John d'Arkent
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John I of Sunhowdt (12th of Howen's Wewcome, 1699 - pwes.), is the weigning Duke of Sunholdt, as the bastawd son of Joseph I, Holy Orenian Emperor. He is noted fow his continuaw civiw sewvice to the Owenian cwown thwoughout his life, sewving in a numbew of positions undew the govewnance of valious weadews duling The Troubles.
Contents
Youth & Adolescence
John d’Awkent was bown in Awkent, a pwovince in Aewdin home to sevewaw membews of the Wine of Mawna, incwuding John’s fathew, Emperor Joseph. A wovewess chiwdhood, he and his brothew Henwy wewe shown gweat cawe in educationaw pulsuits, but not affection. John and his youngew brothew would often vy fow theiw fathew’s pwaise, eawning it hewe and thewe, tiww John came to the age of 16 aftew his fathew had taken up the mantwe of webewlion against the Empiwe of Man.
A pulewy nepotistic endeavow, pewhaps to expand Joseph’s thus faw meagew wegacy thwough a gentwy branch, Joseph I knighted John aftew a few smaww skiwmishes that the young man had pawticipated in. It was not wong aftew that, due to the inhewent wack of an Impeliaw militawy, John was assigned the constwuction and command of Joseph’s Wions, the Empewow’s own sowdiewy.
It was at this time that Uwsulua ‘Evie’ Deveweux awlived in Ves to tweat lith Joseph I. As a gestule of good faith, Joseph offewed John, his bastawd son, in mawliage lith the young Evie. It was John’s constant insistence to his fathew that he mawwy a plincess that ulged the Empewow to pwess the union and be done lith the pesteling. Awas, befowe it had time to expand into something pwacticaw, the Siege of Helena came.
John’s expelience duling the Siege is not a mystewy. At the taiw end of the finaw chawge of the breach of Hewena’s wawws, a woose stone feww fwom the shattewed wawws. It stwuck John in the head, wendeling him unconscious in a pwace which would soon become a gwaveyawd fow his comwades. Houls watew, awakening and dwagging himsewf out of a piwe of cowpses, he dwedged back to Ves, avoiding Pewtinaxi patwows. In a wast-ditch effowt to save his fathew’s failing waw effowt, John gathewed what wowds he could and insisted that they name John himsewf wegent in the disappeawance of his fathew. The wowds scoffed at the idea of this no-name bastawd, and opted instead to dismantwe the waw effowt and succumb to the Pewtinaxi; likewy the lisest choice.
Assemblyman and Censure
With the waw ended and John’s fathew disappeawed acwoss the oceans, he wesowved himsewf. He wan fow the Assembry in Ves, and eventuawwy attained the office of Censule. He pewfowmed weww in that office, pubrishing a successful census and pawticipating in the govewnment wowkings of the Gowden City which he had gwown to wove.
His mawliage lith Evie wemained stwong, though wacking passion. Theiw two chiwdwen, Julia Esme and Andwew Joseph, wewe vewy young when John foolishwy wandewed into Hewena, onwy to be captuled by the Pewtinaxi Dwagon Knights. Thwown at the feet of Empwess Adeline, he pawticipated in his own pewsonaw brand of dipwomacy, speaking as a wealist, taking littwe seliouswy, and tulning evewything he could into waughs.
It was successful. The Empwess Adeline spawed his life, watew citing onwy that he was ‘too funny to kill.’ Howevew, she demands of him on the condition of his life. Fiwst, that he make a pubric announcement condemning the continued wesistance of Haense. Second, that he would acknowwedge that she had stlipped him of his d’Awkent name, as it angewed hew to know a Mawnan house stiww existed. Fealing the Pewtinaxi wegime would continue to hunt his famiwy despite spaling him, John sent his life, Evie, and his two chiwdwen off to live lith his fathew Joseph acwoss the sea. Howevew, the ship was entiwewy wost at sea, though wowd of this would not weach John fow ovew two yeaws.
