Derrian Redmont

Lieutenant of the Deepwatch Derrian Redmont

Derrian is the only child of a Linnetian mother, and a Malkynean father. Her father is the head of a once noble house, which now seems to be taking its last labored breaths. She was raised up on the stories of the glory of House Redmont, and these stories -- fueled by a superstitious romanticism inherited from her mother -- powered her active imagination, and set the course for her life.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Derrian was born in the Hearth Room of Redmont Manor. The room was so named due to the fact that it contains more fireplaces than any other of the bedrooms -- making it the warmest in the home, which is the reason why it was chosen on this cold wintery night in the bitter month of Morlen (The 24th day of Morlen to be exact). A blinding snowstorm raged outside during the entirety of the labor and delivery.
The midwife in attendance was a Brownie woman named Milly -- a wizened old woman who stands roughly 8 inches in height. Milly is the chief matron of a small clan of Brownies who have dedicated their services to House Redmont.
Derrian's birth went very smoothly, and both mother and child were in good health the next day. This was a great blessing and a source of joy for Derrian's father -- Mykah Redmont the 19th. It was, however, offset by the despair that he felt at the fact that he had sired a daughter rather than a son. It wasn't that he didn't love her as soon as he laid eyes on her...it was that only a son could hope to pull House Redmont out of the mire in which it had been drowning for roughly five centuries.
Derrian grew tall and strong, and knew that her father loved her, but also saw the flashes of regret and bitterness that showed through every so often as he looked at her. It was no secret that House Redmont was failing fast. The estate had dwindled to a mere hundred acres or so surrounding Redmont Manor -- a home which the small, though fiercely loyal staff (both brownies and humans) struggled to stay on top of. Cracks had appeared...ivy claimed much of the exterior, many of the rooms in the home were shuttered and unused. At one point, when Derrian was about eleven years old, a tree had been knocked down, crashing through the roof of a small shrine which had been erected by Jylorum Redmont in honor of the Laume Sindolient -- Bound of the Glory Tree -- in the year 989 AK. Lacking the resources to repair the damaged stonework of the walls, the tree had been removed, and the chapel left to grow silent and empty, saplings and a variety of undergrowth invading the interior.
Derrian loved Redmont Manor, not in spite of, but because of all of its flaws, which lent it a uniqueness and romance that something in her resonated with. The abandoned chapel became a favored haunt, where she would go when she needed to be alone, or to think...or to grieve.

Gender Identity

Female

Sexuality

Heterosexual

Education

Derrian received a general education in reading, writing and basic calculations. Most of what she learned was practical in nature, as all had to work to help maintain Redmont. She broke her literary teeth on stories of the Glory of House Redmont -- always a distant glory, though no less romantic because of it.
She read of Lyanel Redmont -- the founder of their house -- who had fought beside Rularin Sedulous himself when the Deeping Horde came hunting for queen Fentemuil. During this ancient war with the supernatural, King Rularin and a small force were surrounded atop a low hill, being slowly and steadily slaughtered by hundreds of indescribable monstrosities. It was in that moment that Lyanel -- Blessed of the Highborne Sindolient -- rallied his men and stormed the hill, charging up its sides and slaughtering the creatures which had his king surrounded. The entire crown and sides of the hill were said to have been drenched in the blood of Lyanel's enemies by the time he reached the side of Rularin. It was there, in that moment, that in a display of honor and gratitude, Rularin bestowed the epithet of Redmont upon Lyanel as a remembrance of his glorious deeds. He subsequently bestowed all of the lands which could be seen from the crest of the bloodied hill upon Lyanel and his descendants, establishing House Redmont as a noble house forever.
Derrian devoured every tale of glory in battle, and loyalty in peace time, coming to know each of her most notable ancestors from Lyanel all the way down to Mykah the 1st, who rode into battle once again with the king of Malakyne in the year 857 RF, defeating an attempted uprising which nearly overthrew the kingdom.
But despite their hard-won victory, neither the royal house of Sedulous, nor its closest ally House Redmont could survive the famine, hunger, and homelessness of a difficult reconstruction -- nor the ire of the people, who pointed the finger of blame at the royal family. In this time of discontent and post-war trauma, another house -- House Altimorian -- capitalized upon the people's frustration, sowing seeds of doubt and blame, ousting the Sedulous family in the year 888 RF (a both famous and infamous year, depending ooo who you ask) due to a show of overwhelming popular support in favor of a regime change. Upon seeing that the will of the people was against them, House Sedulous -- who had ruled Malakyne for more than 2500 years -- stepped aside, so as to avoid more bloodshed. The grandson of Mykah the first -- Burl Redmont -- stepped aside in a show of solidarity with House Sedulous, and was branded a coward by his descendants until the current day.
Since then, every heir of House Redmont had taken the name of their last, glorious ancestor -- Mykah -- each generation striving to channel said glory and return Redmont to its former prominence. And with each generation, more concessions were made, more land sold, and House Redmont watched its reputation slip away until there was almost nothing left.
Derrian read these tales and reveled in both the glory of her past, and the honorable quest for renewed Glory.
She received some training with a sword and stave from her father, but it was never in earnest, and only at her constant prompting. She did practice a great deal with a good friend -- a daughter of House Sedulous named Dhara who lived in an adjacent, and similarly decrepit estate. The two girls played and dreamed together in the orchards and forests around Redmont Manor whenever they weren't studying or working.

