Eugene Benedict

Eugene Benedict
Alias	Dr. Jules
Occupation	Court Physician
Affiliation	Apicarta
Biographical Information
Age	33
Birthplace	Gylvia
Parents	Burgess Tierney Unknown mother
Physical Characteristics
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Height	6'4"
Hair	Auburn
Eyes	Gray
Skin	Pale
Scars	Missing right eye

Julian Tierney (aka Dr. Jules) is an Apicartan doctor. He served as the royal physician to King Tristan Stirling. Upon his failure to save Tristan after he was shot by an assassin, he was demoted to court physician and confined to Carthmere Castle.

Appearance and Personality

At 6 feet 4 inches, Julian is taller than average, with most of his height being in his long legs. He is broad-chested and well built; he often shows off this trait with undone shirts that bare his hairy chest. Due to an injury sustained when he was a younger man, he wears a patch over his right eye. His complexion is pale and he usually has dark circles under his good eye from lack of proper sleep. He has curly auburn hair, large ears, a long face, arched eyebrows, a hooked nose, thin lips, and a pointed chin. He usually wears loose-fitting clothes, finding uniforms and other more buttoned-down fare uncomfortable.

At first impression, one would never guess Julian holds one of the most important and serious offices in the land. He is most often found in taverns or at wild parties, where he drinks a great deal, tells bawdy jokes, and dances on tables well into the early hours of the morning. This behavior may make him more likable, but it puts a great deal of strain on his other commitments. It's a miracle he's been able to keep his job for this long.

While he isn't promiscuous, he will use his natural charms on women to get what he wants. On the rare occasion his charisma fails to convince, such as with Princess Helen, he is often at a loss. His ability to manipulate is surface-level at best; he himself is quite easily manipulated into doing the bidding of others.

But Julian's true value, both as a doctor and as a person, is in his capacity to shoulder burdens. He may not be able to cure every ailment, but he has an excellent bedside manner and a willingness to do anything to help those in need. This, more so than any other allure, is what makes him endearing.

Biography

Early Life

Born in the village of Gylvia, he is the illegitimate son of Burgess Tierney, a war hero known for his exploits during the conquest of Kataru. When he was roughly a year old, his mother left him on his father's doorstep. He knows little of her, except that she was very young when he was born.

He has a half-sister, Hera, who is roughly six years younger than him. She goes by her mother's surname, O'Leary, and is estranged from their father.

Julian was a studious child. He was taught by a private tutor, then later attended the Royal Academy, the most prestigious school in the country. He excelled in his classes and graduated early with high honors.

At some point in his youth, he suffered an injury to his right eye, rendering him unable to serve in the army in any capacity, including medic. He hides this injury by wearing a black eyepatch.

While travelling as a ship's doctor, the ship was attacked by pirates. Julian survived because the pirates needed a doctor; the rest of the crew was killed. Julian spent an extended amount of time with the pirates, primarily because his attempts at requesting his father's help were either ignored or never reached their destination. He eventually escaped while they were docked at the port town of Overbay. He then fled to the capital, Carthmere, where he caught the attention of King Tristan, who was looking for an experienced physician.

Royal Physician

Named the royal physician to the king, Julian accompanied Tristan wherever he went. However, Julian was often not available, or at least not working at full capacity, when the king needed him. The final blow occurred when, while the king was visiting the house of Lord Gavin Zosimus, he was shot by an assassin. Julian was not present at the scene because he had spent the previous night drinking and partying at a local tavern. The delay in reaching the king likely didn't make much of a difference, as Tristan's wounds were mortal, but that didn't prevent Julian from being partially blamed for his death.

Tristan's heir, Aldous, liked Julian despite his failure to save his father and kept him on, albeit demoted to "court physician", a role far less demanding. While Aldous was away during the War of Succession, Julian remained at Carthmere Castle, where it was his duty to attend to the various members of the court there.

For the duration of the war, he tended to the servants and courtiers at Carthmere. Shortly after the arrival of Laura Zosimus, however, he was approached by Princess Helen, Aldous' sister. She had received news that Aldous intended to marry Laura after the war was over and wanted to know more about Laura, but they had gotten off on the wrong foot and the girl was avoiding her at every turn. Thus, Helen tasked Julian with befriending Laura on her behalf and delivering information about her to the princess. Julian was reluctant to accept, but agreed in exchange for Helen providing his sister Hera with a job at the palace.

It soon became apparent that Helen's intentions were more nefarious, as she intended to use the information Julian gained as leverage to manipulate Laura. Likewise, his attempts at gathering data had resulted in him becoming far too involved with the girl, who was head over heels in love with him.