Joseph Starling
From Crossroads Wiki
| Joseph Starling | |
|---|---|
| |
| Baron Starling | |
| Baron Moonshadow | |
| Reign | May 506 - Present |
| Appointed | May 506 |
| Predecessor | Drake Ravensford |
| Heir Presumptive | None |
| Background | |
| Wife | Lazuli Starling |
| Offspring | |
| Lady Anatase Meadow Starling Lord Arden Flint Starling Lord Connor Peridot Starling | |
| Full name | |
| Joseph Starling | |
| Titles and styles | |
| Baron Moonshadow His Excellency Formerly: Lord Arden Vale Formerly: Squire | |
| Royal House | House Starling |
| Father | Aaron Starling of Mists |
| Mother | Helena Starling of Mists |
| Born | March 21 474 Arden Vale, Foxfire Cradle, Mists |
| Occupation | Baron Moonshadow Master Air Elementalist |
| Biographical Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 6'6" |
| Eye Color | Dark blue |
| Hair | Sable |
Joseph Starling, Baron Moonshadow
Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.
Baron Moonshadow, (Formerly Lord Arden Vale) is known to be something of a stern and somber man who follows etiquette and protocol to its full extent in the public eye. Prone to bouts of travel and exploration, he’s relied heavily on his steward, Bradshaw, over the years to help keep his lordship running smoothly during his absences. Travels that have been recently squelched due to the broken state of his recently bestowed Barony, much to the Barons ire.
While more publicly he has attended several debates, though little is known about his romantic life, the prim and proper man keeping quite discreet, though he was once even rumored to be courting the Citizen Speaker, Viola Allen and while they have traveled together, the pair haven't been seen together in quite some time. In 507 his betrothal to Lazuli Montaigu was announced and the pair had been seen in increasing company leading up to the public announcement at the Spring Festival. Starting at the Harvest festival in 506, Lazuli and Joseph were seen together, indulging in a dance and display of magic, though no rumors seemed to arise of their courtship or entanglement, they were soon spotted again, attending the Winter Festival together, perhaps a series of small events that lead to their betrothal, or so some might say.
History
The Starlings have long held the land of Arden Vale and thus the curse of noble intermarrying, creating a crossing of branches with cousins and such to the point that even the family trees tend to mirror the swamp in their own backyard. Such is the price for 'blue blood' to pump through your veins. This family long ago learned the blessing rumors and mystery can hold; little is done to quench the rumors spread upon their land, and some even speculate they encourage them to keep the foolhardy away from the wall.
They are more then willing to invite someone back to their home for dinner or an event, typically a hollow gesture for so few tend to accept. They are a private bunch, keeping them to themselves while still able to put on a nice show for the people, once more, man mirroring land.
The lines are starting to dwindle now, as roots are lost to the earth and only a few 'branches' remain to reach for the future. The late Lord Victor Starling died at a young age of 33; having never sired an heir, the mantle fell upon his brother Lord Joseph. Their mother and father Helena and Aaron had left it late in life to bear children, through no fault of their own. It was known within the family that Helena had trouble keeping a child to term, and Aaron had even started looking outside the family to name an heir just in case.
Victor was a relief once he was born, a long sought miracle that had finally arrived. Joseph? Unplanned and almost 'taken care of' to spare Helena the heartache of possibly losing another, but they tried. Victor was nearly five, sickly and lonely. Many was the hour a chambermaid would have to lay Victor over her lap while she clapped a cup to his back, heedless of his cries as he puked up buckets of phlegm and mucus whilst Mother and Father awaited a cure from Draught.
Victor was always to be the heir, by default Joseph was just a spare, a reluctant playmate for his brother and constantly reminded of what he would never have. His path turned him away from the land and the duchy, eyes set upon Guardians and the knights to steel his outside as he had his inside.
The fifth anniversary of his leaving was marked by the passing of his parents, the details once more a close-kept family secret. It is said they even air their laundry inside. The tenth anniversary was marked with the death of his brother, a scandalous passing involving a whore and suffocation as his illness caused a blockage in his throat whilst he slept. Too drained to wake up and clear it properly, he died... dignified... face down in his chamberpot.
It fell upon Joseph then to abandon his dreams of moving from squire to knight and to take up the reins as Lord.
Trivia
- As brooding as Lord Arden Vale might appear, he waxed the most romantic about landscapes with Lady Yilana, Lady Kyrie, and marine Alexander.
- A fine connoisseur of wine, Joseph has collected a wide selection not only from within the empire but including choice selections from his excursions beyond the barrier and it's even rumored he holds one of the Duke of Green Fields' prized vintage bottle in his collection.
- Lord Starling has been making a number of trips to Aquilarco at Duke Raziel's request.
- Reknown for his brash, upfront and blustery manner and prone to angry outbursts when provoked (though some might say provocation doesn't take much). It's oft attributed to his element.
- His personal ship is called 'The Prestige', a proud monument of his style and snobbery.
- The Starling Crest, the white hart is tied to legends of his family's past, curses and the origins of the swamp in Arden Vale, held by the Starlings since the settling of Mists.
- Those that have visited the Keep know that a whole wing is locked off and forbidden to all visitors, some even speculate that even Joseph hasn't been on that side of his own home.
Timeline
- September 505: Lord Arden receives a rather gruesome delivery.
- December 505: Reports surface from Arden Vale of the Cackals learning to mimic a new sound, the screams of humans.
- May 506: He is appointed by Duke Mists to the vacate barony of Moonshadow.
- May 506: Appoints Angiel Winter as Lady Regent of Arden Vale.
- April 507: Duke Raziel Publicly announces the Betrothal of Joseph Starling to Lazuli Montaigu, with the wedding scheduled for the morning of the Double Eclipse that year.
- September 11, 507: Joseph is married to Lazuli in the garden of the Moonshadow Baronial Estate the early morn of the Double Eclipse by Empress Philomena Caprios.
- April 28, 508: After a long and difficult labor in the Baronial Estate, Joseph's children Anatase, Arden and Connor are born.
Logs
April 30, 506 A.G. - Spring Festival Tournament Joseph squares off against Shayne Locksley and wins.
September 12, 507 A.G. - Moonshadow Wedding
Joseph is married to Lazuli Montaigu of Sorcery's Crest in the presence of her family and esteemed guests.
| Nobility of Mists | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Victor Starling | Lord Heir Arden Vale 492 – 497 | Vacant |
| Preceded by Victor Starling | Lord Arden Vale 497 – 506 | Succeeded by Angiel Winter |
| Preceded by Drake Ravensford | Baron Moonshadow May 506 - Present | Incumbent |
