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LUCIEN FAARSKAR
High Prelan of the Canton of Finance
Contact: Sing anything from High School Musical. Don't worry, I'll join in.
Type: Obligator
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Place of Origin: Mantiz, Western Dominance
Occupation: High prelan of the Canton of Finance
Relationship Status: Single
Lucien cares deeply about showing how a true nobleman should be. The tall obligator is always serious, almost glaring at everyone else. He walks firmly, with an air of confidence that tries to show the others that, no matter their rank, they’ll always be inferior. His posture is impecable; he never slouches, not even in private.
Lucien keeps his clothes as clean as possible, and his head clean shaven, a sign -supported by the typical eye tattoos- of his role as an obligator. Standing at 6.1, and mostly thanks to his attitude, the tall obligator seems to tower over other noblemen, even with his slim, almost scrawny build.
Lucien is an insecure man. During his childhood and adolescence, he was the shadow of his brother Astor, even if he was the better nobleman of the two. Astor was sensitive, generous. Weak. Lucien was the perfect aristocrat, but their father still chose Astor as his heir. The Final Empire, however, gave him a last chance to prove himself; the Steel Ministry.
Now, Lucien shows himself as a confident, powerful man. He has a cold, harsh attitude towards everyone else, and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. On the inside, however, he’s still pretty insecure, and resents his brother for taking the leadership of House Faarskar from him. He’s intent to show everyone else that he is the true nobleman, the one who truly deserved to be the head of the House.
Lucien's attitude toward the skaa is awful. Of course, those beasts only exist to serve the nobility, and so he shouldn't really care about them to begin with, but House Faarskar has always been kind to its servants, more proof of their weakness. For this reason, Lucien is extra-harsh toward those beings.
Strengths: Lucien is a true nobleman. Other obligators respect him, and some people even fear him for his apparent lack of emotions. His devotion to the Final Empire and his skills in accounting have quickly earned him a special place as the high prelan of the Canton of Finance.
Lucien is cold and manipulative. His position at the Canton of Finance and his presence at the many balls in Luthadel give him a lot of useful information about other noblemen, that he can use whenever he needs to.
Weaknesses: House Faarskar. Lucien still hates his brother Astor, and thinks that none of the Faarskar children will be able properly lead it. Darius may become a good head of the House eventually, but Lucien is sure that won’t happen without his aid.
Lucien feels guilty for abandoning House Faarskar, though he doesn't want to admit it. He'd rather blame his brother's weakness instead of his own cold ambition. He just wanted to bring power to his house, and now, he'll never be able to do it. For this reason, he seeks more and more power permanently. Even being the high prelan of the Canton of Finance isn't enough for him.
Lucien isn’t good at socializing. His harsh attitude tends to make people around him uncomfortable. Some people have even compared his cold stare to that of a Steel Inquisitor.
Lucien Faarskar was born in Mantiz in the year 980, the youngest of the two Faarskar children. His brother Astor, born 5 years before Lucien, was the heir to the House. From the very beginning, the relationship between the two was very good. Their parents were kind and supportive, and so the Faarskar kids grew up in a warm environment.
Lucien proved to be the better nobleman of the two, even at the age of 6. It was at that age that the Faarskar children had to start studying, and Lucien did really well. His passion for the doctrine of the Final Empire was incredible, and he showed a natural talent for maths. Astor, who was 11 at that time, wasn’t bad at mathematics, though he wasn’t nearly as good as his younger brother, and so, he often asked Lucien for help. When they weren’t studying, they would go outside and play together, or read books in their father’s study.
Astor Snapped at the age of 12, barely a few days before Lucien turned 7. The young kid saw the joy in his parents’s eyes as they realized that the heir to House Faarskar was a Pewterarm. Lucien couldn’t help feeling a bit envious as he saw that, even if he knew that moment would come for him as well in a few years.
Except it didn’t.
Lucien got brutally beaten at the age of 11, but didn’t Snap. His parents didn’t care, but he didn’t see that. Astor even stopped using Allomancy in front of him to avoid making him feel bad. Lucien still felt useless. Astor was the powerful one. Astor was the heir to the House, the Allomancer, the perfect nobleman. Lucien was suddenly unimportant.
Even from his bed, while still recovering from the beating, Lucien started studying harder than ever. His brother was the charismatic one, the powerful one. But he had to be important somehow, and books were what gave him an edge.
Astor tried very hard to maintain his relationship with Lucien, but he just couldn’t see his brother without feeling inferior. So, slowly, he found himself being driven away from the loving family that had always cared for him. He started to read in solitude, studying more and more, just to feel, at least for a moment, that he wasn’t useless. And it was there, in the doctrine taught by the Steel Ministry, that he found the truth.
House Faarskar was weak. Yes, they had money and stability, but they didn’t have any contracts outside the Western Dominance. For a House to be powerful, it needed to move across the entire Final Empire. And the best way to do that, was to go to Luthadel, the capital of the Final Empire. And so, at the age of 18, Lucien decided to go.
Except his parents sent Astor as well.