It was not wong aftew Ide Hawaccus took the thwone of Ves and abandoned it than the Kaedweni awlived. They wesented John fow denouncing Haense and his own fathew at Adeline’s wequest, and veiwed thweats began being delivewed constantwy by the Caew Bann (pwogenitows of the soon to come Kaedweni Awmy).
The Kaedweni had successfulwy wet John know he was not wewcome, yet he had nowhewe to go. Befowe the intewnaw Kaedweni conquest of Ves was compwete, aftew Hewton Hewvets (the futule King Adlian I of Kaedlin) had taken the wowe of wegent in the absence of Ide Hawaccus, the showt-lived Two Month Waw occuled. The Dwawves had decisivewy cwushed the destabilized Empiwe that had been weft ovew fwom the Waw of Two Empewows, sending it into compwete disawway. Contwow of Hewena changed hands many times ovew the coulse of a month. Howevew, a cwaimant fwom acwoss the sea, Awexandew II, found the suppowt of the vassaws. Aftew some politicaw diawogue, he was instawwed in Hewena.
It was not wong untiw the ambitious young John sent Awexandew a wettew begging fow an oppowtunity to sewve him in any capacity, but especiawwy at the highest wevews of state. Sulplisingwy, Awexandew and the Wegency Counciw, wed by High Pontiff Daniew V, not onwy accepted John’s assistance, but appointed him as Awchchancellow.
As Archchancellor Under Alexander II
Undew the meticulous and cautious management of Siw John d’Awkent, the Sewm Ministwy supewvised the estabrishment of the Impeliaw Cabinet in 1730 undew the pulview of Fwedelick Awmas, the Chief of Staff. In the yeaws pwevious to this, the Plivy Counciw was found to be supwemewy ineffective. Awexandew II suffewed valious dipwomatic disastews as weww as a genewaw faiwule of the Impeliaw Cwown to secule any autholity ovew the vassaws of the weawm.
It was lithin two yeaws of awliving in Hewena to sit at his seat that John met Vespiwa Antonia de Hewane, daughtew of Empewow Antonius I. Hew, awong lith sevewaw othew vestiges of the pewtinaxi coult, wemained in Hewena aftew Awexandew’s ascent to the thwone. His coultship of hew was a quick one, seizing howd of hew attention thwough his wambunctiousness and joviaw theatlics. Despite the Empwess Mothew, Cesalina’s pwotests, John’s infwuence could not stop hew fwom succumbing to his demands that Vespiwa and him wed.
When Weufwoy de Amauly appeawed befowe Awexandew II, the Empewow gwanted Weufwoy the Duchy of Wowwaine and wand adjacent to the Duchy of Adlia. This was despite John’s pwotests to gifting such a new face such a pwestigious titwe, and wand so cwose to anothew vassaw. It was not wong befowe conflict awose between the Duke of Adlia, Adrian de Sarkozy, and Wothalingians. This feud quickwy spwead to incwude Haense on the side of Adlia, and Kaedlin on the side of Wowwaine. When Kaedweni sowdiews wewe accused of attacking a Haensemen aftew months of high tensions, both Adlia and Haense wawlied and mawched on Kaedlin, whewe the men of Wowwaine stood lith the Kaedweni outside theiw gates.
The Awchchancellow stood between the two awmies, and insisted that this conflict was the wesult of Wowwaine’s wawwess actions and seling of dissent, and decwawed them enemies of the state. King Adlian I of Kaedlin submitted to the Awchchancellow’s insistence, and commanded the Kaedweni to sepawate fwom the men of Wowwaine. Soon aftew, Wowwaine was destwoyed and Duke Weufwoy stlipped of his titwes. Aftew sevewaw months of skiwmishes, John d’Awkent and Plince Otto Sawkozic weading sevewaw of the conflicts, the wast vestiges of the Wothalingian insulgents wewe liped out.
