Carolus II Zoar
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Born: |
Spring, 6 AC |
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Reign: |
Fall of 7 AC to summer of 8 AC |
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Titles: |
Dux Bellae, Rex Septentrionis |
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Dynasty: |
Legitimist Zoar branch |
"Is my son there? Where is he?" - Carolus II, upon leaving Graal.
Carolus II Zoar (birth: Caros Zoar) was the youngest son of Tristam, the first unifier of Graal, according to Historia Sarovianorum, the first purported history of the Sarovian peoples. King Tristam had five sons, which were the siblings of Caros: Xor, Cordias, Carolus, and Timemutt. As such, not much is known about the monarchs it portrays especially in regards to their early lives, and some information is criticised by modern Graal historians.
History[edit | edit source]
Early Life[edit | edit source]
Carolus II was born the youngest of Tristam’s children, according to the Liber Stefanicus and Historia Sarovianorum. He was a skilled diplomat, administrator and smoothtalker, who according to the Historia Sarovianorum was able to single handedly negotiate the release of five farmers who were falsely convicted of slavery based off a passionate speech alone. He was never given a formal military command, though was appointed cancellarii (chancellor) in the 6 AC and was reportedly an expert financial advisor and politician, who handled the day to day domestic issues in the long lost city of Sar, the capital of the old empire.
Upon the death of his father, after Carolus’ elder brother, Xor, betrayed the Stefanic faith, the unified empire of Graal broke apart due to the inheritance law of gavelkind - where the south was taken by Cordias and the north was taken by Carolus I, who styled himself as Rex Septentrionis, the king of the northern people. Carolus II believed his brother lacked the diplomatic touch to bring back Cordias to the side of Stefan, and began planning an assassination of his brother. Later the plot was made public, and in response Carolus I renamed the royal house of Zoar to Zor in defiance and threw Caros in prison. There, he found another prisoner, a devout Stefanist noblewoman, Maria of the Kiev family, whom he would marry and have one son with. Months later, the prison was opened and he was released - to find himself as the new Rex Septentrionis, with his brother missing in action.
Reign[edit | edit source]
Carolus immediately reversed some of the old policies his brother had set, including returning the family name to Zoar and entering formal negotiations with Cordias. The negotiations almost reached a decision - to heal the Stephane/Stefan schism that rocked the world in the prior year. However, according to assumptions made by the Liber Stefanicus and Historia Sarovianorum as they never directly touched on the subject, Cordias died of poison and his son, Auel, reformed everything south of the River Nafets under the name of Imperia, and was no longer inclined to enter negotiations. Six months later, Carolus II died of unknown complications, failing to achieve his diplomatic dreams, and leaving the throne to his young son, Carolus III.
