Siegfried, Siegwinne 'Valentin' (1343)

# **~~Siegwinne~~ ‘Valentin’ Siegfried**

*Royalty, The Valiant Patron of the Arts*

Born in 1343 to the royal lineage of the Imperial Eisenherz, Valentin Siegfried, at the time known as Siegwinne, is the son of Siegmund and Elsie.  He began his journey with a name change inspired by the tales of a Luminor hero presented in a musical by the renowned performer and composer, Salvador Singer in 1357.  This first exposure led to him wishing to meet with the troupe, known as the Lyrical Lilies.  A member of the Garden of the Bellamie Crest, an act of beauty in a dying world.

The musical was so moving to Siegwinne, he started to use the name Valentin at local tourney fights instead of his birth name, insisting it was so people would not hold back on him in the fights.  He pressured his father, the second prince of the Empire, Siegmund Siegfried to patronize the Lilies and fund them to perform in the capital longer than a couple shows.  The patronization from the Royal family of the Empire extended Singer’s stay for a year.

Valentin is the second of six children:

* 1341: Siegmund Siegfried the Second
* 1343: Siegwinne Siegfried
* 1344: Siegrun Siegfried
* 1347: Marcel Siegfried
* 1350: Leonhard Siegfried
* 1352: Benedict Siegfried

Valentin’s fascination with the arts grew the more time he spent with Severus, Salvador, and Theo.  He boasted of them to the Head of Interior Finance, and this led to Mira Solene Allard spending time with them as well.  Eleonore Vieth, a good friend of Valentin’s, his informal bodyguard, and another tourney knight specializing in the spear melee also grew fond of them.  The three imperial fans each seemed to be fascinated by a different aspect.  Valentin by the ageless stories, Eleonore for teasing Luminor’s retelling of events in the Imperial histories, and Mira loved how ungraceful Theo was without a script.

At the end summer in 1358, the Lyrical Lilies were to depart for Roze Wind once more.  Valentin pleaded to go with them, spouting out how he just wished to use it as an excuse to shame the knights of the Luminor tourney circuits, and so on.  In the end, prompted by the impending threat of the next Ghoul Wa, Seigmund Seigfried, granted him leave to the distant city of Roze Wind, located on the far south of the Kingdom of Luminor.  It was safe.

In Roze Wind, Valentin embraced the role of a patron of the arts, attending the performances of Salvador and his company. Simultaneously, he took on the persona of ‘Valentin the Valiant’' and entered local tourneys, starting at the age of sixteen, tourney combat is legal in the Imperial Territories starting at twelve.

During his time as a show knight and tourney participant, Valentin forged a close friendship with Chloe Bonheur, a woman from the Bonheur family slightly older than him. She was part of the elite specialized unit within her family, the Bonheur Bountifuls.  With the blessings of both families, their bond deepened over the years.

In 1360 The Eighth Ghoul War started.  It trapped the young royal in the Kingdom of Luminor, as his father had planned.  Valentin was bitter when he heard the first attacks of the war were all against imperial territories, the attacks on Odast, Mot, Duden, Sumt, and Schwarzkern Den happening within the opening months.  The death of his grandfather and uncle.  The realization his father was now Emperor.

Valentin was having a rough time of the war, if not for his bonds to Chloe, Salvador, Severus, and Theo.  He would have easily been lost to the chaos in his head.  They were a solace during those challenging years.  At the end of the war, he returned home with Salvador and Chloe to be at the state funeral for the fallen Emperors of his GrandFather, Emperor Siegbald III Seigfried, and his uncle Emperor Siegbald IV Seigfried.  Both of whom died at the Battle of Sumt in the early months of the war.

In 1363 he returned to Roze Wind, living as Valentin instead of as a royal was easier for him.

Upon hearing Severus's summons to become a Consecrator of the Ghoul Lands, Valentin willingly volunteered his sword to the effort. His inclusion in the journey not only brings martial prowess but also grants the party favor within the Imperial Eisenherz Territories.

As of 1364, at the age of 21, Valentin continues his relationship with Chloe Bonheur, bringing joy to his life amid the shadows of the war.