Esotericus Family

The Esotericus family has its roots on the continent of Dwilight, in the region known as Donghaiwei.

The First Esotericus, Varchilde

The first bearer of the family name of any note was Varchilde Esotericus. Originally from Donghaiwei, in the realm of Xinhai, she joined the Order of the Maddening Star with a unit of archers and fought in various engagements for Xinhai before finding her calling as a Priestess of Sanguis Astroism. After some time of performing her duties with zeal, her administrative skills and genuine and fervent beliefs in the Bloodstars came to the attention of the Prophet of Sanguis Astroism, Mathurin Hossenfeffer. She found herself participating more and more in discussions of the Faith, the make-up of the Church itself, and how the Faith related to the rest of Dwilight. When the Prophet declared his intent to voyage to holy Corsanctum, he designated her his heir to the stewardship of the holy township of Caiyun, the birthplace of Sanguis Astroism. Eventually she became promoted to the position of Light of the Austere Star, one of the three leadership positions in the church after the Prophet Himself. As Light of the Austere, she conducted diplomacy with various realms and oversaw various Church- and Faith- related matters, including the second trial of heresy for Allison Kabrinski, which was quite dramatic in its time. Although it was generally not known at the time, Varchilde had a daughter while Marchioness of Caiyun, by the name of Perdita. The girl was generally kept inside the estate, taught by a few very discrete tutors, and was never announced to the nation at large. Her paternal lineage is unknown. If there were other children, they are not known. Eventually, Varchilde announced her intention of emigrating to Astrum in order to be closer to the ever expanding border of her faith so as to better introduce it to the new peasantry as well as to enable her to better assist in the theocratic wars then, as always, flaring up in the west. She vanished somewhere along her journey, never arriving in Astrum, and nothing was heard of the Esotericus family for years.

Perdita Esotericus

The daughter of Varchilde Esotericus, Perdita spent her early years in relative seclusion on the family estate in Caiyun, in Xinhai. She was tutored in the arts, including that of war, from a young age and demonstrated not only aptitude but a real passion for learning. Although disallowed from involvement in her mother's meetings, she routinely hid herself in a wardrobe in order to overhear the details of the goings-on within the Church, the realm, and the rest of Dwilight. Discovered by her mother one evening, the practice became an unofficial lesson in politics when her mother recognized her daughter's very real interest and understanding of the issues and authorized her to quietly continue her wardrobe activities. At around the age of 8, Perdita vanished along with her mother during a fateful journey to Astrum and disappeared from view for many years. Recently Perdita resurfaced in Astrum, in the region of Unterstrom Vorstadt with little explanation for her absence, only to say that her mother had died many years before and that she had been raised by a friend of the family who she calls Old Aunt Clotho, who enjoys puns, intimidating military types, and weaving scarves for those whose company she enjoys. Raising a dedicated unit of archers, Perdita participated in a risky mission to aid the Nation of Westguard against recent hordes of monsters, only to find herself trapped in Westguard, with her fellow Astrumese dead or captured, and recent political upheavals between Astrum, Westguard, and Swordfell rendering her unable to apply for assistance or asylum among her unofficial allies in Swordfell. She somehow survived the journey back to Unterstrom, weaving her archers between ravaging hordes of trolls in an erratic path that nevertheless eventually brought her and her entire unit of soldiers home. The political situation was resolved by the creation of a 'buffer state' between Astrum and Swordfell, known as Sol, which Perdita promptly joined. She was quickly appointed the Lady of Elntorak for her service and valor in the Westguard Expedition and presently sits as Overseer of Sol as well.

Rufus

For now a bit of a cypher, Rufus sailed from Dwilight to Beluaterra in search of his future. His exact position within the Esotericus family is unknown. He is currently living in the realm of Nothoi.