βNothing like waking up and realizing you are the only sane person left on the planet.β
~ Nickname ~"I suppose Prince Aurelius Titus Scorpio, fourteenth of his name, Prince of the Misty Caverns, Commander of the Claw, and Lord of Shadows is a mouthful."
Artos, his name before it was legally changed to the family name upon his elder brothers death. Some people still refer to him as this, and he prefers it as well.
Arty, a... name his mother calls him and a name his elder brother loved to rub in.
Prince Scorpio, his official 'title' and the 'proper' way to refer to him.
~ Gender ~"I am not a very attractive man as it is, I would make a truly hideous woman. Can you imagine me trying to win a husband through my force of personality? I would have to use the gold and fame that comes with my title to hook a sub-par man with questionable morals."
Male
~ Sexuality ~"I will leave the expert wielding of the Manhood of Destiny to our daringly Prince Galaxy."
Heterosexual
~ Age ~"Younger then I feel, and younger then I like to admit."
26
~ Role ~"The Prince of Scorpio, and I take my position very seriously."
Prince of Scorpio
~ Distinguishable Features ~"I know I am not the best looking guy in the world... honestly, even as far as the other princes go, I am passable."
Artos' has very rough calloused hands, unlike many of his peers and other higher born peoples, because he spends a lot of times mining in the misty caverns. His arms are covered in small cuts and slashes, and he does not speak of where they come from. His back is covered in whip marks and burns that, he will also, never speak of. His face is remarkably clear... and very plain. Artos often remarks that he is beautifully plain.
~ Personality ~"An atrocious mixture of daddy issues and vicious inferiority complex."
Artos is an odd man. He is distant, sardonic, and often cruelly blunt with people which does not make him the most liked prince among the royalty. He will often, and swiftly, remark on actions he thinks are unwise or wrong and will not hold back in his wording. He loves to mock others and takes great joy in it, he rarely does so with the intention of hurting them, but hurting people tends to be a side effect of his actions. He considers himself to be an incredibly smart and witty man and his nature often borders on arrogance in that he believes others simply do not know or understand things as he does and make mistakes far too often, and that he would never do the same.
On the other side, Artos is a very caring leader. He strives to be the best prince he can, an almost obsession to be the best he can be. He has already preformed two radical changes to the government body of his lands, works in the mines alongside his workers, on the three times he had to sentence someone to death, he killed them personally, and he always makes a point to personally inform families when their loved ones are killed in action. This kind and caring nature is not one Artos normally shows as he prefers the cold sardonic shell he has created around himself, but he does let his guard down when he is around his people in his quest to be better then his brother and escape from his shadow, to do his family proud... to be 'better' then what he is as he thinks that Artos, the true Artos, is not worthy enough to lead, not worthy enough to be a prince, not worthy enough to leave the shell.
The 'true' Artos is a lonely child, one who was often put on the back shelf, the spare tire, to his older brother who was far superior then him in every way. He cannot count the number of times he had been told to be more like his brother, to be more like Aurelius. The kindness he displays to his people is true, Artos is a very kind person, and he does not enjoy hurting others. His sardonic, mocking nature is to protect himself and not allow anyone too close to him. A passionate man with a love of music and nature, Artos has a 'beautiful soul' even if he prefers to hide it as he sees it as a personal flaw. Artos is a hard person to like or love because he doesn't allow people to. He firmly believes that he doesn't need it.
~ History ~"Oh, Woe is Me! I was born into a rich family with silver spoon in hand. My daddy always wanted me to do his or that, and I just wanted to be 'free'. Oh, woe is me. Why would the fates be so cruel as to force me to be born into a position of luxury and power! Oh, woe is me! The little peasants have no idea how lucky they have it!"
Artos does not talk about his history and thanks to being the Shadow Lord, spymaster and lord of information, it isn't hard to keep a lid on his past. The less others know about him the better. Even the princes and princesses he played with as children, he prefers them only to know him as distantly as possible. It is better for both of them.
(I do have his history noted down, so anyone that wanted to be 'closer' to him because they played together in their childhood, just let me know, and we can work out how much they know about him as a person.)
β₯ Duty and Responsibility
β₯ Knowledge, he enjoys knowing what others do not.
β₯ Passion, he loves to see it in other people even if he is not the most passionate of people.
β₯ Music
β₯ His people
β₯ Snow
β₯ The Misty Caverns
β₯ Seeing people laugh.
