HOME | DD

Description

Name: Sigmund Roenach
Age: 14
Birthday: 10th Thawing
Gender: Male
Height: 5'6" (168cm)
Race: Human

Class: Scout
Occupation: Crown Prince of Koben
City: Koben
Allegiance: Koben Empire

Personality:
+ Kind | Humble | Empathetic | Studious | Book-smart | Observant

- Fearful | Timid | Sensitive | Self-effacing | Clumsy | Sullen | Extremely private

It's often said by people who know the Emperor's family that Sigmund was the son who inherited his father's wiles, but his older brother Fabian got all the grit. Indeed Sigmund is clever for his age and an astute observer, but he seems to lack the tenacity and conviction that make a good leader. He is instead a humble, gentle and empathetic child, who is perhaps overly cautious about everything he does. He speaks quietly and says little in public situations. To his tutors' frustration, excessive duress often paralyses and renders him useless - which they lament because several feel that he could be successfully taught to 'play the game' if only he could be convinced to take the risk.

The one trait he shares with his brother is a sense of mischief and humour - although Sigmund doesn't have the courage to do anything himself. He will spectate others' games and escapades with fascination but doesn't seem to want to join in himself unless the company is very familiar to him - while Fabian was alive, Sigmund would shadow him quite happily, and the brothers would share in-jokes with each other. Now he laughs less overall, in large part because he doesn't like to laugh in front of people he's not completely comfortable with. He seems sullen and withdrawn most of the time.

A lot of his crippling fear is driven by the enormity of the weight he feels from being an Imperial prince and now, even worse, the Crown Prince. Comfortably shielded by Fabian in the past, he is now in the spotlight and accountable for all the things he has been pressured to be but cannot seem to get the hang of. The very feeling that everyone pushes onto him - from his father to everyone else who has a relationship with him - that he cannot afford to fail is precisely what kills his ability to perform.

Likes:
Animals | Trips on airships | Private time | Mountain wilderness treks | Ghost stories | Talkative people who can keep themselves going | Comfortable silence | Exotic foods | Fireplaces | The smell of paper and ink

Dislikes:
The expectations forced on him, and the dismissiveness that comes when he fails to fulfil them | Both being ignored and being put on the spot | Smugness | The damp | Drizzle | Opera | Making people upset | Gruesome sports like hunting and death-matches | Unnecessary cruelty | Moonless nights
History:
At his birth, Sigmund was celebrated highly - for several generations the Emperor of Koben had borne only a single heir, so the delivery of a second son was cause to celebrate. As he grew up however, the positive sentiment turned into disappointment as he proved to be unsuited for Imperial family's responsibilities. For a time, rather than resulting in overt condemnation, observers largely left him alone - the younger son was an opportunity wasted, but that wasn't a huge problem since his older brother was more than sufficient and at least it meant he wouldn't cause succession drama. Although he was constantly pestered by the tutors assigned to him, he was otherwise shielded by his father and his brother and spent most of his time in the safety of their shadows. He made small steps forward at his own, unhurried pace.

All this came crashing down when Fabian was lost. All eyes now turned to the thirteen-year-old Sigmund with the question - would he be able to replace his brother? The answer from all sides was no, and the sudden attention made it worse yet. The pressure on his tutors to ready him intensified, which resulted in them increasing their pressure on him, sometimes in undirectional and patently unhelpful ways - they simply had no idea how to get him to become a worthy prince now when they'd struggled with it for so long already, and unconsciously lashed out at their pupil in frustration. Word spread of the young prince's unsatisfactory prospects, and as a whole the ruling class went into damage control - the aim now became to circumnavigate him rather than place any hopes on him.

This, of course, did not go down well with the Emperor. As of late, he has been almost feverishly trying to accustom his now only son to the expectations he will have to face whether he likes it or not. Artur's decision that Sigmund should give a public address himself on his fourteenth birthday - much younger than the same thing was expected of his brother - is a clear signal that he will not allow his constituency to simply roll over their legitimate heir.
Additional info:
♦ He looks almost identical to his older brother when he was that age. This has led some people to believe he will take up his brother's mantle well, but yet more feel it's a cruel joke of fate that he should be such a visually striking but poor 'imitation'.

