Antony

Antony was born the son of a fishing family in the city-state of Skenda-Peaceport; his mother is a fishmonger, and his father a dockworker. While both of them were hard workers and arguably exceptional at their jobs, the flow of coin was ever a trickle in their household, and thus, Antony, too, was inducted into the workforce at a young age, taking a place in the supply chain alongside his father before he reached 10 years of age. He learned the value of patience and determination, and his body was strengthened; his parents were kind and loving and honest, and he learned this from him, too. But, more than anything, he learned how it did not matter, when he watched his mother forego dinner yet again so that he could eat, and his father break his arm and lose his value as a human for months. Kindness, strength, and ambition did not matter - only the weight of one's coinpurse and the dignity of their blood.

 He has no love for fighting; he finds it foolish and barbaric. But he managed to worm his way into the knighthood nonetheless. If spilling blood and putting his own life on the line is the only way for him and his family to climb out of the pit of poverty, then so be it. And if violence is the only way to change things, then is it not his responsibility to enact it?

Antony is cold, quiet, and apathetic. Life is tiresome, and human society has failed him -- but there are other societies, and there is one here who can teach him the honor in murder and the value of power - of his power. A beast's heart has no room for money or social standing - only passion and glory, and she might deign to share it with him.

about skenda-peaceport

 This is a fully independent republic situated on a rocky marine coastline. Despite sharing a border with the notorious imperialist Kan kingdom, it maintains its autonomy through both economic and military might. Skenda-Peaceport is located in a strategically important trading location, receiving travelers from many nations, and it has natural protection in the form of the Shaga-shaga Mountains that encircle it - and the gryphons that populate those mountains. Though the area was historically one of conflict between the Shaga gryphon aeries and the human settlers of the port, peace was brokered in the area around 300 years ago, and the two species now share the region in relative harmony, reflected in the hyphenated name that combines both the traditional Shaga name of the region and the Human one. Skenda is a word in the native gryphon tongue for the light that reflects off the waves; Peaceport was given to the region by humans, as men and women of every nation (and eventually, of both species) came together there to trade.

Skenda-Peaceport is one of only a handful of cities known to fully accomodate both humans and gryphons, and boasts exceptional mercenary strength because of it. Its gryphon knights are renowned throughout the land, and keep the Kan from trying to conquer it, at least for the time being. Its major exports are fish and ores, although gryphons that adopt a more human way of life have found that selling gryphon-made products and even their own feathers can bring them a pretty penny to curious foreigners. Buildings and doors are high and wide, and many include rooftop ramps to facilitate liftoff for gryphon visitors.

Tension remains between the two species, as one may surmise; there are still humans who think of the gryphons as dangerous monsters, and gryphons who think of the humans as money-hungry thieves. Poorer humans, in particular, resent the gryphons, who are often much more capable of self-sufficiency in the absence of coin due to their traditionally non-trading survivalist culture and natural physical prowess, and it's easy to see the prejudice just below the surface by visiting Skenda-Peaceport's slums. In addition, there are still Shaga gryphons (commonly known as "country" gryphons) that refuse any interaction with the human culture next door, toeing the line of actual hostility when their paths cross with a human or a "city" gryphon. However, it is, in general, a peaceful place, with fear and bigotry much more likely to come from foreign human traders arriving in port than those who live there.