Kalman vak Andras

Player: Elanya

Class: Rogue 14, Bard 2, Fighter 1

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Appearance

Kalman isn't built on quite the same scale as most men of his house. He's not insanely tall, and while he is clearly fairly muscular, his frame is not precisely stocky. He has short very curly black hair, and a somewhat olive complexion. He has a relatively thin face, and hazel eyes that appear green or brown in different lighting. He has a very charming smile, and slender hands suited to a musician.

Personality

Kalman is at heart an idealist and a romantic, who cares strongly for his friends and family but is continuously wrestling with himself over how to balance his somewhat socialistic ideals against the practicality of living and working in a monarchical society. While he believs that all people are essentially the same, and should have more equal opportunities, he can't ignore that his own position gives him, at least in theory, more power to work on the behalf of those who have no voice.

Background

Kalman was born into a very prominent, very rich, noble family of House Bear. His parents, Corentin and Neima vak Andras, were quite pleased to have a son, someone they hoped could further the interests of their reputation and social standing, and maintain the sway of influence of their legacy one they were gone. All those things that important nobles expect from their first born sons. They tried to give him an appropriate education, as well.

When Kalman was 4, his sister Ivona was born. There were complications, and although his mother survived, she wasn't able to bear any more children. Kalman was a very devoted brother, after he got over the initial jealously of no longer being an only child. Ivona was a quiet and sweet child, which helped with this. She was always quite frail, and encouraged him to adventure so she could live vicariously through him. This was when he first started to do things that his parents didn't entirely approve of, but they were confident that his good breeding would win out under firm supervision.

One thing that everyone in the household *did* approve of was Kalman's love of, and apparent affinity for, music. He started his training on both the harpsichord and violin when he was young, and has stuck with them studiously until now. He still will perform, by request or coercion, for the society affairs that his parents put on or are affiliated with.

shortly after he turned fifteen, and was therefore considered an adult, he met and fell in love with Eglorine Valliancourt. The two shared a brief but passionate romance before her father Hermus Valliancourt, had his fourteen year old (underaged) daughter sent to their distant country estate. Kalman was angry, and later despondent when he was unable to follow her. The Valliancourts have never forgiven him for plucking their daughter's most precious flower, and likely never will.

It was shortly after these events that Ivona, just turned twelve, contracted some sort of (so far) incurable wasting disease. Clerics and doctors were brought in from everywhere, but the prognosis was not so good. Kalman, who was still pretty spoiled at this point, and also quite upset, and thought it completely unfair that this should happen to his sister, and that the clerics were useless.

One of them replied to the saucy young lad that if he really wanted to see how unfair the world was, he should go out into the city, to get some perspective. And he did... He knew in advance that secret forays into the city's nastier areas would not be sanctioned by the parental units, so he didn't tell them. He saw a lot of injustice in the city, and while it didn't actually make him feel any better about his sister's situation, it did make him want to try to help, somehow.

He continued familiarizing himself with the city, and its goings on, trying to think of ways he could help... He was rich, but his parents mostly controlled the purse strings. More and more, they were trying to push him towards traditional roles for a well bred man of his age, including trying to have him settle down and marry. This irked him even more, and it got to the point where the only thing they could agree about was his interest in music, though they wished that their son would show more interests in the martial arts, as did the children of other prominent members of their house.

At eighteen, he decided that he wanted to become a guard, so that he could have a direct, personal effect on how justice is distributed in the city, and maybe help change things for the better.

This, is of course, made things even rougher with his parents, and he moved out and took his own apartments in the Place D'Iena. The tensions at home weren't helped at all by the fact that his parents were also trying to arrange a political marriage for his bedridden sister, since she wasn't really in a position to fight against it. They were looking to cement their social standing with another family of high regard.

Since he joined the guard against their wishes, however, his father decided that they need *someone* to keep him in check, and hired someone to join in order to look after him. That person is Boden of Gouge. His mother hoped that it was simply a phase he would grow out of.

One single year saw his life turn around completely as he joined the Imperial guard, was married to his first and true love, Eglorine Vaillancourt, and fathered his eldest child, Ysana vak Andras. Even more recently, he has inherited a title from the passing of his great aunt, making him the Count of Jura.

Kalman is also a close friend of the new Empress, Tristane Dizon, and was promoted to the palace guard at her behest, where along with the other's in his unit helped to defeat bopth the undead army raised by Blackhope and the ancient evil lurkng inside the Arch. At the end of the campaign, he was one of the few who decided to stay with the guard, where he now assists his friend Boden who had been recently appointed Warlord.

Kalman was also responsible for killing Prince Imperial Davilas Dyess in a duel, putting an end to the prince's sadistic deviancies. His actions, however, cost Kalman the friendship of Pasith Belden, previously a close friend, and gained him the emnity of the prince's mother, Ombretta Dyess, who attempted to have him assassinated.