Torrhen Belmont

Arriving in the court of Hallengard some time ago, a silent man crept into the keep donned in a surcoat of rough black. The man came with only one thing in mind- the death of the Queen. But as he came to realize the futility of it, the grip on his blade weakened, and the man yielded to himself as the reality of his revenge came to dawn unto him. It would not be revenge for his house, and it would not repair the damage done by the War of the Daggers.

And as this realization dawned, the winter of his discontent did end. It had finally culminated into the spring of his ambition, the apex of his self. For every man and woman in that court would mark the day that Torrhen Belmont had entered the scene.

### Early Life

Torrhen, as a young man, originally intended himself to join the Druidic Order and study medicine, which his father endorsed. Brandon, a military man and royal guard for the Findlaighs wished for his son to do something more than what their house had always been known to do. Defend the Emperor, even if it meant raizing entire towns. This line of work, he did not wish for his only son. Torrhen was a bastard of his father and an unnamed woman, who Brandon claims died in childbirth. This being common knowledge, the man was often known to shield his son from other courtiers, and the duties which would eventually be transferred to Torrhen. Brandon's wife took up this task as well, viewing Torrhen as her own.

This resulted in Torrhen having a very scholarly understanding of the world around him, but in machinations of a court- he had little experience nor understanding of. The War of the Daggers occurred when Torrhen was 12, and so he found himself assisting his mother in managing the county more often. That ended however, when Gaelgelhar was to be overrun and annihilated by rebels. Torrhen's mother was slain attempting to protect her son, which allowed Torrhen to escape from the keep with a small retinue, and finally rendezvous with his father. He managed to find his father, and traveled with his father and the Emperor for some time, until the end of the war.

When the war finally ended, Torrhen and his father still accompanied the Emperor, hoping to be accommodated back into the new Hallengardian Kingdom. If asked, Torrhen would tell you that the Emperor and his father were brutally murdered together in their tent by assassins. But anyone else would label this as hearsay. After this, Torrhen wandered the lands as a vagabond, carrying the relics of his house and his life from town to town. Thus leading him to Mulleburgh.

### "The Spring of his ambition..."

Torrhen had acquainted himself with the court of Hallengard, even after admitting to them that he came to murder the Queen. He expressed to them a deep desire to take what he claimed was his- the throne of Caerdrys. They acknowledged this claim. And so, Torrhen traveled to Caerdrys to acquaint himself with the Duke, whom he managed to convince to revolt, if Hallengardian backing came. In this, he was successful. He also rallied Corvus Creedmor to his side, not only against Aedwin- but towards everyone. He then managed to get himself hired as Spymaster by King Ardvor. If they were a politician- Torrhen had forged some kind of connection with them. The groundwork was laid for a successful annihilation of Aedwin, and annexation of Caerdrys. And yet, Torrhen looked on this chessboard, hand-on-chin, and snapped the chess board over his knee, for inaction had made Torrhen grow impatient.

With a group of ex-Findlaigh veterans and vast swarms of rabble, and even support from Aedwin, he arrived in Caerdrys and attempted to storm the city. But he was met with more resistance than he expected- and was repelled from the city and captured. But due to the cunning of his allies- he was saved. The Caerdryan victory here, however, would be blunted by the fact that Corvus Creedmor would eventually murder the Duke. Uninterested in the claim, which had always been fabricated, he freed the heiress of the Duchy, and washed his hands of the city.

But at that point, the man's connections were squandered entirely, and both kingdoms had placed an incredibly large bounty on Torrhen's head. So for some time, Torrhen would lay low. But he made his return to politics with fire and fury, arriving in Aedwin alone, and murdering King Ardvor in cold blood for the bounty he placed on his life. Upon revealing to the newly victorious Hallengardians that he had murdered the former king, they granted him a royal pardon.

With this, Torrhen began to once more garner support, and followers. He amassed a group of Mercenaries, now known as "Belmont's Bleakswords" and eventually took up a contract on Commodus Bonaparte's life, which they fulfilled. Now, Torrhen stands pardoned. The spring of his ambition over. The winter of his discontent at a close. But after spring, is summer...