Alexandra Greymount
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This article is a draft
Currently in review
~ 21 Heart Fire Moon, 1452 AL
~ 25 Years Old
Alex never thought that so much of her life would be spent outside the castle. She never thought that her older brother would betray them all; that he would use the celebrations as a distraction in order to throw his family to the wolves. Yet fate had proven her naive, 15 year old self wrong and she has spent the better part of 10 years running for her life alongside her mother and father because of it.
Now she has something to show for her efforts. A rebellion and an army willing to fight for her thone - for her - against a king they never asked for or respected.
You enter the tent cautiously, still nursing aching wounds from your less than pleasant stay at Gulvaire Keep.
The moment the tent flap closes, you're left alone with a single figure, illuminated by a few stray candles. You take in the cloak draped over her shoulders, a heraldry so familiar yet so different from what you've always known. Brown hair is pulled back into a formal ponytail. The figure - no, the woman, you realise - straightens up, shoulders squared and tense, sensing the presence of another.
The air is thick with tension and you hold your breath. Heart drumming a nervous rhythm against your ribs.
She turns around and suddenly you're 15 years old again, running around a familiar courtyard and fabricating futures neither of you will get to see. Her face mirrors your own, a mask of shock and disbelief. Her mouth gapes and she can't quite find the strength to speak to the ghost she sees in front of her.
It's you who finds a voice instead.
"Alex?"
Physical Description
At 5’8”, Alex cuts a slim, lean figure. Her muscles have a vague shadow of definition from constant years of training, waiting for the day when the rebellion truly comes to blows with Percival’s forces. She has learnt to harness agility, speed, and dexterity over raw strength or persevering endurance. After all, she won’t need the latter if she can end the battle swiftly.
In spite of all the years she has spent training, or fighting, or running from the knights and mercenaries her brother sends to chase her, she has relatively few scars to show for it. They are all small, barely scratches, that have all long since faded into paler scars. Even the worst of her wounds have all healed with no lasting, visible effects.
Alex is fair skinned. Though she spends most of her time wandering, she does so with a cloak often draped over her head and shoulders as a way to keep a low profile, so the sun rarely has a chance to shine unhindered on her skin. Her face is oval shaped and she has a sprinkling of light freckles across her cheeks; you have to be quite close in order to see them properly. Her eyes are grey - not too light, not too dark, more like the colour of clouds gathering overhead ready to shower the lands with rain - and they are deep-set and round. They always seem to have a sparkle in them, a sign of her thinking of causing - or being about to cause - some mischief.
When it comes to her hair, Alexandra is very practical about it. Light brown and long, she usually wears it loose, but will braid it tightly if she knows she’s heading into a battle or skirmish.
Bonus: Male Heir
Alexander has the same frame as his female counterpart. His face however is more square but not overly angular, as if he has yet to grow out of his boyish looks. He has some stubble along his chin and jaw which takes forever to grow. He can never seem to get it to bloom into a full beard. His hair is cut very short and neat, with his fringe sweeping to one side.
Nowadays, Alex tries her best to keep a low profile. Her clothes are plain; that of a commoner rather than royalty. From simple cream or white shirts and practical, dark brown pants and black boots. Items of clothing that are easy enough to move around in just in case she needs to fight or make a quick getaway. In densely populated areas she’ll wear a cloak with a hood.
When it comes to fighting, provided she has time beforehand to prepare, Alex wears a full set of steel armour - at the insistence of her parents. The armour itself has been through a few skirmishes and is scuffed in places, but overall the steel is of good quality (Elise sold her wedding ring so that they had enough money to commission a proper set for Alex).
Seeing Alex in full plate is, somehow, a complete shock to your system.
You think back to your youth. All those days spent training with each other, practising for a future that you were both so unshakably certain of, but you can’t ever recall seeing her in armour. Not even when you had snuck away from your own personal training sessions to see how Alex was doing in hers.
Now, she stands proud and tall in front of a mass conglomerate of rebellious souls, looking every part the leader she was destined to be. Like you knew she would be. Except something is wrong with the picture; not with Alex, but with you, because really you should be standing up there next to her.