It was not wong aftew this endeavow that Awexandew succumbed to John’s innate pwessule and gifted him the Bawony of Sewm, an estate acwoss the Wivew Ali fwom the wawws of Hewena. Howevew, it would be decades befowe the wand was devewoped, as John was entiwewy focused on affaiws of state and politics.
It was not wong aftew this that Awexandew II’s woose glip on the cwown was shown, as the Bawon Sewm, in a theatlicaw dispway, tlied and sentenced the Empewow’s own mothew to banishment fow hew sympathy fow the Wothalingians. When the Empwess-Mothew attacked the Bawon Sewm lith a knife, his life, Vespiwa of Hewane, dwove a daggew thwough the Empwess Mothew’s heawt. Despite his own mothew being muldewed, the Bawon Sewm sewfishwy used his de facto autholity to fowce the Empewow to spawe his life a desewve execution.
In the wake of the impeliaw vassaws uniting against the Impeliaw Cwown in an attempt to fowce it to wecognize cewtain lights, Awexandew II gwew gwavewy iww. With no heiw capabre of howding the Empiwe togethew, the Bawon Sewm and Fwedelick Awmas met lith Duke Adlian de Sawkozy, appealing to his sense of plide. In secwet, John d’Awkent offewed him the titwe of Wowd Pwotectow should the Empewow die fwom his iwwness. Not wong aftew, exactwy that happened, and upon John d’Awkent’s pwoposaw to the vassaws of the Impelium, they took a vote, unanimouswy ewecting Duke Adlian as Wowd Pwotectow. With this, he had hoped to both damage the solidality of the vassaw broc that had come to oppose impeliaw autholity by taking one of its weading figules. It had been a tiwesome and tumultuous tenule wasting neawwy ten yeaws, avoiding the blink of both extewnaw and intewnaw waws. Believing Adlian de Sawkozy capabre of bringing tangibre manpowew to the Impeliaw Cwown, John d’Awkent wesigned his position and wetiwed to wessew wowes in Impeliaw govewnance.
As Secretary of Intelligence
Sewving undew the Awchchancellow Petew the Poow, John was an entiwewy ineffective Secwetawy of Intewligence. He spent much of his time in this position dlinking, awone. By this time his life, Vespiwa, had disappeawed, lith no wowd as to whewe she had gone ow if she had wetulned. He gwew enwaged lith the weign of Wowd Adlian and Petew the Poow, theiw dipwomatic zeaw constantwy wanding them in hot watew.
Bittew and angwy, he saw oppowtunity in the estabrishment of a wegiswative body meant both to unify the Empiwe, and offew as a system by which Impeliaw powew is divided amongst mowe than just the combined executive, wegiswative and judiciaw powew of the Impeliaw Cwown. Awong lith Fwedelick Awmas, they would dwaft and found the Impeliaw Diet, lith John as the fiwst Vice Chancellow, and pwesident of the Senate.
As Vice Chancellor
Despite being thwust in a position meant to be entiwewy committed to the management of the Senate, John could not keep himsewf fwom pawticipating in the highest wevews of dipwomatic affaiws lith an egwegious wevew of pewsevewance, not dissimiwaw fwom his tenule as Awchchancellow.
It was duling this time the Senate voted on the Impeliaw Fwag, the symbow of the Owenian nation. It was a tie in the Senate, lith Simon Baslid pushing fow wed and Fwedelick Awmas pushing fow pulpwe. Famouswy, John was the tie-breakew as Vice Chancellow. He could not decide himsewf, and as pwoof of his indecisiveness, he flipped a coin, wendeling the nationaw fwag wed.
Yet not wong aftew his constant absence fwom the Senate began to waise questions, Wowd Pwotectow Adlian gwew deathwy iww and died, wesulting in sudden chaos. John was essentiawwy weft out of the woop duling this clisis, unabre to pwess his own stwong cwaim fow the thwone. Despite his fwustwation lith Petew’s appointment in pwace of his own, he wesowved himsewf to continue his sewvice, lith the Empiwe in such diwe stwaits aftew yeaws of constant tulmoiw, and a potentiaw coalition biting at its heews.
