Appearance

Physical Description

Medium build, has the appearance of a young man, though withered. Upright and regal posture. Lithe, edging on emaciated.

Body Features

Silky-smooth but pallid skin.

Facial Features

Emerald eyes with dark patterning. Slightly sunken eyes.

Physical quirks

Frequently forgets to breathe. Prone to fidgeting when alone. Enjoys smiling.

Apparel & Accessories

Fur-lined royal attire colored black and white (sometimes mistaken as clerical attire by its colors beyond the empire), two golden rings on his left hand. Two satchels hang at his right, one containing a hard bound book bound in dark blue hardened leather with gold and silver filigree, the other holding parchments and writing materials along with some more exotic spell components. The outfit has a cape and a dual-layered shirt. He wears a gold-plated chain around his neck bearing his family crest as a talisman but often obscures it under a layer of clothing.

Mentality

Personal history

Xarxes Ulgathia the 53rd is the current heir to the throne of the Ulgathian empire, being the scion of House Ulgathian. However, since the emperor is a lich, that position means very, very little. Still a major noble house, since it as a noble house has very little to do while the emperor presides, they are often privately snubbed by the other noble houses. Some even make claims that House Ulgathian is a fraud since even the emperor doesn't go out of his way for them or to directly claim them as his own house. Granted, no one would dare bring this up publicly, it's more of a shunning by the other noble houses. After all, while the emperor doesn't claim them, neither has he been bothered to disavow them during their entire tenure as a noble house. This all culminates in the well-known secret of House Ulgathian being called the Denied House behind closed doors. Xarxes, like most Ulgathians, reveres the emperor, and wants to support and serve him. However, being of his lineage frustrates him, as he desires acknowledgement from the one he admires so deeply. This has produced a sort of love-hate dynamic in him he'd never admit to. If the emperor won't recognize him and his family, he'll MAKE the emperor recognize him and his family. His misguided goal to achieve this is to seek out the same sacrifice his ancestor did: lichdom. His rationale is that Ulgathian has been at this for so long, and it would be a great service to have someone else step in and absorb some of the burden. And then when Xarxes has helped rule for sometime, maybe he'll receive the recognition and appreciation from his ancestor he's so desired for so long. A warped "selfless" desire that he's not thought through the consequences of entirely. Whatever enmity he has over the emperor ignoring him and his family is deeply buried and he will defend his ancestor zealously. And so it is that Xarxes has embarked into the world to discover how to become a lich. If the secret is out there, he's confident it won't be found within the empire. And while he's out there, maybe he can show that the ways of his people are good, and that they don't deserve the contempt of the other nations. They're not evil, and the undead aren't a curse if properly respected. They're just different.
 
When Xarxes was 20 he was caught in a snowstorm on his way home from another town he procured a book from. While most of his escort survived, Xarxes did not, but was revived as a demi-dead.

Education

Xarxes was given the formal education of Ulgathian nobility, investing particularly in wizardy, diplomacy, and history. Studied necromancy directly under the House Necromancer.

Employment

Xarxes is a noble and royalty and therefore does not engage in being employed.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Has received full certifications qualifying him as a House Necromancer, though his noble status disqualifies him from officially serving a house.

Failures & Embarrassments

Xarxes being an admirer in life is shamed that he cannot have a family. Being a noble, he did not expect to find love, but had hoped for it. Now he has accepted he will be alone is such matters.
 
Died because he wanted a book.

Mental Trauma

Deep inferiority complex over the rumors and insinuations of his household and the distance kept by the emperor.
 
Desires a family of his own that he cannot have.

Intellectual Characteristics

Curious and supportive, preferring to enlighten the uneducated in an earnest manner. Can come across as condescending unintentionally. Deeply engaged in any discussion that relates to his goals or interests and will often accidentally eavesdrop on such matters. Deeply defensive of the emperor and the ways of the empire.

Morality & Philosophy

Undeath in Ulgathia: All life is sacred, and undeath is a noble service to the living. To force undeath, or undead thralldom, is considered an affront to the nature of the life before. Sacred undeath is respectful. It often considers the willingness of the undead in life to be such, the care of the undead, and the respectful retirement/reinstatement of the undead. Profane undeath is the forceful disruption of rest after death, the disregard of the undead as a being, and particularly imprisonment of the soul or other essences of the former living. Profane undeath can be utilized in emergencies, but specific rites are held after to honor the victim, and act as an apology. Causing the undead to act in a way that would embarrass their living relatives or connections is also considered taboo, as well as animating the dead against the explicit wishes of their families. It is important to note that those who were committed to an adversarial nature of a necromancer (I.E. trying to kill them) forfeit the right to sacred undeath. This is considered lawful so long as the necromancers themselves are considered lawful and upstanding.