~ Dislikes ~
β Brutes
β Lazy or 'carefree' people
β Selfish Actions
β Onions/Tomatoes/Celery
β Lap dogs
β Failure
~ Talents ~
β A very skilled musician.
β A very good leader despite his insulting quips about himself.
β Extremely good memory.
β Extremely good liar as are most of the Scorpio Royal Family.
β A great plotter and schemer thanks to the shadow network his family runs.
~ Hobbies ~
β Reading (from historical text to poems and everything in between)
β Playing the Piano
β Writing
β Reading mission reports even if he has no need to or has already read them.
β Watching the local plays
β Working in the mines
β Fencing. An odd hobby he has taken up, he is not the best at it and openly admits that there are many, many people far better then he. As for a battle, he openly admits he would rather use a spear, warhammer, or halberd then a sword, which as he often muses, are 'over-priced, shiny toys that rich men love to swing around when a simpler, and far more effective, weapon is the superior choice.'
~ Fears ~
β Spiders
β Letting down his people, his family, and being a black mark on the Scorpio history records.
β Rejection
~ Flaws ~
β Arrogant
β Emotionally Distant
β Sardonic
β Demanding
β Judgmental
Neither. Blind loyalty and zeal is for those who lack the intelligence to think for themselves. He will protect his people and puts them before his own personal feelings or the egos of others.
~ Romantic Interest ~"Well, at least you didn't waste time dancing around the subject."
N/A
~ Thoughts on Others ~"Oh joy, I do so love to gossip. Did you hear about the Princess of that one nation that no one really cares about? Oh.. my.... did you know that she and that one Prince that no one really cares about did that and this without being married!? Oh my word, children these days. Tsk tsk."
Queen Stars "I hope you can sleep well at night knowing this little fight you are starting could very well lead to the loss of thousands of lives."
Prince Galaxy "Wielding your mighty Manhood of Destiny you have brought our nation to the brink of civil war. I am not sure if I want to congratulate you or strangle you. Perhaps both? Would make for an amusing scene.
Princess Planet "Character Thought"
Aries "An interesting culture, land and princess. I never desire to see the Aries ever come to a position of true power as our people would have trouble co-existing without the proverbially hammer hanging above our heads, but their culture, while incredibly crude and flawed is, none the less, incredibly fascinating. I would love to travel their lands and observe. Oh, right, forgive me, I seemed to have gone off base and talked more about the land then the woman in question. She has not been a princess for long, but given the nature of their land, that is not surprising. I enjoy her character, I have never met the woman in person, I would have remembered such an event, trust me, but she has managed to create the image of power rather well, and I would say it suits her, or at least, suits the mental image I have of the Princess of Aries, but I have always wondered what lay beneath the warrior. I could send people to figure it out, but I have the oddest desire to see for myself rather then read them in reports."
Taurus "I do have reports on him, I would be very foolish Scorpio if I did not, at least, keep tabs on the other rulers. For the man in question, he seems to have adopted the same neutral stances as I which is a point in his favor as he seems to understand that keeping his people safe and out of the way of two people bickering is the move a ruler should take, but I hear he uses a Katana? I have not the faintest idea as to why he would choose such a weapon. Perhaps he thinks they are pretty swords? I am not particularly fond of them, but well, there is no accounting for taste."
Gemini "Character Thought"
Cancer "A mixture of apathy and distaste. I have no problems with who he is, as a person, and I think he could, very well, be one of those elusive 'good men' I hear about so wearily often, but he needs to step up. I do not believe he is a good leader nor do I believe he has what it takes to do what he must for the good of his people and not the good of himself or the people he cares about himself."
Leo "A nice mixture of love and annoyance, I would say. I have always loved her fiery nature, her passion that makes it seem like she is sunlight itself, her hair helps in this I suppose, but at the same time, she is frustrating. I wish she would look at the situation and see two people bickering that if left unchecked is going to lead to the death of many instead of following the queen out of blind loyalty. Her loyalty is admirable, but I believe it is misplaced."
Virgo "Character Thought"
Libra "I do not even know where to begin. It seems he has taken a neutral stance as well, but I question the motives behind doing so, more then anything, the man is not someone I believe I could ever understand. His nature confuses me, and I admit, it is unsettling that he is someone I cannot seem to understand, or at the very least, ever agree with."
Scorpio "A bland looking and incredibly dull prince. But at least he is a true prince who cares for his people, doesn't make him any less dull of a human being though. I hear his brother was much, much more interesting."
