Karl Astilor

Introduction
Karl (Arthur) Astilor is the first biological son of Charles Astilor and his wife Revna Astilor (Hrafn), he was born in 276TE on the banks Farmcona river when his mother was unable to reach the castle in time as she delivered him just getting off the Astilor riverboat. He has piercing blue eyes, a genetic trait of his mother, and thick grey hair, a known trait of Astilors. Karl has the middle name Arthur named after his deceased uncle who Karl's father, Charles, owes his life.

Birth and Secret Upbringing
Charles Astilor and his wife Revna were a happy couple, and even though Charles was very old, there would be good years left in him. When Charles learned that his wife was with child he was overjoyed and as he prepared letters to announce the good news, he took a sip of his fine wine and began to choke. Revna who had went to take a nap in their bed heard Charles in his study and called for help. The known sorcerer Jebediah, who had worked with Charles in the Sorcery Guild was rushed to the castle. Utilising some of his latest potions and taking prayers for Greigen to heal Charles with his sorcery and alchemy, poured healing elixr into Charles' constricting throat. In a few days, Charles was back to normal health but the attempt on his life left him furious and paranoid. In order to ensure the safety of his wife and his future child, he sent her away back to her home in Stormgova to be attended to by her family and under the protection of her kin, Emperor Felöks Zeno Hrafn. Using coded letters Charles kept up with his wife her health and the health of his unborn son as the nurses gossiped. Eventually, she was advised if she wanted to return to Ludenstadt to Charles could be present at the birth she would need to leave now. However, the nurses miscalculated and as Revna was departing the Astilor river boat into the Raghrena port, she gave birth to her son Karl. Charles missed it by only a few moments but was there to hold his son as he was just born. Robert Astilor followed behind and also held his baby cousin, suggesting the name Karl to Charles who had been unsure (as well as Revna) on a name.

Karl was rushed into the castle, and given his name and was officially recorded into the Astilor family tree in secret. Friedrich Aulian the Patriarch of Soledom faith was called in secret to bless the child and be their for his official naming. An agreement was struck with Friedrich that the child would live in secret in an Astilor manor out of the way of the castle, and at the age of seven be given to Friedrich to be taken and trained in Aulian ways and also tutored by the wisest in the Imperial College. It pained Charles and Revna to plan the departure of their child, but they both knew it was in his best interest as an Astilor son, a true heir to the might of Charles would be a target. So it was that Karl was taken and raised in Galencourt, the castle of Robert Astilor who looked after the boy when his parents weren't present and sometimes when fate called upon it pretended that Karl was actually his son whom he had adopted from a foreign war, although the sharpest of guests couldn't help but notice the distinctive grey hair of an Astilor and his Hrafn blue eyes.

Adoption by Friedrich Aulian and tutoring in Adlerhorst
When he was seven years old, Friedrich Aulian came and claimed this suspicious child from Galencourt, Karl would not see his father for another four years. Tutoring was harsh at first, Karl had lived a relatively care-free lifestyle up till that point; playing in the jungles, travelling to the local towns and just being a child. However, Karl was someone who enjoyed and needed order, and the tutoring was a rigid structure he began to adhere to. Even when he lived his care-free life, Karl was ordered and structured. Karl quickly became adept at reading, writing, speaking and translation of texts. He enjoyed drawing, and took up painting as a hobby. Karl also began to grow close to Friedrich, whom at first he resented; after a year of living in Adlerhorst Karl was becoming deeply attached to his new home. He loved the archaic nature of it, he enjoyed being surrounded by old books. The city was quieter than the bustle of the Astilor Fiefdoms, and in his allotted free time, Karl would enjoy taking the careful time to explore each of the older buildings.

One year into his studies, Karl was a changed man, still an ordered one but his care free responsibility less attitude was quickly being replaced with the traditions of Valreach, and House Aulian against the wishes of Charles, who was blissfully unaware. On his eighth birthday, his mother Revna Hrafn came to visit with his sister Avery Astilor with whom he had very little prior interaction. However, they began to bond over a shared love of books and the visit is a happy one in Karl's memories. Yet, the lack of his real father became something of a major emotional struggle for Karl. Instead of confronting this, he instead doubled down in his studies and reached even greater heights than Friedrich could have imagined. Karl began to write poetry, and short stories as well as read more and more texts about ancient Valreach, the various eras in the High Kingdom, the rebellion at Nidaros and more. He became more and more the Aulian heir Friedrich hoped he would become and as Charles was ever distant Friedrich became ever closer. Coming into his prime as a young man, Friedrich became more attached to the boy than he thought he would and their relationship became akin to a father and son. Karl looked for the guidance of a father figure and Friedrich was there to provide it. On his third year of being in Adlerhorst, Friedrich Aulian on Karl's 10th birthday formally adopted him into House Aulian, making Karl a child of two families, of two legacies with the rights to inherit from both. It was a secret that Charles Astilor would not discover the truth of until he lay dying in Ludenstadt many years later.

