Prince Talen Velenosa
I do what needs to be done, not just because I can, but because you won't.
Social Rank: 3
Concept: Dark Prince
Fealty:
Velenosa
Family:
Artiglio
Gender: male
Marital Status: married
Age: 29
Birthday: 08/03
Religion: Pantheon
Vocation: Soldier
Height: average height
Hair Color: deep brown
Eye Color: dark grey
Skintone: bronzed
Obituary: Vanished not long after the death of Archduchess Eleyna Velenosa.
Description: Bronzed skin and dark brown hair are a standard of the Lyceum, so it's not with any degree of note here that Talen stands out, save for a few shining silver hairs nestled in the deep brown. But his eyes are arresting. Stormy in colour, made up of a dark grey-blue hue, this man appears to be a Lenosian thoroughbred. Thick, angled brows provide a darker counterpart to the shock of his harsh and intimidating gaze, softened only in part by lashes that make girls jealous. Smiles are harder to foster upon Talen's face, conjured as twisted tugs of his lips that favour one corner of his mouth, or a crooked half-smile that only rarely shows.
Personality: Talen is a product of a complex set of circumstances that surround his birth, upbringing and elevation. Where once Talen was the sullen servant, bound in loyalty and devotion as a Sword to an Archduchess, he has become the Consort of another. Perhaps that is why he seems more at ease in displaying his quick-witted, twisted and even sarcastic sense of humour than he was in the past. Talen's mercurial temperament makes him both dangerous and exciting; one is never quite sure what he might say or do in any situation. Tempestuous wrath may be a detriment to an Archduke, but the former knight uses his reputation as ruthlessly as he does his blade, and has learnt to temper it... at least until he embraces it. Talen is no stranger to power, having served in its shadow his entire life, yet now he stands next to it and even wields it for himself. What he plans to do with it now is not so easily predicted. It has a way of making people nervous.
Background: Born a commoner and the only child of Giovanni Artiglio, Talen's memories of that time and even that man are hazy at best. As he grew, Talen was told stories of the Captain of House Velenosa's guard, and the finest duelist in the Lycuem. The tales told of how Giovanni died saving his liege lord, the then Archduke Consort Niccolo Velenosa, after being poisoned with Kingsbane tasted in his cup. In his last moments it was his wish, spoken to the man he had saved, for Talen to be raised as a Ward of House Velenosa. Talen was never quite sure whether to feel grateful for his father for that, in truth. Being raised as a commoner child surrounded by princes and princesses was not the easiest of childhoods, and so he fell into a nebulous state of being part servant and part foster child. It tooks years of service before he was ennobled, a ward and then a Sword, a knight and then finally a prince, adopted by Niccolo himself. It wasn't long after that he married Eleyna Velenosa, whereupon a new chapter of his life began, as they ascended to the throne of the Great House and there he sat beside the Archduchess as her Consort to rule over the Hundred Cities with aims to unite Lyceum once and for all.
Relationship Summary
Acquaintance:
Family:
Friend:
| Name | Summary |
| Aella | Fire and Booze. Dislikes boring stuffy meetings. I like him. |
| Alaric | I hope he's the sort that's happy to be grouchy, because if he's not he doesn't seem to be enjoying his rise to prominence as much as he should. |
| Alarie | Seems to think that generously overpaying for feathers will keep my poor little shop from going out of business. He's okay. Lycene, Velenosa to boot. He's got his father, I make a tidy profit and I'm going to go eat at the ambassador tonight instead of the crow thanks to his pockets, and his freezing balls. |
| Alarissa | It's surprisiing really. The ease wiith which the man can go from foul mouthed to unfailingly polite in one second. But there it is. The man needs a little refinement and really, it shouldn't be too hard. But that fucking snake. No. The acutal snake. It wll be interesting to see what very cautious relationship will develop from this. |
| Aleksei | I had the pleasure of putting his face in the dirt in exchange for a generous donation to the Faith from his wife. Actually, I don't think his face touched the dirt, but I seem to recall that being part of Eleyna's job description. |
| Apollis | He said it was a show of good character to take challenges from the commons into one's stride. Letting yourself be humbled is a tough thing to do but I can see the wisdom in that, especially since I've begun trying to live my life in service to the Thirteenth. There is a deeper side to the Archduke. He is certainly someone you can learn from. |
| Ariella | Archduke (or close enough) of Lenosia. Adventurer. Sketchy as hell. But in a good way? |
