Julian Rossi

Julian Germanicus Augustus Rossi is a knight and member of the Legends of Wilderbush.

Born into the royal family that ruled Weldenur from the capital of Avenlag, he ran away after his father, Jordan, abdicated and he was next in line. He moved to the trading center of Mertendas and went by "Julian", leaving his last name unknown. He bought a large farm and soon became one of the top producers of Mertendas. His childhood friend, Zachary Scangarello, joined him and swore to keep his secret safe, and later a woman named Kelsi Porter, who claimed to be raised by wolves, took up residence in a storage cabin on the northeastern corner of the field, and the three became fast friends.

Even though he tried to hide his heroic lineage, he became well known as not just a good farmer but a fighter, defending Mertendas on multiple occasions from goblins and the likes. This gave him a reputation that reached Rencar, and when the city came under attack by Tiger-Bats, Julian and his friends were called to help defend the city.

Throughout his journey, he and his group, dubbed the "Legends of Wilderbush" by the Rencaran people, faced starvation, separation, and powerful monsters bent on destroying the world. Although the deal stated that all Julian and his friends had to do was help defeat the Tiger-Bats, their journey was suddenly made much longer and harder when they learned that the only way to do so was to find a legendary gemstone called the Fire Crystal, and, to make matters worse, that very crystal was in the hands of a powerful evil spirit called the Dark Hellord who just so happened to have a desire to rule the world. After a magician in training and Kelsi's close friend Aubrey joined the group, they set out to steal the Fire Crystal from the Dark Hellord.

It sure took a while, and by the time that Rencar was saved and the Tiger-Bats were defeated, Julian had undergone a few mental changes. While at first he wanted to save everybody and everything, he learned that some things were out of his control and that it was best to move on. He also gradually learned to accept his royal heritage, especially after going back to his old home, Avenlag, and meeting his sister Genevieve, now the queen of Weldenur. Even still, a bigger problem was at hand. The Dark Hellord was pissed off about the loss of the Fire Crystal, a major component in his grand plan, and now turned his eyes to a much more direct way of taking over the world-domination. With the discovery that the Fire Crystal was one of four powerful gemstones known as the Diodgedi, the Legends of Wilderbush set off on another quest-to secure the other Diodgedi before the Dark Hellord could conquer (and destroy) the world.

### Appearance

Julian has short, dark brown hair that is very thick. His eyebrows are also very thick, and when he is thinking very hard, they tend to scrunch up together. His eyes are large and brown, and above one eyebrow is a small sickle-shaped scar that he gained during a fight with a goblin. His skin is tanner than his friends', although he is still white. His long fingers allow for quick handiwork for handling items like rope and also for doing basic skills like sword fighting or reading books, both of which he is especially good at. He keeps the faintest trace of a beard, although while he wanders through the Wilderbush Woods he grows a short beard which he later shaves.

### Personality

He is often in a good mood, and likes to joke around with his friends. However, he can often fall into a state of depression when something bad like the death of a person that he could have saved happens. He is clever and creative in his solutions, often finding ways out of problems that his friends wouldn't have thought of, like zip-lining to get to the bottom of a valley, or creating a snorkel out of a hollowed-out vine to escape an underwater prison. He is very determined to finish the journeys that he started, not backing away from retrieving the Fire-Crystal after making it to Rencar. He is also very encouraging, helping King Borthar become a better king after Queen Tasimath is kidnapped.

He tries to hide his past by moving to Avenlag and obscuring his last name, because he doesn't want to be involved in the royalty (he would have been king instead of Genevieve if he had stayed), although eventually embraces his heritage.

He also believed that he could save everybody if he tried hard enough, pushing himself to the limits in an attempt to rescue people. When somebody he believed he could save died, he would mope over their death until he gradually learned that some things are out of his control.

## History

### Early Life

Julian was born in the small village of Rossi (named after the family), which was just outside Avenlag, on May 2nd, 1511.

He would often be with his father, King Jordan, while the latter oversaw battles during the Goblin War.

He was encouraged to play with the other young nobility, but he would only hang out with Zachary Scangarello, the son of Lord Thomas Scangarello, a small house known for its military history. Julian and Zachary often sparred and boxed together, Julian winning the sword-fighting and Zachary winning the boxing. They also competed in the Avenlag Summer Games when they were old enough, sometimes on different teams and sometimes on the same.

When Julian was 12, he and Zachary snuck into a battle to fight, not to observe. They disguised themselves as soldiers and killed their first goblins before being found out and punished. According to Julian, "it had been worth it."

As the years went on, Julian became an avid reader and also traveled to Rencar as a diplomat along with his friend, Fuei, who was studying to become a messenger. He may have conversed with Borthar, then only a prince, in person.

The Goblin War finally ended when the Weldenurian forces wiped out the goblins living in the eastern Wilderbush Woods. Julian was 19 at the time, and fought in the battle along with Zachary and others like Fuei. Julian didn't see Fuei after the battle and thought that he had perished. Fuei, on the other hand, thought that Julian had been knighted for his bravery, when in reality Julian wouldn't be knighted until the Battle of the Carabor, almost 6 years later.

