Justice Serpineheit

## Overview

**Justice** Frederick Voclain Victovour von **Serpineheit** is a half-orc half-elf Arcane Trickster rogue and a member of The Party. He was born and raised as a noble in Norne. He is son to Grandon and Valouria Serpineheit. He works as an advisor to Augustine Vincendius and as a professor at the College of Mystical Arts and Magical Prowess. Despite his deadpan exterior, he has a penchant for mischief.

## Description

### Appearance

Justice is a man with dull green skin, with orcish heritage, and long elf ears. He has short dark blue hair that fades into sun-dyed light blue at the tips. He seems somewhat young, but lines of stress and jaded expression makes him seem older than he is. He has neat white undershirt, with a dull navy blue vest. He wears a brown overcoat, books in the pockets, and frilly sleeve ends coming out from under the coat sleeves. He wears black leather gloves to hide scars on his hands and wears a necklace with a small black urn. Aside from his fine material clothing, the most significant indication he comes from wealth is his golden ear pieces. He has absolutely no presence, and only adopts a noble's posture when necessary, or when he is scared.

### Personality

Justice is a dull and dreary man, who leans deeply into his love of history, law, and stuffy arcane theory. He's intelligent, efficient, and precise. He was never taught nor expected to be in a position of power and keeps his head down where possible. He is often deadpan and indifferent, but means no insult by it.

While he often comes across as apathetic, Justice is anything but (please believe me). He cares deeply for the Nornish people, but struggles with his ingrained fear of moving against the system. Before the dust-storms, he was motivated by improving Norne lawfully, under his employer and friend, Augustine Vincendius.

He makes little sound when he moves, a learned skill from his experiences in the Serpineheit Estate. Where possible, he tries not to draw attention to himself. He stealths around often, simply because it makes him more comfortable to not be seen.

Behind his dull monotone exterior is a surprising amount of mischief and pettiness. He gains much joy from playing pranks and tricks on other nobles. He has carried out them out since childhood, and achieves a sort of escapism from them. He deeply despises the cruelty showed by his noble peers, but instead of directly confronting them, he passes judgement through pranks that cause the noble to lose face or be inconvenienced. This illustrates a lingering immaturity and hypocrisy he hasn't grown out of yet.

After the dust-storms, Justice's personality shifted somewhat. He struggled/struggles heavily with the grief of losing his children, which causes him to distance himself further from others. After decades of suppressing his anger and only expressing it through hidden mischief, he is unable to fully realise the strength of his rage. He sits on a fence between upholding the kindness taught to him by Alise or letting the madness and anguish consume his psyche. After seeing visions of his children, he developed a schizophrenic disorder. He frequently talks to his children, even when he has no visible or audible confirmation that they are there. He also has nyctohylophobia.

##### Canonical Instances of 'Psychosis'

* Upon exiting the cart, Justice was walking through the streets of Dawntide. He heard light footsteps beside him. Later, beside a festival stall, he saw a blonde elven child reaching for a candy apple. And when Dimitri Montaine slipped on grease, Justice heard a faint giggle.
* When Justice cast an Infestation spell on a bandit, he heard a giggle.
* When Justice cast a Cause Fear spell on Dimitri Montaine, Dimitri saw three spirits hovering behind Justice.
* When Dimitri Montaine slipped on grease a second time at the Guard Tower, Justice heard another giggle.
* When The Party acquired the diamond, Justice said "No, I'm not going to buy this for you." to which he heard a childish whine.
* When Justice cast Cause Fear on the insect aberration, it was swiping at things invisible to others.
* As Meadow and Nova discussed Wizard's weed and getting drunk, Justice broke off from the group and insisted in whispered tones that they should not be taken as role models
* During Justice's confrontation with Augustine, as he laughed hysterically, he heard a cacophony of echoed laughter from all around him.
* When Justice placed the bouncy ball in the corner of the Irode Tent and addressed his children, he saw it move slightly.
* Upon returning to the corner with the bouncy ball, he felt two of his children hug his legs.
* The night after his confrontation with Augustine he asked Rudolf: "Did you look through my things? I'm not mad, I just want to know." to which he heard desperate echoing whispering.
* While taking his children for a walk in the commune, he heard the crushing of leaves following him.
* At Silvanus' corrupted temple, The Party found a cursed golden necklace. When Justice suggested "You know who this would make a perfect gift for? Augustine." he felt his children tugging at his legs.

