Vitus I of Ottonia

Vitus of Ottonia
Storkeneg of Ottonia
Coronation	1 July, 2022
Born	Vitus Rodrik Walder Sproek-Kristhulm (1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 Wyllemspurt, United Kingdom of Ottonia
Storkenegyn	Arietta of Ghant
High Royal House	Sproek-Kristhulm
Father	Rodrik I of Ottonia
Mother	Ava Faramund
Religion	Honorian Church

Vitus of Ottonia is a South Ottonian royal, the son of Rodrik I of Ottonia, and as of July 1st, 2022 is the current Storkeneg of Ottonia in light of his father's abdication following the South Ottonian Revolution.

Early Life

Vitus was born at HRH Storkenegyn Anna Memorial Hospital in the South Ottonian royal capital of Wyllemspurt to Prince Rodrik and his wife, Ava. Vitus was the couple's first child, and became heir apparent to Crown Prince Rodrik. He was baptised on April 30th, 1990 at the Cathedral of St. Honorius in Onneria. His godfather was his uncle, Godwyn of Staalmark, and his godmother was his aunt, Vikturya of Ottonia.

As a child, Vitus was doted on by his grandmother, Adelhaed and his parents. He was soon joined by three younger sisters, Gretchen (1993), Karly (1995), and Kristy (1999), and through his childhood he had a close relationship with his siblings, as well as Vikturya's brood of children, his first cousins. This was facilitated further by sharing his early schooling, via private tutoring, with his eldest sister, Gretchen, and his first cousins Margus, Rodrik, and later their sister, Madalyn.

Vitus was noted to be a precocious child who was skilled at charming those he met. He quickly showed himself to have an aptitude for athletics, but an indifferent student throughout his childhood. He became especially close with Margus, and the two rapidly became inseparable.

Education and Teenage Years

Secondary Education

At the age of 13, Vitus and Rodrik were enrolled in the elite Vylfhuld Academy, a boarding school for the elite in Staalmark. While at school, Vitus showed himself to be a gifted athlete. Initially finding a place on the academy's gridiron football team, Vitus was pressured to change sports after only a single year by his parents due to the sport being considered inappropriate for one of Vitus' standing. He would switch to lacrosse and association football at 14, and became a skilled athlete.

During his time at Vylfhuld, Vitus was reputed to be quite popular, even among the other elites he found himself among. While some of this was likely due to his station, a good deal of it was attributed by acquaintances to the young man's personal charms. He reportedly became especially popular with the opposite sex, dating a progression of his classmates.

As his grandmother's health began to fail and his father began having to shoulder more of the work in governing the country, Vitus's academic performance actually improved. Where he had previously been an average student, he applied himself more to his studies. This reached its zenith in May of 2007, when Storkenegyn Adelhaed was diagnosed with terminal cancer. As a result, Adelhaed abdicated the Ottonian throne in June of 2010, resulting in Vitus' father Rodrik being crowned Storkeneg on the 10th of that month. This, in turn, made Vitus the heir to the throne at the age of 23.

Vitus graduated from the Vylfhuld Academy in 2008, ranked 12th in his class of 88 people, with plans to attend school at the prestigious Sant Eugent University.

Higher Education

Starting in the fall of 2008, Vitus began attending Sant Eugent University, a prestigious Church-affiliated university in Onneria triple-majoring in History, International Relations, and Public Administration. He was given a residence near the University's campus, paid for by the royal family, to help provide adequate security for the heir to the Staalmarker throne. Driven by his father's wishes and his feeling of duty to be a well-prepared heir, his focus on his studies remained strong, if not as tight as in his primary and secondary education. Still, Vitus graduated in with a triple-major in five years, never failed a class (or received a grade lower than a "C", or "Average"). By spring of 2013, he had completed his undergraduate education, and had resumed his place with his family.

Adulthood

Crown Prince

Vitus did stuff. Did some philanthropy. Assisted in the government, generally tried to learn how to rule. Got married. Started participating in foreign relations matters. Helped get his cousin Jenna Faramund hitched.

