Pelles Brachawld

## Biography

*Ser Pelles Brachawld* was the former *Lord Commander* and *Chief Spymaster* under the reign of *Empress Celia MacLowan,* feared throughout the entire Aventis Empire and beyond until the dissolution of House Telkana, his patrons after the accession of *Empress Hild MacLowan,* which saw him stripped of his position and exiled from Aventis space due to his house's links with the treasonous House Telkana that made a bid for the throne in 2452.

Growing in the settlement of *Rabinara,* a small town hidden in the dark fungal forests of Wightnare, Pelles proved himself to be an exceptional swordsman from an early age and quickly became the favourite child of his father, *Lord Raban Brachawld*, patriarch of *House Brachawld*, a small but noble house that had a reputation for exceptional skill in bladework and espionage.

As a child, Pelles had a calm and mature personality and was constantly saving his nine other siblings from danger in the darkness of *The Blights*, an area of Wightnare with toxic fungal spores and dangerous creatures. Despite being the middle child, Pelles was handpicked by Raban to succeed him as his heir, much to the ire of his other brothers who grew to resent their father, due to his drunken behaviour, which often led him to beat them or their mother.

At 15 years old, Pelles was sent by his frail and elderly father to *Mourna*, the capital of Wightnare to petition *Lord Cynewald*, the patron of House Telkana regarding the acquisition of additional farming land for his retinue in Rabinara. Cynewald was extremely impressed with the young Pelles, noting his exceptional observational skills when Pelles was able to identify a *House Fullex* in Lord Cynewald's court just from a hidden emblem under his armour that was only revealed when the spy raised his hand.

Following this incident, Lord Cynewald offered Pelles that chance to join his fortress, as his personal bodyguard, an elite group of only the most loyal and trusted soldiers known as *The Shadow Guard*, who would carry out clandestine assignments for House Telkana, something which his father heavily encouraged, seeing the opportunity to gain notoriety for his small House.

The young Pelles accepted Lord Cynewald's offer and joined the guard, proving himself to be an exceptional and skilled warrior. As per all members of the Shadow Guard, Pelles was subjected to illegal genetic resequencing to give him the ability to see in the dark as well as enhancing his agility and endurance far beyond that of a normal Aventis through technology created by Rothian Corporation scientists, captured during a raid on Palas (Zeta Berenices I) and living secretly on Wightnare.

As part of his genetic enhancements, Pelles was also given the ability to mask his lifesigns to most sensor systems and the ability to change his skin colour, allowing him to blend in with his environment which was taken from genes spliced with an animal living in the darkness of Wightnare.

Eventually, Lord Cynewald ordered Pelles to complete the final test of his commitment to the Shadow Guard, to destroy his hometown and murder his own family as Shadow Guard members were not permitted to hold any ties to their original house. Although Pelles did hesitate at this command originally, he successfully razed his home town to the ground, systematically slaughtering all nine of his siblings, his mother, father and several servants and townsfolk, leading Rabinara a desolate ruin, an ironic end to his father's ambitions for him.

Using his connections within the *Aventis High Council,* Lord Cynewald was able to get Pelles appointed to the *Bureau of Military Intelligence* on Aventis Prime. Pelles proved himself to be exceptional at playing a double life, projecting himself as a loyal courtier to *Empress Celia MacLowan* while secretly using his resources to report his findings back to *House Telkana*. His intelligence was crucial in Lord Cynewald finally deciding to make a play for the Aventis throne, as Pelles reported that Empress MacLowan had become increasing unstable in the months leading up 2452 and during the *Aventis/Roth War* which finally saw the annexation of the Rothian Union.

During the course of the war, Pelles was able to reinforce his position, eventually reaching the position of *Lord Commander* and *Chief Spymaster* of the *Bureau of Military Intelligence,* much in part to do with the influence of Lord Cynewald after the original *Lord Commander* was killed during the battle to annex Roth Prime.

However when *Empress Hild MacLowan* ascended to the throne and discovered about House Telkana's plot to seize control of the Empire, only to be stopped by *Admiral Leogryn Romeli, Captain Sovereign Romeli* and the crew of the U.S.S. Thunderchild, causing the destruction of House Telkana and the execution of *Lord Cynewald*, Pelles was exiled from the Aventis Empire. His current whereabouts is not known.