Ch'matrin

* 198 AG
* 202 AG
* 204 AG
* 208 AG
* 234 AG
* 252 AG

## Overview

Sir Ch'matrin was the last Regior of Ch'clan and first Knight of Alosso. He was the son of Duchess Ch'mazi and Ch'arvo. After his father's death he succeeded him as Advisor of Diplomacy to Mazi. In his teenage years Matrin was driven to prove himself a worthy heir to Mazi and with this, developed strained relationships with her other advisors. In the Uprootings conflict, which he urged Mazi to involve C'thardjia in, he demonstrated a natural ability to lead but struggled to follow. Matrin was an intelligent and cunning man who used his position to coerce Mazi to follow his sole advice. At the end of the war, Mazi was killed and Matrin lost all desire to rule and withdrew from politics to live his life out in peace. In his later years he would marry and have children of his own. In this time he became a source of wisdom and guidance for young members of the Royal Family.

## Biography

### Early Life

Ch'matrin was born to Duchess Ch'mazi and Duke Ch'arvo on the 29th December 180 AG, following his parents' wedding and Mazi's ascension  earlier that year. He was named in honour of his grandmother, Ch'matria, former Duchess and was awarded the title of Regior of Ch'clan. Following the Dark Decades, the new C'thardjia considered only women suitable to rule C'thardjia and so Matrin was born heir presumptive. Mazi and Arvo seemed unable to have other children and so Matrin was an only child, leading to some debate over whether he should thus be considered the heir apparent.

Taking after his mother, Matrin exhibited a willingness to learn and proved to be a quick-thinker. He was educated by Orgill Drifton, the Pedagogue of Ch'caselle, who came to be a strong mentor for the young boy. With no other heirs in sight, Matrin was also taught in statecraft and diplomacy, just as Mazi was when she was young.

As Matrin got older he began to look forward to one day being Duke of C'thardjia. He looked up to both his parents and did all he could to become just like them. In his early teens, Matrin befriended G'orlon, the son of Regia of Dotome'tala, and the pair would remain friends for life. To follow in Mazi's footsteps, he also trained with his grandfather, Edro, in art of sword-dancing (C'thardjia's defence driven sword fighting). His quick thinking and eagerness to learn saw him become exceptionally skilled within his first year of training.

As of turning 14, Matrin had a positive outlook on life, and was self-assured yet respectful of his elders. Matrin seemed to have become a suitable candidate to succeed Mazi. However, unbeknownst to Matrin and his parents, Mazi's council were having private talks during this time over the potential for Mazi's niece, Tr'cyllia, to succeed her over Matrin.

### Conflict with Edro

By 194 AG, Matrin had become exceptionally gifted with a sword. Although, despite his rapid improvement, Edro had begun chastising Matrin on his aggressive style. He observed that it was too focused on offense, which conflicted with what sword-dancing was meant to represent. Matrin, having once held Edro in high regard for his work as Duke, now struggled to put up with his grandfather. Despite his advancing skills he was being reprimanded for how he went about it. Matrin even wondered if his ageing grandfather was jealous of how well he was doing. He spoke with Mazi about seeking a new dancing master to which she offered her own services. From then on, Mazi trained with Matrin privately. She became aware of his intense style but had no heart to criticise her son and, in truth, was rather impressed.

Being frustrated with Edro, Matrin spoke often with Mazi about his concerns. Eventually, Mazi would reveal the stories of Edro's infidelity when he was younger. When Mazi was just an infant, Edro was discovered to have cheated on Matria multiple times, only stopping following Lyna's birth and Matria's threats of separation. Matrin was disgusted with his grandfather, his general annoyance with him had now turned to complete contempt.

It was around this time that, having always been interested in his parent's work, Matrin requested to sit in on council meetings. Mazi accepted and Matrin began joining the council, listening intently to how each member advised their Duchess. Matrin relished observing the council, looking forward to one day being apart of it properly. However, one day, everything changed when Edro referred to both Matrin and Cyllia as heir presumptive. Up until this point, Matrin was certain he would succeed Mazi and was seemingly being prepared for such an event all his life. Upon hearing this, he excused himself from the meeting, not wishing to make a scene.

He first went to Drifton to seek answers to how legitimate his claim would be. The pedagogue explained that as a culture, C'thardjia did not seem ready for a male leader but noted that Arvo, Edro and Lucali before him each contributed greatly to their wives' successes. He suggested that without a daughter, Mazi has the right to choose Cyllia as her heir but that she still had the power to ensure her son succeeds her. Matrin then went straight to Mazi to ask her directly where he stood in the line of succession. Unfortunately, Mazi seemed to avoid giving a straight answer and instead suggested there was no use in arguing over who'll take her place if she is alive and well. Whilst she never said it, Matrin believed Mazi was happy with him succeeding her. Though, he now believed he had to prove to the rest of the council that he was worthy of succeeding his mother.

### Studying Diplomacy

Speaking with his father, Arvo suggested he could educate Matrin in diplomacy skills to improve his reputation among the rest of the council. Matrin agreed and over the next few years, Matrin became a skilled diplomat under the teachings of his father and a expert sword-dancer under the training of his mother. During this time, Matrin often accompanied his parents on visits across the kingdom, such as a meeting with the new King of the Continent, Mazi's cousin, Hellius Grenthyx.