Charles Arnaude de Lionnes
From Valwiki
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| Player: | Stragen. | |
| Title: | (Figurehead) King of Celdin, and Duke of Larius. | |
| Age: | 21. | |
| Race: | Human. | |
| Eye Colour: | Blue. | |
| Hair: | Brown, long and well-groomed in classical Renaissance style. | |
| Skin Tone: | Normal, slightly pale. | |
| Height: | 6'1". | |
| Weight: | 197 lbs. | |
| Alignment: | Neutral. | |
You wait, desensitised to the dank unpleasantness of the alley. For the most part, Greendale is a picturesque town, but these alleys are the exception; dark, musty, and quiet. That's what you like about them. You're not here to admire the scenery or take a stroll through the town, however nice it may be by current standards. No, you're here to do a job. You're here ... to kill a King.
After hours of waiting, you start to hear some noise. Like the professional assassin you know you are, you had arranged everything well. The man might be the King of Celdin, one of the wealthiest men in the world and an aristocrat from birth, but he's also a drunk. It wasn't hard to organise, either. When he's drunk he seems to stumble around willy-nilly, not caring where he goes. Nor, from your observation, does he object to walking with strangers, and that's what you hope to prey on. If you're correct, that will be the King now, walking calmly along with the man who you bribed to bring him here. Here to his death.
Long before you hear the clink of coins and the slow pad of footsteps, the sound of drunken revelry can be heard loud, piercing the otherwise silent street. Gradually, the noise gets cloer, and a figure steps around the corner. Good, it's him, you think, recognising the man both by his well-combed hair and haughty face, as well as by his clearly expensive attire. He squints around a bit, his eyes clearly trying to adjust to the darker lighting, and eventually he spots you off to the side. "Whatcha want there, ::hic:: good ssssir?" he wheezes, clearly in quite a stupor.
"Oh, nothing...my liege" you whisper in a way you're sure he'd recognise as ominous if not for his current state of mind. Despite your tone and relative silence, the man beams at you, stumbling over and putting his arm around your shoulder. The smell of alcohol flows over you as he does so, although not perhaps as prominently as you'd expect for a raving drunkard. You continue, nonetheless, it's probably nothing. "Your majesty...I am here to end your life. My client is paying me very hansomely, and I intend to oblige him" you explain, confident that telling the man won't harm your chances of success. He couldn't even run away without hitting the wall, you think to yourself.
As you expected, he gives you an odd look, as if he doesn't quite understand. Perplexed, he murmurs "Eh? Whatcha on about? ::hic::", and you smile, drawing a dagger from your cloak. Pushing him off you and facing him, you smirk, staring with disdain at the man's unseemly appearance. "Any messages to loved ones, My King?" you enquire mockingly. Stumbling forward, he clutches your cloak, breathing on you again, the stupid drunk. "::hic:: Yes, I do. Say hello to Dearuhk for me" he says, suddenly sounding awfully lucid for a man who has supposedly been drinking. Then, before you know it, you feel a searing pain in your abdomen, a nasty-looking dirk buried deep in your chest. Next, you feel a gloved gauntlet pommel your face, sending you back into the wall with a worrying amount of force. "My friend, never underestimate a politican...he might just give you a rather unpleasant surprise" he says, staring down at you as you slowly slide down the wall, leaving a trail of bloody as you do. The last thing you see is the back of Charles Arnaude de Lionnes, Puppet-King of Celdin, striding out of the alley, leaving the guard to find the body.
Contents |
Personality
Charles’ personality is rather complex to define, largely because since his committal to the uprising against Staghorn’s government and subsequent employment as Spy Master to High Ordinator Ahdrid Sydel-Dragonis, what might be perceived as Charles’ personality is largely an act. Upon taking up the position of Spy Master, and continuing when he became High Inquisitor and then King, Charles decided that it would be best if he appeared as nothing more than a decadent courtier; a drunkard who displays sexism, prejudice, and elitism in excess because he could not control himself while drunk. A person who essentially delights in the worst excesses of court.
As a result, in any public situation; that is exactly how Charles behaves. He acts with disdain towards those below him, makes snide remarks about people who he (supposedly) feels are not worth the time of day, and to top it off displays flagrant chauvinism in the presence of women, often making advances that can only be described as unsolicited. While all of this may seem a bit extreme, Charles reasons that if he is perceived as nothing more than an outdated noble with a lecherous bent, it is highly unlikely that anyone will suspect the reality of his situation; that he is using his vast wealth and secure status as figurehead-King as a means of furthering his ends and those of Ahdrid.
In private (or the presence of those he trusts) however, Charles’ real personality is apparent, and indeed, is vastly different from his public image. Ultimately, Charles values loyalty. This said, he also sees the value in gentlemanly conduct and the ideas of chivalrous behaviour; even if he will throw these ‘ideals’ out the window should the greater good of his nation demand it. In such situations, Charles is often quiet, listening to the thoughts of others before offering his own considered judgement. He is, in reality, the embodiment of a keen political mind.
