[@HushedWhispers] Whew, this isn't the usual casual stuff. Done, I think.

[hider=King Edward Winterhill of Ostwall][center][h1][color=Brown]King Edward Winterhill of Ostwall[/color][/h1]
[IMG]http://fandango.axervices.com/data/images/10_jeffbridges21041849027.jpg[/IMG]
[i]"Look at everything that exists, and observe that it is already in dissolution and change, and as it were putrefaction or dispersion, or that everything is so constituted in nature as to die."[/i]
-[b]Marcus Aurelius[/b][hr][/center]
[color=Brown][b][u]Name:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Edward Whitehill[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Nickname:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]The Old Wolf, The Witch King, The Crownless King, Edward the Black, Grandpa Ed (affectionately by subjects) [/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Age:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]81[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Gender:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Male.[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Sexuality:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Asexual[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Relationship Status:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Married for the Second Time[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Rank:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]King[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Title:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]King of Ostwall[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Kingdom:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Ostwall[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]In Depth Appearance:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]At first glance, it is obvious that Edward is past the prime of his youth. Nevertheless, his generic old aged man appearance can be quite deceptive, as he merely looks a man in his sixties rather than the eight decades he sports on his shoulders. Even if his skin is full of blemishes and wrinkles, and his hair has lost all of the color it had in his youth, dozens of old scars in his chest and torso still leave an impression on people whenever he bares his skin, as well as tightly woven dense muscles who still twitch vigorously under the sagging skin. Being a frugal and practical man, he favours clothes by use rather than fashion, and is often in worn leather garbs of brown colors, topped with a bear's fur as cape. It is also not uncommon for him to wear chainmail or plate armor if the situation is tense or he needs to act more imposing that he normally is. He usually speaks in a ragged, harsh whispering voice, which has a deep air of somberness and experience, and his gaze can become rather keen and piercing should he disapprove on certain matters.[/indent][hr][center][h1][color=Brown][u]M Y  Q U I R K S[/u][/color][/h1][/center]
[color=Brown][b][u]Habits | Quirks | Oddities[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Eats very frugally.
Exercises daily.
Bathes daily in cold water.
Almost NEVER wears crown or regalia.
[i]Very[/i] lax with the etiquette.
Upholds the sacred hospitality rigorously.
Listens to the commoners' troubles while going incognito sometimes.
[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Hobbies:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Herbalism and medicine.
Hunting.
Reading.
Sparring.
Imparting wisdom on youths.
"Reading Minds" (Body Language)[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Likes:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Courageous men and women.
Honesty.
Resourcefulness.
People who follow the Old pagan Ways.
Good fights once in a while.
Stargazing.
Sleeping a middle day nap in the garden.
Visiting his (still living!) mother and to a lesser extent, his (new) wife and kids. His half-sister would also count.
[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Dislikes:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Pompous displays.
Cowardice.
Misogyny.
Cats and useless pets.
Dancing.
Holier than Thou types.
Sex.[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Fears:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]The day he's left without his mother's wisdom (which might be close)
That someone else usurps his throne and boots all his family out.
Dying of old age in an unglorified manner.[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Personality:[/u][/b][/color] 
[center][u]♦ Tenacious ♦ Cynical ♦ Thoughtful ♦ Blunt ♦[/u][/center]
[indent]Edward is a complicated man, as layers upon layers of shaping events have changed his personality countless times. At times, he acts like an old woodsman, teaching the young about the experiences of his life, and to respect nature and the intangible connection between the world and men. Other times, he's the peerless ruthless warrior whose resolve cannot be shaken. He is also the faithful younger man, who listens and bows to the few elders he still has. The dutiful, righteous and mighty king, whose hammer undoes the wicked, and rewards obedience and punishes insubordination. The philosopher who wants to dwell more in the nature of man. The supporter of women whom he sees equal to men. The heathen pagan that still clings to worshipping wooden spirits and houses witches in his own home. 

Those all are aspects of the man known as Edward Whitehill. A paragon of Ostwall. And yet, they all are masks, disguises that hide a much bitter truth. Edward is a lost man. A man who fought against all odds. Who conquered all enemies. A man who stands lonely at the top, distanced from everyone whom he could vaguely relate, with the weight of a crown upon his shoulders... and that he can't just quit, for he is still Ostwall's strongest and must be for the sake of his inner circle. And even so, time is slowly chipping away what the adversity could not do. Someday, not far, he'll finally lose. His reign will come to an end.