## Background

### Childhood

Justice was born to a prominent elven father, Grandon, and his second wife, Valouria. He is the third of four legitimate children. Despite being born in the famously corrupt and inequal city of Barrowbough, Justice grew up fairly wealthy and did not suffer from it. His father comes from a long line of nobles. However, due to business mistakes, the Serpineheit family lay on the edge of bankruptcy during Justice's childhood. These times led to an understanding of the fragility of the noble position and washed away any deep feelings of noble superiority. Due to secret (and likely illegal) affairs Justice was left mostly unaware of as the third child, the family restored its finances. During the period of financial uncertainty, Justice was left with educating himself. He had no problems with this, and learned quickly. Many days were spent looking through large tomes of history, law, and politics. The only exception to this was the occasional martial training session with a friend of his father and noble military officer. He was taught things all nobles should know (according to Grandon): horse-riding and how to use a rapier.

Justice did not often speak to his mother during his childhood years. She took a leadership role in the family business, and had little time for the third child. She was far too busy molding Lyam and Arutha in her image. Even so, Justice felt the weight of her expectation nonetheless. He soon learnt that deviating from the expectations of his parents or the expectations of noble society led to harsh consequences. This was further emphasized with the sudden disappearance of an older boy he knew. The boy was outspoken, kind, and empathetic, and Justice quickly realised that if he ever acted the same, he would vanish too. To Justice, the best and easiest move was to never draw attention to oneself.

The mother figure in his life was the orcish maid, Alise, who taught him the orcish language. She had a keen eye for anything out of place, and was the only person who could notice when Justice was skulking around.

When he was just ten years old, he was dragged to a holiday home in a forest a few days from Barrowbough. When Lyam and Arutha insisted on going on a hunting trip, Justice was forced to participate. During the trip, Justice fell behind and became lost. He spent the whole night in the forest, surrounded by unfamiliar sounds. As the sun rose, he finally found his way back to the house, shaking. Neither parents nor servants had noticed his absence. Lyam and Arutha had taken the attention with their evening catch, and had assumed Justice had returned hours ago and gone to sleep, or perhaps he simply slipped their mind. After taking a moment to recover, Justice changed his clothes, and joined his family for breakfast.

### Early Teenage Years

As he grew into his teens, Justice's frustrations with the inhumane treatment by his peers was reaching a bubbling point. Yet his fear still held him back from taking any action. His relationship with Alise became slightly strained during this time, as he had no outlet for his anger, and wrongfully took it out on her.

One day, he noticed his father angrily searching for his eyeglass. Without knowing fully why, Justice sought it out, only to hide it somewhere even harder to find. And that’s how Justice’s small and subtle pranking career began. It became a sort of escapism - an outlet for his frustrations, as well as a sort of logic puzzle. Not to mention, he thinks there's something just *so* satisfying about seeing the elite lose face, even if only a little bit. He felt they gave him more control over his life. They were always just small things to make one doubt their own sanity. And he ensured they could never be traced. Thus far, he has had close calls, but never been seen or blamed.

### University Years

Justice passed the famously difficult MAMP College entrance exam with flying colours. He majored in history and law, and took several courses in arcane theory and spellcasting. It was around this time that Justice first met Augustine, at a typical nobles' gathering. Augustine had easily seen through Justice fake demeanour and hidden hatred of the affair. They ended up having a surprisingly honest conversation over drinks. After a few more meetings, Justice was hired for the part-time work. He was very appreciative of the job he gained. Augustine did not expect Justice to participate in the frequent ridiculous posturing rituals and politics of the noble court, unless it was important for Augustine's appearance.

