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King Killian Vanden

Part I: General Information

 

 

Name: Killian Vanden, son of King Kain Vanden of the West. Killian means ‘fierceness’ or ‘courage in war or strife’.

 

 

Date of Birth or Age: Killian was born on a stormy winter’s night during a war between the country of the West and the country of the East waged because of the disagreements having to do with slave trade. The event inspired Killian’s name. Today, he is 26 years old.

 

 

Primary Motivation: Killian lives to see the prosperity of his people and the reputation of Valdeste restored. Valdeste is notorious for their wars. His father, Kain, while occupying the throne, was infamous for his ruthlessness, hunger for power, and intolerance to races other than humans. Killian would rather see peace come to Valdeste and its allies and diversity come to the Western country.

 

 

Part II: Character Traits

 

 

Outlook: Wishful yet cautious. While Killian does his best to keep an open mind, he was brought up being taught that people are deceitful and jealous. Killian would like to believe that he can trust in others. Upon finding those he can trust, they become dear and protected allies.

 

 

Integrity: Killian prides himself in being a man of his word. If he feels he cannot keep a promise he will not make it. Killian’s morals have been shaped over time by things he wishes to uphold or things he disagrees with and he holds strong to his ethics as taught by his mother.

 

 

Affinity: Killian believes in benefit of the doubt and is sympathetic toward others who are deserving of such; however, his emotional connection diminishes significantly after treachery is apparent. While Killian doesn’t necessarily hold grudges, and does his best to be forgiving, it takes effort to win back his respect once it had been lost.

 

 

Demeanor: Killian displays sincerity when interacting with others; however, initial meetings find Killian quiet and calculative as he wants to understand how the people he is interacting with work, what their morals are, and if they seem trustworthy. He has an air of confidence about him and while he is every bit the royal he seems, Killian manages to be modest. He does not feel himself above anyone else because of his ties to the throne.

 

 

Habits and Hobbies: Killian tends to be somewhat superstitious as his mother was well versed in things such as palm reading and divination. The Queen also taught Killian how to spot omens, good or bad. Killian has three major hobbies. The first is riding. Killian loves all sorts of animals, but he always kept horses in high regard as his mother taught him they were majestic and intelligent. Killian considers his horse, Zhi, a friend of his. The second is hunting. He respects animals, and respects the act of killing them for food. Killian is always sure to use the animal in full from meat to pelt to minimize waste and death in vain. The last is Astronomy. Killian was taught to read the skies for poor weather coming as the climate in the West is unpredictable. Killian has made it a habit to check the morning sky and night sky for weather and omens.

 

 

Topics of Conversation: History of the West and divination or omen reading. Killian is proud of the history of his people and will talk very openly about it. He believes in the good of his people and wishes to pass the information to anyone willing to listen. He enjoys explaining means of divination or omen reading because of the connection he had with his mother over it.

 

 

Group Affiliations: Other than his affiliation with the people of the West, Killian has roots within with Druidic and Shamanistic groups. His grandfather (the Queen’s father) was a well known Druid in Whitoren.

 

 

Mental and Emotional Disorders: A trauma that he has been left with because of his father’s paranoia is his trusting of people comes slowly. While not debilitating, Killina does have anxieties about those he can trust even within his Kingdom.

Part III: Background

 

 

Birthplace: Killian was born in Castle Vanden within the borders of Valdeste. Valdeste is a modest city built within the western hills. To either side of the city there are vast forests. The city is protected from the harshest and unpredictability of the western weather because of the treelines. Valdeste’s government is influenced by the royal family but each city within the western country has someone elected who is a head of the city-state.

