House Colborn

[Birdnerdy 1539]

 

 

 

 

 

 

       

 

HOUSE COLBORN

Line of Carr Colborn, HEIR TO THE CLARKE-BLOOD

 

“Family Through Fire”

 

Standing Patriarch - Osgod Colborn

Standing Heir - Cedrik Colborn

 

Great change has come to House Colborn, as the decades passed Carr's vision came to fruition and a family once torn was reborn. It was with this rebirth that House Colborn came to be from the ashes of old, that which was once House Clarke. With time however comes change, it was not long after Carr and his family found themselves in The Duke’s War to their horrid dismay. Human compassion can be a line as thin as a spider's web, as Brelus laid in flame so did the foundation of the family quake for Carr and Loviska was dead. With despair however comes a sliver of hope as the four siblings  were saved from the embers of the city fire. The embers grow cold and the flames of war once again subside. It is now that a new dawn peeks over the horizon, a family with a history reaching back to the beginning of days once more find themselves reunited. Within them a flame light once again as they work to rebuild that which was once theirs.

 

THE SAPLING IS PLANTED

The Pre-Colborns

 

The Clarke family smithy circa 1280

 

 

The first Aegisian decades were clouded largely in mystery for very few accounts of this time still exist to this day, the book of the Colborns a scripture of rarity amongst it. In this book however not even the children of its maker may make way of its history, for the language of this day is not the same as it were then. The first readable accounts within our scripture speak of the Clarkes and their artisan ways rooted deeply in the first days of Orenia, the winterfellian family quite prominent in the way of the makes the smithy and bowyery one amongst many. They lived reserved lives, the peasantry in those days retained more often a majority compared to this day's vast number of nobility. For it came with the writ of the reign of Daniel Horen, or at least so the scriptures say for his days were forever remembered as a succes. It was not long however before men would come for his place, to the day the vile thirst for authority still overcoming many of us.

 

The mount city of Al’Khazar and its magi allies found itself engulfed in Pampo Perea’s coup, staged for many summers it was this Lord of Winterfell that we served unknowing of the politics of the time. The world was still young and so was our family, we had not wealth nor support as we do this day. For in those days one was only as worth as his weight in salt, the arts our family nurtured the very thing that gave us life and continued our existence to this day. We hung not heavy as Pampo became the next ruler for in our eyes it was as natural as the moon and sun, his rule not worse than the last. As time passed our family gained more recognition amongst the peasantry and gentry for many looked to us, may it have been for fitting armor or hewing the wood in shape of the bow.

 

It was in this time of early prosperity for our ancestors that a man which will be etched into our history as the origins of our ways was born, Anadan Clarke the founder of our ideals in many a way he was the first to hold our virtues true. It is as such we call him “the Wise” as without him surely our path we would had strayed. He was a man of heart and explicit talent not only in wisdom but in the very arts our family holds today, for it was his reforms that brought us into the thoughts of the lordlings his talent sought. The north grew and with it came more needs, such needs which our ancestors filled by the guidance of Anadan.

So it was so our roots grew, our stellar tree taking form from the sapling planted long ago.

 

The Aegisian age coming to abrupt end at the decaying flesh of the undying cur,

but as relentless as they may be we still walked from our former lands lost with family and kin, for that day a new tale was sure to begin.

 

      Written by Rendon Clarke on the recounting of past histories page 112 book of Colborns.

 

THE SEEDS TO SOW

The Pre-Adria Colborns

The Streets of Petrus the Capital City

 

The early days of Athera dotted a time in which Clarke blood alike was strewn throughout the realm, for the family had long since forgotten its roots of kinship consumed by the tides of time. It was in this time Carr was born to a merchant family of two his father and mother a grim president for that which was once the family ways, their tyrannical acts centered around their own greed and interest in the coin. He was quickly put to use as a street peddler his parents using him like one would not a son but a animal of the farms. To them his use only for their own gain and not their families happiness in anything but the form of wealth.

 

Carr a young child at the time had little break in his day but whenever able he’d make his way to the Petrusian library a stellar piece, the local librarian taking great pity upon him it came to no surprise that he came to teach him the arts of reading and writing.

The cycle repeated itself over and over as Carr worked and read whenever a moment of rest would be available for him, it was not unexpected that he quickly came to dream of the outside a life lingering far beyond him unreachable for his small hands.

 

Come the winter but a few years after his sister El was born into the family of three making it four, she was a weak child born too early and many did not believe she would make her first summer. Somehow however miraculously she did and she and Carr quickly grew close for he had never before had someone to trust or speak with before. As she grew and became kinder so did Carr’s interest for a life outside the Petrusian walls.