    One day, whilst roaming the corridors at night, he came across a group of children clearly up to some mischief. Caught in the act, they started to run from him, but he called out to them and directed them away from the NORM bots without a further word. Several days later, he saw them again. He simply acknowledged them and walked away. The third time they met, the kids approached him first. They bothered him with questions and chatter. It was in this meeting that Justice learned their names: Rudolf, Amelie, and Leo. Over time, they met more frequently and became a strange family. Justice started to teach Amelie and Leo to write. Occasionally, they would go on 'adventures' and carry out elaborate pranks together. He gave the children tips for being unseen and provided maps and equipment and the kids started to see him as a father figure. Justice's monotone heart started to warm to these sweet (and energetic) children. Though he would hardly admit it outloud, the kids brought joy to his life. He met with them almost everyday, and provided food and lullabies (in the form of boring law texts) and sometimes even toys. On the rare day Justice got a day off, he would take them on outings to cafes, in disguise. It was difficult, as Justice put in extreme caution to never interact with NORM bots on these outings. During these times, a pivotal promise was made.

While he was a student at the college, he met a fellow noble. They were intelligent and kind, and Justice formed a romantic and sexual relationship with them. However, when they started to openly criticize the noble system, Justice was concerned, but did not take any action to stop them. This inaction made him feel all the more worse when one day, the day after an important assignment, they didn't turn up to classes. No further word was heard from them, and their family seemed to dismiss their child's very existence. Justice denied any connection to them, and kept his feelings to himself as he continued on with his studies.

In Justice's later professor days, Augustine offered Justice a higher position, Justice knew he had to take it, even if it meant seeing the kids less often. As Augustine's man, no one could question Justice, or give him shit for not acting like a 'true' noble. Not even Justice's own family. He would be safe with Augustine. Or so he thought.

### The Dust Storms

In the next few years, (ages 26-28) he found himself quite busy, and couldn't visit the university hidey hole as often as before. He was sometimes called back to lecture for a course, and he would visit after these lectures. One week, he heard of rebellions stirring in a nearby district. He put it out of his mind as he was quite busy that week. At the end of the week he visited the old law library, to find them absent. They were never again from that day. He tried to push down his growing dread. But eventually Justice pieced it together. The time of these rebellions matched with the time the children stopped coming to the university. He heard talk of "dust-storms" and investigated further. After some very discrete questioning, he discovered that the Franzet (Rudolf’s) family had been involved in the most recent rebellion, and their house had been within the disentegration zone of the 'storm'.

In the following weeks, Justice took every opportunity to discreetly search the streets and university to look for the children, Amelie and Leo. He never found any trace, just more tragedy. Only ash and blood-soaked NORM bots. Standing within the district itself was when he finally understood what had happened. He collapsed upon the ground, desperately searching through the broken glass and ash, cutting his hands quite badly in the process. [incomplete, need to add the kids promise tings]

A small while later, he hears from one of Augustine’s informants about the Helm of Domination. Already, he starts thinking of all the possibilities if such an artifact truly existed. He passes on the information to Augustine, and suggests he follows it up for him. He says he’s been looking for a chance to travel, and Augustine agrees to send him to Dawntide to investigate. Justice hoped to get to the artifact first, and to maintain Augustines trust as of right now. So, he sets out for a journey, with his goal soon to be in reach.

## Character Information

### Proficiencies

##### Skills

* Arcana
* Deception
* History
* Insight
* Investigation
* Perception
* Sleight of Hand
* Stealth

##### Languages

* Common
* Thieves' Cant
* Elvish
* Orc
* Sylvan
* Undercommon

### Notable Items

* Trickster's Coat (Gifted by Augustine Vincendius)
* Personal Journal of Children's Stories
* Drawings (From Leo)
* Helm of Domination Spike (Acquired from the Gnoll Cave)
* Yeenoghu Ritual Dagger
* Personal scribbles of previous owner of the spike
* Magical Shortsword
* Keystone Contract (Stolen from the Stain)
* Various notes and scrolls from Silvanus' Corrupted Temple

### Abilities

#### Half-Elf Abilities

* Darkvision (shades of gray) up to 60 ft.
* Fey Ancestry

#### Skills and Style

Justice is well trained in formal noble fencing and as such, is quite skilled with a rapier. However, when it comes to melee, he prefers the more loose style of his shortsword and daggers. In combat, he prefers to stay away from the action, picking off enemies with his bow. His attacks are quick, sharp, calculated, and precise.

