Praetorius a.k.a. the Crimson King (Pray-tor-e-us)

Whenever he appears in public, he seems to be in good physical condition, but his body is so heavily obscured in armor that most people joke that he is made mostly of metal nowadays.

He is tall and has an athletic build.  He is strong enough to wear heavy armor, and his weapon of choice is either a heavy lance or a great sword. His hair is brown, but some claim that it has tuned iron grey and is cut short so as not to obscure his vision when he dons his helmet.

His face is slightly narrow with a pointed chin, and his nose almost looks aquiline, but the bridge stops just shy of that signature crest.  His eyes were once a brilliant green color, but over time, his exposure to the arcane relics he has collected has turned his eyes into dull, pupil-less green orbs.  He also has a faint scar on his cheek from a stray sword swipe that he has refused to have clerics regenerate.  He claims it is a reminder of his vulnerable past.

His eyes are rather unique for a human, and the scar down his cheek has a slight shimmer to it.

The true extent of Praetorius' abilities are not truly known.  There are few eyewitness accounts anymore of his exploits and those few remaining are so wild as to be unbelievable for any human mage or warrior.  There are the common legendary traits of having the strength of ten men and the ability to smite men with but a gaze; however, these are most likely exaggerations.  What is most likely is that he is a skilled tactician and a prodigious fighter on the battlefield.  In addition, many sources confirm that he is a skilled arcanist and can wield sword or wand to focus his magic.  Also, the orb seems to give him the ability to siphon energy from his enemies and then use it against them.

He is almost never without his crimson cloak and his orb. The cloak is made of exquisite, silken material, but other than that, it has no other adornment.  Some say that it is a magical cloak that can absorb magical power, but others say that it is just his old military cloak that he keeps for sentimental reasons.  The orb is his pride and joy as it is the instrument of his might.  Through that fist-sized sphere, he can save or sunder entire cities...so the legend goes.

He wears a custom set of plate mail that is said to be inlaid with special gems that act as focusing nodes so that even if he does not have his orb or his sword, his armor can act as an arcane focus.

Gallius Artorius Praetorius grew up with one of the noble houses of Cydonia. His upbringing was nothing out of the ordinary for one of his birth. He enjoyed martial training as befits a young man in a noble house, and his education was not neglected, either at home or when he left to join the academy. There was, however, a lot of pressure put upon him as he was the last scion of House Iolius, and he was expected to do great things and carry on the family name. Though his parents probably meant well, any time they saw a chance for young Gallius to succeed, they would push him to do whatever was necessary. Therefore, naturally, once his arcane talents became apparent he was immediately sent off to the Arcanum Nostrum where his abilities were nurtured. He combined his martial education with his arcane training and became one of the foremost swordmages in Cydonia. He joined the military and rapidly rose through the ranks until eventually, he was in charge of his own company of knights. He fought in several campaigns to secure the kingdoms borders, and he gained much fame and distinction in the battle of Baden Bridge against the Galatian invaders. Eventually, he took his father's place on the Council of Knights that advised the king, which was a fortuitous event as the council was planning the reconquest of the Asturian Empire. They had no aspirations to take back the whole continent, but they sought to reclaim the Shattered Lands, and Gallius was eager to play his part. He had his company of knights, and he was also placed in command of another company of mercenaries. Their task, after the initial invasion of Galatia, was to march south and secure the southern Riverlands and the old border forts next to the badlands. Gallius was ambitious and conscious of his abilities, and he felt that his assignment was a waste of his talents. While the rest of the knights were battling in the north and retaking the old imperial capital, the Praetorian knights were to muck about in the dirt of the south. Regardless, he set about his mission with a will and rapidly secure the southern Riverlands. he even managed to convince some of the defeated tribesmen in the area to join his ranks as auxiliaries, thus replenishing his ranks. He then proceeded to march to the border forts where he had to painstakingly take them one by one. However, this was where his true military genius could shine. He skillfully captured each fort, and he preserved enough his forces to leave small garrisons at the most important forts, while he set up a command post along the river. There he patiently waited for his next assignment while he continually got news of the campaign in the north. He wanted to join his comrades, but his duties on the border kept him too busy. In addition, he heard rumors of old imperial ruins and artifacts in the area, and he took it upon himself to explore. What he found changed the history of the world. He found several powerful relics that granted him immense power. One such relic resembled an old gate stone that Gallius used to magnify his narwal abilities. This find came not a comment too soon as his border garrisons were crushed by invading barbarian tribes. Praetorius rallied the surviving troops along with his main force and launched a counterattack.  He crushed his enemies and secured his area.  He called for help, but his fellow knights and their armies were embroiled in conflict in the east, and many were busier still trying to secure the old capital.  He became frustrated with his fellow knights and felt sidelined.  He pushed the barbarians out of his territory and set about creating his own enclave.  Eventually, the king and his council came to visit Gallius, and they praised him on his new find saying that the new relics he discovered would empower the revived empire; however, Gallius did not wish to return the relics, and he turned on his fellow knights.  The council was aghast and threatened to bring their whole army upon him, but the upstart "king" seemed rather nonplussed and said, "bring your armies to me, and I will show them on what a hollow foundation your 'empire' rests."  The Knights of Cydonia were rallied and they assaulted Gallius' new territory.  Battle raged for days throughout the land, and neither side seemed to gain the upper hand.  Praetorius' new abilities were enhanced, but he was doing battle with all of his old comrades.  The Cydonian army was battle hardened and well-trained, but the Praetorian forces were large and enhanced with fresh recruits.  After long and arduous fighting, the ensuing civil war ended in a stale mate.  The Cydonians might have been able to defeat their erstwhile ally, but in dealing with Gallius, they neglected their newly conquered territory in which revolts were popping up like weeds.  They were forced to deal with that while Praetorius crowned himself king of his newly conquered territory.  From then on, his relationship with the Knights of Cydonia never softened, and the Cydonians never forgave him for crippling their position and robbing them of the prospect of resurrecting the Asturian Empire.     Gallius Artorius Praetorius dropped his first two names, and he decreed that he would be the immortal Praetorius from then on.  He said that his newfound powers would keep him and his kingdom alive forever, and, so far, his boast has proven correct.  He has kept his people relatively safe, and he maintains enough of a trading presence to keep up relations with his neighbors; however, his true love (and more recently an all-consuming obsession) is the search for more imperial artifacts.  There are rumors that he agents in every kingdom in the Shattered Lands and beyond looking for items to increase his already legendary powers.  Despite his presence and cult of personality, in the past century, he makes increasingly rare public appearances, and he has not taken the field in any conflict in the past fifty years.  There are whispers that his powers are waning, and that soon the once invincible kingdom will be open to attack.

