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"I'm a liar and a cheat and a coward, but I will never, ever, let a friend down. Unless of course not letting them down requires honesty, fair play, or bravery." - Mark Lawrence
Background
Tristan Tracano was born on the 1st of Aout, 1840 to Lord Berenguer Tracano and his wife, Aurelia Tracano nee Gerrell. He is the first cousin to Queen Alysande Tracano and is known in Rivana and the Edge as something of a wastrel by most due to his womanizing, drinking and gambling and his embrace of such habits in public. Initially only a few knew that he was more than what he pretended to be, but since the 'Cardinal's Gambit', the true Tristan Tracano is what is presented to the public now. Whether or not he can ever come out of the shadow of his own creation has yet to be seen.
While he was still a young child, his mother took ill. Though she was well cared for by healers, she never recovered and passed away in the spring of 1843. Though their marriage had been something of a political arrangement, his father ended up loving his mother and in honor of her memory, never remarried.
Though it had been his father's hope that his son could follow him and become a knight, it became more and more clear over the years that the boy had no interest in martial pursuits and that in many ways, he took after his mother more than his father. He had her intelligence and curiosity. It was with some regret that he let his son go pursue more scholarly pursuits, arranging with his brother the potential for Tristan to serve the realm in some capacity when he came of age.
About a year after the Succession War broke out, Tristan was sent to live with his Uncle, Paul Gerrell. It was Berenguer's hope that as it appeared that since House Gerrell had yet to declare for either side, that it would buy time for Arturo's faction to gain an upperhand, or at the very least, keep the young man out of Anton's grasp.
Life among the Gerrell's was a rather different animal than what Tristan had been used to in Sunsreach. He did what he could to try and engage other boys his age, but it seemed like everyone else had dreams of glory with sword and shield as some renowned knight. Tristan had very little interest in this, and so it came to be that he became more and more acquainted with the fairer sex.
Over the course of the next several years, the lad who had once been reserved, became more personable and well known for being seen in the company of various ladies and common women. The ladies he was always proper and charming around. When he spent time with common women, his behavior became a little more indecent, a point of fact that his Uncle tried to shift him away from on a number of occasions.
For Tristan there was fun to be had, but it also seemed that people came to view him as something of a fool. In his mind, if people believed this, they would think little of him. Logically would this not be what his father would want? For him to draw little real attention?
In the Spring of 1860, Berenguer Tracano was killed by assassins sent by Anton Tracano. News of his father's death was one of the hardest things that Tristan had ever dealt with in his life. In many ways he felt alone and without any real family. Yes, he had his Uncle, but he had no mother, no father, no brothers and no sisters. Later that year, other events caused him to depart Gerrell territory and seek out forces loyal to the Rose.
Janvier 17, 1861 - Tristan Tracano finally manages to make his way into the Rose camp, having attempted on two separate occassions to declare himself a Tracano. Finally, guards being fed up with his antics take him into custody. Though he isn't quite dressed as one, in case his claims of nobility are true, they keep him secluded for several days.
Janvier 22, 1861 - For the first time in almost a decade, Tristan comes face to face with his cousin. Without propting, he kneels before her and declares his loyalty to her as well as who he is. Though at first a bit sceptical, Alysande was able to get confirmation after communicating with Paul Gerrell that Tristan was who he claimed to be.
Over the following year, Tristan and Alysande became reacquainted, after all, the two of them hadn't seen one another since they were both much younger and times were far more peaceful. For his part, Tristan was always open and honest with her and even eager to try and prove himself of some use. A smart and clever man, he began to use the personality he had been grooming while living with his uncle to some effect, uncovering a few servants who were not quite fully in the Rose's camp. Alysande took notice of this and an arrangement was made where Tristan would serve as her eyes and ears.
This arrangement continued up until and throughout the Cardinal's Gambit.
Fevrier 1865 - Tristan meets Alina l'Saigner for the first time while visiting a tailor's shop in Pacitta. It is a warm meeting and the two begin spending time in one another's company, leading to a day in early Marse when the two of them spend a night together, though nothing untoward occurred.
Mai 1865 - Acting upon some rumors he has heard, Tristan travels to Pacitta to do some snooping. After finding little of interest, Tristan makes his way back to Sunsreach, but is waylaid on the side of the road and taken captive by mercenaries pretending to be bandits. He is taken to Vorhold keep, though he is later rescued by troops of House Haldis.
Juillet 1865 - Though more time has been spent with Alina, Tristan decides to head towards Venderos to visit the annual tournament there. When Trevor Farrant is unmasked, he loses his composure and attempts to attack the man, unsuccessfully. To his surprise, Alina has also done so. Grievously wounded, Tristan is kept as a guest of Prince Lucius as he recovers. He also spends more time with Alina and though he realizes he is growing feelings towards her, he does not reveal them. It is already much to consider that the two have seen each other as something more than just fools.