As an Arcane Trickster, he is also capable of casting spells. He knows or has used:

* Mage Hand
* Message
* Infestation
* Prestidigitation
* Alarm
* Cause Fear
* Command\*
* Disguise Self
* Grease
* Identify
* Invisibility
* Languishing Step\*

\* indicates spells gained through the Shadow-Touched Feat. Upon interacting with and sleeping in proximity of the Gnoll Cave ritual circle, he gained innate use of these spells.

#### Mage Hand Legerdemain

Through manipulation of arcane sigils and knowledge of arcane theory, Justice learned to adjust the Mage Hand cantrip. He is capable of turning it invisible at will, and uses this to carry out subtle pranks or distract enemies in combat. Out of combat, he uses his mage hand to assist with daily tasks and can often be seen writing in his journal with two of his three hands.

## Relationships

### Augustine Vincendius

> "Yes. I… I should have told you more, Justice. You’re the most trustworthy person I know."
>
>

Justice has a very conflicted and complicated relationship with Augustine. When they met, they talked for a long time on Nornish law and history, and Justice felt that they had formed a genuine connection. He was honoured that Augustine afforded him so much time and made the effort to keep seeking him out in social events. He spoke frankly with Augustine and found that their hopes and goals for Norne's future aligned. After several meetings Justice vowed loyalty to Augustine and entered his employ. Justice was grateful for this, as through Augustine's power, he had an escape from his family and from certain expectations in noble society. Augustine's halls became a home for him and he kept a pillow in his office for when he did not want to return home at night. Before the time he met Augustine, Justice had not formed any genuine or deep relationships with anyone, barring Alise. Meeting someone who had both authority and kindness in shocked Justice. In his mind, he placed Augustine on a pedestal, that Augustine may have picked up on. Though perhaps unbeknownst to Augustine, this feeling faded as Justice matured.

Justice was a loyal and efficient employee to Augustine, who seemed to trust him in turn. They could be seen as friends, and shared sardonic banter sometimes. However, though Justice was always fairly plainspoken and sometimes even sassy, he never challenged Augustine in any direct way. They were friends, yet Augustine had complete power over Justice and his livelihood. This power dynamic was a bomb waiting to blow, but it would be many years before it would. In the meantime, throughout Justice's professor days, they would have regular meetings and discussions over wine. They would talk of the law and history of Norne, as well as various arcane theories and artifacts. Justice genuinely enjoyed these conversations and constructive debates. He felt he could speak fairly openly.

After forming a connection with his children, he decided not to tell Augustine about them. It's hard to say exactly why. He was scared. He was afraid Augustine would see his empathy and connection to them as a weakness or kick him to the curb the moment he became an inconvenience, as Grandon or any other noble definitely would. It is worth noting that at this time, from Justice's perspective, Augustine had never shown any flaws or imperfections. Augustine had never opened up. Ironically for Augustine, this meant Justice never felt like he could fully trust Augustine and it slowly deteriorated their relationship from Justice's point of view. Sure, Justice would risk his life for him, and spend almost every waking moment on work for him, but he could never trust Augustine with the things that were most personal.

After the dust-storms, Justice was overcome by grief and lost hope in a future Norne. His body and mind worked on autopilot and to many others he continued on as usual. He made a few mistakes at work, that Augustine teased him for. It is unknown whether Augustine picked up on anything deeper. For reasons he could not put his finger to, Justice began to feel that Augustine had been responsible or involved somehow. Resentment bubbled but Justice remained silent. He continued this way until one day, he saw his children, and was reminded of the promise he made to them. He resolved to carry it out to an extreme, a worthy tribute to his children. He knew it was almost impossible and very likely that he would die before he could be successful. He told himself that Augustine would be the final victim. He had not questioned himself why he placed Augustine last. Despite his deep anger and hatred, remnants of their connection lingered in the back of Justice's mind. Regardless, Justice felt he could not trust Augustine. In accordance with his children's wishes, he resolved to use the Helm against him.

