https://7thsea.rvhist.com/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=130.76.64.18 2026-10-16T02:12:01Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.42.2 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei%27s_Journal&diff=1428 2010-01-08T20:22:02Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>== Journal Entries ==<br /> <br /> [[Aleksei's Journal - The Rock of Tormentos]]<br /> <br /> [[Aleksei's Journal - Interlude at Clermont Ferront]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page&diff=1427 2010-01-08T20:03:46Z

<p>130.76.64.18: Removing all content from page</p> <hr /> <div></div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=412 2009-11-20T00:05:48Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Aleksei2.jpg|frame|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei Courtanvoux]]<br /> Aleksei Courtanvoux du Agenais is the son and heir of a Marquis in Le Motte province.<br /> <br /> == History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipovara rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters whom he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak Aleksei was tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> [[Image:Aleksei.jpg|frame|left|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei in one of his favorite pursuits.]]By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir was worse than no heir at all to the Marquis and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Grande University or the Leveque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains on the rolls he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master in Paix, but his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Only six months ago Aleksei was approached by the Rose and Cross and offered a place as a trainee. He accepted but feared that he wasn't actually a worthy candidate and that once again his father's influence provided him with undeserved opportunity.<br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais is one of Montaigne's most gifted Porte sorcerers, a well known patron of the arts, a patron of the Rose and Cross, and a member of several elite gentleman's clubs. Descended from Montanus (though through a matrilineal line) it is of little surprise that his family has enjoyed consistent wealth and prestige from generation to generation. A man who has never known anything but the greatest privilege he is prone to indulging in the excesses that have become vogue in L'emperor's court. He is now in his early forties and remains a handsome if stern looking man. <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings. <br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman. All three are gifted Porte sorceresses. Of the three, only Caroline maintains friendly contact with her brother. The elder two engage in courtly politics in Charouse.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's uncle, Aleksei, visited him in his youth after he came down with the white plague. He was recently supposed to return to visit Aleksei and his mother, but he has not arrived yet.<br /> <br /> == Current Events ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei independently investigated the Staatholder, an Eisen ship reumored to be carrying his uncle to Montaigne. He could not find his uncle, but discovered a severed hand in his uncle's stateroom. Aleksei now presumes that the fiend who beset the Staatholder and killed the crew was the same as the man who oversaw the torture of the unknown Ussuran nobleman discovered in the basement of the [[The Rapist Caper and Other Stories#One League North-Northeast | unknown villa]].<br /> <br /> During the events preceding the recent invasion of [[Isla Tormentos]] by the Montaigne navy, the young Rose and Cross knight made the acquaintance of the Governor's young daughter, Senora Zoya Villar del Velasquez. During a moonlight walk on the walls overlooking the sea she confided in Aleksei that she wished to be reunited with her mother whom she has not heard from since the Montaigne invasion of Zepeda. Aleksei, seeing the approaching guards, assured the young Castillian beauty that he would see to it that she and her father were reunited their lost wife and mother. <br /> <br /> Upon breaching the fortress Punte Grande, Aleksei and his compatriots stumbled into a storage room in which four Vodacce noblewomen huddled, awaiting [[Carlotta]]'s return. They believed they were to be smuggled off of the island to someplace safe. Fearing that the women would not be safe once the battle for the fortress began Aleksei extended his hospitality and protection to them. When Lucien, Philipe du Paix's pet porte mage arrived to ferry soldiers into the fort Aleksei instructed him to take the four women to safety even though that left the invasion four men down. <br /> <br /> After the conquest of the island Admiral Price allowed Aleksei custody of the Governor and his daughter, as well as the four Vodacce women. With only a brief interlude in Paix to purchase appropriate dresses for the ladies the Vodacce noblewomen are offered the complete hospitality of Aleksei's personal country estate where they may remain as long as they wish and Aleksei has written a letter to his aunt, Baroness Miriam du Avion, whom he happens to know has a nearby country estate which she rarely visits (preferring instead the Court at Charouse). Should the four women wish they may stay in Montaigne under assumed names for as long as they wish.<br /> <br /> Aleksei now intends to cross into occupied Castille with the Governor and his daughter. Once there he intends to locate Zoya's lost mother and perhaps see them safely into Castillian territory if necessary.<br /> <br /> == Journal == <br /> <br /> [[Aleksei's Journal]]<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Complicated Family-Variable.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Hunting-2&quot; via the fate deck showing his future.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Something-2&quot;, Carlotta<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Something-2&quot;, Captain Crispino<br /> <br /> Aleksei's father is a Porte Master and the family estate maintains a few permanent portals to locations throughout Theah.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's mother is a Pyeryem Adept. She is from Molhyna, Ussura, but spent three years enjoying the hospitality of the Lord of Rurik while she attempted to catch the interest of an important nobleman. <br /> <br /> Marquis Martin purchased land near the coast for Zoya and the children only to have that land recently conquered in the Montaigne invasion of Ussura. Ironically the small estate by the shore remains in the family's possession despite it being in conquered territory due to the Marquis' clever use of Montaigne law.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has no idea what to do with the tax money he receives. Approximately 100 guilders is invested with Vendel banking and shipping operations every month, and 200 guilders are spent on his serfs in the form of tax reduction, feasts, and other efforts to ease the crippling Montaigne taxes. He keeps a nice apartment in Paix and is in the process of developing a personal library, but almost all of his remaining money goes into clothing and living the life of a fop. Consequently he rarely has money for larger purchases.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has heard word from Ussura that the Gaius is a voracious reader of books, and Aleksei sends rare or very modern books via Vendel merchants to the Gaius' palace as gifts.<br /> <br /> Aleksei feeds a number of neighborhood cats on his balcony. Many are the offspring of Aleksei's childhood pet, Dima, an black Ussuran Angora.<br /> <br /> Aleksei is a recently admitted member of the Rose and Cross. He has completed his training and is soon to be pinned.