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NAME: King Segoriel Fairbreed
CANON: original
CANON POINT: pleading with the revolutionaries
AGE: late twenties, early thirties
HISTORY: Segoriel was not born a prince, though he was born wealthy. His mother was lowborn, with no surname of her own, but she adopted the name Fairbreed when she was marrying his father -- a joke of a name, poking fun at all his noble peers who thought her too coarse to join their ranks despite the wealth and fame she'd earned for herself. The doer of many great deeds, she was known to the world as The Good Crow, then The Defiant Crow, and later The Defiant. To her husband, she was Lynia. She was absent for long stretches of Seg's childhood, traveling and winning glory. The longest period he remembers her staying home in his early years is when she became too pregnant with his little sister to go adventuring for awhile, and then her recovery from birth.
The region had no central government at the time of Segoriel's birth, acting more as a collection of farming regions and city-states with shared culture and strong trade. But when he was nine, and his sister Vianola was just three, The Defiant had made treaties with enough of these regions that she was able to declare herself the ruler. The castle where they lived was designated the country's capital, and she spent the rest of her life uniting the land, fighting to bring all corners of the island under the High Queen's authority.
Segoriel was educated as befitting a man who would be king -- to the extent possible, starting at the age he did. He would come to understand later that his father was somewhat outcast from polite society, and if not for that, he would have had a tutor in early childhood who would have given him a head start, but as it was, his father couldn't hire one. He watched Vianola with her tutor from a much younger age, and tried not to be jealous of how much more easily she was learning to read.
Naturally inclined to indoor pursuits, Seg made sure not to neglect his education in sport, either, knowing that it was all the more important for him to have a good showing of such in front of his peers. He made himself socialize and make friends no matter how it exhausted him, and if they ribbed him about being a bit of a brooder, he took it in good fun. He was diplomatic in his friendships, never bullying, even if this sometimes cost him closer connections.
When his mother died and it came time for him to take the throne, Seg knew it was important for the people to see that his mother wasn't the only one who could steward the kingdom. His mother drew the blueprint for the dynasty, but Seg knew it was up to him to build it, that it was truly his accomplishments that would secure the kingdom. So he put his head down and got to work. With a core group of friends, he followed in his mother's footsteps, splitting time as equally as possible between administrative tasks at home, and visiting parts of his kingdom to solve problems with a blade. He knew he needed to marry in order for the bloodline to survive, but he also knew that, should the worst occur, his sister was just reaching maturity, and his father would be an able regent until she was ready to take the throne and marry.
Six years into his reign, things changed. Segoriel went into a cave near a village expecting to find a young troll, or perhaps a pack of direwolves, two threats he had nearly eliminated from the island with his commissioned teams of monster hunters. He has never spoken of what he found instead, but he was the only survivor. Some think that he was the most able fighter, or at least the most lucky, and was able to kill the thing after his friends had weakened it and fallen. Some think that whatever he saw in there, it drove him mad, and he killed his friends. Some think the whole thing is overblown, and they simply died of too much celebratory drink. There are still whispers in that village that the king was mangled in some way, but surely the public would have noticed by now if that were true, wouldn't they?
What is known is that that was the last time the king has ventured more than two hours' travel from the capital, and that the king is now rarely seen without wearing a cape, cloak, or heavy armor. What is also known is the turn Segoriel's rule has taken since the incident. The king was never overly generous with his people, but he was personally kind, giving alms at the castle gate, and implementing taxes with clear explanations of what they were for. Segoriel believes that the people of Astinglen are intelligent adults who can understand the transaction of 'pay a little money, get a road.' Or at least, he did at one point. Now taxes are high and the people are going hungry.
Segoriel could feel the ground beneath his feet becoming unsteady, and began to regret not marrying earlier -- a queen at his side to be a mother to the people would be useful in this situation. It doesn't help that he has some very specific needs in his queen. He prefers the company of men, so she needs to be comfortable with him having affairs, as she may have any affairs with women she wishes (unfortunately, not men, as paternity cannot be in question even if she were privately sure). And yet he does not wish for the bloodless political marriage so many of his friends' parents had. He wishes for friendship and respect and a willingness to work at having a deep platonic love. These requirements might have been within reach before his popularity plummeted, when he could count on the assumption of good faith in any suit he may bring, but now? It's a problem.
His sister, of course, had no such issues. Still young and fresh, but old enough and strong enough to bear children, Vianola begins to look like the second coming of The Good Crow. Segoriel wrote letters to his people pleading for their understanding, assuring them that there are reasons for a country to need strength. But his PR efforts were for naught, and his sister gathered support. The revolution came to the castle, and out of love for her big brother, Vianola promised him a fair trial.
Brought out in chains and simple clothing, for the first time in years, Seg was seen to have a twisted leg and a damaged back. Without the use of his customary braces under clothing, he was hunched and limping. He fell to his knees at his trial and told the people of the danger awaiting them, of the reasons he had for these taxes and apparent cruelties. It is at this moment his memory ends before waking in Ainmhian.
