Waiting for the fire to light, Feeling like we could do right Be the one that makes tonight, 'Cause freedom is a lonely road, We're under control (WRC)

themadmonarchist

ERIK VON ROTHSCHILD

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"Wenn der Tag uns ruft, dann zeig ich dir das Meer Wenn der Reif uns drückt, sing ich die Sonne her Wenn im Herzen Stille ist, solln wilde Stürme wehn Trau mir und du kannst die Welt durch meine Augen sehen" ---Gold & Seide, Faun|

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Basic Information

Full Name: Erik von Rothschild
Title: Erzherzogin of the Empire of Veredun, Lieutenant Colonel of the Veredunian Armed Forces, Captain 1st rank of the Veredunian Naval Forces.
Nationality: Empire of Veredun
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual

Appearance

Erik very much exemplifies the ideal Veredunian. Tall, athletic and lean, Erik has golden blonde hair and deep, sapphire-blue eyes. Like his older siblings, Erik inherited a great bone structure and has an exceedingly well-defined features. Having essentially grown up in a strict, military background, Erik is very well-built. And that's pretty much his saving grace because given the amount of beer Erik drinks, it's honestly surprising how he hasn't developed a full on beer-belly yet. Lucky for him, the Veredunian military taught him well and instilled his love for running. That and his naturally high metabolism. As a result of this, Erik does appear to look very "princely"- tall, charismatic and confident, Erik exemplifies the idea of a Veredunian noble. At least until he begins to drink anyway.

Hair: Dark blonde, wavy
Eyes: Sapphire-blue
Height: 190 cm, 6 ft 2 inches
Body: Lean, athletic
Face Claim: Benjamin Eidem

Personality

Traits:
perceptive, observant, strategic, disorganized, spontaneous, lively, daring, self-assured, ambitious, goal-oriented, resourceful, intelligent, independent, easy-gong, down to earth, humble, energized, optimistic, stubborn, debonair, approachable, fun, cultured, debonair, stubborn, hard-working, free-spirited, charismatic, proud, egalitarian, meritocratic, evasive, deceptive, ethical, low-key rebellious.

To put it simply, Erik is a lot like his father, which only serves to infuriate Empress Catherine even more. Being the youngest of his siblings, Erik was shielded from a lot of the violence and blood-shed that his older siblings were forced to live through. As a result of this, Erik is far less somber and appears to be almost a normal, young adult in many respects- he wants to travel the world and live life on his own terms. But that naturally doesn't go down to well with his grandmother or his older siblings, both of whom consider Erik to be immature and frivolous. He doesn't have the best relationship with either one of them to say the least.

But despite his youth, Erik actually can be very strategic and resourceful when he chooses to be. Having essentially grown up in a strict, military environment, Erik is very routine-oriented and disciplined in many aspects of his life. Additionally, Erik also is very perceptive and observant. Should he choose to, he could easily enter politics like the rest of his family but chooses not to do so- it's just not his speed. What he does enjoy however, is traveling. Traveling allows him to escape his problems and feeds his escapist nature. But also, it lets him experience new things and cultures, and meet people he's never met before. He enjoys living life to the fullest.

But even so, Erik has been scared by his past, even if he doesn't show it too openly. Over the years, Erik has become more and more emotionally distant. He's found it increasingly hard to trust people and build relationships with other individuals. Furthermore, Erik has also has developed a tendency of escapism- whenever things get too difficult or uncomfortable, he leaves. This leads the to the idea of Erik being unreliable in general. But those who do know him very well know that Erik is one of the most reliable people on the planet.

Likes & Dislikes

Likes: freedom, his independence, beer, solid colors, tailored clothes, leather jackets, bikes, aviators, clean flavors, cheese, dark chocolate, the Veredunian navy, sailing, swimming, horses, his siblings (that is Ferdinand and Juliet specifically), living life on his own terms, travel, photography, animals, adventure sports, classic rock, cigarettes occasionally, linen suits, dark colors, baroque architecture, neoclassical art, the violin, ballet performances, champagne, red wine, berries, vintage and classic cars, green vegetables, being sustainable and environmentally conscious for the most part, living under the radar, an egalitarian society, Veredunian coffee culture, coffee, Veredunian pastries, macaroons, the multi-cultural and multi-ethnic aspect of Veredun, snow, winter.