Personal History
As the Princess of Yondar, her childhood mirrored that of an upperclass child. She would spend most of her childhood years learning about kingdom politics. In particular, she would learn about those who were allied with Yondar, and those who enemies of the kingdom. She would also spend a lot of time learning proper etiquette, fighting techniques (predominantly a sword and shield combination), and more general topics of study such as history, geography, mathematics etc.
Outside of her teachings, Alex would spend a lot of time with her best friend Lucia Avarice (daughter of Captain Jenna Avarice of the Shields of Yondar ). Having known each other since birth, it was only a natural that they would seek each others friendship, especially considering Lucia was set to replace her mother within the Shields. The two were inseparable; constantly causing mischief (mostly on Alex's part), attending lessons together, and consoling each other in their hours of need.
When Alex turned 13, she was summoned to the Council Hall in Castle Tirav by her father, where he asked her to attend her first proper council meeting. At this meeting she would learn that her father and his advisers had agreed that Percival was unfit to rule the kingdom, and that the title of heir apparent would fall to her instead. Although she was initially delighted by the news, Alexandra soon found that her new title was more trouble than it was worth. Her training and studies took up more and more of her time, whilst the hours she spent relaxing Lucia began to dwindle. It also created a rift between Alex and her brother.
Though she didn't know it at the time, Percival was furious at being overlooked, and his anger would boil over at the Sunfire Festival in 1497 AL. It was at this festival that her brother would reveal his alliance with the Valissan Empire and begin the coup to overthrow their father. The Shields of Yondar defended Alex and her parents from the onslaught, barely managing to react in time to this unexpected betrayal. In the ensuing chaos, Alex and her parents managed to escape the castle grounds through one the many hidden passageways. It was easy enough to avoid detection once outside of the castle grounds due to the ongoing festivities - everyone seemingly unaware of the events that had transpired within the castle walls - but it was a night that Alex would never forget.
The castle walls, once so confining, seem so distant now. Like a memory, long forgotten.
She knows that they've only been running for a few days now, but that doesn't stop her life as a princess from feeling any less dreamlike. Had she ever truly lived in that castle? Or had Percival always sat angrily atop the throne?
At 15 years old, her entire way of life changed drastically. On the run from those she once trusted with her life and a brother she loved so dearly, she had a great deal to learn in such a short amount of time. No allies and no home meant she had to rely on her parents and what little survival skills she had.
As time passed and Alex grew older, she gained allies in the form of disillusioned guards and bitter commoners. With every passing day her forces would steadily grow, until one day Alex would have enough capable men and women under her command that she would deem them a worthy rebellion.
Social
Family Ties
Alex has an excellent relationship with her father, Ronan. They do not always see eye to eye, but any disagreements they have are quickly resolved. Although her brothers betrayal caused some tension between Alex and her father, their time spent together on the run afterwards has caused an even stronger bond to be forged. Their relationship is currently so good that her father has agreed to step aside once the throne has been reclaimed. This is mostly due to Ronan being 10 years older and not as steady on his feet, but Ronan would rather use the excuse of their good relationship over admitting to weakness.
Before she became the heir apparent, Alex's relationship with her mother was actually very caring and loving. They would constantly catch up and chat about their days, and Elise would provide Alex with further insights on kingdom politics, or help Alex with her general education. She would also help out with Alex's etiquette sessions, but she understood that it wasn't the life that Alex wanted and would bail her out of these lessons early. The tone of their relationship changed when Alex became the crown princess. Her mother was still compassionate towards her, but noticeably less so than before. When Percival took the throne by force, there was a dip in their relationship again. The two have tried to reconnect, but they have never managed to reach the same loving mother-daughter relationship that they had before.
Percival and Alex had a typical brother-sister relationship - one of practical jokes and lighthearted teasing. This changed when Alex became the heir apparent instead, as Percival thought himself worthy of the throne. His anger at his father translated directly onto Alex and their relationship became strained. At best, she would managed to get a couple of sentences out of him before he excused himself from the conversation. Now that Percival has the throne, his anger towards Alex has subsided slightly, but Alex's own feelings towards her brother have progressively worsened over the years. In spite of this, Alex still believes there is a chance that she can resolve this conflict peacefully.