It is during this convalescence that the two come out to each other and work up the idea that something is pulling the strings of all of the recent events.
News reaches Rivana that he perished at the hands of Trevor Farrant though he did have a letter penned to Queen Alysande to let her know otherwise.
Early Aout 1865 - Tristan goes north with Alina to Couviere. While there they share their feelings for one another and begin to grow closer. The two go on a day trip to some nearby ruins, the trip turns disasterous as the two are first cornered by bandits and then by some creature out of nightmare. Both are saved when a sizeable rescue party comes to their aide, including Jaren Cassomir. Afterwards Tristan is introduced to the more secretive side of the Vigilant.
Late Aout 1865 - Returning to Sunsreach, Tristan decides to take advantage of news that the Jaren's betrothal has been broken by Maris by offering Alysande the chance to wed Jaren, primarily since the man is one of the few in the West that can be trusted. At the same time, he puts forward the idea of marrying Alina to create another bridge between Couviere and Rivana. Alysande is understandably hesistant at the idea of marrying her cousin to the l'Saigner given what the family has done in the past. She latches onto the former idea, as to the latter, she instructs Tristan to be patient. He agrees.
Septembre 1865 - A rather uneventful month, except for the fact that the announcement of the betrothal of Alina to some northerner reaches Tristan's ears and he is beside himself with disgust that yet another path to happiness is yet denied him.
Octobre 1865 - During the festivities of Lord Thaddeus Greycen's wedding, Tristan and Alina snuck off to have one last fling between the two of them. Unknown to two of them, two children were conceived.
Novembre & Decembre 1865 - As Goldhollow is taken by forces loyal to the Thorns, Tristan rides out and begins to investigate several events that have been brewing since the troubles with the Syndicate began. He discovers that the Thorns have been trying to develop a trade war between two houses to cause more chaos within Rivana. Meeting with the three families with the help of Stephen Greycen, Raelyn Cassomir and Emilia Cassmoir, they do what they can to keep things from worsening. Later, Tristan participates in one battle to liberate Goldhollow and is slightly wounded. After the town has been liberated, he helps others questions some prisoners. His temper gets the better of him and he ends up trying to feed one man his ear after the man called Alysande a whore.
Janvier 1866 - Having been tasked with a mission to go and acquire the services of whatever mercenaries are still available, Tristan traveled to Pacita, accompanied by a former mercenary who had been taken prisoner weeks before. After arriving, Tristan spent several days getting a lay of the land before making Alysande's offer. After two weeks of preparation, the first companies march towards forces loyal to Alysande. While in Pacitta, he hears rumors of Alina's death. It is yet one more blow that he is forced to take in his rather harsh life. It puts him in a far more foul temper than ever before.
Fevrier 1866 - Tristan arrives with his mercenaries only to put them under the command of Thaddeus Greycen and Darren Haldis. After only a couple of days of rest, the army finds out about the Gerrell's attempted coup. Disgusted with himself for not having seen this coming, or even have heard anything about it, Tristan mulls over possible courses of action. Finally, he decides to ride with the army.
The Battle of Sunsreach: Not one to be eager for battle, Tristan initially decided to let others carve their way into the city, but some of that wasn't quite going as well as he hoped. Impatient, he still waits. Finally the gates fall but at a price. His uncle and a man who had a profound impact on his life was gravely wounded in the fighting. Ignoring any advice to the contrary, Tristan made his way into the city to offer what apologies and comfort he could to his dying uncle, at the end admitting that he regretted that Paul could not find any reason to have been proud of him.
As the fighting continued, Tristan slipped away from the bulk of the loyalist forces, accompanied only by his trusty Lancer that Alysande had sent with him to Pacita. With the goal of finding some pocket of allies or to at least craft a little chaos, Tristan used back alleys and other paths to make his way through the city and finally into the castle just as the bulk of the loyalists did.
Though most of the fighting was being done in other parts of the palace, Tristan and his faithful lancer did manage to come across a small party that was attempting to flee through other paths… Duchess Alyanna and three house guards. Though the odds were not the best, he and the lancer managed to ambush them using a hidden passage. After some fierce fighting, Tristan managed to kill one guard to the lancer's two, the two captured the Duchess. The Lancer came through unscathed but Tristan managed to get a knife lodged in his thigh bone. Moving on, the two of them came across the Queen and Jaren who had just dispatched Victor Tracano.
Having a knife in his leg and the Duchess's inane ranting about the One God finally broke Tristan and taking a hand cannon, he shot the dead Tracano in the head. The shock of violence still couldn't keep the woman from making her point and so, apologizing to Alysande, he punched Duchess Gerrell in the face, knocking the woman out and freeing everyone from her rather unpleasant presence.