<br /> <br /> [[Category:PCs]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei%27s_Journal_-_The_Rock_of_Tormentos&diff=404 2009-11-19T22:50:49Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>From the Journal of Aleksei Courtanveux du Agenais:<br /> <br /> === Amordi, 10th of Corantine, 1668: ===<br /> <br /> I have often reflected that Monseiur Philip du Paix would not be the sort of man I would normally wish to be seen taking breakfast with, and yet I find myself too often in his company. I blame the unfortunate frequency of our meetings on my friend Julian, whom Monseiur du Paix seems to have some hold over and who I have too great a fondness for to leave in such sordid company alone. I recall Sebastien mentioning some order from above indenturing the Musketeer to Monseiur du Paix's service, though how such a thing came to be I do not know, save only that he joined Julian and I and in the meeting. <br /> <br /> Lady Marie-Celeste accompanied me as well, no doubt continuing to play the nurse-maid. I cannot say I am yet accustomed to her presence in my home, but as she is both me senior in the Order and in need of domicile in Paix I could hardly refuse her. Yet I continue to wonder whether Mlle. Marie-Celeste represents some trepidation among my brother Knights about admitting one so young among the ranks of full members. Such doubt, of course, has no place in the mind of a member of the Rose and Cross and I shall set myself to putting it aside.<br /> <br /> Regardless, the breakfast! M. du Paix introduced a gentleman of Eisen heritage who, like so many of his kin, was employed for his martial and tactical skill. Such skill was soon to be necessary, M. du Paix assured, as we (Julian, Sebastian, Mlle. Marie-Celeste and I) were to travel by sea to the Isla Tormentos and assists in its conquest. Dear M. Philippe had clearly confused us with with soldiers or some such.<br /> <br /> Had that alone been the only surprise we were to endure perhaps it would have been a meeting much like all others we have had with him (a revelation that strongly compels me to end my association with the rogue). We had not yet discussed how we would approach a Castillian island fortress, though, and so we were introduced to the captain of the vessel that would convey us thither. None other than Captain Crispino himself arrived, smirking with self-confidence that he was protected from Sebastien's ire by M. du Paix's employment. <br /> <br /> Somehow, despite the obvious spectre of treachery, we were all convinced that M. du Paix's plan must go forward. I cannot recall what clever explanation was provided but I am inclined to believe that Julian and Sebastien were compelled to go out of duty or obligation, and I acquiesced due to my youthful inclination toward adventure. Mlle. Marie-Celeste had no objection that I recall, though I think perhaps she does not know Philippe du Paix as of yet. By sunset we were all of us aboard &quot;Il Falco&quot;, a brig captained by the Vodacce villian.<br /> <br /> === Guerdi, 12th of Corantine, 1668: ===<br /> <br /> I admit to taking particular pleasure in playing the oblivious fop, though I am compelled to admit that I am no doubt good at it because I need not stretch particularly far to find the role within myself. In this particular case I find that it is particularly infuriating to Captain Crispino who, enjoying his role aboard the ship as the untouchable commander, does not hide his enjoyment of mocking the impotence of myself and my companions in avenging past wrongs. For my part I flirt with his paramour, the lovely crescent woman who is his second, frustrate his crew with unreasonable demands, and generally give only confused smiles when he attempts to evoke anger with a mocking remark. Quickly he seems to have gone from self-confident smugness at dinner to grinding his teeth in frustration. I find his displeasure an enjoyable method of passing the time.<br /> <br /> Today there was a sea battle. I am told that I should not have ordered the detonation of the powder magazine of our attacker's vessel, but I always consider the source of such complaints. The first is Sebastien, who I believe unrealistically assumed that our boarding party's success in holding the forecastle for a few minutes was merely a prelude to the total routing of the ship's crew and (eventually) his first command of a sea-going vessel. I do not consider myself more level-headed in a fight that M. Sebastian (indeed, quite the opposite), but considering the number of stitches which I was required to sew in my dear friend I can only assume his criticism was more born out of delirious blood loss than a serious complaint.<br /> <br /> The second was Captain Crispino, who perhaps worried that detonating an enemy ship's magazine a few meters away from his own vessel put his ship and crew at risk. Though I may, upon quiet self-reflection, consider this a reasonable and prudent concern I will never give him the satisfaction by indicating so. My penance was done in removing splinters from crewmen and stitching up the wounded; to the Captain I show nothing but indifference.<br /> <br /> Besides, rather than condemning my actions one might think the Captain would be lavishing praise upon me and my compatriots. His ship, after all, was secured not by his hand but by the swift steel of Mlle. Marie-Celeste and Sebastien and the daring of Julian among the sails of the enemy. I have no time for a man who criticizes the manner in which he was saved from certain doom. <br /> <br /> Finally, and more interesting than sea battles and dinners with sworn enemies, there is the matter of the woman locked in the room. I do not know her name, nor why she is sequestered away in the locked room connected to the Captain's, yet there is something entrancing about her. I would that I had opportunity to know more about her, but the Captain does not allow contact. I worry she is mistreated, yet she does not seem to act so.<br /> <br /> I think perhaps she is a fate witch, though having never met one personally I confess I make such an assumption based on garb alone. Perhaps it is the child in me that has yet to fully transform to manhood, but I had always envisioned witches as something terrible or ugly. Stories from Vodacce that reached the court of Paix spoke of the Vodacce noble women in terms of their strange magics and warned to never meet the eyes of a woman wearing the traditional veil of the fate witches. And yet I confess that I would have met her eyes without fear and acceptable whatever curse befell me in exchange. <br /> <br /> In two days we are to meet the fleet I am told. By then I should know more of this mysterious woman and whether Captain Crispino holds her hostage.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=The_Rock_of_Tormentos&diff=401 2009-11-19T22:44:02Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>The four companions are summoned by Philip du Paix, who describes to them [[Isla Tormentos]] and the problems it is causing the Montaigne blockade. He then tells them that a Vodacce captain has acquired landing codes on the rock - the series of signal flags needed to keep the ship from being fired upon - and thus he would like to smuggle the heroes onto the island. There, they are to break into Punta Grande, the main fortress, and take a blooded mirror out of a snuffbox, at which point [[Lucien du Lac]] will bring through an Eisen mercenary captain named Holzt and a dozen picked men to silence the guns. With the guns silenced, Philip explains, the Montaigne fleet will attack and take the island.<br /> <br /> Of course, there's a wrinkle: the Vodacce captain is none other than Captain Crispino, the companions' old nemesis. Some unhappiness over this aside, however, the heroes board Crispino's ''Il Falco'' and set sail for Tormentos.<br /> <br /> ==Bon Voyage, or How Sebastien Wins and Loses a Ship==<br /> <br /> Dinner with Captain Crispino and his officers the first night aboard ''Il Falco'' is tense, but [[Aleksei]] notices a small cabin off Crispino's own. Some investigation later, he discovers its occupant: a young Vodacce woman named Alice who looks very much like a Fate Witch. <br /> <br /> Two days out of Buche, a cry goes up: &quot;Sail, ho!&quot; Another Vodacce ship - the ''Callisto'', flying the same Caligari flag as ''Il Falco'' - has been spotted, and Crispino is of the opinion that they are not friendly. Indeed, ''Callisto'' closes - it has the weather gage, though its guns seem strangely, unluckily ineffective during the exchange. Finally, ''Callisto'' is close enough for a boarding action and sends over a boarding party.