Born into the powerful House Wintercrest of Cheliax, Cornelius was raised to be a noble heir—trained in war, politics, and the ruthless rule of law. But unlike his family, he had no stomach for cruelty. He saw the suffering of the common folk and secretly aided them, a kindness his older brother, Hadrian, saw as weakness.
At eighteen, his family fell. Hadrian betrayed them, fabricating treason charges that led to their execution and exile. Only Cornelius escaped, stripped of his title and hunted by the Hellknights. Forced into hiding, he became Niel Crest, a thief surviving in the underbelly of Cheliax. Yet he never lost his compassion. Using his noble education and street-learned skills, he became a battlefield healer, patching up the wounded and stealing from the rich to aid the desperate.
For years, he evaded capture, but Hadrian had not forgotten him. A bounty was placed on his head, and the Hellknights closed in. Cornered after a failed heist, Cornelius barely escaped Cheliax with his life, escaping to First Landing and the New World. Now, exiled from the only land he has ever known, he is still a thief, still a healer, and still hunted. But safe for now.