character application info

basic info

Name: Damianos of Akielos, known as Damen
Age: 25
Canon: Captive Prince
History: http://captiveprince.wikia.com/wiki/Damianos

Note that Captive Prince is a canon with content elements such as rape, dubious consent, incest, pedophilia, slavery, torture, and non-consensual acts of all kinds.

Damianos, the legitimate heir and prince to the throne of Akielos, is betrayed by his half-brother Kastor into slavery and sent to the rival kingdom of Vere as a gift to the Prince Laurent. In his new life as 'Damen', he must pretend to be a simple soldier as he plays pet for the coldly cunning Prince, whose brother he himself cut down in battle six years ago. It's a life he despises and seeks desperately to escape from, but kindness for his fellow slaves and a distrust of the Veretian Regent who tries to turn him against the prince lead him on a path to an uneasy alliance with Laurent, with his own freedom on the line if he proves his trustworthiness.

For the purposes of Enervation, he'll be taken from the end of Book 1.

personality

Strengths: Even enslaved, Damen is an ever-watchful, observant person, taking in details of his surroundings and the people he is with, reading them as carefully and closely as he can. Raised to be King of Akielos, he developed vigilance and mindfulness, though his own honesty often keeps him from seeing the dishonesty in honors. (See: blind-sided by Kastor's betrayal.) As we see the story unfold through Damen's eyes, his scrutinizing gaze takes in all the obvious facts of his situation. The less-obvious ones take time to reveal themselves to him.

Practically speaking, he is a tactician at heart, always planning but rarely plotting. Anything underhanded is foreign and repugnant to him. (This is why Laurent and the Veretian court mystify him at first.) Because he is so honest and frank, he appreciates those qualities in others as well. His approach tends to be straightforward, pragmatic, and genuine. This does leave him at a disadvantage in such a subversive culture.

'His mind, which ran along straight and candid lines, could not make sense of what was happening.'

However, Damen proves both determined and extremely resourceful, adapting and finding ways to defy the system; when outright rebellion doesn't work, he tries other means, recruiting others (even, reluctantly, Laurent) to accomplish his goals and taking action on his own when the opportunity arises.

As the future King, he is a natural leader, someone who knows how to command respect and lead with both authority and caring for his team. Though considered a barbarian and the Prince's pet by the Veretians, he capably commands Laurent's troop when they are banished by the Regent and Laurent appoints him captain. He clearly holds these strengths in high regard, as we can see by his ringing endorsement of one of Laurent's guards.

'He liked Jord. He liked his pragmatism and the sense of responsibility he so clearly felt towards the men. Whatever background Jord had risen from, he had the makings of a fine leader.'

Leading is a role that Damen was truly born to do, and he does it well, whether in his own country or an enemy's.

It's no surprise that his skill in battle is legendary - at a young age, he defeats the gifted Auguste in battle, and he can single-handedly incapacitate two or three opponents at once, as the Regent's midnight attack on Laurent's illustrated. However, it would be a mistake to discount Damen as merely a sword. He reads the situation with a keen intellect and responds to it as the solution calls for it, which allows him to win fights with terrible odds and to stand up to Laurent in a way the Prince isn't used to. He thinks very differently than Laurent, but he's able to match wits very adeptly, and in a language that isn't his native one. He speaks Veretian with almost perfect fluency (whereas Laurent has a less capable handle on Akielon); Damen also knows the languages of the other surrounding lands, Vask and Patras. His gift for languages seems to be a result of both natural interest, talent, and studied practice for his future Kingship. All in all, Damen consistently proves himself a thoughtful, well-spoken man in spite of what his stereotypical brawn might suggest, with a devastating sarcastic edge when he's sparring words (Laurent in particular brings out this quality in him).

Called 'liberal with his affections' by those who know him most intimately, Damen is well-loved by his people, friends, and lovers alike. In bed, he's a tender, attentive lover, attuned to the needs of his partner. As a friend, he's dependable and faithful, always honoring agreements; more inclined to honesty than sparing feelings, but with his companion's best intentions at heart. There is nothing false about him.

