King Duncan Valmore
"A good king come far too late."
Duncan Valmore, remembered already by the people as The One Good King and whispered of as The Last King, is a monarch born into ruin. His life began in blood and grief, his mother, broken by years of torment under King Torvold, hurled herself from the Ivory Tower mere moments after his birth, while his father’s reign descended into a grotesque carnival of vice, cruelty, and corruption. Torvold was a monster in crown and flesh, a bloated king who gorged himself while raising taxes, who turned executions into entertainment, and whose refusal to hear the Goblins’ pleas for clemency transformed their civil rights movement into years of open street wars; The Green Wars they are bitterly called. His assassination was inevitable, whispered into being by all who suffered under him. The infant Duncan was left as the last scion of the Valmore line, raised not by father or mother but by the king’s wizard, Atticus Thane, the Horned Sage whom many suspect orchestrated Torvold’s death to break the cycle of madness that plagued Everwealth’s crown. Under Thane’s severe tutelage, Duncan grew not into the idle, soft-handed monarch expected of his line, but into something rare, a king who labored with his own hands, who trained his body as fiercely as his mind, who saw beyond the gilded windows of the Ivory Tower to the hunger and hardship of his people. Now, at only twenty-three years of age, Duncan reigns as the last fragile hope of a broken dynasty. Sheltered within the fortress-palace of Opulence, he is kept under strict watch by councilors and guards who fear both for his safety and for the survival of the bloodline itself. Idealistic yet inexperienced, compassionate yet caged, Duncan is denied the chance to walk among his people, to prove himself outside the Tower’s walls. Without heir, without freedom, and surrounded by vipers who profit from The Monarchy’s corruption, he is a young sovereign pressed beneath the crushing weight of history. Whether Duncan Valmore will be remembered as the savior who cleansed Everwealth of its decay, or as the doomed Last King who came too late to save it, remains unwritten. His reign is not merely a rule, but a question, one the world itself seems to hold its breath to see answered.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Duncan is young, spry, and remarkably well-kept for a monarch. Unlike the bloated kings before him, he trains his body daily, with the lean build of a soldier rather than the indulgent frame of a noble. Free of disease or deformity, his health is near-perfect, though his isolation has left him pale and soft of skin compared to men who labor under the sun.
Body Features
He bears the tall, slender build of his lineage, shoulders straightened by discipline and posture learned at court. His arms and hands are corded with the strength of sword drills and honest labor he insists upon sharing with his retainers. Freckles scatter across his pale skin, a reminder of his mother’s side, standing in sharp contrast to the unhealthy pallor of his father.
Facial Features
Duncan’s face is open and earnest, his green eyes bright with resolve rather than cruelty. A youthful jawline softened by fairness and sincerity gives him the look of someone who has not yet been broken by the world. His curly reddish-brown hair often falls loosely despite the servants’ attempts to groom it into royal order, a mark of his unstudied humility.
Identifying Characteristics
The Valmore bloodline is marked by pale skin and striking eyes, and Duncan is no exception. Yet unlike the hard, sunken features of Torvold, his face bears no cruelty. The most identifying marks are the calluses on his hands from weapon drills, rare for a king, and a faint scar along his temple from a sparring accident, which he refuses to hide.
Physical quirks
Duncan has the habit of standing with hands clasped behind his back when deep in thought, pacing the same few steps like a soldier waiting for orders. He is often seen tapping the pommel of his practice sword while listening to others speak. Despite his youth, he often pauses before answering, leaving a silence that unnerves the court but endears him to common folk as thoughtfulness.
Special abilities
Duncan has no supernatural gift nor sorcerous bloodline, but his ability lies in an innate charisma, a talent for earning trust even from hardened veterans or bitter peasants. His endurance and discipline are remarkable for one of his age, and though inexperienced, he shows a preternatural instinct for fairness in judgment that sets him apart in a court drowning in corruption.
Apparel & Accessories
He prefers simple but well-crafted attire, favoring fitted tunics of deep green or black rather than the garish robes his father flaunted. A silver circlet shaped like interlocking rams’ horns is his crown, plain compared to the gilded monstrosities of past rulers. Around his neck hangs a small iron token said to have belonged to his mother, a relic he never parts with.
