Fiction:Immanuel Kilar

Immanuel I is the current Emperor of the. His rise to power was unexpected and very sudden, coming after the death of both his father and a few months later, his great-grandfather, the then-Emperor Jilnaris I. A mere seventeen years old, and a devout Catholic, his coronation has been met with suspicion by the aristocracy due to his unproven nature and exotic faith, and this suspicion turned to outright opposition by much of the nobility once Immanuel's newly-found ambition, and potentially very dangerous pretensions of becoming the greatest monarch in Drodo history became apparent.

Early Life, 2809-2825
Immanuel was born Sevrasi Kilar on July 22nd, 2808. When he was born, the House of Kilar was in a crisis situation. The head of the family, Sevrasi's great-grandfather, and later Emperor of the Drodo Empire, Jilnaris Kilar, was an old man who had survived his wife, and only sired two sons who both died during the late Crisis. The eldest of the two sons would sire Immanuel's father, Bilakis Kilar.

Bilakis would go on to essentially save the Kilar main bloodline by having and raising eleven children, the eldest of which was Sevrasi. Sevrasi's childhood was dominated by his competition with and partial raising of his ten other siblings, who he watched closely as their older brother in the frequent absence of both of their parents due to the constant politicking necessary to keep such a prominent and ancient house in order. Once he turned thirteen, however, his life would change radically as he was bounced back and forth between time spent at home recieving the traditional education of a young Drodo nobleman, and long periods spent on his own in France recieving the best technical and academic education money could buy, capitalising on the extremely sharp intelligence Sevrasi displayed from an early age.

While this lifestyle greatly broadened the boy's horizons and opportunities, it estranged him yet more from his parents, from his culture, and from his faith. Young Sevrasi found himself to be rudderless, with no core faith or philosophy at his centre as his traditional religious beliefs rang hollow. While Sevrasi would first turn to questionable and hedonistic activities to fill the gap while away from his home in the Empire, in 2824, at the age of sixteen, Sevrasi would discover a renewed purpose through a surprising conversion to Catholicism, and would officially change his name to Immanuel. In this way Immanuel rejected his old lifestyle and old pagan beliefs, while retaining a distinctly Drodo, and distinctly Kilar, identity.

While this conversion did cause quite a stir in the Kilar clan itself, most public attention was then squarely focused on the ailing Jilnaris I and the plans for succession. Bilakis was by all accounts a fairly capable, if average, man who was groomed first to assume control of the noble house and post-2822 also represented the most obvious option as heir to the Imperial throne; being generally competent, amenable to the status quo, and of a good age to assume power-- his mid forties. However this was not to pass, as just as arrangements were being made for the ailing Jilnaris to pass the throne over to Bilakis in April 2825, the younger Kilar heir would die in a hunting accident, mauled to death by a Coarlatus dragon.

Ascent to the Throne, 2825
Immanuel would receive the news that his father had died during a visit with his great-grandfather. While the news itself was troubling, even moreso for the boy would be the dying Jilnaris' proclamation that it must be him, Immanuel, to then take the throne. It would only be after an argument and with a heavy heart that Immanuel would accept.

Media coverage was widespread a few days later, as the proclamation and ascent of Immanuel to the Imperial throne was made public. News companies and journalists scrambled to gather information on the rather obscure nobleman as the conservative and Jilnaris-supporting nobility held their breaths until they found out exactly what kind of man Immanuel would turn out to be, being a political unknown. They would not have to wait long, as while news of his ascent to the throne terrified and frustrated the boy, once there Immanuel soon found the weight of the crown perfectly bearable upon his head, and his own ambition flare.

Personality and Traits
Immanuel is, above all, charismatic. He presents an outward persona of gentlemanly politeness and courtesy with the confidence of a man twice his age, and does so with little apparent effort. Able to blend into almost any social setting, the young king uses his great social abilities to charm individuals, groups, and whole demographics into satisfying his own immense ambitions.

Central to Immanuel is his strong Catholic faith, which he holds close. Often praying and meditating in private, the exotic human faith gives him a moral centre he otherwise lacked. In the process of reining in the less savoury aspects of his character, however, the ideals of his Christian faith often run into conflict with Immanuel's own pride and ego.

The young king, having been raised in aristocratic privilege and extensively well-read on the great absolute monarchs in both Drodo and Human history, has what some would describe as juvenile or backwards pretensions of kinghood and grandeur which form the basis of his immense political ambition. While he did not ask for the Imperial crown, Immanuel had come to adore it-- and by extension himself-- like nothing else.