### Mertendas

King Jordan abdicated after the Goblin War ended, believing that his work as king was done. Julian was next in line, but he panicked. He didn't want to be king, and he knew that he would never be ready. That was when he realized that he had become an adult, and that from then on he would be forced to work in politics, something he wanted to stay out of.

He had to leave, and so he ran away the day before his coronation, hiding in the back of a hay wagon with a bag of enough coins to buy a house and a farm and start a new life. The wagon reached the trading city of Mertendas, where Julian purchased a large farm that he named Julesfield. He simply went by Julian, removing his last name to hide his association with the Rossi dynasty. In his place, his younger sister, Genevieve, was crowned queen.

Julian had told nobody but Zachary about his plan to leave, and Zachary decided that he should come along as well. Julian was happy to accept Zachary as a roommate and coworker, because he couldn't run the farm by himself. Unlike Julian, it was far easier for Zachary to move, because he had gotten the ability to choose his estate as successor to the Scangarello house. Since the Scangarello house had gone bankrupt, it made sense that Zachary had been forced to go to the small farm of Julesfield instead of a bigger estate. He didn't attract attention because his house was too small for gossip, too.

They soon became one of the dominant producers of vegetables in Mertendas, although it was mostly through their food getting sold to large houses that sold the food off as their own. However, Julian did have a dingy, cast-off stand that he sometimes sold his produce from.

Kelsi, who had been fleeing from the Jauk due to the conflict going on there, had been directed to go to the first farm she saw and ask for permission to live there as a farmhand. She wandered through the Wilderbush Woods for some time, until she made it to Julesfield, where she, Zachary and Julian became friends. She moved into their old storage cabin, renovated by their friend Noah, an architect, for living purposes, and explained that she had been sent there by talking wolves. Of course, Julian and Zachary didn't believe her, at first. Neither did they tell her that Julian was the prince of Weldenur.

Goblins were still a common threat, and would often attempt to raid the farms, including Julesfield. Unfortunately for them, the group were all skilled warriors. Their reputation for defending Mertendas numerous times from goblin raids soon reached all the way to Rencar.

### The Search for The Fire Crystal

When Rencar was invaded by Tiger-Bats, King Borthar sent for the greatest warriors in Wilderbush. He also tried to contact Avenlag, but a blockade of Tiger-Bats slaughtered any messengers who tried to pass. Fuei, now the most famous herald in Wilderbush and bearer of the Avlanar, was sent to Mertendas to get Julian and his friends to help. Julian was reluctant at first because he knew that he could be recognized as the prince of Weldenur, but agreed because he knew that the people of Rencar were in danger, and because he had a dream of the event happening two nights before.

*Fear, lots of fear. People screaming, fleeing from their homes, fleeing from something large, something* evil*. A city set to ruin, being destroyed by a nearby volcano.*

-Julian's dream

And so, Julian, Zachary and Kelsi prepared to leave. Julian took his father's old sword that had been passed down to him to use as his blade, and the others put on their equipment as well. Julian got on his horse, Granger, Kelsi got on Sawyer, her horse, and Zachary got on his horse, Shadow. When they rode into the Wilderbush Woods, they sang this song;

*In times of great despair,*

*Heroes may be hailed,*

*But when you’re the hero yourself,*

*You may want to remain veiled.*

*Off we go, ho, ho, ho!*

*Into the unknown,*

*To a land of darkness, peril, sadness,*

*Off we go, ho, ho.*

*When trouble stirs, when you may need,*

*The bold may be expected,*

*But when you are the bold themselves,*

*You may want to not be selected.*

*Off we go, to face our foes,*

*As our faces must be shown*

*To a land of darkness, peril, madness.*

*Off we go, ho, ho.*

*The beasts await us in Wilderbush,*

*We may be eaten alive,*

*We may be attacked by Tiger-Bats,*

*Or the wolves may end our lives,*

*But off we go, ho, ho, ho!*

*Into the unknown,*

*To a land of darkness, peril, sadness,*

*Off we go, ho, ho.*

When night fell, they found a cave to sleep in. Julian and Kelsi slept in the back of the cave, and Zachary slept at the mouth. That night, Julian and Kelsi were awoken by cackling, and found that the cave was actually the home of a group of goblins that had come back from their marauding to find Zachary sleeping in the cave. They made a bonfire and tied Zachary to a stake in the middle of it, planning to roast him alive. Julian and Kelsi weren't captured because they slept at the back of the cave, where the goblins couldn't see. They immediately started fighting, and eventually killed all of the goblins and freed Zachary.

Eventually, they found a clearing where lay the dead body of Niera, the queen of the Spirit Wolves. While Julian and Zachary didn't recognize the wolf royal, Kelsi did and began mourning. Robert coincidentally appeared with the Elhaieni to revive her.