Remy Gousselle
Remy Gousselle is an elite military combatant, the Guardian of Hephaestus, and the designated Mid-day Star practitioner within the official Archangel Triad of the Kingdom of Enca. A prominent member of the ancient, high-society Gousselle Family weaponsmith lineage, Remy stands 5' 10" and weighs 185 lbs, characterized by dirty blonde hair and the distinct, blue faceted eyes typical of an Encan guardian. Wielding aggressive, solar-aligned attributes alongside his family's firearms engineering heritage, his life has been defined by the strict social conditioning of his homeland, severe wartime trauma, and an ultimate political and romantic alignment with the high aristocracy of Pergrand's outer territories.
Biography
Early Life and Identity
Remy is one of the exceptionally rare individuals within native Encan bloodlines to be homosexual. His family recognized the signs during his early childhood, noting that physical contact from non-familial girls and women would cause him to freeze or cry. Remy himself did not fully comprehend his own sexuality until attending a high-society auction event in the Kingdom of Bosco, where he was supervising the sale of one of his family's custom firearms. During his week-long stay in Bosco, he encountered **Beck Fasion**, an interaction that catalyzed the realization of his sexual orientation.
Because Encan societal frameworks strictly refuse to tolerate homosexuality within native lineages due to generational continuity requirements, Remy was forced to hide his identity from the public. His immediate family and close inner circle were aware of the truth; while they frequently teased him about being a "queer one," they never openly declared his sexuality and actively worked to semi-protect him from broader cultural persecution.
The Darkest Night and Sanctuary Exile
Following the cataclysmic extra-planar invasion known as The Darkest Night, the central Guardian Council of Enca became heavily compromised and infiltrated by shape-shifting Darksiders. Attempting to force Remy into a strategic lineage arrangement, the compromised council tried to legally marry him off to one of their daughters.
Refusing the arrangement, Remy chose voluntary exile. He established a secure camp within the small, isolated civilian settlement surrounding the Sanctuary Island Rift Enclosure. Alongside a small contingent of loyal, uncompromised holdouts, Remy successfully defended the perimeter. Because the infiltrating Darksiders and their compromised allies could no longer access the Sanctuary's magical mote defense systems, Remy and his camp remained securely insulated from the corrupt council's authority. Within this isolated zone, he permanently assumed his station as the Guardian of Hephaestus.
Capture, Trauma, and Redemption
Following subsequent chaotic events within the jurisdiction of Sweorta, Remy and his fellow Triad member, **Tanis Trahain**, were ambushed and captured by international slavers. The captives were trafficked directly into the empire of Pergrand, falling into the custody of a ruthless underworld syndicate whose operational doctrine dictated that all male slaves be systematically broken through sexual exploitation. This period of captivity left Remy deeply traumatized, instilling a profound psychological fear that he could never return to his homeland or face his family again.
While enduring the aftermath of his rescue, Remy encountered **Grand Duke Garion Ellis**. Recognizing the depth of the young mage's distress, Garion personally intervened, providing dedicated psychological support and administrative sanctuary to help Remy process and overcome his severe trauma. As a profound token of affection and healing, Garion presented Remy with the legendary **Ellison Holy Forge**—a masterwork artifact that later transitioned into an official engagement present. Following the historic political coup and ultimate removal of the tyrannical King Raimarc Karadin from the Pergrandian throne, Remy and Garion were officially joined in a high-society marriage, establishing Remy as a permanent fixture within the Ellison ducal court.
Powers and Abilities
- Mid-day Star Lineage Arcana: Remy is an exceptionally swift aerial combatant, capable of shattering the sound barrier in high-altitude flight and close-quarters movement. He commands high-tier Divine Fire and solar-aligned light sorcery to incinerate dark magics and extra-planar shadow constructs.
- The Ellison Holy Forge: Wielding this legendary regional asset, Remy can channel his innate celestial solar energy to forge, temper, and enchant advanced weaponry and armaments at an unprecedented magical tier.
- Gousselle Weaponry Heritage: Trained from birth by the realm's premier weaponsmiths, Remy possesses master-level proficiency in advanced firearms logistics, custom calibration, and tactical ballistic deployment.
Craft and military service
Remy combines his Mid-Day Star Archangel calling with work as a sniper and blacksmith. He follows the Forge God, Hephaestus, and bears the god’s hammer mark. His Archangel form has gold-and-black feathered wings with radiant golden edges. His husband is Grand Duke Garion Ellison, a Summoner and Pergrandian military commander.
The Darkest Night (unpublished)
This section draws on The Darkest Night, an unpublished story. The opening document and numbered DN documents are manuscript sources, not published AO3 chapters. Ages, relationships and events below describe this earlier point in the characters' lives.
The forge and the new Triad
Before the attack, Remy works at the Sanctuary forge, blaming himself for being unable to stop Cida's disappearance. He notices a disturbing change in the rift and reports it, but the Council does not send the expected specialists. When the containment fails he distributes weapons and ammunition, sustains the forge with magic and joins Sirius's effort to recover Curtis. His Mid-day Star wings emerge under attack. (Opening manuscript; DN 2.)
Damshiel trains him alongside Sirius and Tanis. Remy's wings respond to real threats even while Darksider mental attacks disrupt his perceptions, providing both defense and a cutting weapon. He later helps expose Robichaud and protects Curtis during the coronation attack. (DN 2; DN 5; DN 9.)
Remy and Tanis are subsequently captured by an illegal slaving operation in Pergrand. Sergei intervenes, Kaden treats their injuries, and Remy responds strongly to the Hephaestus affiliation of the Duke who helps them. Their rescue belongs to this earlier stage of his history. (DN 13–14.)
White Sea story
Remy's relationship with Garion joins the Encan Mid-day Star to a Summoner devoted to Hephaestus. During Lucille Alderis's challenge, Cassiopeia forcibly subjugates Remy and prevents him from acting. Garion defeats the challenger and forces Cassiopeia to release him, exposing how the older abuses of Archangel mating were being repeated. (White Sea, Chapters 16, 30 and 36.)
