Prince Mariutius Atbash

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Prince Maritius Atbash of Ophidia; son of Seltzer, son of Atbash. Inheritor of Val'Iharia and beloved son of the Badlanders.

The current Prince of Ophidia and heir to Val'Iharia

## Early Life

> *"Not a drop of Violincian in him, but Badland blood ruling Ophidia? He's going to start a war and you know it." -* Queen Azriel's Adviser on the Prince's return
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Maritius was born in the Ophidian Capital city. He is the younger half-brother of King Ciaran and Prince Andrew, but unlike his bastard siblings, Atbash was as legitimate child, making him the rightful heir to not only Ophidia but the entirety of Val'Iharia. There was a lot of controversy about the prince being part Badlander.

Originally the prince was to be named Atbash after his paternal grandfather, but his mother's advisers deemed it unwise to give the Ophidian prince a name originating from the badlands. It is unknown why he was given the name Maritius, but Queen Azriel has stated on multiple occasions that his name holds deep significance, but refuses to tell anyone. She left Atbash as his middle name as a sign of respect towards the Badlanders and to keep up her husband's family tradition

Although being born in Ophidia, the young prince spent a large portion of his early life living in the Badlands with his father. The public was told that this was for his own safety. Rumors about conspiracies and assassination plots started spreading around the kingdom. At the age of 13, the prince returned to Ophidia and begun indulging in all his new-found luxuries. The following winter, half a year after his arrival, an assassin found his way into the young Prince's sleeping chambers. The Prince survived by leaping out of his window and into the courtyard pond. This would have been the first of a few assassination attempts, but by far the most distressing.

## Personality

> *"That one has a heart of gold. Sent from the goddess, he is."* - A random citizen
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> "*A sadistic young man with a nothing to regret. He's charming, I'll give you that- but he's a coward" -*LadyVanya describing the Prince
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To his people Maritius is known for his generous, humble and forgiving nature, often turning up to public executions and sparing the accused's life. But to all those who know him personally, he is well-known for being sadistic and vain. He believes himself to always be in the right at all times will happily and will dismiss anyone who says otherwise. The prince has problems trusting people and is determined to stop his court members from abandoning him, even going as far as to chain his adviser to his bed and carving his name into his back. Maritius is out to enjoy himself, look good in the public eye and remind his court members to never even think of betraying him. He values good looks and loyalty above all else. He considers himself very religious and dedicates himself to worshiping the goddess Ophidia.

The prince isn't the smartest fellow and is very gullible as well as easily manipulated. The court sometimes takes an advantage of this, such as the High Lord convincing the prince to lower the amount of meats imported from Violincia in order to expand his Human Meat trade.

## Relationships

* Florent

> A priest and the prince's former adviser. Maritius was very attached to Florence and considered him to be his closest friend. They were very fond of each other, and a few rumors had it that they were lovers. The Prince has always found it hard to bond with people, but there had never been a relationship as strong as the one between Maritius and Florent. During the Inquisition Arc, Florent was framed for conspiring against the prince. This destroyed Maritius, but although he first ordered Florent to be executed, he later decided that he would be exile him instead. The Prince locked himself away for a month. No-one dares to bring up the old adviser, anyone who mentions it is sent to the gallows.
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* King Ciaran

> Although being his younger brother, the prince looks down upon King Ciaran, often comparing him to a sinner and an animal. He is very distrustful of him and constantly wishes him death. Ciaran is his biggest threat to the throne. Despite claiming he wants him dead, the prince is the first one of stand by King Ciaran when he was poisoned by his brother and took very good care of the sick king. He went on a short journey with the King and began to form a slight brotherly bond, until King Ciaran took him captive.
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* Prince Andrew

> The Prince is slightly more at ease when around Andrew and feels as if the Violincian prince can be manipulated in his plots to kill Ciaran. He often uses Andrew as bait or a threat.
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* Charles

> Charles is the prince's trusted current adviser. He is very wary of anyone who gets too close to him and is persistent in claiming that Charles is his property.
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* Emerald

> The prince often forgets about Emerald and simply just dismisses her concerns and suggestions to the court. He is unaware of her manipulation.
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* The Royal Pheonix

> Although currently just an egg, the prince is highly protective and in love with his unborn phoenix. Once hatched, they would become very close and he would dedicate most of his time in bonding with his pet.
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