Sorentis Siricia

## Historical Data

Soren was born the first son, yet second child, of Count Gaivius Siricia of Anvil and his wonderful wife Elona of Evermore. His birth had been preceded by a sister, Sersius, three years earlier, and quickly was followed by a great many other siblings. He and Sersius' position as the eldest led them to grow up faster than their younger counterparts, assisting with official household business by the time they reached double digits, and often keeping an eye on the others.

At eleven years old he was sent to spend time with one of his Father's associates in Bretony, a Merchant Lord who had done trade with their family for as long as either could remember. The man, Teridius Meriet - Viceroy of Bretony - had a boy around his age, and soon enough the two became great friends. Some might even claim the best of friends. His name was Cristien, and the boys spent two years together - first at the Meriet estate and then back at Anvil for the rest of the time.

Soren should have remained at Bretony with the Meriet's for a full year, yet Teridius sent the boy back home to Cyrodiil with Cristien in tow after a violent outburst. After all, Soren wasn't going to simply stand there and do nothing upon witnessing Cristien's older brother Florichen harass and hurt his friend.

Back in Anvil the boys spent a lot of time down by the sea, diving beneath the waves, exploring the cavernous cliffside... they were inseparable. There were times when one of his younger sisters, Mehri, would join them, and although Soren was often frustrated by this Cristien seemed to welcome the girl and they had many great adventures when she was around.

One of the days they were diving, however, Mehri struck her head coming up for air and sank to the seafloor. It took the boys longer than either would ever care to admit to notice that she was missing, yet the Gods seemed to be on their side as when they fished her back to the shore she was miraculously still alive, though she had swallowed her fair share of saltwater.

The experience shook them both, and though they still enjoyed the sea they were often much more wary and observant. Soren also became somewhat closer to Mehri, watching over her as an older brother ought to where previously he'd been a little colder.

On his thirteenth year Soren was sent with his uncle Mercatus to Solstheim to set up a trade route with the ebony miners of Raven Rock. After a successful meeting the native Dunmer invited both Soren and Mercatus on a hunt in Hirstaang Forest and there their group found themselves ambushed by hostile members of House Indoril.

Mercatus obviously attempted to fight off the Dunmer, as did their hosts, but they were overwhelmed and Soren was forced to watch as his uncle was murdered before his eyes. Though the lad had tried his best to help, to fight or to flee, Soren was swiftly incapacitated and carted off in chains.

For the next few years he was subjected to inhumane conditions, working as a slave for House Indoril who treated him horrifically, like an animal or worse. He was branded with a strange mark that seemed to be a twisted variant of House Indoril's insignia, on both his wrist and his shoulder blade, and every single mistake or wrongdoing was met with brute force and torturous reprimand.

Understandably, Soren grew into a bitter young man. Hatred burned beneath the surface, yet fear kept him from acting upon his violent thoughts until an opportunity presented itself. Soren was not the only illegal slave, after all, and around his fifth year of enslavement a revolt took place within the estate.

For his own part he slaughtered three of his oppressors, though one might have been a fellow slave, before making his escape. Though exhausted and malnourished he managed traverse the difficult landscape of Morrowind and break back through into Cyrodiil through the mountain range which separated the two.

There he was picked up by a roaming group of merchants who assisted him in his return to the Gold Coast, and were of course extremely well compensated for their efforts when his parents realized what they'd done.

Their reunion was bittersweet. His family had believed him dead, just as Mercatus was, and they had to come to terms with the fact that he was not the happy little boy that had left them all those years ago. In short time he seemed to return to himself, yet the moment he was alone he could do naught to keep the memories from running rampant. Sleep became fleeting and his frustrations would often peak though he did his best to keep this away from his family's eyes.

He threw himself back into his studies and the training he'd received prior to his enslavement. Those emotions he bottled up were released in the training yard, and turned him into quite the formidable opponent. He began to attend meetings at court alongside his Father, to better learn his future duties, and soon fell into a new routine.

But when news reached them of the Emperor's death, and his bastard son's decision to reinstate slavery, Soren's demeanor became much more brooding and aloof. His anger was palpable...

## Appears In

To Trace The Scars On Our Hearts

Chapter One: The Fate of Bruma

What Is Dead Should Never Rise

All Nightmare Long