Baron Silas Whitehawk
Never forget your roots, but don't be afraid to reach for the stars.
Social Rank: 6
Concept: Iron Guard Commander
Fealty:
Grayson
Family:
Whitehawk
Gender: male
Marital Status: married
Age: 30
Birthday: 4/27
Religion: Pantheon
Vocation: Knight
Height: average height
Hair Color: dark brown
Eye Color: deep cobalt
Skintone: fair
Description: No one feature makes Silas especially noteworthy; he is conventionally handsome, at least in the physical sense. He is broad-shouldered and tall, standing just shy of six feet, with the muscular build of an athlete who trains regularly. His cheekbones accentuate his well-defined chin and nose, and his dark hair is swept back behind his ears in gentle waves. His eyes are deep cobalt in hue, the richness of the color showing when there is ample light. Wry charm seems to come easily to him, in the quirk of his lip and in the expressiveness of his brows.
Personality: Ambitious, focused, and resilient - typically good, but sometimes infuriating traits for a commonborn nobleman to possess.
At first glance, Silas is outwardly friendly, and quick to smile and offer a compliment. He gets a rush out of competitions, and anything that physically challenges him will generally make him happy. He can lead and follow, he is not afraid of risk or failure, and will help most people if they simply ask.
But still waters run deep, and his pride is often a double-edged sword. He is stubborn and strong-willed. He has an ego, even if it doesn't manifest in a blatant manner, and he is resistant to criticism or change. When it comes to his loved ones being attacked, the limits of his patience fray easily and he lashes out. Apologies don't come easily to him.
On the whole, it has so far worked out for him, though.
Background: Silas is, or rather was, a scion of the wealthy Mercier family. He grew up in a lofty manor with servants who were more attentive towards him than his parents, resulting in a childhood rife with mischief and trouble. It wasn't long before it was clear he wasn't suited for the family business, and his father focused on grooming his other two children instead.
Upon watching his first tournament, Silas decided he was going to become a knight. He was happily sent away to squire for a knight sworn to House Decalmbre. After making it clear he had no experience with handling a sword in spite of his assinine teenage confidence, Silas was quickly chastened and slowly adapted. He learned the previously alien concepts of honor, patience, virtue... and losing and getting back up.
He returned to Arx still green, but greatly changed and finally with a solid sense of what he wanted to contribute to the world. He joined the Iron Guard and eventually got himself made a Knight of the Compact. His youth paired with his status as a commoner made it difficult for him to climb the ranks, but his friendliness made him well-liked among his colleagues and among the commoners he mingled with on the streets.
Then, like a dam giving way, everything seemed to happen all at once. Silas became the benefactor of the people around him screwing up spectacularly, in spite of his adjacency to such scandals: in fact, perhaps -because- of it.
In the summer of 1005 AR, his Lord Commander turned on the Lady Regent when she attempted to have him arrested for conspiring against the Compact and being involved in the murders of deaths of several prominent nobles. A third of the Iron Guard turned on the rest and fled the city, leaving blood and chaos in their wake. At the Assembly of Peers following the betrayal, Silas was nominated and appointed Lord Commander of the Iron Guard, at the age of 22.
Tolomar Brand loomed on the horizon, and Silas was tasked with whipping the remainder of the Iron Guard into shape and oversaw a recruitment drive which replenished their ranks and then some. The Iron Guard still saw grievous losses during the Siege, but ultimately survived stronger than ever - or at least in recent memory.
In the spring of 1006 AR, his brother Lazarus's ongoing feud with House Grayson spilled into the public eye after his family was reprimanded for their involvement in a dispute over post-siege alcohol. Though supportive of his brother's decision to part ways with House Grayson, Silas's oaths as a knight made it impossible for him to follow, which ultimately lead him to being publically disowned by his older brother.
Then, in an awkward and sudden turn afterwards, he was ennobled by House Grayson and given a castle in the northern reaches of the Crownlands. He was named Baron Silas Whitehawk of Hawkhold. A cavalcade of young Mercier cousins soon arrived to help Silas with the stewardship of his lands, and House Whitehawk became a full-fledged neonoble family.
