Pyrite

He/Him, Heterosexual, mated to Artemis.

A lovely duke of a wind-based clan that allied with Artemis. He was the son of its former lord and the clan's high priestess. While he is just as religious and ritual oriented as his mother, he takes more after his father's spirit. There is nothing Pyrite loves more than the thrill of a hunt and the feeling of being in nature. He was never the first in line for his dukedom, and spent most of his time slacking off and playing rather than attending his duties. While this behavior often got under the skin of the strict and leaderly Artemis, she can't help but find his laid back energy calming and quite charming. He's genuinely a big sweatheart who many would be hard-pressed not to love.

He is always accompanied by his many dogs, making him all the more infectiously happy to be around. He's very laid back and generally not very firm, and Artemis's structure often helps him to function at his best and most professional.

The two of them have been childhood sweethearts. Their parents had arranged for them to be married for a long time, something neither have attested to. Pyrite has never been into politics, but does generally back Artemis's beliefs and policies. He is almost always supportive of all her choices, and was utterly heartbroken when she was exiled. For the first time in his life, he felt passionately serious about something. He was willing to leave the comforts and confines of his leadership and become exiled himself if that meant living with his beloved. But due to his spoiled lifestyle, it was like a brisk slap to the face.

Pyrite had never learned to sustain himself on his own, and struggled to make do. He often found himself stealing to keep himself alive and hunting dangerous treasures for profit. He came out of it extremely world wary and toughened via trial and error and he has become a powerful physical fighter out of necessity. Yet he has never lost sight of the reason he left in the first place. He spent day and night trying to find Artemis, using his dogs to track Artemis with his last reminder of her, a clump of her shed feathers. After years of roaming Sorienth, he finally happened upon sign of her. He caught sight of Apollo on a hunting expedition, and absolutely soaking in her scent. He approached him and asked the Skydancer if she was okay, and he confirmed so. When the lovers reunited, there was no joy they'd ever felt like it.

Their relationship has only grown deeper since then, and Artemis has even borne them two lovely children. Their son, Citrus, has his father's spirit of adventure, and has since taken up a life of travel under the patronage of the Arcanist, his chosen deity. Their daughter, Verbena, however, stays with them in-clan. She has her mother's strong will and her (metaphorical) uncle Xerxes' idealism, and believes that with enough effort they can return to their homes as rulers again, saving their clans and crowning her a princess.

The clan's familiar system was also easy for Pyrite to grow accustomed to. He had always been close to his dogs and the beastclans that aided his former clan, and it was no struggle to grow close with Medallion, a creature he once only saw as an inconvenience. They were the remains of a cursed treasure that Pyrite could never quite sell off, and the creature became so attached to him that it would never leave. But since he has gotten to know them, Pyrite has learned that Medallion has a charming sense of humor and a natural eye for seeing hidden value. Not only have these skills proved useful when the two go on scavenging expeditions for their clan, but the two have truly become friends and partners.