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Background
The young Duke of Normont, little is known about the man, but he was quite close to his parents before their betrayal but has retained control of his duchy all the same.
Symon Gerrell is something of a mystery to most people. The eldest son of the reclusive Duchess and Duke of Normont, Symon was kept on a particularly short leash by his parents and was seen less by those outside the duchy than his parents themselves. Much of this excessive protection had to do with his early years, born small in 1843, his parents feared he would not be robust enough to be a suitable warrior and heir to the duchy. His mother was the first woman to inherit the duchy in generations and both of his parents were devoted to ensuring that that sort of crisis did not happen again. Symon’s mother sought to solve the problem through prayer calling on holy men to offer prayers for her son and providing him with strict tutors who would ensure he lived a virtuous life which could only improve the effect of the prayers. His father took a more direct approach giving the boy daily exercises to perform as soon as he was old enough to do so.
Both of these approaches did little but sour Symon’s attitude towards his parents, an attitude that would remain with (admittedly with cause) for the rest of his life. In addition to his parents Symon had his siblings and cousins to deal with, he liked his younger siblings and acted as their protector, but his eldest sibling Rhea was born close to his age and was often more of a rival than a friend, what’s more she subscribed to their parent’s views and that alone was enough to set them at odds. His cousins though were a mixed bag, some he found he could be friendly to but others were as bad or worse than Rhea. Though of all the people in his early life he trusted none more than his mother’s cousin Sir Paul Gerrell, a skilled warrior, diplomat and someone with firsthand experience in the world beyond Normont. While Symon’s parents were not thrilled by his influence, neither could they find grounds to forbid it and so Paul taught Symon as much as he could about world outside of Normont and shared books that were not the sort provided by his tutors.
Symon drank in these lessons along with the lessons his tutors gave him about the faith, politics and of course military strategy and he excelled at them all despite being preoccupied with the idea of seeing what he read about in person. Though as it would turn out he would not go to the world outside Normont but part of that world would come to him. In 1853, Rivana, who had been fighting the Thirty Years War until two years before went to war with itself over who if Arturo or Anton Tracano would succeed the late King Lucas as king. While Symon’s parents would close the borders to the Duchy and take no part In the war, they did take in noble refugees seeking shelter from the war. Among those were Aidric Carling and Tristan Tracano, cousins of Symon from different sides of his parentage and to Symon’s eyes much older and much more worldly than he was. Despite that the two older boys took him into their circle and continued Symon’s education about the outside world and unlike Sir Paul, also tempted him into trouble with wine and even women. They also told him tales of court and all three of them followed the course of the war diligently.
Symon and his cousins became close friends during their stay but their sojourn did not last long, Aidric slipped away three years after his arrival to go join the forces in support of King Anton while Tristan left to follow the daughter of the slain King Arturo in 1860. Their departure left Symon alone but it fuelled his desire not only to see outside of Normont but to remake it, after all he was going to be Duke one day, wasn’t he? The key though was patience he did have a younger brother and if his parents suspected his leaning he could find himself sent off to the church and his brother become the heir. So, Symon played the role of the good son, repenting his sins committed while ‘under the influence’ of his wicked cousins and being the sort of son his parents wanted him to be. Naturally, Sir Paul was made aware of the deception, and even assisted in it to some degree, though for the most part the game Symon played would be one he played alone and he was careful to only ever fully divulge his inner thoughts to Lucius, his prized warhawk and the only companion he could truly trust to keep his secrets.
His careful deception paid off and as the war wound down Symon was trusted with trips beyond the borders of Normont on family business. He saw southern Couviere, Pacitta and Sanctum before finally when he was twenty years old the war ended and he was able to come to Sunsreach for the coronation. It was a glorious time for Symon and he fell in love with the city and its sights and pleasures. It also solidified his ambitions to see Normont step out of the shadow of superstitious nonsense and join the rest of Rivana.
He was able to move towards realizing that ambition following the Coronation, his mother was now the Archduchess and so Symon now had to take a bigger hand in running the duchy which he did gladly. It allowed him a chance to make further contacts and strengthen his ties with other families in Normont and assess who might make allies in the future and who would likely be obstacles. However other matters soon drew his attention. His new ‘friends’ in his family’s keep tipped him off to secret letters being sent to his parents. At first he thought nothing of them realizing covert correspondence was a necessary part of running a duchy, but when the defeated supporters of Anton Tracano re-emerged and the letters increased, Symon became concerned.
