Prince Michael

Special Equipment:

A stout staff made of yew and a large gold ring set with a ruby,once belonging to his father,are the only permanent possessions of his.

Appearance:

Anyone who looked at the Prince would have no idea that he was once royalty. With his weather beaten face and travel stained dark brown shirt and breeches,he looks like any peasant or rural labourer. The incongruity does not end there. Unlike other nobles who wouldn't go near a commoner with a 10 foot pole,Michael with his friendly,likable personality and warm brown eyes,is a welcome guest wherever his feet take him. He's the sort of man that would treat a stranger like an old friend or give half of his meal to a starving beggar. And he wonders why the other nobles never liked him..

Background:

Born into the pampered and privileged life of the crown prince,Michael seemed an unlikely hero for the teeming, improvished peasant masses that made up the vast majority of his father's subjects. Afer all,had not his own father,the stern and proud King Roland,told him repeatedly that it was the duty of every King to see to it that the wild peasant rabble never revolted against their noble masters? Show them some pity and they would soon start demanding that they be given land of their own,he was fond of saying.
Much to the dissapointment of the royal court however,the little prince shunned the traditional pursuits of princes his age, such as sword practice and hunting. Instead he would eagerly await his teaching sessions with his tutor, a priest of the God Ialin. The reason for this, was that the priest would often regale the young prince with tales of the common masses,railing against the suffering they endured at the hands of their noble overlords. Himself born a peasant, the priest would often insist that all men were created equal by the gods. Peasants too, had rights, young Michael learned. These insights into the everyday lives of his father's people, affected the prince profoundly and he found himself yearning to do something to alleviate their plight. In contrast, his disgust for his fellow nobles grew as he learnt about the games of deceit and politics they played, especially those of his father's courtiers, whose fawning and flattery he had to endure everyday.

At the age of seventeen, unable to bear the idiots in his gilded prison any longer, he started sneaking out at night and going out among the poor and downtrodden, trying to ease their plight. When a courtier finally discovered what the young prince was up to, both the court and his father the king, were outraged. As cynical whispers of ''The Peasant Prince'' grew, his livid father barred his son from ever leaving the boundaries of the royal palace. He would never be allowed to set foot outside the castle again, not until he was made a proper prince, his wrathful father woved, before leaving on a royal hunt. That was the last time he would ever see his father alive.

When the hunters returned a couple of weeks later,they bore tragic news. His Majsety had been gored to death by a wild boar, when he had ignored the warnings of his guards and forced the maddened beast into a corner. This piece of news was a crushing blow to the young prince, who though never close to his father,had no other parent, his mother having died while giving birth to him. He however, failed to realize the sinister implications of this event. Barely a week after his father was burried, one of the late king's closest advisors, a distant cousin, declared himself King. He ordered that the prince be banished to the remote and wild border lands, never to return. In this,he was backed by rest of the court, who had no desire to see''The Peasant Prince'' on the throne. To no one's suprise, Michael actually seemed glad to leave the hated nest of intrigue behind forever, even when told that the only thing of his faher's that he would be allowed to keep, was the dead king's wedding ring. He now wanders the bleak countryside of the northlands, championing the cause of exploited farmers and villagers

Roleplaying Notes:

Any PC'S finding themselves short of cash,would find only Michael too willing to aid them. He will however,loose his temper if any of them makes disparaging comments about peasants,while in his presence. He would also be hostile to them,if he discovered that they were on some noble's errand or mission. This is a result of his deeply rooted loathing for nobles and their games of power.

Although, Michael seems to be a perfectly happy individual on the surface, he is deeply troubled that he never won his dead father's respect and trust, even though he knew the late king was wrong in his treatment of the peasants. He just wishes that things might have been different between him and the father who had always seen his son as a dissapointment. Michael is also aware that while he wonders the northlands, trying to ease the burden and troubles of the people there, the common folk of his own land suffer under the yoke of the nobles. To assuage his guilt, he reasons that to reclaim the throne, he would need to get the support of the powerful nobles who would never allow him to better the life of the peasants should he win. What then,can be gained form his returning to Catalon? All the same, there are times when he feels disgusted with himself for not trying to help the commoners so dear to his heart. Thus, self loathing is an emotion that Michael sometimes finds himself battling.

Possible plot hook: PC's loyal to the dead king,plan to smuggle Michael back into Catalon,only to find out that he has no intention of returning.