Sagittarius "Character Thought"
Capricorn "Finally, someone I can understand for taking part in this foolhardy 'War of Ego'. I understand, from the various reports, that it doesn't seem he has much of a choice in this matter. His lands are too closely tied to that of the King's to do otherwise. I can respect that, by fighting he is protecting his nation and its interest. A little on the short side, that wasn't an opinion, more of an observation."
Aquarius "Character Thought"
Pisces "Character Thought"
The Land of Scorpio
The Homeland: The lands of the Scorpio are not very large and consist of a large expanse of mountains including a massive tunnel network called the 'Misty Caverns' because of the odd mist that fills the bottom of it in the mornings. The mountains are broken up by small plains, but for the most part, it is a rugged land filled with rock and forest. Their land is highly defensible in terms of a direct invasion, but as any wise Scorpio Prince knows, an indirect invasion via restricting trade would be a devastating blow.
Economy: There are a few places where the land is not rugged and the earth not rock where people can hatch out a meager existence as farmers, but such land is very rare. Most of the food in Scorpio is traded for and imported. The largest food source that they have tends to be goat related. This is a critical weakness of their nation that they have grown to accept. They need other nations to survive, the importation of food, particularly grain from the lowland nations, is vital to their survival.
Their main source of income comes from the various mines that stretch throughout the mountains, the Misty Caverns, have always been a very large source of precious gems and houses the finest iron veins in the nation from which the finest steel is forged. While timber is also a source of income, the sweet and cruel work of miners is the lifeblood of the Scorpio.
Military: Due to their terrain, the Scorpio do not have a large population or large military force, instead, the Scorpio have long acted akin to their sign. They are master spies and assassins, there is a saying that, 'If you have a secret, there is a Scorpio out there that knows it'.
Their military, while small, is professional as soldiers of the Scorpio are soldiers by career. The core of the military is formed around units of highly disciplined halberdiers (The Claw) armored in fine Scorpio steel breastplates with steel gauntlets and greaves, small units of axemen with large round shields (The Plate) to guard their flanks, and a highly trained unit of spearmen/archers (The Sting), wielding shield, spear, and longbow able to freely switch between them, due to their need for mobility, they are only armored with light chainmail and are not as suited for the front lines as the Halberdiers. Their mountainous terrain does not allow for any form of cavalry, so instead, the Scorpio rely on heavy and highly disciplined infantry. Any true show of force from the Scorpio Lands would be these elite core surrounded by militia. It is highly unlikely they could win a battle against the more... cavalry inclined lands below in the open field.
Foreign Policy: The Prince or Princess of Scorpio has always acted as the Spymaster or 'Shadow Lord' for the King and Queen of the Heavens, and it is a very... precarious position as both regents will have to hope the shadow lord is loyal more towards them then the other regent and the Scorpio have long since had to walk the line between the two of them, never having the luxury to pick a side like the other realms. Proud and aloof, the Scropio people have always been held in suspicion by the people of other nations for how can you trust something that has an ear on your door and a knife pointed at your back? And so the Scorpio do not have any other lands they would consider 'staunch allies' nor do they consider anyone as 'enemies' instead the, official, policy is to view all nations as potential 'assets' manipulative information and working behind the scenes to secure their position and safety. This has made people whisper about cowardice behind their backs as, for the Scorpio Royal Family, to take up the blade in war means they have already lost.
Government: The seat of power has always rested with the Scorpio Royal Family, but Aurelius Titus Scorpio the XII (Artos) has introduced a new system that has been put in place. Every city within his domain creates a council which is the prominent members of their city, prominent members from the nearby towns and villages, as well as ten positions that are elected by people of the city. Each City Counsel is directly responsible for their own city which includes managing their finances, looking over taxes, as well as contributing to the upkeep of the small army of the Scorpio as Artos has decreed that every city must have a set limit of regiments employed at all times.
Each of these City Counsels, known as Low Counsels, then elect one of their member to be their City Representative who serves on Artos' personal counsel known as the High Counsel. Along with these City Representatives are the various leaders of the Scorpio Spy/Assassination branches (It would have been foolish to give all the power to a single man), and the leader of each of the branches of the military. They aid Artos in the running of the kingdom, provide useful information, and more then anything else, they can override his decisions. With a 3/4's vote, they can veto any of Artos' Royal Decrees, with a unanimous decision they can put forth decrees of their own. As Artos has very little control over the election of the Counsel, he has created a check and balance for his own power and those that come after him.