Bribing one of his mother’s maids he managed to get hold of one of the letters and soon decoded it. It was from a contact in Couviere talking of an empire of the faith and support for the Thorn rebels. It was utter madness. He put the letter back and as much as he wished to act, patience and guile had gotten him this far and so he relied on those familiar weapons once more re-doubling his efforts to pretend to be the perfect pious son in hopes he’d be told more before his parent’s treason doomed them all.
It worked and in late 1865 he was brought into the conspiracy, told by his parents that it was them who had been supporting Alphard Haldis lead the Thorn Uprising, hiding them in their lands. More than that they had some other plan as well but they did not share it all at once. However what he had was enough, Symon sent a letter to the loyalist forces about where to find Alphard Haldis then when his parents suddenly vanished leaving him instructions to ready the troops of Normont for action he broke into their chambers and seized their letters and was able to discover their plan, they were to seize Sunsreach.
This too he sent to the loyalists along with the offer of Normont troops to join their cause. They were refused, and Symon sat in to wait, issuing no orders for the duchy’s troops to muster, but ensuring friendly troops kept a close watch on the castle and his siblings. That last move proved useful as he caught his sister Rhea trying to warn their parents that he had disobeyed their orders, but she was caught and confined before she could do so. After that it was just a matter of waiting to see who would prevail and which if any of his lords would rise up against him. None did, and the loyalists won the Battle of Sunsreach slaying Symon’s father Ranulf and capturing his mother. In the wake of that news he shed no tears except in the presence of his siblings and quickly wrote the queen and offered his submission.
After that followed long tense weeks where Symon called together his lords and broke the news of the fate of the duke and duchess, attempted to make peace with Rhea and mourned the loss of Sir Paul who died in the Battle of Sunsreach fighting against Symon’s parents. Though when the word came of the Couvieri request for troops he jumped on it, offering his duchy’s forces for the campaign, which served as both a show of loyalty and a way to rid himself of potential enemies for a time. Symon, never the warrior did not lead the troops north but remained behind corresponding with the Queen and Duke Darren Haldis giving over whatever intelligence he had gained about his parents plans (though he did not give over anything to incriminate Rhea and other kinsmen who might be of use to him) and putting those Normont troops who had been loyal to the Queen in places of authority.
As of 1866, Symon now sits uneasily upon the ducal seat, his people are largely divided and with the death of Sir Paul Gerrell he is without his most potent ally. Still, unwilling to endure the backwards ways of his people any longer he plots to move forward with his long sought reforms, though they must be done carefully and with the same patience and guile that has gotten him this far.
On the Grid
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Personality
While Symon Gerrell is rarely anything other than outwardly polite, underneath he seethes at what he views as the "backwards" mentality of much of the Duchy he rules. Somehow the years of "indoctrination" by his parents had precisely the opposite effect, and have turned Symon into a deeply iconoclastic individual. "Because it's tradition" is rarely an acceptable answer to him unless he finds the tradition useful somehow. He is, deep down, not even a particularly devout believer in the One Faith (a fact that would shock many of his vassals, so he tends to keep that one a well-kept secret). That said, he does not overturn tradition and cherished beliefs simply because he can…while he may have little use for it himself, he recognizes the importance it holds in the lives of others, and when he can, tries to be mindful of that.
With the exception of his father, Symon loves his family (even his woefully misguided mother) even while recognizing that his parents were insane. Sadly he also recognizes that some of his siblings could be a source of trouble for him if they do not support his desire to transform Normont's ways of thinking. So for now, despite his love for them, he is cautious in his dealings, and in how far he trusts them, though certainly there are some he trusts more than others.
There is a certain awkwardness to some of Symon's personal interactions. While absolutely capable of charm and wit, he is unaccustomed to exercising them, having been so thoroughly sheltered for so much of his upbringing. It can at times make him seem a bit shy, but really nothing could be further from the truth. He thirsts to learn and experience more of the outside world while resigning himself to the fact that his newfound mantle of Duke will keep him largely confined to Normont. He often only manages to relax in the company of childhood friends, though when he does he's quite congenial and borders on being outright silver-tongued.
Despite all that, Symon relishes the challenge that awaits him in trying to reform Normont to something more in-line with the modern world. He knows it is a long, uphill struggle that he will face, but for all his chafing at clinging to the past, he is still a son of Normont, and if it's one thing they know how to do, it's climb.
