Hungary
Note: In deference to the player's history, Gaspar's father and grandfather were the Dukes of Wallachia rather than Kings of Hungary.
The King's Brothers
Vencel Hannas
Vencel is a smooth-talking and well-educated man, who had been groomed before the death of his father to serve as a count. Vencel is an excellent manager of finances, and his eloquent and impressive demeanor makes him popular at court. Vencel can sometimes be reckless, but his own impetuousness makes him understaning of other's rashness and rarely takes offense at anything.
Zsigmond Hannas
Zsigmond was part of the Hungarian delegation of knights that fought and freed the holy lands from the hands of the Muhammadeans. Zsigmond was ordained as part of his participation in the crusade, but the ordination means little to the third of the Hannas boys. Zsigmond saw little but death and waste during his time on crusade, and his terrible experience destroyed his faith in God. Zsigmond puts little stock in judging people fairly, believing that the world is fundamentally unfair, but his great personal strength and the talent he displayed as a military commander has made him a valuable person dispite his rather unorthodox views.
Endre Hannas
Endre is the sort of brother you wouldn't leave alone at home with the children. He's an unplesant and mean-spirited man, who does nasty things to people and then happily lies about having participated in anything untoward. Endre was educated in the courts and did acceptably well, but his true interest lied in causing others pain and suffering. Endre's unplesant disposition does not help him much in courtly affairs, but he is fairly competent both in managing temporal affairs and also displays a natural talent in military matters.
Ferenc Hannas
Ferenc has always been a disappointment to his father. An indolent lad with little appreciable talent, Ferenc was given an education in a desperate effort to make himself useful. While Ferenc managed to learn a fair bit about courtly life during his tutelage to one of Transylvania's most clever courtiers, most of what appealed to him was the unsavory side of courtly life. What is remarkable, however, is that the more he learned about how the underbelly of court works, the more he knew he wanted to have as little to do with it as possible. Young Ferenc has recently fallen ill, and the court doctor has yet to diagnose his ailment. Until they can figure out what ails Ferenc, they are regularly bleeding him as a precaution against his bad humors overwhelming him.
The King's Cousins
Ambrus Bercsenyi
Ambrus is considered, along with his cousin and rival Gazsi Karolyi, the sharpest military mind in Hungary. Ambrus was sent to learn in the military from an early age, his father rightly believing that Ambrus's almost debilitaing stutter would make a courtly life difficult. Ambrus demonstrated an appreciable range of talent, and his natural gifts combined with the quality education he recieved from the knight he was squired to to produce a most knowledgable tactician. Ambrus's stutter has built in him a sympathy for others that suffer, but at the same time has developed in him a powerful fear of being an outcast so that he zealously hordes any wealth he can get his hands on.
Bertalan Debreceni
Bertalan was educated right along side his favorite cousin, Vencel, and the two are excellent friends. Bertalan never demonstrated the same natural talents that Vencel has, but the quality of his education in affairs of estates has made him a passibly useful courtier. Bertalan has demonstrated himself to be a remarkably controlled and chaste man, but many secretly believe that his devotion to chastity has more to do with the laziness he shows towards any physical endeavour rather than any particular piety. Bertalan has been suspected more than once of having sticky fingers, but accuasations of theft have never been proven.
Frigyes Kacsics
Frigyes the Hunch-Backed is one of the most capable courtiers in all of Hungary. He was educated in the military, where his personal doubts and fears about his martial prowess caused him to focus his studies on tactics (which he learned well) rather than on swordplay. Frigyes has a gruff personality, and because of that is usually not included in negotiations with rival commanders. His natural talents for duplicity, however, and his excellent skill at managing resources has served him well as a military commander. Men who serve under Frigyes have learned that he is the sort of man who will remember slights for years following, and is said to have coined the phrase, "Revenge is a dish best served cold."
Gazsi Karolyi
Gazsi is a good and capable man, an excellent commander of soldiers and a moral and respectable person. Much like his cousins, Frigyes and Ambrus, Gazsi had the good fortune of being squired to one of Hungary's greatest warriors. Gazsi learned his lessons well, and has become one of the finest Hungarian tacticians of this generation. Gazsi is a trusting fellow, and always demonstrates great confidence in his subordinates. He also seeks to treat them well, and his mercy has made him popular with the pesantry that serve in the army. Unfortunately, however, Gazsi has recently fallen ill. Many pray that this illness will soon pass.