Augustine's presence at Turlock threw Justice off. He knew he could use his connection to get his four new companions out of trouble and did so. Augustine's power was infallible, and he would certainly let them go, no issues. However, later on, Justice realized the significance of the Dragon Knight's insult. He also realised that Augustine had defended him and made a sacrifice to allow them to escape. The event had dealt a tangible blow to Augustine's reputation (and therefore his plans for Norne). Justice felt a twinge of guilt and a fair amount of shock, to find that Augustine had made such a sacrifice at is request, and that he had given him such a thoughtful gift (the Trickster's coat). His talk with Imperator Grysela threw him off further. She called Augustine "a good man" albeit overly concerned with self-preservation. He started to doubt his plans. And the matter of the earthquake had left him genuinely concerned for Augustine's wellbeing. For so long, Augustine had been flawless and infallible, and for the first time, Justice had reason to believe he wasn't. On the road to Irode and after some conversations with The Party, Justice internally resolved himself to tell Augustine at least some of the truth. He made a first step towards overcoming his grief, by seeking closure (It's just a shame that the best way to get there is through Augustine's informants).

On the way to Irode, arguments and disagreements with the party drew Justice back to Augustine, as he felt defensive and frustrated by their lack of understanding. Justice felt stuck between two extremes. But he thought he would have plenty of time to discuss before they arrived at Barrowbough.

At Irode, Justice was truly glad to see Augustine safe. But the situation was tense. He had to balance Augustine and The Party's perceptions, what actions were best to fulfill his children's promise, the weight of his own fears, the most optimal outcome for The Dragon Knight, and what was best for Norne. Augustine's anger and cruelty towards the Dragon Knight hadn't helped matters. It all piled up, so when Z offered him the opportunity, he took it. It was a punch to the gut. He had only just started to hope that that Augustine hadn't been involved. It took a lot of strength, but Justice decided to give Augustine a chance to explain himself. It's what he came to do after all.

> "No. If anyone kills him, it's me. And my decision to make." - Justice, to Z
>
>

Justice went straight to Augustine, even though his life was threatened. He disarmed himself and placed himself in Augustine's power once again. He opened up about the dream - he wanted to hear Augustine's explanation without Augustine knowing about Justice's stake in it. He wanted Augustine to speak honestly - he didn’t want him to alter his 'testimony' based on Justice's connection to the event. So, he dismissed Augustine's questions about the people in his dream. Then, Augustine started lying to him. Justice kept pushing Augustine, who responded by casting a spell. Justice thought he had made it clear he offered no threat, so looked Augustine in the eyes and let it happen.

> "I'm sorry, my friend."
>
>

> "No, wait. There was something important I had to tell you and ask you. It's the reason I've come back. I decided no matter what your answer is, I wanted to hear it. And even if you cant tell me, that's okay, I'd trust you regardless. And I wanted to apologise for not telling you earlier. The opportunity came up and I should have waited to hear it from you. I should have trusted you."
> .....
> "I just want the truth."
> "The truth. The truth? You **really** want to know the truth? Fine."
>
>

Even though Justice's immediate memory was taken, Justice was desperate, He reached out to Augustine, revealing his intent earnestly, to which Augustine responded with a deeply weary expression and an extended hand. Unbeknownst to Justice until this moment, Augustine was manipulating Justice's memory, removing memories that painted himself in a bad light and keeping a darker truth from Justice, for fear of losing the loyalty, 'hope', and companionship of his closest friend. Of the five major memories regained, the later ones make Justice sick to his stomach. The reveal of the extent of Augustine's betrayal, selfishness, and simple disregard of unknown consequences is devastating to Justice.

    There is a lot to unpack with the memories regained. He now remembers witnessing the dust-storms, learning about Augustine's power over Grandon, Lord Franzet's threats to Augustine, seeing Augustine happy and drunk, and witnessing Augustine's guilt. Justice feels a surge of emotions; fury, sorrow; shame; guilt; exhaustion; disgust; dread, and is still processing them. There's a palpable sense of lost opportunity. So much tragedy could have been prevented if they had just communicated. They could have worked together. Justice would have died for Augustine - 'why couldn't he simply trust me to help him?' He thinks he understands why - Augustine was scared and ashamed. But it was still a terrible mistake.

> "Well, whatever we are from now, if you want to remain allies,.. or friends... - I'll accept your judgement."
>
>

It's difficult to say how their relationship will go from now. There are still many unspoken secrets, and an overwhelming unexpressed rage bubbling within Justice. It remains to be seen whether Justice will succumb to this anger, despite all logic commanding otherwise. Regardless, Justice is so tired. He's sick of all this. Though there was some light in all of it - the final memory. It restored his regard of Augustine as human, albeit flawed, and made Justice feel valued. However, Augustine is on microscopically thin ice. If he abuses his power over Justice again, it's over. Justice will have to set a boundary somewhere, despite his general inability to do so historically.

