords of Amoren who would rule from the palace of Ardenserat. At every opportunity, they utilized their influence to gain more and more of a grip upon Couronne, until the orphaning of Emperant Justane allowed them the opportunity to truly acquire power. In the year 77 of the Sixth Age, House Courvagne successfully conquered all adjacent Montiens. Almost two decades later in the year 93, it named itself Treveyn, and was acknowledged as such by the Emperant. Later in that same year, Mathis was born.
While House Courvagne had been a powerful family within the realm for over a thousand years, and had been Couronne's premier Montese for centuries, the challenge before them in acquiring the status of Treveyn had been great. It was undeniable that in order to consolidate the realm, the performers of any such plot needed to act with perfect diligence; with poise and with justification. Fortunately, House Courvagne was led by an extremely talented man, one of the Empire's most powerful mages at the time. He -- Mathis' father -- was named Valerian Courvagne, a middle-aged man who looked barely beyond his twenties due to modifications by Necromancy. At his side was Lady Leliana of the same House, his wife and the mother of their two children, a Dratori woman renowned for her skill in the Candor. With the two of them at Courvagne's helm, the acquisition of Couronne became possible. For a time.
When Couronne was taken -- though notably not all of it, as Railon and Verant were allowed to keep their independence, and unwillingly Chalis -- things quickly distorted among the realm's Veir. It quickly became clear upon his acquisition of power, that Lord Valerian did not intend to consolidate Couronne for the purpose of fair-handedness or unification. Rather, it was all meant to provide an extension to his near megalomaniacal authority. Somewhere in the interim period between the rise and fall of Courvagne, Lord Valerian became a prototypal-Lich, and consulted magi across the Empire in discovering the secret to true Lichdom.
In the meantime, his wife - concerned with their public image - became more of a burden as she continually chastised him for his public misdeeds, his taking of mistresses from within the Entente, and his disregard for the Candor. Valerian had been built to conquer, it appeared, but not to administer. The burden of rule began to fall solely on Lady Leliana, but as time passed she had been stripped of more and more authority by her reigning husband, until she was forced to defer to him for all decisions. Meanwhile, his decision-making only became more irrational.
Between he and his mistresses, Lord Valerian had many more children than just Mathis, Reina and Gian, the ones currently alive. Valerian had nearly a dozen children; nearly half died to initiations, as was common, though six in total remained. While those six survived their initiations, the three born to different mothers were summarily culled in their cribs by their malignant father, who saw imperfections in them. Valerian had held a quasi-fixation on Leliana for years, and so he stomached her children and viewed them as worthy of his blood. Others, though -- of the lesser Entente that he had forcefully courted... they did not deserve his blood or his name.
More, wretched things followed, travesties by the common perception. Valerian's urges were violent and obscure, and too often was this violence tied to sexuality. Though rumors began to proliferate throughout Couronne's Entente, no one felt themselves resilient enough to make any public claims against the Lord. Even upon learning that he had publicly forced Leliana to walk nude and barefoot across the floor of an Ardenserat soiree, breaching the Empire's accordance with modesty, members of the court remained silent for fear of his wrathful unpredictability. The abuse and megalomania only advanced as time leaped forward, and in some way during this time of low centralization, the arbitration of Treveyn became a sort of new normal.
But Mathis' mother, not content to live in fear and shame, sought a way out. At an imperial ball in Genteven, she met with one of the only Entente she felt she could trust... and only based on one characteristic, their shared Elven lineage. Leliana consorted with Brilan Ald, at the time Treveyn Uriel's wife, and told her of all that had been occurring -- and all that had still lingered behind the scenes. She did so with the express purpose of House Courvagne becoming uprooted, but asked that the abused children of Valerian be spared at the execution of any plot. Brilan agreed.
It did not take long for Valerian to discover the treachery of his wife. Some say that Brilan intentionally spread this information, intending to remove Leliana from the equation entirely so that she would have no latent competitors upon receiving Couronne, or perhaps so that the evils of Lord Valerian would only be made more clear when she was inevitably punished. Whatever the case, when the Lord learned of his wife's actions he imprisoned her in Ardenserat for all of his final days, tormenting her with arguments and abuse, expressing furiously his raw feelings of betrayal. Not long after Brilan's public declarations of Valerian's misdeeds, crowds of Halamire and peasant armies flocked to the gates of Ardenserat, calling for his head. They learned of his disposal of his own children, who had survived their initiations, meaning they had been given the right to live by God. They learned of his consorting and sexual abuse with Ladies of the Veir, and his mistreatment and cruelty towards his own wife, who he forced to defy the laws of Ulen in parading her naked form across the palace grounds.
They - importantly - learned of his abuse towards his surviving children, painting them favorably among the public eye. This detail, left in the tale by Brilan, allowed the three siblings the opportunity to live. However, upon learning of the crowds amassed, Leliana was not given the same opportunity. She was murdered by her husband and draped over the palace's exterior wall, tied from the window by a chain around her neck. After witnessing this sight, Brilan entered the palace and dueled the deteriorating Lord, slaying him and being named Treveyn in his place.
The three young siblings were sent to Railón, where they would live as Veir with the opportunity to hold land and run their own estate. While the three of them had largely been exempted from the shame of their father's actions, the stain upon their family name lingered, and they were treated with a sort of reluctant disregard by the majority of their peers. The ruling family of Narvaez was chief among these disdainful peers, their Lord Elias tormenting the trio in innumerable ways. And so they were shaped by his humiliation.
Ultimately, the children were all raised by an elderly Veir woman who held no heirs, and they were given her home when she died. At this time, Mathis was nearly thirteen years old, and changes within him and the world around him began to take root.
He began to recognize the strangeness of his station in the world, and what he had lost. The neglect, pity or even distaste from others that they often expressed simply upon meeting him... it had always been an anomaly to him, but he was beginning to understand. Everything that happened to his father, his mother, their family -- he learned of them rapidly as he explored the documentation of their downfall, and he almost embraced his shame. Mathis began to wish for greater things - like his father did - but not as mere expressions of his power. Instead, he wanted to bring change. The young Veir began to rail against the way in which the Entente operated, with their Candor and their schemes. He sought a return to stability - the sort that would have seen the Courvagne still in their place as Montese, never able to consolidate power so eagerly in the first place. Mathis began to develop strong beliefs against the needless quest for power, and in this humble approach towards his own nobility he found solitude in the teachings of Ulendreaism, the Empire's faith.
He joined the priesthood, becoming a Tribune of the Omen. He was initiated into more magics at the hands of a Praetor, and before long he rejoined the Candor again. Mathis learned to cultivate and control his image, and while he still fails to do so perfectly, one can look at him now and perhaps see Leliana's long-departed reflection. But with a hunger far more pronounced.