In his fourth year, Karl expecting as usual his mother and sister to arrive to visit him, he was instead greeted by a cloaked old man. After a few moments Karl realised it was his father, and much to his father's devastation walked away instead of embracing the man. Chastisement from Friedrich ensued, who reminded Karl he was a Valrean nobleman and therefore had a responsibility of manners to his fellow countrymen. Karl remarked "He isn't from this country", but shook his father's hand nonetheless. Karl has since later learned that this was the worst moment of Charles' life, surpassing even that of his older brother's death at the hands of pirates decades ago. The day was spent mainly between Friedrich and Charles, as Karl did not entertain nor engage with his father. The brief conversations they had regarded some gifts Charles had brought, and a shared enjoyment of horse riding. At the end of the day, Charles prepared to ride away from Adlerhorst and prepared to say goodbye to his son. Karl stared at his father, tears in his eyes and asked "Why is it the histories record Kings and their princely sons fighting side by side, protecting one another and fighting together but you greet me cloaked tens of miles from your home?". Charles never gave Karl an answer and even with Friedrich's role as his father cemented the year before, Karl would never get over his father's silence that night.

As Karl grew into his teenage years, his passions for the histories turned to politics, theology and especially law. Karl's naturally ordered sense of character trended towards law as an almost natural subject and by the age of 16 he was writing essays the Imperial College's finest couldn't produce on law and legal reform in Valreach. Karl was raised in the Valrean system and thus appreciated the necessity and power of absolutism, but was detested at the informality of such an arrangement and believed passionately it was holding the Empire back. He sought text after text on constitutional arrangements, legal codes of other monarchies but was never satisfied often finding their liberal tendencies to be completely foreign to Valrean culture and history. Many of his writings, and earliest works were not published as Friedrich did not want to announce his identity yet so they were left in archives under pseudo names.

A year at home
At the age of 18, Karl learned of his father's ailing health and requested permission from Friedrich to spend a year back in his old home. Friedrich, disheartened to see his son leave, relented as to not damage their relationship as Karl would abide by his command but not necessarily respect it. Karl was delighted to see the rest of his family again, except of course his father whom he once again treated with a cold contempt. They had seen each other only once since the infamous 11th birthday encounter, at a national event where Friedrich took Karl to show him the heights of Valrean nobility. Karl and Charles, for the sake of the act, treated each other like strangers which came far more easily to Karl than it did Charles. Nevertheless, Karl sought to quickly establish himself in the lands he would come to inherit. Firstly, he sought to refine various codes and decrees his father had made around finances and trade. Charles was a believer in free trade, having been raised on a mercantile island owned by a bank; however Karl is not. Instead, Karl began to correspond with various tradesmen inside Valreach and his father's lands and they began to reform trading laws to protect local producers. Charles' health complications forced him to bedrest for a few weeks where Karl entered a regency alongside his brother Albert and Uncle Robert. Karl used this time to train with the Knights of Edenheim and ensure their good administration meant for the proper implementation of his father's complicated legal system.

After two months, Karl had made great impacts on the Barony of Ludenstadt and its joint Mayoralty of Raghrena. Most of the remaining fiefs were being governed by their respective rulers and Bruno Astilor who had been extending his reach to other family in order to help maintain order. It was here that Bruno and Karl met, they quickly bonded over certain shared ideals and their generally similar personalities. A friendship that lasts strongly to this day. Throughout the remaining year of being at home, Karl expanded the Astilor treasury, and shored up its stockpiles for war. He ordered the construction of various parks, and made strong breaks into planning reform. As his father's health improved, Karl made the decision to return to Adlerhorst having proven what a success his tutoring was. Karl continued his academic studies and pursuits, now public to the world due to his reputation gained whilst administering in Ludenstadt.