Relationship Summary
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| Name | Summary |
| Agnarr | Pays me for work and to help his men, which is a surprise. May have smashed in a face next to his, but he took it fine. Could be worse Guard captains. |
| Aiden | The first impression of Silas had been he was one of Ainsley's friends and it was cool to hang out with him. Steadily over the months (especially due to Silas' heroism), Aiden's impression changed and he started to willingly seek ways to spend time with Silas as often as he could. Eventually, becoming infatuated with him and then, as of recently declared between them, in love. Silas has gained Aiden's full trust and heart, by being patient, without judgement, and unquestionably supportive. |
| Ainsley | The Lord Commander of the Iron Guard. I'll follow his lead into any battle, into any fight. |
| Arcelia | I met Baron Silas at Larissa's Charity Auction. I flirted with him a touch, offering a date of my own to him if he donated 2,000 silver to the charity. Later I found out that he and Aiden are seeing one another. I am happy for them both and I hope they are able to find their happiness. |
| Arianna | Good man with a kind heart, soft spot for the guards. Like any good leader, he carries himself with dignity and respect. I can applaud that. |
| Artorius | Baron Silas Whitehawk. Iron Guard Lord Commander. He ran the pentathlon and did a damn good job with it. A nice enough fellow indeed. |
| Asher | The Lord-Commander, innit? And Asher used to be a thief. So the nervousness around the man is only just now starting to wear off. I'm totally legit now! Mostly! You can't prove anything I hope! |
| Bedivere | Whitehawk HoH, my Favorite Nephew, and Lord Commander of the Iron Guard who kindly approved my siege weaponry and often takes his olde Uncle to go on random adventures. I am so esteemed to be his War Minister! |
| Brianna | The Lord Commander is a man who can laugh at himself and accept a loss, and also turn an enemy into a friend, even if such enemity was only a joke. Not what I expected from a man of his position, but so much more. |
| Calaudrin | Sure, I wasn't incredibly impressed that our new Lord Commander was twelve. But he's shown himself to be way more than competent than I expected. Plus, he's a fine man. And yeah, I know he wasn't /twelve/. But I do like to give him shit now again. I'm glad to have him as a boss and a comrade in arms. I'm looking forward to many more years of not dying together. |
| Clara | During a bar fight is always the best time to meet people... |
| Clover | Clover and Silas met a while back! Clover finds him to be the nicest, most earnest, and bravest knight she's known, despite him not being from the outlands. She considers him a great friend, even they don't see much of each other. |
| Daemon | He brought the spicy chocolate. This has been a joyous day. |
| Esoka | Newly-made Baron Whithawk, and lord commander of the Iron Guard. Esoka is eager to help Silas establish his barony (Riven represent!), and is impressed by the consideration he shows his Iron Guardsmen. |
| Evonleigh | Dearest cousin -- it's clear he has worked hard for the honors bestowed on you and I am so proud of him. |
| Fatima | Kind and fun loving Lord Commander. Gods he is easy on the eyes too, I hope I get to see his lovely face more. The man is good company. |
| Grazia | This serious young man loves my husband dearly, and it's difficult not to like him for it. He's got a certain languid charm to him, when he's relaxing, though I get the impression he rarely relaxes. I look forward to getting to know him better. |
| Harper | Bosshawk, otherwise known as the Lord Commander. He's a good sort even if he did curse me by promoting me so he could dump more reports on me! Not really though. I respect the hell out of him. Can't say that about just everyone. |
| Jeffeth | He seems like a very nice Lord. A skilled combatant, with a level head. Lord of Whitehawk and Iron Guard. What a pleasant fellow. |
| Joscelin | Sweet and unassuming, that he's a guard and a crafter is impressive in that he can spare the time to follow both passions. But as time has gone on, he's left behind the chisel and saw and gone to the sword and the leader of the Iron Guard itself. Lord-Commander. And someone Joscelin is incredibly fond of and considers a dear, trusted friend. |
| Jyri | Jyri has never forgotten what Silas did for him when he arrived to town. In Jyri's mind, Silas gave him back some pride - and he was brought into another tribe; The Iron Guard. There is nobody else Jyri is that loyal to. |
| Katarina | Lord Commander Silas Whitehawk is a man that I have come to absolutely adore in the time that I have known him. We have sailed into the unknown, fought side by side with one another, and he has been a comforting presence that I always look forward to over the years. I cannot help but love him as much as I do his better half, Aiden. My days are always a little brighter when they are both around. |
| Kenna | My dearest cousin, you work way. too. much. Honestly, seeing you at home and relaxed is a delight. There must be ways we can arrange this much more often... |
