Gem Celestine

Gem Celestine is a Human nobleman, warrior, militarist, and leader within the nation of Lorent. He is the Head of House of House Celestine, current leader of the desert town Verdune, responsible for recruiting players to the Lorentish military, and leader of the elite Mercenary group Brothers of Smoke. Gem is known for his humble and forgiving nature, as well as his swordsmanship and combat ability. In the same regard, his spontaneity and desire to seek the good in people leaves a soft spot which, in the correct context, can be used against him for evil.

Childhood
Growing up Gem Balde (now Gem Celestine) lived in a secluded house with his family, with a quaint nearby village known as Quagmire.

Family
The father of Gem Balde is Gilbert Balde, a Human that worked as a Big Game hunter for Quagmire, hunting in parties for moose and elk. Gilbert was a volunteer for the local militia of Quagmire to defend against frequent raids from the native Elf population. Gem had a positive relationship with his father, although they had a distanced attachment. Gem rarely saw his father due to his responsibilities within the town. Traditionally, Gilbert Balde was not home until after dark, hunting deep into the night. He is alive and healthy.

The mother of Gem Balde is Emeny Balde. She was a lawful, good-faithed human that worked as an entertainer in the nearby village of Quagmire. Her relationship with Gem was special - they were very close. Emeny Balde was killed by a murderer at the age of 35, only 7 years after Gem Balde's birth.

Trauma
Due to multiple failed attempts at invading Quagmire, the elven natives sought revenge on the Quagmirians. In an attempt to whittle down Quagmirian defenses, the elves developed a hitlist of the highest ranking officials within the Quagmire militia. By changing their strategy of attack, the elves had hoped to increase their chances at a successful siege. They would go on to storm militiamen houses in the secrecy of the night. Because of Gilbert Balde's strong skill with a bow and his involvement in defending Quagmire, his name was penned onto the elven hitlist.

A bandit from the native Elf population sought revenge on Gilbert Balde for killing his brother in the attack on Quagmire, and as such, swiftly volunteered to execute Gilbert Balde during a hitlist meeting. The bandit went to Gem's house to kill Gilbert, however Gilbert was out in the forest hunting animals. The bandit mercilessly slit the throat of Emeny Balde, while Gem hid in a closet. When the bandit departed, Emeny was left on the floor to bleed. Scurrying out of the closet, Gem Balde picked up his mother only to watch as blood oozed from her throat while in his arms. Because of Emeny Balde's youthful death, Gem was left with major trauma and made it his life purpose to ensure catastrophe would never again be inflicted on another family of good spirits.

By targeting and massacring militiamen one-by-one in the middle of the night, the elves were able to completely destroy any last hope Quagmire had. This forced Gem and his father to flee the continent and hop between refugee camps.

Beginnings
Upon arrival at Relmont, Lorent on March 8, 2022, Gem was greeted by Royal Luth Cole, whom which he developed a sound relationship with. Royal Luth Cole invited Gem to stay in an apartment of the local town Lumaire while Gem worked on his swordsmanship. After being introduced in Lumaire and beginning relations with its leader Ractillil, Gem Balde began to experiment with magical potions secretly within the 4 paper-thin walls of his dingy apartment, blocking off all the windows to ensure nobody would discover his recipes. During this time, he learned many secret potion recipes that would yield him an advantage in combat. One day however, Ractillil approached Gem with an offer.

He invited Gem to become a member of the Brewer's Coalition of Lumaire, to which Gem accepted. This acceptance granted him access to the Lumaire brewery, which possessed greater equipment needed for advanced potion experimentation. Gem used these facilities to discover recipes for adept potions commonly used by the elites of PvP.

Helona
Having been established in Lumaire for some time, A nearby town mayor, BossTyrant, was seeking someone to take his place upon his mysterious last minute departure, and caught wind of Gem's humbleness. On March 13, 2022, Gem Balde was given the Soul of Helona by BossTyrant, signifying a transfer of leadership within the town. However, Boss did not make it known when or if he would return. After receiving ownership from BossTyrant, Gem made the decision to redo and improve the town for the better.

Verdune
On April 12, 2022, Gem was given ownership of the town Verdune by its owner JuniorTide. This new ownership laid the groundwork for developing an active, prospering town.

[SCREENSHOTS OF OLD HELONA AND NEW HELONA PROGRESS]

House Celestine
On April 10, 2022, Gem Balde was offered and accepted a hand in marriage with Nuggets Celestine, laying groundwork to co-own House Celestine alongside one another. As Heads of House, Gem and Nuggets Celestine began hosting weekly events for house followers, which fostered a tight-knit community and encouraged outsiders to join the house.

Largest PvP Tournament in Stoneworks History
On April 3, 2022, to prove himself as an asset and worthy leader of the Lorentish military, Gem entered into the largest PvP tournament in Stoneworks. After fighting his way through 63 opponents, including garama and CASELOAD, Gem was crowned the winner of the 1st Annual Blacksmith Guild Tournament and received winnings of $240,000. After defeating CASELOAD in the finals, the underdog graciously shared 50% of his winnings with his opponent, displaying his humble and forgiving soft spot to the PvP community.

Brothers of Smoke
Having watched from the shadows for some time, Gem Celestine noticed various mercenary groups grow and fall from stardom. He noticed a common trait all unsustained mercenary groups had in common: lack of skill, motivation and initiative. After developing enough connections, Gem Celestine brought together an elite group of fighters which would change the history of mercenary groups forever. On May 10, 2022, the Brothers of Smoke was formed with founding members Garama, berd, CASELOAD, UghBraces, and their leader Gem Celestine.