[hider=Prince Judicael Ollivier][center][img]https://farm8.static.flickr.com/7527/26911376351_45d8d75fcf_b.jpg[/img][/center]

Name: Prince Judicael “Judah” Ollivier
Age: 26
Race: Eternian
Role: The Prince

Appearance:
Appropriately or not, Judah likes to think of himself as something of a swashbuckler and it shows. His features are defined but a bit delicate, he inherited his mother’s sharp chin and and cheekbones more than the prominent jaw and stern brow. He also inherited her slight frame, and though he trains hard and keeps himself fit he works to build muscle and keep it rather than to shed extra pounds. That isn’t to say that he’s not athletic--having tumbled his way through boyhood lessons with abandon and vigor, he has an excellent sense of balance and body that carries through in his bearing. Though he admires the [i]sprezzatura[/i] of courtly nobility, Judah himself embodies a certain larger-than-life [i]joi de vivre[/i] that makes him stand out amongst an otherwise stern and refined crowd.

While Judah may like to think himself a practical man, in truth he’s a showman and everyone knows it. Though his attendants do their best to keep him in the current fashions there’s always a buoyant air of slightly roguish good cheer both in the way he dresses and the way he presents himself, favoring hardy leathers and flowing, dramatic clothing that accentuates what he likes to think of as his daring charm. That he considers himself a swordsman is readily apparent from the cut of his gloves and boots and trousers, though the warmth that shows through his bottle-green eyes cuts through any pretense of malice like a knife. 

Personality:
Much like his clothing suggests, Judah likes to be larger than life in the things that he does. Enthusiastic to a fault and more energetic than your average terrier, he brings a sense of energy and dynamism to the world around him that makes it nearly impossible to be bored around him. Indeed, he spends much of his time [i]doing[/i] things rather than talking about them and vastly prefers action to discussion. Cutting his role-models from stories of swashbuckling privateers and debonaire gallants, he strives for a daring devil-may-care air of adventure that helps ingratiate himself with nearly everyone he meets. While many don’t [i]appreciate[/i] Judah, finding his energy and preference for ‘winging it’ but few and far between are the people who truly dislike him.

While Judah would like to be a daring and free-roaming seeker of adventure, the reality of the world is a sour note to him that he doesn’t ignore but does his best to cover. Having lived through assassination attempts on his father and the assassination of his mother, Judah’s brave front is as much a cover for his awareness of mortality as anything else. He tries to balance living every day to the fullest with what’s best for the kingdom, and though he plays it off as just another chore in truth he feels the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders both deeply and personally. As a ruler he favors his people and likes to think of himself as one of them, which leads him both to make choices that favor their quality of life and their safety. While he cares little for details he at least understands the broad strokes of ruling and has a knack for both diplomacy and talent acquisition, preferring to find the right person for the right job and let [i]them[/i] run things rather than take care of the day-to-day details himself. 

The exception for this, of course, is anything that could be construed as a threat or a danger to his people. In true crisis Judah very nearly transforms, putting all of his considerable energy and talent towards whatever display of daring and bravery might slay the dragon or topple the army and ultimately save the day. When there’s something to be [i]done[/i] rather than talked about it isn’t at all uncommon to see him doing it himself, whether that’s pulling children out of floodwater or fighting off bandits on the local trade road. A prince to Judah is someone who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and inspire his kingdom with personal heroics, and it shows.

Skills:
Judah was a young man afforded every opportunity of education and erudition in Eternia and it shows. A notorious dabbler, he knows a little about almost everything but approaches very few subjects with depth. He can talk with a blacksmith about the quality of iron and a woodworker about what chisels or bits would work best for the project, but much of his knowledge is theoretical rather than applied and in practice he tends to lack a grasp of the specific details to really buckle down on a given task. That said, there are a few subjects he approaches in depth and diplomacy and etiquette is one of them. He may wear his thoughts on his sleeve and approach even most diplomatic problems directly, but his straightforwardness proves a strength more often than not and he’s talented in using the sometimes dismissive view that others with political savvy have of him against them.

