Description: An imposing and powerfully built man, Victus' hulking frame and the battle scars splashed across his handsomely chiseled visage lend him an intimidating countenance. Even those unfamiliar with the warrior's storied history can see the tales of his victories written on his face, and his powerful arms. Tall, with skin lightly tanned by time in the sun, dark brown hair and nearly-black eyes, the soldier would be hard pressed to appear approachable even if not for his perpetually unsmiling, grim features. Weighing a couple hundred pounds without an ounce of fat upon him, Victus looks like a man that could (and almost certainly did) kill with his bare hands.

Personality: Lord Victus Thrax knows full well where his talents lay, and they most certainly do not involve flowery speeches or clever schemes. A laconic warrior favoring (brutally) direct solutions to problems, Victus seems to represent the barbaric warrior stereotype that enemies of House Thrax decry. But he's not a truly bloodthirsty man; he simply sees no good reason to put his soldiers at risk by being foolishly merciful with defeated (but not helpless) enemies and his grimly simple outlook on the proper treatment of enemies colors his treatment of them off the field. A fiercely loyal soldier well aware of his own limitations, Victus knows he has neither the training nor the temperment for machiavellian political leadership or for limp-wristed diplomacy that caters to perfumed weaklings. Enemies of House Thrax have called Victus joyless or humorless, but that's not entirely true; give him a bloodied sword in hand, a vanquished enemy on the field, and the cheers of soldiers around him and Victus will be all smiles.

Since raising to his new position as Prince of the Maelstrom, Victus has shown marked change in how he deals with an everyday life. Complicated situations of rulership and those that deal with other individuals are more often handled with shockingly, a degree of diplomacy. Sometimes, even the barest hint of ‘tact’. The influence of his Valardin nee Grayson wife in encouraging leadership without an iron fist cannot be understated when it comes to matters of sovereignty.

Though that has not changed the fact that he is at his core a simple man, with no filter for softer language nor his true opinions when in the company of strangers and those he’s familiar with. Perhaps most surprising is the fact that he seems to have adopted his own sense of humor, though it’s cuttingly dry and often too blunt to be enjoyed by those who do not share its taste. Most improperly is when it spreads to making light-hearted mockery of nobility itself. He takes his responsibilities with grim seriousness and drive, but he is no stranger to indulging in the fact that his power and status allows him to say and do things of ridiculously gauche proportions without the consequence of having a head-of-house punishing such behavior.

Background: Lord Victus Thrax is the very embodiment of a warrior of House Thrax. As the illegitimate son of Prince Argus Thrax, Victus might have expected a difficult childhood, but he was nonetheless raised raised in the household of his uncle the Prince Donrai Thrax and suffered few of the hardships many bastards have come to expect. Not that he had a warm, loving environment. His famously cold and stern uncle ruthlessly cultivated the hard strength expected of a Thrax man in the young Victus as he raised him, but Victus surpassed even the unreasonable expectations set for him. During his late teens serving aboard Thrax vessels, Victus demonstrated both ferocity coupled with terrifying natural talent in skirmishes against the pirates that prey upon shipping in the Saffron Chain, earning the respect (and fear) of house soldiers. While Victus had extremely little patience for scholarly works at all and would never be accused of a keen natural intellect, he proved surprisingly alert on matters of strategy and distinguished himself in several field engagements. His uncle decided to trust the baseborn warrior with command of a full company of soldiers during the Rebellion of House Tyde which proved to be one of the better investments the high lord has made in recent times, as Victus personally slew House Tyde's lord on the field, led a charge that routed the rebel forces, and was the first one over the wall in storming the rebel redoubt. For his heroism in battle, Victus was raised up to Lord Victus of House Thrax, legitimizing him even if he still stood far down the line of succession. That suits the Lord Victus just fine, as politics bores him utterly and he has considerable mixed feelings about being sent to Arx to 'round out his rough edges' and 'culture him somewhat'. The high lord told Victus that he expects him to behave in Arx and learn how to solve problems without violence. Victus supposes there's a first time for everything for a veteran of scores of battles.

The trials and tribulations of Arx were much different than the hard and unforgiving life that Victus had grown accustomed to. Their difficulty however remained unchanged as a man with brutally simple solutions was forced to mingle with the complications of politics and social-living. Often times Lord Victus Thrax was butting heads with those of other, self-described ‘softer’ cultures and their nobility. Monotonous meetings were fortunately often broken with calls to action from Thrax as piracy across the Mourning Sea began to escalate in most peculiar (and often messy) ways.

Soon however, the course of Thrax would be changed forever in ways few would anticipate. Prince Donrai Thrax was found dead in the family’s estate within Arx, with the position of High Lord to be passed onto Prince Dagon Thrax, the rightful heir. Prince Dagon was a beacon of hope for those who wished to see Thrax’s age of cruelty and bloody warfare curtailed by a fair, just and honorable man. Those hopes were dashed by Victus’ ambition in the wake of his Uncle’s demise.

Lord Victus came forward with an unprecedented challenge for the seat of Thrax, which Prince Dagon accepted. The duel was won by Victus, leading to Dagon abdicating his inheritance and bending the knee to newly christened Prince Victus Thrax, High Lord of the Mourning Isles.

