The Evander Family has long been as notorious for their many scandals and misdoings as they are their ability to slither out from the consequences of those misdeeds. All the way back to Hamish Evander changing allegiances in the Great Fracture in the final days of the war and managing to maintain his family’s lands and titles, the Evanders have always known - and more than often caused - trouble.

Aro Evander, the latest of his line - barring his young heir not yet debuted to the world - seems to be the exception to his family’s long history of backbiting and maliciousness.

Born the fifth son of Erskine Evander, Duke of Blackmoore, Aro was never expected to do anything except become an officer of the King’s army, as is the custom for most extraneous children of nobles. The course of Aro’s life changed, however, when in his fifth year the Blackmoore Massacre occurred and the resulting revolt saw his father and four older siblings executed.

Aro’s mother, Melia Evander, managed to secret both herself and young Aro out of the Blackmoore and to nearby Goldenward before she could be captured herself. Hoping to find refuge, Melia managed to sneak into the private garden of Duchess Elfrida Koeman and plead her case. Duchess Koeman was moved by Melia’s desperation to save her last living child, and though she could not protect Melia herself, Koeman agreed to take Aro in as her ward. Koeman’s influence was found to be of great benefit to the boy, and it wasn’t long before the shadow of young Evander’s family was nearly forgotten in favor of the charismatic, keen young man the Duchess had molded him into. Aro himself was devoted to the Koeman’s, and Duchess Efrida especially, though there were still some detractors that maintained suspicion about him.

Those suspicions of Aro and his motives were largely ignored however when, in Aro’s twenty-sixth year, he nearly died while protecting the Duchess from an assassination attempt. The act of heroism made beloved by the people of Goldenward, and his popularity with the common folk and nobility alike grew even more when the truth of the assassination attempt came to light. It is said that Aro himself was the one to discover the information that the organizers behind the dead were the Duchess’ own sons, out of fear that Efrida would name Aro her heir over them. A concern that only became a reality when the Duchess, heartbroken and betrayed over what her sons had attempted to do, disowned both of them and formally adopted Aro as her son and heir.

Sadly, only a year would pass before Duchess Efrida Koeman passed away of illness, leaving Aro to take his place as Duke of Goldenward. Over the following twenty years, Aro Evander has turned the mercantile city into a major power of Therimia, bringing more wealth and power to Goldenward than any noble before him.

If there are still rumors about Aro Evander’s true character, well any who know him and his charm know that such things are merely slander. Lies undoubtedly born from the jealous people of Tristead, whose animosity with Goldenward has only been growing since Evander took control over the Shining City and it’s surrounding lands.