Favio Heriod

Favio Heriod is the half-elven bastard son of king Beregar Frysk-Drem and his elven concubine Fiona Aglana. Legitimized by the king in 2009, Favio stands to inherit the throne in the absence of an heir produced by the union of the king and Queen Helena Frysk-Drem. The name "Heriod" is an artifact from Favio's illegitimate roots, meaning "unexpected heir" in his mother's peculiar elven dialect.

In early 2011 Favio was the target on an assassination attempt which resulted in the death of his paramour Sara Masters and the eventual execution of his personal guard, Jacob Mast, Yuri Novich, and Marcus Ladd for vague crimes linked to treason and failure to perform their duty. Favio himself managed to survive the attempt through physical self-defense, and has used the event as a catalyst to stir the population of the Frysk-Drem Kingdom into accepting his eventual inheritance of the throne. Two days after the attempt he gave this speech in the courtyard of Thronekeep:

"'Welcome all ye gathered. It is with a heavy heart that I call you to audience. As many of you may know, an assassin entered the castle, slaughtered an innocent serving maid, turned my trusted guards against me, and made an attempt on my life. It is purely of my own tenacity that I am able to stand before you today. I bring you forward in hopes of bringing the populace peace in this matter. I assure you that no matter what my enemies attempt, no matter how violent they become, I will prevail so that I may inherit the crown when the time comes. Furthermore, I will no longer tolerate the racist activities that lead my enemies to perform such treason. In this matter I speak for the crown. The kingdom is coming toward a change, and I have the strength, the ability, and the intent to bring us into a new age of tolerance. Let the word spread forward. From this day, the healing begins. I encourage my foes to attempt to stop this, so that they may be identified and dealt with. Thank you.'"

Favio's right to the throne is a topic of much controversy throughout the kingdom, where the non-human races have long been viewed as second-class citizens. While dark histories of slavery have faded in all but the most remote corners of the kingdom, many find it difficult to accept the widely varied cultural elements inherent in the other races into their communities. Because of this, there are many in the citizenry who would prefer to see the crown go to Wendell Wiglais, the queen's cousin. With the publicity of Prince Favio's latest position, discord boils through the kingdom.