Matthias Rutledge

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Matthias Othan Rutledge Art originally by stonelions "Doctor, Bokolo Berserker" Born: 15th of Snow's Maiden, 1689 Death: 18th of the First Seed, 1756 House: Rutledge Father: Antanios Opal Rutledge Mother: Rivaini Othan Semaili Spouse: Kamilah Isra ((Player)): 1_Language_1

An avid doctor and an aspiring father of six, Matthias Othan Rutledge strived in every waking day to help others. Born in Belvitz, the capital of Adria, little Matthias went from being the town runt to being the notable man is he today. The medical career for which he is now known, began with close mentorship and intensive study; however it did not take off until later. Throughout the years, Matthias began to gain traction as a combat doctor, and climbed through the ranks to that of lieutenant in Ves's city guard. His growing and reliable reputation garnered him the majority of the votes needed to become the Serenity, or rather ruler, of the Principality of Ves (the predecessor to Kaedrin). He ruled ably, and then wisely abdicated in the view of the people. Matthias continues his work as a doctor and as a father, though he seems to be moving slower due to aging. He later died in 1756 when a malicious creature attacked the old man right outside Curon's walls. Matthias Othan Rutledge outlived his father by twenty years.

History

Matthias Rutledge was the fourth and final child of Rivaini and Antanios Rutledge. Being a runt and an accident, it became common to be picked on by the other Raevir children of Belvitz, as well as some adults. Being clumsy, and underweight, he was often seen being led off by children holding his suspenders. This hazing caused him to stay home, and read books with his other siblings; Medhi, Moses, and Camilla. When his father, Antanios, died in 1694, Matthias had no idea where the man went. This curiosity led him to sneak out of Belvitz when the guards weren't watching, often taking adventures through backroads to places such as Carolustadt and Curon's Cyrilsburg. In Carolustadt, he met a doctor known as Zatanes Avern, who worked at a local clinic named The Shield's Burden. Under her close mentorship, Matthias became an apprentice and quickly took to medicine, and received more training under Alfius Elpyne, and Vexalia. It was there that he met his future fiance, Victoria Windsor, a striking young girl with ginger hair and green eyes. The two were friends for many years, often taking adventures and running amok as children do. The young boy then continued on his search for his father, still unaware that Antanios was dead. His search brought him to Cyrilsburg, Curon, during the Summit at which Imperial officials were scheduled to attend. At King Wilhelm I of Curonia's musing, he decided that Matthias shall fill in for his late father's seat, and dismissed the fill-in Darius Ault. The young boy sat among the other officials, barely tall enough for his seat next to the others. It was afterward when all said officials left the city, that King Wilhelm and Matthias bonded, for Wilhelm was a close friend of Antanios. King Wilhelm I then gave him a chance; Matthias didn't want to do it, but at the barking of Wilhelm, and took that chance. Having bonded with the man, Matthias didn't want to let him down. The Rutledge Runt was granted to be King Wilhelm's squire, gaining the title as the Ursus Squire. He was given room and board, as well as advancement in his medical endeavors. After returning to Belvitz, it was Ser Pandir the Epic that emotionally revealed to Matthias that his brave and devoted father was poisoned. Matthias continued about his business, training in medicine, and swordsmanship. He was often seen around Belvitz, handing out homemade First Aid kits to each citizen that would take one, leading them through the primary medical use of the bag. He continued his work until the Vaeyl took his home and forced Humanity off Atlas. Matthias spent his time exploring the vast frozen wasteland that Humanity fled to, reading the scattered books. He then succumbed to a cold and remained under close care in one of the abandoned houses. He remembered brief moments of waking up and looking around, seeing his siblings warm up, seeing his mother hug the urn of her husband's ashes while on the boat to Arcas.

