Lysander Dolys
 Weapons: 0 |
 Items: 4 |
 Boons: 1
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Character
Description
Lysander is delightfully average.
Not tall, not handsome. Not a gifted fighter or a studious scholar. Decent wit, jovial disposition and remarkably unremarkable.
He wears a black handed-down-from-a-hand-me-down tailcoat (the sleeves are too long) with matching trousers (the legs are too short). Completing his was-someone-buried-in-this look is a wrinkled white shirt with a plain open collar (yes, it's missing buttons).
His only extravagance is a black pin of a cat's face with violet eyes sitting on the lapel of his scuffed tailcoat. What else is there to say about this bland afterthought? Birds nest of brown hair. Delicate eyebrows perched above a pointed nose and drab round eyes. He is wholly unprepared and naively optimistic for Matching Season. Gods help him.
Storylines
Background
Lysander is the new steward to House Nightfork in Eldron.
His own family, House Dolys, has a history so unambitious and unmemorable it'd almost be tragic if it wasn't so profoundly dull.
Castleton Part 1
Lysander was sitting by himself in a tavern, scribbling down in his notebook, "Be Kind, Be Vulnerable, Find True Love" when he had the good fortune of meeting Drestil Mace and Quartermaine "Quartz" Stormfell (his two new best friends). He set off with Drestil and Quartz to head to the Castle via teleportation circle but fate had other plans. The trio were brought to the antechamber of the Dhampton estate. It was here that they encountered the beautiful and intimidating Dhampton Triplets, Othella, the demigod of Admiration, Otto, the demigod of affirmation, and Ottilia, the demigod of altrusim. Lysander was immediately overwhelmed by their charm and grace, and asked them for any advice for The Matching Season as he truly was seeking to find True Love.
Each triplet was supportive and Lysander felt particularly moved by Otto sharing his belief that "Love gives us the endings we deserve,” In his nervousness Lysander clumsily spilt on himself, and was flustered beyond words when Ottilia, so kindly went out of her way to help him and calm his nerves. After exchanging more conversation they all agreed to head to the opening ball together then parted ways upon arrival. There, at the opening ball, Quartz left Lysander and Drestil who then met Orian "Ori" Rivulet, a charming young lord who admitted he had a rather sheltered and secluded upbringing. Agreeing to all be friends and walk-in together, the three made their entrance and mingled and eventually ended up chatting with Drestil's sister, Millora "Mille" Mace, and his father, Naeric Mace.
Later at the ball, after watching Millie chat with Prince Benjamin Armadeum, chaos struck when after The Duchess’ speech, the ball room floor turned into a pit of horror. As fighting broke out and people plummeted to their deaths, Lysander's first panicked thought was to look for Ottilia in the ringed balconies watching over the ball. Unable to spot her in the pandemonium he whispered, "Otti..." before making an alliance with Naeric, Drestil and Ori to protect each other. Working together, and being saved from falling by Ori, Lysander was thrown to safety by Naeric, then watched as Prince Benjamin sprouted wings after falling from his pedestal with Millie, and witnessed Millie get saved by a well thrown javelin from Orian. Overwhelmed by the night's events Lysander rushed back to his room at House Nightfork and scribbled a letter to Ottilia, confessing his feelings, despite how suddenly they'd come on and asking whether she felt the same or if he was just an unlucky mortal.
Later, in the dead of night that evening, Lysander was summoned by The God of Fame and Folklore and was teleported to the Dhampton Estate. That's when things got tricky. Fame and Folklore revealed that Lysander was not in fact an unlucky mortal, but rather Callidus, the demi-god of Trickery. Immediately Callidus asked Ottilia if she'd received his letter and after some playful back and forth about courting one another Callidus turned his attention to Fame and Folklore and asked rather incredulously impetuously why he was summoned and had his ruse broken. Fame and Folklore revealed that he and the triplets could work together here and if they vowed to do her bidding, namely to dethrone the Triune, she'd give the Dhamptons control over the demigod city. She quickly departed and left Callidus with the triplets who quickly reintroduced themselves and their true purviews.
After discussing how they could further their schemes and plots by working together (and exchanging some flirtatious words and glances with Otti) they all agreed to an alliance together. They toasted to their new shared goal, and with Otti dabbing at a spill Callidus playfully spilt on himself, he decreed, "May the gods be in your favour." Days passed and Callidus found himself more afraid than he’d ever been in his eternal life. He tried to smirk and charm his way through every interaction, but it was becoming clear he’d never been in such a terrifying situation. He was falling in love. He spent his days and nights at the Dhampton estate, sharing information they’d uncovered, what connections they could exploit, and planning their next moves. He quickly fell into a rhythm with the triplets.