<br /> <br /> Battle aboard ''Il Falco'' ensues - [[Sebastien]], [[Marie-Celeste]] and Aleksei clear the main deck, then the two Knights of the Rose and Cross proceed to clear the fo'c'sle. Meanwhile, [[Julien]] has swung over into the rigging of the other ship, fighting off sailors and cutting sails. Once ''Il Falco'' 's fo'c'sle is clear, the Knights cross over to begin taking ''Callisto'' 's fo'c'sle. Aleksei dispatches a party of sailors below-deck to fire ''Callisto'''s magazine. Sebastien - not knowing what Aleksei has planned - crosses to the maindeck of ''Callisto'', believing he will take the ship as a prize. He fights his way to Julien, now on the main-deck, and then up to the fo'c'sle to join his companions. Things are going well until Aleksei informs his friends that the ship is about to explode: Sebastien is not amused.<br /> <br /> The heroes flee back to their own ship and try to stave off as ''Callisto'' explodes. Thankfully, ''Il Falco'' does not catch fire - but Aleksei is now in poor odor among the Falcos as well as Sebastien.<br /> <br /> ==Reaching the Rock==<br /> <br /> Soon enough, the companions' ship is off San Teodoro. They approach the blockade flagship and are piped aboard, where they meet Admiral Praisse du Rachetisse, High Admiral of the Montaigne Fleet. They discuss their plan and Admiral Praisse mentions that his nephew, Captain Praisse, is being held prisoner on the Rock. He asks the heroes to make sure they rescue his nephew and suggests that Captain Praisse and his officers may be able to help in taking the rock.<br /> <br /> Leaving Lucien and Holzt aboard the blockade flagship ''Conquérant'', the companions approach the Rock. At the appropriate moment, Crispino orders the signal flags hoisted - there is a moment of tension, and then the Punta Grande battery fires a &quot;approach&quot; signal of three quick shots and the Vodacce brig makes for the harbor. Once there, they are boarded and searched by Commandante Juan Alfarez, military commander of the island. The search turns up nothing except for a locked chamber in the Orlop; after some discussion, Crispino and Alfarez inspect that hold privately at which point clearance is granted for the companions to go ashore.<br /> <br /> Of course, the heroes are not going as themselves: instead, they are the retinue of a Vodacce nobleman. Aleksei is Giuseppe Caligari, a nephew of the Prince. Marie-Celeste is Maria, his Islander slave. Julien is once against the Vodacce doctor, Aleksei's physician, and Sebastien - who speaks neither Vodacce nor Castillian - is Father Theo, Aleksei's confessor who speaks only Thean.<br /> <br /> ==The Gubernador's Cotillion==<br /> <br /> We can haz cheezburger?<br /> <br /> ==Fugitives!==<br /> <br /> Epic Spy Fail!<br /> <br /> ==Into the Dark==<br /> <br /> All your base are belong to us!<br /> <br /> ==Persons of Note==<br /> <br /> * ''[[Philip du Paix]]'' -- Our heroes' patron.<br /> * ''[[Lucien du Lac]]'' -- A Porté master attached to Philip.<br /> * ''Johann Holzt'' -- A scar-faced Eisen man who appears to work for Philip.<br /> * ''[[Captain Crispino]]'' -- A Vodacce merchant, smuggler, pirate and spy, he is often the heroes' antagonist but is their ally in this affair.<br /> * ''Alice Amberci'' -- Crispino's sister, a Fate Witch kept hidden aboard his ship. (Pronounced Al-ee-chay)<br /> * ''Admiral Alazais Valois Praisse du Rachetisse'' -- Admiral of the Montaigne Navy, the heroes rescued his nephew Captain Fernán Praisse from the Rock.<br /> * ''[[Carlotta]]'' -- A beautiful Castillian spy and opera singer, she posed as a &quot;Doña Abella&quot; on Isla Tormentos.<br /> * ''Don Cruz Montoya del Velasquez'' -- Governor of the island, his wife and all his family except his daughter are missing in Occupied Castille.<br /> * ''Zoya Villar del Velasquez'' -- Don Cruz' daughter, she is 16 and the most beautiful girl in Rancho Zepeda.<br /> * ''Commandante Juan Alfarez'' -- Military commander of the Rock, Juan Alfarez was murdered by Julien in Punta Grande.<br /> * ''Constanza Gastone'' -- A powerful Fate Witch, the companions rescued her and her three Fate Witch daughters from the Rock, where they were being moved along some sort of underground railroad by Carlotta.<br /> * '' Amelia Vellini, Julia Vellini, and Maria Vellini'' -- Constanza Gastone's daughters, married to three Vodacce brothers from Mondavi.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=355 2009-11-17T20:28:59Z

<p>130.76.64.18: /* GM Stuff */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Aleksei2.jpg|frame|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei Courtanvoux]]<br /> Aleksei Courtanvoux du Agenais is the son and heir of a Marquis in Le Motte province.<br /> <br /> == History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> [[Image:Aleksei.jpg|frame|left|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei in one of his favorite pursuits.]]By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Grande University or the Leveque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Only six months ago Aleksei was approached about joining the Rose and Cross. He accepted but feared that he wasn't actually a worthy candidate and that once again his father's influence provided him with undeserved opportunity. <br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais is one of Montaigne's most gifted Porte sorcerers, a well known patron of the arts, a patron of the Rose and Cross, and a member of several elite gentleman's clubs. Descended from Montanus (though through a matrilineal line) it is of little surprise that his family has enjoyed consistent wealth and prestige from generation to generation. A man who has never known anything but the greatest privilege he is prone to indulging in the excesses that have become vogue in L'emperor's court. He is now in his early forties and remains a handsome if stern looking man. <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings. <br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman. All three are gifted Porte sorceresses. Of the three, only Caroline maintains friendly contact with her brother. The elder two engage in courtly politics in Charouse.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's uncle, Aleksei, visited him in his youth after he came down with the white plague. He was recently supposed to return to visit Aleksei and his mother, but he has not arrived yet.<br /> <br /> == Current Events ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei independently investigated the Staatholder, an Eisen ship reumored to be carrying his uncle to Montaigne. He could not find his uncle, but discovered a severed hand in his uncle's stateroom. Aleksei now presumes that the fiend who beset the Staatholder and killed the crew was the same as the man who oversaw the torture of the unknown Ussuran nobleman discovered in the basement of the [[The Rapist Caper and Other Stories#One League North-Northeast | unknown villa]].<br /> <br /> During the events preceding the recent invasion of [[Isla Tormentos]] by the Montaigne navy, the young Rose and Cross knight made the acquaintance of the Governor's young daughter, Senora Zoya Villar del Velasquez. During a moonlight walk on the walls overlooking the sea she confided in Aleksei that she wished to be reunited with her mother whom she has not heard from since the Montaigne invasion of Zepeda. Aleksei, seeing the approaching guards, assured the young Castillian beauty that he would see to it that she and her father were reunited their lost wife and mother. <br /> <br /> Upon breaching the fortress Punte Grande, Aleksei and his compatriots stumbled into a storage room in which four Vodacce noblewomen huddled, awaiting [[Carlotta]]'s return. They believed they were to be smuggled off of the island to someplace safe. Fearing that the women would not be safe once the battle for the fortress began Aleksei extended his hospitality and protection to them. When Lucien, Philipe du Paix's pet porte mage arrived to ferry soldiers into the fort Aleksei instructed him to take the four women to safety even though that left the invasion four men down. <br /> <br /> After the conquest of the island Admiral Price allowed Aleksei custody of the Governor and his daughter, as well as the four Vodacce women. With only a brief interlude in Paix to purchase appropriate dresses for the ladies the Vodacce noblewomen are offered the complete hospitality of Aleksei's personal country estate where they may remain as long as they wish and Aleksei has written a letter to his aunt, Baroness Miriam du Avion, whom he happens to know has a nearby country estate which she rarely visits (preferring instead the Court at Charouse). Should the four women wish they may stay in Montaigne under assumed names for as long as they wish.