Description

Personality

Likes: Glory, power, fame, and swordfighting

Dislikes: Women- for the most part, Lionel finds them annoying, politics, boring shit (translation: anything involving accounting or history)

Fears: Losing his fighting ability, his father's disapproval

Skills/Talents: Lionel is an extraordinarily gifted young knight; he wields a left-handed hand-and-half sword with a fury and skill unmatched by most. He has a sharp mind for military strategy, and like his mother, never fails to notice what seems like the least significant detail should it come to his advantage. He can be very cunning and manipulative when he wants to, putting on a charming farce in order to get what he wants.

Weaknesses: Lionel values conflict itself over the motivations behind the conflict. Although he can listen to reason, Lionel's judgment sometimes gives way to a reckless wrath. He has a strong sense of honor and will unhesitatingly cut down anyone who insults him, which has landed him in more than a few political messes. He can be reckless and unthinking, often flying into homicidal rages when someone truly angers him. He bears grudges for a long time- an extremely long time. That being said, he does not typically fly off the handle at everything. If something irritates him, then Lionel will just react sarcastically. But if the offense is serious, the offender can usually be considered dead.


General Personality: Lionel is a sarcastic, scornful young man with a sharp wit who won't hesitate to tell people exactly what he thinks of them. He treats many people contemptuously, believing he is above them. Although he can pretend otherwise, he really doesn't care for anyone- family included. A borderline, homicidal sociopath, he was seemingly born without the capacity to empathize with other human beings. Words of love and affection make him extremely uncomfortable, mostly because he can't understand it. He often finds enjoyment in taunting and humiliating people in public, and can be very cruel and merciless in a fight. However, the façade he presents to the public is that of a charming, gallant knight; underneath is a untamable cat who looks out only for himself. He is ambitious, but not in the way his father wants him to be. Lionel has no interest in ruling; he hates dealing with people. He's a destroyer, not a builder. But he does very much enjoy military conquest. His love for military strategies overlaps into the way he deals with people; he sees everyone as an enemy, even his family. Some individuals might have formed temporary alliances with him, but he believes everyone is capable of betraying him in the end. Thus he refuses to trust or put his faith into anyone.

Equipment

Lionel's armor is forged from dark grey steel; the sigil of House Damian, the wildcat, is engraved on the front.

His sword, Night, is a fearsomely sharp, left-handed, two-edged hand-and-half sword forged of Valyrian steel. The silver hilt is inlaid with obsidian and onyx.

History

Lionel was raised and trained with only one goal in mind- to make his father proud. Growing up was difficult for the Damian children; they were constantly reminded that House Damian had many enemies, and only strong heirs could keep the family on the throne. Where a less resilient child might have cracked under the pressure, Lionel internalized his parents' determination and poured his frustration out in the courtyard, where he defeated foe after foe until he was one of the most celebrated swordsmen in King's Landing.

On the subject of actually ruling the Seven Kingdoms, however, Lionel did not fare quite so well. Politics and economy bored him, although he did find the subject of political treachery quite interesting. Lionel was a boy who tested things with the sharp end of a blade rather than with hypotheses and abstract assertions. He calmly told his tutors to fuck off and leave him be; his sister was more suited for the subject. Unfortunately, a female could never reign over the kingdoms while Lionel was still alive, and so his father forced him to continue in his studies until he had a sufficient mastery of them.

Although it seemed as if Lionel's upbringing turned out well, the constant pressure put on Lionel throughout his youth broke him from the inside. Forced to become responsible from a very early age, Lionel had no time to indulge in his own interests, nor did anyone show him affection or concern. He was not treated cruelly, but nor was he taught what it meant to feel truly feel affection for anyone. Lionel learned to view himself as being completely alone in the world- which is what a king must assume, as his father saw it. After he saw that his first son was at least competent, King Damian did not put as harsh standards on his other two children, which is why they are capable of the human tendencies that Lionel is not. As a result, Lionel seems terribly abrasive compared to his siblings.