Origin

Bellamy Lyken is a child of The Crossroads. Born on a pallet in the corner of a shared room deep in an area of the Slumgarden known as Spindleburrow, he spent his first handful of years on the streets. His mother was named Jeuno -- no surname -- and she worked with many other women spinning wool and flax into thread each day. Bellamy never knew his father and spent his earliest days sitting at his mother's feet amid the great ruckus of clattering spinning wheels in Spinner's End.
 
Once he was weaned, he was taken to be watched over by the Yarn-Monger--an ancient woman who employed the many spinners of Spindleburrow, and sold the yarn they produced to the merchants of The Crossroads. She was very old, but had a keen mind and an active physique. She cared for the young children of the spinners, telling them tale after tale while she sat weaving blankets, carpets and a variety of other textiles, each creation a unique masterpiece of colors and patterns. While most of the children were entranced by the stories she told, Bellamy was captivated by the patterns she wove, internalizing what he saw there and gaining a deep and early appreciation for the designs he watched coming into being. He would often be caught scrawling similar designs in places he oughtn't--paper and pencil were rare in those early days, so he used the ground, or walls as his canvas, scratching at them with sticks and stones.
 

The Chimera's Kiss

When he was only six years of age, his mother had a falling out with the Yarn-Monger and was cast out of Spindleburrow. Having no other choice, she returned to work as an 'escort' at the Chimera's Kiss -- a premier gentleman's club which catered to the city militia and wealthy travelers, as well as members of the upper class of the city. She had done some work here in the past, and Kiuri Lafana -- the owner of the Kiss -- made space for her again.
 
Here, Bellamy watched as a wide variety of individuals from all across Adulmea passed through the doors of the Chimera's Kiss. He soon realized that the colors, patterns and designs which the Yarn-Monger had woven into her creations were drawn from many differing cultures around the world. He recognized elements in the clothing, jewelry and other accoutrements of people from Fyrenzi, Ryfe, the Rachidian Isles and the Tourmaline Coast, and began to fantasize about what the cultures that inspired them must be like. If only he could travel beyond the walls of the Crossroads.
 
One of Bellamy's chief duties--when not running errands for Kiuri--was to aid in the care of the many exotic plants kept in the establishment's rooftop greenhouse. The greenhouse was ruled over by a Fleschian woman in her late 50's. She was a retired escort--the bloom having gone from her own rose. She went by the name of Davina, a stage name which she had adopted long ago. Due to the fact that she had a green thumb and because Kiuri cared for her, she was kept on as a gardener. She made the greenhouse garden into something wondrous, a place where guests spent many hours, and where the escorts could walk and talk with particularly well-connected and wealthy guests.
 
Bellamy loved his time there. He endured being 'managed' by Davina, whom he found a bit too austere and demanding for his taste, but his wonder at the variety of exotic flowers and other plants which had been brought here from around the world fueled his desire to go and explore that wider world some day. He developed quite the green thumb of his own, and a healthy appreciation for the ability of nature to create things of exquisite beauty. He began to realize how many of the motifs in the many designs with which he was infatuated were inspired by plants, animals and other natural phenomena.
 
A Baby Brother
 
A brother was born to Bellamy many years later -- when he was about 12 years old. The child was named Atreyu. During the birth, however, Bellamy's mother passed away. Jeuno was the only family Bellamy had ever known, his only ally and friend in a city full of people with ulterior motives. He grieved greatly at the loss, and worried about what he and his new brother would do.
 
But, he needn't have worried. Charmed by Bellamy, and moved by his and his brother's plight, Kiuri (the owner of the Kiss) took the two of them in as her wards, raising them as her own--though she recruited Davina to do much of the actual work of raising them. Atreyu, in particular latched onto this woman who took the place of a mother he'd never known. Bellamy was soon at odds with her however, feeling protective of his brother and unnerved at how close they became. Kiuri stepped in when necessary, and things always remained civil, but Bellamy and Davina never did grow close.
 
Early on, after the passing of their mother, Kiuri gave these two tetherless boys a surname; she called them 'Lyken' which is the name of a species of ground-dwelling bird from her homeland of Agurali which is abandoned by its parents at a very young age to make its own way in the wild. "There," she told Bellamy. "Now you and Atreyu have a name...it is up to you what will become of it."
 

Teenage Years

Needless to say, Bellamy spent much of his time among the seedier side of society, and learned quickly the rhythm of life among the have-nots of the city. He learned to observe others and to work his way free of conflicts and altercations, not with his fists or improvised weapons, but with his wit and a smile. At one point he became entangled with one of the five street gangs of the Crossroads -- the Lily-Stranglers (the name of a pervasive weed that grows in Aldomarian gardens) -- which claimed slumgarden as their territory. Bellamy joined out of a sense of adventure, and as a way of putting aside a little extra which he could use once he was old enough to take his brother and head out into the world. He worked mostly as a minor pick-pocket, lookout, or distraction...using his charm to draw the attention of those whom the stranglers needed to avoid.
 

