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Background
Lord Stephen Cassomir was a Warden of House Greycen, and second son of the current Duchess Eleanor Greycen. He is known to have survived a lengthy stay as a prisoner of Alphard "The Butcher" Haldis during the Rivanan Succession War, but while he still bears scars both emotional and physical from that ordeal, he carried on as a competent servant of his House until he wedded the Viscountess Raelyn Cassomir in late 1866 IA, becoming the Count of Ironhold.
Stephen Greycen was born in 1840 IE, the second son of the Duchess Eleanor Greycen and her husband Rodrigo Greycen (nee Tracano). As the son of the famously acerbic Eleanor Greycen, family life was often tense while Stephen grew up, with the Duchess always pushing her children to excel in the most blunt and even threatening manner possible. Taking after the example of his older brother Thaddeus, Stephen quickly learned to hold his tongue and simply to do what he was told, when he was told, to the best of his ability. When given opportunity, he was a bright and outgoing young boy, but such opportunities were often fairly rare.
Early in life, it almost seemed that Stephen would be a bookish child. While not frail, he seemed enamored of books and learning, and took natural to lessons of numbers and showed a clever mind for unravelling puzzles and riddles. It seemed relatively clear that he would never be a knight, as he showed little interest in such pursuits. He did, however, take enough interest in combat training and defense that he was not deemed particularly lacking in such skills (for his age), even if he did not look to be the most mighty warrior of the Greycen particularly soon (thankfully Thaddeus ably suited that role). By the time he was 12 years old it had long been decided that he would become a Warden, as was often the path of at least one Greycen child, assuming they had enough to spare. It did not take long to find a mentor who was quite willing to take young Stephen under his wing, a lord by the name of Ezio Bazan. Ezio and Stephen bonded quickly, and Stephen became something of a younger sibling/adopted child to Ezio and his wife Pia (who was also a Warden), as well as a surrogate elder sibling to their young children.
Of course, but a year into his training as a Warden, the Succession War broke out, and while he remained in his apprenticeship, the nature of the work took on a very different tack. While certainly in times of war it is still necessary to maintain law, for the Wardens of House Greycen the Succession saw them turned to pursuits of scouting and information gathering as much as investigating crimes. Surprising even himself, Stephen's strength in body grew quickly as his teenage years continued, and even these lessons he absorbed well. He was, by necessity, forced to become a more competent combatant, and gained some wisdom in operating in the wilds, but his mind remained his greatest weapon, and as the war ground on he and his teacher provided a considerable degree of valuable information to the forces of the Rose, even if Stephen usually avoided any special recognition for his efforts (not hard to do in the midst of a conflict like the Succession War). Unfortunately, in 1859, as Stephen neared the end of his apprenticeship, he and his mentor were captured by the forces of the Thorn.
In some ways, Stephen was fortunate, as it was soon puzzled out that he was a potentially valuable hostage, which is likely all that kept him alive. Despite being loyal to the Thorn, his captors were initially men of House Haldis who had little appetite for torture, even of Greycen men. For the first few months it was an uncomfortable but liveable imprisonment he and his mentor were treated as commoners even though several of their captors correctly surmised their noble origins (it's hard to completely hide that level of education and mannerisms). Then, unfortunately, a new commander arrived. Lord Alphard Haldis did not have the compunctions that many of his men did, and with a deep and abiding hatred of House Greycen, he was quite eager to see a couple of Greycen Wardens "thoroughly" questioned, son of the Greycen duchess or not (In point of fact, Eleanor did not learn of Stephen's capture until after he was freed, as the Haldis did not initially send any ransom demands and Alphard chose to withhold it until a more strategically appropriate time that never arose).
And so, Stephen underwent months of torture, often subjected to alchemicals to keep him alive through pain and injury that would likely have killed him (including giving him Fleshknit and/or Bonemend several times, but only the barest minimum amount of food that would keep him alive under those effects…ironically making him a very well-fed prisoner that felt like he was starving far more than any other). He would be given Neversleep to prevent himself from falling unconscious during the most severe tortures. Unsurprisingly, Stephen was left with a great many scars, both physical and mental, but amazingly enough, he did not break under the torture, and did not reveal any information of import to his captors. Likewise he somewhat miraculously survived with the full use of his extremities and his face unscarred (though certainly not his body). Sadly Lord Ezio was deemed a less valuable hostage, and did not survive being a "guest" of Alphard Haldis. It all very nearly drove Stephen mad, but relief came before he reached that breaking point.
After the Bastard Duke Darren Haldis turned the Haldis forces against the Thorn, Stephen was recovered and released from his captivity almost immediately after that battle as part of House Haldis' attempts to prove their good faith. Exhausted both physically and mentally, malnourished, and stuck somewhere between delirious and comatose, it took several months afterwards for Stephen to recover from his ordeal, but recover he did. His family was shocked at his state but happy to see him alive, though, and contributed much to his successful healing even if not in an overt fashion in the case of Eleanor. He did not speak of his ordealthe scars told the tale easily enough, for those that saw them, but life had to go on. As seemed to be his way, one day Stephen simply asked to return to his Warden duties, and his request was granted.
