Sad King Berthold
King Berthold Angrace
King Berthod Angrace (popularly known to later ages as Sad King Berthold) was the last king of Quarowl. Born during the final years of the waning Puzzle Lords Directorate, he ascended to the throne on 10th Tivith, 1798 APC, shortly before the Age of the Long Famine afflicted the entire world and brought an end to the Directorate. He left no heir behind him, and after his death in 1868 APC, the Baronial Moot took charge of the government of the city and the tradition of royal rulers came to an end.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Berthold was only a child when his father attended the Thousand Games Banquet in 1767 APC and was unfortunate enough to suffer significant losses which affected not only his own fortune but the fortune of the city as well, leaving his son with a much weaker legacy than he might otherwise have expected to inherit.
It was not long after he ascended the throne that the king had to face the environmental consequences of the climatic changes that would cause so much suffering thoughout Magicians' End. Although Quarowl (and the continent of Tinturbean in general) was somewhat less badly afflicted than the continents of Myruthea and Punjuki, Berthold failed to impress the populace and the aristocracy with an indecisive response and a failure to focus on the agricultural changes that were needed to strengthen food security.
He died from some obscure and apparently painful wasting disease, at a time when the city itself was suffering from the Long Famine.
Mental Trauma
The king is often viewed as a somewhat tragic figure. He lost his first wife, whom he reputedly loved deeply, when she drowned after the ferry boat she was using to cross the Quarowl Lake capsized in a storm in 1808 APC. His second wife was, by all accounts, a troubled and difficult soul who tried the patience of everyone who knew her and apparently wore the king down. Subject to fits of melancholia, Berthold would often retreat into brooding, becoming taciturn and morose.
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