Education

 

The Excursionary Path

At the age of 16, Kiuri called in a favor, and managed to secure Bellamy a place in the elite academy known as The Excursionarium. He was ecstatic. The entire purpose for the existence of the Excursionarium was to send agents out into the world to garner as much knowledge of the differing cultures -- art, lore, history, etc -- as they could, bringing it back to the scholars of the Tallinarium to be collated and taught to the rising leaders of the new world (under Tallin and Trice).
 
This was his chance to learn more about the world outside of The Crossroads, and if he worked hard might even be able to spend the rest of his life traveling the world with his little brother, learning about the many, diverse cultures of the Mereborne.
 

Bellum Upon Ivory

The first stage in the training of a new Excursionarian is a period of general study at one of the two Mantle-Bound academies established by Tallin and Trice: Bellum Upon Ivory. This city-school is known locally as the Black Mark, because it acts as such, standing out starkly upon the wide expanse of Ivorite upon which it rests. All of the buildings of the Black Mark are formed from Ebonite -- the black mineral which makes up the ground of the northern half of the mantle. There are many windows in the place, however, and many sections open to the sky above. Also, in many places the walls are thin enough to let in a dim light from outside...all of this keeps the atmosphere of the place from being too dreary. The effect is rather awe-inspiring.
 
Bellamy makes very few close friends, although the people with which he fraternizes would argue that they are actually very close indeed. Because of the life he has lived, Bellamy has become very good at charming others in order to extract what he needs from them. He becomes what the other person needs him to be, inclining them to be what he needs them to be in response -- in the case of his school years, this takes the form of people to tutor him and help him pass exams without need of payment which is often the requirement for additional help. Also, he becomes 'close' to those with the right levels of influence to ensure him the future he wants for himself and his brother.
 
In spite of this tendency to establish faux friendships, two individuals manage to break through into his inner life, becoming the closest thing to true friends that he has outside of his brother and Kiuri.
 

Xandrin Graeme

The first is the enigmatic and unnerving keeper of the Magpie Rookery of Bellum Upon Ivory -- Xandrin Graeme...a Levarian man from the nation of Rittenmor. The Levarian are demi-highborne creatures that are half bird and half human -- essentially humans with large, feathered wings protruding from their backs. In this case, Xandrin has pale skin, dark hair, and wings that are white with mottled patches of black.
 
Bellamy bumps into Xandrin white sneaking into the rookery for a closer look at the fabled, mantle-borne Faluskel -- or magpies -- which are bound to promising Excursionarians to aid them in their cultural garnering in a variety of supernatural ways. He reaches the elevated rookeries above the city, only to find Xandrin waiting stoically for him. The Levarian have the inborn ability to foretell the future. He greets Bellamy and puts him to work immediately helping to care for the birds. He doesn't speak at first, just works the boy, and then tells him to return again.
 
Bellamy does, and a strange relationship begins, one highlighted by working with the Faluskel, and overshadowed by the tendency of the Levarian to dole out warnings about Bellamy's near future. "I would avoid taking the east parapet back to your room this night," he would say in his strange, southwestern accent. The next day, Bellamy found out that a thief had been caught in a trap laid for him in the very same section of the school. He did not always receive such a firm confirmation of the man's augural abilities, but he always listened.
 
They spent much time talking of deep things, which Bellamy generally avoided with others. In the end, due to this relationship, Bellamy was bound to a Faluskel of his own a full year before this is normally done. Xandrin performed the rite high in the rookery, without the normal ceremony or fanfare. The heads of the school were non-plussed, but unwilling to dress down the master of the Rookery.
 

Balendin Cyurio

The second individual to break through to Bellamy's heart was a young Undalari boy named Balendin. The two met during the semi-annual Benefaction Ceremony which takes place between the Disquisitors of Privette Upon Ebony, and Excursionarians of Bellum Upon Ivory, during which the latter will present the results of their Garnerings -- cultural accounts and portfolios of information collected by their agents -- and the former will present their newest Disquisitions -- tomes comprising the refined, collated and catalogued knowledge provided to them during previous Benefactions, along with lengthy discussions on the significance of the information covered. This is the formalized relationship of these two orders: The Excursionarians who gather and present data, and the Disquisitors who catalogue, analyze and expound upon it.
 
The ceremony takes place over the course of a week. It is broken up into categories based on the countries from which the knowledge has been grafted, and the area of focus for a particular offering. Also interspersed between these formal Benefaction Ceremonies are a variety of feasts and festival activities making this week one much anticipated by students of both schools. Add to this the fact that it is held in the imposing structure known as Falantyne -- or Middlekeep in the common tongue -- and it becomes a source of much drama, excitement and import.
 
