To the casual observer, it would appear that Talan Marfell is a simple man, but a dangerous one – a man driven by nothing more than greed and ambition. He’s calm, calculated, and wields his wit like a dagger. His sarcasm and dark humor has been known to offend on many occasions. He may also seem… cowardly – dodging out of fights, even having been overheard as saying that his life could be put to much better use. Should he fight, however, it would seem wise to avoid taking one’s eyes off of him.

He’d been an intelligence broker most of his life, trading in secrets. It was a lucrative business for him (after all, he was the best), and rumor has it his business quite possibly enabled cults and military factions to massacre entire cities. He lost it all when he decided to become a bandit leader. When Mage-Lady Orphelia found him in Crase, his crew had either died or gone separate ways.

The big question on everyone’s mind had long been why was it that her Arcane Highness would legitimize a man of such questionable character and grant him the power and status that comes with being her Seneschal?

RP Tips:
- Sarcastic and witty, appropriate or no
- Long-term planner; the plan being all important
- Morally “flexible”, though he may not enjoy what’s asked

<secret>

Talan may seem a simple man, but he prefers it that way. The less people know about him the better. To say that he cares for nothing more than greed and ambition is more or less true… but not entirely. He can count the amount of people who have known anything beyond that on one hand.

Talan Marfell was born to the most destitute of families, but he always held larger aspirations – aspirations that tipped him into the villainy which those that know him have now come to associate him. From a young age, he learned that information was the greatest power in the world; it held power over nobles and clergy, which in turn held power over nations. He meant no harm at first, he simply had a talent and a vision of a life of luxury. So, when he made it his business, he didn’t ask questions. Eventually, however, he realized the some of the results of the more dangerous secrets he was dealing – blood of thousands on his head. He tried to make excuses for his guilt; he struggled with his humanity and his greed, but by then he was in too far with a deal with the Grey League. He thought the deal of a lifetime could make it all right, but something went terribly wrong…

He had a lucrative business in information, but he left it all and ran. With a finger to the pulse of trade throughout Rassilon, he gathered a crew of bandits and began hitting profitable cargo… until winter and war fell on Crase. He never thought it’d happen, but he was left practically destitute once again. Until he met the Noble Mage, when his next plan began to unfold. Fortuitous timing, really, and a rare thing indeed when he found himself actually enjoying her company. When they did became lovers her gifts were certainly generous, as were the clues to the wealth and luxury of the Mage-Princes.

…not that there aren’t pitfalls. There are no illusions. For now, the arrangement is just that, and so his position is tenuous as he’s realized during her relations with Count Froech. He relies on their rapport and her trust in him to influence her, and often she listens. There’s nothing he wants more than the golden prize she can provide, and he’ll have to continue to influence and convince her he alone is the one to share it.

He seems to say what his Lady cannot in personal situations. With his secret position, he’s gotten quite a bit of a superior attitude regarding the others in the group, and cutting quips might just escape him should the entourage do anything worthy of derision and mockery. Were the position ever to become an open one, his barbed tongue may very likely even more confident.

Concerning religion, he could never be called a devout man, but he has to admit to having a rare appreciation for his patron god. The humor and convoluted wording of the truth all comes rather naturally to him. While The Unknowable One may be his patron, he tithes Var and Nauthiz often, and as needed.)