Ariel le Orban dul Damassande (sometimes refered to as Ariel op Orban), Baron of Savir, is a well-known and controversial figure in Lithmore. He has been a Troubadour, a Physician, held multiple positions at Court, and is currently the Lord Regent for the underage Queen Caitrin ab Samael.
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KNOWN TIES:
Family – Ariel is married to Marisa dul Damassande le Orban, Baroness of Lyndale and Chancellor of the Exchequer; they have three children together, Elena, Alain and Tobias, and are the guardians of Count Rei ab Sevoi, the Lord of Endridge and the son of Marisa’s deceased cousin Jei ab Sevoi. His cousin Shaylei de Roldan (nee Orban) is the Prime Medicus, and they are known to be close.
Friends – It is known that Ariel maintains dear friendships with the Dowager Queen Cellan ab Samael and his High Steward Tomas ab Jinosa. His other ties are less obvious, but some suggest he has a friendship with Casimir Aldair despite a contentious history.
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NOTES:
Much gossip has always surrounded Ariel, starting with a mysterious ennobling for not entirely clear reasons in late 353 and extending to everything from his faith, his criminal record, and his sexual preferences. Even before he ascended to any position of real power, he was curiously ubiquitous in all sorts of matters, advising Church and Crown alike. He has made many enemies in his career, though few remain in Lithmore.
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HISTORY:
The mercantile House Orban has a long history in Tubor and is a powerful voice among the gentry, but Ariel himself was curiously not raised in the prominence his name would imply. In fact, he was a complete unknown until his arrival in Lithmore as a seemingly experienced Troubadour.
In late 351, he was named Court Bard to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Baroness Marisa dul Damassande. This was the entirety of his fame (beyond a brief arrest by the Inquisition, from which he was released deemed fully innocent) until the death of his uncle Petyr le Orban in the spring of 352. At that point he was announced as the heir and new full owner of the Orban Mercantile Group, a conglomeration of business centering around the spice trade and shipping.
During the Succession Crisis of 352, he leveraged his family’s money and connections in partnership with Poet Laudate Herazade op Persela to form the Persela-Orban Coalition, a powerful political bloc that backed first Cellan dul Ansari and then Tobin ab Samael for the throne. This move brought him to a position of political prominence, and he was frequently seen at Court thereafter. He became the Lady dul Ansari’s advisor and was eventually awarded the Barony of Savir in late 353, for ‘services rendered to the Crown.’
He was honored by the Crown in 354, along with a long list of others, for his part in stopping the mage behind the Great Flood; in 355, he was further honored for helping hunt down the notorious mass-murder, the Hillbeast. In 356, he was kidnapped during the mage invasion; when he was found by the Knights a month and a half later, he had been crippled by a severe leg injury.
He left the bards in 357, his performing career long over given his rank, to begin a career as a Physician; with time, he became known as a talented and gifted surgeon. However, his main focus remained at Court, where his star continued to rise. He was first named Secretary of the State, then later became Keeper of the Seal, Queen Cellan ab Samael’s closest advisor.
The turn of 358 saw him married to his former patron, the Baroness dul Damassande, in a pageant of pomp and circumstance that exceeded some prior royal weddings. In early 359 their first child (Elena Charmaine) was born, and a son (Alain Matthieu) followed at the very end of the year.
In early 361, Queen Cellan was deposed by the late King’s sister, Katerina ab Samael; when the Regency was formed, Ariel supported his old partner Herazade op Chevalier (nee Persela) for the position. In her Court, he became Secretary of the Seal, serving until her untimely death in 362; at this point, he entered contention for the newly-vacant Regency and secured it.
363 sees him maintaining the Regent’s seat, and a third child (Tobias Lorenzo) added to his growing family.