Alexandra's Family Tree
Lineage of Yondar's Royal Family by SunlanceXIII
Religious Views
Yondar’s royal family has long since had religious ties to the Church of Van-Hael. They ensure that a part of their children’s education involves knowing about the Church’s hierarchy, it’s political reach and power, as well as the holidays it celebrates. Most importantly they are taught about Van-Hael and the principles that the God of Death imbues. As such, Alexandra has grown up exposed to these values and holds them dear.
Her faith in Van-Hael and the Church has been somewhat of an inspiration for her over recent years. In particular, during times of hardship when it seems like all of her efforts with the rebellion have been for naught, is when her faith shines through. It has kept her steadfast and resolute in her goals and has helped to make her a better, more compassionate leader for her people.
Like many followers of the Church, Alex’s worship is exclusive. Although she would not go as far to completely disbelieve in the existence of the other deities, she does not follow their teachings, or the teachings of their followers. She has no issues with people that worship other deities besides Van-Hael, though she is wary of those who follow the twins Valis and Sar because they are usually tied to the Nightsingers, who are in turn tied to Valissa.
Class
Fighter
Family
Ronan Greymount - Father
Elise Greymount - Mother
Percival Greymount - Older brother
What Does She Like?
Alexandra has an unspoken love for music. The moment she opens up and tells a person this is the moment they know she truly trusts them. When she was younger, she always sat there listening to the minstrels play, regardless of whether doing so would make her tardy for one of her lessons. It spawned her desire to learn to play a musical instrument; she doesn’t know which one yet and she’s not very good (to be fair, she hasn’t really had much practice), but once the fighting is over she wants to make a start on that dream.
Ever since she was young enough to hold a sword, she has been learning to fight with them. Her usual weapon is an arming sword, but Alex actually finds more enjoyment fighting with a rapier. She loved her dueling lessons in particular and studied profusely on how to use it, but her father insisted that she continue to use her arming sword on the battlefield as a better means of protection. She still practices with a rapier though and will sometimes host dueling competitions within the rebellion to keep spirits up amongst the recruits.
What Does She Dislike?
Being cooped up for most of her childhood and teenage years has given Alex an intense dislike for any sort of confinement, whether the spaces are actually small or just perceived to be small. A funny thing, considering Castle Tirav was huge, but Alex felt trapped within its walls. Which is why a room doesn’t necessarily need to be small in order for Alex to start getting anxious about being in it.
Alexandra used to enjoy the Sunfire Festival. That all changed the moment she was run out of her home by her own brother. Now, it serves as a reminder of all she and her family has lost; the memories of a childhood friend she’ll never get to share the festival with ever again haunting her. In recent years, she has taken to spending the whole day alone, glaring at anyone who tries to approach her during this time, as she doesn’t want anyone to see what she believes to be a ridiculous show of weakness.
Red-belly apples are a common sight in Yondar, but Alexandra hates them. Every single member of her family seems to enjoy them. For Alex, the taste is far too crisp and sour, and it makes it feel like her mouth and throat dry up the instant she takes a single bite. She much prefers pink stripes which, funnily enough, are native to Valissa. It makes them a little harder to come by, but Alex will always buy some whenever she gets the chance.
Personal Connections
Lucia Avarice
A childhood friend of Alexandra’s. They got along so well during their childhoods that they were inseparable. Where one went, you could almost guarantee the other wasn’t too far behind. Ever since the coup at Castle Tirav, Alexandra has been grieving the loss of her friend, but hopes that she is still alive.
Erakos
Though their first meeting was rough, Alexandra and Erakos have grown to become good friends. She confides in him more than anyone else that she knows and is always willing to hear his advice (even if she thinks it isn’t very good). As a way to get to know him, she has frequently inquired about his culture, even going so far as to do some thorough research on the ox-kryn and trying to get rid of her predisposed biases towards them.
Badass female rebels are always amazing! And Alexandra greymount is no exception to that! I really enjoyed reading her story and the political intrigues she faced. She seems like a very brave girl to have commanded a rebellion at such a tender age. And she’s a badass so there’s that! I’ll perhaps leave a better comment later on since I feel a bit tired today but I did have some questions! 1) What is she like personally? Is she easy to know, why or perhaps a bit abrasive? 2) Does she have any hobbies or stuff like that? 3) Who does she look upto as her mentor and possibly inspiration? I really wanted to leave a bigger and more detailed comment but alas, I’m tired today. But still , im loving this world! Congrats friend and keep up the great work!
