Heinrich val Oberstein

Heinrich val Oberstein (Teutonic_Brother), officially Autark Heinrich Müller val Oberstein at the time of his death, was a former Citizen and Noble of The Imperial Archonate of Viodoxa who was known for his skills in Architecture, Statesmanship, Literature, and Oration. He resided in his personal estate, County of Delphinium, within Augmentum Terra as Head Architect, Head Engineer, Head Librarian, and Undersheriff. Subsequently, he also took the title as Grand Librarian of all of Viodoxa for most of his life time. Without much question he was considered to be a “Tortured Artist” with high ambition, often creating a vast list of works, many of which going unfinished or discarded for other grand projects. He was often seen and depicted with a very regal and pompous uniform, it is unknown if this was merely a heavily modified uniform made from the clothing used at University by students or if his uniforms were especially custom made.

Early Life
Heinrich was born in the plains of Nieden while his family were still Nomads on various travels, his Father being an Arkhai Nomad and his Mother being a Cymru Merchant respectively. As soon as they were able, Heinrich’s parents returned back to his Mother’s native home town, a small fishing village. As Heinrich rose in age his Father took the role as the village’s stonemason while his Mother retired to become a local teacher for the village.

By the time he reached the age of 17 his parents strived to pass all knowledge they could onto him from their various travels and lines of work while also teaching him varying subjects. This included various languages, how to read and write, history, mathematics, and basic engineering. Before he could even reach the age of 18 his parents applied him to a University in Nieden, lying about his age to make his acceptance easier. With the financial support of his Family he left Cymru and sailed north to Nieden where he would pursue further education.

Heinrich would then spend the next 6 years of his life at the University seeking pursuits in many subjects to expand his palate of knowledge. There he studied Architecture, Statesmanship, Engineering, Political Theory, Military Strategy, and Philosophy. In the University he was noted for his Oratory Skills, usually involving politics or basic livelihood. Across his time acquiring a higher education he received several awards, some of which he still commonly wore on his uniforms up until his death.

Return to Cymru
Upon leaving the University, Heinrich lazed about the campus for some time before deciding on his journey back to Cymru. Taking many different ships from one city port to the next, it took many months for Heinrich to return back to his home continent. By the time he had reached the continent he met up with the Astronians of Rose, a very new, up and coming city of Viodoxa; whom he immediately offered his services to on subsequent understanding he’d have Religious and Creative Freedom. Consequently just a few days after joining Rose he participated in a battle against Entropy in Fornost on behalf of Viodoxa where he was severely injured, having to be hospitalized for two days.

After recovering he wasted no time in getting officially settled, quickly beginning several architectural projects as well as literary projects. Only after a week of work he gifted Rose sturdy new walls and expanded its infrastructure; all the while he wrote and published his first set of books regarding political theory, Imperii I and Imperii II, as well as a book on the Religion of Astronoma. Astronoma I. All of which can be accredited to his desire to prove himself to any official who cared to notice and show off his competence.

When Heinrich felt comfortable in his new Nation he volunteered his services directly to the Nation of Viodoxa to become its Grand Librarian following the publishing and donation of his books to the National Library. Just a few days later he was also named Head Architect, Head Engineer, and Head Librarian of Rose. In celebration of his new found success, Heinrich purchased a ceremonial baton of gold and ivory to better portray his new found status which he aptly named 'Solus Gloria'.

Knight of Cymru
Upon the creation of the Order of Adytum by Valen McSpiegel, an organization centered on stopping Entropy, Heinrich was one of the first few to be Knighted into the Order. His main desire focused solely on getting revenge against Entropy and her supporters for wounding him. After only a few days' time he would get his chance as Entropy laid siege to the city of Viodoxa itself, an opportunity the young man couldn’t refuse. At the battle he showed his inner initiative and intuition against Entropy as well as her minions and thus distinguished himself as a man who was militarily competent. Upon the battle's end the Nation of Viodoxa, and subsequently Heinrich, walked away victorious. Although he had suffered various burns from Fire Magic he managed to stay in the fight to the very end.

