Diederick Stein
Schiffsführer Diederick Stein (a.k.a. Old Stoneheart, Lord Of Stone, King of the Coasts, King of the Sea)
Diederick Stein is the King of Occidentium and the second eldest of the three current rulers of Saxony. A cold and vicious man that would do anything for his country. During the Age of A Hundred Kings he gained the moniker “King of the Sea” thanks to his more than impressive fleet of ships. He’s said to have personally saw to the sinking of over a hundred enemy boats during those times of war. He is a man who never trifles with unnecessary things and who is perfectly willing to get his hands dirty if it means achieving his aims.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Skinny to the point of being gaunt and yet possessing some strange sense of strength. It’s said that he keeps to a highly specialized diet and exercise regimen.
Facial Features
Thin lipped and sharp featured. His beard is kept cut short to a consistent length and the same is said for his hair which he always leaves lying flat and unstyled.
Identifying Characteristics
He is known for his piercing eyes. They say that even a portrait of him can strike fear into you with those eyes. His skin also shows deterioration from The Sea Rot, growing further discolored every day.
Physical quirks
He trained himself to be ambidextrous saying that it was “a waste of a hand not to be able to use it.” His posture is abnormally rigid and uncomfortable looking as if he’s constantly on edge and wary of those around him.
Special abilities
He bears no abilities of any remark beyond his preternatural intelligence and emotional resilience.
Apparel & Accessories
His clothes are plain and dark but well maintained. The same can be said for his crown which he had carved from lead so future kings would “know how heavy the crown truly weighs.” He’s known to always wear leather gloves so as to prevent from dirtying himself.
Specialized Equipment
Wields a rapier and a shield in battle and wears a blackened steel chestplate. However, his true weapon is said to be his mind and ability with which he has been known to engage entire ships of hardened soldiers.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
After his birth, he was a raised by his father an overbearing and strict man. It’s been said that Diederick received regular beatings as part of his training in effort to strengthen his will. His father died In 1024 to the The Sea Rot leaving Diederick to lead the kingdom of Occidentium at the young age of 17. Still though, Diederick managed to make a name for himself even greater than his father warring with Septentionalium over the Southern Isles. It was in 1046 only a few months before the war’s end that he lost his wife, Isabella Curtis - the sister of Alvina Curtis. She was captured by the enemy and bartered in exchange for a crew of thirty sailors that Diederick had captured. Rather than return the soldiers, Diederick personally executed them stating that he could not “allow his feelings to belittle the war”. In retaliation, the enemy sailors raped his wife on the deck of the ship and then cut off her head. It’s said that Diederick watched the entire three hour long ordeal without moving or showing any emotion whatsoever. Afterwards, he personally skinned each man aboard that ship. This act earned him the moniker of Stoneheart and the ire of Alvina Curtis.
Sexuality
His sexuality is mostly unknown. Though many a courtesan has attempted to find their way to his bedchambers, all have been summarily rejected. He has remained unmarried and without a relationship ever since the death of his wife.
Education
He was trained in politics and statesmanship by his father and in warmanship by a master swordsman - rumoured to be the same swordsman who trained the great Lord King Eastaughffe. He has continued to study every material available to him even after his father’s death. In fact, to this day, he continues to collect a massive library in Haffelerschiffe, demanding that every book that passes through it on the King’s Road must be copied down for posterity’s sake.
Social
Religious Views
He believes strictly in The New Ways and the Grand Church. While he hasn’t made an outright declaration against those with the blood of the Old Races, he also makes no attempt to protect them from the church’s hunts.
Social Aptitude
Extremely refined and proper though never parsing words. This perfectly frank and honest disposition has given him a reputation amongst the people as a good and reputable man though it has greatly damaged his relationships with other nobles.
Mannerisms
He is known to frequently correct others on grammar and pronunciation. In fact, at the Shaking of Three Hands, it is said that an extra three days and 200 lives were lost due to his insistence on changing the wording of the treaty.
Speech
He never swears and pauses for long periods of time while speaking as if constantly considering and reconsidering what to say and how to say it.
Current Location
Species
Conditions
Ethnicity
Year of Birth
1007 AN
39 Years old
Circumstances of Birth
He was born at sea, his mother dying due to the difficult labour. It is rumored that he emerged from the womb able to walk on two feet without aide.
Birthplace
The sea just south of Haffelerschiffe.
Children
Current Residence
Gender
Male
Eyes
Grey and piercing
Hair
Stark black and cropped short
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale and clammy, somewhat mottled
Height
6”4’
Weight
190 lbs
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Ruled Locations
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