Winnowing in Linnet

Derrian's mother -- Vendalian -- was Linnetian, raised in the great Winnowood to the south of Malakyne, daughter of a middle-class winnower. She had no claim to nobility, but after marrying she returned each autumn to help with the Winnowing, for which she was compensated, and she contributed these earnings to the upkeep of Redmont Manor. Every summer, from an early age, Derrian would accompany her mother. When Derrian was old enough, she too helped with the Winnowing, and so received a practical education in this ancient, agricultural art. When Vendalian's father (Derrian's Grandfather) passed away, her older brother Zenryn (Uncle Zen) took over the family grove, and continued to pay both Vendalian and Derrian as hands. When his arm was wounded -- subsequently amputated up to the elbow -- they became an invaluable part of his crew.
At the end of each work day, and on days off between, Derrian and her mother wandered the woods in and around the grove. They swam every day in the Winnowrun River and in nearby Lake Liriam, and practiced archery with the famed Linnetian Short Bow -- something Vendalian was especially good at. Beyond this physical training, Derrian's mother taught her all of the lore of the Linnetians, a people who were lived in close harmony with the trees and flowers of the forest, as well as with the varied creatures of the Wildmaugre Court who had made their home in Linnet. There were tales of the Laumae, the brownies, of sprites and satyrs, Derrian even seeing some of the Lowborne species on occasion.
Thus, Derrian's education was a mix of trade skills and a deep understanding of the lore of Linnet, and both the lore and history of Malakyne.

Employment

Derrian's work experience revolved around agriculture all the way up until her 17th year. It was then, during the Heart Festival -- held each year in honor of Fentemuil -- that she and her father travelled to the capitol at Felquyst for some much needed distraction.
Each year there was a series of swimming contests held in The Deep. One such contest was a swim of just under 3 furlows (around 2.5 miles), from the shore at the head of the Sedulan Way out to the floating Deepman Village of Blackwater and back. This is a contest rarely entered into by women, and so Derrian received more than a few sideways glances as she lined up at the glittering line...a thin inlay of mother-of-pearl at the end of the Sedulan Way.
She performed very well due to her summers spent swimming with her mother, beating all other entrants. Her performance earned her a prize of fresh produce and a single Carminite Pearl -- an item worth enough money to pay all of Redmont Manor's staff for months. Beyond even this, her prowesses in the water earned her the eye of Dalen Menicroft, Captain of the Deepman Freeguard. The Deepman are a pseudo-military organization which split their time between the manning of Deepwatch Tower (which had been raised by Menicroft's ancestor to watch over The Deep until Rularin returned with his queen) and free-diving in order to collect the Carminite Pearls from the underwater ledges of The Deep...a dangerous and specialized endeavor which they had a monopoly over, though they paid much in fees and taxes to the crown to keep from being overtaken by the state.
Menicroft lobbied for Derrian to be admitted to the Free-Guard as an apprentice, stating that he had never seen anyone outside of the corps so confident in the black waters of The Deep. He met staunch resistance, as a female had never been admitted to the Deepman Corps. He won out, and she became the first woman to endure the grueling trials of advancement in the ranks of the Deepmen.
She and her father were both ecstatic at the opportunity. Not only would her salary be far greater than she was worth at home, but the Deepmen were a remnant of the old glory of House Sedulous -- the first Royal House of Malakyne...the same House to which Redmont had always been dedicated. They had only survived the Altimorian regime's attempts to stamp out any of those connected to the old regime because they used the exceeding wealth of the red pearls in The Deep as leverage.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Derrian rose through the ranks over the next two years achieving the ranked position of Freeguard Lieutenant. The name of Redmont began to be spoken of once again in the upper circles in Malakyne, and both Derrian and her Father dared to hope.