In Dracksrock, Justice was in a very low state. All his suppressed negative emotions overflowed; he chased his impulses, caring little if it meant his death. He stopped agonizing over Augustine's betrayal; he stopped thinking about Augustine altogether. He waited impatiently for death. In this darkest moment, Augustine, for the first time, reached out to Justice. His words of assurance gave Justice strength.

When Justice fetched his belongings from the storage room and encountered Augustine again, he wasn't sure if Augustine would let him go. Being a man adverse to violence, he lowered his weapon, and let Augustine make his choice. When Augustine teleported him out, he hugged him tightly. He now wanted to live and perhaps salvage something from their relationship. For this reason, he gave Augustine the letters that set his boundaries and demonstrated his hurt and anger. The contents of the letter were harsh, but Justice deemed it necessary for Augustine to see, in order for them to ever have a healthy relationship. He then kissed Augustine, on the mouth. In his wordless state and knowing the contents of the letter, he wanted to show Augustine irrefutable physical evidence that he cares for him. Perhaps romantic, perhaps not. In this arc, Augustine proved to Justice that he feels regret for mistreating him and that he wants to make things right. Rescuing Justice doesn't make things right, but it's a step in the right direction. Justice has hope for his friend.

### Dimitri Montaine

At first, Justice simply saw a mild-mannered fighter with well-learned martial abilities. But during travel together, he came to prefer Dimitri's quiet company. He liked that Dimitri did not ask personal questions and did not pry into his affairs. He was honoured by the trust Dimitri showed him when he asked him to hand the money over to his parents. This marked the point when Justice started to warm to Dimitri. When it became clear Dimitri didn't want to be seen in Turlock, Justice felt a bond start to form, as he felt that fear was an incredibly natural feeling. He also came to respect Dimitri's fearlessness in the battle by the guard tower ruins.

After the NORM-bot confrontation, Justice insisted Dimitri see his family. The shock of seeing Dimitri's family show their grief openly and have such unconditional love for Dimitri spurred him to action. He impulsively made a promise to his parents, that he would do everything in his power to bring Dimitri back to them, and tried to use his status to alleviate their worries. He felt the need to protect what this family had.

Justice is somewhat unnerved by Dimitri's vampiric nature. He was the only member of The Party to withhold an offer of blood. Instead, he has resolved himself to finding a cure, or at least some information to help him.

To Justice, Dimitri represents hope of a sort. Saving Dimitri's life in the infested cave was the first instance that Justice felt he had made a tangible difference. Furthermore, to Justice, Dimitri represents the best of Norne. On a personal level, the promise Justice made to Dimitri's family became another reason to keep going. After the dust-storms, Justice lost his loyalty to Augustine and a better Norne and only had his children's promises to guide him. Justice feels honoured but somewhat shamed by Dimitri's faith in him. Dimitri's kindness and his family's promise motivate Justice to continue to improve the world around him. Though, he cannot help but feel a slight resentment and jealousy over the positive family atmosphere Dimitri enjoyed.

After his darkest moment in Dracksrock, Justice's reservations about his connection to the party are gone. He is shocked that Dimitri would make such a big sacrifice for him. In Norne, it is easy to get caught up in survival of the fittest, and to fall into selfish habits. He sees Dimitri as different from all that, and as such has a lot of faith in the man.

Dimitri was the first member of The Party that Justice divulged his fatherly status to.

### Pearl Mosstar

Pearl is another member of The Party. Justice has grown quite fond of Pearl and feels a kinship with his penchant for mischief and silliness. He sees his younger self in Pearl. However, Pearl's impulsivity has Justice concerned. He feels somewhat protective of the reckless triton. He wants to see Pearl safely through the trials ahead, as per the promise they made. After the temple, Justice is happy that Pearl seems to have forgiven him, and he genuinely values Pearl's company. He's concerned about Pearl's patron, and is desperate to make sure history doesn't repeat itself when it comes to manipulative authoritative assholes. Pearl is the first and currently only member of The Party that Justice has divulged his pranking career to.

