October 25, 2024, 12:08:12 AM
10/25/24: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's characters from my anthro WWII storyline are Herzog von NN and Herzogin von NN (full names never given). These are the parents of Adalbert and Adelheid, and grandparents of Ratdog/Adel and Edelgard. Part of a long line of dukes and duchesses, they're long deceased by the time of the main story, though their unfortunate fate is reflected later on in what happens to Edelgard and Adel. There'll be more about them later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.
Regarding their design, they have the same muddy gray fur and bright blue eyes as everyone else in the family. They're Victorian era, around the mid- to late 1800s; the duke has a mustache and goatee.
TUMBLR EDIT: Rest of entry modified to avoid repetition.
Firstly, in case anyone has noticed something rather obvious and is puzzled, here is a rough graphic of Ratdog's/Adel von NN's family tree:
HERE.
...A distinct lack of branches, right? The hereditary Dukes and Duchesses von NN traditionally practiced the weird custom of brother/sister marriage. I don't know why yet, though I imagine geographical isolation played a big role; Lt. Ratdog and PFC Godfrey Klemper's unit accidentally stumble across the remains of the old Castle von NN in their military duties, way out in the middle of nowhere, so that even Ratdog--its technical owner--is surprised to see it. As Junkers and members of the German nobility (Deutscher Adel), the von NN family, in ye olden days (Ratdog claims the line goes back to at least the 1500s, perhaps earlier), owned vast farmlands surrounding the castle, and these were worked by nearby peasant farmer families who were barely a step above slave labor; a genealogist traces Klemper's family line back through these, so it's highly possible his distant ancestors once toiled for Ratdog's. As time went on, however, for one reason or another, the farmland dwindled, the farmer families were released from their servitude and moved away, and the von NN property began to shrink as the wilderness took over. If they hadn't already followed the practice, the von NNs likely began their custom of sibling marriage around this period as there were no suitable marriage partners available anywhere near; I imagine younger siblings--non-heirs--ended up moving away and taking suitable mates elsewhere, effectively branching off from the main family line (so Ratdog/Adel surely DOES have distant cousins still alive out there, somewhere, just no longer carrying the family name--so his claim of being the last of his name is technically, though not genealogically, accurate), though the eldest von NN brother and sister stuck to the tradition for generations. Eventually, this just became the norm.
I don't know very much at all about Duke and Duchess von NN--not even their names (I named their heirs Adalbert and Adelheid, hinting that most of the oldest siblings in the family bear names related to the nobility--see also Edelgard and Adel--yet saw no point in naming these two), as Edelgard effectively erases their hereditary name from everything in the estate, and Ratdog refuses to divulge it to anyone but Klemper, who never tells. Adel is born around 1910, I think, so going in 25-year (generational) increments (even though Edelgard is a few years older), Adalbert and Adelheid date to roughly an 1885 birth, and the Duke and Duchess here to roughly an 1860 birth. Give or take. So they're late Victorian. I assume that the last of the few castle servants remaining on the von NN estate have left by the time the Duke and Duchess take ownership (the farmland has long gone completely fallow), as Adalbert and Adelheid are left on their own following their exit. For an indeterminate reason, von NN generations never seem to last long by this point--this could be due to all the inbreeding, though for the most part, the von NNs seem to escape the unpleasantness inherent in that. Physically, at least. Mentally, it might be another issue. Anyway, another possibility is a familial curse...Ratdog/Adel is an avowed atheist, he disdains both the Christian faith and the völkisch beliefs of the poor farmer folk, and he brushes off things such as Major Jäger's heathen practices as superstitious nonsense, yet he's perfectly willing to believe his family is cursed, because how could it not be? (Oddly, the very superstitious Klemper is skeptical of this, and thinks maybe the family just has bad blood or else plain bad luck.)