Specialized Equipment
Though not yet bloodied in true war, Duncan wields a longsword forged by the royal smiths, its crossguard shaped in the likeness of ram’s horns. It is more symbol than tool, yet he trains with it daily. His armor is lighter than traditional kingly plate, meant for movement rather than display, though it is engraved with the ram sigil of Everwealth.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Duncan Valmore’s life was written in grief before he could walk. His mother, broken by the cruelties of King Torvold, ended her life mere hours after his birth. His father, remembered as one of the most grotesque tyrants in Everwealth’s history, filled his reign with gluttony, executions, and apathy toward the Goblins’ cries for dignity, which boiled into bloody street wars. When Torvold was assassinated, Duncan was left an orphan and heir to a poisoned throne. Raised by Atticus Thane, the King’s Wizard, Duncan was molded not into the tyrant his father had been but into a rare figure, a monarch who believed he could be better. Sheltered within the Ivory Tower, he grew into manhood with high ideals, a respect for honest labor, and a yearning to heal a kingdom rotting beneath corruption.
Gender Identity
Duncan identifies simply and openly as male, though unlike his father he does not wield masculinity as weapon or entitlement. Among the Everwealth court, gender often defines roles of power, but Duncan treats it as irrelevant, strength to him comes not from birth or gender but from will, honesty, and endurance.
Sexuality
Though young, Duncan has shown little pursuit of romantic entanglements. His sheltered upbringing and constant surveillance by the court have left him little room for such things. Whispers suggest his orientation may lean toward women, but many believe his true desires are buried beneath duty. More than passion, he longs for companionship, someone who might understand the crushing burden of crown and country.
Education
Unlike many of Everwealth's past kings who learned only politics and cruelty, Duncan’s education was guided by Atticus Thane. He was taught not only the histories of Everwealth but also philosophy, rhetoric, and even rudimentary magickal lore to sharpen his mind. He trained physically as well, sparring with knights and working alongside servants to understand the labor of his people. In contrast to Torvold’s indulgence, Duncan’s learning was broad, pragmatic, and grounded in humility.
Employment
Duncan’s life has known no occupation outside the crown, he has been heir, ward, and now monarch. Yet within his limited sphere, he has acted as judge in mock tribunals during training, overseer of castle affairs, and finally sovereign, albeit bound by councilors who dictate his every decree. His true reign is yet untested, caged within Opulence.
Accomplishments & Achievements
- Surviving infancy and childhood under the shadow of Torvold’s legacy.
- Breaking from his father’s cruel image, earning the rare title The One Good King among the people.
- Advocating for reforms to temper the persecution of Goblins, though his words have been blunted by his council’s interference.
- Maintaining unity in a time when Everwealth threatens to fracture beneath corruption and rebellion.
Failures & Embarrassments
- He has yet to produce an heir, leaving the dynasty precariously close to extinction.
- His inexperience often makes him the subject of ridicule among dukes and lords.
- His confinement within the Ivory Tower has left him out-of-touch with the people, even as they pin their hopes upon him.
Mental Trauma
Duncan’s life began in tragedy, the loss of his mother, the legacy of his father’s monstrous reign, and the knowledge that he is the last of his line. Raised under constant surveillance, he has never known true freedom. This isolation has fostered both empathy and anxiety, a deep understanding of suffering coupled with the quiet fear that he will never be allowed to rise above the shadow of Torvold.
Intellectual Characteristics
Curious, thoughtful, and idealistic, Duncan’s intellect lies less in cunning than in compassion. He seeks understanding before judgment, questions before decrees. His sharp memory and natural charisma make him quick to learn and quicker to listen, though he lacks the ruthless pragmatism needed to navigate Everwealth’s poisoned court.
Morality & Philosophy
Duncan believes that a king’s role is to serve, not to be served. He values labor, honesty, and mercy, virtues nearly forgotten in Everwealth’s halls of power. He detests cruelty and greed, believing them to be the rot that devours kingdoms from within. His guiding philosophy is simple, the crown is not privilege, but burden.
Taboos
- He refuses to participate in the gluttonous feasts and spectacles that defined his father’s reign.
- He will not order a public execution, no matter the pressure from his council.
