Voyreem - People

22-Aug-2004

Voyreem is a much more diverse city than many in Jaastenland. There is a much more even mix of Kraanichers, Heidann, Landish, and Jaani. There are also quite a few elves, half-elves, gnomes, and foreign visitors. The laws of Voyreem and Lebensbrüke apply equally to everyone, regardless of race, status, background, or class. Following are some descriptions of notable people. Some descriptions are noted as (2143). These are entries not yet updated to the current game year.

Nobility and Officials

Notable Burghers and Townsfolk

Nobility and Officials of Voyreem

Queen Anissette DuKott, Ftr20, NG

(2143) No list of Voyreem's inhabitants would be complete without a reference to its first lady. Anissette DuKott is the Queen of Lebensbrüke and the Countess of Voyreem. She was appointed as Baroness in the fall of LY 2139 (780vS). Local bards liken her to the most beautiful winter days--crisp, pale, majestic, and breathtaking. Others are equally drawn to her looks, but less poetic. She is a fit young woman with platinum blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a confident gaze that belies her years. She is a skilled mistress of the rapier and the bullwhip, both weapons acquired in the years before she came to Voyreem. Queen Anissette moves with a fluid grace that is both attractive and somewhat disturbing. She has an exceptional understanding of trade, profit, and personal persuasion. Some burghers suggest that she might have been a rogue at one time, but never within her hearing.

She enjoys fine things and demands the best quality from her merchants. Her laws are firm and fair, intending to equalize privileges and responsibilities across the boundaries of class and race. She values competence and loyalty in her subordinates above all. Lady DuKott has admitted that she was of noble birth, but grew up in common surroundings due to misfortune. She came to Smeisserand from Landers, where she gained the friendship of the Baron Sir Drake Hedgerton, an archmage of great repute. It was also in Landers that she came to know and trust elves, and seeks to extend a cautious welcome to the elves of the Aelvenwode. The Queen and her husband, Sir Drake, have two children, a young son named Ian and an infant daughter named Elise.

Her official colors are black and red, and her personal symbol is a black wyvern on a red circular field. She is fond of wearing black and silver clothes, and favors fitted trousers over skirts. She enjoys riding, fine dining with her few confidants, and outmaneuvering her opponents. Her palace was constructed by dwarves freed from slavery in the Dwarfspire to the west by the Dragon Wizard, and is the most beautiful and majestic structure within several hundred miles. Queen Anissette is confident enough of her power to appear frequently in public without a weapon other than her rod of office.

Sir Drake Hedgerton, "The Archmage," Ftr5/Wiz25/White Knight10, NG

(2143) Sir Drake has become a regular inhabitant of Voyreem since his marriage to the Lady DuKott in LY 2141 (782vS). The two met while adventuring some time ago in Landers, and have been friends for years. Some people say that the two were initially on opposing sides of some battle or conflict, but official sources disagree. Sir Drake himself is a handsome fellow of medium height, with hazel eyes, brown hair and a ready grin. Despite his outward appearance, he radiates a personal charm and confidence that sways many an otherwise stern soul and makes it extremely difficult to dislike him (CH19). Rather than appearing the ancient archmage, Sir Drake looks to be in his mid-thirties and is clean-shaven and well dressed. He often wears dove grey and blue trousers and tunic, with gold accents and trim, and usually has a curved oriental longsword at his belt in a fine scabbard. As befits one of the world's most powerful wizards, he has layer upon layer of magical protection to safeguard himself and his family and retainers.

Sir Drake leaves rulership and policy to his wife, and plays the advisor to the Queen. He also acts as diplomat and commander of his special troops, the Wolverines (elite high-tech ground troops) and the Sciroccos (ancient flying machines). He has sponsored the plans for a university of higher learning, and the Air Market, to advance his own aims. Sir Drake adheres to an idealistic standard extremely rare in Smeisserand and his influence can be seen in the treatment of dissenters and enemies. He is a knight of the Royal Order of the Swan, the highest order awarded by the King of Landers. He was a widower for several years before marrying Lady DuKott, and some say that his entire family was slain by an archlich who resented him for his goodness. Despite his policy of accepting no pleas for magical aid, the burghers of Voyreem are happy to have him around.
 

Master Gerhard Oakhallow, DR18, N

The keeper of the Voyreem Grove, Master Oakhallow is a middle-aged man in excellent health. He is the epitome of druidism-wise, stern, and aloof. He sometimes disappears for a week or two on business of his own, leaving the grove in the care of his initiates. He enjoys walking through the forests and fields, observing the natural world and conversing with the people and animals he meets. He keeps a watchful eye on the foresters of Voyreem and on the town's growth, ensuring that nature and civilized needs are balanced. He advises Queen Anissette and others upon request, and is often sought out by those with difficult decisions to make or issues to resolve. Petitioners must come to him, however. He does not dispense wisdom, but asks questions of the questioner that often prove more effective than any advice could be. He is fond of his young initiates and spends long afternoons nurturing their growth and understanding.
 

