King Percival Howe

Percival Howe is the 15th King of the Kingdom of Dunland. He resides within The Sunhold in the capital city of the Kingdom known as Kronstrad. His wife is Queen Elizabeth Howe, and they have two children Prince Joseph, and Princess Yenna. He is an NPC of the game Ashes, played by John.

Appearance
King Percival is a 42-year-old half-elf. He has a pale, northern, complexion. He has long curled brown hair that eclipses his shoulders. He has emerald green eyes and wears a flowery fey-inspired golden crown, with emeralds affixed.

Personality
King Percival has the reputation of being both a kind and cunning ruler. When he was young he showed a great aptitude at the position for being as young as he was. He is usually seen as a quiet and thinking man when it comes to politics and is seen as jovial, almost unawares, when interacting with his family and other close relatives.

Background
King Percival was born to his mother Angelika in the city of Coldport. Angelika was at the time seen as the black sheep of her extended family and was said to have many bastard children from many suitors, and Percival was no exception. His birth was made legitimate by his grandfather King Siegfried Howe, and was the only of Angelika's bastard children to stay under her care as a mother.

Percival grew up within the Iron City of Coldport, and spent much of his time learning by the side of his mother. He would famously attend meetings between his mother and other politicians and would read the lips of whispered words, divulging the information to his mother afterward. He was always seen as a smart child and spent much time reading books within the Halls of Objurgation. He would eventually discover that he possessed a sorcerous origin, and became a young prodigy at the Hawthorn and Hemlock School of Sorcery.

Before he could finish his schooling at the academy he was called to the bedside of his ailing grandfather King Siegfried. The King made the controversial decision to break the direct line of succession over each of his children, and grant Percival the Kingship upon Siegfried's death. This created what became known as the Howe Dilemma, and the week following the declaration that Percival would be the next King was one of calls to action and the building of bitter feuds. This was only amplified after the week had ended and King Siegfried was found dead, succumbing to old age as most had anticipated.

On the 33rd of Dayus the year 993, and at the age of 12, Percival was crowned King of Dunland. Most of his relatives disavowed his coronation, but it was seen as legitimate by the Emerald Eyes, following the wishes of the former King. Prince Bernard Howe of Blackdale, Percival's oldest uncle, made it clear at the time that if the crown would not be passed to him then war would follow. Princess Johanna Howe of Goldsand, Percival's aunt, echoed her brother but more mildly suggested a secession of Goldsand from the Kingdom. The newly made Sovereignty of Exmoor criticized the decision, stating how making Percival the new King would only create more discord within an already unagreeable situation.

Percival's actions within the first 10 years of his Kingship were marred in the controversy of his bestowment of the role from his grandfather, and the struggle with untangling the Howe Dilemma. Within the first few years, Percival had built a very reasonable rapport within the Sovereignty of Exmoor, seeing an ally in a providence that no longer held blood ties to the Howe family line. He even managed to marry the daughter of the ruling lord of Westwatch, Lady Elizabeth Ashton, cementing a much stronger foothold within the once Kingdom-held duchy. He was also able to smooth over his relationship with his aunt, the Princess of Goldsand, allowing her more control over her duchy, but quenching any talk of secession.

It is around this time that Percival was given the nickname The Good King, as he was both a charitable and honest ruler who often walked the streets of Kronstrad and had a wonderful family life, but mostly for maintaining control over the Kingdom, having all but the duchy of Blackdale to contend with by the time he turned 22.

For the next 10 years, while under threat of war from his uncle, Percival devoted most of his time in advancing technology and industry. Using the city of Talengrad as a model of a city surrounded by innovation, he began instituting programs within many of the cities of Dunland, and especially within Kronstrad. He used this newfound technology to create over a dozen airships and began mass production of firearms and tanks for the military of Kronstrad. During this time the island of Goldsand suddenly lost disappeared, apparently lost to the eruption of the volcano Brightspike. No expense was spared by Percival in searching for survivors of the catastrophe, and it is said that losing his aunt to this calamity affected him harshly, especially after the two had put aside their initial dislike.

From the years since Percival's coronation, Prince Bernard Howe had slowly been sowing discord within the duchy of Blackdale, eventually creating an image of the Kingdom as one that forgot about its roots, rallying anti-elven sentiment that had been stewing for years. Percival was known in Blackdale as the Bastard of Bastards, as he was not born of a royal marriage, and was a half-elf, which is often seen as outcasts by both human and elven societies.

This led to the Dunland Civil War, after Bernard had finally declared himself the King of Blackdale. The war was rather one-sided in terms of major victories for the Kingdom but took the lives of nearly 2 million soldiers and citizens. During this time, the good faith that had been building for Percival over the years had started to dwindle, and each year of the war passing with no conclusive victory sowed more seeds of distrust in the King. Being seen as both a petty squabble between family, and as a tightening of the grip of a totalitarian Kingdom, people on both sides found commonality in the uselessness of the war.

Midway through the war, it became an open secret that the Kingdom was on the verge of bankruptcy, losing much of its funds to continuing the effort and ensuring a victory. During this time King Perceval was known to be in audience with a criminal organization known as The Pocket, and behind closed doors made a deal of some kind to get increased funds from the Pocket, for something unknown in return. Most people suspected that this meant that the gang could operate in Kronstrad with no prosecution or threat of arrest. Regardless of the specifics of the deal, it permanently damaged the reputation of Percival to the masses, who began to question his authority.

In the short time after the war, the King has hardly stepped foot outside of his castle and has been frequently using his airship The Guilded Eagle to travel around. This is likely due to the fact that the Kingdom could not pay wages for the soldiers returning from the war on time, and instead had to be dispensed weekly in the city of Kronstrad. King Percival has not been seen publicly prior to his speech given at the Gathering Gate for the returning soldiers.