Measures of a father  (Verdan Van Drift)

Empty coffers and a full heart

Art: ? (contact me if you know who made it, so that I can give them credit)

The Van Drift Noble family has long been known as the figurehead of Vandrift. Having vastly improved the efficiency of the coal mines output, along with having invented soaps to combat the extremely filthy conditions that came along with it, they gained vast praise, gold and titles.

Sadly, a figurehead, is all that the Van Drifts are nowadays. Their family is still held in high regard and liked by the townsfolk of Van Drift, but the gold is mostly gone and their noble title and connections are all that remain. The last couple of generations have been very philanthropic and have thus invested most of their wealth in the town and townsfolk, in hopes of increasing the living standards and keeping the livelihoods of the general public afloat as coal prices plummeted due to new technologies.

The current generation has shown to embrace their parents and grandparents disposition, but with less self-sacrifice. Nonetheless, some ingenuity is needed, for the family to rise out of the slump, thankfully the current family head is quite intelligent and as such, leaves business decisions to his extremely efficient and grounded wife, Mikaela. She can at least trust her husband, Verdan, to do the necessary paperwork and be a public figure when needed, although he spends far too much time reading or doting on their daughters.

While the eldest daughter, Rozamond, complains a lot about her fathers doting, she also uses it to her advantage. Her inventive spark has been incredible since she was little and her projects have only grown ever more complex, as has the amount of funding she siphons out of her dad's increasingly empty pockets. Her projects have not gone unnoticed, various would-be "sponsors" and suitors have attempted to trick her, but she is willful and when the day comes, it will be on her terms (much to her dad's relief).

The twins, Elise and Emily, inseparable as twins often are, but very much their own person and different interests. While Elise has shown fondness for the Noble lifestyle, dresses, mannerisms and presentation, Emily has always found herself having the most fun when she can help out with the odd jobs and chat with people. Both have a healthy hunger for gossip, while Elise focuses on how to utilize the gossip best, Emily just enjoys the act of gossiping. Both are good-natured, and while Elise may come across as cold and collected, she has the same fiery temper as Emily when they feel a line has been crossed.

Verdan himself, has always had a penchant for dancing and music, but it was not in the cards for him to become known throughout the lands for either. Instead, his father insisted that his aptitude for magic, had to be tempered, as such he was sent to and spent much of his youth in The Sustria Academy.