Marse/Avril 1866 - As the Rivana readies itself to come to the aide of Couviere, Tristan spent what time he could recovering from his injury and helping Alysande wherever he could. When he could, he continued to formulate plans to see to the Syndicate of Rivana. A part of his plan revolved around legitimizing some of their activities so the crown could make use of them and the revenue they brought in while keeping enough distance so that any and all activities of the families could be denied. It was a tricky balance to try and reach but he was dedicated at trying to come up with a solution.
Towards the middle of the month as the nation prepares to march to war in the north, Alysande approached Tristan with an offer. As so much had happened in the past year and there were so many betrayals, she needed to ensure that people who were in important positions around here could be trusted implicitly. To that end, she made him the Royal Spymaser of Rivana and to reorganize and set to rights the kingdoms network of eyes and ears to ensure that future Gambits would be harder to pull off.
On the Grid
"The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool once a month."
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
Tristan Tracano stands 5'10" tall, with wavy dark blonde hair that is long, but not yet shoulder-length. With a fair complexion, and a youthful face that is soft, and covered with only a small amount of trimmed stubble, meant to convey a sense that he is a little older than he may appear. His hands are soft, clean and perfectly manicured, his nails completely clean of any grit.
He is currently wearing an ensemble in black. A black silk shirt is worn under a black silk coat, that is unbuttoned and lined with silver buttons and fasteners. The fabric slightly flairs a bit at the shoulders, and the tails of the coat go down to his thighs. Black silk trousers are held in place by a black leather belt with an ornate silver buckle. Rounding things out, black riding boots are worn, crafted out of the finest leather and in a more ostentatious style than is truly necessary.
Scars
- Tristan has a rather noticeable scar on his upper chest, where he suffered a rather terrible sword wound during the Venderos tournament. (Critical wound, suffered in 1865)
- There is a scar on his upper thigh, where he was struck by an axe during the affairs at Goldhollow. (Moderate wound, suffered in 1865)
- A scar in his right leg where he suffered a stab wound, he is seen favoring this leg often. (Serious wound suffered in 1866)
Tristan is, in generally, a personable and charming young man who has a refined taste in wine and fashion. He is perceptive and can often make a comment or remark that strikes remarkably close to the truth, even if he doesn't quite full realize the gravity of what he has just said. There are also times when he becomes quite angry and he lets his temper get the better of him, though those few times have only been in the presence of a few.
Quirks
- Bad Reputation - For a number of years now, the name Tristan Tracano has been linked with lechery and foolishness. There is a chance that a number of fathers have tried to keep their daughters out of the sights of him, but there is also a chance they failed.
- Charismatic - Despite his reputation, Prince Tristan has a presence about him. He is able to handle himself in almost any social situation.
- Cunning - Though he has often played the idiot in the past, Tristan is extremely intelligent and has a mind that can often see right to the heart of people or plots (even though he often doesn't even realize how close to the truth he is until later).
- Forward Thinking - A large amount of his focus is helping Rivana rebuild and grow stronger since the relatively recent troubles the kingdom has faced, but whenever and wherever he can, Tristan is attempting to help ensure that House Tracano rules the nation for a long, long time.
- Perceptive - Tristan is extremely perceptive, except for those times when he gets easily distracted by a pretty face or has had a little too much to drink. When those things aren't happening, he is pretty damn perceptive though.
- Privileged Position - Currently the Royal Spymaster and a Prince of Rivana, Tristan is someone who can make things happen within the kingdom, he also has the ear of the Queen.
- Schemer - Always one to try and come up with plans to counter something within the court, or to even set the wheels of gossip and rumor moving, Tristan is able to scheme in a number of different ways and do so with the best of them.
- Wealthy - Tristan is not only a Tracano, the house that defines the word wealth, he is high up in the line of succession and thus has access to more than most of the house would have.
Logs and Sundry
"Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards."
