King Athan
King Athan Cedewain (a.k.a. Athan the Harper)
The king of Lore when the story begins in 812 (post-Founding; 1312 AD). Thrice married and twice widowed, with a reputation for drunkenness and disinterest in statecraft. Married Serilda to renew an old alliance with Escanthus and head off a brewing succession crisis.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Athletic build, fairly fit; prone to bouts of fatigue, swollen legs/ankles, abdominal pain and nausea.
Facial Features
Square face, well-proportioned features, dueling scar on upper lip
Apparel & Accessories
Prefers simple ramie or linen, wool, and leather in dark or neutral ; most frequent day-to-day accessories are riding boots, hawking glove, and royal crown
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born in mid-autumn of 773 (Lorian calendar), second child of King Eoghan and Queen Alissende, and the only one who survived to adulthood.
His early childhood was marked by loss; his older sister died a crib death and at least two younger siblings were stillborn, and at least two more miscarried. Rumor abounded that the queen was pushing her body to its limits trying to have another daughter to inherit the throne, as was the custom in her homeland of Cathosul.
Whatever the case, from the age of seven on he spent more time in the company of his father, his uncle Ardan, and his tutors than his mother; the times he did spend with her, she alternated between smothering affection and vicious lectures over the slightest errors, real or perceived.
When Eoghan died in 785, Alissende and Ardan became co-regents and Alissende quickly began asserting her newfound power over her son in everything from lessons to the matter of marriage; she quickly and independently arranged his betrothal to a distant Cathosian cousin, Maelisse Tanet, a match which pleased neither of the participants and which Athan sought to have annulled as soon as he came of age.
He turned more and more to his uncle and the Cedewains of Elfael as allies and companions, straining relations with his mother and 'her' court further still; this tension came to a head when he secretly married Isolt ir'Cedewain not a year after divorcing Maelisse and presented the marriage to the queen as a fait accompli.
They had one daughter together, Princess Lysbeth, before Isolt's death of wasting sickness in 800 AD; his mother took advantage of his grief to question the legality of their marriage and the princess's legitimacy; she also tried to arrange another match with someone she considered more worthy, including Lady Nessa ir'Druiryn, not yet Builth.
He married for the third time at his uncle's behest; as the daughter of Ardan's own sworn sword, Onora was the most trustworthy lady they were likely to find; and her gentleness and kindness were a balm to the grieving Prince Athan; she would be "his greatest comfort" when Ardan died in 802. They married early in 803, in as solemn a state wedding as they could manage, and before the year was out she'd given birth to their son, Prince Niall. Unfortunately, she died less than a week later from lingering complications.
This loss, so soon after the loss of his fear Uncle and his beloved Isolt, sent Athan into a kind of madness: he filled his days with hunts and jousts and melees and wenching, drowning his sorrows in fine wine and good sport and finer company; thus, when Alissende died in winter of 803 and he was formally crowned, he was already considered unreliable, foolish, a drunk, and perhaps truly mad.
Concerns about Lysbeth's legitimacy and Niall's health eventually prompted him to seek out another wife; he chose Serilda after she initially reached out about a marriage to renew an old alliance between Lore and Escanthus, and they married in early summer of 812.
