Kvar Ruthven of Vul

Ever since he was a boy, Ruthven knew that he was considered lesser than his father. Not just because he was a child either, but because he lacked the powers of a Lordling. He was born of a common woman, and it was her blood that had poisoned him the other nobles would whisper. They wouldn't believe he would last long as Kvar; merely mortal like the rest of them from the other Vulshik clans. He was where the Line of Dausk thinned before it would die out altogether.   Ruthven's father and mother would not allow such talk to cow their young son though; he was an heir to the Line, with or without the magic to back his name. If he could not be of fire like his father, then he had to be adamant like the mountains, his mother would tell him. They were just dull, mundane rocks. But they could not be moved.    And so Ruthven approached life with a resolve like granite. He pushed himself to master the sword and tracking before his eleventh Starspell. By fifteen, he was an accomplished hunter, climber, and dancer. He fought in several skirmishes against invading Dolish bands alongside the Sarhinda, earning their respect for his unflinching demeanor and his natural wits in battle.    In 1013 he entered into political life as his father's steward, managing the vast territory around Vul while his father focused on the city itself. The commoners within the Territory came to love him, finding him fair and just. He became something of a folk hero as he arbitrated disputes, curbed the excesses of the nobles, and fought off invading warbands.    He took on the administration of Vul in 1018 after his father fell ill, navigating a court of the same nobles who had looked down on him throughout his youth. The Kvarik Council however was what truly shook the mountain he had become; for many of the powerful Kvars looked upon his territory with hungry eyes, and he knew he did not have the magics of his father to protect from their combined might.    1019 saw the arrival of his lost half-brother Gwyrden, and answered his concerns. Ruthven was ready to abdicate to his brother, returning to the role of stewardship. His brother was uninterested in the politics however, and was reluctant to have any part in court life. Ruthven convinced Gwyrden to share the title of Kvar with him, lending the gravitas of his magical blood while Ruthven was able to keep ruling.   They grew close that year, sharing with each other what brothers do, and becoming family. Following the death of their father in 1020, they managed to unite the Kvars of the Kvarik Council against the common threat of the Hallowers in the Highlands, who had begun organized attacks against Vulsha as a whole. By 1022 the fighting was over, and the Line of Dausk rose to be respected by the whole of Vulsha for Gwyrden's power, and Ruthven's skill and courage.    The Kvarik Council, at Ruthven's urging, moved to unite into a Confederation with Gwyrden at its head. His honesty, impartiality, and magic made him an idea Kvar of Kvars in their eyes.    Ruthven himself remained the ruler of Vul, and was an active leader of the Kvarik Council even when his brother went south in search of more Hallowers. He was universally respected by the Vulshik for his wisdom, and was a major part in holding the Confederation together, even as they joined the Kingdom of Therosol in 1035.