♦ In politics, he tends to be ignored or dismissed. The old nobility (who were quite happy about Fabian since he seemed to be closer to his grandfather than his father in political judgment - i.e. a man who preferred slow progress to big leaps and valued old ties) have instead become focused on machinations which exclude him. Most are either trying to become his Regent and control him, or are trying to align themselves with the next one down the line of inheritance - of which there is no clear favourite because the Imperial line has produced single heirs for several generations. Very few would throw their lot in with the young prince as his own person; he has after all done nothing worthy of winning anyone's trust.

♦ One source of close family friends' and advisors' distrust in him is his zodiac reading. It is public (though perhaps not common) knowledge that his year, month and true animals are horse, falcon and salmon respectively - all of which are favourable but none of which seems to actually be accurate. By hour of birth, he is a Secret Raven - and because he has so far shown no signs of ability with magic, the obvious conclusion is that the karma that lies over his head is one of death and misfortune. As can be expected, this detail is kept a closely guarded secret but still contributes to his own self-doubt.

♦ He has, however, seemed to have picked up his father's ability to read people. He speaks little but absorbs a lot, and shows great attention to detail. His tutors and the few supporters he has believe this will be his key to success, but they have so far been unable to convert that into good results.

♦ He is good with animals and treats his pegasus (a sparrowhawk variety he has had for a few years now) as a best friend.

Relationships:
Family
Artur Roenach: Father and Emperor. He is greatly in awe of him, to Artur's unexpressed chagrin as that means the boy doesn't speak to him much.

Adele Letner: Mother and Empress. Sigmund is much more open to his mother, but even so he is guarded with what he tells her.

Fabian Roenach: Older brother, who he rather idolised and was close to despite their 11 year age difference. The brothers shared secrets with each other that they never aired to anyone else. Since Fabian's death, Sigmund has started to put himself under immense pressure to be like his older brother - although it never worked before and will likely never work.

Other
Elmer Hase: Funny old man who visits his father a lot. He likes Elmer but has difficulty keeping the distractible old man's attention because he is slow to words but doesn't have the weight of his father.

RP Preference:
Paragraph/lit style - so forum, google docs or notes is preferred. Chat/script noob here.

Description

Name: Sigmund Roenach
Age: 14
Birthday: 10th Thawing
Gender: Male
Height: 5'6" (168cm)
Race: Human

Class: Scout
Occupation: Crown Prince of Koben
City: Koben
Allegiance: Koben Empire

Personality:
+ Kind | Humble | Empathetic | Studious | Book-smart | Observant

- Fearful | Timid | Sensitive | Self-effacing | Clumsy | Sullen | Extremely private

It's often said by people who know the Emperor's family that Sigmund was the son who inherited his father's wiles, but his older brother Fabian got all the grit. Indeed Sigmund is clever for his age and an astute observer, but he seems to lack the tenacity and conviction that make a good leader. He is instead a humble, gentle and empathetic child, who is perhaps overly cautious about everything he does. He speaks quietly and says little in public situations. To his tutors' frustration, excessive duress often paralyses and renders him useless - which they lament because several feel that he could be successfully taught to 'play the game' if only he could be convinced to take the risk.

The one trait he shares with his brother is a sense of mischief and humour - although Sigmund doesn't have the courage to do anything himself. He will spectate others' games and escapades with fascination but doesn't seem to want to join in himself unless the company is very familiar to him - while Fabian was alive, Sigmund would shadow him quite happily, and the brothers would share in-jokes with each other. Now he laughs less overall, in large part because he doesn't like to laugh in front of people he's not completely comfortable with. He seems sullen and withdrawn most of the time.

A lot of his crippling fear is driven by the enormity of the weight he feels from being an Imperial prince and now, even worse, the Crown Prince. Comfortably shielded by Fabian in the past, he is now in the spotlight and accountable for all the things he has been pressured to be but cannot seem to get the hang of. The very feeling that everyone pushes onto him - from his father to everyone else who has a relationship with him - that he cannot afford to fail is precisely what kills his ability to perform.