- Tacitus
(aidric alysande clara devlin jaren liam log quentyn social thaddeus tristan)
(adrienne aidric alaric alexandra alina amara antonia ariane artos clara clarke conrad corvin devlin dora elaida emilia esyld evelyn event gabriel james jonathan leander log lorelei lucas philippe quentyn raimond symon thaddeus the-last tiadora tristan vorian)
(alesandro baral dixon emilia event log quentyn raelyn royce stephen thaddeus tristan)
(alaina alina alivia amara ariane cesare clara dalmer darren dawn devlin dixon elaida elrick emilia esyld evelina event gabriel leander log manfred mina orion osric quentyn raelyn raimond reese thaddeus tristan vorian)
(clara elaida emilia event jonathan log odilia raelyn stephen thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(alina amara artos clara elaida elrick emilia evelyn event gabriel joffrey log philippe raelyn stephen thaddeus tristan)
(alexandra alina alivia amara ariane cesare clarke cynthia darren dawn devlin drusilla elaida elrick emilia esyld evelyn event gabriel gastogne joffrey jonathan leander lero log manfred mina orion quentyn raelyn raimond samuel thaddeus tiadora tristan vorian)
(alaric alexandra alina alivia amara ariane cesare clara clarke cynthia darren drusilla elaida elrick emilia evelyn event gabriel gastogne joffrey jonathan leander lero log manfred mina odilia orion raelyn raimond samuel thaddeus tristan vorian)
(dawn elaida emilia liam log raelyn raimond social stephen thaddeus tristan)
(aidric alysande devlin elaida event jaren johanna leander log martyn raimond thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(adrienne aidric alysande clara elaida emilia event jaren johanna log martyn raelyn stephen thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(alina antonia clarke corvin elaida elrick evelyn event gabriel log lydia raimond tristan)
(alina clara clarke corvin elaida emilia event jonathan log lucas tristan)
(alina amelia bella clarke dora elrick emilia evelyn event gabriel jasper log lucius lydia michael raimond samuel tiadora tristan)
"Life - the way it really is - is a battle not between Bad and Good but between Bad and Worse." - Joseph Brodsky
Relationships
Couviere
- Cover
- House l'Valdan
- l'Valdan Vassals
- House l'Saigner
- l'Saigner Vassals
- House l'Corren
- l'Corrn Vassals
- House l'Faust
- l'Faust Vassals
- Commoners
- Deceased
King Jean-Paul l'Valdan : The new northern king. He claims to want peace, and I believe he is sincere. Time will tell though. |
Queen Louisa l'Valdan : I have to admit, the king was a rather lucky man. Something about her eyes just does something for me. A shame though, even I am not foolish enough to try something. |
Queen Cynthia Marianne l'Valdan : The former Queen. She seems like a strong woman. It would have been interesting to meet a much younger version of her. |
Baron (Sir) Artos t'Acuto : I do not know much about the Baron, other than he was one of the party that saved my ass when Alina and I had experienced some, ah, rather interesting things. |
Lord Lucas l'Saigner : You were a rather pleasant change of pace after dealing with Corvin. I do not know much about you, but I wish you well. |
More to come.
More to come.
More to come.
More to come.
More to come.
More to come.
Rivana
- Cover
- House Tracano
- Tracano Vassals
- House Greycen
- Greycen Vassals
- House Haldis
- Haldis Vassals
- House Gerrell
- Gerell Vassals
- Deceased
Princess Johanna Tracano : Martyn's wife. I hope that he can find a measure of happiness with her. |
Lady Emilia Cassomir : I know little of the Lady Emilia. She's pretty enough that if she was not a Cassomir, I would have liked to have known her far, far better. |
Lord (Sir) Graham Cassomir : Another Cassomir who is good at fighting in tournaments. Imagine that! It will be interesting to see if the man can make a run at the circuit championship though. |
Lady Adrienne Cassomir : Sir Graham's sister and a Huntress. I know little of her, but I am sure time will rectify that. |
Huntress Cathrynn DeSalvo : A Huntress as well as Sir Graham's consort. Intersting, though I can see why. |
Lord Adem Moreno : A man I would consider something of a friend, or at least a close acquaintance. I hope to use his family in some of my plans for the future of the kingdom. |
Lady Saffran Moreno : Once a courtesan, now a lady. How time can change things. I wonder, will you still look at me with some fondness when I put some of my plans into motion? |
Lord (Sir) Thaddeus Greycen : Though we have only interacted a handful of times, I have found him to be a man who can be worked with. A good quality for a man who will become a Duke. |
Lady Ariane Greycen : A northerner Princess and Thaddeus' wife. Their wedding was nice, but as for her? Time will tell. |
More to come.
Duke (Sir) Darren Haldis : I would be interested to know the truth of your father's death, but it really matters not to me. You have served Rivana well so far, and I hope you continue to do so. |
More to come.
Duke Symon Gerrell : A man I was once close with. I agreed with your vision for Normont, and I hope that you, as Duke, can do whatever you can to make your vision become a reality. |
Lady Tiadora Gerrell : Simon's younger sister and my cousin. She is very shy but kind. I hope that some time at court will get her to open up a bit more. |
Lord (Sir) Arturo Stephan Tracano : You were a good man, a good uncle, at least from the rare moments I had with you. I hope you are resting easy knowing that your daughter would be making you proud. |
Others
High Priest Alphonse : Not sure how trustworthy you are. No, I trust you to look out for the church, but perhaps you should look after your own more. |
More to come…