Carr found himself spending many late nights planning his escape from his mundane harsh life his dream growing closer for his hands to reach.

 

It was not long after that Carr brought his plan to fruition leaving his home in the dark of night his only regret having his sister left behind within his parents grasp, for surely she would be their new toy to play with.

 

THE CROW AND THE RAVEN

 

Artistic Representation by Marik of Siegrad

 

Carr had grown in his freedom living by his merchant roots to put food on the table and a warm room in the local tavern. The young lad had still much to learn but his newfound life brought him much joy compared to before, though inside he was hollow a piece amiss something he is incapable to fill. Still a youngster and yet a man the big world outside not a friendly place he found himself oft in trouble, local ruffians and rivaling peddlers not giving him the chance of daylight. It put a whole new definition to life is harsh, yet he raised his head high and looked to the skies. For surely somewhere out there in the deep blue rested the home which he always thought one day would come true.

 

Peddling his goods upon a tardy day upon the muddy road Carr found himself confronted as per usual by the local ruffian gang, a rowdy bunch of incompetent buffoons.

The only thing their parents had them given their heads and arms to use for fighting.

Carr stood his hand as always not one stupid enough to fight when outnumbered his hefty coin purse switching hands as was too common, It a daily routine a dance persay upon his way back from the mundane travels of his merchantry. Carr was however not an uneducated man for as quickly as they’d left he would haul at a larger purse from his cart, for to survive one must outsmart those who pray on the weak.

 

It was not many days later Carr found himself far down the muddy road his wheel abroke,

His luck as shite as the usual peasant he could but curse his own insignificance. Down the road a figure upon a dark horse growing near by each passing moment. The figure eventually coming close enough to see, upon the horse sat a young lad like Carr himself clad in fine cloth and well made clothes a messy hair dark and eyes of grey. It was like a mirror struck in midday, two men who looked near the same their lives the only thing which gave it away. Like the crow and raven two brothers with vastly different places to call home.

 

Carr stared at the man in confusion for truly his mind could not it comprehend. The young lad hopped off  his horse with a huff his gaze a relaxed stiffness as he reached out his hand.

Carr could only blink in surprise and take a hold of the man's hand with his own, it was simple as the man said his name.

 

“Karl Barbanov, serve me and this cart you’ll never need.”

 

Carr would not know at the time but this was how the crow and raven set out for the coming future whatever it may be.

 

AYR AND THE COMMONWEALTH

 

 

The Freeport of Ayr, circa 1480

 

Carr and Karl spent much of their childhood in the city of Ayr, a renovated Waldesian holding serving as Otto Rovin’s base of operations. With the aid of Thoromir Armank and his soldiery, the elf Ecthallion and his rangers, and a slew of hedge knights, Otto Rovin swept across the barren north, putting rebellious nordlords to the sword and converting the masses of schismatics to Canonism. Carr and Karl learned from Otto’s knee the ways of war and peace. From Ayr’s bustling port, Carr began his first merchanting endeavors, running goods to and from the Petrus docks alongside another young man, Marius Baruch, Otto’s bastard. Soon enough, their pockets grew heavy with gold, and the two sold off their company to a Dalma merchant. Marius used his newfound wealth to seek his fortune, while Carr remained at Karl’s side.

 

In the Freeport Carr grew to know the Viscontis, a shrewd Ilatian family disenfranchised in mainland Orenia. The patriarch of the Visconti made several attempts to marry Carr to one of his numerous daughters, but Carr’s heart fell to another. Sarah of Carolus was a beautiful young woman who played the harp, and Carr grew to love her. They spent many happy years together in the quiet streets of Ayr.

 

 

The icy plains of Valranheim

 

As the Commonwealth weakened and Ayr grew more empty Carr and Karl found themselves attempting many new reforms, to no avail as the Viscontian folk was steadfast in keeping progress from being made. It was not surprising Carr and Karl had both grown heavily influential especially amongst the younger generations of the north, their talents and rise a inspiration to the ones who wish for similar futures. This made many of the older influential northern leaders quite worried, their power was waning underneath two men, two young men at that which had yet to hit their prime. The confrontation of this thought was what laid the foundation for the political opposition for those still able.

 

Carr and Karl however was not easily defeated their political prowess and plans for the future burning as bright as ever, it took not long until they had maneuvered clear of the men from the commonwealth still clinging onto their desperate thoughts of power. So a dream was set into motion Carr and Karl had but a name, Siegrad for it was the embodiment of what they had dreamt to make. They both looked to the then fortified castle of Hiebenhall for the place their dreams would take form, a plan hatching quickly in their mind to take it from the dwarves.