Sir Wilem Brust, Lord Chancellor, F15, NG

Sir Wilem is the Lord Chancellor of Lebensbrüke, seeing to the smooth administration of the nation and its affairs. He is a hale and healthy Kraanicher knight in his late forties, and has been with Queen Anissette since she was appointed Baroness. After hearing the Lady DuKott speak at King Wulfram's court, he came to Voyreem to ask to enter her service. He has fought battles against the Scarlet Legion, kenku, kzinti, the Sky Golems, and the Brotherhood of Thought. He is skilled at warcraft, strategy, and managing complex undertakings. Most burghers appreciate his no-nonsense, pragmatic approach to the country's day to day administration. Sir Wilem is reserved, exceedingly polite, and a stickler for detail. He aims to support the Queen in her efforts to make Lebensbrüke prosperous. Sir Wilem always has a kind grin and a bit of candy for the children he meets when traveling through the cities and countryside.
 

Sir Ethan Ford, Knight General & High Priest, Clr20, LG

(2143) Sir Ethan is quite young to be the knight commander of a Scarlet Legion garrison. His brown hair is usually tousled and he seems eager as a puppy to meet new people. His carefree appearance lends an innocent air to his competence as a Red Priest. The former squire of Sir William Winchester, dwarven High Priest of the Legion, Sir Ethan distinguished himself in battle and in diplomacy as the Smeisserander army drove on past the field of victory at Aalfa Keep to Maastricht Castle. He received word of the Legion defeat and evacuated everyone to Voyreem but for a few legionnaires left back to hold the castle against an immediate assault. The rest of the forces he commanded to guard the bridge and let no Smeisserander cross. When the King's cavalry arrived, Sir Ethan negotiated for the safe passage of legionnaires and allies across to Voyreem in exchange for withdrawal from the castle. Sir Ethan has excellent judgement and administration skills, and keeps the stream of Scarlet Legion troops and supplies moving properly between Contradina and the southern front. He respects valor and skill, and frequently trains with his troops and assistant priests. He supports the Queen's efforts to improve relations with the elves, and offers legal advice upon request. He is also active in extending schooling to the people of Voyreem through the Komatsine schools. Although the druids (Master Oakhallow in particular) have forbidden the teaching of the Komatsine faith to children, they permit education in other basic skills. Sir Ethan always wears his red cloak and golden rose holy symbol when about in town.
 

Lady Lizelle Kagaard, Minister of Finance, W18, N

Mistress Kagaard is the Queen's lieutenant in charge of mercantile matters. She is a successful Kraanicher woman in her late forties and maintains a wry air of nonchalance about things. Lizelle remains fit and athletic and likes to wear silk gowns of red and green. She got her start in Voyreem's merchant guilds as a trading assistant, and rapidly worked her way up to a seat on the guild council. Once she had gained enough money from her trading profits, she invested in the study of magic at the College of Wizardry in Norton. Folk whisper that Lizelle uses magic to ensure that business dealings go well, but no one can recall any specific instances of aggrieved parties or theft.

Lizelle maintains a direct hand in managing the merchant and craft guild affairs of Lebensbrüke. She always acts in the interests of the Queen, and is one of Queen Anissette's close confidants. She also maintains a close eye on the Thieves' Guild activities in Voyreem. Some burghers also say that she runs the guild, but this is considered rumor born of jealousy. As a Krannicher, Lizelle has bronze skin, honey-colored eyes, and dark brown hair. She wears her hair long, down to the center of her back, and is somewhat vain about her appearance. She frequently brushes out her hair during business meetings as she listens to the plans and proposals of other merchants. Lady Kagaard is married to Sir Wilem Brust, the Lord Chancellor.
 

Sir Vincent Leo, Elven Ftr8/Sor19, N(G)

A tall, golden-haired elf from a distant land, the Queen originally employed Sir Leo to train her elite guard and border patrol in advanced tactics. His efficiency at this task found great satisfaction in her eyes, and she offered him a position as her Court Mage. Leo accepted on the condition that she confer upon him the honor of knighthood. Lady Annisette was amused, and thus was born the order of the Knights of Voyreem. Sir Leo was the first of these peers, knighted by the Lady Countess at the Harvest Festival in 781vS (2140 LY).

