Hawkestone Family
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| Family Hawkestone Coat of Arms |
| Blazon: Azure, a hawk Or erect perched on a tower proper. Upon the helmet proper garnished Azure, mantled the Crest, a wreath Or and Azure, with a ducal coronet proper garnished Azure above. |
| Motto: Viam inveniam aut faciam. (I will find a way or I will make one.) |
The Hawkestone family originated in the Far East in the Republic of Lasanar. Situated in the county of Anaos, the ancestral manor first attained historical significance when Kestrelle, eldest daughter of Harrier Hawkestone and Atricia Accipiter, was named Countess of Anaos under Prime Minister Milan Von Krondor of Lasanar.
It is generally accepted by most historians of the Far East that the marriage between the Hawkestone and Accipiter lines was one of convenience. At the time that the marriage between Harrier and Atricia was arranged, the Hawkestones were a minor noble family and one of little consequence, having won no particular prestige either in social circles or on the battlefield. The Accipiters, on the other hand, were old nobility that had enjoyed great prestige in ancient days, and this lineage could still command some respect in certain circles. It was well known that Harrier had married Atricia to gain respectability and the dwindling income from her estate, which dwindled even more as Harrier spent a good deal of time in the local taverns scheming with his cronies about how he could wrest the title of Baron from Vincent Darkstar and rule over Anaos himself.
Kestrelle
The eldest daughter of the Anaos manor, Kestrelle Hawkestone was named Countess of Anaos in Lasanar, under her liege the Duchess Menelmereth of Colasan. It was during this period that Kestrelle discovered that her liege was secretly committing High Treason against the Republic. At great personal risk, she informed her superiors of her liege's treachery. Menelmereth seceded from the Republic, taking the duchy of Colasan with her and creating the short-lived nation of Miraglonn, calling herself Queen and Arch-Priestess. Countess Kestrelle removed Anaos from the duchy of Colasan and brought it back under the auspices of Lasanar under the duchy of Ozrat, declaring Duke Ingus as her new liege.
As a historical note, it was just after Menelmereth seceded from Lasanar that Kestrelle's father, Harrier Hawkestone, tried to raise a rebellion in Anaos against the rule of his own daughter. It was no secret in Anaos that Harrier had tried unsuccessfully to oust Vincent Darkstar, the former region lord. To have his own estranged daughter rise to power over him must have been hard for him to take. Countess Kestrelle discovered her father's attempt at rebellion, however, and had her own father executed. After this Anaos was quickly restored to Lasanar control.
For her demonstrations of loyalty, and for her ongoing service as Marshal of the armies of Ozrat during the war to regain Colasan, Kestrelle was eventually named Duchess of Sasrhas. It was at this time that Kestrelle commissioned the creation of the official Hawkestone Coat-of-Arms, and later married the Minister of Defense, General Vulpes de Zorro. (See De Zorro-Hawkestone Wedding Roleplay.)
A few months later, she was elected Prime Minister of Lasanar by an overwhelming majority.
Elanina
Elanina was the second child born of the Harrier-Atricia union. She is generally noted as being the more physically attractive daughter, and at the same time more hot-headed and impetuous than her responsible elder sister Kestrelle. Nevertheless it is fairly certain that the two sisters remained close throughout much of their lives, even though their careers were quite different.
Elanina left the Far East and started her career in Atamara in the Kingdom of Carelia. Almost at once she ran into difficulties. The kingdom was in an ongoing war with its nemesis, the Cagilan Empire. Soon after Elanina arrived, Carelia was all but abandoned by its allies, leaving Carelia to fight what quickly became a losing war. Elanina's intelligence and impetuosity won her both enemies and friends in her new nation, as the High Marshal Harpy appreciated her quick thinking and keen eye, but she ran afoul of King Kronos with whom she frequently grew frustrated. Eventually she was declared rogue and thrown into Carelia's prison at a dark time during Carelia's war with the Cagilan Empire when all seemed hopeless.
