Roderick Withmond

Roderick Withmond

Title(s)	King of Hadriana, King of the Attians, Horse-lord
Born	1493 AFS
Rule	1518 - Present
Realm(s)	The Kingdom Of Hadriana
Race	Attian Human
Culture	Hadric

Physical description:

Roderick Withmond stands at 1.80 meters (5’9 feet) tall with an average body type. Roderick has short blond hair, either styled in a short-cut version or kept medium-long. He lets his hair grow long on rare occasions and wears it with a ponytail. His facial features make him look pretty young for his age. All be it covered with a short unshaven blond beard.

He has grey-blue eyes and he has a deep and warm voice.

He often wears his military uniform in public. When he is not he can be seen wearing expensive robes to show off his wealth and title to the citizens. He wears a crown made of silver with golden decorations and he wears a silver and gold ring on his right hand. His left hand has two wooden fingers, those being his pinky and ring finger. His left arm and left part of his torso have heavy scarring originating from when the Rotting Plague had infected him.

Characteristics:

Roderick spends most of his time around the castle. When he’s inside he likes to spend his free time reading books; history books, fairy-tales, and knight stories of old. While outside, he spends time riding his horse or training his skills with the sword. He does not like having his servants do things for him. Hence, he does most tasks himself.

He acts fast with his words, speaking his mind more often than he should. He is an energetic person who portrays kindness throughout. He is a caring person when it comes to this. Though only to those who he holds close. Like his family or wife. He is not one to trust people quickly and has shown negative views towards those who speak ill of him or close people. Even going as far as to watch over the torture of those declared as ‘heretics’.

History:

Roderick was born in 1493 and was brought to the world of Eden in the Withmond residence. Homed in the northern district of the capital. The household’s family was renowned for having proud knights and warriors that fought in countless battles during the wars against the Hinterlands. This proud history put a burden on Rodricks young shoulders as the new upcoming head of the household.

His childhood was not much different from that of the average noble-born child. His father, Joseph I Withmond, named after his father with the same name, was a knight in the army of king Reynfrey. A harsh and strict man on the outside but with a golden heart on the inside.

His mother, Mariana, took most of the time inside the household with the servants and other Ladies of noble families. Also taking care of Roderick at the time. Feeding him with history and books.

His life changed at the age of thirteen when the Rotting Plague hit the Hadrian capital in the year 1506. Before he could even become a squire, most of the Withmond family were sent out to keep the hordes of infected citizens outside the city. This necessary task took the lives of many of Rodericks’ family members. His father was fortunately lucky enough to be one of the few to come back uninfected. After the cowardly king left his people to their faith, his father decided to isolate the Withmond family from the rest of Hadrian society.

Two years later, Roderick’s father took him under his wing as a squire, teaching him the way of the knight on the family estate while the world around them burned. This was a vague period for Roderick, as both his body and mind were still developing in a world that was falling apart, succumbing to the chaos caused by the plague.

Roderick was successful at getting the basics of Knighthood down with his father. After his basic training, Roderick’s father was sent out to fight the cultists and many necromancers.

Servants began to show signs of infection in the fourth year of the plague, eventually infecting his mother who then infected Roderick himself. His father tried everything with the help of magical means and the church to cure Mariana and Roderick, yet only succeeded by unknown means in curing Roderick. The scars the plague left behind can still be seen on the left side of his body and left hand, which had two fingers amputated.

After the loss of his mother, Roderick’s focus switched from being a child to growing up to become a knight, an in-metal-clad rider protecting the Hadrian population from its downfall. His father kept training him in his new condition, barely giving him full time to rest and heal his wounds.

In the last year of the plague, 1511, when Roderick reached the age of 19, he was a fully trained knight. Who during the chaos of the plague, succeeded in completing most of his training. Yet, after the infection of King Reynfrey and his family in the castle, and Hadriana succumbing to anarchy, Roderick and his father tried fending off the raging infection from the castle. During the anarchy, a fire broke out in the northern section of the capital, burning half of the capital and its inhabitants to the ground.

With the position of power now open, the last remaining members of the Withmond family met with the other surviving families to decide the future of Hadriana. It was during this meeting that Joseph decided to take matters into his own hands. He took the throne for himself. This coup resulted in a short but bloody civil war between followers of the Withmond family and the other noble families. Roderick fought together with his father in the civil war against the OTHER noble houses. Killing many soldiers and knights he once knew as his friends. Which still haunts him to this day.

After his father had taken the castle in 1512, taken the crown, and made the noble families kneel, Roderick was forced to watch the other families be executed who did not swear loyalty to the Withmond family, which was now embraced by the surviving population with open arms. Roderick was even forced to keep silent over the fate of the remaining royalty family. For his and Hadriana’s safety.

In the years to follow, Roderick proceeded to live the life of luxury he got. While also helping the world rebuild, he finished his knighthood training and was ceremoniously knighted by his father. Now known as King Joseph. Who in the same years, was assassinated by a surviving member of an executed noble family. Out of rage at losing his father, Roderick executed the man himself publicly. Making a new name for himself among the population showed them how their new king was going to be.

In 1519, king Roderick was lucky to finally meet someone who saw him as the person he was, to his surprise, it was at a feast where he met [...] of the [...] family. The two fell in love after many conversations and similar likings of reading and hobbies. The two married a year later in 1520 in the fields behind the castle. Now living and ruling together as king and queen over Hadriana. Roderick’s dream is to bring back the once-great Attian Empire of old. Even if this is at a large cost.

Trivia:

- Even though Roderick is known as a strict and sometimes even harsh king, he also loves to spend time with friends and family. He is seen as a true family man behind the scenes.

- Roderick spends the most time studying the history of Hadriana and others. Other nations and races fascinate him.

- Roderick is a strongly religious man. He has been raised religiously and can often be seen visiting the church.

- Roderick’s favorite drinks are Honey Mead and Golden Stallion Whiskey, Whiskey originating in Hadriana.

- The wooden ring finger on his left hand has the Withmond crest carved into it.