- He avoids the use of Goblin slavery, even at the cost of political alliances.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Duncan is driven by a singular, almost naïve belief that Everwealth can yet be saved from the corruption his father steeped it in. He wants to redeem not only his dynasty’s name, but also the very concept of monarchy, which has become a curse-word among the folk. His priorities are the welfare of his people, peasants as much as nobles, and the restoration of justice in a system long devoured by greed. Where others seek power for survival, Duncan seeks fairness even when it weakens him.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Savvies:
- Skilled in diplomacy with commoners and soldiers alike; his words hold an honesty rarely found in rulers.
- Strong grasp of battlefield discipline, excelling in training, sparring, and drilling with guardsmen.
- Natural sense of justice, often able to sniff out lies or bribes at court.
- Politically naive, easily manipulated by courtiers more experienced in deception.
- Lacks the cruelty often necessary to hold power in Everwealth’s fractured system.
- Sheltered upbringing leaves him blind to the subtler, systemic chains of corruption.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes:
- Honest labor, he insists on splitting wood and drilling with armsmen.
- Stories of Everwealth’s founding, though many have been twisted into propaganda.
- The company of children, whose innocence he trusts above all.
- Public executions, which he abhors despite being pressured to attend.
- Court feasts, filled with decadence and whispers.
- The Merchant’s Consortium, whose greed he views as the Crown’s greatest enemy.
Virtues & Personality perks
- Compassionate, with genuine empathy for even the lowest-born subject.
- Unusually disciplined for a noble, his body honed like that of a soldier.
- Charismatic without effort, winning loyalty through sincerity rather than fear.
Vices & Personality flaws
- His idealism blinds him to necessary evils.
- Isolated within the Ivory Tower, he often acts on secondhand reports instead of firsthand knowledge.
- Haunted by the crimes of his father, he carries a deep insecurity about becoming “just another Valmore.”
Personality Quirks
- Runs his thumb along the edge of his circlet when nervous.
- Refuses to eat before others at the table, even if left waiting.
- Has the strange habit of greeting guards by name, even those rotated out months before, an obsessive memory that endears him to some but unsettles others.
Hygiene
Duncan is meticulous, not out of vanity but respect for appearances. His clothes are kept simple but spotless, his hands washed free of soot and blood after sparring or training. Unlike his father, whose corpulent stench was legendary, Duncan smells faintly of iron and leather, the scent of a soldier-king.
Representation & Legacy
Even in his own lifetime, Duncan is already being cast as a tragic figure. To the folk he is “The One Good King,” a symbol of what Everwealth might have been had such a monarch risen sooner. To nobles, he is a dangerous idealist, threatening the balance of corruption that sustains them. His crown, a circlet called The Ram's Horns, has become an emblem of hope in graffiti and whispered prayers across the kingdom, though many fear he will be remembered less as a savior and more as “The Last King,” the final light before Everwealth collapses into darkness.
Social
Reign
Duncan’s reign began at the age of 14 after his father’s assassination. While short (9 years to date), it has been memorable for his rare acts of compassion: lowering taxes during famine despite noble outcry, pardoning goblins wrongfully accused during the height of civil unrest, and attempting to outlaw public executions. None of these reforms were fully realized, blocked by the Horned Council, but each left a mark in the hearts of the people. His reign is remembered less for victories and more for what might have been, a brief glimpse of decency in a kingdom collapsing under its own corruption.
Contacts & Relations
- Atticus Thane, the King’s Wizard - mentor, father figure, and rumored orchestrator of King Torvold’s assassination.
- The Horned Council (Dukes and Duchesses) - technically his advisers, though most treat him as a figurehead.
- The Merchant’s Consortium - outwardly allies of the Crown, in truth its leash-holders through debt and supply control.
- The Arcane Coalition - view him as pliable, pushing him to sign off on new laws restricting unlicensed magick.
Family Ties
- Torvold Valmore (father) - remembered as a monster-king; his cruelty defines Duncan’s opposite reputation.
- Unnamed Queen (mother) - leapt from the Ivory Tower after Duncan’s birth, a victim of Torvold’s abuses.
- No spouse, no heirs. His lack of children is the greatest political shadow over his reign, threatening dynastic collapse.
Religious Views
Duncan is not pious in the traditional sense. He distrusts priests, having seen how faith was used to justify his father’s cruelty. Instead, he reveres the idea of justice itself as sacred. He offers prayers to Druvain, the Everforged, before forging or drilling, but privately admits to close companions that his “faith” is in people, not gods.