Dislikes:seafood, the scent of fish, red meat, white chocolate, white wine, sweet wines, not being in control of himself, condescending attitudes, petty gossip, social media, unwanted attention, bright colors, prints, synthetic materials, illegal poaching and hunting of animals, self-involved people, emotional commitment, commitment in general, theoretical subjects, being told what to do by his oldest siblings (Alexander and Evangeline), his grandmother, cream cheese, bagels, being in one place for too long, overly fried foods, overly sweet foods, black tea, coconut in deserts, gossip tabloids, a superficial lifestyle, empty idealism, overly happy people, modern rap, modern art, stand-up comedy, people who enforce their beliefs on others, toxic masculinity, heat, humidity, summer.

Biography

Erik is the youngest child of Nicholas and Serafina von Rothschild, making him Empress Catherine's youngest grandson. Because of this, Erik was very young when his parents died and probably has the least memories of them among all his siblings. His memories of his parents are mostly inorganic and stem from either photographs, videos and films about them, or through the stories and memories of other people about his parents. Most of the time, these are his own siblings. As a result of this, Erik really doesn't have the same attachment to his parents as his older siblings do. Furthermore, being the youngest, Erik was really shielded from much of the blood-shed and violence that his siblings were forced to endure in the aftermath of their parents' death. This is why Erik appears to be so different from them- in many respects, he actually appears to be a normal teenager for the most part who just wants to live life on his own terms. Of course, pretty much every adult related to him (with the exceptions of his older siblings: Juliet and Ferdinand) interprets this to be immature, frivolous and unreliable.

As the youngest time, Nicholas and Serafina barely spent any time with Erik when he was a child. Unlike the childhood of his older siblings, Erik was mostly raised by a host of nannies and staff members whom he grew up to becoming exceedingly attached to. At the time of his birth things between his parents were also particularly tense. Preoccupied with the tension of his sister Juliet's rapidly failing heath, Serafina had decided to reconnect with Empress Catherine. Nicholas was opposed to this decision fearing that Empress Catherine would just end up using their children as political pawns for herself. His reservations would turn out to be true.

Nicholas and Serafina died in a plane crash when Erik was 5. Post the death of his parents, Erik was separated from his siblings for the first time. At the time, his oldest siblings, Alexander (19 at the time) and Arabella (16 at the time) had either started or were about to start their mandatory military service. Juliet was taken in by Empress Catherine and raised in the imperial palace in Vienna by their grandmother. Erik and his older brother Ferdinand were taken to be raised in a covert military base on the frontiers of Dacia by a trusted friend of their mother's. As a result of this, Erik really grew up primarily with Ferdinand and thus, was the closest to him out of all his siblings. He would really only see his older siblings on state celebrations and during the holidays.

At the military base in Dacia, there were no other children. With only themselves to play with, both brothers became incredibly close to one another. At the base, Erik and Ferdinand grew up with a strong sense of discipline and order. Prior to all their siblings, both of them were induced to the military life at a very early age. Along with their basic education, both brothers were extensively taught subjects like military ethics, battle strategy, philosophy, and military history. In addition to this, both brothers were exposed to grueling training regimes that tested them both mentally and physically on a daily basis.

While exceptionally close, Erik and Ferdinand were very different children. Unlike Ferdinand, Erik was a mischievous and playful child. He never meant any harm to anyone, but he disliked authority and all too often did exactly what he wanted. But even so, Erik always idolized Ferdinand and lived his life in fear of disappointing him. Ferdinand in comparison was strongly morally rooted, disciplined, rule-oriented and steadfast. As they grew older, these personality traits only became more and more pronounced. In their teenage years, Ferdinand already had started to exhibit traits that pointed towards the fact that he was a prodigy. And at the age of 14, Ferdinand had decided that he wanted to dedicate his life to Veredun, serving in the Veredunian military. Erik, who was approximately 6 years younger than him was still a child and just still preoccupied with having fun. Unlike Ferdinand, Erik found his lessons to be dull and boring, and was far more interested in action- he liked doing things, not reading about figures who had already done them.

There were other differences between the brothers too. Unlike Ferdinand, Erik could never form relationships with people- emotional relationships that is. Inherently suspicious, Erik was very emotionally distant and withdrawn. This was very surprising to most people given that Erik was exceedingly extroverted as a child (and still is). He never had any problems forging friendships and most people were instantly drawn to his charisma and optimistic nature. But even with friendships, it soon became apparent that Erik had a large circle of superficial friendships, primarily because Erik never allowed himself to be vulnerable enough to emotionally bond with anyone. Inherently, Erik associated vulnerability with weakness. In addition to this, Erik also found it incredibly hard to trust people, being inherently suspicious about them. When it came down to it, Erik found that he was unable to trust most people other than his brother (and eventually his sister Juliet) at all.

