character :: Mathias Sørensen
Mathias was born into a privileged family in the Countryside region of the Requisite, growing up on the Sørensen Estate Vineyards where he was well-versed in all things wine from a young age. He could tell a person the difference between red, white and rosé, the process to extract the richest flavor, the amount of yeast to add and even the differences between, say, a pinot and a merlot. But certain secrets were kept within the family to preserve the one of a kind flavors that would make any person say 'this must be from the Sørensen Estate!' Though not everyone was fit to try the family's wine...
When Mathias was coming into his teen years, his family kept a strict watch on which regions their wines were exported to and the recipients of the fruits of their labor, reserving it only for the most refined tastes of a few select regions. It isn't until Mathias has turned fourteen that he makes the suggestion to his father that perhaps they should limit their customers even further, providing large amounts of it to Sky Pass for their extravagant parties and grand banquets and although Mathias' sister argues against his suggestion in fear that it will alienate the rest of the population, his mother and father agree and their wine becomes all the more exclusive and rare. Mathias revels in the sweet success of his ability to persuade even his only family and it will be this ego that creates a monster out of Mathias.
wine is simple:
It's in your blood
When Mathias turns of age (21), his family formally accepts him into the family business and names him as president of the vineyards, allowing him to oversee the production of the wine and monitor sales more closely. Now, as a head of the estate, a woman catches his eye by the name of Emma, a brilliant woman who works with gems and jewelry in her small shop in Countryside. The match is a smart one and within months, the two are happily married but only a year into the happiest time of his life, Mathias' luck catches up with him. His wife has died suddenly from what appeared to be a robbery and at only 23, Mathias must bury his first wife. But work stops for no one, even those in mourning. It's within these next few months that Sky Pass begins sending back some of the most favorable reviews the Sørensen family has ever read, remarking over the mouth feel and smooth taste of their wine. Mathias' parents are impressed by his work, providing him with more responsibilities and allowing more of the vineyards high standards to fall on his shoulders. Almost a year and a half after his first wife's death, Mathias is introduced to another young woman named Alice who Mathias' family boasts would be a great match for him. She's a lovely woman, a daughter from a rich family who wants nothing more than to start a family, though it's her intelligence that draws Mathias in. He falls head over heels but the courtship is much longer lasting this time and nearly three years to the day after they were introduced, Mathias asks to marry her and the two appear blissful in their new, joint life. It seems all the more devastating when tragedy finds Mathias again and his wife becomes deathly ill for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Mathias calls doctors in from all over the Requisite but no one can find a cause and young Alice succumbs to her sickness only days later. Mathias family assures him that he did all he could though Mathias is far too heartbroken to hear anymore; he swears off of love and focuses instead on the family business, hiring himself a few more 'workers' some that might be able to 'help with the wine production' and that's where Mathias' new bodyguard Laura comes in.
Strong-willed, intelligent, although a bit barbaric due to her mercenary work, Laura does what she's asked by Mathias, including some side work that involves causing a few people to 'disappear' following what Mathias refers to as 'threats on the lives of the Sørensen family'. But for Mathias, the biggest threat came from the most unexpected place: within. Months after the numbers from the vineyard hit a new records, news breaks all over the Requisite about the cold blooded murder of the Sørensen family and how the oldest child, Camille, was responsible for the death of her parents, despite declaring her vehement innocence. Mathias, as the sole survivor of the tragedy, what with his sister awaiting her trial by hanging, is in both shock and disbelief but is encouraged by the family lawyer to take ownership of the vineyard’s to keep them from going to ruins. Although he initially denies the rights to his family's land, Mathias eventually comes to accept their death and becomes the only remaining Sørensen on the Sørensen family estate...though things aren't always what they appear. Behind the superior, refined facade that Mathias puts on, there's something odd that doesn't quite fit. Perhaps it's that unnerving smile...