Assets and Equipment
Birds: Realising that messages must sometimes be sent and received quickly and in an unexpected fashion, Charles has over time bred several birds (particularly pigeons, but also a few falcons) which can be used to send messages to and from his various sources, and the High Ordinator himself.
Clothing: Charles has an array of clothing, depending largely on what is demanded by the situation in question. However, Charles almost always wears steel-shod boots, and usually also wears leather gloves or metal gauntlets.
Disguise Kit: Because infiltration is often his aim, he keeps a ‘kit’ of tools which allow him to disguise himself. It includes attachable wigs, substantial amounts of primitive makeup, distinctly-coloured dyes, and other such appropriate devices.
Horses: Charles currently has a small stable, consisting of four horses. He has two riding horses (one stallion and one mare), one warhorse (a stallion), and one foal (the offspring of the two riding horses). He is currently looking for a suitable breeding partner for his warhorse.
Lock-picks: While he is by no means expert in their use, Charles does possess a set of lock picks which, when he needs to get past a locked door, he will attempt to use.
Pendant: Probably Charles' most valued possession, the ruby-pendant which he wears around his neck was given to him by his father before he died. It is his family’s most sacred heirloom.
Sizeable Cache of Wealth: As a landed noble, Charles has inherited a sizeable sum of money, which, during the time of Staghorn, he had to take significant measures to hide. Now that he has regained the status which he sees as his right, the majority of this wealth is kept in his manor. However, smaller caches exist at strategic locations around Celdin should the need for their use ever arise.
Supplies: Within the Manor de Lionnes, Charles keeps a small barracks stocked with weapons, armour, and general battle supplies. Always cautious, he has decided that if war should ever break out between East and West Celdin, it is best to be prepared. On another note, he also possesses a sizeable amount of parchment and ink, which is necessary considering his occupation.
The Manor de Lionnes: Located in West Celdin, the Manor de Lionnes serves as both Charles’ personal estate and his base of operations. It is a fairly sizeable manor in the style of a keep, is heavily-fortified, and most notably contains many secret rooms and passages, the latter leading to different areas of West Celdin, including Greendale proper and it's castle. These passages have served Charles very well in the past, and, no doubt, they will continue to do so. The manor also contains a small stable for Charles’ horses, an aviary for carrier-birds, and an adequate number of servants. On occasion, a female servant who he particularly trusts will pretend to be his escort for court functions when he wants to reinforce his chauvinistic image.
Weapons: While he favours Rapiers (and has a collection of them), Charles also keeps a small range of other weapons for safety’s sake, recognizing that sometimes other weapons may be of some use.
Abilities / Skills
Acting: Taking on the many roles he does, Charles needs to be a talented actor who can convince others of his identity. This is the case.
Fencing: Charles is an expert fencer, focusing particularly on the use of the rapier, and, to a lesser extent, the saber. In addition, he is very practiced in using his surroundings to his advantage, and doing elaborate thinks like swinging from chandeliers. Moreover, he often uses kicks during confrontations as an attempt to catch his opponents unawares. I have a document about his particularly fencing style. This also covers the fact that he is agile. I couldn’t be bothered putting that separately.
Intelligence / Charisma / Guile / Sneakiness: As the Spymaster, these…traits (?) are important to Charles’ survival on an everyday basis. He uses them to the best effect he can, although often he gets carried away with himself and his desire for intrigue. Let’s just say that this is a broad category explaining that Charles is very good at his job (ie spying, using charm or intimidation, sneaking around, investigating and weeding out traitors, advising the Baron on important matters, etc).
Riding: Charles is a competent rider, and has a love of horses.
Vices / Flaws
Love for Intrigue: Often, Charles’ love for intrigue can be harmful to him. He pursues it to such an extent that he almost chases that sort of conflict, sometimes to his own harm.
Star-crossed: To a certain extent, his public image as lecherous has started to affect his actual thinking. While he is actually in no way sexist, he has started to become more tempted by pleasures of the flesh – and to this end often falls in love with the most inappropriate people. While previously his dedication to duty would prevent this sort of issue, as time goes on he continues to fall for people in positions that do not serve benefit to him. They might be his superior or his enemy, but it often creates problems for him.
Strength: While not all that weak, Charles is also not particularly strong, something which is not the norm compared to other soldiers. As a result, he often finds matching fighters strength for strength extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Suspicion: On occasion, his espionage-tuned mind can be too suspicious for his own good. On occasion, he suspect people of things unreasonably, making it seem as if he jumps to conclusions without evidence, as is indeed, on such occasions, the case.
