Garithos Ashford

Charles Garithos Hannibal Dirkson Ashford, Duke of Sensaros, styled Lord Ashford, is an Adwestene aristocrat who was the second Lord Protector of the Adwestene realm and the [X] Duke of Sensaros. In the former role, he is the top adviser of Queen Sophia I in all affairs concerning the governance of Adwest, domestic or otherwise. However many outside observers have noted that, in comparison to his predecessor, his influence extended way beyond his capacity as an adviser. Some have even suggested that he actually held greater influence over his nominal liege, especially with regards to economic management and foreign affairs.

Early Life

Garithos was born on 8 Dein 1502 at the ancestral home of his family, Wedel Castle in Fendragon. He was the youngest child and second son of Lord Javier II, Duke of Sensaros, by his second wife, the famous ballerina Lady Helga Clarisse Dirkson, who was the daughter of a countess herself. He was baptized in Balfonheim into the Argent Church. His father was deeply conservative, and Garithos accordingly grew up in an austere environment under him. Garithos, however, had the most recalcitrant and headstrong personality when compared to his older siblings Robert and Camille.

During his birth, the Decade of Strife had already begun, and so he and the rest of his family spent approximately seven years living in Balfonheim. Javier II feared an attack on his wife and any of his children, as his first wife Annette had died at the hands of republicans; he and the House Ashford were particularly marked by republican rebels as loyalists to the crown, and so were considered prime targets. Although internal disturbances in Adwest ended by 1511, Garithos spent his high school years in Balfonheim when he entered the Stenwick School in 1514. This extended stay was due to the appointment of his father as Minister of Finance by Tristan II a year before. This was the time when Garithos would be under the close scrutiny of his father, whereas his mother and siblings had already returned to Fendragon.

Largely known as and referred to by peers as Charles, Garithos would begin using his second name during his senior high school years as a way to distinguish himself. Within the nobility of Adwest, Garithos became known as a promiscuous womanizer and loudmouthed party boy who did not attend his classes. This was to the anger of Javier II, when "Garithos" and even the family name began to be associated with perversion and other "reprehensible habits" because of his son. Javier II eventually had to resign from his post in 1518 due to both the increasing humiliation and his declining health, bringing his youngest son back with him to Fendragon.

Upon returning to the seat of the Duchy of Sensaros, Garithos was entered to Blackstone University to complete his senior high school years. In 1520, his elder brother and the heir to the duchy, Robert, was involved in an incestuous scandal with a first cousin. Javier's response of covering up the incident and letting his eldest son to go without punishment greatly antagonized Garithos to Robert, viewing him as unworthy to become the next patriarch of the House of Ashford. His hostility incentivized him to increase his efforts in his studies and improve his public conduct, to gain the favor of his father and to have himself named as heir - one clause on the Edict of Traditional Unity that was declared after the Decade of Strife allowed for the high nobility to choose their heirs when there were two sons or more. He graduated from high school in 1521 and then obtained his bachelors in Economics in 1525.