Prince Charles of Alstion
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Charles Elliot (High Imperial: Carolus Ellios) called the Sly, of the House of Horen, was the last born son of Peter II, from whom he inherited the hereditary Johannian title, the Prince of Alstion. His accession to the princely title came following the Coup of Adelburg and the formation of the Crown of Renatus-Marna, as the Horenic dynasty found a new patriarch in the Emperor Aurelius. Charles was the Archchancellor to Renatus-Marna, a statesman, and a military commander.
Charles' adulthood and ascension to power came amidst continental turbulence as the successor states to the Holy Orenian Empire fought for political dominance amongst themselves. Recognised widely as the preeminent diplomat of his time, Charles eventually came into the role of Archchancellor for Renatus-Marna, wherein he is credited with bringing victories militarily and diplomatically by many of his contemporary scholars.
The highest political position Charles attained was Archchancellor, the King Aurelius' chief advisor. In that position, he enjoyed great freedom and was often depicted as the alter rex (other king). After stumbling politically during the elvish-orc conflicts and forging the King's signature in a settlement that would have seen the Kingdom joining the elvish combatants, Charles fell out of favour and resigned from his government titles. He retreated from public life and is widely rumoured to have turned down an offer to return to his former position. After a period of self-isolation, he set off for the Aeldinic Empire - where his progenitor John I had hailed from over a century and a half before.
Biography
Early Life
Charles Elliot was born in 1633, as the last child of Peter II of the Holy Orenian Empire and his wife Elizabeth. Not much is recorded about Charles' upbringing, but widespread traditions identify his early life to have been spent in the care of his father after his return from exile until his suicide when Charles was only four. From thereon, not a great deal is known about his life, until he was taken into the household of King Frederick of Marna and groomed for military service with the Reiter Corps.
Charles' rise coincided with the merging of the Kingdoms of Renatus and Marna after the abdication of Frederick in 1651. The unified state of Renatus-Marna held roughly a quarter of the continent only a few months after its birth. The new King Aurelius appointed Charles to the Arch-Chancellery very soon after his coronation 1651, a position he is said to have grown into very quickly.
Rise to prominence