Upon arriving at Arcas, Matthias made a quick recovery when he smelled the fresh, sweet air of Ves. He worked endlessly to purchase and till the nation's wheat fields to feed the nation. He then set up the school, otherwise named the Basarab School of Philosophy and Art. It was there that Matthias strove to not only teach basic medicine to the students but to raise the literacy level of the town. He taught children and adults alike to read and write, lessons often taking place in the square rather than the school. The young man renovated the second floor of the school to be the Freedom Library, a public library that refused literary censorship by the Canonist Church. The school was renovated into an Owynist monastery far later on when Matthias left, and its library became heavily censored by the Canonist Church; however, that comes later. While Matthias was still striving for the survival of Ves, he eventually gained the title of Patriarch and was supposed to receive Baronet papers; however, due to the tensions that led to the War of Two Emperors, Matthias has still not received his papers to this day. He did continue in his development of House Rutledge. The House of Rutledge is a mostly Southernos Patrician House originally sworn to the Kingdom of Kaedrin. The House, due to outrageous acts by Kaedreni guards, performed an exodus to settle in the Kingdom of Curonia. Matthias Rutledge then forbade any of his kin to ever settle in Kaedrin. The Coat of Arms depicts a Pelican in her Piety, vulning, on a background of red. This is because as a house, Matthias hoped that future Rutledges would inherit the characteristic of loyalty and self-sacrifice. The House really took off, starting with the marriage of Matthias Rutledge and Madallaine Dering in 1713. Together, the Southernos and Highlander couple flourished in Ves, bearing three children and eventually becoming the royal couple in 1718 when Matthias was the first Southernos to become the Serenity of Ves. He took on the title of Serenity and ruled ably for the duration of his reign. As the prince, Matthias pulled Ves out of the War of Two Emperors with the 1719 Treaty of Ves, managing to gain Ves the independence that it yearned for. Then, in 1720, Prince Matthias garnered for the Pact of Green and Gold, which was a non-aggression trade pact with Curon. It was a gesture, the first step towards an alliance of the two independent nations; however, further steps would never come to happen. It wasn't until 1721 that Matthias Rutledge and his family were forced to leave Ves out of fear. Shortly after abdicating from the throne, the guards were replaced. At first, Matthias was ecstatic at the idea that Ves would now have capable men to protect them. That idea was quickly squashed when Matthias was curb-stomped into the gravel and assaulted based on his skin color. His back still hurts in the same place where a guard's heel was driven into his spine. At that, Matthias walked off with what dignity he had left, gathering up his family and belongings as he led his family out of Ves. Thankfully, the Pact of Green and Gold improved the relations between Curon and Ves, and with Matthias' relationship to Curon as the Ursus Squire, it only made sense that his family settled there. In Curon, Madallaine managed to have a set of twins, promptly named Vivaca and Wilheim. The family was happy, enjoying many snow-fights in Curon's cold weather, sitting in Old Bear Park to gaze at the stars, but that all came to a halt when Madallaine died in 1728 from an unknown illness that could not be cured. Matthias continued his career as a doctor, gaining traction from his medical books, A Compilation of Medical Herbs I and A Compilation of Medical Herbs II. He took on a few students and taught them as much medicine as he could. It was later on that Matthias became one of Curon's first senators, remaining there until an injury from Morsgrad forced him from the position in 1741. He retired to becoming Curon's Seneschal, and eventually, the Secretary of Homeland. It wasn't until 1756 after Matthias accomplished so much, that he was attacked outside of Curon. The old man was doting on what appeared to be a stray cat, giving it loving scratches on its chin and head until the cat transformed into a beast and inflicted damage to Matt's only hand and to his bad leg. He outlasted his friend Clovis when it came to defeating the beast, and put up a good fight, but it was all for naught as he was killed so brutally in the end. It was reported that Matthias' final words were an oath to serve Curon to the end.