The king presents and identifies as male.

Nothing but the finest tutors and trainers were found for the noble Gallius.  He was trained to be a knight and a fighter from an early age, and once his arcane talents manifested, he was sent to the Arcanum Nostrum to hone his abilities.  While he did not possess the aptitude for full-on wizardry, he was a virtuoso at combining magic and swordplay.  He shot to the top of his class, and soon he was already promised an officers commission upon graduation.  After he left the academy, he spent three years in officers training before he was then given a full position within the Cydonian military hierarchy.

He was a noble, so his track led him to the military.  He went there by way of the Arcanum Nostrum and the Academia Militarum.  He was then in charge of several regiments amongst the Cydonian military, and then, of course, he crowned himself king of his own little piece carved away from Cydonia's attempt at empire building.

The pressure put on him during his youth definitely fueled his meteoric rise through the Cydonian ranks, and many scholars blame that for his eventual snap and break from his former home.  Others hypothesize that whatever artifact he found that enhanced his powers has wrecked havoc on his mind and torn his psyche asunder. No one has a clear idea if one, both or none of the aforementioned ideas apply.

During his youth, he exhibited exuberance and dedication to his studies and work.  These qualities were aided by his keen mind, which allowed to recall even the slightest details of what he had just seen or heard.  In addition, he showed ambition and a thirst for adventure.  As he grew, he lost his youthful exuberance and developed a legalistic severity.

The rule of law is absolute, and it must be preserved no matter the cost or the means.  He is not opposed to the use of guile and cunning in battle, but using those same talents against superiors is punishable by death.  Promotion by assassination is not tolerated, and only direct military superiors have the power to raise someone through the ranks.  Indeed, if someone proves their worth then they should be rewarded and lauded; however, failure can be severely punished, depending on the circumstances.

He is driven by the need to continually secure his domain and prove to the world and his former compatriots that his kingdom should be the envy of the world. Moreover, he is obsessed with finding more relics from the imperial era and before and unraveling the mystic secrets that have been lost to time.

He has grown to hate bards and wandering storytellers, especially those that have taken certain creative liberties with his life story.  There was one halting minstrel in particular that performed at a banquet who offended the great king to such an extent that his crimson guard have orders to arrest the man on sight.  Praetorius does not take kindly to lèse majesté.

Some compare the crimson king to a sphinx in that his face is particularly hard to read, especially when he holds court in full armor with his helmet on and visor down.  Another interesting quirk is that when he does hold court, his orb of office is set into the arm of his chair and his left hand never rises from it.

He is a fastidious person and expects all those around him and those who come before him to conform to his high standard of cleanliness.