With new found closure and peace, Heinrich got back to work as Grand Librarian of Viodoxa and his life as a whole. Even daring to enlist with the Imperial Army where he received the rank of Captain for the II. Infantry Corps. In just a few days he had managed to double the National Library's collection and renovate the shelves; he kept this going until the bookshelf calamity hit, preventing him from accessing any of the books which had been stored in shelves. Each book having been presumably lost to the void. Seeing his hard work crumble to nothing drove him to fits of anger and disappointment for several days, having felt personally responsible for the library's loss. It would take several years before the books would all be restored.

Following the sudden collapse of Viodoxa some time later during The Purple Insurrection, he opted to resign as Grand Librarian and Captain of the Imperial Army. Seeing no point to continue with the nation coming to an end right before his eyes. In the four day period where the Province of Augmentum Terra saw independence Heinrich strongly urged the Astronians to remain as such and avoid any possible succession conflict by refusing any unity or vassalization from any other Cymru province. After a diplomatic return of Viodoxa only then did Heinrich fully support the return of Augmentum Terra as a province, happy to see a return to normalcy, or what seemed to be on the surface at the very least. On the return of Augmentum Terra Heinrich was promoted to captain once again within the Imperial Army while his job as Grand Librarian took more convincing on his part towards the new Archons, Numis McSpiegel and Yazov. They accepted under the expectation he would oversee the library returning to its former glory and eventually surpassing it entirely. Terms which Heinrich agreed to. Now back in the seat as Grand Librarian, Heinrich was joined by new up and coming librarians of Viodoxa wishing to assist him in renovating the Library of Viodoxa whilst also expanding the national collection. At the same time he began to design and construct his Lords’ keep, which he planned and hoped would become a symbol of authority in Viodoxa, a residence many Lords would come to envy; The Blossoming Keep. While he drew up such plans the industrious busy body made time to socialize more and began looking for a maiden to take hand in marriage; where he would eventually meet and propose to Princess Linn of Tortuga. Getting married three days later.

Count of Viodoxa
Following The Blossoming Keep's completion, a herculean task Heinrich managed to pull off in just two days, the Astronians rewarded him an entire County to oversee within the Province of Augmentum Terra as payment for his work and dedication to his craft. Upon being granted this new land Heinrich named it to the County of Delphinium in honor of his Mother who often grew delphiniums in her garden when he was still a child. Despite the province being very lacking in terms of appearance, Heinrich promised and assured not only his peers but also his Wife on his plans to build an extravagant personal estate to which he and his family could reside in private whenever they felt necessary.

Fortune continued to favor Heinrich as all of his old books within the National Library had been finally recovered, bringing the collection back to an impressive state with over one hundred individual works having been gathered. It was also during this time when he was approached by Niki dem Spheniscidae who offered a proposition of adopting the young Count as her son; it is often rumored that Niki merely wished to adopt the young man for the sake of getting Grandchildren in the future as Heinrich and Linn were attempting to start a family. At first Heinrich was hesitant of such an offer and flat out refused the adoption, however after more consideration he caved to her wishes and accepted. Consequently this brought him into the dem Spheniscidae Family, but not the Household as Heinrich retained his family name during the adoption not wishing to see the val Oberstein House go extinct. With the intention of clearing his concerns for good, it wouldn't be long until his first two sons would be born, Taylor and Exy.

Some time later, Heinrich would hear from his newly adoptive Great Grandfather, Archon Loic I dem Spheniscidae, requesting his help on the cultural revival of the nation of Viodoxa as the nation's Grand Librarian. As the Archon wrote up various works and papers regarding the culture and language of Hanzeizh, Heinrich as Grand Librarian published these works and assisted in bringing the forgotten Hanzeizh culture back into the heart of every province across the Archonate. To help further the wishes of his Great Grandfather Heinrich also began to teach fellow Viodoxans about Hanzeizh in his free time.