The Duke and Duchess inherit the estate when their sibling-parents...die, disappear, who knows, I don't. They genuinely care for each other...this is something I should've mentioned earlier, the von NN situation can't really be compared to the Dannecker situation. Ernst Dannecker's mother's side of the family also apparently practiced a sort of intergenerational incest (in this case, parent/child), except theirs was definitely warped and nonconsensual, as it involved adult/underaged relations. Although Dannecker carries on a consensual relationship with his mother as an adult, the relationship began when he was an adolescent, and thus unable to consent; and his stepdaughter Gret certainly never consents to what he later puts her through. The family has normalized nonconsensual behavior. With the von NNs, on the other hand, although the siblings might be underaged when they first get involved (given how briefly the generations last), they're always members of the same generation, there are no adult/underage relationships. There's also no coercion involved--although there's technically no CHOICE, as there are no other romantic prospects around, the von NNs are definitely allowed to refuse marriage to each other, if they wish (the decision Edelgard and Adel make)...they're just so used to these marriages that they don't mind. Tl;dr, it's still incest, but it's consensual, and no force or abuse is involved. It's weird and morally/legally wrong, but nobody really cares.
Anyway...the Duke and Duchess do love each other, and don't mind carrying on the tradition. I briefly mulled over what their relationship may have been like. The Duchess sadly confiding in her brother-husband, what if it's always like this, what if we're just cursed?--makes me suspect she suffers a few miscarriages and/or stillbirths that leave her worried about carrying on the family line. The Duke does his best to allay her fears, promises that he won't leave her even if she ends up barren. Eventually she gives birth to a son, Adalbert...and then some time later, thankfully, a daughter, Adelheid. I say thankfully, because the von NNs by necessity need both a son and a daughter, and they've always managed to luck out so far. I already mentioned extra siblings who go off into the world; by this time, with fewer and fewer children being born, extra siblings are a rarity, and I doubt the Duke and Duchess have any other kids. They're grateful for their son and daughter, and spoil them the best they can, because of course the von NNs always want their children to be healthy and happy (so they too will later marry and continue the line). If there's anything to be said for the von NNs in general (whether it be the Duke and Duchess, or Adalbert, or Ratdog/Adel himself, or Adel's daughter Tatiana von Adel), it's that they always dote on their children, and do anything they can for them. (Adelheid is the exception...for reasons.)
Adalbert and Adelheid have a relatively happy childhood. They grow up isolated from the outside world, with the full expectation that they'll marry someday. Doesn't even occur to them to think differently. I know little else about the old Duke and Duchess other than that they love the outdoors and hunting, even the Duchess, they often go off together into the forest with their rifles, doesn't matter the time of year--summer, winter, rain or shine or wind or snow, nothing deters them. They obtain food this way--as neighbors to trade with are few and far between--yet they also just plain enjoy it. They take Adalbert out with them a few times once he's old enough, though he's not really into it himself, and Adelheid isn't interested. So as they get older, and are able to be left home on their own, the von NN children are more often left alone to their own devices for long stretches as their parents are off in the woods. They don't mind, they're just used to it.
One icy morning deep in winter, the Duke and Duchess bundle up in their heaviest furs, strap on their skis (a necessity in this part of the world), ready their rifles and supplies, kiss their children farewell, and head off into the snow. Adalbert and Adelheid see them off, then go about their typical daily routine, reading, wandering the castle, napping, working on a painting or a carving, going to the kitchens for a snack. It's not unusual at all when their parents haven't returned by nightfall; hunts often last a few days or more, so the two teenagers prepare themselves a late supper, share a few words across the giant table as they eat, then sit in the parlor to read before the fire for a bit before retiring to their beds.
The next day, the sky grows ominously dark and a snowstorm blows through. It isn't the typical violent but brief squall; it goes on all day long and into the evening. Adalbert and Adelheid stay inside, watching anxiously out the windows with wide eyes as the blizzard gusts, the trees creak, and the snow piles. They don't get much sleep. The storm finally breaks the next morning, and Adalbert steps outside (after having to dig a space out around the doorway) to examine the aftermath. The landscape is vastly changed, hills and drifts of snow piled against the castle and trees and rocks; the old paths around the estate are gone from view, and if it weren't for the castle squatting right behind him, he wouldn't recognize anything familiar. Even the shapes of trees he knows well have been changed, snow weighing down their boughs. He peers around a few minutes before going back inside. It's only been a couple of days, he tells the anxious Adelheid, no point trudging off into the snow just yet, best to conserve his energy. Their parents are excellent hunters and trackers, far better than he is, surely they'll be back soon. Truth to tell, he's very uneasy and worried...he's never seen a snowstorm like this one, and if it's this impassable here, on the relatively level terrain around the castle, he dreads to think about what it's like in a deep forest full of hidden hollows, caves, and ravines. He keeps his fear to himself for now, and focuses on distracting his sister for the rest of the day, keeping her thoughts preoccupied so she doesn't dwell on unpleasant possibilities. As night falls, however, this grows more difficult, and the two end up just sitting huddled together before the fire, Adalbert's arm around Adelheid and her head resting on his shoulder as they stare anxiously into the flames.
