Charon Marlon

**Charon Marlon** was the King of Marlon during the late third century and early fourth century EC. Waging war against the country of Lioness, he sought an alliance with the Beelzenian Empire to help turn the tide in his favor. To that end, he engaged his youngest son Carlos with a Beelzenian nobleman's daughter, Banica Conchita.

## History

### Early Life

Born in the Kingdom of Marlon in EC 270, Charon rose to the throne after he came of age, replacing his parents as the ruler of the kingdom. In the EC 290s, he met and married his wife Millicent Marlon, conceiving three sons with her. As his youngest son Carlos lagged behind, the king became increasingly frustrated with him, eventually having him take his family's secret medicine to make him more "normal".

### War and Love

In June of EC 311, to faciliate a stronger alliance with Beelzenia and gain their aid during the war with Lioness, Charon betrothed his son Carlos to Banica Conchita, a member of the Conchita Family who was descended from the Beelzenian Imperial Family. After talking through it with Empress Juno Beelzenia and arranging for Banica to meet them in person first, Charon informed his son of his betrothal and ended up arguing with him over it. Charon then scolded Carlos for his selfishness and threatened to disown him entirely before calming down and dismissing his concerns.

The next day, Charon presided over the audience hall as Ron Grapple, the family's head retainer, introduced Banica, her servants Arte and Pollo, and her personal chef Josef Cucino. Notcing how coldly Carlos acted towards his fiancee, the king quarreled with him after their guests had left. He then watched as Ron, having overheard, returned and explained how the Conchita family's poor state was due to a disease; in response to his concerns, Charon was assured that Banica was perfectly healthy now. The next day, Charon and his wife left to conduct business, leaving his oldest son in charge temporarily until they returned.

### Ending the Engagement

In February of EC 312, Charon held a meeting in Marlon with Empress Juno to discuss the details of their countries' alliance, as well as to certify Carlos and Banica's marriage. That night, a banquet was held in the palace dining hall to celebrate, with Charon attending along with his family, Empress Juno, several Beelzenian ministers, and Banica. As the dinner wound down, Charon and several others left some of their meals behind; he soon watched in horror as Banica suddenly and violently began purging the food she had eaten. After that, the engagement between the two nobles was called off, with some speculating that Charon was concerned about Banica still being infected by the Purio Disease.

## Skills and Abilities

Charon was very socially and politically savvy, able to negotiate complex alliances with the leaders of other nations. Additionally, he was a skilled strategist, using his intellect when planning out his war with Lioness. However, the king had a short temper, and would often snap at others when they frustrated or inconvenienced him.

Charon smoked a personally-crafted brand of cigars that was mixed with shavings from the golden key Grim the End, which was a special relic of the royal family. Because of this, his body contained trace amounts of Patience magic, though this did not grant him any particular abilities.

## Character Connections

Carlos Marlon: Charon's son. Due to his son's weak constitution, Charon was continually disappointed by his failure to do many of the same things as his brothers. Charon's emotional neglect towards his son caused him to develop a submissive mindset, one that Charon actively encouraged at times.