Quirks
Personality Quirks:
Cunning: For all his hatred of his father, Symon has certainly inherited some aspects of his personality. He is quick to take advantage of any and all opportunities that present themselves, and fairly good at creating opportunities where none existed previously.
Driven: Symon has a lot to do, and only one lifetime to do it in. He enjoys challenges and works seemingly tirelessly to overcome them.
Forward-Thinking: Symon has had his eye on the long game for years, waiting for the day he would become Duke. While that day has come much sooner than he expected, he still plans on making the most of it. He has an excellent grasp of long-term consequences where his actions are concerned.
Skill Quirks:
Persuasive: Symon has proven remarkably capable of convincing people of his point of view. While sometimes of limited success against the more fanatic members of his duchy, he's still managed to start swaying more people than he otherwise might have to the idea that the Duchy needs some social modernization.
Schemer: Symon has a strong talent for political machinations, even managing to quietly build a coterie of more progressive individuals within Normont, right under his parents' noses.
Social Quirks:
Enigma: Kept sheltered from much of the world for a good portion of his life, and accustomed to keeping his cards close to his chest (so to speak), many in Rivana and beyond have little idea of what to expect from Symon. Certainly, only a few are aware of his rather radical social agenda for his Duchy. (Note: This may well evolve into the "Black Sheep" quirk as Symon becomes more publicly known for how different he is from his parents)
Obligation - Alysande Tracano: Even though she's never outright stated it, Symon is well aware that Alysande would have been within her rights to strip him of his inheritance, and possibly remove the Dukedom from the Gerrells altogether after the treachery of Ranulf and Alyanna. While he did offer up valuable information to the loyalists prior to the Battles of Blackstone and Sunsreach, and sent a large number of Normont's troops north to fight the Barbarians of Tiria at the Battle of Three Crowns (which is likely the only reason he has maintained the Dukedom), he knows he has a long way to go to prove his loyalty and use to the crown, and until that time he has to work diligently to please the Crown.
Vow: Symon has sworn to bring the Duchy of Normont and its' people into the modern age and make it a vital and fully-integrated part of the Kingdom of Rivana. This long-term goal guides nearly all of the political actions he takes, and so far as he is concerned will define the course of his rule in Normont.
Logs and Sundry
This can be a cover, lyrics or anything that encompasses your character.
(adrienne aidric alaric alexandra alina amara antonia ariane artos clara clarke conrad corvin devlin dora elaida emilia esyld evelyn event gabriel james jonathan leander log lorelei lucas philippe quentyn raimond symon thaddeus the-last tiadora tristan vorian)
(alexandra devlin dora eleanor emilia evelyn event jonathan leander log martyn raimond symon thaddeus tiadora)
(amara clara clarke dora eleanor emilia evelyn event leander liam log odilia raimond symon thaddeus tiadora)
(alexandra clarke devlin emilia evelyn event jonathan leander liam log martyn raelyn raimond symon thaddeus tiadora)
(adrienne aidric alexandra amara clara clarke devlin dora eleanor emilia evelyn event gastogne jasper jonathan leander log lucas malcolm martyn raelyn raimond samuel symon thaddeus tiadora)
(amara clara clarke devlin dora eleanor emilia evelyn event gastogne jasper log malcolm martyn odilia philippe raelyn raimond samuel symon thaddeus tiadora)
(alexandra alina bella darren devlin dora emilia event gabriel jasper jonathan liam log lucas lucius michael raimond symon thaddeus tiadora)
(aidric alpin alysande ania clara dalmer darren dawn elaida eleanor event ghazi hashim jaren kabede leander liam log malcolm raelyn raimond randall rashad rosana stephen symon thaddeus tiadora tristan)
- 1866-10-21: For Sister, For Brother
- 1867-10-28: But I Got Better
- 1867-09-10:To the Duke and Duchess...
- 1867-08-31: Post-Script
- 1867-08-31: A Strongly Worded Letter Home
- 1867-04-13: Unprecedented
- 1866-11-10: From Brother, From Sister
- 1866-09-30: A Queen's Prerogative
- 1866-09-03: Letters to Normont
- 1866-08-07:Letter to Falconholme
Relationships
Couviere
Rivana
Prince Martyn Tracano : It is at times a struggle to remain polite with you, as in too many ways you remind me of my father. I doubt we will ever be overly friendly. |
Duchess Eleanor Greycen : Cold, brusque, dismissive…You are everything I expected. |
Lord Thaddeus Greycen : You killed my father. I wonder if it would amuse you to know just how few damns I give about that? |