| Artorius | Not who I would normally consider a steadfast leader, but then again, I've never really ahd the chance to -learn- about Talen. He's shown that he has the courage and the will to see us through catastrophe. I'd follow him. |
| Austen | At first I thought he was just another Lycene. I mean. He is. But some interesting depths, and he invited me to a hunt, so not terrible, and he seems to be all about enjoying oneself. I am sure I will share a bar with him again in future. |
| Avaline | The most recent spouse of Archduchess Eleyna Velenosa, I have a good feeling about him. They seem to get on very well, and I'm absolutely certain that no mysterious disappearances will befall him. He's proven a very capable leader. |
| Bethany | Say what you want about the Peerage, the events they put on are never dull. |
| Cadenza | My dear cousin's husband. I see why they are a match...perhaps I'll get to know him more. |
| Calaudrin | He really does eat a lot but yet... is incredibly trim. Good for him. |
| Calista | I'm not entirely sure it's proper to put into words my first impression of Talen; When we first met, he was a ward and Sword of Lenosia. He cheated by throwing caltrops on the ground during my tournament's joust. But he gave me a wonderful book I still adore and over the years, he's become a good friend. |
| Cambria | I will never forget watching as this man angrily ate gelato and glared at my uncle. It was...an utter delight. |
| Carita | An interesting man, amusement and laughter with just the right hint of darkness best not touched. Certainly someone to keep an eye on and get to know! |
| Caspian | I found the closeness to his friend at the bar quite endearing. Also seems to be a warrior, which makes me interested in fighting him. Hope I do some day. |
| Courage | Why, he's not nearly as kind as his wife, but he's not nearly as beautiful as her either. Unsurprising! That isn't to say the Archduke isn't a handsome man, oh, no! Why, he's very striking. And inspirational! A common man gone so far! Perhaps I could one day woo Lark Grayson in similar fashion. We could then play cards together! That'd be great. I shall have to ask him for tips. |
| Darren | Larger than life, as always, and the life of the party. I'm pleased to call him my friend, but I need to be better at it. |
| Donaldo | An entertaining man, though he handles business when it is time. I hope he has a long happy marriage to my cousin and that she does not poison him in his prime. |
| Duarte | He dances on the edge and it's hilarious. You can see him shrugging off "I will stab you" eyes with great aplomb. |
| Echo | Those Lycene roots dig deep, and I appreciate them completely for what they are. I saw him toss his blade at a target, each hit bang on in the middle. Yet, when offered a friendly bout, declined. I'm not going to argue - His logic is sound and he's clearly far better at these kinds of things than me. Velenosa is in wonderful hands. |
| Eleyna | He's the best at being the worst. |
| Elgana | While I have yet to truly know Prince Talen, he seems to have a strong swordarm and a witty tongue. A dangerous combination, but he seems to be very fluffy and perhaps just a big tease (especially when it comes to Isabetta). Time will tell. |
| Ferrando | Life keeps throwing obstacles in his way, and he keeps finding a way past them. No matter how long it takes, he always proves the doubters wrong in the end. |
| Galen | Charming and bossy, plus his name sounds a lot like mine. I actually like this guy, though obviously I am the superior "alen". |
| Gareth | One that would have the world believe he is full of mischief and whimsy. That gaze is a calculating one. Those decisions are made intentionally, admitted or not. Proceed with caution, all ye who would step near. |
| Giulio | The Archduke-Consort. Boisterous motherfucker, with a certain charm. I suspect I am going to enjoy working with him. |
| Grazia | The Archduke Consort is a clever man, well suited to his bride as a capable politician. He's also a bit of a troublemaker, with a good taste for booze, and I appreciate his style. We have an excellent working relationship. |
| Hadrian | Some would say that he is undeserving of his place in Velenosa's ruling echelons. A weakening of their noble blood line. They fail to grasp that all things change with time. That sometimes we must look to what complements one another, rather than what meshes well with the status quo. Eleyna is a social powerhouse, capable of leading her House as well as any woman or man of the Lyceum. Talen though is in possession of a plethora of certain skills that he has gathered over a life of carousing, fighting, shit-talking, and being common. The Archduke-Consort will do well by the Lyceum alongside his wife, as they've both already proven. Even if that means cutting away the disease ridden parts. |