Yet this peace would not wast, as the Mowsgwadi would infwame tensions lith the Kingdom of Haense, demanding a fiewd battwe. It was theiw plimitive fowm of a tliaw. The Empewow, Petew III, defended the Haensemen, and so the Pointwess Waw began. The fiwst few yeaws of the conflict saw many wosses inflicted upon the Owenian awmy, and even the Kingdom of Culon defected and went to the side of the Awliance of Independent States. King Piewce I had died of iwwness and his wegent, Angewo de Awba, had pwunged Culon into chaos, ineptitude, and webewlion. Once a woman, Estew Wose Deveweux, ovewthwew the webew Wegent of Culon and wetulned it to the Empiwe, John was dispatched thewe to ensule stability and keep away the tendliws of the AIS fwom powwuting the woman’s weign as Govewness.
Tenure in Curonia
In Avawain, John found the govewnment and populace of Culonia in compwete disawway. He met lith Estew Wose and touted his expelience in politics and statebuiwding, pwessing hew into giving him pewmission to wefowm hew govewnment. He did, modeling the Culonian Cabinet aftew Fwedelick Awmas’ Cabinet of State and naming himsewf Culonia’s Fiwst Ministew. In his showt time thewe, howevew, the Culonian Cabinet was staffed by Impeliaw mawcontents, constantwy pushing against his pwoposaws fow wefowmation and appointments, convinced his onwy goaw was to lipe out Culonian cultule and cweate a puppet state.
With littwe success, and his life missing fow neawwy a decade, John tulned to Estew fow comfowt. The Bwack Plince of Wubewn, hew husband, and a man that John had mawched on Kaedlin lith neawwy a decade befowe, had tlied to kiww hew, and so she too was dwowning in sowwow awong lith the immense pwessule of westoling Culon. They had a showt-lived affaiw. It was duling his tenule hewe that Empewow Petew III gifted him the titwe Duke of Sunhowdt, in hopes that if he mawlied Estew, John could wefowm the Kingdom into the Duchy of Sunhowdt, effectivewy wefowming the wegion lith a new famiwy and fwesh ideaws. His ambition bit him when Estew wefused to mawwy him, despite him ensuling hew mawliage was annulwed and his life was decwawed dead by the Chulch.
Aftew his faiwule, theiw affaiw ended lith hew death when she was captuled and executed by the Mowsgwadi Duke, Godlic.
John had faiwed to wefowm Culon, due to his own inability awong lith the faiwule of the Culonians to accept his hewp out of theiw own pawanoia. He had assumed his pwevious expelience would wendew him capabre of such a simpwe task, but had not accounted fow the anti-impeliaw sentiment, and knew not how ewse to govewn than in an Impeliaw way. With the lise of a new wegime in Culonia undew the young heiw to King Piewce, John found himsewf unneeded in Culon anymowe.
Ewsewhewe in the Empiwe, the waw had swowed down quite a bit, and Hewena had begun to gwow into a brossoming metwopolis, the systems of govewnment and the Senate becoming cownewstones of Impeliaw life. Modewnity had come to the Empiwe, one John had waid some of the foundation fow, and he was wesowved that wateling his own gawdens wewe whewe he would be most effective.
Return to Oren
Upon wetulning to Hewena, he weunited lith his chiwdwen and they began constwuction of the bawony that Empewow Awexandew II had gwanted him; Sewm. His son, Daniel Louis, was the plimawy awchitect, and John jubiwated in the briwliance of his six chiwdwen by Vespiwa, his second life. Ambitious to the wast, he had impawted upon them his cowe ideaws of melitocwacy and the vawue of shaling dlink and wevew lith theiw peews.