Known Languages

OXarxes speaks Common, Abyssal, and Elven.

Personality

Motivation

Xarxes seeks above all things acknowledgement from Emperor Ulgathian himself. To be embraced as family, or barring that, to be acknowledged as meaningful to his life.
 
Secondarily, he wants to remove the status of "The Denied House" from within the noble circles of the empire. His family should be beaming with pride over their lineage, not embarrassed by the rumors of other houses. If he can prove their lineage, it would do much to inhibit their shunning.
 
Beyond that, Xarxes seeks to improve the lives of his fellow countrymen, be it by acts of service, or teaching outsiders the merit of their ways.

Likes & Dislikes

Xarxes likes warm food and has a notable interest in exotic spices. He dislikes cold meals.
 
Xarxes is fond of those who live vigorously and those with families. He's put off by half-assed efforts, particularly those in service to others and is known to confront such behavior.
 
His favorite instrument is the harp.

Vices & Personality flaws

Xarxes enjoys the flavors of alcohol and thanks to his resistance to poisons does very little to measure his level of intake. This often amounts in a higher bill than most would consider normal and occasionally has him unaware when he begins to cross into proper inebriation.
 
He is easily coaxed into conflict when it comes into matters regarding the emperor, though often preferring to educate the offending party than engage violently.

Personality Quirks

Xarxes has worked on overcoming his irrational disgust of gnomes and goblins to little effect. They produce a deep uncanny unease in him. (I.E. holes to someone with tripophobia)

Hygiene

Despite his sickly nature, Xarxes takes care to remain hygienic and sanitary.

Social

Contacts & Relations

Xarxes fears his death put an unfair imposition on his sister and brother-in-law.

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Heir and Scion to House Ulgathian
 
Prince
 
Esteemed Necromancer

Wealth & Financial state

Substantial but tied into family.

Family Ties

Uncle - Xarxes Ulgathian 52nd , current 'head' of house Ulgathian
Father - Edhrogia (Ed-ROE-zhuh) Ulgathian, younger brother to Xarxes the 52nd and father-apparent to House Ulgathian.
Mother - Afrottia Janos (Ah-FROE-tee-uh JA-noes), 4th daughter of House Janos.
Younger Sister - Lacuse Ulgathian(person) , 1st Daughter and Mother-Apparent of House Ulgathian
Brother-in-Law - Arren Berdari (person) , second son of House Berdari.
 
House Berdari is one of the dukedom houses, and has good relations and close ties with House Ulgathian.
 
Because of the complicated nature of the noble houses in a land of sentient undead and brutal life conditions, here is a synopsis of how the power works:
Each house has a head, typically the oldest male, or, if no men are available, the oldest female. If, for whatever reason, the house head does not produce an heir, or is incapable of producing an heir, the heir is claimed from the offspring of a sibling or next closest relative down a generation (to limit sibling rivalries). The line then continues off the new heir. Parents of heirs that have blood-ties to the house are referred to as father-apparent or mother-apparent.
 
House Ulgathian boasts a well-documented and relatively straight line to the emperor all the way back to Xarxes Ulgathian 3rd, who was alive around the time noble families and strong genealogical records began to form. There is no family with a demonstrably accurate lineage that goes back farther than this ancestor and his peers.
 
House Berdari permitted their second son to marry into House Ulgathian after Xarxes was revealed to have an heir-apparent that was demi-dead and thus incapable of producing his own heirs. As such, instead of his Lacuse being tied into House Berdari, Arren was tied into House Ulgathian.

Religious Views

Xarxes pays respects to the traditional figures and deities expected of Ulgathian nobility but reserves special devotion for the emperor.

Social Aptitude

Xarxes is well-trained in noble decorum, even among other nations. However in less formal scenarios, while he tries to ease himself up, he sometimes comes across as stiff.

Mannerisms

Xarxes enjoys being upbeat and around upbeat people but his attitude is easy to turn dour. He is particularly sensitive around those who are grieving or mournful.

Hobbies & Pets

Xarxes keeps a pet pseudo-dragon named Esper at his family's home.
 
Xarxes prefers his Fey (shadowfell) familiar to don the appearance of an owl. He has nicknamed his familiar "Whisper".
 
Xarxes enjoys games that display intellect, either by calculation or by cunning. He also likes to collect grave rubbings of prominent figures.