Lors Tovainen

Lors Tovainen was a noble who lived in Corlas, the capital city of Torlund, until he was forced to flee in the winter of 6727 in the midst of a violent coup that overthrew the rightful ruler, King Johnathan of Lancove, supplanting King Kal of Hercalos in his place. Lors ran with his wife, Moira, and two children, Arrik and Markku, first to the neighboring country of Mer-Rein and then to Duthgar, eventually settling in the city of Bluelog. A few years after their arrival, Bluelog and several other northern cities seceded to form The Divided Regions of Bestaria. Lors was later abducted, along with Moira, by the shadow creature Quibeck on behalf of the hag Sariel, who hoped this would attract Markku's attention so she could manipulate him and his companions into freeing her third sister, Coriel, from her imprisonment in the Drazia Dynasty. Unfortunately, Lors could not be saved from his imprisonment; his soul, trapped in the Shadow Lands, was destroyed before it could be safeguarded, killing his body in the material plane.

### Physical Description

Lors was a man of average height with short brown hair and light blue eyes who often wore thin light-weight spectacles. His usual attire was typical commoner clothing, good for working out in the fields, though he did own a few formal outfits and was quite capable of dressing up for special occasions.

### Biography

Lors was born in Corlas on the 21st of Frontir, 6681, his parents' first and only child. His father, Henrik Kotka, was not a noble but was quite close to the Torlundian court, serving as a court scribe for the administration of King Richard.  His mother, Leila, worked as a seamstress, taking advantage of her location in Corlas to work with high-quality silks and other expensive fabrics, selling her creations to wealthy and noble families at a fine profit. Thanks to the influence and status of both his mother and father, Lors was educated from a young age. Though he mostly focused on reading, writing, and penmanship, he also had the opportunity to study history, philosophy, the natural sciences, and even enjoyed a brief lesson in the basics of the arcane arts, though he found he lacked a knack for that.

Ten years after Lors was born, his mother developed an illness that, though it seemed minor at first, stubbornly resisted treatment and steadily worsened. A few short weeks later, Leila was gone, leaving Henrik to care for Lors on his own. Much loved as she was by the influential families of Corlas, Leila's funeral was well-attended and many of the wealthy nobles were moved to help support Henrik financially for a time as he and his son grieved their loss.

Henrik, nevertheless, continued to serve his king loyally and faithfully and Lors began to take on more responsibility, assisting his father with some aspects of his work (mostly mundane tasks, such as creating hand-written copies of existing documents) and seeing after the household. Such was Henrik's devotion to the monarch that he and his son were invited to the Royal Palace to celebrate the Armilus Festival, just a few days before Lors turned 16, as a way for the king to express his thanks for Henrik's many years of loyal service. Lors accompanied his father for some time after arriving, mingling with the guests, until he caught sight of a beautiful young woman in a wonderfully colourful dress. Taking leave of his father (quite aware of what had captured his son's attention), Lors approached the lady and introduced himself. She responded with her own name and titles, revealing herself to be Moira Tovainen, whom Lors was wise enough to recognise as the daughter of a minor noble house. Though Lors was nervous, he invited Moira to dance with him and the two enjoyed several hours of festivities and delightful conversation. At the end of the night, they agreed to meet again, Moira seemingly unperturbed by Lors' lack of title and noble blood.

The two met up several more times and soon fell in love. Though Moira's father was resistant to the match at first, Lors proved to be both charming and intelligent, winning the man over. Lors eventually proposed and even King Richard was supportive of the match, though it was agreed that Lors would take the Tovainen surname to continue the traditions and legacy of the noble house.

Several years later, the young Tovainens welcomed their firstborn son, Arrik, into the world, followed a few years after that by Markku. Lors adapted quickly to life as a nobleman and a father, proving intelligent and capable in both roles. He and his family would travel the country whenever they had the opportunity and so Lors and his two sons became as knowledgeable as Moira about the other fiefs, even visiting some of the border towns in Mer-Rein, typically during visits to Kaswell. He enlisted a small group of tutors to teach the boys, striving to provide them an even better education than he himself received. He praised Arrik, as he grew strong and healthy, for taking responsibility to watch over his younger brother. He took joy in the friendship and, later, relationship Markku formed with Princess Reagen and celebrated with Markku when he found a mentor willing to impart the basic lessons of magic.

Unfortunately, this happy life did not last for Lors. When the coup against the Lancoves transpired in late 6727, the Tovainens were forced to flee the city and ultimately the country. Though Lors escaped with Moira and their two sons, not everyone in the family was so lucky - Moira's younger brother, Petri, was killed while trying to escape and his son, Patrik, was taken captive. While Lors' and Moira's fathers had each passed several years before, they never found out the fate of Moira's mother, who was elsewhere in the country at the time of the coup. Lors and his family believed the Lancoves had escaped the city as well though they had no idea where they had fled to.

The Tovainens made their way through Mer-Rein with the help of Thoven Koda and eventually settled in Bluelog. They managed to escape Corlas with enough valuables and coin to purchase a small farm on the outskirts of the city. Lors and Moira quickly set to work learning the ways of farming. Though both sons helped with the labor, Arrik was particularly useful in the fields while Markku preferred to research farming techniques and crop management when he could. To supplement the family's income, Lors took on occasional work as a copyist while Markku decided to join the town guard. Arrik fell in love with a local girl, Cinnia, and the two eventually married and moved to their own place in the city.

In 6737, some time after Markku left town with a group of adventurers, Moira and Lors were abducted by the shadow beast incarnation of Quibeck, their bodies kept at Sariel's cottage while their souls/spirits were trapped in the Shadow Lands. Though Markku and his companions travelled to this plane, discovering his trapped parents and attempting to free them, Lors was killed during the battle. When the Lucid Dreamers defeated Sariel a few weeks later, Markku was able to reunite with Moira but found Lors was lost to them. The mother and son returned his body to Bluelog to provide a proper burial and the sendoff he deserved.