Cooper Brady the 3rd

## Early life

Born Cooper Brady the 3rd on a late October day, his childhood would be full of great hardships. He and his brothers, Donald, Heinrich, and his eldest sister Elena, all lived in the slums of a large industrial city. Their father John was a foot soldier in the local militia, and their mother a tailor at a small clothing shop.

Elena was incredibly gifted and was often praised by her teachers in the local school for her abilities in science and mathematics. When Cooper was 12, his sister accepted a scholarship to attend a very prestigious school, located in As'ria, leaving her family behind. Their father was killed in action mere weeks later after being jumped by a group of bandits. It is speculated that she never even found out due to the family's lack of communication with her.

The boy's mother, Emila, died when Cooper was 17 from an unknown illness, after which they decided to immigrate to the city-state of Novastonia, just a few years before its independence from the Second Empire of Plagatéa.

## Life in Novastonia

Soon after arriving, he and brother Heinrich discovered the wonders of brewing after seeing one of the nobles brew in a tavern. So, they set up a makeshift brewery in their small townhouse basement and got to work, hoping to make a small profit and eventually own a tavern of their own.

However, Cooper sadly lost sight in his left eye after a brewery accident, when pressure from a fermenting barrel caused it to explode, sending shrapnel into his eye.

For a while things went quite well, the brothers began making some money. Soon though, tensions started to mount between Heinrich and the other brothers. He had become so absorbed in his work that nothing else seemed to matter to him, unlike Cooper and Donald, who had both gotten jobs outside of the home to make enough money to get by.

Soon enough, domestic disputes erupted from the house, with Heinrich striking and hitting the members of the household. Luckily, Cooper was able to keep Heinrich at bay with threats to contact the constables if he continued to act out. Most of the household spent their time out of the home to avoid Heinrich's rage.

## Enlistment into the Novastonian Military and rise to nobility

One day, Cooper had learned that the Novastonian Military had become open to the public, allowing the enlistment of normal citizens. Hoping to serve the country that had given him so much, and make some money, he signed up and became a Knight of the Watch. The Knight's of the Watch are responsible for policing the nation and serving as a battlefield peacekeeping in times of war. This had come after the increased number of bandit attacks on the city, of which the brother's home had become victim weeks prior.

After enlisting, Cooper had proven to be quite a competent soldier, so much so, that he caught the attention of the Commanding General and his staff. He was soon promoted to the Knight of Froskmeir, a position which was responsible for being the personal advisor and trustee to the Commanding General. He continued to work with strong dedication, meeting some very powerful people along the way. When the time came for the Commanding General to retire, the senate chose Cooper to take on the role of his former superior. In addition to this, he was granted a seat in the Novastonian Senate.

## Loss of Donald and Heinrich

Everything was going amazing for the Brady brothers, with Cooper's new position, the family gained enormous wealth and stature within the community. They had moved into a much nicer home, they were able to repay old debts, and Heinrich had even given up drinking. Sadly, tragedy soon struck them yet again.

The brothers had planned a trip to Aristions, to escape the city for a while and sightsee. Unfortunately, an emergency session of the senate was called, and Cooper was forced to abandon the trip, sending the two brothers alone. Weeks had gone by, and the two brothers had not returned from their trip, soldiers from the Novastonian Military were sent to search for them, but were unable to. Cooper soon took up heavy drinking to cope with the loss.

## Disappearance

Shortly after the reformation of the Novastonian Republic to the Novastonian Empire, Cooper had not shown up to his office or the senate hall in over a week. Fearing he may be sick or fled the empire all together, guardsmen were sent to his home to make contact with him. When it became apparent that no one was home, the guardsmen searched his home, only finding a handwritten note on his desk;

*"If you are reading this, it means you're probably wondering where the hell I am. The truth is not even I have the slightest idea of where I'm going. My time here has come to an end, but my life is nowhere near complete. The Great One has called me into his service, for the day of days is upon us. He shall root out the weak and allow the strong to rise higher than the mid-noon sun.*

*I only ask that you not look for me, I have no intention of returning.*

*- Cooper O Brady the 3rd*

*Commanding General of the Novastonia Army"*

This was incredibly odd, mainly because Cooper was not religious, nor did he seem to express any academic interests in religion. The senate inquired to many scholars on what exactly Cooper was referring to when he wrote about "The Great One" or the "Day of Days", but none have been able to give a solid answer. There has also been speculation that he had simply gone insane. With the grief that came at the loss of his brothers and the stress from his demanding position, many believe that he just broke down and became delusional.

Not wanting to tarnish his good name, the senate decided to cover up his disappearance and claim he had passed away due to complications with influenza, which for the most part, the public believed. He was "buried" with full honors near his home in Luxenstein.

## Conclusion

Cooper Brady the 3rd left a legacy that any citizen should wish to live up to. He went from an immigrant that came to *Novastonia* with nothing but the clothes on his back, to a very influential and respected figure in Novastonia history.

He has not been seen, nor heard from in almost 6 years, most consider him dead, some think he still lives. One thing is for certain; he has left us more questions than answers.

Elena Brady is the only remaining member of the Brady Family, but, she has not been seen since she left school in As'ria. The most plausible theory is that she had her name changed, but, since the reformation of the Verilion Imperium, and the subsequent dissolution of the As'rian Commonwealth, what little records would be available, were most likely lost. Her whereabouts are unknown.