Origins
Blackfells Industries has been manufacturing on the Crescent since manufacturing was on the Crescent. Even though they are a citizen family, they claim to go back as far as the Khournas family, and claim a certain seniority among the citizenry.
Vadim Oveldeev and Starina Blackfells had two children. His son, Semyon, came first, followed six years later by Klaudea. The daughter, who came along when they began to think that not even fertility treatments and all that modern science had to offer was going to Starina able to conceive a child that she could carry to term, was considered a miracle. And so, Klaudea was spoiled by all from the beginning.. her father, her mother, and even her big brother. She was given everything she asked for, although, surprisingly, she didn’t ask for much. Klaudea was always more interested in seeing and doing. Rather than wanting things, Klaudea wanted to learn. She wanted to play cards with the adults, or work on the computer with her brother, or cook something for dinner to show her parents what a ‘big girl’ she was. She even wanted to learn to write beautifully, like the old fashioned writing. She would spend hours at letters, making them her own personal art form. Since the Blackfells prized industriousness above all things, all these endeavors were greatly encouraged.
When she was eleven years old, she went with one of the hired household staff to the market place. She begged with her parents to go see where the food came from that was always delivered to their house. They gave in, not expecting any harm to come of it, and the excited child practically skipped the entire way.
Unfortunately, that same curiosity of wanting to ‘do’ and ‘see’ took hold when the staff person was paying the butcher. Klaudea wandered away and one curiosity lead to another, until she found herself in a strange area with no more shops. It was dim and dreary, underneath the thicker clouds of smog that clog the sky over the factories. Her expensive clothes drew attention right away, and a couple of unsavory types saw a chance to make some quick money with a ransom demand. Their plan was put to a stop when a worker returning home with his son noticed what was happening and chased off the criminals. Realizing the girl had strayed from the market, they took her back to the hired staff who was starting to go beserk looking for her. They chatted amiably enough during the walk back, but warned her against the perils of “Smogly”, which is how the denizens referred to “Smog Alley” and urged her to stay away.
Purpose
Klaudea didn’t stay away. She found some old clothes that one of the hired staff outgrew, a cloak with a deep hood and some old trousers. In this poor looking attire, she would sneak out some days and return to Smog Alley. First, it was to take a basket of food that she made herself to the man and his son to thank them for their help. Later, it was to study the conditions that she had only glimpsed during that day she was lost. She realized that many factory owners, her own family included, had many regulations that kept the workers in penury. Many suffered from health issues and poor living conditions, and often the two were intertwined. No one took any notice of just another child in a poor, deep hooded capelet, and a scarf to block out the harmful smog, so she was able to go unremarked.
The young girl tried talking to her father on the subject, but with little avail. Vadim is one of those wealthy people that is convinced that the poor are poor because they have neither the ambition nor the wish to work hard enough to change their circumstances. Knowing that she couldn’t prevail upon her father to help her, Klaudea cast about for a way to do it herself.
Her father’s cousin, Sir Urik Blackfells, came visiting not long before Klaudea’s thirteenth birthday, and suddenly, she the answer to her dilemma. As a knight, she’d have her own income and she would be able to protect herself and others against those who preyed upon the weaker inhabitants forced to live in Smog Alley due to their lack of income. She applied first to Sir Urik to take her on as a squire, then to her father to fund her becoming a squire. Seeing nothing wrong with his daughter becoming a knight… in fact, being a minor noble would bring some amount of prestige to the family, Vadim had no objections to spending a large sum of money from the income of the factory to fund this endeavor. Klaudea’s thirteenth birthday present was her first set of practice weapons and armor, and she became a squire to Sir Urik.
Becoming
Klaudea had confided her main reasons to Sir Urik for why she wished to become a knight, and so, his early training focused on ways to fight human foes in Smog Alley without weapons, or with polearms, since someone limping along with a walking staff would draw little comment. He also began teaching her the art of warfare, as she would need to anticipate and prioritize threats and targets if she was set upon in an alley. Some of the other aspects of knighthood, such as the training of others and command skills, Sir Urik postponed in the interest of honing her combat skills as quickly as possible. Her childhood curiosity stood her in good stead, with her urges to do and learn being focused and channeled into the studies of becoming a knight.
One day, Sir Urik, who was attached to Sir Thalo’s company, went out to escort a convoy of the Saimhann family to Spikka. On the way, they ran into a group of Hostiles. It was to be Sir Urik’s last battle, as he was mortally wounded. The nineteen year old squire was informed that Sir Urik fell bravely holding the line by none other than "The Wall", Sir Lieutenant Thalo Khorax himself. When the question of finding a new knight to continue her training arose, Sir Thalo said he would give her recommendation, based on her performance, and had her put on her armor then and there and give an accountance in the practice ring. At the end of which he instructed her to report to him. It still hasn't completely sunk in that she is now the squire of such a formidable knight, since she's still coping with the realization that the knight, and family member that had been her mentor for the past six years is gone.