During one of these feasts, Bellamy spies Balendin Cyurio , surrounded by female admirers (to whom the boy seems mostly oblivious). This is mildly fascinating to Bellamy, who has had a bit of a reputation as a ladies man, and he approaches Balendin to help enlighten him as to the possibilities. Upon approaching he notices a ring worn by Balendin with a design that catches his eye, and he becomes even more intrigued to know what it is and what it means.
 
Balendin sees Bellamy coming, noticing in particular the black and white bird sitting on his shoulder. Being a huge nerd, Balendin realizes that Bellamy shouldn't be bound to a Faluskel yet and can't help but want to know more.
 
What begins as a matter of mutual interest and curiosity blossoms into a real and honest friendship. Balendin's complete openness and obvious sincerity catch Bellamy off guard, especially found in one so blessed in the looks department and well-connected politically. He is disarmed and before he knows it he has shared more of himself than ever before.
 
The two continue corresponding after their first Benefaction is over, meeting again at each subsequent semi-annual festival to catch up in person, which both of them look forward to greatly. Their relationship grew largely through their writing of letters to one another however.
 

Region of Emphasis

In his second year, Bellamy chooses to focus in particular on the region of Adulmea known as the Tourmaline Coast. This is partly because it is a very closed society, one which distrusts outsiders and rarely lets any get close to the heart of their culture. He sees this as a good fit for his natural skills, and as a challenge. He is also taken with what little artwork and cultural motifs have been garnered from this place. It is rich and colorful, and there is a stronger sense of...meaning and purpose to the design work than any other place he has researched before.

 

The Excursionarium

Once his two year general study period is over, Bellamy returns to The Crossroads to continue his training at the Excursionarium. He visits his brother more regularly during this period though he is kept very busy. During this time, he chooses the focus for his own future garnering -- the Artistries. He also receives training in survival and basic fighting skills.
 

The Criterion

After four years, it is time for the ultimate test: his Criterion...a two-year period of deep immersion within a foreign culture under the guidance of a senior Excursionarian. His mentor is Lonny Lighthand -- a Clavish man with a hefty dose of charm and personality, who has focused on garnering the many games unique to the nations in which he has spent time--particularly games of chance, where gambling is involved--and who also considers himself a connoisseur of international liquors.
 
Bellamy and his mentor are accepted grudgingly (as it is a breach of The Order of Nations laid down by Tallin and Trice to reject these emissaries) and they use them as intermediaries of sorts -- diplomatic emissaries between the Tourmaline people and the outside world. At first they are largely sidelined, which in a way is fine with both Bellamy and Lonny. Bellamy spends his free time copying down the many unique designs incorporated into the world around him, and seeking to know what they mean, and begins to become infatuated with this place, its flora, fauna, customs and people. Lonny spends his free time drinking and gambling. They get the sense the they are being kept close and spoon-fed information.
 
Through their combined charm, and Bellamy's clearly sincere interest in the Tourmaline way of life (and with the help of one or two allies made by him), the two are let in on the culture of the coast in ways unprecedented.
 
One of the most exciting things for Bellamy is the discovery of ritual tattooing which each Tourmaline goes through at a certain phase of their lives. They create their own, unique tattoo design which is then placed upon them and which represents them and that which they love, believe and strive for. There are many plants in the tropical forests of the coast from which colorful dies are extracted to aid in this tattooing. Bellamy gathers samples of them all. He commissions a small, portable terrarium--made of Wydrun shaped glass--which he can strap to the top of his pack and in which he can keep a variety of small plants.
 
Many other things happen to Bellamy while in the Tourmaline coast, which he keeps to himself mostly, including a particularly tragic experience from which he is still recovering today. When the time comes to finish his Criterion, he heads home gratefully to retrieve his brother and head out into the world to make new and bright memories together.
 

Tragedy

Upon returning, however, he discovers that in his absence his brother had taken up with the Dimwits--one of the five main street gangs of The Crossroads. The Dimwits had staked a claim to the area of the city which had been overrun by the Tricewyld (which had suddenly begun to expand a decade or so before). This area became known as the Dimming, and the Dimwits spent much of their time rummaging around in the estates that were abandoned almost overnight, looting and selling what they found, sometimes to the original owners of the items.
 
During an outing to the far edge of the Dimming, Atreyu had been infected with some unknown disease. Bellamy discovers that his brother is now laid up in the Sephran Healing Compound near Slumgarden, where neither Palliator, Conciliator, nor Ameliorator seemed to know how to heal him. This news is devastating to Bellamy and his dreams. He receives a leave of absence from the Excursionarium and has spent the last six months seeking anything that might help, slowly watching his brother deteriorate, losing hope a little more every day.