Finally, Damen's strong sense of compassion and loyalty carry him to take action for the benefit of others, time and again. When he is enslaved in Vere, his concern turns to the other Akielon slaves who are being mistreated, and he works with Laurent (in a well-thought out ploy in exchange for his own capitulation) to transfer the Akielons to kinder masters than the Regent. When he commands soldiers, their well-being is always in his mind. He has no allegiance to Vere, and yet his growing loyalty to Laurent prompt him to stay and fight for him even when given the opportunity to leave.


Flaws:
He is rather naive when it comes to political machinations, a devastating weakness that his half-brother exploits to take over the throne. Because he is so honest, it is hard for him to see when others might not be so transparent in their motives and alliances.

By the same token, he tends to take actions at face value and is quick to make judgments about what is prompting them. Laurent is the best example of this, as Damen assumes that he is as corrupt and gratuitously cruel as the rest of the Veretian court, and only later realizes the complexity of Laurent's character and motivations.

Growing up the pampered Crown Prince, Damianos was rather spoiled and catered to, his every wish accommodated. He views slavery in Akielos as a social norm, and takes bed slaves as a custom, however kind of a lover he might be. The flaw in his beliefs is thrown into sharp relief when he becomes a slave himself and must accommodate the whims of another. Just because he was a good master to his own slaves, who were trained to not only submit but crave submission, does not excuse the perverseness of bedding those who did not have the means to say no.

That becomes a major issue when he himself is forced into servitude. He is proud, proud, proud! Damen hates being humiliated, and he will fight tooth and nail at first against attempts to subdue him. He has a naturally dominant nature, and playing nice with others when they try to restrain him is not really on his priority list. His temper is explosive at times, and his judgment can become clouded by his anger and passion. Often, Damen's first instinct is to react rather than to deliberate, and his blunt words and actions can get him into hot water if he's not careful. Stubborn to a fault, he can dig in heels and refuse to cooperate unless he has a higher goal in mind.


Miscellaneous:
Damen tends to value the same qualities in others as he strives for himself: honesty, clear-sightedness, honor, leadership. He approaches challenges with a straight-forward eye for strategy rather than any kind of outright manipulation. Though he is blunt, he is rarely cruel and tends to deal very honestly and openly with others.

It is very hard to break his will. Beaten nearly to death for a minor liberty (or so he believes), Damen changes tactics from physical resistance (which is no longer possible) to a long-term plan to escape. His hope to go back to Akielos is a constant throughout the series, and it's a driving factor in his motivations. Through all the terrible events of his enslavement and mistreatment, he always saw himself as King rather than as a slave, and his power of belief is something not easily shaken.

When he becomes invested in something, or specifically someone, he can grow possessive. He'll fight tooth and nail for the people he cares about. As his relationship with Laurent progresses, he demonstrates jealousy over the Prince's attentions and affection. However, his own desires take a backseat to the ultimate well-being of others, as we see with his careful placement of Erasmus with a master who will treasure him.

Physically, Damen is a tall, broad, well-proportioned man with noticeable musculature, dark hair and eyes, and olive skin. He is drawn to the exotic and new, but he often couples with women, with a partiality for blondes and those with fair coloring (a novelty in the Mediterranean-esque Akielos). When he takes men for partners, he is known for choosing powerful soldiers (as Erasmus's training describes) or those who can challenge or match him. Between his legendary 'roaming eye' and kind heart, he would be an attentive partner to almost anyone who captured his interest, regardless of gender or looks.

game plans

Starting Faction: Warlord
Goals: Since Damen is being summoned into a faction that's not so different from the slavery he's been thrust into in Vere, I'd like him to struggle with the choices he'll face in the Warlord's camp. Being given a choice at all is something he never had the luxury of in his old life as Laurent's slave, and he will be challenged by the ethical dilemmas that his new master's demands of loyalty may bring up. On the other hand, he is a gifted soldier and an experienced leader, and he may find a natural place within the Warlord's forces if he cooperates. He'll be looking constantly for ways to escape and get back home, but since that's impossible, defecting to the Empress might be in his long-term gameplan.