| Khanne | I've always liked him, mostly from afar... not really had the chance to get to know him too well. He seems like a strong man in character, and intelligent... the type of person I tend to get along with. He's done well for himself... but, I miss his woodworking......... |
| Laric | Silas is a good friend, wedding furniture and all. But I'm going to arrest all of his Crownsworn loved ones if he ever tells another soul that I actually like dogs. |
| Maeve | He seems a pretty nice fellow. I got to meet him when I spoke with Prince Aiden at the Menagerie. He said he would donate spoiled food to help make compost! That is so nice of him. He also has nice biceps. |
| Marian | He's a good sport for helping Prince Aiden with the event. He seems very dedicated to helping protect others as well as supporting the community. That is a trait to be admired. |
| Merek | %bWhen Merek first met Silas, he thought he was a bit like the usual Commanders he has heard about. But eventually, he has come to learn that he is a very considerate and caring person as well. |
| Miranda | Friendly and informative, the Baron seems an interesting fellow. But then, he's a Whitehawk, it's to be expected! |
| Monique | He's not bad... for a Lord Commander. He's got a willingness to trust, at least in these situations, and that speaks a lot for the man's character. Plus? He can swing a hell of a sword. This man is worth knowing. |
| Reese | Reese really liked Silas at first and she still does. She wanted to impress him and be a good guardswoman. She knows she got distracted by other tasks and duties lately, but she still has much platonic affection for Silas. She appreciates how welcoming he was to her when she was a new warrior just making her way. She feels that the Iron Guard is a really good org who are doing good things. She approves of him being Baron Silas and is very happy that he stayed with Ward Grayson. She feels that Silas is a good leader and did great in the siege. |
| Rook | Lord Commander of the Iron Guard, a man of respect, a vassal of House Grayson. His brother was a smart, economically-minded man but chose to end himself with a rather spectacular fireball of mismanaged political plays. A shame, for Rook, anyway. Hopefully his brother will not follow suit. |
| Rymarr | What is there to say about the Lord Commander of the Iron Guard? Baron Whitehawk and of Hawkhold? The man whom I still, in my own mind, think of as Silas Mercier? A great deal, I imagine. He is a man who has proven himself to me as stalwart, dependable, dedicated, and dignified. A commoner by birth, I have never been witness to his behaving in crass and crude manner. He has known for a long, long time the precarious place that he was in, and he walked that knife's edge with skill and distinction. He is the Lord Commander of the Iron Guard, we worked together from time to time while I was likewise leading the knights of the King's Own. We worked well together then, I believe we work well together now, and going into the future I believe we will strive to improve on just how well we work together. He is, in effect, one who I know that I can rely upon. He is one that I know that I can approach with open honesty and he will respect that choice of openness, treat it dearly and with care, and that what is provided to him in confidence will remain so. Within the entirety of this city, of its hundreds of thousands and millions, Silas Mercier...Baron Silas Whitehawk... is one of those very few that I can openly claim to trust. |
| Samael | My beloved nephew's beloved. He is a gracious host and a gracious man. Ainsley and Aiden love him which means I love him. |
| Shard | His position means he's not someone to ignore, but he seems like he might be interesting besides that. Not a fool. A fan of food. Close with Prince Aidan. Watch carefully. |
| Talen | Lord Commander Silas Mercier, now Whitehawk. This man has made almost as many moves at Talen has in amongst the years they've spent in Arx. One of the finest swordsmen Talen knows, there's also a sense of respectful rivalry there, if for no other reason because they're different on the surface. They're ships that pass in the night. |
| Thena | A leader Thena can respect, even if he went and got ennobled. He and the Guard has been good to her, even when she gets a little too snippy. |
| Tikva | I can't remember the first time I met the Lord Commander. I think it's possible that the first time was actually that silly wrestling match he and Ainsley got into in the Grotto. I've usually met him or encountered him with Ainsley. I'd say peas in a pod but I think that Silas is a little less ridiculous than Ainsley is. Maybe I have to think that because he is my vassal now, Baron Whitehawk and liegesworn to the Twainfort. He is a resoundingly accomplished man, especially for his age, and I think he will be a credit to his holding, and I'm glad to know him, even if only by passing courtesies and -- er, involving Ainsley being silly -- at this point. |
| Torian | Spoke to him about investigating some injury to some noble or another. He's got a good heart for protecting people. |
| Victus | The Lord Commander of the Iron Guard. Big and scary as they say, but he's got a nice smile to top it off. |