Stadus Quarto
The Silver Auiantum
Vinicia Putrace and Prince Stadus: Could the sister of the man who hates the Crown Princess and the Silver Auiantum be a perfect match?Stadus Quarto is the heir to the Quarto family, the second-in-line to the throne of Ilysium, and the Empire's most eligible bachelor. At least, that is who the newsrags say he is. Certainly the first two are facts, and the third is a popular opinion on Ilysium, but while Prince Stadus is a bachelor, he has stated numerous times that he prefers to stay that way for the forseeable future. He spends most of his time attending the various parties thrown by the Nobility, usually arriving uninvited, having whatever fun he pleases, and then moving on.
House Avisong
The Quarto family was, at one point, a family of House Wyrmsange. When the Avisong family took the throne of Emperor six generations back, and in doing so became House Avisong, they had a dire need for alliances with other Houses. Part of their strategy was to offer alliance and future marrigaes to the other families, inducting pieces of Houses that were loyal to them into the Emperor's House. Quarto was one such family, and while they existed for a while halfway between Houses Wyrmsange and Avisong, when the late Emperor Pius Avisong IV married Queen-Mother Dexsia Quarto it fully cemented them as a family of House Avisong.Last Prince of the Empire
Stadus is in a strange position in House Avisong. In generations past, House Avisong had up to two dozen princes and princesses, all the various noble children of the families that existed under the Emperor and his children. The Trade Union Revolutionary War changed that. Instead of having families, the extended Imperial Family was entirely focused on fighting that war. Combined with a need for experienced admirals and strategists, which House Avisong specifically trained in, and the high losses in those positions, the war cut the Imperial House to the tiny size it is today. This resulted in very few contemporaries for Prince Stadus, especially among the Quarto family, where he was the only Prince. By now, all of his cousins have been granted duties and positions of power, elevating them to Lords and Ladies, leaving him the last Prince of House Avisong.My cousin and I have our differences in how we veiw our roles as leaders of the Empire, certainly. But we both are working to maintain out great Empire, and I have faith that he will step up when truly needed.
But not the Crown Prince
Despite this, Stadus does not have the responsibilities one might assume. While he is an important heir in House Avisong, he is not the Crown Prince. As such, he is able to flaunt his 'duties' and celebrate with the wider nobility. Crown Princess Vedia VI has no such luxury, which is likely why her public opinion is far more reserved than the party-animal appearance that Prince Stadus has. This position of power without responsibility also opens up a lot of room for the hopeful suitors, who could not even dream of arranging a marriage with him were he the Crown Prince.Newsrag Baiting
Earlier in Prince Stadus' life, he took great joy in providing the various newsrags plenty of things to talk about. On many occasions he would show up to events with a female companion, treat her as if they were a couple, wait until the tabloids printed their headlines, and then drop her in the street. On a few occasions, his temporary date was a commoner he had plucked out of the street. Once, it was a slave he brought with him, brand clearly visible the entire time.Dark Content
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Party Crasher
The Nobles of Ilysium throw many parties. Prince Stadus often shows up to such events, regardless of their exclusivity or size. With his fame, power, and potent magic, none can turn him away and very few would want to.
Children
I feel some 'Bruce Wayne' undertone in this one. Of course, the rich playboy who turns into a serious character was not invented by the creator of Batman. There is a main character of Shakespeare, a king, I can't remember his name. And the Chinese have a fellow how goes beyond that and pretends to be completely mad, just to be allowed to stay in the Capital and with his head connected with the body by a neck until the circumstances allow him a chance to take the throne.
Maybe, certainly. Prince Stadus to me, is more of the rich prettyboy who gets whatever he wants and is bored with most of it. Thanks to his magic, and his position in the hierarchy of the Empire, pretty much whatever he wants, he gets.
So, more Prince Siddhartha than Bruce Wayne them. A small collection of funny contradictions and personal challenges would make him a secondary character interesting. Perhaps an impossible love. While a live changing experience would put him in the path of main character, and possibly in the path of illumination as well (depending on the kind of story you choose to tell). As a bored pretty, rich and high born boy he is an nice element of background. Potential to be explored. A lot of characters like that are been used as minor villains this days, the "comic evil" note. But if I was going to set an adventure of RPG in your world, I would rater have him kidnaped and involve the PCs in the rescue somehow.
There's certainly some extra bits behind the scenes. Some aspirations that he has, some machinations, etc. Once I eventually run a game in this world he'll certainly have a part to play, but "villain" or even "antagonist" depends on the way the party thinks.
That is the nicest aspect of table RPGs, in my opinion. Something that may never be satisfactorily translated to computer games. Who is friend or foe, and more than that even what is wright or wrong, all those things can actually change in the middle of a campaign if the players see things in a way that surprises the Game Master. My impression was that Fable promised that flexibility, but of course they never delivered it.