For the next few years, he took satisfaction in his work, and proved to be a highly successful Warden, capturing or killing bandit-cells and investigating several crimes within the Greycen lands that successfully led to the perpetrators. He applied the lessons Ezio had taught him and built upon them. Life went on, and Stephen continued along with it, seeking neither accolade nor pity. He buryed himself in his work and generally avoided the Greycen Court altogether save for the occasional family function. Of course, when incidences of Banditry started to pick up across Rivana in 1865 IE, and it began to appear that the forces of the Thorn might be resurgent, Stephen was quick to take to efforts to try rooting them out, eventually being assigned to a group of Wardens sent by Eleanor to serve Stephen's brother Thaddeus in his role as Knight-Marshal (and later Lord Marshal) for Rivana.
Stephen took part in the Battle of Goldhollow, and interrogated the prisoners after its' conclusion, leading to the loyalist Rivanans learning of the shadow-war between Rivana's Syndicate families that was occurring alongside the new Thorn Insurgency (and indeed had been incited by them). Working alongside Prince Tristan Tracano and Lady Raelyn Cassomir as well as her sister Emilia, Stephen was among those that tried negotiating with the Syndicate families to cease their hostilities toward one another, as it was disrupting the trade routes of the Kingdom. While the meeting was very frosty, it accomplished enough to get the Syndicates to simmer down long enough for the loyal forces of Rivana to finish rooting out the Thorns in their midst. Between Goldhollow and the mission to negotiate with the Syndicates, Stephen also found himself with a considerable attraction to Lady Raelyn, though there was little time for romance. On a more negative note, the revelation that Alphard Haldis was alive dealt Stephen quite a blow, but he managed to push back his fear and focus on his work, largely with the help of Thaddeus and Raelyn.
Stephen again proved useful when he assisted in tracking down and purging traitors from the loyal ranks just prior to the final battles against the Thorn Insurgents in spring of 1866 IA. Stephen served as an archer/scout in the final battle against Alphard Haldis and his men, and at Thaddeus Greycen's suggestion, Darren Haldis allowed Stephen to set the Butcher's body alight when it was burned after the battle. Stephen also took part in the Battle of Sunsreach, managing to emerge mostly unscathed, though neither particularly distinguishing nor embarrassing himself in the combat.
Following the Battle of Sunsreach, Stephen was initially among the "stay behind" forces in Rivana while others marched to Couviere to aid against Queen Elsanna and her Tirian horde. Stephen worked alongside Prince Tristan Tracano to coordinate efforts to root out last remnants of the Thorns in Rivana over the next month, a task which proved considerably easier with information provided by Thorn prisoners taken in the last battles of the Insurgency. Feeling that their work was going along well enough that they could afford the "vacation" (so to speak), Stephen was among those that traveled to the Coronation Tourney for King Jean-Paul l'Valdan, bearing witness to this new beginning for Rivana's northern neighbor.
On the Grid
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Stephen Greycen stands of average height, possessing a lean build and moving with a fair bit of athletic grace. He has close-cropped brownish-blonde hair, which extends to cover much of his lower face in stubble. The chiseled features that frame his blue eyes would be considered reasonably handsome by most, if not exceptionally so, but there's a certain distance to those eyes that might be off-putting for some. His movements are confident and controlled, wasting little motion, and giving the impression of a fair bit of training.
Stephen's clothing is, at present, definitely "field wear" as opposed to "formal wear." A simple brown leather jerkin covers much of his upper body, with bracers on his forearms and greaves upon his shins of matching hardened-leather material. Dark green clothing can be glimpsed beneath the armor, and a matching hooded cloak is drawn across his shoulders and neck. Simple leather boots cover his feet, and a belt cinches the jerkin around his waist. A sword and dagger hang from his belt, and a quiver and longbow are often found strapped across his back. Notably, there are no exposed reflective surfaces on his attire. Even the buckles and fastenings have at least been painted over to hide their glint. He looks ready to move through the wilds, certainly.
Stephen is a pragmatic and level-headed fellow who seeks to excel at his work, but eschews any particular sense of glory or reward for it. He tends to be quiet and unobtrusive, though once he warms up he can be as sociable and warm a fellow as any, though there often does tend to be a certain bit of distance to him. He is not passive, but many might think him so because he simply tends not to speak until invited or until he has pertinent information or observations to add to the conversation. Though he does manage to maintain basic courtesies and politeness despite his laconic demeanor. He tends to be analytical and study problems from multiple angles before coming to his conclusions. Stephen is politically astute, and while he much prefers being a political observer to being a political player, he can fulfill the latter role when it is required of him.
As far as motivations go, Stephen is a fairly simple fellow: He wants to be good at what he does, and he wants to be of value to his House and help it prosper. Anything else is either a pleasant bonus or an unwanted distraction. Oh, and he'd prefer to have to avoid negative attention from Duchess Eleanor as much as possible. "Keep your head down and do what you're supposed to do" may as well be his motto. While he is not geared towards the spotlight, he is ideally-suited towards the role of an advisor and capable second.
Since the death of Alphard Haldis, Stephen seems more relaxed and warm in terms of his overall demeanor, though still on the quiet and professional side. While he still might get a bit of the shakes (particularly in his hands) if he thinks about his ordeal, the nightmares are coming less frequently (especially compared to the resurgence that occurred when he learned Alphard Haldis was alive), and the tremors are more easily controlled. He knows he will likely never fully lose the scars of what he endured, but he is resolved to make the best of things, regardless.
Analytical
Driven
Gifted Investigator
High Pain Threshold
Information Sources
Perceptive
Survivor
Logs and Sundry
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