Prince Victus’ raise was respected by Thrax for his method of conquest, but met with outrage across the Compact. Much of the peerage refused to recognize Victus as the true ruler of Thrax, including those who led the other four Great Houses of Arvum. His first acts won him little popularity to discourage such views as he’d shown little in the way of maturing from a brutish warrior to bear the responsibility of his new station. Rebellion in the Isles was a palpable threat as well, but soon those who even seemed to be toeing the line of treason to their new ruler were met with swift and bloody ends.

But as days turned to weeks, weeks to months and months to years, Prince Victus underwent changes of his own. It wasn’t until after the Great Sinking, an event that left devastation through Thrax’s ranks as nearly all Thraxian vessels in Arx’s harbor were destroyed, did the ‘leader’ in Victus began to show through his grim visage. The tragedy was a cruel lesson that Victus was not unfamiliar with in his time growing up, perhaps marking the beginning of his understanding of this new political ‘battlefield’ he found himself in. As years since the infamous duel began to pass, the peerage’s tolerance of Victus grew. Soon, Thrax was accepting of their new High Lord as well. Polarizing acts such as the rights of Women being expanded to include them not only in inheritance but a place in Thrax’s military were drafted by his hand, as well as a reformation of Thralldom to begin eliminating exploitative practices used by Thrax for generations.

Though the future remains to be seen, Victus has shown the skills and initiative required by someone who leads their people, with even a mind toward a progression of Thrax’s society as a whole and a fairer hand than his predecessor’s. Perhaps he might leave something resembling an ‘honorable’ legacy after all. But there’s a long way yet to go.

Relationship Summary

Enemy:

Aleksei's Kid - I don't remember his name, but he tried to give me a spider and I don't care for that shit at all.

Ivan Helianthus - The selfish, greedy, dangerous threat to our way of life that masquerades as a traditionalist.

Frenemy:

Edain - I hope he doesn't die over there. I was supposed to die in glorious battle first.

Lilybelle - The Claw Of Arx - I liked this cat enough to ask the King to give her an honorary title. She doesn't care for me much. Or my wife. Or my kids.

Family:

Dagon - He didn't have to. But he did. For all that's happened, he's always pointed the Sword at our enemies instead of ourselves.

Leona - She cut and run from the family, but she made something of herself doing it. I respect it.

Astrid - My firstborn. We called her Stormborn and Kraken's Bane on her arrival. When I'm gone, she'll carry these burdens in a new world.

Danse - My secondborn. Quiet. Booky. He must get it from his mother. Nice hair.

Siggy - She's either third or fourth, depending on which twin you ask. I'm happy not to clarify, it keeps them occupied.

Delia - At least until they escalate fighting over eldership to hair pulling. That's a problem.

Eleyna Thrax - She's a small thing, a bright world hidden behind her eyes. I wonder what she'll bring into history.

Tyrus - Do not acknowledge the cat.

Jaenelle - I hope it doesn't detract from any of my cousin's numerous accomplishments to say that I'm proud of her. She's come so far, and she still has so much left to do.

Donella - She was there with me in those first, horribly misguided years. From when we were small to when we had a hand in the fate of thousands. Always and forever, I have her back.

Sorrel - Once a Wyrm, now a Serpent. She's adapted well, and her voice is a welcome light in the darkness.

Acquaintance:

Aureth - Without his wisdom, I'm not sure the conviction to abolish thralldom would have been possible.

Aleksei - He used to really annoy me. Still sort of annoys me, but I'm far more agreeable to his cause. I don't like his kid. His kid freaks me out.

Arik - I almost killed him at Brianna's thing.

Ally:

Margot - Killed her father. Glad I didn't kill her too. We've come far, haven't we?

Ailith - The first priest I could call 'friend'. I owe her for opening my eyes.

Darren - He's made Donella very happy, and very frozen.

Haakon - I have a thing about Prodigals. Distrustful things. But I will always count Eswynd's foremost reaver among those I trust to get a job done.

Carita - Lady Carita is an exceptional example of a brilliant mind that belongs with nobility.

Friend:

Magpie - Look at your little ship go!

Morrighan - She calls me 'rowboater'. You ford a nonexistent river through a crappy tavern once, and Marin's offspring will let you know about it forever.

Brianna - I almost killed someone at her wedding.

Leola - She brought the otter to my world. Every day, I wonder why.

Spouse:

Alarissa - I'm not sure anyone expected it to fit so well. Perhaps it's our differences that make the greater whole that much better. Call me soft, but I love this woman.

Deceased:

Donrai - Tyrannical old bastard, but he made me who and what I am.

Freja - Whiskey nights aren't the same.

Eleyna - The Lyceum is less beautiful to have one less lily.

Protege:

Sabella - Not often you see a Grayson and Thrax banding together for mutual good, eh?

Sparte - Bent the knee at our hour of need. Loyalty.

Sibling:

Natasha - We didn't have a very typical upbringing. Half-siblings separated by the path set out by our benefactors. Luckily, I think I got the worst of our father's temperament.

Rival:

Scarf - This goddamn otter drives me up a wall.

The crown:

Alaric - His Majesty is a leader I can be proud to call my liege. May he live long, and Arvum's enemies crushed underfoot.