Firrin (Liralu) Malassar
Background
Firrin was born and grew up in Highmark, in the Southwall neighbourhood. He was raised by his mother who insisted that his father was a nobleman who would at any day deign to recognize his son and raise them out of poverty. She worked as a housemaid, but the hard work and a difficult birth made it harder for her to keep up with work that needed doing. As soon as he was able, Firrin was joining her at work, and learning how to serve those above him in station, but she never let him forget his heritage or her expectations for him - that he would claim his birthright, and repay her for the sacrifice she had made in raising him. He has a few neighbourhood friends, including Molgrin Braalk, a local orc in somewhat similar circumstances.
When Firrin was 11, at the end of the Formorian War, as the new cities were accepted into the confederacy, his mother grudgingly decided to leave Highmark and try something of a new start. They moved to Shom, as the one that seemed to have the best chance of offering opportunities without danger to those who may be in need of trained servants. His mother wound up in a position supervising cleanup of part of the new city, and Firrin entered the household of one of the newly ennobled families. He worked for the Marceadors for about 5 years, until two things happened. First off, his mother’s health worsened to the point that she was unable to work or care for herself. Secondly, Firrin manifested his dragonmark. This made it somewhat awkward for him to be working for a family that did not carry any marks in their line.
In the end, the family moved back to Highmark. His mother pressured him into registering his mark, and to approach the man she claimed was his birth father to see if he would accept him, or at least pay him off. That was humiliating and unsuccessful, and they wound up moving to the Hope Falls neighborhood while Firrin struggled to find any paying work that would allow him the flexibility to care for his mother.
Things were looking pretty dire, until Firrin received an invitation to meet with a Mr. Kosiru Malassar, a well-to-do Tiefling, head of one of the smaller patrician houses long associated with House Maranue in particular, whose fortunes had wanes as the house had not produced any dragonmarked children in the past two generations. Malasssar proposed that Firrin pose as *his* son, newly recognized by the family. It would mean money for himself and care for his mother, but would also mean embracing a life built on lies. Things became al the more complicated when his new father revealed that he had secured an engagement for Firrin to Lady Paiza Dreatus Nykona of Thantopolis. Lady Paiza’s father is Aedile [Holding], previously Praefectus [Same holding], and most of her other family is also among the undead - they needed a dragonmarked husband for their daughter in order to carry on their living lineage.
Already feeling the weight of the lie he’d accepted, he is also suffering under the lie of his sexuality, as he really has less than no sexual or romantic interest in women. Of course, the stakes are too high, for himself and his mother, to simply back out now…
Appearance
A tiefling with rose pink skin, golden eyes, and jet black hair. His horns are not massive, rising in ridges from just at his hairline. He has very good fashion sense, though he can’t afford the top tailors and most glamorous accessories, and had been encouraged to dress more conservatively in order to please his fiancee’s parents. He’s average height and build, though he’s both stronger and tougher than he looks at first, and handsome, but not striking other than when he’d left to his own devices while dressing.
