Lord Wyatt Shepherd
I don't even have time to tell you all the ways that's a bad idea. . .actually, it's going to bother me if I don't.
Description: A man of restrained and somewhat concerned energy, Wyatt perches on chairs more than he sits on them, and occupies his space tentatively. He's a little taller than average, a little thinner than average, and his big brown eyes and youthful expressions of bemusement make him cuter than average. A thick shock of straight, chestnut hair is kept in check - well away from the collars of his shirts - but long enough to leave a ruffle that invites smoothing in the wake of his fingers when he's deep in thought or delivering a focused explanation.
Personality: Wyatt is a dedicated, serious, and work oriented sort of man. It makes him very good at keeping his family's affairs in order and responding to problems, which is good - who doesn't enjoy being eloquent and competent? It also makes him very good at being the 'straight man' foil for his wilder cousins' attempts at humor - which is less good. It's not that Wyatt hates fun, not by any means, it's just that his ideas of fun don't always line up with the ideas of his less cerebral peers. And frankly, their idea of fun often terrifies Wyatt. He would refer to himself as 'conservative', or 'cautious'. Others might say cowardly, but though he might come off as a bit of a nerd, he does have a mostly good heart.
Background: Wyatt knows he had a privileged life as a duke's son. It gave him the opportunity to study was some truly gifted tutors from the Whisper House, after all, and find a field of study he truly fell in love with. On the other hand, it would have been nice if his father, Duke Gregor 'the Butcher of Graypeak' Shepherd, had been a little more supportive of Wyatt. When Wyatt just gave the barest hint that he was interested in becoming a Scholar of Vellichor at the age of 12, he was sent to squire at a war camp against Abandoned. Wyatt spent the entire summer talking to the quartermaster about logistics and the truly fascinating economic factors of different campaigns. When he came back and offered a few suggestions to improve efficiency to his father, he was not pleased. And it wasn't fair! They were excellent suggestions!
Most of his young adulthood was spent serving House Shepherd while trying to avoid being turned into the battle hardened, bloodthirsty warrior that his father dreamed. He kept noticing little ways that the House's fortunes could be improved with a clever bit of efficiency here, or some eliminating of waste there, but his father mocked his interest in 'counting silvers' every chance he had. Which, to be fair, you don't get named 'the Butcher of Graypeak' by writing a treatise on livestock management and its economic impact (which Wyatt also did, and father was NOT pleased.) Still, as the duchy started to slide towards economic collapse and bankruptcy by funding Duke Gregor's constant relentless scorched earth warfare against Abandoned, even his father had to grudgingly admit his son had a 'mild usefulness' when Wyatt unobtrusively slipped in and began to manage the duchy's neglected books. (Father didn't even collect taxes some years! Too busy, he said!)
With father's utter disdain for his occupation, Wyatt never expected to rule, which... he was more than fine with. He loved the intricate details behind how a ducal holding works, the way to improve it, the endless minutiae and how it all clicks together. Not so much the actual dealing with other people, and so he always expected his sister Jennyva to rule. Still, it came as a shock when Gregor on his deathbed made a dying decree to ennoble Sir Bentley Crownfall, his constant battlefield companion. It probably shouldn't have, since it was the sort of thing father respected, but did he expect how much that would complicate succession? And who WAS this Malcolm fellow anyway?
No matter, as far as Wyatt's concerned. He'll make sure the books are kept neat and tidy, and he's sure he can handle a few surprise relatives. This is fine. Everything's fine.
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