| Harper | Dark Lord Patron is once again going to insult and annoy me about my talking. Can't believe I asked for this. But I'm glad he's doing it for me. He's interesting and I plan to learn a lot. |
| Ian | Reminds me of Duke Grimhall. |
| Ignacio | Talen seems to be a wise commander and a good man. If we are going to war, I do not mind following him. |
| Isolde | My brother needs to leave the poor unicorn and his wife alone. |
| Itzal | A most generous man, when not paying attention to the mathematics behind the pricing. Thankfully, he seems to have a good wife that cleans (and pays!) after him! |
| Jacque | A very sincere man, the Archduke-Consort of Lenosia. He's got a reputation, albeit not entirely a favorable one from an Oathlander perspective. I can admire the pragmatism, though, past a bottle of whiskey or so. |
| Jael | A fine rider, and stronger than I am though I managed to dodge him well enough to win our first match. Terribly sorry about the shield, but I get the impression that I shouldn't bring it up again. |
| Jaenelle | I have known Talen for lifetimes. We have seen lifetimes come and go in that period, and yet we remain. While the reasons are unknown, there are certain truths that are, and I trust him with each one without hesitation. |
| Jeffeth | A very important Prince called the Archduke. I think he's very important. I'm not sure how much more important princes are than other princes, but, he sure seems important. |
| Joscelin | The prince of darkness. I expected him to be taller. |
| Josephine | A man who often seems to need out of the dog house and I am delighted to help provide that path when it is needed or wanted. |
| Leola | Hard to know what to make of this one. He very much enjoys the role of the dark knight, brooding and antagonising others to give himself cause to challenge them to duel, where, admittedly, he excels. Since his time as a knight, and his rising to a prince of Velenosa, Talen is a fine example of the worthiness and strength ambition can lend |
| Lore | He's an Archduke now, so I can't punch him when I disagree with him. That's annoying. But he's also less... kinda... dickish? Maybe? Just a little. But he's still family, so there's that. And hey, money is always good! |
| Lucita | While I have seen Archduke Talen at various events before, but without an opportunity to speak with him personally. He seemed powerful, confident, subtly intimidating (or teasing) with Hiss but thankfully not overwhelmingly so, Interesting, definitely interesting. At times he could have been serious or expressing a form of wit, leaving me wondering which it was. And that all combined to be good qualities in one of our Lycene leaders. I look forward to speaking with him again sometime...I think, maybe, as long as am not in his disfavor. |
| Lys | The Archduke-Consort, such a lofty position he holds but he took the time to punch me in the gut. I like him. I hope we'll be friends. |
| Magpie | Is this a kindred spirit? Magpie had heard about Talen more than once, but now that he's met the prince he's very much looking forward to talking to him further in the future. They have a lot of similar interests and he can respect a royal that isn't afraid to be himself. It makes everything so much less stuffy. |
| Malesh | The champion of our pig bladder team. He lead us to a rally, but we couldn't hold our ground after he was eliminated. |
| Margerie | While I didn't have the opportunity to meet him at the funeral service for Fergus and Freja, it rather makes an impression to hear a fellow wagering on if a recent widower has gold or a stag over his fireplace. Not necessarily a bad one - it takes an interesting mind to come up with that guess and humor. |
| Merek | Merek thinks that Talen is quite fervent in serving his country, and respects that. He can also be a bit intimidating at times as well. |
| Mira | My cousin, Archduke of the Lyceum. Never thought I'd ever be saying *that*. He's more or less as he always has been, if just a little more intense. And maybe a little burdened by the weight of his responsibilities. |
| Mirari | The dark prince- snarky, cutting, and brilliant. He'd have to be to have caught Princess Eleyna. |
| Niklas | Archduke of the Lyceum. An excellent host and a master of secrets revealed. Not quite as good at stealing books. |
| Orathy | Funny guy. Heard he be climbing the ladder from the gutters and made himself a crown. Reckon that be something. Could be a traitor or could be someone to look up towards, ain't knowing which yet. |
| Orazio | The Sword of Velenosa, and Eleyna's husband. Orazio doesn't know him well, and not all of what he's heard, he's liked - but at the same time, there seems to be a core of uncompromising loyalty and courage to the man, and that's a thing that Orazio can always respect. |
| Oswyn | Sharp, with an inquisitive mind. |