CANON: original
CANON POINT: pleading with the revolutionaries
AGE: late twenties, early thirties
HISTORY: Segoriel was not born a prince, though he was born wealthy. His mother was lowborn, with no surname of her own, but she adopted the name Fairbreed when she was marrying his father -- a joke of a name, poking fun at all his noble peers who thought her too coarse to join their ranks despite the wealth and fame she'd earned for herself. The doer of many great deeds, she was known to the world as The Good Crow, then The Defiant Crow, and later The Defiant. To her husband, she was Lynia. She was absent for long stretches of Seg's childhood, traveling and winning glory. The longest period he remembers her staying home in his early years is when she became too pregnant with his little sister to go adventuring for awhile, and then her recovery from birth.
The region had no central government at the time of Segoriel's birth, acting more as a collection of farming regions and city-states with shared culture and strong trade. But when he was nine, and his sister Vianola was just three, The Defiant had made treaties with enough of these regions that she was able to declare herself the ruler. The castle where they lived was designated the country's capital, and she spent the rest of her life uniting the land, fighting to bring all corners of the island under the High Queen's authority.
Segoriel was educated as befitting a man who would be king -- to the extent possible, starting at the age he did. He would come to understand later that his father was somewhat outcast from polite society, and if not for that, he would have had a tutor in early childhood who would have given him a head start, but as it was, his father couldn't hire one. He watched Vianola with her tutor from a much younger age, and tried not to be jealous of how much more easily she was learning to read.
Naturally inclined to indoor pursuits, Seg made sure not to neglect his education in sport, either, knowing that it was all the more important for him to have a good showing of such in front of his peers. He made himself socialize and make friends no matter how it exhausted him, and if they ribbed him about being a bit of a brooder, he took it in good fun. He was diplomatic in his friendships, never bullying, even if this sometimes cost him closer connections.
When his mother died and it came time for him to take the throne, Seg knew it was important for the people to see that his mother wasn't the only one who could steward the kingdom. His mother drew the blueprint for the dynasty, but Seg knew it was up to him to build it, that it was truly his accomplishments that would secure the kingdom. So he put his head down and got to work. With a core group of friends, he followed in his mother's footsteps, splitting time as equally as possible between administrative tasks at home, and visiting parts of his kingdom to solve problems with a blade. He knew he needed to marry in order for the bloodline to survive, but he also knew that, should the worst occur, his sister was just reaching maturity, and his father would be an able regent until she was ready to take the throne and marry.
Six years into his reign, things changed. Segoriel went into a cave near a village expecting to find a young troll, or perhaps a pack of direwolves, two threats he had nearly eliminated from the island with his commissioned teams of monster hunters. He has never spoken of what he found instead, but he was the only survivor. Some think that he was the most able fighter, or at least the most lucky, and was able to kill the thing after his friends had weakened it and fallen. Some think that whatever he saw in there, it drove him mad, and he killed his friends. Some think the whole thing is overblown, and they simply died of too much celebratory drink. There are still whispers in that village that the king was mangled in some way, but surely the public would have noticed by now if that were true, wouldn't they?
What is known is that that was the last time the king has ventured more than two hours' travel from the capital, and that the king is now rarely seen without wearing a cape, cloak, or heavy armor. What is also known is the turn Segoriel's rule has taken since the incident. The king was never overly generous with his people, but he was personally kind, giving alms at the castle gate, and implementing taxes with clear explanations of what they were for. Segoriel believes that the people of Astinglen are intelligent adults who can understand the transaction of 'pay a little money, get a road.' Or at least, he did at one point. Now taxes are high and the people are going hungry.
Segoriel could feel the ground beneath his feet becoming unsteady, and began to regret not marrying earlier -- a queen at his side to be a mother to the people would be useful in this situation. It doesn't help that he has some very specific needs in his queen. He prefers the company of men, so she needs to be comfortable with him having affairs, as she may have any affairs with women she wishes (unfortunately, not men, as paternity cannot be in question even if she were privately sure). And yet he does not wish for the bloodless political marriage so many of his friends' parents had. He wishes for friendship and respect and a willingness to work at having a deep platonic love. These requirements might have been within reach before his popularity plummeted, when he could count on the assumption of good faith in any suit he may bring, but now? It's a problem.
His sister, of course, had no such issues. Still young and fresh, but old enough and strong enough to bear children, Vianola begins to look like the second coming of The Good Crow. Segoriel wrote letters to his people pleading for their understanding, assuring them that there are reasons for a country to need strength. But his PR efforts were for naught, and his sister gathered support. The revolution came to the castle, and out of love for her big brother, Vianola promised him a fair trial.
Brought out in chains and simple clothing, for the first time in years, Seg was seen to have a twisted leg and a damaged back. Without the use of his customary braces under clothing, he was hunched and limping. He fell to his knees at his trial and told the people of the danger awaiting them, of the reasons he had for these taxes and apparent cruelties. It is at this moment his memory ends before waking in Ainmhian.