Much like their older siblings, Ferdinand began his mandatory military service very early, at the age of 16. At this time, Erik was 10 and Ferdinand's departure devastated him. Close to pretty much only Ferdinand, Erik found himself to be exceedingly lonely. Post Ferdinand's departure, Erik really only saw his brother for a few months each year. Despite this, they made sure to maintain constant contact with one another. However, this did not help the fact that Erik was bored and lonely without his brother. And so, the rebellion began. Every now and then, Erik would escape from the military base to explore the areas around him- being pretty much the only child at the base made him exceedingly claustrophobic. Most of the time, Erik would escape in the nights, using the darkness of the night as his cover. Erik loved being outside the base- he met new people, ate different kinds of food and as he got older, began to consume alcohol as well. Soon enough, his absences from the base became more frequent and longer. Alarmed at his absence, Ferdinand was contacted and informed of his brother's recent change in behavior. And when Ferdinand tried to talk to Erik about it, Erik appeared to be deeply embarrassed- Ferdinand was never supposed to find out. But that was not even the worst of it. Soon enough, Erik's oldest siblings learned of his behavior, as did Empress Catherine. Without even realizing it, Erik was far too similar to his father- appearing to be fickle, frivolous, unreliable, and wrongfully indulgent. Naturally, Empress Catherine was not impressed, and neither were Erik's older siblings who simply could not understand how Erik was so unconcerned about the consequences of his behavior and increasingly grew to see him as immature.

Erik's relationship with his oldest siblings began to deteriorate as he grew older. Between Erik and his oldest brother, Alexander, there was more than a 10 year difference. It was almost a generational difference. Alexander had been forced to live through the violence and blood-shed that proceeded his parents' death, having been forced to assume the responsibility for for his younger siblings. While most of Erik's siblings had a pretty good relationship with Alexander, Erik did not. Increasingly, Erik felt that Alexander was attempting to control his life and give him far too much of unsolicited advice regarding his behavior. As the oldest, Alexander had felt the need to present himself as the parental figure of authority to Erik- Erik hated this. Often times, Erik's oldest siblings- Alexander and Evangeline- would forget Erik's age and expect him to be and behave mature beyond his years. Having not really been allowed to experience childhood and adolescence at all, Alexander and Evangeline often imposed the same expectations upon Erik, disregarding his age. Moreover, both of them end up presenting themselves as figures of parental authority to him, which only results in increased resentment from Erik towards his oldest siblings.

When Erik was 15, he was encouraged to take up his mandatory military service on the account that he had absolutely nothing better to do. The military base failed to provide Erik with the same discipline and structure as it provided Ferdinand. And thus, Erik was the earliest of his siblings to begin his military service. The youngest in his group, the military service was the most intense on Erik. And after the 4 long years, Erik's oldest siblings and Empress Catherine had hoped that Erik would be reformed. But this didn't happen. He was a lot less impulsive and rebellious, but he still longed to leave Veredun to travel the world and experience life on his own terms. And so, Erik was encouraged to join the Veredunian navy by Ferdinand who convinced Erik that by joining the navy, Erik would have greater opportunities for travel. Additionally, by joining the navy, Erik would have some much-needed distance from his oldest siblings and his grandmother, resulting in a comparatively increased sense of freedom.

And so, at the age of 19, Erik joined the Veredunian navy. As Ferdinand had suggested, Erik grew to enjoy his time with the navy exponentially. Though just as grueling and strict as the other aspects of the Veredunian military, the navy allowed Erik with a comparatively increased sense of freedom. None of his older siblings had been involved with the navy. Out of all his relatives, it was only his maternal aunt and uncle, Mattias and Theodora who were affiliated with the navy. And even then, they occupied top-tier ranks which meant that Erik could hide behind the hierarchy of the naval ranks and live the first instance of a normal life.

In the course of the next two years, Erik found himself rising through the naval ranks. There was something about the navy which interested Erik for once. Just as smart and strategic as his older siblings, Erik had a bad habit of never fully committing himself to causes that he was not interested in. This is also what usually led people to assume that Erik was just another pretty, rich, entitled noble. But the navy was different for him- he liked working with the navy. He liked sailing. He found naval law incredibly interesting. He enjoyed learning about great naval battles in history and studying naval strategies. But more than anything, he loved the freedom he received with the naval lifestyle. When deployed, Erik would be completely alone, disconnected from all of Veredun. Present only with his fleet, he was absolutely free from the controlling aspects of his life: his oldest siblings, and his grandmother. And Erik loved that. Soon enough, Erik rose through the ranks and was promoted to being a Captain 1st rank of the Veredunian Naval Forces.

