[Location] Narvaen Stables

[Paragon]

Narvaen Stables Sprawling on the outermost fringes of Zeltiva, Narvaen Stables is a 13-acre spot of green that contrasts the slate gray of stone buildings. When the Valterrian struck, decimating the places and peoples of the bay, labour was scarce. Sleel Narvaen, a common bricklayer, capitalised upon an opportunity and spent everything he had on three horses. Learning mostly everything on the job from luck and hearsay, he soon produced two foals. He reared and trained them, and when ready for work they sold at ludicrously high prices. With this money, he began to build a business of breeding and training horses, and in the shattered world he lived in, horses were worth more than men. His wealth grew, and he quickly claimed a swath of land outside the remains of the city. He build stables and pastures and a modest little house, and died at the healthy age of 86. His family continued his legacy, developing draft horses, and there are rumours that these stables were actually the birthplace of the coloursplash. Whether or not this is true, they definitely focused on the breed, and their coloursplashes are known throughout Mizahar for their quality. Other stables often order foals to strengthen their own bloodlines, and every horse is at ease in water. At Zeltiva continued to rebuild into a city to rival its predecessor, the need for work animals diminished. The family began to turn their eye to the horses of higher class, and the firemane in particular, to cater to the tastes of the powerful scholars and merchants that lived in the city. The little house grew into an auspicious manor, and the buildings began to grow in quality. Now, the stables are well-known in Zeltiva, and relatively known in almost every other civilised city. There are two main stables: the “for-sale” building and the “not-for-sale” building. The first holds breeding stallions, pregnant and nursing mares, unweaned foals, and horses that the stable is too embarrassed of to display. This stable can be browsed with an appointment. The second holds the trained animals that are ready to be bought, and virtually every breed can be found there for the right price. NPC : Alaxal Narvaen The current head of the Narvaen family, Alaxal is what someone is his position would be expected to be. Born and raised as a noble’s son, he doesn’t have very many skills and is only where he is according to tradition. Still, he is very proud of his heritage. Legally, he owns all of the stables and horses, and is very picky about breeding and training. He does not allow any crosses or mixing of bloodlines, and does not like to train horses to drive, thinking that a horse is only good if it can be ridden. Like any noble, he surrounds himself with finery, and there has been talk of him ending the colorsplash legacy altogether in favor of fancier, more beautiful horses. He is very clear about his place at the head of the family, and any challenges to his authority will be met with consequences as harsh as he can muster. Despite this, he isn’t too smart, and likes anyone willing to stroke his ego. Skills: 48 Persuasion 26 Riding 18 Negotiation 15 Leadership -- Sienna Narvaen Though she reports to her older brother, Sienna is the true stablemaster. Born as the second child and restricted by her gender, she was often left to her own devices. She spent most of her time outside with the horses, and the grooms and trainers saw her as some sort of communal daughter. If she was ever bullied or wronged, the offender would have twenty burly horsemen ready to beat them to a pulp, and she grew up in more safety than she realised. When she was large enough to ride, it soon became apparent that she had a gift for interacting with horses, and she began her career as a trainer. Soon enough, she surpassed all of her peers, gentling even the wildest beasts and training them to do even the most difficult of feats. She garnered respect, and with a bit of careful sycophantism she convinced her brother to let her have full run of the stables. She is now an avid horsewoman, and though she usually follows her brother’s rules, every now and then she “forgets” to tell him of a certain mixed foal, or a certain new groom, or a certain training session. Unlike him, she loves her animals and takes care of those that work for her, and the business continues to flourish under her hand. Skills: 60 Horsemanship 58 Riding 45 Driving 22 Leadership 15 Negotiation -- Geraldt Coulsan Geraldt is the stables out-of-the-family manager. Born and raised in Syliras, the Narvaen family employed him to help with the general running of the facility. He is not particularly skilled in the ways of horsemanship, but he is good with numbers and keeping things organized. It is rare to find him in the stables, however he has been known to favour a horse once in a while and visit it from time-to-time. Customers speaking with him will most likely get a sense of something bothering him, since his eyes are usually devoid of any sort of sparkle. However, he is polite and knowledgeable, and does his best to cater to customer needs. Skills: 15 Leadership 40 Organization 30 Mathematics 10 Horsemanship Credit to Eorar