Theodozo Hyperian Vulpos
Theodozo Hyperian Vulpos (a.k.a. The Black Fox)
Theodozo Vulpos, or Theo, is the son of Gaioz Vulpos and his concubine, Mara, who is an Asentalian Mainlander. Theo has five half-siblings: Archili, Tamaria, Natalia, Mavara, and Elisabed.
History
Early Childhood
Theo was born at Vulkai to Gaioz and Mara during a particularly harsh winter. Irina, Gaioz's wife had become ill, causing him to go to Mara, his concubine, more often than usual. This resulted in the birth of Theo, and due to Mara's heritage as an Asentalian, it caused his father to see him as a foreigner in his own household. Gaioz discouraged his other children from associating with Theo, and constantly ordered Theo to do chores that required him to go outside of the ringfort. The alienation caused Theo to want to gain the acknowledgement of his father, as he wanted to prove that he was just as good of a son as Archili. He also managed to form a loving bond with his sisters, despite his father's disdain of their association. Growing up at Vulkai, Theo was educated by his father Gaioz's bodyguard, Andro. Initially, Gaioz was not interested in providing Theo with a proper education, but the idea did not go over well with his confidants: his wife Irina, and his bodyguard Andro. Irina was able to convince Gaioz to let Andro educate the boy, as Andro had bonded with Theo over their similar birth statuses, as Andro was a bastard.Education
Andro educated Theo in strategy and the martial arts. During this time, Theo gained an interest in reading, particularly about the histories of the Clans of Psaracon. This allowed him to become familiar with the numerous battles that have occurred on Psaracon over the centuries, and the strategies that won them. As a result, Andro drilled him harder in sword fighting and archery, as he believed Theo needed to be a soldier before becoming a commander. The added amount of training allowed Theo to become a competent sword fighter, although not quite as good as his older brother, Archili, was was already in his later teen years of age. Theo and Archili did not have a good relationship growing up. Archili would barely associate with Theo, as per their father's orders, but during the occurrences where they socially interacted, Archili would constantly demean Theo by bringing up that he was the son of a concubine. Their sisters also suffered similar forms of verbal abuse from Archili as well. Things finally came to a head when Theo became big enough to stand up to Archili after he slapped Tamaria for giving him a suggestion. In response, Theo broke his brother's nose, but not after his brother knocked him unconscious in return. His father, upon learning about the event from a reluctant Archili, had Theo flogged and sent him to live in the stables. After a month, Irina finally convinced him to let Theo return to their hearth house.Battle of the Grey Hill
Eventually, upon Andro's insistence, Gaioz brought Theo along to fight the Asentalian Adventurer, Galani "Greyarm". Gaioz and Galani clashed at the Battle of the Grey Hill, where Gaioz successfully routed Galani's war band after Galani died in the fighting. During this battle, Theo proved to be a very effective battlefield communicator, keeping a steady flow of reports back to Gaioz. When Theo noticed a gap in the enemy's line, he asked to lead an advance through it, to which Gaioz agreed to give the order. This resulted in the complete collapse of Galani's left flank, and exposed him and his center flank to oncoming Vulposi men. Soon after, Galani encountered Theo on the battlefield, and after an arduous duel, Theo successfully slew him. The Asentalians quickly collapsed upon the news of Galani's death, which was communicated to them by Theo's men after he ordered them to shout, "Galani has fallen!", and the battle concluded once they broke into a rout. Theo gained much notoriety from Gaioz's soldiers and commanders alike, but Gaioz refused to give Theo much in terms of recognition for his actions. Often, when talking about the battle to others, he would simply say, "my son slew the Mainlander". In the months following the battle, Theo became frustrated and depressed due to his father's implicit rejection, and started sneaking out to other towns and ringforts to visit the brothels and whorehouses. There, he would rely on prostitutes to give him the acknowledgement he so desired.Theo's Scandal
Tamaria quickly found out about Theo's secret excursions, but promised Theo to stay quiet about it in return for him being a messenger for her, so she can communicate with her love interest, Roin Arziani. During these secret excursions, Theo falls in love with a particular prostitute named Vana. Vana, the daughter of a poor trader, sees Theo as a "shining Prince" due to Theo's status as a member of Clan Vulpos and his actions at the Battle of the Grey Hill, although Theo does not hold the title of "Prince", as it is held by Archili. However, Vana showers Theo with praise, which is paired with Vana being a very attractive young woman, which causes Theo to develop a passion for her. After frequent visits, Theo gets Vana pregnant. Vana sees this as a way to get out of the brothel business, and begs Theo to make her his concubine at the very least. Theo wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret, however, causing a rift between them. Things came to a head when Vana appeared at the gates of Vulkai, informing the guards that she is carrying the child of Theodozo Vulpos. Gaioz was quickly informed, and ordered Andro to drag Theo to meet him at the gate to get to the bottom of the story. There, Theo reluctantly admits to being the father of the child Vana is pregnant with. When asked what her relation to him was, Theo finally claims her as his concubine, to which Gaioz rejects as he is neither a Prince or a Petrax. Tamaria, who arrived late to the conversation, backs up Theo by informing their father that second sons who are unmarried are allowed to have one concubine, according to Psarconi law. A frustrated Gaioz, who had learned a week prior that his oldest son Archili was hiding two bastard children of his own, relented and granted Theo his claim on Vana, but banned Vana's entry to their hearth home. Two months later, a son was born to Theo and Vana named Korneli.Religious Beliefs
Theo is a devout Purian, and burns his candles for Canon, the Old Man from the Mountains.Recent Events
Upon the start of the story, Theo is both a recent father and sixteen year old. He has beginning to develop a robust physique.
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