Othella was hard to read, Otto was easy to bristle and Otti was… everything. Her eyes, her hair, her smile. The moments they could steal alone together, without the pressures of the ‘Ton, The Matching Season and their schemes… were precious and too few. Before he knew it, he was smitten. Before he could consider how dangerous it was for two divine beings with troublesome purviews to be tangled together, it was too late. The trick, he realized, was surrendering to the love. But a pantheon of elder gods weren’t going to overthrow themselves, and there was work to be done. So Ly/Cal tried to focus on the schemes at hand. The problem was Callidus was finding it became more and more challenging to be bumbling and unremarkable Lysander. Because people weren’t finding him bumbling and unremarkable.
Courting week forced Callidus to continue the Lysander ruse. He took on the affectations and posture of the unlucky mortal when he met Ursula Mace for an unplanned double date with her sister Millie and Orion Rivulet. Ly/Cal did his best to rebuff the charmingly awkward flirtations from Ori before and after their date, deflecting an invitation to join Ori for a feast by suggestion a walk in the park instead.
There he saw Tier Armadeum and Mina Tempest dancing surrounded by small woodland creatures and when Orian asked him to dance Ly/Cal quickly pivoted to awkward interpretive dancing to try and quell any romantic feelings Ori might be getting. Days later at the Dhampton residence, after a typically boring and bristly day with Otto, Callidus welcomed Otti home after she had an unsuccessful meeting with Leopold Silversole and his mother Senator Melis Silversole of Eldron and Mirella Ironspade. After exchanging a few barbs with Otto, the demigod of greed indicated to their chessboard and told Callidus that it was his move, before going on their imprisoned half-sister, Fallyn. Hoping for a moment alone with Otti, Callidus was forced to pretend to be Lysander when Mirella Ironspade arrived at the residence. He introduced himself then pretended to leave the estate before circling back to catch Otti before she released Valvaris from his cell.
After asking Otti if she thought Otto wasn’t liking how close they were getting Callidus confessed he had a heart full of of envy. Otti laughed off his charm and Callidus soon left but not before stealing the Red Queen from Otto’s chessboard on his way out. Later, Callidus made an appearance at a big party at the Ironspade residence for Eldornese folk. He arrived with Ahsa Ryome, who’d helped him out of a snow bank, then later at the party found himself brought into a conversation with Mirella Ironspade, Ardamir Nelfayne, Talmar Brasstack and Ignites Quilton. When asked by Talmar if he had eyes for anyone at The Matching Season Lysander revealed that there was someone who’d caught his interest.
Cal/Ly went on to explain that his family doesn’t really like him, and when people get to know him they don’t really like him. But he’d recently met someone who’d gotten to know the real him, and seen him for who he truly was, and they weren’t disinterested but seemed to like him and share the same values and passions. And he was beginning to think that they might be the one and that thought was scary to realize. When Talmar suggested that love should be scary Ly/Cal explained that he thinks the kids call it “...being down bad,” and that he definitely was bad deep down. Deep down bad. When pressed by the crowd if his crush was at the party, Ly/Cal deflected and said it was important he not reveal anything, as he couldn’t risk ruining everything.
Instead he steered the conversation towards why Eldron, so rich in resources yet poorly compensated in its trade deals with Cerul and Arma, needed to be so generous to the other nations. His delicate needling ended up riling up the inebriated Eldron party resulting in getting a drunken Kettlestone to roar, “Down with Cerul and Arma, Eldron all the way. We should kill them,” and a subsequent “Eldron, Eldron” cheer being echoed through the household. Much later at the party, after Otti and Othella arrived (as did demigods Kitrina Cain and Valdoris Cain) Callidus did his best to keep the Lysander facade going. But there was a moment, while he was swept up in a dance with Kitrina “Kiti” Cain, and he watched across the room Talmar dance with Otti — he couldn’t help but stare enviously at the pair, wishing things were simpler and he could dance with the one he wanted to be with.
Credits
Scotty (he/him) plays the remarkably unremarkable Lysander, an unlucky mortal looking for love with a heart full of envy. Scotty is the co-founder of HexplorersDnD, a professional marketer, and delightfully mischievous.
