Arthur Belmont

**Arthur Belmont**, Duke of Kingsford and Lord of Lionsgate was
born to Arnold and Catelyn Belmont in a time long after the heyday of his
family’s rule. His daughter is Lady Victoria Belmont.

## The Belmont Kings

Two hundred years before Arthur’s birth, the Belmonts ruled
as Kings of Arland. The Belmont dynasty was the longest lived of all Arlish
kings but, like so many before them, they were doomed to fall.

When the Nôlthwykan Empire fell, Roland Belmont united the
families of Arland and overthrew the Nôvroni lords that held dominion over the
realm. After his victory, Roland declared himself king and his family ruled for
three hundred years before being overthrown the other lords of Arland.

Since the fall of Roland’s Dynasty, the Belmonts have
struggled to regain a foothold in the politics of Arland. Many families still distrust
the Belmonts, believing that they wish to conquer Arland once again. Arthur’s
forebears spent their rules reclaiming the land that was lost after the fall of
the last Belmont King, Rufus.

## Arthur's Parents

Arthur’s father was a cold and pragmatic man, obsessed with
restoring his house to glory. His mother loved Arthur dearly but Arnold
prevented her from coddling Arthur, thinking that it would diminish his
manhood. Arthur’s parents died of the plague when Arthur was fourteen,
thrusting lordship on him at an early age. As a young Duke, he relied heavily
on the council of his father’s banner men but quickly showed himself to be more
than capable of lordship.

## The Fallen Angel

When Arthur was in his early twenties, something rather
extraordinary happened. Whilst out on a hunt, he discovered a beautiful young
woman alone in the woods. She was naked, cold and disoriented, not knowing
where she was. Arthur wrapped her in his cloak and carried her back to his
keep, nursing her back to health. The woman introduced herself as Inerielle, a
fallen angel that had been ejected from the celestial plane for disobeying her masters.
Arthur thought her to be mad and dismissed her story until he was visited by a
man dressed in black a few days later.

The man in black claimed that Inerielle was his wife and he
was here to take her home. The man told Arthur that she was not well and was
prone to episodes of delusion and hysteria. Arthur felt that was something off
about this man and sent him away. Later that night, Arthur was awoken by a
scream. He rushed into Inerielle room to see a terrible monster, the colour of
the night looming over Inerielle. Arthur fought desperately, but was wounded
badly and the fiend stole Inerielle away.

Once he had recovered from his injuries, he vowed to find
and rescue Inerielle. Arthur enlisted the aid of Mallion, an elven ranger that
had been a friend to the Belmonts for generations, to hunt down Inerielle’s
captors. After almost a year of searching, they finally managed to locate and
save Inerielle. Reunited, Arthur and Inerielle fell in love and married. Before
long, Inerielle was pregnant.

The fallen angel gave birth to a beautiful baby girl,
Victoria, but did not survive childbirth. It was after Inerielle’s death that
Arthur was approached by Faeron, an elf from the south and old friend of
Malion’s. Faeron informed Arthur that Victoria would be a target all her life,
due to her celestial heritage. Faeron offered his council and guidance to the
Belmont house, promising Arthur that he would always protect his beloved
Victoria.