Domingo Family
The Domingo family is a minor house whose estate lies near the great fortress in Chocxal, a province of the desert realm of Talerium. While the family is now acknowleged among the nobility of Talerium, the patriarch of the Domingo family - Edmundo Domingo - was actually born of peasant stock. His parents - Urla and Roberto Domingo - were simple camel herders who resided in the small village of Eugui, Mattlu province. This village, which was the ancestral home for generations of the Domingo line, was sacked by Darkan soldiers who raped and murdered villagers indiscriminately during the events of the Darkan Betrayal. The decendents of the Domingo line include Sanchez, Elias and Yerli.
Background
Edmundo's ascent to nobility was achieved through his dedication to the armed forces of Talerium and he made the most of the opportunities that service afforded him. However, Edmundo met his first wife Allia while stationed in Mapaxal, when he was still a commoner (albeit one of moderate wealth and influence). Together, they would have two children, both boys. The first born was Sanchez and his younger brother was named Elias, after Allia's grandfather.
By the time of Elias' birth, Edmundo had cemented his position among the elite of Talerium society and the Domingo family had moved into their new estate in Chocxal, which even today serves as the seat of the Domingo house. Furthermore, Allia and Edmundo had accumulated enough wealth to enable Edmundo to semi-retire from the army and devote himself to his family. During this time, Allia continued to work as a merchant (as she had done in Mapaxal) while Edmundo worked as a bureaucrat in the office of the Grand Justiciar.
This period would mark the high point for both Allia's and Edmundo's lives (and Sanchez's, who still has a vague recollection of those days). For the first time they were able to enjoy their lives and their love for each other, without spending long stretches of time living apart. However, that happiness would not last.
Soon after Elias' second birthday, war came calling and Edmundo was forced back into active service. While he was away, Allia became afflicted with a sickness that was sweeping through the population of Chocxal at that time. Upon hearing of his wife's illness, Edmundo rushed to her side. They would never have a chance to say their goodbyes, for she died two days before Edmundo arrived.
Falling into deep mourning, Edmundo became a shell of the man he once was. Although he still held a deep love for his children, they reminded him so much of Allia that he could barely care for them or himself adequately. After a period of grieving, Edmundo sought shelter in the one thing he had known for most of his life - the military. Not willing to give up his children, he instead married again in the understanding that his new wife would care for his two boys. While his second wife Deadra managed the Domingo household, Edmundo engaged in campaign after campaign, trying desperately to forget the past. Elias, who was too young to remember Allia, developed a strong bond with Deadra. On the other hand, Sanchez never accepted her as his mother and their relationship was more similar to that of aunt and nephew than mother and son. Even today, their relationship is strained at times.
As previously implied, the marriage between Edmundo and Deadra was out of convenience. Even so, they shared a genuine affection for each other, if not love. As such, they did attempt to conceive a child together but were unsuccessful. Although Deadra did love and care for Elias and Sanchez as if they were of her blood, she did desperately desire another child, one that she could raise from infancy. So it was, after repeated failures to have a child of their own, they decide to adopt one. While making the decision was easy, finding a baby to adopt seldom is.
In this instance though, fate interceded on behalf of the Domingo's. A minor noble, bearing child, had recently arrived from Yssaria, a realm of the East Island. Her labour was not easy and she died soon after giving birth to her son, whom she named Yerli. Hearing of the situation while at court, Domingo offered to take in and care for the child. This was readily accepted, since the women had arrived alone and too little was known of her to try and contact the baby's kin. So it was that Edmundo and Deadra found and adopted the child they had desired.
As they aged, Edmundo made sure all three of his sons receieved the finest education available in Chocxal. Each of them had particular aptitudes. Sanchez had only passable abilities when it came to the art of war, but showed a keen mind for politics and intrigue. Yerli was quite the opposite - he showed no interest in power and its use (and abuse), yet was exceptional in grasping and employing battlefield tactics. The middle son, Elias, fit that tag perfectly. He had no particular strength or weakness and while not exceptional in any of the classes he took, he was above average in all of them.
As much as Deadra and Edmundo no doubt wished otherwise, their sons did not get along very well growing up. Part of the problem was they were all extremely competitive with each other. Furthermore, Sanchez tended to bully Elias and was quite open in his opinion that Yerli was not truly part of the family. To a degree Elias and Yerli banded together against their older brother, but they too had their share of disagreements. Over time, their relationships smoothed somewhat, but even today there is tension between all three of them as well as a strong sense of competition.
When the Domingo sons came of age, they decided to take up the banner of a troop leader, and make their fortune in the world. Although initially reluctant, as the oldest, Sanchez was encouraged to remain in Talerium in order to help maintain the family's presence in that land. He bowed to the wishes of his father and initially enlisted with the Talerium military. When Elias turned 18, he made his way to the tyranny of Tara, where he too took up the sword in defence of that land, which at the time was in a state of upheaval. Finally the youngest son, Yerli, returned to his ancestral lands in Yssaria at the suggestion of Edmundo.
From here the story switches focus from the history of the Domingo family, to the three brothers and their fates.
