Themes

For as long as Arseni has acclimated to life outside of the Skatay Range, he’s looked down upon societies that build cities. They are made in defiance of the natural order, breeding decadence and strife in their heresy. He considers himself right at home within them as someone who has shirked the ‘correct’ way of living. He’s happy to indulge in whatever comforts a city can offer, but equally fears an inevitable collapse. Just as he couldn’t escape his fate of exile, the cities cannot escape theirs of destruction.

A perfect imposter in high society, with finer tastes and better manners than even the most distinguished men among them. His heists are only for things that catch his interest—items of historical intrigue, art pieces, rare jewels, the like. They are performed elusively, through mind-bendingly elaborate tricks to shockingly simple ones. He has managed to evade the law his entire career, never staying caught for more than a sennight. These days Arseni has settled down into aristocratic life, and his thefts are solely to fund his lavish life, or the rare time a beloved item eludes his grasp legally.

Arseni despises the circumstances of his life and is wont to dwell on the unchangable. He resents being born male, into a Viera clan, even many years after his exile. Giving up on Wood-warding means he has failed what he was born to do, and he yearns for a life where the shadow of his childhood can’t follow. This manifests in many different ways, particularly in wishing he had been born in a city where all his desires were within reach, or as a woman in his village where his soft heart wouldn’t have been an issue. It’s often the topic of his wallowing, but something he’s loathe to voice.