<br /> <br /> Aleksei now intends to cross into occupied Castille with the Governor and his daughter. Once there he intends to locate Zoya's lost mother and perhaps see them safely into Castillian territory if necessary.<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Complicated Family-Variable.Aleksei has the Background &quot;Hunting-2&quot; via the fate deck showing his future.<br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Nemesis-1&quot;, Carlotta<br /> <br /> Aleksei's father is a Porte Master and the family estate maintains a few permanent portals to locations throughout Theah.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's mother is a Pyeryem Adept. She is from Molhyna, Ussura, but spent three years enjoying the hospitality of the Lord of Rurik while she attempted to catch the interest of an important nobleman. <br /> <br /> Marquis Martin purchased land near the coast for Zoya and the children only to have that land recently conquered in the Montaigne invasion of Ussura. Ironically the small estate by the shore remains in the family's possession despite it being in conquered territory due to the Marquis' clever use of Montaigne law.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has no idea what to do with the tax money he receives. Approximately 100 guilders is invested with Vendel banking and shipping operations every month, and 200 guilders are spent on his serfs in the form of tax reduction, feasts, and other efforts to ease the crippling Montaigne taxes. He keeps a nice apartment in Paix and is in the process of developing a personal library.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has heard word from Ussura that the Gaius is a voracious reader of books, and Aleksei sends rare or very modern books via Vendel merchants to the Gaius' palace as gifts.<br /> <br /> Aleksei feeds a number of neighborhood cats on his balcony. Many are the offspring of Aleksei's childhood pet, Dima, an black Ussuran Angora.<br /> <br /> Aleksei is a recently admitted member of the Rose and Cross. He's still in training.<br /> <br /> [[Category:PCs]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=354 2009-11-17T20:05:38Z

<p>130.76.64.18: /* Current Events */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Aleksei2.jpg|frame|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei Courtanvoux]]<br /> Aleksei Courtanvoux du Agenais is the son and heir of a Marquis in Le Motte province.<br /> <br /> == History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> [[Image:Aleksei.jpg|frame|left|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei in one of his favorite pursuits.]]By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Grande University or the Leveque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Only six months ago Aleksei was approached about joining the Rose and Cross. He accepted but feared that he wasn't actually a worthy candidate and that once again his father's influence provided him with undeserved opportunity. <br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais is one of Montaigne's most gifted Porte sorcerers, a well known patron of the arts, a patron of the Rose and Cross, and a member of several elite gentleman's clubs. Descended from Montanus (though through a matrilineal line) it is of little surprise that his family has enjoyed consistent wealth and prestige from generation to generation. A man who has never known anything but the greatest privilege he is prone to indulging in the excesses that have become vogue in L'emperor's court. He is now in his early forties and remains a handsome if stern looking man. <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings. <br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman. All three are gifted Porte sorceresses. Of the three, only Caroline maintains friendly contact with her brother. The elder two engage in courtly politics in Charouse.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's uncle, Aleksei, visited him in his youth after he came down with the white plague. He was recently supposed to return to visit Aleksei and his mother, but he has not arrived yet.<br /> <br /> == Current Events ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei independently investigated the Staatholder, an Eisen ship reumored to be carrying his uncle to Montaigne. He could not find his uncle, but discovered a severed hand in his uncle's stateroom. Aleksei now presumes that the fiend who beset the Staatholder and killed the crew was the same as the man who oversaw the torture of the unknown Ussuran nobleman discovered in the basement of the [[The Rapist Caper and Other Stories#One League North-Northeast | unknown villa]].<br /> <br /> During the events preceding the recent invasion of [[Isla Tormentos]] by the Montaigne navy, the young Rose and Cross knight made the acquaintance of the Governor's young daughter, Senora Zoya Villar del Velasquez. During a moonlight walk on the walls overlooking the sea she confided in Aleksei that she wished to be reunited with her mother whom she has not heard from since the Montaigne invasion of Zepeda. Aleksei, seeing the approaching guards, assured the young Castillian beauty that he would see to it that she and her father were reunited their lost wife and mother. <br /> <br /> Upon breaching the fortress Punte Grande, Aleksei and his compatriots stumbled into a storage room in which four Vodacce noblewomen huddled, awaiting [[Carlotta]]'s return. They believed they were to be smuggled off of the island to someplace safe. Fearing that the women would not be safe once the battle for the fortress began Aleksei extended his hospitality and protection to them. When Lucien, Philipe du Paix's pet porte mage arrived to ferry soldiers into the fort Aleksei instructed him to take the four women to safety even though that left the invasion four men down. <br /> <br /> After the conquest of the island Admiral Price allowed Aleksei custody of the Governor and his daughter, as well as the four Vodacce women. With only a brief interlude in Paix to purchase appropriate dresses for the ladies the Vodacce noblewomen are offered the complete hospitality of Aleksei's personal country estate where they may remain as long as they wish and Aleksei has written a letter to his aunt, Baroness Miriam du Avion, whom he happens to know has a nearby country estate which she rarely visits (preferring instead the Court at Charouse). Should the four women wish they may stay in Montaigne under assumed names for as long as they wish.<br /> <br /> Aleksei now intends to cross into occupied Castille with the Governor and his daughter. Once there he intends to locate Zoya's lost mother and perhaps see them safely into Castillian territory if necessary.<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Complicated Family-Variable. <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Hunting-2&quot; via the fate deck showing his future.<br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Nemesis-1&quot;, Carlotta<br /> <br /> Aleksei's father is a Porte Master and the family estate maintains a few permanent portals to locations throughout Theah.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's mother is a Pyeryem Adept. She is from Molhyna, Ussura, but spent three years enjoying the hospitality of the Lord of Rurik while she attempted to catch the interest of an important nobleman. <br /> <br /> Marquis Martin purchased land near the coast for Zoya and the children only to have that land recently conquered in the Montaigne invasion of Ussura. Ironically the small estate by the shore remains in the family's possession despite it being in conquered territory due to the Marquis' clever use of Montaigne law.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has no idea what to do with the tax money he receives. Approximately 100 guilders is invested with Vendel banking and shipping operations every month, and 200 guilders are spent on his serfs in the form of tax reduction, feasts, and other efforts to ease the crippling Montaigne taxes. He keeps a nice apartment in Paix and is in the process of developing a personal library.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has heard word from Ussura that the Gaius is a voracious reader of books, and Aleksei sends rare or very modern books via Vendel merchants to the Gaius' palace as gifts.<br /> <br /> Aleksei feeds a number of neighborhood cats on his balcony. Many are the offspring of Aleksei's childhood pet, Dima, an black Ussuran Angora.<br /> <br /> Aleksei is a recently admitted member of the Rose and Cross. He's still in training.<br /> <br /> [[Category:PCs]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=352 2009-11-17T19:47:33Z

