Justinian of Taldor

"Knowledge is power"

Appearance and Character
Justinian looks like a typical Tiefling; red skin, horns sweeping back, and a lithe tail that is constantly rummaging around in the various pouches that he keeps around his belt, handing Justinian whatever he needs. He keeps his angular face clean shaven, but his hair is much less neatly kept. Brown and long, it is nearly always tousled and tied back to keep it out of his face. He wears traditional Taldori clothing, open, patterned, and colourful. When he can, anyhow - when outside of the Devil's Nursery, where the law is much looser, Justinian dresses in a black toga and chlamys. Still his native style, but not outlandish or garish enough to warrant attention or suspicion. Anymore than he gets for being a Tiefling, anyhow. Thirty three years old, Justinian has dealt with abuse from the city for years

Justinian is a quiet man who mostly keeps to himself; well, he believes he keeps to himself much more than he does. An an alchemist, Justinian has always had a fascination for the mysteries of the craft, and the vast knowledge behind it. He is mostly an introvert, especially after his wife left the city, and concentrates on looking after his daughter, Theodora, and the ancient Tiefling that lives with them, Grandfather. Against his better judgement, Justinian actively assists with both the Cloven Hoof Society, and to a lesser degree, the Rose of Kintargo - inspired to do so by his wife when she still lived in the city. He spends a fair bit of his free time gathering what information he can of the Silver Raven's; he excuses it with it only being due to requests from the Roses, and being a pursuit he has no emotional value in. However, it is all just excuses to distract anyone who wishes to place responsibility on him. Justinian burns for something to change in Kintargo; he's just reluctant to believe he's capable of taking part, and more importantly, of putting his daughter in danger.

There is no major dedication to the Gods in Justinian. However, he shares primary worship between two. Milani, who he prays will give some semblance of freedom for his oppressed people, and Brigh, who he knows supports his pursuit of esoteric alchemical knowledge.

Biography
Justinian was born in Oppara, the capital city of once great Taldor. With any right, Justinian's life should've been short and miserable. Not only were his parents Tieflings, they were the lowest of the Unbearded - slaves. The only light there was his father's work; he was a gladiator who fought in the great coliseum there. A fearsome Tiefling who struck with claw and tooth, 'The Red Devil' rose rapidly in fame and fortune. As it did so, Justinian and his parents were allowed to live a life of better luxury; a gilded cage, but a cage all the same; even when they bought their freedom, they knew they were still Unbearded. The Red Devil was the greatest gladiator seen in years, and survived season after season, leaving his enemies disembowelled in the dust. Justinian did not have a good childhood. Unsurprisingly, his father was violent and abusive, and his mother was far too scared of his father to stand up for the young boy. The reality of their situation came clear when the Red Devil finally lost his life in one unlucky match. Justinian was twelve when he saw his father struck down in the pits, and knew his life had changed from that point on.

Their position of privilege did not last. His father's owner came to them both, offering to take his mother as a concubine, sleazily offering to keep her in a position of wealth. For once, Justinian's mother stood up, and refused him, knowing that could not last and fearing that Justinian would just be forced into the gladiatorial pits like his father. The pair were kicked onto the streets quickly, with barely any of their once respectable wealth between them.

At the very least, there was enough to get them out of Oppara. While Justinian's mother was uneducated and knew little about the world, she had at least heard about the great realm of Cheliax, where the Asmodean-backed House of Thrune ruled. She knew enough about their heritage to know it was Infernal in origin. If they would be welcomed anywhere, it had to be there.

Arriving in Cheliax showed how mistaken they were. They made port in Ostenso first, and it became clear rapidly how oppressed and discriminated against their people were. That broke Justinian's mother, her hopelessness overtaking her. It was up to Justinian from them on to arrange passage for the, taking ship from port to port, hoping to sail around Cheliax to find somewhere further north, where they could be free. While perhaps Andoran could've been better for them, it was on advice of fellow Tieflings that they headed north, aiming for the free lands of Varisia.

Unfortunately, their money ran out at Kintargo, the ship captain they were sailing with simply stealing what they had left and kicking them out. Reduced to begging in the streets, it didn't take long for Justinian's mother to simply fade away, dying of a broken heart. Luck struck Justinian before he could suffer the same fate; the Cloven Hoof Society found the starving and broken teenager, taking him in and saving his life. They put him in a house with another Tiefling that the Society looked after, an ancient man who simply went by 'Grandfather'.

Filled with teenage pride, Justinian hated living on charity, however. The young boy adapted the only skill he had any idea of; his mother had, when she was alive, a great knowledge of herbs, potions, and poultices, and Justinian did his best to remember what he could. It was filled with experimentation, and slowly, as he gained bits and pieces of information from others who lived in the Devil's Nursery, he began to delve properly into the art of alchemy. A smuggled book here, a tale from a village wise woman there, the young Tiefling becoming renowned for his first for knowledge and quick, alchemical-obsessed, mind.

Through a friend in the Cloven Hoof Society, Justinian was dragged into the Roses of Kintargo. Foolishly, in his mind, expressing a respect for Milani and her fight for their people, the Roses practically jumped to get him as a member. While reluctant to ever take part in missions or the like, Justinian found himself researching between his usual studies the history of freedom fighters in the city, sending whatever scraps he could gather through to the Roses, as well as skulking about in shadows and alleyways, playing support for their smaller missions they took on. It was through that Justinian fell in love; another Tiefling, a daring and obstinate Spitespawn named Nale. The pair found themselves falling for each other in a slow process, past an initial irritation. Like fire and ice, the Nale and Justinian were completely different to one another. Her, brave and charismatic, and him, more reticent and careful. With the dangers both their lives had, they married swiftly after they both realised how in love they are, Justinian taking her surname of Isharius. Even quicker, Nale found herself with child, giving birth to a girl they named Theodora when Justinian was only twenty.

The marriage did not last; it didn't take long for Justinian to get frustrated at the risks Nale took, while she got frustrated over his lack of effort in helping their people. Wanting to do more, and placing their people's freedom over her own self-perceived selfish want to stay with her husband and daughter, Nale left in the night when Theodora was only two years old, disappearing from the city.

Justinian was crushed, finding himself withdrawing from the life he had once lived. After he had given himself time to greive, however, Justinian forced himself back. He needed to do work, to bring money in, be social, so Theodora had a good home. His live revolved around ensuring his daughter, the only thing in the world that mattered to him anymore, had a good as life as was possible in their position.

His reticence to fully throw himself into the organisations he flirted with paid off in the end. Justinian had grown wary and paranoid at the crackdowns that were heard about across Cheliax, and the Glorious Reclamation worried him rather than gave hope, as it did everyone else. His fears were confirmed in the night when Barzillai Thrune struck. Justinian was left alive and unhurt when it passed, the agents obviously not knowing to go after him as well. Stunned, with so many of his friends disappeared or dead, Justinian has forced himself to attend the upcoming protest, no matter the risks. Having tentatively reached out to find others he knew who had survived the purge, for once, Justinian is determined to actually do something, and take the risk that entails.

Theodora Isharius
Justinian's twelve year old daughter, Theodora is the spitting image of her mother - a fact that still hurts Justinian when he looks at her. An extremely sweet, yet bold girl, Theodora has found herself rebelling more and more at her father's paranoid control. The light of Justinian's life, he will do anything for her.

Grandfather
An ancient, blind, Tiefling, no one is sure how old Grandfather is, or who he even is exactly. Having helped Justinian when he had no one, Justinian repays the debt completely. Grandfather is family in all but name, and his ever so slightly mocking wisdom is a great help in keeping Justinian grounded, as well as encouraging him to do good in the world.