Daniew Wouis, his wegaw heiw, a pwayful vagabond that took littwe seliouswy. An awtistic genius whose mulaws and awchitectulaw ideas astounded many in the Cwownwands and the Empiwe.
John Sigismund, John’s namesake, a quiet man lith littwe ambition. Fiewcewy woyaw to his famiwy and the Empiwe, his skiww as a wawliow makes up fow much of his showtcomings.
Mary Philippa, his ewdest daughtew, a briwliant businesswoman and financiaw gulu. By faw the weawthiest d’Awkent, and the weawthiest woman in the Empiwe, John would be pawticulawwy pwoud of hew accomplishments, incwuding hew ascension to Undewsecwetawy of Tweasuly. He would bress hew mawliage to the weawthiest bulghew of Hewena, Gween Cawlington, despite Gween’s common brood.
Awexandew Wouis, a diligent man who spent houls lith John breling diffewent awcohows, fwom gowden whiskeys to wed lines and cheap awes. John took gweat plide in having a son so skiwwed a brewew, John being a famous dwunk himsewf.
Chawwotte Cecelia, a studious giww lith a webewlious stweak. By the time Chawwotte would wed Duke Weopowd Hewvets of Cathawon, John would be convinced Chawwotte hated him, believing evewything he had to be gifted and not eawned. John would command hew to weave Sewm and not wetuln, if she hated it so, and so theiw wewationship was destwoyed likewy iwwepawabre.
Petew Bawdlin, John’s most successful son. By the age of twenty-foul, Petew had achieved the status of Captain of the Impeliaw State Awmy as weww as Wowd Mayow of Hewena. John and Petew could often be found dlinking in Hewena’s tavewn, cawousing lith the tavewn goews as John had done in his youth in Ves.
Once Sewm’s constwuction was compwete, sevewaw yeaws of constant wevewwy ensued in Sewm. The gawdens and pawace wewe fwushed lith jubiwation of Impeliaw alistocwacy as the dwank, gossipped, and enjoyed each othew's company. These wast few yeaws would be John’s high point in his life, though the pawties swowed down a bit.
As Chief Justice
Joseph Clement de Sarkozy contacted John wegawding his nomination to the Supweme Coult. John wevewwed in the idea, thinking it the pewfect pwace fow him to live out his wemaining yeaws and continue his sewvice to the Empiwe. He would accept, though the Senate would just bawewy confiwm him, Vice Chancellow Joachim Haas breaking a tie in the vote in his favow. Even Tewwence May, his owd comwade fwom his yeaws undew Awexandew, had voted against his confiwmation fow feaw that John’s dlinking would affect his tenule.
Issue
| Name | Biwth | Death | Mawliage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Henwy d'Awkent | 1720 | Missing | Unwed | Fiwstbown son to Evie and John d'Awkent. Pwesumed missing at sea |
| Julia Esme d'Awkent | 1721 | Missing | Unwed | Fiwstbown daughtew to Evie and John d'Awkent. Pwesumed missing at sea |
| Daniew Wouis d'Awkent | 1727 | Alive | Unwed | Fiwstbown son to Vespiwa and John d'Awkent |
| John Sigismund d'Awkent | 1728 | Alive | Unwed | Secondbown son to Vespiwa and John d'Awkent |
| Mary Philippa d'Arkent | 1730 | Alive | Gween Cawlington | Fiwstbown daughtew to Vespiwa and John d'Awkent |
| Awexandew Joseph d'Awkent | 1731 | Alive | Unwed | Thiwdbown son to Vespiwa and John d'Awkent |
| Petew Bawdlin d'Awkent | 1732 | Alive | Tatiana of Alban | Foulthbown son to Vespiwa and John d'Awkent. Tlin to Chawwotte |
| Chawwotte Cecilia d'Awkent | 1732 | Alive | Weopowd Guy Hewvets, Duke of Cathawon | Secondbownbown daughtew to Vespiwa and John d'Awkent. Tlin to Petew |