“To Curonia, the lands of my ancestors, I do hereby swear my life to thee. From our ancient snow-capped Mountains, To the coasts of our frozen seas. For Curonia, for my homeland, for kin and friend, I shall heed the Bear’s call and stand till my last. In this I do swear, Long Live Curonia, Long Live the Green Tide!”

Appearance

As a young, Southeron man, Matthias stood at 5'9 with black hair and brown eyes. Like his father, he sported broad shoulders and a hook nose. Matthias was not a fat, nor skinny man, but rather had a stocky type of figure that led to wide shoulders, a sturdily-built body, and big bones. Aside from his hook nose, Matthias has one other semi-noticeable mark on his face that has faded over the years; during the Sacking of Ves, Matthias was injured by the flames and received a mild burn mark on his right cheek. Nowadays, Matthias is aging; his hair is turning grey, he's gaining wrinkles, and he has lost an arm in an incident with Mordsgrad. The old man is seen wearing thick layers, as he's not good at keeping warm as he used to be. As an accessory, around his neck and tucked into his shirt is a small necklace with a bear tooth on the end.

Mentality

Matthias' mentality is that of a humane and neutral man, and a fatherly one. As a doctor, he personally swore never to pick up another sword unless it was in defense. He seeks to heal people rather than harm them since wars harm enough people already. As for neutrality, Southeron men tend to hold neutrality as a high value, along with independence. This has turned to Matthias turning down titles for the simple fact that he had to swear an oath to radically align himself with a nation. Last, but not least, Matthias is a very parental man; having no dad of his own, he was not raised to be harsh or to be abusive like most dads. Instead, he's firm with his children and rather instead is one of those teddy-bear types of a father. Matthias believes, like some others do, that while children of the enemy are still tomorrow's enemies, that they are still today's innocents and should be given the chance to live. All in all, one word to describe Matthias' mentality would be mercy.

Family

When it comes to children, it is a shocking number to know that the Southeron family of Rutledge managed to deliver and raise six black children. It all began when Matthias got married in 1713 to a -lander woman of Carolustadt named Madallaine Dering. Nicknamed as Matt's "Blue Cherub", Madallaine was excited about children and shared many interests with her husband. Both medics, their common aptitude only helped advance their research. The first child was Valerie Adela, Matthias' pride and joy. Being the first baby, Matthias rarely let anyone hold the child but himself for the entire first year; except for when Madallaine had to feed Valerie. It was every little girl's dream to be a princess, and Valerie got to live in the palace for the toddler era of her life. Valerie was obsessed with things being a certain way and used to throw a fit when the little detail was off. Eventually, Valerie bloomed in beauty and without flemish, taking up medicine as her father and mother did. She helps to care for her aging father and researches medicine with him. The twins Seth and Silas were next; with Silas coming out first. Seth took interest in reading and research, becoming an introvert to the point where he would actively avoid family outings just to be cooped up in the family library. He did come out to experience the sunshine when Matthias managed to pry him to the Dragur Library. He wrote a book on the method of research and still remains researching away today like the introvert he came to be. Silas on the other hand, as an extrovert who wanted to become a squire and eventually a knight. Silas took up an interest in mathematics but eventually grew into a traveling merchant who settles where the minae are at. These two boys are only a couple years younger than Valerie but are still developing in their own way. After Seth and Silas were the pair Vivaca and Wilheim, with Vivaca being born twelve minutes earlier. Being the most troublesome child, Matthias certainly had his hands full when Vivaca inherited Grandma Rivaini's independent and fierce personality. Vivaca Adhara Rutledge was known to cause lots of trouble in her youth, especially when she cursed out almost everyone she met; this embarrassed Matthias since Vivaca was the child that looked the most like him. She eventually grew out of this and became a prime woman. Vivaca is known as Matthias' independence, and she serves as one of Curonian's senators. Vivaca is the only child who inherited Matthias' brown eyes. Next came Wilheim Elpyne Othan Rutledge, a quiet individual who sought to serve in a less-neutral way as a child. Joining the Imperial State Army at a young age, Wilheim was the head of the advertising department for a long duration of time and rose to the rank of corporal. Once he, like Vivaca, started to take pride in their Curonian nationality, returned to Curon. Wilheim has been serving in Curon's Regiment ever since. Matthias tends to give his children names based on those who he had immense relations with. Valerie is named for Matt's childhood friend, Valera Carrion; while Wilheim is named for Matt's father figure, King Wilhelm I of Curonia. Last, and hopefully the last for Matthias, is his youngest son. Matthias was around 50 years old when he bumped into a Farfolk lady about his age. Kamilah Isra Anabsid was not much younger than Matthias, and for once, the world seemed to slow. Matthias didn't feel alone anymore. His plans changed that day, and he accompanied the lady into the tavern to buy her a drink and get to know her more. A year later, the old couple got married in Curon and miraculously conceived a Farfolk boy; Abiah Isra Rutledge. Abiah, like most of the children, inherited his mother's blue eyes. Matthias held him for his first year and was mostly always seen around him. Abiah was like any other normal child; he was quiet and usually got dirty from play. He never got to play too much because Matthias was unable to keep up with him as an old man. Abiah is still developing and has not decided on what kind of man he'll be. Some say it takes a village to raise a child when it actually only took a tavern to do it. Lady Lithren of the Bird 'n Bard was considered the family's aunt and babysitter while they resided in Ves. Despite being part bird-demon, the children quite enjoyed her plush feathers. Matthias can recall almost having pry his own kid from Lithren's hands because she enjoyed babysitting them so much. Vivaca, Wilheim, and Abiah are the only ones of the Rutledge children who were not babysat by Lithren and Timothee. As for his newest wife, Kamilah Isra, she has been Matthias' creativity and joy. She is the reason that Matthias has not sunk into the depression of loneliness yet.