Astor fit in well into the Luthadel society. His charisma earned him a special place among the other nobles, and he even fell in love with a gorgeous young noblewoman called Annelle. Lucien, on the other side, didn’t fit in as well. He was incredible at doing business, but socializing was just too hard for him. His constant seriousness made some people uncomfortable, and so Lucien found himself forced to work together with his brother. However, by doing so, he felt more and more useless. That was, at least, until he discovered his true vocation.
House Faarskar was weak, but that wouldn’t change. Not with his stupid brother in charge. Even if his charisma was good for relationships, Astor’s emotions made him easy to manipulate. Lucien would never bring House Faarskar to glory. However, there was a way to give himself a measure of strength, a more important role in the Final Empire. He’d never be the head of the House, but he could be something even more important.
Lucien Faarskar decided to become an obligator.
“You what?”
“I'm joining the Ministry,” Lucien said. The young nobleman, barely 19 years old, was packing his things, getting ready to begin training in Austrex.
“But what about us? About our family?” Astor couldn’t believe it. A mixture of surprise, disappointment, and anger shined in his eyes. Always so emotional, brother.
“You disappear for two weeks without saying a word, then come back saying this? We were supposed to go back together! And now you tell me you’re leaving us?”
“I’m sick of being unimportant, Astor.” Lucien’s voice was cold, even more than usual.
“You’re important to us! You’re a member of-”
“SHUT IT!”
Lucien’s voice echoed across the hotel room where they were staying, and silence reigned for a moment. The next time Lucien spoke, his voice came out broken. “You’re the heir to House Faarskar. But you’re weak. You’ll ruin them, just like our father. I’ll serve the Empire, and give this family the power it deserves.”
"You just quit your family!" The words made Lucien's stomach twist, but he showed no reaction. He just turned to meet his brother's eyes.
Both men paused for a moment, simply staring at each other. Astor’s voice broke the silence. It sounded cold, with just a hint of disappointment in it. “You’re abandoning us just for the power. We love you, we care about you, and you-”
“I don’t care about that!” For the first time, Lucien’s voice carried more emotion than his brother’s. Negative emotions. “We need to keep our power, that’s why we came to Luthadel. We need to maintain our stability. And I will ensure that.”
Astor just looked down, ignoring the tears that formed in his eyes and rolled down onto his nose before falling to the wooden floor.
“Keep your power. We don’t need it.” Astor met Lucien’s eyes, with a look so fierce that made Lucien flinch. “We never needed anything but our family. And if you think otherwise, then you’re not my brother anymore. I lost him to this city.”
Astor turned and went out the door, slamming it closed behind him, leaving Lucien alone with his thoughts. They had loved him. They had cared about him. But they had also been weak. This last moment, his brother’s words, the tears on the floorboards in front of him, were proof of it. And so, ignoring his own tears, Lucien walked out the door, moving toward the carriage that waited for him there. He didn’t look back to see his brother slowly walking away.
Lucien proved to be incredible at his job. His dedication to the Final Empire, along with his skills and knowledge, quickly made him important among the other obligators, and by the age of 28 he became the new high prelan of the Canton of Finance. He’s been there since then, controlling the noblemen, working to keep the glory of the Final Empire.
Lucien elbowed the girl harshly. “Make yourself useful. There’s someone at the door.”
The girl woke up, ignoring the hits, and slowly walked to the entryway. She opened the door, apparently unashamed for her nudity. Lucien simply watched from the bed, enjoying the sight while the young whore spoke to whoever was at the other side of the door. After a moment, she closed the door and came back, sitting beside him on the edge of the bed.
“It was a messenger,” she said, her voice still a bit drousy. Lucien had a few spies around Luthadel and its outskirts. It was probably one of those. Hopefully it’s…
“It’s about Darius Faarskar,” said Lia, confirming his suspicions. Darius Faarskar, Astor’s son and heir to the House, was coming to Fellise, and Lucien had sent his best spy to gather information about it.
“So?” he asked, trying to mask his anxiety. He resented his brother greatly, and thought House Faarskar was hopeless. However, Darius had a reputation for being colder than the other members of the house. Maybe he would be better than his father, with the right influence.
“He’s not coming to Luthadel. His brother Elliott was sent instead.”
Lucien paused. After a brief moment, he spoke again, almost managing to avoid the annoyance in his voice from showing. “Elliott.” The musician. That boy is even weaker than his father! How did he get sent instead of his brother?
Memories of the past came to his mind. Astor and Lucien, coming together to Luthadel. Lucien joining the obligators. And Astor, the weak heir to House Faarskar, kicking him out of his own family. At that moment, for once in his life, Lucien had felt weaker than his useless brother. The better nobleman had felt like a worse person. And for that, he had never forgiven himself. He was the strong one. The perfect nobleman. Powerful. Imposing. Calculative. He deserved to lead House Faarskar. He deserved to bring glory to his family.
He deserved to feel like he was worth something.
Lucien turned toward Lia, who was still sitting in bed, looking at him. He felt the need rising within him, an urge to feel in control. He grabbed the girl tightly by the arm and pulled her onto the bed, quickly spinning and positioning himself on top of her. He caught the glimpse of a sly smile in her face, and he smiled as well. An eerie smile. A terrifying smile.
He was in control.
He was powerful.
He was the perfect nobleman.
Edited by Daydam, 03 December 2018 - 01:46 PM.
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