Vashonn

Vashonn Baidar Thornrose was the second king of Rohel. Born in a land far from Rathnir, he emigrated to the continent of Sparwood to get in touch with his paternal homeland. However, events that transpired there quickly thrust Vashonn into a leadership position, and after his adoptive father Sinnon Thornrose stepped down, Vashonn was crowned king. During his time as king, Vashonn oversaw many developments to the kingdom, reconstructing the capital of Roseport and attempting to develop the eastern lands, all while dealing with hot-and-cold relations with the neighboring Kartek Empire in it's various iterations during his reign. Ultimately, Vashonn would orchestrate the exodus of the Rohelian peoples to the realm of Ecclesia following the Kartek capture of the city of Moonburg. Here in Southern Sparwood, Vashonn and Pontius Kasper of Ecclesia converted the Rohelians to the Ambrion faith and settled in the duchy of Elkinir (now Ehkiniir) in what would become the city of Ironthorn. Here, in his final years, he witnessed the rise of the corrupted Kartek Empire under Caligo take over Sparwood, as he himself succumbed to a mytserious affliction. Ultimately, he would pass from this curse, siring only one son, Manji Thornrose, with his lover Philomena Auros.

Early Life
Vashonn Baidar was born in the realm of Eosten, a continent thought to be situated in between the worlds of Rathnir and Eldham, to Baidar, a Gertek man, and an unknown Eosteni woman. Vashonn was given his father's name as his surname, while his first name was that of his maternal grandfather. During his childhood, Vashonn was not known for his sociability, instead opting to spend his time deep in his native woodland or immersed in whatever book he could find. Recognizing his penchant for reading, Vashonn's mother was particularly assertive in ensuring her son was given a proper education, while in the summertime his father took the boy to spend time among the Eosteni forests and steppes, teaching Vashonn how to survive in the wild and honor the natural world.

As he reached adolescence, Vashonn had taken a keen interest into matters of culture and diplomacy, often studying the works of local historians and politicians. He frequently enquired of his father what the Gertek homeland was like, what beliefs its people held, however the elder Baidar was a stubborn, silent man, and in spite of his son's frequent prying would rarely glean enough information to sate the young Vashonn's interest.

Shortly after Vashonn turned 16, an arrangement was made for his marriage to the daughter of a prominent merchant in his hometown, and although he recognized her beauty and wealth, Vashonn wished for a life of exploration, wanting desperately to travel to Rathnir so that he could explore his father's homeland in north Sparwood. Vashonn's refusal for marriage infuriated his father, and a deep rift between them formed that would never be repaired. Shortly after, Vashonn left his home behind to move to a larger coastal city, where he worked for the next three years in a variety of professions to save what money he could to afford passage west.

Arrival in Rathnir
On the eve of his 19th birthday, Vashonn boarded a small Eosteni cargo ship that was headed west into the Osterium Sea, with the knowledge of a town that was situated on the northern coast of Sparwood: Portusburg, a bustling new settlement that was distributing missives far and wide to encourage emigration. The prospect couldn't have been better, as Portusburg was set within the territory of the Kartek Diarchy, who's eastern lands were the very same steppes that his father hailed from. After several months of hopping from ship to ship, managing what he could of his seasickness, he finally spotted the great Portusburg Castle peaking up from its cliffside on the horizon.

Docking along the northern port, Vashonn's welcome was a surprisingly cold one for a city that was so eager to accept new citizens. As he climbed up the docks to the city's center, he found that a great deal of this district seemed rather run-down and disorganized, leaving him to wonder how a city of such magnitude could have gotten this way. Curious, he began asking around the city, learning in his investigation that the current lord of Portusburg, Wrog, seemed largely dismissive of growing concerns among the populace, and that the city council was unable to fix the problems as quickly as they arose.

