Romus Toras

―*Romus Toras to Princess Vina Toras*

Portrait of King Romus Toras

**Romus Toras** is the current King of Rizia. He is the only child of the late King, Valero the Frail, and the Queen Mother, Estela Toras. Romus is a member of the Rizian National Congress, the ruling party of the House of Delegates, and was the Duke of Valenqiris succeeding his uncle, Hugo Toras, from 1927 until the death of his father in 1949.

He is the main playable protagonist of the DLC, *Suzerain*: Rizia.

## Appearance

Romus' appearance is variable due to the customization options the player is offered. As part of his default outfit, which is also what he is first seen in, he wears a ceremonial blue military outfit adorned with golden epaulettes and a blue sash. He has a tan complexion, his hair is black and cut neatly and sports a clean-shaven face.

## Biography

### Early Life

Romus Toras was born on 1905 in the Kingdom of Rizia in Valenqiris, during the reign of his grandmother, Queen Lyza the Great. His father was the Crown Prince (and Duke of Valenqiris), Valero Toras. His mother was Estela Toras (nee Bartos), a commoner from Zille. He spent most of his youth with his parents in a lavish palace in cliffs of Monqiz. Each summer though, he either spent his time with his mother's family in Zille, spent time hunting with his Uncle Hugo, or stayed with Queen Lyza in Porte Drazon. The time he spent with these people taught him a valuable lesson which he would remember for the rest of his life.

In 1918, Queen Lyza passed away and his father, Valero, became king. Romus heard rumors that Hugo was the rightful king and the sounds of protests. He had the choice of confronting either of those rumors or leaving them be when he was alone with his father.

At Porte Drazon, Romus was privately tutored and spent his time around the nobility but none with the common people. Life was boring for the young man. The only person closest to his age was a boy named Pabel, the groundskeeper's son. He was quiet but friendly and held knowledge of all the plants of the palace. When the young Romus came of age, his father invited him to join the royal council meetings, but he also had to choice to go to university or join the military.

### The Century of Revolutions

In 1923, Rizia began an invasion of the Grand Duchy of Pales, a part of Rizia which had long been part of the Empire of Valgos. The fight was expectedly easy, however, Lespia got involved and began sending aid to Pales which bogged down the war. Dissent began growing amongst the populace and troops and Romus was involved one way or the other in these times. Unfortunately, any choice they made would not matter. General Taddeus Azaro, the royal war councilor, sent news that the Rizian Navy had mutinied. Bloody riots broke across the country between pro and anti-monarchist supporters. This unrest never seen before in the country, but seen in the monarchies of the past. The Century of Revolutions had reached Rizia at long last.

The King, sensing the danger, insisted that Romus was to return back to the capital immediately. However, on the way to the palace, Romus' car was blocked by an unmarked car. Men with guns jumped out and quickly dealt with the guards protecting Romus. Romus had the choice of fighting back, surrendering, or fleeing. Either way, he would get captured by his attackers. However, he recognized one of the voices of his captors: Lucas Sazon, the Duke of Brenas and head of House Sazon. Romus was held hostage for a week before being liberated by Wehzek forces.

Wehlen became involved in neutralizing the threat of the revolt after Valero pleaded for aid. This came at a grave cost, Zille being leased to Wehlen for 25 years. This uprising had other consequences. Lucas Sazon was executed by firing squad and his wife was sent into exile. Iza, the capital city of Brenas, was also handed over to the Toras family. Hugo would take over as Duke of Iza and Romus became the Duke of Valenqiris. As Duke, Romus' choice in dealing with Valenqiris would influence how he was seen in the province.

### The Duke of Valenqiris

One day, the King came for an unannounced visit. He brought with him a pale-skinned young woman with striking blue eyes. Hesitantly, she introduced herself as Lena Livingston, the sister of Queen Beatrice of Rumburg, and Romus' wife to be. Evidently, this was choice to bring Rizia closer to Rumburg but what choice did the King have? Romus and Lena would later go on to marry and have a strong daughter, Vina. Their relationship together, though, would depend on what Romus chose to do.

In 1939, a nationalist group called Su Omina began rising in Brenas, partly due to Rizia's growing cultural diversity. This group had a supporter in the Duke of Iza's teenage son, Ricardus, commonly known as Rico, who would go on to ask Romus to speak at one of their rallies. Romus' choice would either exapnd the group's following and legitimize it or not.

The King was not the same after the uprising. He would ignore and neglect his royal duties and became paranoid with threats. The events so far would later give the King a nickname outside the country, Valero the Frail. This in turn would put greater pressure on the Duke of Valenqiris to make up for the King's shortcomings. For her 10th birthday, Vina asked to go on a sailing trip. The sailing trip went horribly when the weather grew stormy and a wave broke the boat in half. Vina (and Romus) barely survived from the accident. Lena was pulled up too late and passed away holding Romus' hand.

Estela moved in Valenqiris to help raise Vina, and Hugo would suggest to Romus to turn to Wruhecism, the kingdom's official religion, to cope with the loss. People were beginning to take notice of the King's decline. The new Grand Duke of Pales, Axel Reinhart, gave an invitation to Romus to visit but under two conditions. He would go alone and would not tell his father of the visit. Reinhart hoped to re-establish diplomatic relations with Rizia once Romus became king.

Then, on that fateful night in November, Romus received a call from his mother and told him grave news. The king was dying. A few days later, he passed away and Romus became the King of Rizia.

## Trivia

* Romus' name is possibly derived from Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome and first king of the Roman Kingdom.