Gender Identity
Born male and identifies as such
Sexuality
Predominantly heterosexual, with some incidental experimentation
Education
On and off private lessons with various tutors; subject matter and frequency varied wildly as his mother and uncle fought over which was in charge of his education
Employment
Crown Prince, then King of Lore
Failures & Embarrassments
Has failed to live up to his heroic lineage, couldn't protect his beloved Isolt from retribution or his children from the machinations of the court, or overcome his own reputation as a drunken fool
Mental Trauma
Repressed grief and CPTSD manifesting in consistent exhaustion, high self-doubt, trust issues, alcohol abuse, fear of loss, tendency to suppress or internalize emotions and difficulty opening up to people; overactivity and intense preoccupation with hunting, riding, music, and other hobbies
Intellectual Characteristics
Strong pattern recognition and categorical thinking, active imagination, detail-oriented
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Wants to discover the truth about his second wife's death, wants to find someone he can trust to help clean up the Decadent Court
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Active and athletic as his health allows, accomplished musician, skilled poet and linguist; tends to go overboard with the "popular touch" and end up erring on the side of overfamiliarity/nepotism; dyslexic
Likes & Dislikes
Likes music, riding, hunting, caring for his animals,
Virtues & Personality perks
Loves his children fiercely
Vices & Personality flaws
Alcoholic, tail-chaser
Hygiene
Decent, generally; Lore has a pretty intense bathing culture and bathing is one of the few opportunities he gets to have some privacy
Social
Contacts & Relations
Neutral to Friendly: Charissa of Elfael, stillroom mistress and de facto royal physician; Nessa Druiryn-Builth, Lady of Dinas Bran; Ser Drystan Beynon, Serjeant at Arms; Owain Herne, Master of Hunt; Florian Strong, Master of the Horse, Ser Eurion Perrigwyn, Lady Esabel Almerry, and Ser Thierry Artanges, boon companions
Suspicious/Rivals: Maelisse Tanet d'Chaillot, Lady of Lyonhall, ex-wife; Eliaz of Gris, Master of Robes and unofficial spymaster
Family Ties
Parents: Eoghan Cedewain (dec 785), Alissende d'Chaillot (dec 803)
Siblings: Carys Cedewain (dec 771), Naoise Cedewain (stillborn 774)
Aunts, Uncles, Cousins: Ardan ir'Cedewain (paternal, dec 802), Meleri ir'Cedewain, Gwydion ir'Cedewain, Lord of Dannamore and the Braewood
More Distant Relations: Lady Marcher Roslyn ir'Cedewain of Elfael, Lady Eluned ir'Cedewain of Elfael, Ser Mal ir'Cedewain of Elfael, Lady Isolt ir'Cedewain of Elfael (dec 800)
Children: Lysbeth Cedewain, born 798 to Athan and Isolt ir'Cedewain; Niall Cedewain, born 803 to Athan and Onora Beynon (dec 803)
Siblings: Carys Cedewain (dec 771), Naoise Cedewain (stillborn 774)
Aunts, Uncles, Cousins: Ardan ir'Cedewain (paternal, dec 802), Meleri ir'Cedewain, Gwydion ir'Cedewain, Lord of Dannamore and the Braewood
More Distant Relations: Lady Marcher Roslyn ir'Cedewain of Elfael, Lady Eluned ir'Cedewain of Elfael, Ser Mal ir'Cedewain of Elfael, Lady Isolt ir'Cedewain of Elfael (dec 800)
Children: Lysbeth Cedewain, born 798 to Athan and Isolt ir'Cedewain; Niall Cedewain, born 803 to Athan and Onora Beynon (dec 803)
Religious Views
Follower of the Twain, with a particular leaning toward the Lord of Animals
Social Aptitude
Highly charismatic and extroverted
Hobbies & Pets
Taran: Athan's prized stallion (black-dappled, with silver mane and tail, white stockings and blaze, and blue eyes), the offspring of his childhood mare Gaill; the king has, notably, taken a personal interest in the raising and care of both Taran and his sister Thintri
Saeth: a gyrfalcon with some saker ancestry, tawny-feathered with darker speckling, the king's own falcon
Saeth: a gyrfalcon with some saker ancestry, tawny-feathered with darker speckling, the king's own falcon
Speech
Light, mellow baritone; slightly gravelly; rarely raises his voice; dry wit
Relationships
Current Location
Honorary & Occupational Titles
King of Lore
Age
35
Birthplace
Caer Cordonia
Spouses
Queen Serilda
(Wife)
Siblings
Children
Current Residence
Caer Cordonia
Pronouns
He/him
Gender
Male
Eyes
Pale blue, heavy-lidded
Hair
Brown, straight, shoulder-length
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Tanned
Height
6'2"
Weight
220 lbs, athletic
Belief/Deity
The Twain
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Related Plots
Ruled Locations
Character Prototype
Tom Burke
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Comments