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Thalavar
Patriarch: Murardrake Thalavar, a sidewhiskered, fierce-browed martinet of a man, legendary for his hot temper (his anger, however spectacular, tends to be short-lived, and once gone, leaves him genial for hours). He likes to appear stern and formidable, 2)
…so his chairs are all large and grand, like thrones, and he wears various shoulder-padded mock uniform tunics trimmed with gold braid and mock decorations (metal pins), augmented by brightsilver-finish swords in matching brightsilver scabbards. He never dances..#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 1, 2020
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…or does anything else in public he deems ‘undignified.’ In private, he relaxes, taking long soaking baths, reading all sorts of books, and padding around in a shabby old robe and slippers.
Matriarch: Constalle (“Kon-STALL”) Thalavar, a tall, buxom honey blonde 4)
…with a husky voice, whose manner is motherly rather than sexy, and who treats her servants as beloved ‘grown children’ family. Born a commoner in Sembia, she has an eye for trends, and invests deftly in paintings, new fashions she can import, and fine-bloodline#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 1, 2020
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…horses she can breed, and over two decades has parlayed the spending money her husband gave her when they were newly married into a fortune to rival what’s in the existing family coffers. Kind and polite, she is far shrewder than she looks and acts—making.. 6)
…people underestimate her has always been a favorite tactic.
Heir: Markeskur Thalavar looks like a younger, clean-shaven version of his father, but detests his father’s stern act, and sees his bouts of rage as a serious weakness. Markeskur is the epitome of the..#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 1, 2020
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..drawlingly ‘cool,’ urbane young noble, too loungingly bored with the world to ever get very angry or very frightened; everything seems to mildly amuse him, or yawningly bore him. This is, of course, an act; inwardly, he’s very insecure, doesn’t know how he… 8)
…should act (he’s constantly posing, and rearranging his hands, because he doesn’t know what to do with them), and is watching everyone else he meets, paying special attention to powerful individuals he admires, to see what they say and do. He will copy…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 1, 2020
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..catch-phrases, mannerisms, and fashion decisions he likes, adopting them as his own, as he consciously builds himself into a better and better noble. (Or, as his uncle Beldravagon prefers to put it, “Into more and more of a nose-in-the-air, self-important twit.”) 10)
Notable Rakes/Adventurers: Beldravagon (“Bell-DRAV-ah-gone”) Thalavar, a younger brother of Murardrake (two brothers between them in age, Beldred and Torstant, are both dead, the first while adventuring and the second in a duel), is a successful, handsome…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 1, 2020
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…adventurer who’s made and lost several fortunes venturing about the Sea of Fallen Stars, and taken scores of lovers. Although he’s been known to tell tall tales about his feats of monster-slaying and dungeon delving, he has survived some perilous expeditions, 12)
…coolly faced both hostile wizards and all manner of horrible monsters, and survived in part because of his quick wits and agility, and in larger part because of sheer luck. He’s known to be deadly with hurled swords and daggers, and to be skilled at attacking..#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 1, 2020
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…with thrown weapons while falling or swinging on lines past a target.
House Thalavar had a reputation of being crusty, oldcoin nobles who never let commoners forget they’re common, but these days, folk of Westgate see that clinging only to the patriarch, … 14)
…with the other family members bending into being more relaxed and approachable. Their fortunes built on sponsoring mercenary companies and caravan costers, the Thalavars have left both of those endeavors behind in favor of renting out space in large…#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 1, 2020
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…warehouses they own, while their daily coin is made in building roads and bridges, or rebuilding them better.#Realmslore— Ed Greenwood (@TheEdVerse) October 1, 2020