"We are all children of Ealdagen"

Upon his father’s death, the charismatic King Kieran took to the throne with ease as a young man. He had already amassed a mythology in Ontryme as the people’s prince, with a sharp mind and dedication to improving living conditions in Ontryme. The unification of Ealdagen was a natural progression of his ambitions, bringing in food, wealth, and resources that are scarce in the west of the region. Some see his declaration of war so soon after a violent conflict as cruel, but King Kieran is known to be a pragmatist at heart. Once the solution presents itself, he will take it. He is said to be married to the Empire, having no known lovers or heirs, with his soft spot for Duchess Anika IV of Scholton being the closest he ever got to children. King Kieran aims to succeed where his predecessors throughout the history of Ealdagen failed: to create a lasting Empire of humanity in Ventyr. To this end, he has rescinded the custom of the mask since the Ontrymian Unification, to appear more relatable to Sholton and Beobrim.

"The key to the Empire lies in its letters"

Countess Miranda has been in the business of communication all her life, having worked her way up from a page to head courier of Beobrim. She played a key role in intercepting and decoding secret missives during the campaign against the Echoes in Ealdagen 25 years ago. She brought this before King Kieran, and was awarded a titleship in appreciation for her service. After being granted nobility, she earned her role in the Canopy Command due to her impressive and ambitious ideas on structuring the communications system for the empire. Since then, she has pioneered the project of expanding the Beobrim courier system to be empire-wide, establishing it into the Courier’s Guild.

"The world was to me a secret which I desired to devine"

The first Warforged constructed by the goblins of Ur’Kech, and the only in Ealdagen, Count Gears-for-brains (or simply Count Gears) was a breakthrough in mechanotech intelligence. However, he found little purpose in Ur’Kech, as the goblins have no need for a highly advanced war machine. Having been built mostly as a proof of concept and promptly abandoned once successful, Count Gears sought his own purpose by delving into his creator’s research. Far outliving those who crafted him, Count Gears became one of the most well-learned engineers in Ur’Kech, modifying himself thoroughly beyond his original design. He eventually accompanied a research team to Ealdagen to seek more knowledge beyond what the goblins could tell him. While there, he was offered a position in the U.F.E. by King Kieran himself after reciting his impressive compendium of knowledge. He works closely with research ambassadors from Ur’Kech, compiling and codifying the complex and unparseable goblin notes into an ever-expanding library of artificing in the city of Ontryme.

"What's on your mind?"

Having inherited his family’s tavern in the city of Ontryme, Count Henry was once a chef. He was calm and amicable, and had a demeanor and anonymity that made him easy to trust, even in the capital of the Ontrymian kingdom. He quickly became a source of intel for the Ontrymian High Council, and is even rumored to have worked with the Order of the Lily. He is known to be a personal confidant and friend of King Kieran for decades, prior even to the Ontrymian Unification. His calm attitude is said to follow through even in the tensest negotiations, where Count Henry has made difficult decisions for the sake of the empire without so much as a twitch of an eyebrow or a quiver in his voice. He is one of the few Ontrymians who regularly forgoes the tradition of the mask, and this gives him a reputation of honesty that greatly aids his position at the Canopy Command.

"All battles are first won or lost, in the mind"

Although formally a Countess, High General Larkin will only accept being referred to by her military rank. As the Enforcement Representative of Canopy Command, she is often seen at the true head of the U.F.E. High General Larkin comes from Scholton nobility, being a direct descendant of the Scholtite royal family and cousin to Duchess Anika IV. She witnessed the loss experienced by her home during the Beobrimian invasion, vowing to avenge her people. She saw the attack from Ontryme as a way to avoid subserviency to Beobrim, and helped lead what remained of the Scholtite forces to eventually cooperate with King Kieran. This was a key factor in his decisive victory. Despite her youth at the time, King Kieran awarded her a high rank in his forces, which eventually became the U.F.E. She is both a proud Scholtite and an Ontrymian loyalist, being loyal to the King in particular.