 

The bustling streets and markets of Siegrad the former dwarven hold

 

Carr and Karl made their plans and with the youth of the north and their Vladovic comrades made their claim to Hiebenhall, the war was swift and successful the castle hold quickly taken in the name of the north. This conquest showing the ever growing strength of the north under the leadership of Carr and Karl, their former political enemies growing more worried as things developed. The men and women of the north quickly came to gather in the ruins starting the construction of Siegrad, the city of hope holding the dreams which Carr and Karl wished to take form.

 

With Carr and Karl at its head Siegrad quickly started taking form, buildings of import taking priority to lay the framework for the city economy and stability. It took not long until the southern lordlings grew a interest, many a opportunist making their way to the cold north in search of vassalage and land underneath these two men. It was as such their army grew larger and larger and it was surely needed, the crimson stains had once more marbled the roads as new enemies rose to fight the empire and the north was prepared for it.

 

 

The Battle of Vaerhold, cira 1495

 

Through war and peace, Carr and Karl grew ever closer. Karl showed an aptitude for the arts of war, and the pair fought through every battle of their era. Karl was often the first through a breach in the enemy defenses, and Carr was soon to follow.  Those warriors that fought alongside them as Karl’s sworn bannermen took on the Golden Crow of Tuvya to distinguish themselves on the field, and soon Karl took it upon himself to establish this banner force as a highlander brotherhood of old. The Brothers of the Golden Crow served as Carr’s constant companions for years to come.

 

 

Siegrad, circa 1510

 

As Karl and Carr’s toilings bore fruit, Siegrad began to thrive. Throngs of peasantry and merchants flocked to the city as it became a hub of activity and trade. Protected by the Brothers of the Golden Crow, the city also enjoyed relative security and order, lacking the usual degeneracy and debauchery large settlements are prone to. Carr became the city’s acting steward, distributing homes and managing finances for Karl’s court.

 

The city had many years of prosperity, growing to be the largest and most populous city the Reformed Kingdom had ever seen. Over these years Carr and the other inhabitants of Siegrad had many adventures of their own, but those are a tale for another day.

 

 

The foul beast that consumed Athera

 

But all things come to an end. A great worm of unknown origin laid waste to Athera, starting with Siegrad herself. In an incredible display of heroism, Karl Barbanov and one of his sworn shields gave their lives to bring the bastard down with their hidden cache of explosives, giving their citizenry time to escape the dying land. Carr, overcome by sorrow had to be taken away forcefully by his companions. Without a Barbanov to serve, the Colborns lent their efforts to building a new foundation for the growing Duchy of Adria, Carr using his skill with quill and coin to usher in a new age of prosperity for the highlander people.

 

 

Loyalist and Adrian forces clashing at Peremont

 

When Hugh rallied his banners to wage war with crown forces in the disastrous Duke’s War, Carr donned his armor once more and rode to battle alongside Vladovic soldiers, Brothers of the Golden Crow, and Vanir levymen. A slew of successful raids and skirmishes gave Adria and her allies the upper hand, until the decisive Battle of the Forest, where a horde of foreign allies overwhelmed the Coalition Forces. From then, the war went downhill, the Coalition’s final stand at Barrowyk marking the end of the conflict, and of the Adrian dream of prosperity nurtured by Carr.

 

A RETURN TO THE ASHES

The Colborns Post-Duke’s War

 

 

Loviska Colborn and her ilk at the Sacking of Brelus

 

With the fall of Adria and her allies came a dark day for the Colborns. Brelus burned, and with it all that Carr Colborn had built. Loyalist armsmen lay waste to the proud city, putting the men of Adria to the sword and taking their share of  gold, steel, and women. In a desperate attempt to keep their line alive, Carr and Loviska gave their lives so that their children could escape the flames of the dying city. The brothers Jesper and Osgod were entrusted to separate caretakers to maximize the odds of at least one of them surviving to carry on the Colborn name.

Northern freeriders crossing Joren’s Spine

 

Jesper was taken to a safe location in the backwaters of Kaedrin, Osgod was sent to the village of Darkwood, a small highlander settlement on the fringes of Lorraine. Jesper lived through his early adulthood, but ultimately met his end on the sickbed, having struggled with a weak immune system throughout his life. When he came of age, Osgod cast aside his quiet life in Darkwood and joined up with a band of outlaws, a motley collection of surviving Adrian soldiery, nonhumans, and common brigands. The warband clashed with crown forces on the borders of Lorraine and Courland, eventually suffering a crippling defeat at the river Vieran, costing the lives of most of Osgod’s comrades.