<p>130.76.64.18: /* Current Events */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Aleksei2.jpg|frame|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei Courtanvoux]]<br /> Aleksei Courtanvoux du Agenais is the son and heir of a Marquis in Le Motte province.<br /> <br /> == History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> [[Image:Aleksei.jpg|frame|left|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei in one of his favorite pursuits.]]By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Grande University or the Leveque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Only six months ago Aleksei was approached about joining the Rose and Cross. He accepted but feared that he wasn't actually a worthy candidate and that once again his father's influence provided him with undeserved opportunity. <br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais is one of Montaigne's most gifted Porte sorcerers, a well known patron of the arts, a patron of the Rose and Cross, and a member of several elite gentleman's clubs. Descended from Montanus (though through a matrilineal line) it is of little surprise that his family has enjoyed consistent wealth and prestige from generation to generation. A man who has never known anything but the greatest privilege he is prone to indulging in the excesses that have become vogue in L'emperor's court. He is now in his early forties and remains a handsome if stern looking man. <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings. <br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman. All three are gifted Porte sorceresses. Of the three, only Caroline maintains friendly contact with her brother. The elder two engage in courtly politics in Charouse.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's uncle, Aleksei, visited him in his youth after he came down with the white plague. He was recently supposed to return to visit Aleksei and his mother, but he has not arrived yet.<br /> <br /> == Current Events ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei independently investigated the Staatholder, an Eisen ship reumored to be carrying his uncle to Montaigne. He could not find his uncle, but discovered a severed hand in his uncle's stateroom. Aleksei now presumes that the fiend who beset the Staatholder and killed the crew was the same as the man who oversaw the torture of the unknown Ussuran nobleman discovered in the basement of the [[The Rapist Caper and Other Stories#One League North-Northeast | unknown villa]].<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Complicated Family-Variable. <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Hunting-2&quot; via the fate deck showing his future.<br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Nemesis-1&quot;, Carlotta<br /> <br /> Aleksei's father is a Porte Master and the family estate maintains a few permanent portals to locations throughout Theah.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's mother is a Pyeryem Adept. She is from Molhyna, Ussura, but spent three years enjoying the hospitality of the Lord of Rurik while she attempted to catch the interest of an important nobleman. <br /> <br /> Marquis Martin purchased land near the coast for Zoya and the children only to have that land recently conquered in the Montaigne invasion of Ussura. Ironically the small estate by the shore remains in the family's possession despite it being in conquered territory due to the Marquis' clever use of Montaigne law.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has no idea what to do with the tax money he receives. Approximately 100 guilders is invested with Vendel banking and shipping operations every month, and 200 guilders are spent on his serfs in the form of tax reduction, feasts, and other efforts to ease the crippling Montaigne taxes. He keeps a nice apartment in Paix and is in the process of developing a personal library.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has heard word from Ussura that the Gaius is a voracious reader of books, and Aleksei sends rare or very modern books via Vendel merchants to the Gaius' palace as gifts.<br /> <br /> Aleksei feeds a number of neighborhood cats on his balcony. Many are the offspring of Aleksei's childhood pet, Dima, an black Ussuran Angora.<br /> <br /> Aleksei is a recently admitted member of the Rose and Cross. He's still in training.<br /> <br /> [[Category:PCs]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=351 2009-11-17T19:47:02Z

<p>130.76.64.18: /* Current Events */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Aleksei2.jpg|frame|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei Courtanvoux]]<br /> Aleksei Courtanvoux du Agenais is the son and heir of a Marquis in Le Motte province.<br /> <br /> == History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> [[Image:Aleksei.jpg|frame|left|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei in one of his favorite pursuits.]]By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Grande University or the Leveque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Only six months ago Aleksei was approached about joining the Rose and Cross. He accepted but feared that he wasn't actually a worthy candidate and that once again his father's influence provided him with undeserved opportunity. <br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais is one of Montaigne's most gifted Porte sorcerers, a well known patron of the arts, a patron of the Rose and Cross, and a member of several elite gentleman's clubs. Descended from Montanus (though through a matrilineal line) it is of little surprise that his family has enjoyed consistent wealth and prestige from generation to generation. A man who has never known anything but the greatest privilege he is prone to indulging in the excesses that have become vogue in L'emperor's court. He is now in his early forties and remains a handsome if stern looking man. <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings. <br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman. All three are gifted Porte sorceresses. Of the three, only Caroline maintains friendly contact with her brother. The elder two engage in courtly politics in Charouse.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's uncle, Aleksei, visited him in his youth after he came down with the white plague. He was recently supposed to return to visit Aleksei and his mother, but he has not arrived yet.<br /> <br /> == Current Events ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei independently investigated the Staatholder, an Eisen ship reumored to be carrying his uncle to Montaigne. He could not find his uncle, but discovered a severed hand in his uncle's stateroom. Aleksei now presumes that the fiend who beset the Staatholder and killed the crew was the same as the man who oversaw the torture of the unknown Ussuran nobleman discovered in the basement of the [[The Rapist Caper and Other Stories#One League North-Northeast | Chateaux]] .<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Complicated Family-Variable. <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Hunting-2&quot; via the fate deck showing his future.<br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Nemesis-1&quot;, Carlotta<br /> <br /> Aleksei's father is a Porte Master and the family estate maintains a few permanent portals to locations throughout Theah.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's mother is a Pyeryem Adept. She is from Molhyna, Ussura, but spent three years enjoying the hospitality of the Lord of Rurik while she attempted to catch the interest of an important nobleman. <br /> <br /> Marquis Martin purchased land near the coast for Zoya and the children only to have that land recently conquered in the Montaigne invasion of Ussura. Ironically the small estate by the shore remains in the family's possession despite it being in conquered territory due to the Marquis' clever use of Montaigne law.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has no idea what to do with the tax money he receives. Approximately 100 guilders is invested with Vendel banking and shipping operations every month, and 200 guilders are spent on his serfs in the form of tax reduction, feasts, and other efforts to ease the crippling Montaigne taxes. He keeps a nice apartment in Paix and is in the process of developing a personal library.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has heard word from Ussura that the Gaius is a voracious reader of books, and Aleksei sends rare or very modern books via Vendel merchants to the Gaius' palace as gifts.<br /> <br /> Aleksei feeds a number of neighborhood cats on his balcony. Many are the offspring of Aleksei's childhood pet, Dima, an black Ussuran Angora.<br /> <br /> Aleksei is a recently admitted member of the Rose and Cross. He's still in training.<br /> <br /> [[Category:PCs]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=350 2009-11-17T19:43:56Z