Likes:
Animals | Trips on airships | Private time | Mountain wilderness treks | Ghost stories | Talkative people who can keep themselves going | Comfortable silence | Exotic foods | Fireplaces | The smell of paper and ink

Dislikes:
The expectations forced on him, and the dismissiveness that comes when he fails to fulfil them | Both being ignored and being put on the spot | Smugness | The damp | Drizzle | Opera | Making people upset | Gruesome sports like hunting and death-matches | Unnecessary cruelty | Moonless nights
History:
At his birth, Sigmund was celebrated highly - for several generations the Emperor of Koben had borne only a single heir, so the delivery of a second son was cause to celebrate. As he grew up however, the positive sentiment turned into disappointment as he proved to be unsuited for Imperial family's responsibilities. For a time, rather than resulting in overt condemnation, observers largely left him alone - the younger son was an opportunity wasted, but that wasn't a huge problem since his older brother was more than sufficient and at least it meant he wouldn't cause succession drama. Although he was constantly pestered by the tutors assigned to him, he was otherwise shielded by his father and his brother and spent most of his time in the safety of their shadows. He made small steps forward at his own, unhurried pace.

All this came crashing down when Fabian was lost. All eyes now turned to the thirteen-year-old Sigmund with the question - would he be able to replace his brother? The answer from all sides was no, and the sudden attention made it worse yet. The pressure on his tutors to ready him intensified, which resulted in them increasing their pressure on him, sometimes in undirectional and patently unhelpful ways - they simply had no idea how to get him to become a worthy prince now when they'd struggled with it for so long already, and unconsciously lashed out at their pupil in frustration. Word spread of the young prince's unsatisfactory prospects, and as a whole the ruling class went into damage control - the aim now became to circumnavigate him rather than place any hopes on him.

This, of course, did not go down well with the Emperor. As of late, he has been almost feverishly trying to accustom his now only son to the expectations he will have to face whether he likes it or not. Artur's decision that Sigmund should give a public address himself on his fourteenth birthday - much younger than the same thing was expected of his brother - is a clear signal that he will not allow his constituency to simply roll over their legitimate heir.
Additional info:
♦ He looks almost identical to his older brother when he was that age. This has led some people to believe he will take up his brother's mantle well, but yet more feel it's a cruel joke of fate that he should be such a visually striking but poor 'imitation'.

♦ In politics, he tends to be ignored or dismissed. The old nobility (who were quite happy about Fabian since he seemed to be closer to his grandfather than his father in political judgment - i.e. a man who preferred slow progress to big leaps and valued old ties) have instead become focused on machinations which exclude him. Most are either trying to become his Regent and control him, or are trying to align themselves with the next one down the line of inheritance - of which there is no clear favourite because the Imperial line has produced single heirs for several generations. Very few would throw their lot in with the young prince as his own person; he has after all done nothing worthy of winning anyone's trust.

♦ One source of close family friends' and advisors' distrust in him is his zodiac reading. It is public (though perhaps not common) knowledge that his year, month and true animals are horse, falcon and salmon respectively - all of which are favourable but none of which seems to actually be accurate. By hour of birth, he is a Secret Raven - and because he has so far shown no signs of ability with magic, the obvious conclusion is that the karma that lies over his head is one of death and misfortune. As can be expected, this detail is kept a closely guarded secret but still contributes to his own self-doubt.

♦ He has, however, seemed to have picked up his father's ability to read people. He speaks little but absorbs a lot, and shows great attention to detail. His tutors and the few supporters he has believe this will be his key to success, but they have so far been unable to convert that into good results.

♦ He is good with animals and treats his pegasus (a sparrowhawk variety he has had for a few years now) as a best friend.

Relationships:
Family
Artur Roenach: Father and Emperor. He is greatly in awe of him, to Artur's unexpressed chagrin as that means the boy doesn't speak to him much.

Adele Letner: Mother and Empress. Sigmund is much more open to his mother, but even so he is guarded with what he tells her.

Fabian Roenach: Older brother, who he rather idolised and was close to despite their 11 year age difference. The brothers shared secrets with each other that they never aired to anyone else. Since Fabian's death, Sigmund has started to put himself under immense pressure to be like his older brother - although it never worked before and will likely never work.

Other
Elmer Hase: Funny old man who visits his father a lot. He likes Elmer but has difficulty keeping the distractible old man's attention because he is slow to words but doesn't have the weight of his father.

RP Preference:
Paragraph/lit style - so forum, google docs or notes is preferred. Chat/script noob here.