| Petal | He is Princess Eleyna's husband. He seems pretty wise, given his letters and the like. He seems to be fully in love with the princess and I can't blame him. |
| Quenia | Prince Talen is a competent leader, and I am greatful for the kind words and guidance he has been able to offer over this last year as I continue to acclimate to my position as Marquessa. |
| Reese | He is my cousin-in-law by marriage. I dueled him before. He was gracious to me in the duel, allowing me to wear the armor that I depended on at that time and he treated me well even when I won and it was awkward win for various reasons. He then married Luca's cousin and so kind of sort of is family to me. He spoke to me after the melee and mentioned my fighting when few did. Nine on one rough, but he saw that and reached reached out. He won that melee too! He is great fighter, but he is also a clever fight, wise and king of mind and feet. |
| Romulius | Seems a very serious type, good with a sword, dislikes armor. I can get behind that. I hate those damned tin cans. Makes me feel like a sardine. Anyways, good fighter, beat the other pretty princeling which is always a good watch. |
| Sabella | A brilliant host, be it for a chariot race or a tea party! He has wonderfully imaginative ideas! |
| Saoirse | Talen and Saoirse seemed in agreement on how people behave when called upon in a crisis. |
| Sebastian | It was nice to see the Prince at the House meeting. It seems that the Archduchess did, however, a very specific job of making sure that he had more to eat than allowed him to speak. Perhaps that won't be the case next time. I think it would be more interesting. |
| Silas | Another fellow lowborn who apparently refuses to accept the limitations of his birth. Silas's first exposure to the talent known as Talen occurred when the man nearly maimed Lady Kima's horse with caltrops during a tournament joust. Since then Silas reminds himself that Talen plays by a far less honorbound set of rules than he does, even if it's affable and friendly on the surface. He admires the man for his skill with the sword and his political savviness, even if he doesn't trust him any further than he can throw him. |
| Skapti | Don't skip the legs, eh? Aye, I'll be sure of that... Supposed to be the fuck off Grand Champion of the Melee, now, ain' he? Wonder if maybe he could give me some pointers on how to avoid takin' those hits. Or hell, just how to be an underhanded bastard. Cheat to win, right? I don't care if I don' win clean. |
| Sparte | Prince Talented. I'm calling him that now, you can't stop me. |
| Stefano | I've known him since we were young and he wasn't a prince. He was always better than me with the sword, just like Luca, but that doesn't bother me. Everyone has their own strengths. He's married to Eleyna and they seem happy enough together, which is what counts, right? |
| Tallius | As unlike the way most nobles act as a fellow could be, but certainly a fair lot more interesting than many of them as a result. |
| Talwyn | A man with a very sharp sense of humour, which counterbalances his wife in the finest way. |
| Theo | The Archduke-Consort is friendly, charming, and utterly competent. I shall have to get to know him better. |
| Theron | The Archduke-Consort is quite humorous, and as a former Sword, he rendered me some very realistic and sober advice in the midst of all the levity. He's an interesting study of contrasts, and of course, it is very likely I'll be working closely with him in the future. |
| Torian | Doesn't screw around with veils of niceties. I like that. Funny too. |
| Valdemar | A gracious host with a talent for making tea far more interesting than I would have imagined it could be. |
| Valery | The first time Valery met Talen he tried to buy her mice to feed a snake! This time at the Grotto, he's been nicer, but still a bit scary. |
| Vanora | I can't recall the first time we met. It was likely years before that very long and uncomfortable meeting where Lycenes strategies the response to Stormward's declaration. That was the first time I considered what I thought in more than passing, and that was more about everyone really. It turns out he's funny, engaging, and Lycene through and through which means a great deal more than old assumptions about poison and silk. He's worth liking, if one has the opportunity. |
| Vena | Not a bad fighter, seems to rely on his armor too much and struggles against someone lightly armored. Might be fun to teach him the flaws in that some day. |
| Victus | You can tell a lot from a man by how he holds his blade. Both of them that is. I can tell this one has got a strong-arm for many things and no doubt keeping his wife safe is gonna be one of them. I feel sorry for the sad sack that gets stuck on the end of his fucking ire, that's for sure. If they ain't getting run through they'll be getting penetrated by a wall of awful jokes and puns. |