<p>130.76.64.18: /* Current Events */</p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Aleksei2.jpg|frame|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei Courtanvoux]]<br /> Aleksei Courtanvoux du Agenais is the son and heir of a Marquis in Le Motte province.<br /> <br /> == History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> [[Image:Aleksei.jpg|frame|left|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei in one of his favorite pursuits.]]By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Grande University or the Leveque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Only six months ago Aleksei was approached about joining the Rose and Cross. He accepted but feared that he wasn't actually a worthy candidate and that once again his father's influence provided him with undeserved opportunity. <br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais is one of Montaigne's most gifted Porte sorcerers, a well known patron of the arts, a patron of the Rose and Cross, and a member of several elite gentleman's clubs. Descended from Montanus (though through a matrilineal line) it is of little surprise that his family has enjoyed consistent wealth and prestige from generation to generation. A man who has never known anything but the greatest privilege he is prone to indulging in the excesses that have become vogue in L'emperor's court. He is now in his early forties and remains a handsome if stern looking man. <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings. <br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman. All three are gifted Porte sorceresses. Of the three, only Caroline maintains friendly contact with her brother. The elder two engage in courtly politics in Charouse.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's uncle, Aleksei, visited him in his youth after he came down with the white plague. He was recently supposed to return to visit Aleksei and his mother, but he has not arrived yet.<br /> <br /> == Current Events ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei independently investigated the Staatholder, an Eisen ship reumored to be carrying his uncle to Montaigne. He could not find his uncle, but discovered a severed hand in his uncle's stateroom. Aleksei now presumes that the fiend who beset the Staatholder and killed the crew was the same as the man who oversaw the torture of the unknown Ussuran nobleman discovered in the basement of the [[The Rapist Caper and Other Stories | Chateaux#One League North-Northeast]] .<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Complicated Family-Variable. <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Hunting-2&quot; via the fate deck showing his future.<br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Nemesis-1&quot;, Carlotta<br /> <br /> Aleksei's father is a Porte Master and the family estate maintains a few permanent portals to locations throughout Theah.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's mother is a Pyeryem Adept. She is from Molhyna, Ussura, but spent three years enjoying the hospitality of the Lord of Rurik while she attempted to catch the interest of an important nobleman. <br /> <br /> Marquis Martin purchased land near the coast for Zoya and the children only to have that land recently conquered in the Montaigne invasion of Ussura. Ironically the small estate by the shore remains in the family's possession despite it being in conquered territory due to the Marquis' clever use of Montaigne law.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has no idea what to do with the tax money he receives. Approximately 100 guilders is invested with Vendel banking and shipping operations every month, and 200 guilders are spent on his serfs in the form of tax reduction, feasts, and other efforts to ease the crippling Montaigne taxes. He keeps a nice apartment in Paix and is in the process of developing a personal library.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has heard word from Ussura that the Gaius is a voracious reader of books, and Aleksei sends rare or very modern books via Vendel merchants to the Gaius' palace as gifts.<br /> <br /> Aleksei feeds a number of neighborhood cats on his balcony. Many are the offspring of Aleksei's childhood pet, Dima, an black Ussuran Angora.<br /> <br /> Aleksei is a recently admitted member of the Rose and Cross. He's still in training.<br /> <br /> [[Category:PCs]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=349 2009-11-17T19:42:20Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Aleksei2.jpg|frame|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei Courtanvoux]]<br /> Aleksei Courtanvoux du Agenais is the son and heir of a Marquis in Le Motte province.<br /> <br /> == History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> [[Image:Aleksei.jpg|frame|left|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei in one of his favorite pursuits.]]By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Grande University or the Leveque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Only six months ago Aleksei was approached about joining the Rose and Cross. He accepted but feared that he wasn't actually a worthy candidate and that once again his father's influence provided him with undeserved opportunity. <br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais is one of Montaigne's most gifted Porte sorcerers, a well known patron of the arts, a patron of the Rose and Cross, and a member of several elite gentleman's clubs. Descended from Montanus (though through a matrilineal line) it is of little surprise that his family has enjoyed consistent wealth and prestige from generation to generation. A man who has never known anything but the greatest privilege he is prone to indulging in the excesses that have become vogue in L'emperor's court. He is now in his early forties and remains a handsome if stern looking man. <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings. <br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman. All three are gifted Porte sorceresses. Of the three, only Caroline maintains friendly contact with her brother. The elder two engage in courtly politics in Charouse.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's uncle, Aleksei, visited him in his youth after he came down with the white plague. He was recently supposed to return to visit Aleksei and his mother, but he has not arrived yet.<br /> <br /> == Current Events ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei independently investigated the Staatholder, an Eisen ship reumored to be carrying his uncle to Montaigne. He could not find his uncle, but discovered a severed hand in his uncle's stateroom. Aleksei now presumes that the fiend who beset the Staatholder and killed the crew was the same as the man who oversaw the torture of the unknown Ussuran nobleman discovered in the basement of the [[The Rapist Caper and Other Stories | Chateaux]] .<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Complicated Family-Variable. <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Hunting-2&quot; via the fate deck showing his future.<br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Nemesis-1&quot;, Carlotta<br /> <br /> Aleksei's father is a Porte Master and the family estate maintains a few permanent portals to locations throughout Theah.