And yet, he is as hopelessly lost as he was when a child. A hollow man with a hollow existence. Even with the recognition of having heirs and adequate children, as well as a second, new wife, has not shaken the shadow of dread from his soul. For he knows... he is feared, but not loved. [/indent][hr][center][h1][color=Brown][u]D E F I N I N G  M Y  P A S T[/u][/color][/h1][/center]
[color=Brown][b][u]History:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Once upon a time, a certain man at arms, wounded by strife in the kingdom of Ostwall, took refuge in a certain godforsaken forest of the north. Wishing not to be punished by failure, but seeking the solace of the wilderness to exhale his last, he nevertheless was encountered by a young woman of the woods whom spared him of his dreadful fate. She dressed his wounds, and nursed him to health. 

When his strength was back, the man, smitten by the kindness and peaceful nature of the "woods witch" decided to put his past of strife and wars to live alongside her as his eternal protector, and eventual companion. From such an union came forth young Edward, ignorant of the world at large, but curious, vigorous and eager to please both of his parents.

Yet, the army couldn't forgive desertors. Edward's father was beheaded in front of his eyes, and his mother, who despite being a pagan hermit was rather easy to look in the eye was dragged inside the hut for the soldiers to do...things to her. 

All while Edward was watching.

Satisfied with themselves, the soldiers spared both the woman and child... a costly mistake which would haunt them earlier. Edward's mother, Helga, driven bitter and maddened by the events, convinced the confused and angry Edward to become an avenger to the vexation they had just suffered. Edward thus learned everything his mother could impart about the woods. The poisons. The ability to read people's language. The old ways. She even arranged to gather enough coin to sponsor him becoming an squire of a rather unimportant knight in Ostwall. Heckled by his mother and his own inner demons, Edward never neglected his training, becoming a fine paragon of knighthood.

And the trap was sprung. One by one, the men responsible for his and his own mother's disgrace, now fattened and dull by lazy lives, soon meet their swift ends with Edward's blade. In turn, his deeds generated his own spiral of revenge, and the situation soon escalated so much that lords of Ostwall came for fame and glory, trying to bring down the evil, black knight whom a witch had spawned to haunt the land of the righteous folk. Cornered, and knee deep in violence and strife, Edward only managed to hold out so far due to his unlikely knowledge of herbalism and wilderness, able to take nourishment from where only beasts were thought to be capable of.

His time was running out, and his opponents, tired of playing tag in the woods, took ahold of his mother and his younger half-sister hostages, demanding him to give up. Cursing and lamenting, he headed towards the castle of Whitehill (whom he would later take the name from) in order to save the two loved ones that had been caught in the cycle of revenge. Turning himself in, he was captured, beaten up, and marked for execution. 

All was lost, except for one thing. When he was about to be executed, he invoked the right of challenge. In which upon the finest warrior, lord or knight could challenge the King for leadership. Full of himself and smug of his victory, the king accepted, bent on crushing Edward in what was his last ditch effort to save himself and his family. None expected his victory.

Yet, when the head of the former king rolled upon the floor, silence was wrought. The unthinkable had happened yet again, and suddenly, the outcast number one had been made king by the laws of Ostwall. Edward made his moves quickly, cementing his status with a noble marriage, and he made sure the Kingdom was up and running soon after the dynasty change. Being a humble, frugal man, his enemies had to withdraw their blades for a time, seeing as the young king was more reasonable that his predecessor had ever been.

Yet, as time passed, problems began to arise. While grooming his first and second borns, a civil war conflict arose, upon a pet peeve of King Edward. Having been raised by an independant woman, he desired to give women the power they rightfully deserve, as men's equals, and even instating liberty of religion upon his frontier. Suffice to say, such a change of the status quo was worn by his detractors as a means to stage a coup against him. Bitterly, the King spend most of his children's youth knee deep in war, taking one head of a traitor a time, and perpetuating the cycle of revenge.

And just before he realized, he was old. His kingdom, bled all over, was finally somewhat at peace, but they still held resent towards the king. His wife, which he...didn't know as much as he would like to, passed away without fanfare. He dreaded the next uprise, who might take him down for good... and yet he had made Ostwall advance. 

He felt completely lost in purpose. Some people mistook it for grief, and tried to worm in the need of a second wife in the King's heart. Not wanting to aggravate people much further, he caved in, and for the sake of normalcy, picked a Falor noblewoman as second wife, even though he knew neither of them would love eachother, for the sake of normalcy. 
  [/indent][hr][center][h1][color=Brown][u]M I S C .[/u][/color][/h1][/center]
[color=Brown][b][u]Extracurricular Activities:[/u][/b][/color]

[indent]Establishing better laws with a cabinet of expert.
Healing and taming animals which he hunts. 
Trying to keep himself in shape and useful by taking small daily challenges.
Keeping a journal of his reign and achievements.
Mapping the uncharted areas of his country.[/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Extra:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]Fantasy, Some Sci Fi, classical Gothic histories. [/indent]

[color=Brown][b][u]Anything Else:[/u][/b][/color] 
[indent]A pro-women rights activist ahead of time, funnily enough.[/indent][hr][/hider]