The Duke and Duchess don't return the next day, or the next. Adelheid's mental state unravels; she starts weeping uncontrollably, begging to know where are their mother and father, and even Adalbert's reminder that they've been gone longer than this in the past, they really shouldn't get upset just yet, does nothing to convince her...he isn't even convinced himself, surely their parents would have started home early after such a storm, unlikely to successfully continue the hunt. They also wouldn't want their children to worry. Adalbert finally offers to go out looking for them, if only to allay her fears, yet she insists that he at least wait until tomorrow as it's already afternoon and is growing dim. He agrees, and prepares supplies for possibly a long trek through the woods; they share a silent dinner, and doze off in front of the fire, Adelheid still sniffling and wiping her eyes.
Adalbert wraps up in furs, straps on his skis, readies his rifle just in case and secures his supplies to a sled the next morning; kisses Adelheid goodbye, promising to be careful and to try to be back by tomorrow; and sets off. He heads into the forest and spends hours searching, seeking out all the spots his parents took him to when they brought him hunting, even though they're difficult to find in the vastly transformed landscape. It's bright and sunny, yet so skin-pricklingly cold (he keeps a scarf wrapped around all his face but his eyes) that none of the snow has melted yet, as he'd hoped it would. He finds no tracks, though that too had been a dim hope. He tests his path frequently with his ski poles, to make sure he isn't about to walk off into a hole or dropoff; this slows his progress, though he does cover a decent amount of ground, and hits all of the familiar spots he can think of. At each one he pulls down his scarf and yells, "Mutter...? Vater...?" as loudly as he can, strains his ears for any response...yet never hears anything but the occasional call of a bird or crack of a branch. Even his own echo is muted by the snow. He nearly gets buried in a gout of snow that plummets from an overhead branch, and one time is almost pulled down into a ravine when his sled slips; after he's forced to cut the straps and watch his supplies disappear from sight, he decides to take this as a sign that it's time to head back, though he does call out for the Duke and Duchess one more time. Holds his breath and listens to the ringing stillness. Pulls his scarf back up, turns, and reluctantly gives up his search, trudging back the way he'd come.
It's dark by the time he reaches the castle, Adelheid hovering at the door; she throws her arms around him, brings him in, sets him before the fire--he's too exhausted to protest--and frets over him, pulling off his snow-caked garments and wrapping him in blankets. She weeps as she tries to rub the cold from his hands; he's returned alone, without his sled, and downcast, so she knows what that means. She brings him a bowl of hot broth to sip; it finally pulls him from his frozen daze, yet his melancholy mood remains, and this time he has no reassurances to offer his sister. Although he doesn't tell her so, he's convinced that their parents won't be returning home.
Adalbert and Adelheid awake the next day, and begin a new routine, a new life without their parents. They're the only ones left, and they realize it now. For quite a while they merely go through the motions, too numb with shock and grief to think too hard, though every once in a while the silence and the absence hits them and Adalbert has to pause to hold Adelheid's hand as she cries, or privately wipe his own eyes dry. He takes up hunting for food, himself, and occasionally travels to a distant neighbor to trade. The winter passes, spring comes, the snow slowly starts to melt; Adalbert and Adelheid search the forest, yet find nothing. It's as if the Duke and Duchess have disappeared from the face of the earth. As brother and sister sit at a mournful supper that evening, Adelheid wonders aloud if perhaps the Wild Hunt carried them away. Adalbert quickly shushes her; although the von NNs are nominal Christians, superstitions run deep in this part of the world, and some things are best not mentioned or thought about too much.
As soon as the two siblings come of age, Adalbert contacts the old pastor who's familiar with the von NNs' odd ways and doesn't question; he marries them, and alone they start their own family as intended. Adelheid has a daughter, Edelgard, but it's obvious early on that something is not right about her, mentally, and she spends much of her early childhood locked away and isolated from the tiny family. Next comes a son, Adel. Adel is by all appearances a perfectly normal child, if only average in intelligence (despite her mental imbalance, Edelgard is unusually bright and clever), and is the only one Edelgard trusts, so Adalbert entertains hopes that someday the two will continue in their place, though Adelheid refuses the thought of Edelgard playing any role in continuing the family line. Edelgard and Adel, meanwhile, never even bother pondering such things; marriage and raising a family is a thought that doesn't cross their minds.