Battle of New Dorasterrock and Aftermath
Rising tensions finally brought Bardonia and Viodoxa to war leading to the Allium War in which Heinrich would take part in the siege of the Bardonian Capital. The Nobleman arrived a bit later and was one of the last to enter the city square as fierce fighting progressed, although he did not accomplish much he had scared a few Bardonians off while he sat upon rooftops with his bow before the battle was over. It should be stated that during the conflict Heinrich felt saddened by Bardonia's downfall as he was more ideologically aligned towards their Governance than he let on, not to mention he did not enjoy fighting against Escharians who he saw as his fellow brethren.

Upon the ending of the war Heinrich went back to focusing on his County and his work as Grand Librarian up until Archon Loic's sudden impeachment. After said event he was elevated by Archoness Hazel to the Noble rank of Marquis for his dedicated service to the Nation as a whole, the Archoness would also grant him the title of 'Honored' within the Archonate and had the National Library renamed in his honor to 'Val Oberstein Hall'. Shortly afterwards Archon Richard would bestow him with the title of 'Honored' once again for designing the roads for the new National Highway system which had been planned. Thus making Heinrich the first Citizen to have been 'Honored' twice within the Archonate. To top this short period off, he would see his third son, Augustin val Oberstein, be born on a trip to Tortuga.

Return to Normalcy
For the next several years Heinrich would spend most of his free time with his family at his estate when he wasn't working throughout the Nation. It was noted that during this period of his life that his habit of overwork began to negatively affect his overall health and conditioning, much to the grief of his loved ones. It was often described as maniacal at times and in quick succession he would expand the National Library, expand infrastructure, improve housing, fully complete his estate, recruit household servants, become an ambassador for Viodoxa to Yimmu-Audal, witness the rise of the Triumvirate of Denumain and its fall, and expand his family twice more with his Wife Linn having given birth to two more children(much to the chagrin of his Wife for his overabundance of passion and affection towards her resulting in having to bear more kids). This time two healthy girls which they named Aisha and Leah respectively.

Eventually, after more time passed on watching and taking care of his estate and family, Heinrich would begin his transfer into a quiet retirement by first leaving his position as Grand Librarian, then leaving his position of ambassador soon after at a time where many often thought he'd become the next Archon to be. This allowed him more freedom away from the Capital and granted him more time to rest and stay within his own County of Delphinium, with his main remaining ambition being that of trying to obtain the title of Duke and expand his land and land rights.

Dissolvement of Viodoxa and Coup Against Astronomus
Following Hazel's abdication from the position of Archon and with the short rise of Archon Blanc, resulted in the Archonate being dissolved into its various provinces, Augmentum Terra naturally being one, transforming into a petty State. Around the same time Astronomus declared himself 'Emperor' of Astronia. Heinrich quickly grew angered and disappointed with Astronomus' rising nepotism, in the following months Heinrich would also take note of the Emperor's general lack of administrative ability and care for his own Nation. Heinrich was now convinced that the best step to take amidst the Continental Crisis which plagued around them was to ship an ultimatum to the Emperor. The demands being that Astronomus abdicate, dissolve the Senate Council, and pass Leadership off to Heinrich. Demands which Astronomus immediately refused before declaring Heinrich an enemy of the State.

Though Heinrich saw the decision as foolish, he knew well that Astronomus would more than likely refuse, later claiming that "His ego prevents him from doing what is best for the people." and as such both sides began to mobilize their forces against one another. Seeing that Heinrich had more support across the small Nation with a larger army at his back, Astronomus looked to hire Mercenaries to bolster his own forces however he was met with silence and dismissal due to Heinrich being married to Princess Linn whose connections throughout the mercenary world made it impossible for the Emperor to gain any help. After catching wind of Astronomus' failed plan to hire Mercenaries for the Civil War Heinrich increased the pressure and brought in the elite mercenary band of Ulfaeng lead by Linn herself to overwhelm Astronomus and his supporters. Before a battle could take place Heinrich extended a diplomatic offer to Astronomus yet again in an attempt to get him to submit to his demands and prevent bloodshed from ever occurring.

