Kirilian Mossheart

Who is Kirilian Mossheart?

Kirilian was a chieftain of Clan Deeryant who lived more than a hundred years ago. His descendants revere Kirilian. He is credited with restoring the family's fortune and, through his thirteen children - all boys - has ensured his progeny will lead Clan Deeryant for many centuries still.

Genealogy and Family

After Thingor Gremane's passing, his third son, Carlson Gremane succeeded him in leading Clan Deeryant and becoming Thane. However, Carlson never had a living son or daughter survive him, and Clan Deeryant turned towards Carlson's cousin, Brook Mayhew, to become clan chieftain.

Brook was not cut out to lead the clan, and spent the clan's money by living beyond his means at the Thane's court in Highfort, neglecting his duties and the clanlands he had been elected to govern back in the east. When Brook passed away at the age of only 45 from a hunting accident, the chieftain's mantle passed to a very young Kirilian. He was only 16 at the time and had just passed The Assays to join the ranks of the Arkivon.

Kirilian was not related to the Gremane's but a nephew of Brook's wife, Lady Mareen Glastern. Brook had left Mareen in Glashelm without a penny, and she was doing her best to run things in Brook's absence, but with no authority to her name, she had found it challenging to keep the clan affairs going.

With her nephew, Kirilian, now on her side, things began to change. Kirilian was a shrewd strategist and soon had the wealthy merchant families in the clanlands, paying tributes to their chieftain once more. Kirilian was also looking to increase the clan's lost political influence by tying the knot with the then Thane's daughter: Islana Mardon (Clan Ravensen).

Kirilian was not Islana's first suitor, but with his not inconsiderable charm and presence, wooed the princess and gained her hand, beating more experienced men in so doing. Islana was to give Kirilian thirteen children, all boys. His eldest, Yarrow Mossheart was killed in a duel when he was just twenty-five, but his second son, Rainier Mossheart, became chieftain in his stead after Kirilian died in his sleep at the venerable age of seventy-five.

The Mossheart family was deemed chosen and blessed by the gods. Alven's thirteen sacred animals were believed to watch over the thirteen children. People attributed Yarrow's demise to his killing of a deer while hunting the previous tennights, and as a punishment for killing the animal he was meant to protect, fate killed him in its turn. After their brother's tragic death, the twelve remaining siblings always ensured that no one hurt the sacred animals in their presence.

Presentation and Personality

Kirilian was a man's man and always possessed great physical strength. However, he was not a brute. He was, by all means, a well-read and educated man with a charming attitude towards women. His most beautiful feature was his piercing blue eyes, which he used to great effect in his dealings with women... and men.

Kirilian, like Thingor Gremane, was a religious and pious man and abhorred excesses of any kind. He had a reputation for being a coldhearted man underneath the charm. His sole preoccupation was the clan's fortune, influence and legacy.

Legacy

Kirilian founded the Mossheart Brotherhood to ensure Clan Deeryant's future for centuries to come. Kirilian had very early on understood that power in Alven lay in the Thane's Court, the Arkivon and The Sanctuary. These three organisations now ruled Alven for better or for worse.

The Brotherhood was a secret Deeryant organisation created to further the influence of the clan within the three organisations, irrespective of ideology or beliefs. Kirilian made his twelve sons promise to continue his work by first marrying and begetting children, then educating sons and daughters to place them within the Arkivon and the Sanctuary, or if not possible, at least marrying advantageously to continue to be close to Alven centres of power.

Another tenet of the Brotherhood was to seek marriage to known rod bearers or yielders to make sure that there would always be a Deeryant able to power the runes on the rods of powers, for the moment safely tucked away in the Arkivon vaults.

Literature and Art

Clan Deeryant never paid much attention to art and artists. They used artists as architects and portraitists, as it served their purpose and enhanced their status, but they looked down on clan members who sought to pursue the life of a bard.