And just when his life seemed to be getting better, everything seemed to fall apart. After returning from a deployment, Erik learned that Ferdinand had been killed in action. This devastated him. All his life, Erik had been closest to Ferdinand. Unlike his older siblings, he had no real recollection of his parents and thus, no real attachment to them at all. But he did to Ferdinand. For most his life, Ferdinand was the one family member Erik felt closest too- his brother never judged him or tried to control him the way Alexander and Evangeline did. Ferdinand simply accepted Erik for who he was. No judgement.

And in his grief, Erik began to reconnect with his older sister Juliet. In their childhood, Erik would often play with Ferdinand and Juliet, who were much closer to his age as compared to Alexander and Evangeline. However, after their separation in the wake of their parents' death. Erik and Juliet and grown apart significantly. They still met each other during the holidays and state functions, but their relationship was a lot more formal. But even so, Erik had always felt far more comfortable around her than he did around Alexander and Evangeline. And in the wake of Ferdinand's death, both Juliet and Erik reconnected, bonding over their shared mourning and the trauma of loosing one of the most important aspects of both their lives- their brother Ferdinand.

And just as Erik was starting to cope with the reality of Ferdinand's death, his suspicious were aroused. Almost 3 months after Ferdinand's death, Erik accidentally saw reports of the assassination of a lower noblewoman, Elenora de Medici. While Erik didn't know Elenora personally, he had heard Ferdinand talk about her once or twice (for Ferdinand to show any romantic interest in the opposite sex was rare to say the least), leading him to believe that Ferdinand and Elenora were involved with each other at some level. As he started to look into her assassination more (with the reduction in crime levels across Veredun, Erik knew that her death was not accidental, nor was it a crime), he began to suspect that somehow, the deaths of Ferdinand and Elenora were connected. Naturally, when he tried to talk to his oldest siblings (Evangeline at the time was very closely affiliated with the Veredunian police forces), his suspicions were promptly dismissed as delusions. But in Juliet he found a willing audience- she believed him.

As the year went by, both Juliet and Erik began to investigate the circumstances behind Ferdinand's death and found several inconsistencies. These ranged from the autopsy reports (which had been suspiciously concealed and no signs of struggle, disease, organ failure or poison) to the location of Ferdinand's death- according to the official press release, Ferdinand had died in action. However, reports of his death suggested that he died in a hotel room which had then been ransacked suggesting that Ferdinand's death was not natural and whoever had killed him had been looing for something that was on Ferdinand's person. When Juliet and Erik presented these findings to Empress Catherine, their grandmother promised them that she would personally oversee the investigations of Ferdinand's death to uncover the truth. However, this is not what happened. Despite an investigation being opened to discover the circumstances of Ferdinand's death, a few months later, it was ruled as a death in action once again. This once more aroused suspicions among Erik and Juliet regarding their brother's death. During the time of the official investigation, Juliet had launched her own official investigation during which, she had found that Ferdinand may have discovered the truth of Veredun's genetic research. Though hailed revolutionary, Veredun's genetic research relied on human experimentation. In particular, the human subjects were suspected to be prisoners and those who had been "removed" from society by the Veredunian Intelligence Police. Most of these subjects did not consent to medical experimentation and almost 90% of them died in the lab due to the experimentation. The 10% who did survive usually had no memories of the experimentation at all. If this truth was revealed, it could incriminate the highest ranked members of the Veredunian empire resulting in significant political unrest and resentment. Thus, Juliet suspected that Ferdinand might have been assassinated to prevent him from releasing this information to an external audience. If that was the case, Ferdinand's assassination would have been approved by the highest authorities of the Veredunian government, Empress Catherine herself.

When Erik learned of this from Juliet, his world was shattered once more. Needing to physically leave Veredun to collect himself, Erik chose to go to Aciras, despite having recently been promoted to the position of Lieutenant Colonel of the Veredunian Armed Forces. He sincerely hopes that the time away from Veredun allows him to collect himself. After all, Erik knows exactly what questioning Empress Catherine leads to- death.

Inspiration

Erik's Instagram