Astronomus refused this gesture entirely and refused to even speak with Heinrich, let alone negotiate with him. Over time Heinrich and his allies continued to prepare for the inevitable siege on the capital city of Rose, yet the siege would never occur. Having seen the writing on the wall Astronomus fled from the province, leaving behind his people to manage what was left. Less than 24 hours later the rest of the populace would surrender and submit to Heinrich's rule entirely.

Forming the Autarky
Upon ascending to the position of ruler Heinrich announced a new Nation and Government in the form of the Ascuas Autarky after annexing a small Eldham colony ruled by his Daughter-in-Law. Rather than being referred to as an 'Emperor' or 'King' he changed the title to Autark. Ascuas Autarky was structured as a Meritocratic Absolute Autocracy where the next subsequent Autark would be chosen for their ability rather than their blood ties. As the first Autark Heinrich began organizing the administration in his own image and ideals whilst he simultaneously wrote of the Tenements to the Autarky, a document he much more preferred over a hypothetical Constitution for the nation.

Unfortunately at this crucial time in his life having reached the top, Heinrich had grown old and sickly, which had worsened over time by his habit of overworking. Knowing his fate was nearing, the Autark abdicated and passed the position off to his Daughter-in-Law Lyra val Oberstein to look after his legacy and pick up where he left off. After 3 days of bedridden illness Heinrich val Oberstein would pass away surrounded by his family within his estate, his only will being that his fortune go to his eldest son Taylor and his estate go to his youngest son Augustin. He was then buried within the gardens of his estate along with his sword and armor.

Desecration of Remains and Relocation
After catching wind of Heinrich's death Astronomus returned with his supporters and retook the Nation which they reorganized into Floria. In time the Astronians gained control of the County of Delphinium and the val Oberstein estate, at which point they proceeded to pillage, looting and burning as they pleased resulting in the total destruction of the entire estate and most of its artifacts. Reducing years worth of history to rubble. Even the grave site and remains of Heinrich val Oberstein weren't spared as the Astronians proceeded to destroy the grave and the remains of the man they despised for opposing them, a man which ironically they dared not face when he still lived.

When word of the Astronian's cruel atrocity spread the val Oberstein Family gathered what was left of Heinrich's remains and combined them with the left over memorial ashes to relocate the burial site. Heinrich was eventually built a new grave within the Imperial City of Viodoxa where he was once more laid to rest with full Honors, a grave his remains still inhabit to this day.

Trivia and Tidd-Bits

 * Heinrich was responsible for an entire Province leaving Viodoxa due to a propaganda piece he made in which he showed Viodoxa consuming its neighbors as a joke.
 * As Grand Librarian of Viodoxa Heinrich increased the collection number by over 150 books.
 * Through his entire marriage he had an immense fear of angering his own Wife Linn, due to her fearsome reputation around her combative prowess and military exploits.
 * Through his entire life the only two people to see Heinrich's neck, chest, arms, and legs was his Mother and his Wife since no matter the weather Heinrich only wore full uniforms which concealed everything but his head and hands. It's often thought he was either hiding gruesome scars or was just self-conscious of his skin to a paranoiac level.
 * Heinrich had a secret hatred of Elves, to the point of immense xenophobia but kept his opinions to himself on the matter.
 * In his free time Heinrich would often compose Nationalist songs of varying angles but rarely released them.
 * After being ceremoniously adopted by Niki of Tortuga, Heinrich gained familial ties to the Royal Viodoxan Dynasty of dem Spheniscidae. Although he never claimed any title connected to the Family itself.