Antjon

Antjon, Marquess of Elfield

Antjon is the current and fourth-generation Marquess of Elfield. He is the father of Astrid, as well as Aleinn, the current Heir of Elfield.

Description

Antjon is an average human man in late middle age. He has shoulder length, black wavy hair and dark eyes, with fair skin. He has a noticeably deep and gravelly voice, although it isn’t quite Tom Waits-esque.

History

Antjon was born in 1270 and raised as Heir of Elfield to succeed his mother, the third-generation Marchioness of Elfield. After coming of age at 18, he served as his mother’s agent, often receiving visitors in her stead. Because of his upbringing and proximity to the Elflands, he learned to speak fluent Elvish.

On one diplomatic visit, he met Queve, a royal member of the high elven court. They fell in love, and announced their intent to marry. In Caerdonal, he participated in a betrothal ceremony, and for the elves this was tantamount to marriage (a social custom instead of a legal one, which would eventually be entered into following the period of betrothal). They had a daughter, Astrid, together in the year or so following this announcement. Upon returning to Elfield, he learned that because both he and Queve stood to inherit in their respective homelands, one or the other would need to abdicate their inheritance as it would otherwise be considered interference by a foreign power. Eventually, both he and Queve decided to separate and return to rule their homelands.

Several years later in 1303, he met Laila and they married and had another child. Because Astrid represented “a divided loyalty” between Elfield and Caerdonal, she was not able to be named Heir and Aleinn was named instead. This resulted in a rift between father and daughter, especially as she would spend only part of each year in Elfield with her father.

In 1312, he formally acceded to the title of Marquess.

Lighthaus Inspektorz

The LHI first learned about Antjon indirectly when Astrid invited them to stay at Elfield Manor in Old Bay, in March 1337. He was not in residence at the time.

At a party in Stonewall following their victory over the Iron Revenant in August 1337, Antjon approached Nergil as he wanted to meet his daughter’s associates. He expressed regret that he could not take more of an interest in her life, and was impressed by Nergil’s description of her spellcasting while fighting the marilith in Redford, noting that Queve would be particularly interested in that fact. He offered Nergil his support as the father of Nergil’s friend, both during their adventures and in business as he has contacts among both the elves and across the Vale.

Relationships

Antjon and Astrid

Astrid is Antjon’s firstborn child and only daughter. Due to the circumstances around her birth and the distance with which he must treat her to avoid accusations of divided loyalties, they aren’t close even as adults. She split her younger years living part of the year with her mother, so that didn’t help either. When she began traveling as an adult and making a name for herself as an “amusing diversion” with her fortunetelling in high-class salons and parlors, Antjon made a point of shutting down any disparaging remarks about her when possible, although Astrid viewed this as purely self-interest. Antjon privately regrets that distance and misunderstanding but also doesn’t feel he can be the first to reach out, meaning it goes unresolved.

Antjon and Aleinn

Aleinn is Antjon’s secondborn child and only son. Aleinn acts both as Heir and also his father’s agent, representing his interests when Antjon cannot. They share a relatively close relationship, both personally and professionally. Aleinn’s love of hunting and horses is a significant element of their relationship that they don’t share, which Antjon views with fond amusement. There is an unspoken acknowledgment between them that Aleinn’s position as Heir is somewhat unfair to Astrid and although politically they must take care, the door to Elfield should always be open to her.

Antjon and Akty

When Akty Sheppard took the coronet of the Grand Duchy, Antjon acted as a mentor with regards to foreign diplomacy given his experience as a marcher lord. The easygoing grand duke enjoys gently teasing the marquess for his seriousness, especially at livelier parties. However, this is based on a deep mutual respect. Meez Sheppard and Laila of Elfield are also on close terms. Akty once asked Antjon to join his cabinet as the Chair of Diplomacy, though the latter declined as Aleinn was still young.

Antjon and Athtar

Athtar, Duke of Swansing, is an old social rival. Early in his career, Antjon asked Athtar for assistance in negotiating a border treaty. Although Athtar helped, he used the opportunity to publicly shame the younger human for not being able to do it himself in order to make his own contributions seem more valuable to the elven kingdoms. Athtar also looks down on Astrid for being a half-elf who has no position, despite her elven heritage; how much of this is actual xenophobia versus another way to sneer at her father is not clear. Antjon for his part attempts not to have anything to do with Athtar, although they sometimes run into each other at social events.

Antjon and Nergil

Antjon made a formal offer of support for Nergil in their adventures as an indirect way of supporting his daughter. He also felt surprisingly comfortable opening up to Nergil, suggesting that he doesn’t often get to talk about his daughter in depth. He praised Nergil’s social acumen, and Nergil in turn expressed his hope that Antjon is able to be more socially free in the future.

Antjon and Queve

Queve, Princess of Caerdonal, is an elven woman who was Antjon’s first love. They met as diplomatic representatives of their nations and were attracted to each other immediately: Queve’s passion and daring intrigued the cautious but forceful Antjon, and she found his generally calm demeanor to be a balm on her own. They went so far as to engage in a betrothal ceremony and have a daughter together. Ultimately, they both chose duty over love as neither could inherit while the other could. In 1337, they don’t speak as often as they might wish to avoid the appearance of favoritism, but they think of each other fondly and with respect.

Antjon and Laila

Laila, Marchioness of Elfield, is a human woman from Elmark and Antjon’s second love. They met while he was grieving his relationship with Queve and this rebound relationship turned into something more serious. He often refers to this relationship as having been “blessed by Menphina twice”. Laila is considerably more lighthearted than Antjon and balances his more taciturn nature. They share one child, their son Aleinn. Antjon has worked to make sure Laila has a good relationship with Queve and Astrid as well.