Valerius Malespero
Description
Valerius looks the part of the greatest heroes of old - strongly built, tall, with broad shoulders, square jawed. Valerius styles his hair and dresses in a way that rugged and brutish Thraxians find almost foppish. His muscle is practically wasted, only maintained so pretty women think he's brave and tough. His rich brown hair often sports a well kept style, with a great deal of time spent on it. His deep brown eyes sparkle with good humor and occasional mischief. Make no mistake, Valerius is an extremely handsome man, simply preferring fine clothing of nearly Lyceum proportions than anything remotely resembling armor. He can fight, and is trained to do so, but it might mess up his outfit.
Personality
Valerius enjoys people. He enjoys impressing pretty women, whether or not he ends up in bed with them is kind of just extra bonus. He likes to make them laugh, bring a color to their cheeks, and make himself look amazing with one on his arm. For other men, he genuinely enjoys making friends, joking, gambling, generally carousing with the boys. He sees little need in all the anger, senseless violence, and posturing for dominance that one would think is in his blood. He might describe life at court as a battlefield of intrigue, but really it's only to make the rest of his family leave him alone so he can get ready for the next party. He will fight if he has to, and do so well, but it's so dull and boorish. Settling matters over a drink or poker game is far more appealing to him.
Background
On the surface, most would imagine Valerius has the makings for one of the greatest warriors House Thrax has ever produced. Grandson of the ruthless Prince Donrai Thrax and son of a Redrain champion who was murdered during the Tyde rebellion while he was quite young. House Thrax certainly trained the young man relentlessly as a warrior and weaned him on tales of vengeance against those responsible for killing his parents, expecting him to turn into another fearsome weapon for the noble family, and he has undeniable talent at arms, but he's... nice. There's perhaps no worse adjective in the Thrax lexicon than 'nice'. He's amiable, agreeable, and has far more interest in idly spending time with other nobles in polite social settings than bathing in the blood of Thrax's enemies. It horrifies the Thrax leadership.
Sure, Valerius is an extremely capable warrior when he's pushed and shoved in that direction, but it is painfully obvious that his heart is at court. A political calling isn't the worst thing in the world, as far as House Thrax is concerned, since enemies need to be manipulated, but the trouble is that Valerius doesn't even seem interested in that. He just genuinely enjoys talking to others and trying to solve their problems, and despite their best efforts, the man is dedicated to being one of the friendly, amiable idle rich.
