Janus Renn

## Appearance

**Hair:** Black

**Skin:** Fair

**Eyes:** Brown

**Height:** 5’4”

**Weight:** 120 lbs

**Body Type:** Slim

**Noticeable features:** Curly hair, greying toward the front; worn long in an attempt to hide his elven ears.

## Personality

Janus is a reserved and quiet man. He has a knack for keeping conversation flowing, despite not saying much himself. He simply knows how to ask the right questions. A man of diminutive height and slight build, he is far from an imposing figure. More often than not, he escapes notice; His simple manner of dress and elven features often lead others to believe he is a servant. He uses his unassuming appearance to his advantage.

## Abilities & Proficiencies

**Fighting Styles:** Swordsman, style of the wind.

**Weapon Proficiencies:** Dueling rapier

**Magic:** Janus is a master level soother. Well aware of the disastrous effects of magic on the practitioner, he reserves its use only for situations where the need is dire and the yield is most profitable. When he does choose to apply his arts, he makes it a point not to implant emotions in others, instead amplifying emotions already present. His aim is not to manipulate by magical means, only to observe and understand.

**Other Skills:** Mathematics, languages, cipher, charcoal sketching, and the theatrical arts. In his precious little spare time, he enjoys reading the works of playwrights, believing them to be an invaluable insight into human nature as well as a beautiful expression of art. Character study informs other pursuits of his.

## History

House Rennaud have been the stewards of Garden’s Well in the Westerlands for generations. Perhaps influenced by the sweetness of their surroundings and the steady influx of trade and foreign merchants, the Rennauds have a reputation of tolerance, fairness, and compassion relative to other noble houses. This is not to say that they are by any stretch weak-willed, they defend their holdings and position with as much tenacity as the most ruthless of their peers.

When the Marquess Caelus Rennaud lost his wife to the birth of their only child, a daughter whom he named Sabine, he chose not to remarry. Years later, when Caelus’ grief had waned, he found himself taken in with an elven servant charged with Sabine’s care. After a time, he fathered a child by her, Janus. Evidently he cared for her a great deal. Upon learning she was pregnant by him, he moved her to a small cottage by the manor gardens, letting her raise the child in comfort while remaining under the employ of house Rennaud.

When the bastard was born, Caelus decided that he would do right by the boy. He could not formally acknowledge the mixed-blood child as his own, but rather than deny him outright, he conferred on him half of the privileges of the nobility as well as half of his name. While he still served as a servant, he was taught by the same tutors as his elder half-sister, received lessons in fencing and riding, and accompanied the family on trips to neighboring cities. His parentage became something of an open secret, treated by the minor nobility in the Westerlands with a mixture of feigned ignorance, derision, and scorn.

Caelus had a mind toward setting Janus up to become a successful member of the merchant class, and thus his education emphasized history, foreign language, and economics. Rather than attending the prestigious Inkveil academy, Janus pursued a complex course of studies abroad, including various apprenticeships in foreign mercantile houses. He soon learned that state secrets were often hidden not in the dungeons, but in the coffers. Following the flow of money led to some truly shocking discoveries. Janus realized the value in this and began quietly keeping note of the hidden motives of high houses both foreign and domestic in an encrypted journal.

Upon the completion of his eclectic studies, he had several connections and correspondences with merchants foreign and domestic, noble and unscrupulous. He returned to his home in Garden’s Wall as a public servant, accounting for the goods and capital that flowed through the city from Orvesian trade caravans, all the while keeping tabs on the hidden motives of the rich and powerful through his extensive connections. He moved from city to city, offering his accounting services to local institutions, thus further broadening his reach and insight. Eventually, he developed a personal relationship with none other than Aitor D’Almieda, son of the cruel king Vahn. Upon learning of Aitor’s apparent distaste for his father’s tyrannical grip on Pveth and the institution of slavery, he shares some of his insights with him, hoping to establish a reputation with him as a valuable resource. They entered a correspondence during Aitor’s travels, wherein Janus kept him briefed on the affairs of the council in his absence. Eventually, Aitor installs him as his personal assistant and has him moved to the palace in order to keep a closer watch on the council. Janus uneasily agrees, seizing an opportunity few of his birth would dream of being afforded. He believes that he can effect lasting change for the better by working incrementally towards that end.