 

Alone and unemployed, the young Colborn sought work as a mercenary, and was quickly hired by Lerald Vyronov, a steward of the small northern settlement of Valwyk. Osgod helped the steward conduct a series of raids on the storehouses of Riveryn, a Savoyard outpost due south of Valwyk to reclaim a shipment of stolen iron ore. The two quickly bonded, and Osgod

found a new home in the barracks of Valwyk’s reigning baron, Jan Kovacs.

Osgod Colborn, circa 1540

 

With the ascension of John Horen I to the throne, Osgod, along with Kovacs’ other sworn swords were drafted into a regiment of Imperial Dragoons, where he learned the finer arts of war in a series of bloody skirmishes against the Horde of Dunamis. With Kovacs’ newfound recognition and the discovery of Otto Sarkoz, heir to the Sarkozic line, Osgod lent his support to the foundling Duchy of Carnatia. Soon after he was knighted by High Pontiff Everard II for valor in battle, attaining the title of Holy Ser of the Black Sepulchre.

 

Meanwhile, the brothers Eirik and Marvick, children of Jesper, wandered throughout the human kingdom, finding work among the artisan class. A well wisher of Carr directed Eirik to Carnatia as a place where he would find allies. Eirik made the journey northward, pledging himself and his company to Duke Otto. With the help of Kovacs, Osgod was able to identify Eirik as a Colborn and the two rejoiced to have found each other once more. Eirik was given a small tract of land in the snowy plains, and set to work building a new home for his newfound family.

Eirik Colborn striking north, circa 1542

 

Together, uncle and nephew carved out a new home for the Colborns in the Carnatian steppes, the two men playing crucial martial and administrative roles in the Duchy. Eirik set about collecting the scraps of his family culture from across the realm, remnants of beliefs and ideals held by the scattered Adrian refugees, taking the role of a storyteller and lorekeeper for the Carnatians. Osgod bore the standard of the Duchy’s Black Army, tirelessly training the new recruits conscripted into the army.

 

After the untimely death of Carnatia’s standing heir, Stefen Sarkoz, and the ensuing succession crisis, Eirik and Osgod lent their support to Prince Alexander Louis Horen in stewarding the province of Erochland, where they slowly grew in strength over in the following years. Eirik donned the signet of St Tobias and served as Oren’s Lord Treasurer under John II, while Osgod served as one of his bodyguards.

 

Eirik Colborn on the River Eroch

 

After many years of loyal service, the Colborns were granted the County of Metterden within the border province of Erochland. They quickly set about building a small town on the shoreline, where they shipped scylfing goods to ports all across the Empire.

 

In due time, both Colborn men took wives. Eirik wed the young daughter of Arthur Roswell, a close family friend and trade partner. Osgod wed Mira Warnek, the widow of a Savoyard gentleman. And such the Colborns prospered for many years.

 

Soon enough, tragedy struck the family once more. Eirik’s young bride was slain by a Dunamisian raider on an ill fated trip to Felsen. The young Lord Colborn, stricken by grief, embarked on a pilgrimage to the Outremer and beyond, never returning. Osgod assumed the role of patriarch, renewing the family’s role in Carnatia and the northern realms. Upon the appearance of Petyr Barbanov, heir to the Karovic line and wearer of the Boyar’s Cap, Osgod renewed the Barbanov-Colborn pact with the young warrior. Osgod served him faithfully as Captain of the Gold Corps, a large and prolific military order that served the Empire from Carnatia until the fall of the realm of Vailor to plague. In the last year of the descendant’s tenure in Vailor, the Creator blessed Osgod and Mira with a son, a strapping young lad they named Cedrik.

 

Upon landing in Axios, Petyr Barbanov restored the Duchy of Haense, bringing the Siegradic lines back to their roots. Osgod donned the banner of his banner force, the Brotherhood of the Golden Crow, and continues to serve faithfully to this day.

 

ARTIFACTS

 

The Book of Colborns

The family artifact passed from generation to generation its pages filled with writs from those who held it previously, many pages still blank to fill for the new caretaker.

 

((This is a big WIP.

[Malgonious 2758]

Great RP Post, I enjoyed the read!

[Andustar 4143]

Nicholas would sit in the tavern talking to Osgod, the look of interest on his face "Never really knew about your family's history until now my friend."

(Great read and well written)

[Wendigo 786]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.