Prince Beaumont Velenosa
Whether a sword is held by an honorable or dishonorable man doesn't much matter to those cut by the blade.
Description: With a mane of soft, golden curls that just brush his collar, Beaumont is the picture of Valardin nobility. His fair, pampered skin is clear, as are his sky blue eyes. Long lashes and straight, youthful brows frame them as perfectly as any romantic painting, and his mouth is lush and just barely given to a melancholy downturn when he isn't grinning. Luckily, his shoulders are broad and his jaw is strong and chiseled in the perfect example of masculine beauty.
Personality: Beaumont likes to live a little dangerously. Not too dangerously - he is a Prince, after all, fighting nonlethal duels for money and prestige. If that lifetsyle pits him against and amongst more unsavory types than your average Knightly man, it's not something he's terribly bitter (or concerned) about. Confident and personable, he finds little trouble fitting in and finding something to laugh over with nearly anyone. He can be impulsive and hot-tempered, though, finding most of his fellow Champions a bit too quick to become familiar. His anger is ususally as brief as it is sudden, and he's not too proud to diffuse the tension diplomatically.
Background: It is all but expected for a prince of House Valardin to become a knight, an exemplar of chivalry and paragon of virtue. At a very early age, Beaumont developed a far more cynical view of that particular path, getting to see an entirely too upclose look at some of the hypocrisy of celebrated knights. He remembers feeling the crushing disappointment when his uncle, Lord Commander Dayne Valardin, was forced to admit to Beaumont that 'not all knights are worthy of their title'. If the greatest knight in all the realm was willing to admit something that obvious, what was the point of becoming a knight at all? Beaumont saw another clear path towards glory and fame- a curvy and slightly disreputable path to be sure, but one far more honest about its dishonety which was immensely preferrable to the young man. Better to be a roguish scoundrel than a bright and shining hypocrite, as far as he was concerned. So with that in mind, he became an extremely high born champion.
Beaumont didn't mind at all joining the assorted ranks of sellswords and other rogues for hire popular among western noblewomen looking for champions to duel for their honor (and any assorted slights). As far as Beaumont sees it, just the simple fact he is a prince lends a proposterous air of legitimacy that he is happy to exploit shamelessly, and it gives him a special sense of glee that it is a source of some embarrassment to his stalwart cousins in Sanctum. Not that non-lethal dueling for sport is entirely a scathing social commentary by him on the shortcomings of chivalry- he quite enjoys the adoration of the masses when he draws a show against another champion and uses his impressive talents for another victory. It's not quite the fortune that good Valardin princes are raised to pursue, but he never claimed to be a -good- Valardin prince.
For the last couple years, he's been spending far more time at court in Arx than other Valardin high nobles. Being closer to the heart of politics gives a well-born champion many opportunities to grab glory in front of adoring crowds, but truthfully Beaumont is there to also lend aid to his sister, Isabeau. Beaumont might be something of a black sheep for becoming a champion with negotiable loyalty rather than a knight in shining armor, but he'll still be there when they need a skilled duelist to settle the questions of the day with a sword, rather than words. And look very, very good doing it.
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