After his darkest moment in Dracksrock, Justice's reservations about his connection to the party are gone. He feels immense gratitude for Pearl's part in his rescue, and will do anything to pay this back. He now openly expresses a genuine love and protectiveness for young Pearl.

### Meadow of the Wild Hunt

Meadow is another member of The Party. Their stark difference in background leads to misunderstandings and miscommunications. During the Irode confrontation, he was glad and grateful that Meadow stayed to listen to his side of the story. But he felt that there was a disconnect and a misunderstanding he couldn't bridge. He resented the expectation to divulge his secrets and closed himself off, only giving indications through vague hints. For example, his brief reveal of a desire to burn down Norne.

> "If you want to burn down Norne,..... I would not be opposed to helping you."
> "Oh.. That's not what I was expecting."
>
>

Despite their differing backgrounds and lives, he respects her combat prowess and judgement. The way she fiercely cares for her own is estimable. Though, Justice's unfamiliarity with real combat cause him to be quite uncomfortable in situations of violence. When Meadow charges forward fearlessly and confidently, he cannot help but feel both admiration and fear. When it comes to her werewolf form, he has definitely had reservations that he has kept to himself. However, after they fought closely alongside each other at the temple, he's much more trusting of her. He's starting to place much more value in her wisdom when it comes to her discussion of control.

It's not that he doesn't value/respect her wisdom concerning nature, but he does not agree that civilisation itself is a blight. He hopes that an understanding can be reached or realised about this. After the temple, it seems that they're on that track. He was honoured that he was included in the group when she talked about their band of misfits. He would tentatively call her a friend.

### Nova Birchwood

Nova is another member of The Party. He highly regards her abilities and respects her unapologetic worldly curiousity and open empathy.

After the confrontation at Irode, their relationship shifted. At first, Justice was very frustrated she didn't listen to his rules and endangered his plans for Augustine, but now feels genuinely apologetic to her. To him, acting like a noble had gotten him out of every tense situation so far. He failed to account for how it would look to the outlanders, how cruel his behaviour seemed and indeed was. It induced a sort of cultural shock.

> "I'd prefer you suffered an insult than the axe."
>
>

He worries her perception of Norne is skewed. He doesn't know how to tell her that despite everything that happened in Irode, he still believes Augustine is one of the better nobles in Norne. He almost dreads telling her the full truth of daily happenings in Norne. He also sees her as a little naive. He respects her commune, but believes that their principles cannot be applied to Norne in the same manner. The population and society are simply too different. He believes that changing Norne is not as simple as she makes it out to be, and trying to do so impulsively or without thought would lead to the unnecessary suffering of many commoners. In a society the size of Norne, law of some sort is still needed. When the time hopefully comes, and Justice has a chance to change Nornish law, perhaps he can ask for Nova's input. He believes she has surprising wisdom and insight for her age, despite her unfamiliarity with the world outside her commune.

After Nova saved Justice from death during the fight with the devil, he feels that he owes her something. He is uncomfortable with the notion of her not receiving something in return for her act, especially considering how she has voiced her frustrations with the role of healer in their party.

He is also embarrassed and hurt that Nova overheard one of the most private and personal conversations of his life. But he hopes he can gain enough trust for her to let him walk alone next time. He was truly happy to be given the honour of carrying her letters, and was somewhat reluctant and hurt to have to give them up. But he understands her reservations. Right now, he feels somewhat hopeless, as if he cannot achieve a true bond with her. But maybe something can be salvaged - perhaps he can teach her some Sylvan.

After his darkest moment in Dracksrock, Justice's reservations about his connection to the party are gone. He feels true gratitude to Nova for her part in his rescue.

> "I can't believe I just did that."
>
>
> "Nah, I had complete faith in you! Do you need any help?"
> "No. It's just- I just disowned myself."
>
>
>
> "Mm. They don't deserve you anyway!"
>
>

### Rudolf Josef Franzet

Rudolf is the most courageous (and reckless) of Justice's three children, and hence causes him the most distress. As the eldest however, Rudolf was able to understand things the others did not. And as a noble, he and Justice could somewhat connect over similar experiences. Rudolf already had one father, and Justice never sought to replace him. As Rudolf got older, he got increasingly frustrated with his lack of power, and he and Justice had more and more arguments about Norne and Justice's inaction.