Of things that Judah is truly [i]skilled[/i] at, both sailing and swordsmanship come easily to mind. Having always loved the waters off the island and the ships that sail them, much of his free time is spent roaming the seaside on either his own or others’ vessel, and the docks and trade cities along the coast are where he tends to disappear to (and get himself in trouble). In keeping with theme, he has studiously applied himself to his dueling lessons since he first picked up a blade and has gained a reputation as something of a bravo. Hardly a knight or a soldier on a battlefield, he instead is a master of the sort of showy dueling that combines panache and presentation with legitimately intricate bladework, footwork, and timing. Though famously able to best three men at a time with his trusty rapier, his style is one of finesse and motion and ill-suited for the battlefield at large and he relies on the magic of his blade to address heavier armor.

Weapon:
[url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/6c/1c/56/6c1c5614dfc1d66eef57ac9db00afad7.jpg]Milady[/url], as Judah affectionately refers to his sword, is a long and thin rapier with a cupped guard and length crossguard. Made for dueling and having belonged to his first (and, he considers, best) instructor, it is a surprisingly unshowy weapon for a prince that Judah nevertheless treasures above all others. Appearances, however, can be deceiving, and the blade has been ensorcelled with impossible strength and flexibility. It is said to be so sharp that a proper thrust will slide clean through the breastplate of a man’s armor, though any swordsman will tell you that simply isn’t how sharpness works. That he can never seem to work the tarnish off the cup guard or the wear off the grip is, as far as Judah can tell, a part of its magic. He uses an entirely different and significantly more showy sword for ceremony, a bit embarrassed about his homely weapon of choice.

Armor:
Judah favors boiled leathers and dueling bracers over the plate and mail of the battlefield, and typically accentuates his mobility by eschewing heavier protection. Though on ceremony he may occasionally done the impeccable plate of his station, it has never seen battle and very likely never will.

Notable Possessions:
As a prince, Judah has a number of fineries, trophies, liveries and tomes that many would consider priceless and he considers fancy baubles. In truth the only things he particularly values is a [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/6d/64/6e/6d646ee7e884fb788b2d02260e7d0e11.jpg]particular ring[/url] of his mother’s that she wore before her death (and he now wears, in memorial) and a [url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/f0/29/89/f02989b8359b1a77de70aa9f7f46cac5.jpg]small brooch[/url] that his brother gave him as a young boy.


Brief History:
Judah has always been a vivacious and precocious young man. As a child he was witty and talented, accustomed to discussion and conversation with adults and enjoying their company over that of his peers. While his older brother took after his father, stern and wise and reserved, Judah was far more his mother’s son and she doted on him even as she chided his occasionally obnoxious antics. Eager to learn and more eager to show off what he learned, early attention and success bred in him a confidence and straight-forward approach to difficulty that would serve him well throughout his life. A fan of stories and storybooks, he idolized the swashbuckling bravos and rakishly charming pirate captains told to him by the common children he was allowed to play with over the more noble figures of his ancestry and legend, and it wasn’t at all uncommon to see him playing with training sword on hand on the castle ramparts, leaping from imaginary masts and rescuing young and swooning ‘damsels’. Though he knew that someday he might have to rule with real responsibility, it never hit him until the death of his mother that such a thing might come with costs of its own.

Assassinated by a visiting trader, her death in many ways shocked Judah into the realization of his lot in life. While before he had approached his studies somewhat flippantly, favoring swordsmanship and letting the rest slide, he began to realize that he would need more than storybook courage to succeed as he knew his mother would have wanted. If not a serious young man even then he at least approached his studies more seriously, gathering as he could an understanding of governance and the kingdom, and he was at risk of becoming a more somber individual until, ironically, the assassination attempt on his father that took the life of Sir Sigric Millesol. An unyielding and legendary knight who had dedicated himself to the king and kingdom, his death and the death of the guards in his service made Judah realize how little there really was keeping any of them from the grave. Rather than fall to despair he rose to the challenge, preferring to make the most of his time in the realms and make better the time had by the men and women of the kingdom. 

Thus did Judah begin to roam, sneaking out of the castle to visit with what he was quickly learning were the real people of the kingdom. Disguised so as not to be noticed (though often noticed anyway), he became something of a hero for the common folk for his tendency to solve the problems that he found himself instead of allowing others to do it. Though he lacked his brother’s resolve or political ecumen he excelled as the face of his dynasty among the people, and for a time his antics were tolerated in spite of the danger they put him in. It wasn’t until a run in with a local pirate that very nearly took Judah’s life that his father and brother stepped in to put a stop to such shenanigans. Given a province to run and an estate to look after, the hope was that Judah would tame himself for the sake of others and learn to delegate rather than delve in himself.

It kind of worked.

Sort of.

Not really.[/hider]