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's mother is a Pyeryem Adept. She is from Molhyna, Ussura, but spent three years enjoying the hospitality of the Lord of Rurik while she attempted to catch the interest of an important nobleman. <br /> <br /> Marquis Martin purchased land near the coast for Zoya and the children only to have that land recently conquered in the Montaigne invasion of Ussura. Ironically the small estate by the shore remains in the family's possession despite it being in conquered territory due to the Marquis' clever use of Montaigne law.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has no idea what to do with the tax money he receives. Approximately 100 guilders is invested with Vendel banking and shipping operations every month, and 200 guilders are spent on his serfs in the form of tax reduction, feasts, and other efforts to ease the crippling Montaigne taxes. He keeps a nice apartment in Paix and is in the process of developing a personal library.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has heard word from Ussura that the Gaius is a voracious reader of books, and Aleksei sends rare or very modern books via Vendel merchants to the Gaius' palace as gifts.<br /> <br /> Aleksei feeds a number of neighborhood cats on his balcony. Many are the offspring of Aleksei's childhood pet, Dima, an black Ussuran Angora.<br /> <br /> Aleksei is a recently admitted member of the Rose and Cross. He's still in training.<br /> <br /> [[Category:PCs]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=348 2009-11-17T19:39:17Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>[[Image:Aleksei2.jpg|frame|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei Courtanvoux]]<br /> Aleksei Courtanvoux du Agenais is the son and heir of a Marquis in Le Motte province.<br /> <br /> == History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> [[Image:Aleksei.jpg|frame|left|alt=Aleksei|Aleksei in one of his favorite pursuits.]]By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Grande University or the Leveque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Only six months ago Aleksei was approached about joining the Rose and Cross. He accepted but feared that he wasn't actually a worthy candidate and that once again his father's influence provided him with undeserved opportunity. <br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais is one of Montaigne's most gifted Porte sorcerers, a well known patron of the arts, a patron of the Rose and Cross, and a member of several elite gentleman's clubs. Descended from Montanus (though through a matrilineal line) it is of little surprise that his family has enjoyed consistent wealth and prestige from generation to generation. A man who has never known anything but the greatest privilege he is prone to indulging in the excesses that have become vogue in L'emperor's court. He is now in his early forties and remains a handsome if stern looking man. <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings. <br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman. All three are gifted Porte sorceresses. Of the three, only Caroline maintains friendly contact with her brother. The elder two engage in courtly politics in Charouse.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's uncle, Aleksei, visited him in his youth after he came down with the white plague. He was recently supposed to return to visit Aleksei and his mother, but he has not arrived yet.<br /> <br /> == Current Events ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei independently investigated the Staatholder, an Eisen ship reumored to be carrying his uncle to Montaigne. He could not find his uncle, but discovered a severed hand in his uncle's stateroom. Aleksei now presumes that the fiend who beset the Staatholder and killed the crew was the same as the man who oversaw the torture of the unknown Ussuran nobleman discovered in the basement of the Chateaux.<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Complicated Family-Variable. <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Hunting-2&quot; via the fate deck showing his future.<br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Nemesis-1&quot;, Carlotta<br /> <br /> Aleksei's father is a Porte Master and the family estate maintains a few permanent portals to locations throughout Theah.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's mother is a Pyeryem Adept. She is from Molhyna, Ussura, but spent three years enjoying the hospitality of the Lord of Rurik while she attempted to catch the interest of an important nobleman. <br /> <br /> Marquis Martin purchased land near the coast for Zoya and the children only to have that land recently conquered in the Montaigne invasion of Ussura. Ironically the small estate by the shore remains in the family's possession despite it being in conquered territory due to the Marquis' clever use of Montaigne law.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has no idea what to do with the tax money he receives. Approximately 100 guilders is invested with Vendel banking and shipping operations every month, and 200 guilders are spent on his serfs in the form of tax reduction, feasts, and other efforts to ease the crippling Montaigne taxes. He keeps a nice apartment in Paix and is in the process of developing a personal library.<br /> <br /> Aleksei has heard word from Ussura that the Gaius is a voracious reader of books, and Aleksei sends rare or very modern books via Vendel merchants to the Gaius' palace as gifts.<br /> <br /> Aleksei feeds a number of neighborhood cats on his balcony. Many are the offspring of Aleksei's childhood pet, Dima, an black Ussuran Angora.<br /> <br /> Aleksei is a recently admitted member of the Rose and Cross. He's still in training.<br /> <br /> [[Category:PCs]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=67 2009-10-05T20:14:52Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>== History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux de Nevers' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya, who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Great University University or the Levesque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman.<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Obligation 4&quot;. He has the Foul Weather Jack advantage.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's father is a Porte Master and the family estate maintains a few permanent portals to locations throughout Theah.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's mother is a Pyeryem Adept. She is from Molhyna, Ussura, but spent three years enjoying the hospitality of the Lord of Rurik while she attempted to catch the interest of an important nobleman. <br /> <br /> Marquis Martin purchased land near the coast for Zoya and the children only to have that land recently conquered in the Montaigne invasion of Ussura. Ironically the small estate by the shore remains in the family's possession despite it being in conquered territory due to the Marquis' clever use of Montaigne law.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=66 2009-10-05T20:08:35Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>== History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux de Nevers' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya, who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Great University University or the Levesque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman.<br /> <br /> == GM Stuff ==<br /> <br /> Aleksei has the Background &quot;Obligation 4&quot;. He has the Foul Weather Jack advantage.