During his first days in the city, Vashonn encountered Foczo, a prominent wheat farmer who regaled Vashonn with his recent spiritual revelations -- how he, as well as two others, had been granted divine messages from a god. At first, Vashonn was hesitant to receive the man's words, having never engaged deeply in matters of faith, but as he listened to how passionately and fervently Foczo spoke of this god, Charoti, Vashonn felt compelled to consider the truth of the prophet's first sermon. It was not long after this that Vashonn began to aid Foczo and the other prophets Hodelia and Psykho in composing the Truth of Charoti, lending them his talents as a scribe in writing their revelations.

The Portusburg Crisis
As the problems of Portusburg mounted, several prominent citizens who had voiced their discontent with the city's management began to be banished by Wrog, with Vashonn being among them. After the Throne Room Incident, with Lord Sinnon declaring the Rose Guild and commanding citizens to flee from the city, Vashonn aided many in their evacuation to the neighboring town of Buktenbyen. However, Vashonn did not stay with them, and instead traveled south to the newly built fortress of Buzavar, which had been granted to Foczo by Tommo Khan.

As the conflict within Portusburg grew, Vashonn aided Foczo in establishing his claim and farming the land, while taking his free time to finally explore the rest of the Kartek Diarchy. For several months, he explored the nation's vast forests, swamps, plains, and cities, stumbling upon ruins and forgotten alcoves and learning of north Sparwood's rich and complex history. As news of the Diarchy's collapse reached the traveler's ears, however, he swiftly made his way back to Buzavar and then north to Portusburg, now renamed Roseport, where the now King Sinnon Thornrose and his followers struggled to rebuild the remains of the once great city.

Time as Grand Steward
With the Frosterium swiftly annexing the realms of Kartek and sacking the city of Portusburg, the Kingdom of Rohel was forgotten by the former Kartek states as they all struggled to maintain what little independence they had against the great Sparwood coalition. Sinnon, in need of a council to aid him in the rebuilding of his realm, swiftly drafted a constitution with his brother Fungus and announced a council election. Vashonn recognized that while his architectural knowledge was limited, the lack of surviving citizenry influenced him to run against Prince Fungus for the position of Grand Steward, who would look to organize the city's reconstruction and aid in the swift repopulation of the Kingdom. With clever campaigning and active efforts by the construction of much-needed infrastructure throughout the city, the polls were nearly unanimous in favor of his election.

However, much larger forces began to disrupt the young kingdom's growth, as the Frosterium Collapsed and the states of former Kartek forced Rohel's membership into the new Kartek Federation. Vashonn found himself becoming more and more involved with the politics that plagued relations between Rohel and the remainder of Kartek, to the point that much of his stewardly duties were neglected. This would be further exacerbated by another monumental event -- the Partition of Kartek, which led to Rohel doubling its size, and the reemergence of the Kartek terrorists which had fought Frosterium occupation.

The overwhelming stress of rulership clearly strained the health of the King, and Vashonn spent much of his time assisting Sinnon until finally the burden became too great. Stricken by illness, Sinnon told Vashonn that he wanted to see him take his place as King. Vashonn felt a great wave of emotion wash over him -- he did not feel he was strong enough to be King. He pleaded with Sinnon; surely another councilor would be better suited for the role, he insisted. Yet the King replied with the council's confidence in his decision, and in their faith in the son of Baidar.

Several days passed as the Steward locked himself away in his chambers, always with the King's words laying heavy on his mind. Finally, Vashonn emerged and met the King, now bedridden from his ailment, and accepted the position, under the condition that he would be adopted into House Thornrose as the King's son. Sinnon accepted and proclaimed Vashonn as his son, granting him the sword Thorn, and fell into a coma.

Ascension to the Throne
With Thornrose as his name, the now King Vashonn was promptly coronated with citizens across the kingdom and diplomats of ally states witness to his donning of the Rubied Crown and intention to see his Kingdom progress toward a bright and peaceful future. With the threat of the self-proclaimed Kartek Caliphate terrorizing the duchy of Moonburg, Vashonn and the High Council immediately got to work on efforts to curtail the Kartek threat.

Personality
WIP