 

 

Family: Killian’s father’s side of the family has a long history of ruling Valdeste. The Vanden bloodline has been on the throne for hundreds of years and the family has always had a son to receive the crown. Kain Vanden was a well-known warrior before he was king and was in the frontlines of many battles. Kain was always wary of who his friends were and it wasn’t often that he trusted anyone. He was a secretive man and expected that others were just as secretive toward him. Killian’s mother, Gwyn Rhys, came from a family fluent in the magical arts. Her father (Owain Rhys) was a Druid and respected figure head within Whitoren. Gwyn became the Queen of Valdeste after Kain asked for her hand shortly after meeting her. Kain had been travelling the west personally enlisting young men for his army. Gwyn’s brother (Killian’s Uncle), Davyd Rhys, was one of the few men Kain trusts with his life. When Killian was nine years old, Gwyn became pregnant; however, during the pregnancy there were complications and Gwyn passed away along with her unborn child. After Gwyn’s death, Kain became much bitterer believing that the healers in the kingdom should have done more to help Killian’s mother. Davyd taught Killian many things after Gwyn passed away including archery, riding, and hunting. Killian’s uncle remains a constant pillar of strength in the young king’s life. The reputation of the Vanden family was that of strength and even ruthlessness because of Kain and his combative fathers before him.

 

 

Professions: Killian become proficient in riding and hunting beneath his uncle, Davyd, though he did not apprentice officially for those professions. He apprenticed formally under a master swordsman and the kingdom’s Captain of the Guard for hand to hand combat as well as swordsmanship which Killian has almost fully mastered; however, he believes there is of course room for improvement. Besides those professions, Killian now holds the title of King of the Western Country as his father has fallen in and passed the crown to his only son.

 

 

Part IV: Past Events

 

 

Family Related Events: A breach in the kingdom was a particularly troublesome time as a former city-state head planned to kill the king when Killian was a young boy. Once the king was killed, the queen was to be murdered next and after her, Killian was to be killed. The head of Tannal, Greir Wahrrin, was found guilty of hiring a number of assassins from the eastern lands while the king was distracted with planning a war against the same land. The plans were found by Davyd and the head of Tannal was put to death for treason.

 

 

Personal Events: The most notable personal event Killian has been through is becoming the crowned king of the west. He has been ruling over the land for less than a year and hardly thinks himself a king, but still more of a prince.

 

 

Notable Individuals: Killian’s mother is the most notable individual in his life. Her lessons are what still keep him open minded man and Davyd is the remarkable individual he credits his skill to.

 

 

Mysteries: Killian’s father has recently fallen ill with a sickness that no healer can diagnose. Kain seems to be suffering a sort of dementia as his sickness ravages him and talks more and more of treachery within the walls of the castle. While Killian knows his father has always had problems trusting those around him, he feels there might be an air of truth to what his father says. Killian is becoming suspicious as to why the king has fallen ill without treatment being at all effective. His mother’s death also seemed sudden and Killian is beginning to wonder if there isn’t a traitor amongst them who wishes to see the Vanden family fall and leave the throne unoccupied. In the event the throne should become abandoned or left emptied, law states that the people of the west will vote amongst the city-state heads to see who will take up the throne. Recently,Kain has been asking Killian to “keep it safe” and Killian isn’t sure what his father means by “it” Davyd insists that “it” is the throne, but Killian isn’t so sure.

 

 

Existing Conflicts: Conflict has arisen with the suspicion of his father’s illness and heads of city-states believing that Killian is not fit to rule the kingdom despite his knowledge. Killian has been attempting to find full histories of the Vanden bloodline to see what might have people wanting the family out of the way, but so far has been unsuccessful.

 

 

Possessions: Killian always carries his sword with him. It was forged for him and given as a gift from his father when he turned 18. Also, Killian always wears a necklace with an ivory carving of a bird’s feather as the pendant, it was his mother’s.

 

 

Duties: Killian upholds his duties as king of the west, handling politics for his country and diplomacy involving other countries. He will do what he can to keep the west free of war unlike his father and grandfathers before him who would readily go to war at the very mention of it.

 

*I do not own this artwork, it comes from a collection of saved pictures over the years. At the artist's request I will credit or remove it!

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Uploaded on April 27, 2015