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=65 2009-10-05T20:07:19Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>== History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux de Nevers' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya, who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Great University University or the Levesque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> == Family ==<br /> <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=64 2009-10-05T20:06:46Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>== History ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux de Nevers' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya, who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Great University University or the Levesque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=63 2009-10-05T20:06:36Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> == History<br /> ==<br /> <br /> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux de Nevers' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya, who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Great University University or the Levesque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=62 2009-10-05T20:06:06Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux de Nevers' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya, who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Great University University or the Levesque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=61 2009-10-05T20:05:29Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div> Many considered Marquis Martin Courtanvoux de Nevers' choice of wife to be an odd one. The porte sorcerer, known by many at court to be an ambitious social climber with more than his share of plots and schemes, confused friends and rivals when, rather than selecting a prominent Montaigne or Vodacce woman as his wife, he travelled to the backward lands of Ussura to secure a political union with Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova. Through his use of Porte magic the man was rarely away from Charouse for more than a week at a time in order to assure that he could play the games of intrigue, all while his wife and children remained far from l'Emperor's court. That changed with the birth of his son.<br /> <br /> Aleksei was Martin's first son and only heir- his wife had given him three daughters who he has since married off fairly well. While he was willing to accede to Zoya's demand that his children be raised in Ussuran culture for at least their early childhood when only women were involved, he refused to deny his heir his birthright as a Montaigne nobleman. The entire family moved to Montaigne a year after Aleksei was born.<br /> <br /> Martin played an active, perhaps even domineering, role in his son's upbringing. From the moment he learned to speak he has been tutored in languages and culture. At 10 he received private tutelage in the arts of war from several generals and captains who owed debts to Martin. Arms instructors taught him various weapons and field-craft. Tutors instructed him on mathematics and philosophy. All the while his progress was measured and found wanting by Martin on his occasional visits to the family estate.<br /> <br /> This slapdash education provided Aleksei with a broad but not particularly deep understanding of the subject matters he was taught. His natural intelligence allowed him to grasp fundamentals quickly but with only a superficial education on each topic he was rarely able to develop his understanding of the intricacies. <br /> <br /> By the age of 13 Martin had come to spend considerably more time with the young Aleksei, now taking it upon himself to teach his son the intricacies of etiquette and proper courtly behavior. Aleksei seemed to excel in seeing the intricate patterns of social rivalries and friendships that developed at court, and perhaps he would have eventually developed that skill into a formidable political asset. <br /> <br /> But close to Aleksei's 14th birthday he was struck by the White Plague during a brief and sudden outbreak. After many long weeks of recovery Aleksei pulled through, but not without scars. Aleksei was left frail and weak by the toll the disease played on his body.<br /> <br /> A strange side effect of the white plague was that it caused Aleksei's eyes to change from the deep blue of his father to the emerald green of his mother. Doctors were baffled by this change, as it was surely not common among the rare few who survived the plague, but it seemed to have special meaning to Zoya, who took this as an omen that she ought to spend more time teaching her son of his Ussuran roots. <br /> <br /> A weak, frail, timid heir is worse than no heir at all thought Martin, and his disappointment in his son only grew. In an effort to make something useful out of him Martin demanded that Aleksei study at the Great University University or the Levesque War College in order to perhaps gain some use as a bureaucrat. The boy enrolled in both with his father's help, and while he nominally remains enrolled in both he has &quot;taken some time off&quot; to visit Paix, near his family lands. His father arranged for the boy to learn Valroux from a master. But his progress is slow.<br /> <br /> Aleksei realizes he's a disappointment to his father (and by extension his family) and he isn't sure what he can do to change that. But he's willing to do anything he can to show his father that he's good enough.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Boyarynya Zoya Alekseeva Galipova is a Molhyna noble woman who in her youth possessed a harsh beauty born of a harsh land. She was sent to Rurik by her father in the hopes of catching the eye of a powerful (and wealthy) nobleman as her family lands provided exactly as much as needed, but never as much as desired. It was there where she met, was courted by, and eventually married Marquis Martin. The marriage provided her father with considerable political contacts in foreign lands but he could not understand why his daughter was worth so much to a Montaigne nobleman. There's a saying about gift horses, however...<br /> <br /> The Boyarynya herself is a woman of practicality and faith, and adheres to many of the traditions of her people even in Montaigne. This makes her something of an oddity and political liability to her husband were she ever interested in entering public life. Thankfully for the Marquis Lady Zoya has spent much of her time in Montaigne on the family lands near Paix, staying engaged with her studies and occasionally traveling the family holdings.<br /> <br /> Aleksei's three older sisters, Caterina, 25, Michelle, 23, and Caroline, 20, are all married to various Montaigne nobleman.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=60 2009-10-05T19:59:03Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>He's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8MDNFaGfT4 awesome!]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=59 2009-10-05T19:56:13Z

<p>130.76.64.18: Replacing page with &#039;He&#039;s awesome.&#039;</p> <hr /> <div>He's awesome.</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=58 2009-10-05T19:54:54Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>He's awesome.<br /> <br /> &lt;nowiki&gt;&lt;object width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/s8MDNFaGfT4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowFullScreen&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowscriptaccess&quot; value=&quot;always&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/s8MDNFaGfT4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; allowscriptaccess=&quot;always&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;true&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;&lt;/nowiki&gt;</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=57 2009-10-05T19:54:17Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>He's awesome.<br /> <br /> [[Image:&lt;object width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/s8MDNFaGfT4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowFullScreen&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowscriptaccess&quot; value=&quot;always&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/s8MDNFaGfT4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; allowscriptaccess=&quot;always&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;true&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;<br /> ]]</div>

130.76.64.18 https://7thsea.rvhist.com/index.php?title=Aleksei_Courtanvoux&diff=56 2009-10-05T19:53:49Z

<p>130.76.64.18: </p> <hr /> <div>He's awesome.<br /> <br /> &lt;object width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;movie&quot; value=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/s8MDNFaGfT4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowFullScreen&quot; value=&quot;true&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;param name=&quot;allowscriptaccess&quot; value=&quot;always&quot;&gt;&lt;/param&gt;&lt;embed src=&quot;http://www.youtube.com/v/s8MDNFaGfT4&amp;hl=en&amp;fs=1&amp;&quot; type=&quot;application/x-shockwave-flash&quot; allowscriptaccess=&quot;always&quot; allowfullscreen=&quot;true&quot; width=&quot;425&quot; height=&quot;344&quot;&gt;&lt;/embed&gt;&lt;/object&gt;</div>

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