The streets of Cordor are perilous indeed. Though pickpocketing thieves and corrupt guards run amok, the greatest danger of all are the nobles who stand to benefit from the city's chaos; forces of epicurean evil who line their pockets with the coin of the innocent. Newest among them is the one and only Laurian Sabel, a sickly young man seeking the riches of the city's underbelly to afford the medicine which keeps him healthy and hale.
(Granted, even with said medicine, he's practically on the verge of death regardless.)

As far as Laurian's visual inspirations go, the look of a malicious, pale-skinned noble with striking red hair can most likely be attributed to Arvis of Velthomer from Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, as well as Id from Xenogears. Both of which are antagonists from late 90s JRPGs, so I wonder if it was a common design trope back then, and where it might originate from? Whatever the answer is, it's certainly uncommon now, given that most fantasy characters, heroes and villains alike, currently seem to be opting for either black or white hair exclusively. What a shame, considering how memorable and interesting a bold hair color can be for a character.

Conceptually, it's difficult to pin down the idea of a sickly aristocrat of ill-temperment to a singular source. Features of sickness or other forms of disability are often used to make a villainous character feel outcasted and strange compared to the able-bodied, healthy heroes, and it's difficult to argue that I didn't play into that, at least unconsciously. But, Laurian is a character that I'm playing for my own enjoyment, and I don't believe it harmful to use such tropes wisely. On that topic, I'd be remiss not to mention Elric of Melnibone, who, ultimately, is the source of every character I have ever and will ever make, given how thoroughly he has influenced everything that has influenced me. And, once you see the similarities between the sickly, brooding, magical aristocracts who loathe their troublesome family and rely on complicated medicines in order to survive, it may become difficult to separate the two... At least their hair colors are different.

Now, as for the process of actually making Laurian in game, I was informed by a wise and deeply sophisticated individual that creating a noble character in Arelith requires submitting a thorough application which can take up to a week to be looked over and approved. I ended up writing quite a backstory that was likely far too long, but I did my best to keep it succinct for the benefit of the DM team judging it. After about a week or two of edits and adjustments, I sent off the application, proud of my hard work, naively expecting it to take only a few days to be accepted. I spent that time creating his in-game look on the PGCC and testing different builds (he is now an exceptionally fragile hemomancer, in case you were curious) while waiting for feedback from the DM team. The days continued to pass until it had been over a week, and I began to fear for the (at the time, nonexistent) noble... Thankfully, while watching the Ao no Kusabi OVAs to pass the time, I received the good news that Laurian Sabel had been approved, and I could join the ranks of the few remaining noble players in Cordor.

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