Adalbert introduces Adel to hunting. Adel takes to it better than he did when he was around the same age. As they wander the forest one day, they separate, and Adel stumbles and falls down a ravine; he tumbles to the bottom, battered and bruised but otherwise uninjured. As he checks himself over, his attention is caught by the sight of something manmade peeking from the undergrowth; he brushes aside the leaves and grass and finds an old and weather-beaten sled, its rope straps frayed and cut short. He peers around to see if there's anything else, and notices a dark spot nearby--a cave opening, almost lost in the foliage. He trudges toward it and peeks within; curiosity overcoming his fear, he turns on his lantern, and crawls inside. The cave is low, but wide, with numerous passages and hollow spots located along the sides; most of these are blocked by fallen debris, but Adel turns to an inset space to the right, seeing something within it, and lifts his lantern. Then gasps and jerks back at the sight of the face within, eyes wide and black, mouth gaping.
It takes him a moment to recover himself, though once he does, he simply lifts his lamp again, and creeps forward for a closer look. He knows that whatever it is, it can no longer hurt him, and now he's more curious than anything. There are actually two faces, he sees now...two bodies huddled against the wall, their eyes and hair long gone but the rest of them mummified by the cool, relatively dry air of the cave, skin pulled tight over their bones, lips pulled back in toothy grimaces. As he shines the light over them, other small details catch his eye: the tattered scraps of furs and cloth around them, the rusted-out rifles and broken skis lying nearby, the way one has its arm around the other, the second resting its head upon the shoulder of the first. Whoever they were, they died waiting for help that never came, yet at least they died together.
Adel gasps--he hears his own name being called, and at first thinks it's the mummy before him speaking. Then realizes it's his father, calling out for him outside and above; he sounds worried. Adel crawls out of the cave, climbs back up the ravine side, jogs to meet his father, who exclaims in dismay over his battered state; Adel reassures him he's fine, he only fell a little way, though Adalbert insists on heading home to patch him up (and to check on Adelheid and Edelgard, who mostly avoid each other). As they make their way back to the castle, Adel decides not to mention the derelict sled, or the two pathetic bodies...he doesn't know all the details, but he knows his grandparents, the old Duke and Duchess, disappeared one night after a storm and never came back, and he's pretty sure that was them, and that the nearby sled was Adalbert's. He doesn't want his father to know just how close he came to finding them...even if they were already gone.
Some time later, while Adel is out hunting on his own, the tense situation between Edelgard and Adelheid explodes, with Adalbert getting caught in the middle. Edelgard and Adel are now the only ones left. Edelgard demands that Adel leave before she ends up hurting him, too; although he heads back out into the snow, he insists that he'll come back, that he won't turn his back on her.
Adel treks to a distant neighbor's place, offers him payment in exchange for staying a few days. Heads back to his castle. Finds the doors and windows all thrown open, snow drifting inside. He has to stay bundled up as he wanders the halls and rooms calling for his sister, it's nearly as icy within as it is without. He finds no Edelgard, no Adelheid, no Adalbert; the bloodstains of the confrontation remain, yet the castle is deserted. Edelgard must have removed the bodies on her own, then wandered off into the snow. He stays a while, hoping she'll return, yet she doesn't; he writes a note for her, gathers his belongings, stands before the castle calling out for her: Again he promises that he'll come to check on the castle now and then, if she comes after him he vows not to turn her away. The snowy fields and woods echo only his own voice. He reluctantly leaves his home for good. He keeps his promise, stops by a few more times in the following months, leaves a hand-drawn map to the new home he's building deep in a different part of the woods, yet never sees Edelgard again. The snow takes her away, and she never returns.
Many years, and many more painful losses later, not long after welcoming his new grandson into the world, Adel returns to his little stone cottage deep in the woods, cries himself out, drinks himself numb, throws open the windows and the door. Lets in the cold, lies down to sleep. Like the Duke and Duchess, like his sister, he lets the snow come in, and quietly dies alone, taking the von NN name--and its "curse"--along with him.
Please see also his wife's, Duchess von NN's, entry.
[Herzog von NN 2024 [Friday, October 25, 2024, 12:08:12 AM]]