Fortunately the Judge of Carelia, Garthon Dumeric, was a good friend of hers and treated her kindly. Through him she survived her ordeal, and she began anew in the Kingdom of Eston under His Majesty Andrew McKay.
In Eston, Elanina became Lady Ambassador to the nation of Darka. Later, under High Marshal Basil Ariston, she was promoted to Marshal of the Sabre of Eston army and Countess of Malor.
Krider
Krider was the first son and the youngest child born to Harrier Hawkestone and Atricia Accipter. As such, he was unquestionably spoiled by everyone in the family. His father expected to hand down the manor and title to Krider, as historians generally agree that his father Harrier believed in the superiority of the male. This was a point of view that put him at odds with both of his daughters, most especially with his eldest daughter Kestrelle, who not only exceeded him in rank during her career but had him executed for attempting to incite a rebellion against her while she was Countess of Anaos in Lasanar.
In fact, it was probably this very event that altered Krider, for it is well known that Krider's career took a very different path from the other members of his immediate family. He first served as a troop leader in a theocracy called Toren in the war-torn South-East Island, where violence and religion are intertwined. It was here that he first received news of his elder sister's execution of their father. One can only imagine how this news altered his outlook profoundly.
Soon after learning of the death of his father, Krider left the South-East Island to begin anew in the continent of Beluaterra. There he became a knight in the Republic of Fronen, where he was eventually made Grand Justiciar under Prime Minister Enzeru Bakos.
Historians generally agree that Krider seems to have refused all contact with his family after his exodus from the South-East.
It was obvious early on that even though he was Grand Justiciar, Krider was dissatisfied with the role expected of a Grand Justiciar in Fronen. He joined a rebellion along with General Grimbaldus Sterksain in order to oust the older nobles in the Senate from power. The rebellion succeeded as Prime Minister Enzeru agreed to surrender his rulership to Grimbaldus.
This rebellion led to a counter-rebellion as the old members of the Senate attempted to regain control of Fronen. They swiftly won the day by assassinating the new Prime Minister Grimbaldus and thus forcing the Republic back to the polls. A previous Prime Minister, Cedric Mordred was elected into power once again, and Krider was forced to flee.
After a brief but troubled period as a rogue, he managed to start a new life for himself as a knight in the realm of Vlaanderen, where he distinguished himself enough to become Count of Bajit.
http://wiki.battlemaster.org/images/SandalakIcon.GIF Falkenna
Lady Falkenna was the daughter of Sir Aquila Accipiter, brother of Atricia. When the Hawkestone name became well-known due to the successes of her cousins, she adopted it as her own to claim a measure of that fame. At the time this was considered by some to be a clever move for any intelligent noble just starting out on their career, although understandably it did lead to occasional inter-familial clashes.
Falkenna chose to start her career as a knight in the war-torn South-West Island in the Republic of Sandalak. Her decision has been noted as remarkably similar to Krider's start in the South-East, leading some historians to believe that Falkenna and Krider may have discussed the matter, therefore having a closer relationship than it would otherwise appear. However, there is little evidence that the cousins paid much attention to each other, and it does not seem to fit with what we know of Krider in his later life.
Swainson
Born on the wrong side of the bed when Harrier Hawkestone was having an affair with a local Anaos barmaid, Swainson was not counted as part of the noble Hawkestone family tree. As a bastard son, Swainson chose the life of an adventurer, a typical path for those like him during this period in history. It is unknown if his legitimate siblings even knew of his existence, although history indicates that he seems to have known something of theirs. He and his eldest half-sister Kestrelle both resided in the Far East, but Swainson drifted far from his homeland to the Grand Lodge of Lunaria to hunt the monsters and undead hordes of the south.
Swainson gained a small measure of fame during this period by writing The Journal of Swainson Hawkestone, Adventurer, which became a moderately popular work.