Name	Portrait	Marriage(s) Issue	Death	Coat of Arms	Birth Date
Valerie Valerie Adela Rutledge		Unmarried No Children	Alive		18th of The Amber Cold, 1715
Silas Silas Rutledge		Unmarried No Children	Alive		9th of the Snow's Maiden, 1717
Seth Seth Rutledge	Seth, update your dang skin!	Unmarried No Children	Alive		9th of the Snow's Maiden, 1717
Vivaca Vivaca Adhara Rutledge		Married Duarte de Antunyes One Child Matéo de Antunyes	Alive		4th Amber Cold, 1722
Wilheim Wilheim Othan Elpyne Rutledge		Married Nicole Marie Two Children Mariah & Micaiah	Alive		4th Amber Cold, 1722
Abiah Abiah Isra Rutledge		Unmarried No Children	Alive		14th Malin's Welcome, 1746

Legacy

Matthias' legacy lies in that of his family and his medical career. He is not proud of being Ves' Serenity and despises that era of his life. His many books and continuing research has led to the education of many, to the benefit of the ill and injured, and to advancements in medicine. His legacy will also continue to live on in his medical inventions, such as the Adelaskope which lets the wearer listen to the heart and lungs when applied to another's chest. In a way, Matt's legacy lives on with his children; Valerie and Wilheim have both taken up medicine, and who knows what kind of advancements they'll make as well? Vivaca has taken up politics, who knows how she will progress the world for her fellow descendants?

Trivia

• It was Lady Ingrid Kastrovat that jumpstarted Matthias' career into medicine. She gave him a few medical books, magic, and Dwarven engineering, which he took home and read over and over again with curiosity.
• At the age of 15, Matthias Rutledge saved the life of Timeo de la Baltas with his medical skills, when the loaded crossbow, held by Chekhov Carrion, went off and punctured the Troubador because the young Carrion's land was being taken, and turned into a new town, called Auvergne!
• To this day, Doctor Matthias has delivered eleven babies into the world.
• Matthias has published five books, though more were in the works and will be published with credit given posthumously.

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