Oh wow, thank you so much for the comment! I'm really happy that you're enjoying what I've written so far :) 1) She's well mannered without giving off the impression that she's looking down on you, which makes for a very charming first impression. Unfortunately her brother's betrayal is always going to leave a bit of a scar, so getting past that charming exterior to know her on a deeper level is quite difficult. For those that try and fail at this, it can make them wonder whether or not her charm is part of an act. She also has a great deal of compassion, in spite of what she's been through. If there's even a slim chance to resolve things through talking rather than fighting, she'll take it. Some might call her naive, and perhaps she is, but not to an extreme degree. Her desire to be compassionate often comes into conflict with her trust issues. As you can imagine, wanting to save a single person or a group of people from whatever threat is posed can prove to be quite difficult when you're second guessing whether or not the whole thing could be a trap. Most of the time, her compassion will win out, which is one of the reasons why she's so popular and why the rebellion has garnered so much support. 2) In the castle, she didn't have much time for hobbies in between lessons, and leading a rebellion has taken up most of her time in the present day. She was always a bug fan of her music lessons though (which were more theory than practice) and has always wanted to try learn how to play an instrument. Her mother tried to help her out with this before the coup, but it proved a difficult task because there aren't any elite music teachers in Yondar who will teach you how to play, so a teacher would have had to of come from another kingdom. (Yondar's nobility is very much of the opinion that the arts are meant to be appreciated (mostly by them) and actually see playing an instrument as something for the commoners, despite it requiring a lot of time and effort to master) This does mean that if they stay for a night or two in a village or town, she'll see if there are any minstrels playing. If they are then she will happily sit down and listen to them until the early morning hours (or until they've finished their set). On a slight side note: Erakos (her right hand of the rebellion who I haven't had the chance to write about yet) knows that she would like to learn an instrument and has been saving money they have made from odd jobs here and there in order to buy her one after the fighting is over. Though he isn't quite sure what to get her yet. 3) Mentor wise, definitely her father. When he announce that she would be next in line to the throne, he took on a larger in teaching and training her. He was her confidante and guide during the early years of the rebellion. A lot of what she knows - how to fight, how to lead etc. - has come from his wisdom and as a leader Alexandra aspires not only to be like him, but to improve on his leadership style. Inspiration wise (aside from her father), there are a couple of people. There's Jenna Avarice, King Ronan's Shield Captain, and her unmatched prowess with a sword/shield combo (the very combo that Alexandra now fights with). Then there's Queen Raelle, a previous Queen of Yondar, who squashed a separatist uprising and led her people into an (albeit brief) age of prosperity and good fortune. Finally, and a rather recent addition to the list, there's Erakos - his loyalty and passion are qualities that she greatly admires and part of the reason why she appointed him as her right hand. I hope that answers your questions! If you have anymore just drop another comment on the article and I'll do my best to answer those as well. I'm always up for answering questions because they inspire me to think more about my world building, so again, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and questions!
Garlan | Ma'rune | Osiron | WorldEmber 2023
Well she is indeed a badass! And badass music lovers are amazing lol. I really like where you are going with Alexandra, because her personality presents a big chance for story hooks ( such as her battling over whether to be more merciful or brutal) and I really, really want to see more about this As for more of my questions, sorry if I’m writing too many comments. I just haven’t been finding the time but also love learning more about this world and interacting with you so I guess I’ll keep asking as many as I can! 1) Has she ever thought about starting a relationship? Perhaps with one of her close aides in the rebellion? 2) What sort of equipment does she use? think weapons, armour, gear etc 3) What does her face look like? Does she have any defining facial characteristics? 4) What does she intend to do after becoming empress/ queen again? Does she have any big plans or something like that? I’m really sorry if my questions are weird or unhelpful. It’s just that I really want to interact but also didn’t have enough time to leave a very detailed comment. I hope it helped though! I really... really love where you’re going with this world!