Sir Leo practices sorcery of an unusual sort that allows him to cast powerful battlefield spells. He also has healing and mind reading spells available to him. He is equally adept with his advanced weapons, and has a genius for tactics. When seen from afar, Sir Leo always appears calm or detached, moving with a regal air. In person, he is very likeable and friendly and displays a charismatic flair for leadership. He prefers to dress in green and gold clothing, usually leaving armor for the battlefield.
 

General Georg Vandermeer, Ftr5/Wiz20 (Battle Wizard), LG

(2143) Georg is the handsome and dashing commander of the Silvermane Company, a troop of veteran husaars in the service of Duke Benjamin Nassir. He is the sort of wavy blonde-haired, blue-eyed soldier that young girls have mooned over for millenia. Unfortunately for those same girls, Captain Vandermeer is happily married to Voyreem's physiker, Minerva Vandermeer. He is a capable, innovative, and respected leader. He allows a great deal of freedom to his sergeants and soldiers, as long as they do their jobs and maintain good discipline in and out of ranks. He and his company wear the irridesium dragon of shimmering black on a blue field and braid the manes and tails of their mounts with jingling bells tied to silver cords.

Until recently, Captain Vandermeer was stationed in Voyreem in the service of Duke Nassir. When the Lady DuKott led the northeastern provinces in rebellion, Georg was away with his command at Faereaver Fortress. Now, he is at the barracks in Norton, separated from his wife and friends in Lebensbruck.

Notes on Battle Wizards:

As one of the members of the elite corps of Battle Wizards, Georg can cast spells while fully armored. Battle Wizards are like multi-classed fighter-mages with a specialization in combat magic (both offensive and defensive). Graduates of the respected War College of Elantra, in Kyriabor to the east of Smeisserand, they are rarer than rangers or paladins and just as highly trained. They have significant advantages but equally heavy restrictions. Battle Wizards cannot cast spells that have no combat application, and must abide by a special code of ethics. Most spend their lives in service to the powerful people who sponsored them to the College, fighting where, when, and for aims dictated by others. See the file on Battle Wizards.
 

Burghers and Noted Citizens of Voyreem

Goody Mehitobel "Mettie" Gutmann, Wiz10/Aspen Glen Witch10, CG

(2143) Mettie is the hosteler of the Goodhouse, a big, homey inn in Northbridge. Her cooking is widely acclaimed by locals to be the equal of any fancy chef in Norton or Katraal. The Goodhouse accepts travelers who need a place to stay that won't set them back much cash. Goody Mettie expects those who can pay to do so, and asks others to help out around the place. Mettie is a young-looking blue eyed blonde who doesn't look old enough to have a married daughter. She'll tell anyone who asks that good cooking, good manners, and a happy marriage will keep a body young. Everyone in Northbridge and quite a few other burghers of Voyreem are her friends, and Mettie hears about just about anything that happens in Voyreem. Despite her knowledge of events, she discourages idle gossip with a sharp word and refuses to pass on anything that might be considered personal or confidential. Goody Mettie is usually seen wearing her blue apron and accompanied by a big grey tabby named Umbrella, so named because of the cat's ability to spread out over whatever she likes--laps, food, reading material, and the sleeping faces of guests in their beds.
 

Minerva Vandermeer, Wiz7/Aspen Glen Witch 10, NG

(2143) Minerva is the daughter of Goody Mettie and the wife of Captain Vandermeer. Travelers will most often encounter her in her role of the town physiker. Minerva has been fascinated for many years by the guts and internal workings of animals and people, much to the dismay of the burghers. She turned this curiosity into a suitable calling by learning additional herbcraft, magical healing, and surgery from various local and traveling experts. She once even reattached the severed leg of an orcish adventurer by skill alone, magical healing applied just to bind and close the wound.

Master Vansgird Lichter, Wiz18, LN

(2143) Master Lichter represents both the College of Wizardry in Norton and the interests of Count Aalfa of Maastricht. He is a cheerful fellow who looks like people imagine a noble Kraanicher wizard should look-wrinkled bronze skin, salt-and-pepper beard, dusty robes, and a big pointy hat with symbols on it. Master Lichter has a large home opposite the Voyreem market from the constable station, surrounded by a tall wrought iron fence and neatly trimmed hedges. He entertains visitors with questions and requests from 1.00 to 3.00 each workday afternoon, by appointment only. His apprentices, Joos Helgaard and Kilessa Jansdottir, do the traditional busywork of cleaning, cooking, and scheduling appointments for him.

Svürbli Maanricher, Gnome Craftsman, CG

(2143) This gnome is the in-town spokesperson for the Hillsfar Clan gnomes. He owns a shop on the east trade road called "Wicks & Sticks." Svürbli makes and sells "potbelly stoves" of fine quality, as well as many other devices designed to provide light and heat. Svürbli fancies himself something of an inventor (but then, most gnomes do). He is a generally likable sort, if one can forgive his kzin-sized ego.