Social Aptitude
Charismatic in an understated way, Duncan has confidence in honesty rather than pageantry. He is introverted at court, preferring one-on-one conversations over banquets. His etiquette is earnest but often unpolished, he bows too deeply, speaks too plainly, and laughs too easily for a king. Yet these same qualities make him beloved by guards and folk, who see him as genuine. His ego is remarkably small for a monarch, which both endears him and marks him as weak to his peers.
Mannerisms
- Greets soldiers and servants by name, often with a clap on the shoulder.
- Tends to fiddle with the Ram’s Horn circlet absentmindedly while thinking.
- Speaks slowly when issuing decrees, weighing every word as if afraid to repeat his father’s errors.
- Pauses often to listen rather than talk, a habit that drives the nobility mad.
Hobbies & Pets
Duncan keeps a large, shaggy hound, Branwyn, a creature who is gentle, patient, adored by the people, and prone to wandering the palace halls. Many find Branwyn’s presence disarming, and Duncan often kneels to feed or scratch her mid-council, breaking tense moments with something approaching humanity. His hobbies include sparring with the guard, reading histories of Everwealth’s founding, and occasionally slipping into disguise to walk the lower streets of Opulence.
Speech
- Tone: Warm, earnest, though often weighed with hesitation when speaking to nobles.
- Pitch: Mid-range, steady, with a hint of coastal cadence.
- Accent/Dialect: Speaks “courtly” Common, but lapses into the colloquial speech of servants when relaxed.
- Catchphrases: “A king is but a servant crowned.” / “The ram stands for all, not for itself.”
- Common Phrases: “Tell me the truth, not what I want to hear.” / “Have we fed the guards? Have we fed the people?”
- Compliments: “You’ve done more than your duty, and that is rare.”
- Insults: Mild, often confused: “You shame the horns you wear.”
- Greetings: Simple handclasp and eye contact, rare for kings.
- Farewell: “Stand steady.”
- Swearing: Rare, but when pressed, invokes his father’s name as curse: “Torvold take it.”
- Metaphors: Commonly draws from farming, smithing, and shepherding imagery, reflecting his belief that rulers are caretakers, not tyrants.
Wealth & Financial state
Duncan’s personal wealth is limited compared to his father. He keeps few luxuries, investing much of the royal coffers in food relief, roadwork, and arms for soldiers. What remains is bound in the Crown’s assets, land, fortresses, and Capra coinage, all of which are tightly controlled by dukes and the Merchant’s Consortium. He himself has little disposable income, and his own chambers in the Ivory Tower are remarkably austere for a king.
Current Status
Locked away in the Ivory Tower of Opulence (Everwealth's capital fortress) to protect the royal bloodline in this time of war. Out-of-touch with his kingdom but living, though lack of any heirs presents much political strain among his peers.
Ethnicity
Honorary & Occupational Titles
- The Ram’s Head - official sovereign title of Everwealth.
- The One Good King - affectionate nickname among the common folk, whispered with hope.
- The Last King - darker epithet, reflecting the belief his line will die with him.
- Child of the Ivory Tower - a cruel nickname among nobles, mocking his seclusion.
Professions
Age
23
Date of Birth
9th of Garnet
Children
Sex
Male
Presentation
Young, spritely, determined. Duncan unlike most kings with fattened bellies and softened hands takes heavily to physical training and the virtues of honest labor. A welcome change to many.
Eyes
Green
Hair
Short, curly, reddish-brown.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale white, freckled.
Height
5'11"
Weight
160
Quotes & Catchphrases
- “A king does not eat until his people have eaten.”
- “The ram lowers its horns not in cruelty, but in defense of the flock.”
- “My father took from you. I would give back, even if I have nothing to give.”
Aligned Organization
Ruled Locations
Character Prototype
Duncan Valmore embodies the anti-Joffrey from Game of Thrones (at-least the show), where Joffrey is petulant, cruel, and cowardly, Duncan is thoughtful, merciful, and quietly brave. He is not flawless, his youth leaves him naive, his inexperience leaves him vulnerable, but he represents the ideal of a good king arriving far too late to save a kingdom already drowning. He is Arthurian chivalry thrust into a Machiavellian world.
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