Failures & Embarrassments

In that moment, the Altimorians struck. They had finally garnered enough political support to exile Dalen Menicroft and disband the military aspect of the Deepmen Corps. They closed the Tower of Deepwatch, and promoted those loyal to Altimorian into leadership positions, turning the operations at Blackwater into a purely commercial affair. To keep costs down, they brought on small children -- street kids. Derrian tried to stay on, but after witnessing the harsh treatment of a child by one of her superiors, she chose to end her career, taking the guilty party out of commission in the process. She wounded the man in such a way that made it impossible to continue as foreman, another, milder man replacing him.
She was ejected from the Deepman Guild, only her tenuous hold on nobility as a member of House Redmont saving her from prison. She returned home with fire in her heart.

Mental Trauma

She relayed the story to her father, emphasizing that her actions were the only honorable choice. He agreed with her, but later that night, as she passed the door of her father's study, she was surprised to hear him speaking. She listened and realized that he was talking to Milly -- the Matronly Brownie which had helped in her delivery. She listened as Mykah the 19th, glorious leader of House Redmont gave up. He told Milly that with the loss of Derrian's position and income, their house was doomed. It was just a matter of time. She heard her father cry for the first time in her life that night.
In despair, she retired to her secret place...the destroyed and abandoned shrine to Sindolient, which she had so loved. Its charm had worn off. It was nothing now but a reminder of the fall of House Redmont, to which she had now contributed and against which there was nothing she could do but watch. She fell asleep there, curled up in a ball amidst the ruin of her house, under a drizzling summer rain.
And that was the night that she dreamed of the creature for the first time. It was bird, hanging in midair, wings made of rushing flames and outstretched as if pinned in place. The bird's body and neck were inky black, its talons hard and sharp and glowing like hot metal. Its eyes stared at her, piercing her to the core in a way that was both searingly hot and achingly cold at the same time. Its beak was spread wide, a scream emanating from it, tongue writhing like a worm in its mouth. It seemed to thrash and twist, as if held in place against its will.
Then the bird's head writhed and seemed to twist to the side, revealing a second head. This one stared at her as well, but as it did, the screaming stopped, replaced by a gentle music…something soft and somehow both comforting and slightly mournful at the same time. As its gaze came to rest upon Derrian, the bird changed. Its wings remained aflame, but its body and neck transformed from black to a rich, vibrant turquoise. A long, sweeping tail, with decorative feathers, unfurled beneath the bird, and a similarly lush crest curled upward from the crown of the bird's head.
And there the dream ended. Derrian awoke to a sun-filled sky and rushed to her father. They determined that it had been a Highborne Dream -- Derrian had been favored by some Highborne, though one which neither of them had heard of before.
Hope stirred in both of their hearts at this turn of events. Perhaps a new avenue to the return of House Redmont to its former glory had been opened up to them. They decided that Derrian should leave and seek out this anonymous Highborne to discover what power it wished her to wield and how she might draw down further boons and perhaps blessings.
Mykah sold off more of the estate, giving some of the money to Derrian and reserving the rest to help keep Redmont Manor from failing until she returned. She set off a week later.

Intellectual Characteristics

Extremely Observant. Almost Sherlockean.

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Current Location

The Tricewyld

Species

Mereborne (humankind)

Ethnicity

The Liserians

Year of Birth

1424 20 Years old

Circumstances of Birth

Much hope hung on the birth of the first and only child of Mykah Redmont the 19th and his wife Vandelian. Possibly the last hope for the return of the glory of house Redmont...hope for a son. When a daughter is born, Mykah both loves her and despairs.

Eyes

Sky blue.

Hair

Shoulder length, white-blonde.

Height

5' 10"

Weight

145 lbs

Known Languages

Linnetian, Malakynean, Omnian.