South Ottonian Revolution and Rise to the Throne

In the late winter/early spring of 2022, South Ottonia was rocked by political instability, set in motion by the violent attempts to suppress a pair of significant strikes. The situation quickly spun out of control, resulting in the South Ottonian Revolution and the subsequent loss of the mainland Ottonian territories from the United Kingdom of Ottonia. Vitus, like the rest of his family, was forced to flee to Draakur, which had remained comparatively tranquil.

Once ensconced in the relative safety of the White Palace of Sant Mikel, the Ottonian royals were faced with a situation that some have characterized as a soft coup by the civil government officials of Draakur, backed by the military forces posted there. As part of the exchange for the resumption of royal governance, Rodrik was pressured to abdicate in favor of the more reform-minded Vitus, effective on the 1st of July, 2022. Since then, Vitus has served as the monarch of the UKO, albeit a nation now confined entirely to the Draakur archipelago. It is unclear how much influence Vitus actually has over the nation's governance, as most day-to-day authority is vested in the Emergency Transitional Administration under the leadership of Director Stevan Grimmeburger; defenders of the current government maintain that the ETA, at minimum, governs with the Storkeneg's tacit approval, if not his outright blessing, while critics have called the government a junta with Vitus as a figurehead.

Personal Life

Vitus has a close relationship with his siblings, with pride of place going to the oldest of his younger sisters, Princess Margret, whom Vitus affectionately calls "Gretchen." He also maintains a close relationship with many of his cousins; he and Margus are frequent cohorts, but he also has seemingly quite a lot of affection for Margus' siblings, as well, often visiting with Rodrik and Madalyn in particular. More distantly, he has also struck up a close and friendly dynamic with his Onnerian cousin, Marie of Onneria, and to a lesser extent with her younger brother, Aetius.

Like the rest of the South Ottonian royal family and most of the aristocracy overall, Vitus is a member of the Honorian Rite of the Fabrian Catholic Church. However, the Crown Prince is not believed to be particularly religious.

Romance and Courtships

Due to his prominence in the royal family of South Ottonia, Vitus' personal life has frequently been fodder for tabloids and royal-watchers. He was relatively insulated during his time at the Vylfhuld Academy, although even there his escapades sometimes reached prying ears. It was clear even in his teenaged years that, whatever his other talents, the Prince was fond of partying, and the interest he recieved from his female classmates was quite reciprocated. During this time, he is known to have dated Helena Jaal, Kathryn Broomfeld, Sara Rynner, all while at Vylfhuld. Moreover, the level of closeness he has displayed with them has led some to speculate that Vitus's relationship with his first cousins Jenna Faramund and Madalyn of Staalmark may have been more than platonic. Certainly, familial ties seem to have been no obstacle to him: his longest relationship prior to 2014 was his romance with his maternal first-cousin Lyna Godwyn; they were not officially confirmed to be seeing one another until 2010, once both had attained their majority, but it is believed they may have been seeing one another as early as 2007. The relationship was, according to palace sources, serious enough that betrothal talks were being bandied, despite the obstacle of Godwyn and Crown Prince Vitus's familial ties. However, the two ended their relationship in 2013, rendering the issue moot.

In 2014, Vitus met Arietta of Ghant at a court event. By all indications the two grew close very quickly, beginning a torrid romance that resulted in Vitus proposing marriage to Arietta early the following year. The two were wedded the following June, and have enjoyed what appears, by all accounts, to be a loving, stable marriage, in spite of both partners' otherwise-disheartening romantic histories.

Drug Use

It is believed that, at some point during his time at boarding school, Vitus was introduced to the use of marijuana. He is believed to have picked up a significant habit in spite of the drug's questionable legality in South Ottonia. Though the Crown Prince has managed to avoid any compromising photos of his cannabis usage, his habit is something of an open secret among royal watchers and Belisarian aristocracy.