Don't worry about it! I'm really enjoying answering your questions - like I said, it gives me a chance to expand further on my wordbuilding :) 1) The answer for this one is actually a bit of a spoiler for late on in book 1. I might include it later on in the 'Secrets and Guides' bit, but until then I'll leave you with this: yep, she's thought about it (a couple of times now about a couple different people). 2) Predominantly, sword (an arming sword, aka the typical knightly sword) and shield (heater-shaped shield) combo. She keeps a dagger on her in case she loses her sword in combat. Her father insists she wear actual steel armour when fighting, so she does, but she'll be last in line to repair it because she wants to make sure that everyone else in the rebellion is well equipped (and she's confident in her fighting abilities). Supplies are limited at the moment though, so at the moment she'll usually just wear a cuirass and leather armour to cover the rest. 3) Oval shaped, fair skinned with a sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks. Dimples when she smiles. Grey eyes that are deep-set and round, always seem to have a twinkle in them. Bonus for a male heir (because that will be a choice in The Wayfarer project ^^): a little boyish, kind of like he hasn't quite grown out of having baby fat around his cheeks, and growing a bit of stubble along his jaw, chin and underneath his chin. Then, same as a female heir, dimples when he smiles, grey eyes with a seemingly permanent twinkle. 4) She's not really thought about it too much - her focus has very much been taking back the throne, undoing any damage that her brother has done, and improving relations between her kingdom and Valissa. When she was younger (before being made heir to the throne) she used to dream about creating an outreach programme (of sorts) to help children of the poorer classes improve on stuff like their reading and writing abilities and just general life skills. So if she really thinks about it, she'd probably want to try that out (especially because it would help to rebuild/improve her kingdom)
Garlan | Ma'rune | Osiron | WorldEmber 2023
I love all of this! Again, she seems to be quite truly, an amazing character. I’d love to see her in some prose scenes! As for some more questions, I think I’m beginning to run out of them XD. But I have a few more to ask! 1) Does she have any magical abilities? Or perhaps some other physical abilities? Can she perhaps say, run extremely well or has very high stamina? 2) What do the rank and file soldiers as well as the important leaders of the rebellion think of her? 3) Who have been her greatest allies and enemies during her life? Percival and her father do count but does she have any other big enemy or ally besides Percival? 4) How good is she at social interactions? Does she have experience in giving speeches and the like? I’m again sorry if these are bad questions. I just want to interact with you and this world so much more! But me being shy and also not having time don’t allow me to usually. I’ll start reading more about this world soon! Oh and also your world of Tau Cerberi! Congratulations and keep up the great work!
Honestly, these have all been really great questions - thank you for asking them! These ones especially have given me a lot to think about, so sorry if it feels like I've taken a lot of time to answer (I was busy thinking of good responses and got a bit carried away ^^) 1) No magical abilities. She's actually kind of jealous of her brother in that regard because he inherited deathtrance magic from their mother. To make up for her lack of magical abilities and to help her prepare for rebel skirmishes, she spent a lot of her late teens and early adulthood training. She might not be as quick or as strong as some people in the rebellion, but she can both outlast and out manoeuvre them in a fight 2) A lot of the important leaders are lords or ladies that have a good and long standing relationship with her father, so they either see her as a) still that child from the castle who wanted to avoid her royal duties as much as she could or b) naive and entirely too trusting. There are a couple of them - Lord Meier and Lady Beckington - who have actually paid attention to Alex's growth, rather than just what her father has told them. Both Meier and Beckington understand that Alex has matured a lot over the last 10 years and are pretty proud of her for it. As for the rank and file soldiers, Alex tries her best to interact with them on a regular basis and get to know them. She understands that they're not just faceless knights - even though it would be easy for her to just command an army and not bond with any of them, she doesn't want to be that kind of leader. She wants to know her people, understand their motivations, and help them out wherever possible. Some of the knights (like those who have been with Alex, Ronan and Elise since they fled the castle 10 years ago) are shocked by this as they've always stood by a king that didn't bother to put as much effort it. It took a while for these knights to get used to, and some of them are still a little unnerved by it, but they tend to open up to Alex and even offer advice in return. For the newer knights and the civillians that have taken up arms, they're all really surprised and pleased to see a royal taking such an active interest in their people. 