Master Alden Skeener, Exp9/Ari3, LN

(2143) Master Skeener is Voyreem's Craftsguild master. He is a stout, middle-aged fellow who wears his stern expression like a cloak. Although he is one of the wealthiest men in the barony, he dresses himself in plain, servicable clothing. Always on the lookout for trouble, he is one of the stauchest advocates of the Lady's adventurer registration and taxation policy. He seems truly concerned for the welfare of the burghers and the trade that flows into and out of Voyreem, and will go to great lengths to convince visitors of the benefits of doing business in the barony.
 

Master Malachai Silber, Ftr10/Duelist10, LN

(2143) Master Silber is a fencingmaster from Norton who decided that Voyreem had grown to the point that there would be young gentlemen who would need to learn manners and swordsmanship, were they to get ahead in society. Having so elevated the status of the barony in his own mind, he travelled to Voyreem to set up a fencing hall. Master Silber's hall is a combination training ground, gymnasium, and gentlemen's club. He caters specifically to young men of the merchant and military classes who would otherwise lead idle and dissipative lives, living on their families' wealth. Although women and men of other social standings are welcome to train at the fencing hall, they have not yet broken into the gentlemen's clique.

Master Silber himself is a spare, wiry fellow in his early fifties. His skill with duelling weapons is renowned throughout the Dominion, but he is a particular master of the saber (grandmaster status from POCT). While not a member of the nobility himself, he holds the keys to social status for others through his training in swordsmanship, etiquette, and the ways of the upper class. He always acts with grace and deportment. His taste is for fine, understated elegance. He advises against foppishness, garish dress or artwork, and is always impeccably dressed. He has seen and lived through many field battles and back alley duels, and uses the stories of his experiences to teach his protégé's.
 

Master Jann Wenner, Brd24, NG

(2143) Jann Wenner (pr. yahn ven'-ner) is a favorite son of Voyreem, a local lad who has done well. He is a cheerful fellow in his mid twenties with a rakish air, a wry grin, and a feathered hat. He is seldom without one of his two guitars, one black and one white. Jann sought adventure to provide some exciting experience for his songs, and he has found it many times over. After making his fortune from plundering ruins, kenku, kzinti, and several dragon lairs, he moved to Griffon Peak, in Tarnia, to build his own great inn. Although he resides in Tarnia, to the northwest of Voyreem, he still frequents the Goodhouse and other drinking establishments in town. He is usually accompanied by Angelika, a beautiful warrior-wizard Jann rescued from an enchanted slumber in the depths of a mountain.
 

Dark Schniedar, W19/Drd12, CN

(from before his disappearance) Dark Schniedar is a mystery to most of Voyreem's burghers, but generally a good mystery to have around. The son of one of Voyreem's noted merchants, Dark Schniedar earned his nickname early on in childhood for his bravado, paranoia, and black humor. After attending college in Norton, Dark Schniedar returned to Voyreem to become an initiate at the local grove. Although his respect for nature has always been of a different sort than most druids, he rose to a high initiate rank. Some people say that the druids would not let Dark Schniedar into the upper ranks, and tales from Master Oakhallow of Schniedar's general lack of respect for nature add weight to their words. Others say that he was just too fond of destruction, and wanted to wield more dangerous powers. Whatever the reason, he turned his attention to wiardry and pursued it with a passion. He started out as an apprentice to Dirk Walder, the Dragon Wizard, and gained enough practical experience to complete his apprenticeship in only a year.

Dark Schniedar is the epitome of the dark and mysterious wizard. He has been known to carry a great scythe with him in place of a wizard's staff. He usually dresses in dark clothing and a great hooded robe. He has two henchmen who are never very far from him. One, a warrior named Marta, watches his back and helps him keep his mind on business. The other, a wizard named Dieter Sprinkle, runs the Schniedarkraft Corporation and occasionally helps Dark Schniedar fend off opponents. All three of them use high-tech energy weapons. The burghers of Voyreem regard Dark Schniedar much as they would a crazy inventor; it's never boring when Schniedar's around, as long as you keep to a safe distance.
 

Cordian Ashbow, Elf Ftr6/Brd12, CG

Cordian Ashbow is a noted and wealthy elven trader from the Aelvenwode. He keeps a mansion in Voyreem near the Peace Market. Many of the humanfolk in Voyreem like and respect Master Ashbow for his fair dealings and easygoing manner. He trades fine elven goods to Voyreem and to Hazel Ridge in Kyriabor, as well as making trips to Contradina and Sudnoll, but never trades further into Smeisserand than Benaaflen.

Last updated 22-Aug-2004
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