Rorym Amberfern

"'My brother knew life outside the Palace, that's how he got away with it. I imagine the only way I'll ever part with this crown is when it's pried off my corpse.'                          - Rorym confides in his advisor"Rorym Inryon Amberfern the Third was the 792nd Primonarch of Eia, preceded by Jaihkun II and succeeded by Tias I. His 18 year reign came to an end during The Third Ruin upon his death in Erwood. He was the only Primonarch ever to be crowned because of an abdication, specifically his elder brother, Syndarus.

The middle of three sons to JaihkunII Amberfern and Elsin Tevlo, Rorym became the Primonarch of Eia in 1734 ASR, some years after his older brother Syndarus abdicated the Throne. When Jaihkun succumbed to an unknown illness, Rorym took his place and appointed his elder brother as Loft Master as a temporary measure, the latter title also becoming his own after Syndarus' banishment.

Described as being very shy and reserved, many have found it difficult to befriend the unexpected Primonarch, especially after the death of his wife, Tharla Akaila. Rorym kept to himself most days, and would often resort to his innately-short temper when pushed.

Rorym was often belittled in his reign for his pacifistic beliefs, and received much grief from the Loft Council when it came to matters such as war, capital punishment and military manoeuvres. He was also a proud atheist, making a point of mocking his ministers' religious beliefs to keep them in line. As heresy had been made punishable by death far before his time, Rorym gained the disapproval of the majority of his government in the Loft, causing friction in discussions and often stunted his position above them. This did, however, gain him the support of many who felt oppressed in the deeply religious society.

Mental Illness
Since the death of Tharla, Rorym suffered with constant bouts of post-traumatic-stress, anxiety, insomnia and a mild case of schizophrenia. With the added weight of his position, he found comfort in isolation and struggled to form relationships with anyone other than immediate family.

Seen by the Loft as 'weak', 'foreboding as an eggshell' and many other adjectives, he found it difficult to be taken seriously, taking comfort only in the fact he had the final decision in all matters.

By the time of The Black Collapse, Rorym's condition had become so poor that even his doctors were giving up on helping him. He would routinely forget to dress himself before public/private audiences and relied solely on his faithful door guard to remind him of such things.

His relationship with Devyn suffered the most, however. Due to his incredibly busy schedule, Rorym was rarely able to consider himself a father to the Prince, being moved from various locations in Erwood back to the Palace constantly day-by-day. Their relationship became rather uneasy as Devyn had grown up to be more like the staff that tended to him, whom Rorym disliked, ironically. He found happiness again when traits similar to Tharla's occasionally surfaced.

Early Life
Born 4 years after elder brother Syndarus, Rorym was almost completely deprived of attention or affection from their father, considered to be the lesser child. He sought comfort from their mother, who was essentially their only joy as children. He spent much of his childhood listening to her stories whilst avoiding the frequent fits of rage that overcame Jaihkun. While Syndarus was more inclined to spend time with their tyrannical patriarch, Rorym kept his head low and focused on studies, specifically the arts when he could get away with it. Minister Istov Demna, then serving Jaihkun, would be his tutor in almost every subject and general mentor for the rest of his life; Rorym spent most of his time learning everything there was to know about royalty and politics, but avoided the subject of warfare like the plague.

There was one recorded incident of being beaten by Jaihkun when he refused to shoot a deer during their first hunt together. Syndarus wasn't present at the time but was horrified by the news, daring to confront the Primonarch in defence of his little brother. Though no more cases were reported officially, Rorym claimed to have had regular disciplinary punishments as a child, that is until Wynsid was born in 1715. Elsin, their mother, confided in her sons during her final pregnancy, telling them that Jaihkun hit her repeatedly. Rorym finally left his father's judging gaze entirely when Wynsid was found to have birth defects, including a form of cerebral palsy. The freedom he felt lead him to lose a lot of social skills into his adolescence, avoiding confrontation and difficult situations.

Friendships
Rorym was always very reserved and kept to himself, however he found a friend in Verdisian Duster, the son of the Sword of the Loft at the time. Likewise, a study partner he was assigned to was General Ralidus' son, Kon, who shared the Prince's interest in art. He would cling to these friends more than he did his own siblings, if anything to get as far away from his father as he could. Due to Verdisian's heavy build and tell-it-how-it-is attitude, Rorym requested that Istov let him be his First-Guard when he was old enough. While it was accepted then, only the Primonarch could make the final approval, and when the time came, it was rejected. Jaihkun disliked the Sword of the Loft greatly, and refused his son's request out of spite.

Kon would remain Rorym's closest friend, even when he became a crew member of the Evitch Fleet. He is also recorded to be the only person that Rorym allowed to call him by name. Verdisian was sent away for a few years, in which time the Riksilver twins were brought to the Palace. At just 7 years old, Rorym met his arranged First-Guard, Yirris Riksilver. Despite Yirris' kind nature, Rorym simply wanted his friend back.

Trivia

 * Rorym had a pet Cutaun Mountain Lion called Castle, his chosen ceremonial mascot when he became Primonarch.
 * He survived two assassination attempts, the first gravely injuring his knee and the second missing him entirely. Most of his PTSD originated from that.
 * He was the only Primonarch to take The Throne due to an abdication.
 * He was deathly afraid of spiders.