3) Allies: Lucia - they were born close together, naturally fell in together (what with Alex's father being the king and Lucia's mother being his Shield Captain), and were best friends throughout their childhood. Their connection was so important to Alex that, when Lucia finally turns up at the rebellion camp, Alex is overwhelmeed with joy. Erakos - they met in the early years of the rebellion and he filled the void that Lucia left. Not entirely, obviously, because their friendship was on an entirely different level. But he was always willing to listen if she ever needed to talk, he's fiercely loyal and protective, and he's an extremely compassionate person. Enemies: There's one knight in particular that has been following Alex, Ronan and Elise around since the night of the coup. They're not sure who he is - he's not Yondarish, and the armour he wears suggests that he's Valissan (this is the most logical option since Percival allied himself with Valissa's Empress in order to claim the throne). This knight is actually acting under Percival's orders to bring his mother home, but Alex doesn't know this and has fought this knight on a number of occassions in order to protect her mother (because she assumes he is aiming for the weakest link in the group). To Alex, he's definitely seen as an enemy, but for the knight he actually sees her as more of a rival and enjoys their fights. 4) Very good - most people she can get on with like a house on fire. She spent her younger years convincing people to help her sneak out of the castle and avoid her daily royal duties, a skill that she's honed as the years have gone on. She's never had to give a proper speech before - her father has taken responsibility for that during their time with the rebellion - and he's got a tonne of experience on his side, so the idea of having to make a speech to a large crowd eventually is a great source of anxiety for her.
Garlan | Ma'rune | Osiron | WorldEmber 2023
Man, she really is a badass character. I love how believable she is and that practically nothing here is forced. I would love to see more about her! As for this world, I can just say that I love it. The CSS, the artwork and the stories are beautiful! If you don’t mind me asking, can you tell me how you did the CSS of this world? I’d love to apply this to a new world of mine! And I have to say, thank you for being so kind. This world is indeed inspiring and I hope to see more of it!
Absolutely! Are there any CSS bits in particular that you want to know about?
Garlan | Ma'rune | Osiron | WorldEmber 2023
Haha thank you! Well first of all, just tell me how you got the main CSS look for the page. Like the background itself. It looks so clean and beautiful! Sorry if my words don’t make sense ( I really shouldn’t reply to comments at midnight)
No worries! Most of it just came from playing around with the CSS until it sat right on the page (there are a few niggling bits that I'm still not happy with, but hey, they just need a bit more tweaking). I guess the main thing for me for getting it to look so clean would be the margins between paragraphs, containers, headings etc. I like to make sure that those kinds of things have enough space between them so that they don't just look clumped together, and that helps to break up the text as well. I tend to mess around with the inspect tool on Chrome until I get a look I'm happy with before I add the CSS to the CSS editor as well. So I guess a quick example here would be my main body paragraphs have a bottom margin of 10px, which nicely breaks up the paragraphs. In contrast, my H3 tags don't have any defined margins, because I feel like the 10px after the paragraph serves as enough of a gap. Then I've given my H2 tags a top margin of 20px - it leaves a bigger gap and clearly defines that we're going into a new section. The other thing I've done for my containers (for Ma'rune at least) is offset them slightly from the main body of text by defining left and right margins for them. Again, I just played around with it until I was happy with how it looked! The second thing would be colour scheme. With this one I was going for a look that wasn't too flashy and I wanted to dig into the fantasy aspect of it looking like it would have been written on stone or paper (had it not, you know, been done entirely on a PC haha). So a lot of my background colours are greys, creams and browns. The only differing colours are the green, dark blue, and red used for stuff like headings, borders, links etc. Sticking to a set theme helps a lot with obtaining that 'clean' look. But that's not to say injecting a lot of colour onto a page makes it look less 'clean' - just look at Osiron, there's a lot more variety there! - the main thing is how you apply all of those colours. Whew, hope that's helped give you a bit of insight (if that wasn't what you were looking for, then super sorry, but I hope you managed to gain a bit of insight into this ramble instead!) If there's anything else, or if this bit of rambling has just given you a tonne more questions, then feel free to drop another comment. And sorry about the delayed response! Work's been hectic ^^'
Garlan | Ma'rune | Osiron | WorldEmber 2023