### Amélie

It's not to say that Amelie was Justice's favourite child, but one *could* say that Amelie was Justice's favourite child. She picked up Justice's teachings and higher education faster than the two boys. And she was cunning and intelligent, traits Justice praised. However, as the most aggressive (and violent) of the three, she caused a lot of problems for Justice earlier on in their relationship. She was the most distrusting of him at first, but warmed soon enough. It was Amelie who taught Justice some knife tricks, which Justice quickly learnt then improved upon.

### Leo

Leo was barely a child when the three children met Justice. As such, he didn't remember any other parental figure to compare to, and he accepted Justice's role in their life easier than the other two. It was Leo who broke through Justice's cold exterior with his constant questions and cheer. As he is partially blind, Justice often used his mage hand to guide Leo. Leo was the first to call Justice "dad".

## Trivia

* Justice has three children and three hands to hold theirs
* Having names that are derived from human values (Justice, Valouria, Purity) is a tradition in Valouria’s side of the family.
* Rudolf Josef Franz is the name of a previous Austrian crown prince who had a suicide pact. His character in the Elisabeth musical attempts to join a revolution, is dissuaded, and eventually has a dance with death.
* Justice's boss battle music is this and this.

## Quotes

* I promised them many things. But there's only one that I can fulfill now. No matter how ridiculous, I'll do it or die trying." - To The Party
* "No. If anyone kills him, it's me. And *my* decision to make." - To Z, regarding Augustine
* "We became a strange family. They weren't my biological children, but that never mattered to us."
* "I'm sorry you all have to wait so long, but you know these things take time." - To the ghost children

* "Well, I've never driven a cart but I *have* poisoned horses before." - To Meadow
* "Who'd you kill to get that one? Just kidding, I don't want to know." - To Augustine
* "My children come first. Whatever happens, I will choose them." - To Meadow
* "It's not quite the revenge you'd expect." - To the Imperator
* "Get up, Dimitri. Now's not the time to be selfish."
* "Do not be seen being charitable. If you want to help someone, don't be seen doing it." - To The Party
* “I swear you just do this to stress me out.” - To Augustine
* "People just disappear in this place. If you stir up trouble, you'll disappear." - To The Party
* "Many nobles believe that they're inherently better than commoners or that they have some special sort of birthright, something other than greed or luck. My family is like that. But Augustine isn't. That's more than I can say for many others." - To The Party
* "Wait - about that memory before the last one; I don't hate you. I just wish you'd let me keep that memory." - To Augustine
* "There's nothing they could do to make me hate them. The same must be true for your parents." - To Dimitri
* "That's what I wanted to tell you. When my children died, I lost faith in everything. I don't know what I planned to do. I wanted power too. It wasn't very well planned out. I didn't know who to trust, whether you'd be an ally or not." - To Augustine
* "You expect me to sabotage a 12 year friendship in favour of your impulsions." - Justice, to the party during their Irode argument
* "You can't overthrow the council if you don't know who they are. If we mess this up, they'll die of old age before anything happens."
* "Don't you know the correct way to thank a Lord?" - Teasing Dimitri
* "Father was right about you. We should have thrown you out." - Arutha, to Justice
* "I hope you all have taken some learnings from this. If you want to win, you don't need to be proper." Justice, to the tournament crowd
* "It's like your friend said; they don't deserve you. You're a good man, Justice." - The imperator, to Justice after his fight with Arutha, regarding Justice's family.
* "I've had everything taken from me. Do your worst." - Justice, before getting his tongue taken from him
* "Thank you, truly. I thought there was nothing here for me, but you all risked a lot to save me, and I am truly thankful. I want to live as long as I can with you all. I'm sorry for the danger this has brought you all, but I finally feel free." - To Nova, Pearl, and Dimitri

* "He may have good intentions, but from what I've seen about nobles..."
* "He may be sneaky but-"
* "He *is* a noble, just remember that. That is something that will never change about him. He may be different but as I say, just remember that."
* "I'll keep it in mind." - Oriana and Nova, regarding Justice