Imre Csaky
Imre is a loquatious and eloquent individual, and may very well be the most popular noble in Hungary. Imre has a knack for saying what people want to hear, and it has served him well. Imre also has talent that he inherited from his father with sowrd and men, and these two skills combine to make Imre a force to be reckoned with in Hungary. It is a foolish man indeed who crosses Imre, for though he is a merciful man to most he is also one who does not let slights slide by the wayside.
The King's in-Laws
Csaba Forgach
Csaba was one of the men closest to King Gaspar's father, and served him for many years as a personal advisor. Csaba is resonably talented at anything he tries, though his education made him most valuable as a financial advisor. Csaba was given the late Duke's eldest daughter as a bride years ago as a reward for his loyal service, that dispite Csaba's notorious reputation as a rake. Csaba is a forgiving man, and has always himself looked for that which he so freely offers others. If Csaba can be said to have a weakness, it is that he is sometimes gullible and gives too much credence to the folk tales of the common folk.
Kelemen Ujlaki
Kelemen is a grizzled veteran of many wars. His skill always lied more with the negotiations between commanders rather than the actual fighting itself, but kelemen has none-the-less long been considered instrumental in keeping Transylvania out of Byzantine hands. Kelemen has developed in his own head a quick assessment of poeple based on their appearances and gait, and it is difficult for him to change his initial opinions of people. That said, Kelemen treats all fairly, and his well-known for his generosity.
Tibor Banffy
Tibor is the eldest scion of Hungary's powerful Banffy clan. A court-educated man, Tibor proved decisive in Gaspar's effort to rally the aggrieved nobility of Hungary to his side. His reward for those efforts was the hand in marriage of Gaspar's youngest sister. Tibor's love of alcohol is well known, but his personal charm usually saves him from serious trouble. The fact that Tibor is the type of man who will tunr the other cheek to insults has also served him well, and has helped to ensurethat Tibor is one of the most well-respected Hungarian nobles around.
Lajos Arpad
Lajos is the eldest son of Kaspar Arpad, who was perhaps the strongest noble supporter of the late King Lajos. Kaspar's son was long considered the pre-eminent religious thinker in Hungary, and when Lajos the Younger came out and condemned the tyrranical King of Hungary as failing to abide by the teachings of Christ, the force of his condemnation wound up bringing many nobles to Gaspar's camp. Lajos the Younger was, for his efforts, imprisoned by his father and spent two years there. Lajos the Younger was freed by Gaspar Hannas shortly after the death of Kaspar Arpad, and sealed his ties to Lajos the Younger by taking the priest's only sister as his wife. Lajos's hard times has caused him to doubt the teachings of the Church he once embraced, however, and his recent writings have begun to head down a heretical path. Dispite his mistreatment, though, Lajos the Younger remains an open and trusting man.
Nobles married to cousins of the King
Elek Paloczi
Elek the Meek always wanted to be a powerful and respected courtier. His father sent him to the Church instead, and he never forgave the man for it. Elek became a terrible priest, which suited him fine since he never believed in God anyways. His years studying with (and being beaten by) priests did teach him the value of modesty, however. Elek the Meek took up with the revolt lead by Gaspar soon after his ordination, and his quiet and observant nature helped him to ferret out a man who has infiltrated Gaspar's inner circle with the intent of murdering the would-be revolter in his sleep. As a reward for his invaluable assistance, he was given Ambrus Berecsenyi's sister as a wife.
Salamon Garai
Salamon had great hopes of being a subtle manipulator of the courts, but his ambition has always exceeded his talent. Salamon recieved an excellent education, but he stil remains only a middling talent. Salamon recognizes his shortcomings, however, and accepts them. He has recognized that being generous helps to ingratiate himself with others. He is also a modest fellow, ready to recognize the talents of others over his own. Salamon was lucky enough to come to the attention of Gaspar when he managed to arrange a wedding to the sister of Frigyes the Hunchback, though he was diagnosed with worms in the stomach shortly thereafter.
Szilveszter Guthi-Orszagh
Szilveszter is a courtier most notable for his talent for marrying well and his understaning of the nuances of courtly life. Szilveszter is a meek fellow, and does his best not to stand out in a crowd. Incidentally, this is part of what makes him such an excellent observer of others. Szilveszter has started to grow sick of the constant feuding Hungary has seen these past years, and has made a personal pledge never to hold a grudge against others. This merciful stance has brought him much praise from the clergy of Hungary. Szilveszter is married to the sister of Imre Csaky.
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