Hugo - Abreo
Details
Full Name: Hugo Abreo
Race: Human
Sex: Male
Age: 23
Height: 1,78 meters
Weight: 83 kg
Birthdate: 25 Ash 4599
Birthplace: Voussure, a small city in the vicinity of Genteven
Profession: Businessman
Housing: Cottage, Outer City, Genteven
Partners: n.a.
Titles: Veir
Factions: The Entente, has so far not contacted any specific movement within Daravin
Fluencies: Common, Gentevarese
Conversationals: None
Ineptitudes: None
Appearance
Hugo is a relatively tallish man, not standing out in a crowd but being somewhat taller than average. He is relatively well built, being described as being almost stocky in build but having a certain air of elegance about him. Walking smoothly and confidently wherever he goes, with a proud and certain look about him. What stands out the most about him is his smile, which takes many forms but nearly always includes a mixture of cheerfulness and a hint of smugness in it. Most often, when not talking to those who are his superiors, he smiles as if he is thinking about an inside joke. Other than that he is a relatively masculine figure. Having broad cheekbones and chin whilst forgoing most use of facial hair. Except for the occasional bit of very careful stubble. If one were to inspect him very closely they would, on formal occasions, notice small amounts of make-up around his face. Primarily serving to accentuate his sharp features and have his skin shine a tiny bit more and reflect light more effectively.
Personality
On the surface, Hugo possesses nearly all the personality traits that a member of the Entente ought to possess. He possesses a quiet but clear confidence and sense of superiority over those of a lesser rank than him. He is a studious figure in private, wishing to hone his skills, both magical and mundane, wherever and however possible. Seeking to achieve mastery in whatever he wishes to pursue. Many also find him to be quite charming, having a surprisingly bright demeanour and appearing friendly and comradely whilst still adhering to the strict rules of etiquette of the Candor and Daravine society. Finally, he is determined and has a large well of willpower. As is needed to survive the dangerous initiations which are so common in Daravine society.
Yet beneath the surface, his character is something that partially defies the social code of Daravin. He is a person who genuinely cares about the serfs and lower class of Daravin, valuing their experience in matters he himself does not know. In private he is also very aggressive and angry, often ranting about the injustices and inefficiency that are part of the current system of Daravin. He can also be too reckless, in both a social and martial sense. Being ambitious and rapid in trying to achieve his goals, which can occasionally backfire. He's also very trusting of his inner circle, often not questioning someone's behaviour when they have gained his trust. Finally, he is also quite self-centred. Thinking mostly about his own troubles and the things going on in his day-to-day life, valuing his own time over those of his allies/servants. Hugo is also quite prideful and certain of himself, which means that in some cases he might not plan ahead enough and doesn't second guess his own plans.
Hugo also holds a severe dislike of mutations of the human form and how magic can at times make it's practitioners in the end less human, losing something of what makes them alive. In that context he also dislikes the Candor in how the taboos partially help promote a static and unchanging society, almost unhman. One where speaking a dissenting opinion results in ostracization or death, so even when a superior is making a mistake they can not be corrected or advised lest someone risk punishment. Furthermore he also dislikes the extreme chaos and civil strife promoted by the Candor, with it resulting in the division of the Empire rather than having it achieve it's goals of conquest. But though he dislikes large parts of it, Hugo is more than willing to play by the rules of the Candor.
History
The first mention of the Abreo family is as a minor entry in the diary of Henry Lambert. Specifically how he enlisted the service of a Valren in his retinue by the name of Mattis. Mattis served as a minor member of lord Lambert's retinue, thriving as an important servant and after several years of service coming to be lord Henry's chief bodyguard and the leader of Veir Lambert's retinue. This was a task he did successfully, which eventually led lord Henry Lambert to give him permission to choose a family name. This was combined with raising Mattis's child Maxime alongside his own and giving him an extensive education. Something which led to Maxime to drift farther from his father's martial origins and training to become a steward for the Lambert family. He was raised alongside the three Lambert children, Roland, Pascal and Christine.
This relationship between the Lambert and Abreo family continued to prosper. With the Lambert family continued to rule a small city in camín going by the name of Voussure, which was relatively close to the capital. It was mostly unremarkable but was moderately prosperous. But there was trouble in paradise. For Roland and Christine, the eldest son and youngest daughter of the Lambert family hated each other. They were both skilled and talented in magic, with Roland's talents going more to martial talent and Christine going towards financial matters. This was in contrast to Pascal who had little talent in magic and only had some competency as a Resonance mage. Roland and Christine were thus in competition for who would inherit the family position. Eventually, this led to a very chaotic family dinner with both of them poisoning the cup of the other. Which subsequently led to them dying by each other's hand and leaving Pascal as the heir of the family, a position which he did not desire. As such Hugo's father, Maxime, the Steward of the house gained more influence and became de facto head of the house. This became even worse as Pascal grew older and less interested in the affairs of ruling. Becoming more interested in scholarly pursuits such as poetry and the study of history. Finally, to make things even worse, Pascal had no interest in marriage and fathered no children.
This led eventually to Hugo. Hugo was the son of Maxime the Steward and Josephine. With his mother Josephine sadly dying in childbirth. As a result, Hugo was raised by a combination of Maxime, his grandfather Mattis who was still alive at this point and, surprisingly, Pascal himself. Amongst these three influential members of the house, it was agreed that the Abreo family would inherit the holdings of the Lambert family and be raised to the position of Veir once Pascal died. Which was coming closer as Pascal's health rapidly grew worse over the years. Something which led to Hugo being raised with the expectation that he would one day become Veir and lord of the city (well town really) of Voussure. He specifically learnt martial and magical skills from his grandfather whilst leaving financial and diplomatic training to his father Maxime. He especially did well in regards to magic, quickly absorbing much knowledge from his father about Brand magic, and having the occasional lesson from Pascal in regards to resonance magic.
When he was 17 Hugo's grandfather Mattis died, a bandit hunt went wrong when he got ambushed in the woods by 8 bandits. All the bandits died, but Mattis's old age and a severe wound resulted in his death. Then three years later Pascal died. At the too young age of 54, Pascal died from his ill health and the protocols for the Abreo family to inherit were initiated. Initially, this went without trouble, with Hugo's family being ascended to the position of Veir. However, things started to go wrong when the nearby Rouanet family, specifically lord Francine Rouanet argued that due to a historic claim his family had a greater right to the town the Lambert family ruled. Due to some minor diplomatic missteps and the Rouanet family being more influential/well-known it was eventually ruled that the Rouanet family held the better claim and gained the city of Voussure. This devastated Maxim who went into a depression. Especially after they had to move to one of the lesser holdings of the Lambert family, a cottage on the outskirts of Gentreven. This was something which Maxim never recovered from, he thus turned to alcohol and other substances to remove himself from his sorrow and (in a bitter irony) got sick himself two years after the inciting incident. This sickness, combined with his depression and substance abuse resulted in Maxim dying from a severe fever. Now Hugo Abreo, head of a young house with no land to his name, is forced to find his way in the brutal political arena of Daravin.
