Marq D'Or

The Icerunners Guild was founded by a particularly independent and entrepreneurial member of The Returned called Marq D'Or, who became known as the First Breaker.
Having grown up in the physical and social confines of Refuge, he was immediately enamoured by the vastness of the world he encountered upon his release from Refuge. It did not take long for him to turn his back on the burgeoning Protectorates and set out to explore this new world. He saw the wars against the goblins as unwise, and the continuing traditions of Choosing and the strictures of the Faceless as no longer relevant.
Instead, he left New Lafaelle behind him and took to the sea. He spent many years exploring the oceans, and the Sea of Black Ice, where he partnered with members of the clans from the ice-flows there.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Born in refuge

Having grown up in the physical and social confines of Refuge, Marq forever chafed at the confines. He would read the histories that had been salvaged about the Age of Exultancy and vast expanses of the open world they had lost during The Destruction.
His Choosing as a young boy set him on the path to be an engineer - destined to focus on the mechanics of maintaining the magics that kept Refuge alive. He fervently supporting the drive for Return, even though he was forbidden to talk about it by his strict parents. He was only 15 years old when the magics of Refuge finally failed, and despite all the misgivings of the traditionalists they were all forced to abandon Refuge.

During the Return

When they emerged from Refuge, Marq was transformed upon seeing the open skies, mountains and plains of the world they had returned to. But it was the sea that called to him most fervently.
His desire for freedom was put on hold however as the Dawncrag Wars unfolded. The people of Refuge were put to the test almost immediately upon their arrival as the goblins of the mountains defended their territoruy from these strange newcomers. Marq was conscripted into the newly formed Shield and forced to fight.

His break for freedom

Marq hated the wars against the goblinkin of the mountains, and couldn't understand why The Returned and their Lord Protectors had favoured such an immediate use of force. He admired the goblins, and had no desire to continue to fight them, so he absconded from his position and fled into hiding. In the newly founded cities of the Protectorates, there was no place to hide, and so Marq continued to flee shadowside, hitting the shores of Reverence Bay where he took to the waves in a stolen craft.
he was immediately enamoured of the vast oceans, the power of the waves, and the near mystical expanse of The Nightbridge above. He continued tacking into the prevailing winds, following the Nightbridge and the rising moons forward in the hope of finding land and protection in the vast cold.
It was pure fortune that he did not die in that first crossing, when finally, beset by a sleet storm that he could not see through, his stolen craft was finally crushed upon the first of ice-flows of the Sea of Black Ice. A wandering band of hunters from the Iceward Archipelago happend to witness his crash. They fished him out of the freezing waters, and managed to warm him back from the brink of death. They were fascinated by this strange hairless man and his unworthy sea craft and brought him back with them to their home island and the Seers of their clan - the Koroza.

Life with the kin of the Black Ice

He was soon accepted into the Koroza, a relatively small clan of Shadowkin who called the Iceward Archipelago home. The Seers were wary of him, but could sense no immediate threat in him, and he quickly proved to be a willing and eager participant in the clans work across the ice.
A young Shadowseer known as Kidjina had recently made connections to a lost Kahi, Ancestor Spirits from the time of The Destruction itself. Through this she knew the truths of what Marq would tell them about the Returned, and the history that had been forgotten even in the myths of her people. It was her spirit that knew the old tongue and could speak directly with Marq. And iIt was Marq who helped Kidjina master the relationship with the Kahi, and interpret what it would tell her. This relationship blossomed into love, and was the start of a lifelong romance between Marq and Shadowseer Kidjina.

The First Breaker

After nearly 20 moons with the Koroza, news began to arrive of the troubles on the mainland. The Dawncrag wars were beginning to near their end and the Protectorates were strengthening their hold across Reverence Bay. Their rudimentary ships were already crossing the bay, and had discovered the Uferbrech Archipelago and the conflict with the clans there was brewing.
Marq D'Or could see that the Koroza would one day soon come under threat as well unless they could protect themselves, and so he and Kidjina came up with the daring goal of facilitating - but ultimately controlling - the Protectorate access to the oceans.

The Icewarden

Marq returned in secret to New Lafaelle to make contact with people he knew from his life within The Shield and Academy. He convinced them that rather than fight the goblins of the ice, there would be far more profit in cooperation. He secured enough influential backers who had tired of the wars to help supply him with the materials needed to craft and adapt an iron ship capable of surviving the ice-strewn oceans. the agreement gave the backers a share of future profits for the promise that the deep ocean belonged to the clans. This essentially created the monopoly on ocean going trade that The Icerunners Guild continues to enjoy.
The construction of the ship that would become known as the Icewarden combined the technologies of the Returned, with the nautical skills and traditional magics of the clans. It was a labour of love between Marq D'or and Kidjina. Marq would design the mechanics and stone-magic powered engines of the ship, while Kidjina would work the magics to power the engines, and carve out a path through the ice.
The Icewarden enabled Marq and Kidjina's first crew of Koroza goblins to traverse the treacherous expanses of water along the edges of the Sea of Back Ice known as Silver Reaches, and opened up the tradeways between Novallucca and The burgeoning settlements of the Protectorates.

Founding of Runners End

For the next few years, Marq and Kidjina piloted the Icewarden along the Silver Reaches, and oversaw the expansion of the fleet with new ships and routes. It did not take long for the need of dedicated shipyards to be built.
Marq identified the location for Runners End within Reverence Bay, and secured the deal for ownership with the Lord Protector of Helton and New Lafaelle. He used the growing profits of the Guild to build the first wharfs and shipyards there. This base saw further expansion of the fleet, and secured the Guild's control of Protectorate trade routes.

Retirement

After long decades of running the Guild, both Marq and Kidjina tired of the chafing administration and constant deals. They craved the freedom of the open ice that they had travelled during their courtship. Their last act was to create the system of Chambers and shared profits amogst the crews, to divide the power and share the wealth across all members of the Guild.
The then took the now ageing Icewarden on a final trip of discovery, as far Shadowside as any had dared go. No-one knows of their fate, and many say they were following the Nightbridge to view the birthplace of the Moons and the secrets of the ancestors. But no trace of them or the Icewarden has ever been found.

Species

Arkin

Ethnicity

The Returned

Other Ethnicities/Cultures

• Koroza

Professions

• Breakers

Life

2774 AD 2892 AD 118 years old

Birthplace

Refuge

Place of Death

Sea of Black Ice

Aligned Organization

The Icerunners Guild

Founded Settlements

• Runners End