Prince Marcus Von Roterstein

Prince Marcus Von Roterstein

Prince Marcus W.L. Von Roterstein is a member of the Ardoraghi royal family during the late Fourth and early Fifth Era. He is the son of the youngest brother of the current High-Lord and King of Ardoragh and the third in line for the Ardoraghi throne. He is most well known for being kidnapped in the early Fifth Era whilst visiting Solleria.

Early life

Born as Lord Marcus Von Roterstein in Ardoria, the young lord studied law, earning his bachelor degree at the Imperial University of Ardoria, and getting his master degree at the Imperial University of Helmira. For most of his life he has lived in a manor house in Helmira, from where he practices law.

During the late Fourth Era, just before the Grand War, he got into conflict with his uncle when he published a paper accusing the Ardoraghi Duke Ulv of facilitating piracy in the Dodehavet Sea in a vast scheme by the Ardoraghi nobility to avoid paying the increasingly high taxes to then-Emperor Louis Viromaro. He was recalled to Ardoria, where after staying at the High-Lord's castle for five months he formally renounced his earlier accusations after his father met with the High-Lord. Although facing no official legal repercussions he was no longer allowed to practice law in the province of Ardoragh following this what has been usually referred to as the Piracy Papers.

After the Reforma Carta reformed the Province of Ardoragh into the Kingdom of Ardoragh, the Von Roterstein family gained the official status of one the Kythiran royal houses. Ever since his full name and title is His Royal Highness Marcus Whaza Leonard Von Roterstein, Prince of Ardoragh.

After the death of his father two years after the Reforma Carta he inherited a small fortune of 800,000 Florynts. With this, he purchased the ruin of a Third Era castle, Chateau Imperia, deep in northern Attica for 150,000 Florynts, including a massive area of land around it, with a total surface area larger than many cities.

He spend another 50,000 Florynts renovating the castle, as well as expanding the living spaces, building an extra tower and a grand hall. He renamed his new summer house 'Chateau Roterhal', or simply known by the local villagers as The Roterhal.

During the renovation project he had to fight off several poachers and loggers who were taking from the castle’s lands. This caused him to become interested in preservation of Kythira’s vast nature reserves, and he donated 100,000 Florynts to the Hjarta Foundation. Shocked by the treatment of several slaves owned by the company that renovated the castle, 15 of which died during the construction of the grand hall alone, the prince became a staunch abolitionist, pouring another 150,000 Florynts into anti-slavery causes across the Empire, functioning as one of the primary patrons of abolitionist philosopher Edmund Arouet.

Kidnapping

In an effort to restore relations with the rest of his family after the Piracy Papers he began a long correspondence with his uncle, who was now King of Ardoragh. He agreed to a political marriage with Lady Blanchard, daughter of the Marquis of Blanchard. Two months before the wedding was set to take place he was send to Solleria as a formal guest of the High-Lord of Alcanzar, King Vinkhuys. During this visit he, together with his staff and a handful of Ardoraghi royal guards visited the ruins of the Imperial Summerhal Palace. During this visit, their party was ambushed. All the royal guards were killed and several members of his staff were wounded. The prince himself was kidnapped by unknown assailants and send southwards on horseback to an unknown destination. That same day a ransom note was delivered to the Ardoraghi consulate, demanding 5 million Florynts for the prince's safe return.