Prince Edain Valardin
Those that proclaim the moral high ground are only looking to attack you from an elevated position.
Description: Handsome, square-jawed and broad shouldered, Edain fits all the dimensions of a knight that has stepped of the pages of a story book. It almost serves to make him disinteresting, if aesthetically pleasing to look at. He has taken to wearing a full, but neatly groomed beard and moustache to banish the youthful cast from his face, the strong lines of which he attempts to always hold in an expressionless mask. Despite this, it is rare that his hazel eyes do not betray him and his emotions.
Personality: Edain is honorable, loyal, chaste, merciful, honest and valorous. In short he is everything that a noble knight of the Valardin should be. He is bold and commanding, and he is a good leader of men in battle. His problem is that while he is a capable leader, he is a better follower. He was not only content, but indeed preferred that he was far from the line of succession and he just had to be the greatest knight he could be. Now that leadership is thrust upon him he is proud to bear it, and does his best to inspire confidence in his people. He feels out of his element forced to deal with the courts he has avoided for so long. He is well aware of his shortcoming, but he also knows full well he cannot afford to be seen as nothing more than a mouthpiece for his advisor's agenda. So he tries his best to keep his head above water on a battlefield where he can't just smite his opponents with a sword. It's a work in progress.
Background: Edain is a knight. For all his life, that is all he dreamed of being and all he dedicated his training towards, and he never imagined he would be anything more than another proud knight in the service of his family. True, he was born the son of the high lord of House Valardin, the ruler of all the Oathlands and one of the five greatest nobles in the land. But he was born as a fourth child and he was quietly grateful that he was so far from the crushing responsibility of rule, that he could embrace the simple purity of service with a sword and that he could win glory and honor in the name of his house. That he could be a knight.
That was before the Tragedy at Sanctum. Edain didn't truly grasp how easy his life was before the attack, the popular and handsome prince that had no greater designs than serving as a knight. He never imagined that he could one day rule. He never imagined that his elder siblings and parents could all be slain in one devastating attack that would leave him as the new high lord, the Prince of Sanctum. He never spent a day training for the possibility, never joined his elder brother in all the lessons from his father on how to properly rule or to deal with House Valardin's vassals, he never even expected to sit upon the Assembly of Peers and watch the political turmoil of the Realm. Then all at once, in one bloody night, it was his responsibility. His duty.
He wishes it was not so. He never wished to rule, he never wanted the responsibility or burden of leadership, but it is his now and he takes his obligations seriously. He'll lead House Valardin to the best of his abilities and try to become better with each passing day. He just wished that the confidence he felt as a swordsman extended to how he felt as a ruler.
Relationship Summary
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| Name | Summary |
| Alessandro | The ability to trust and delegate to his allies is an excellent quality in a High Lord, and Prince Edain shows all the signs of it. |
| Alexis | His Grace may've been High Lord for half a decade and nearly all my adult life, but he's still, once you get down to it, an Oathlands Knight. And there's a soothing camaraderie to be found with someone who's gone through a lot of the same things as you. I may be the protege of Princess Alis, but I owe an equal loyalty to her brother. And I made part of his armour. |
| Cristoph | Prince Edain remains the honorable, even-keeled and approachable head of House Valardin and leader of the Oathlands. I've the privilege to work for him all of these years and it looks like we're going to continue to have even more opportunities to do so in the future. |
| Leola | An enthusiastic, vibrant, and very devout figure. He epitomises what one expects of the Oathlands; and whether that's as he's grown to his role or not, it's something I cannot help but respect |
| Mia | My youngest boy has told me since he was three years old that he would one day be a great knight, second only to the White Dragon of the West, who is the very best of men. You might call it childish nonsense, but I've met the High Lord of Sanctum and he makes it a bit easier to believe that the dreams of children may not be such silly things after all. |