Teo Schwarzer

Teo Schwarzer (テオ・シュバルツァー) is an Erebonian noble. He is the current Baron Schwarzer and therefore the head of House Schwarzer and the ruler over Ymir, the Schwarzer Barony.

Appearance
Teo is a middle-aged man with spiky blonde hair and brown eyes. He wears a blue shirt with a purple neck scarf, with black trousers and brown riding boots. Teo wears an ornate brown waistcoat with a white lapel and green stripe down the centre across the buttons. There is a handkerchief in his breast pocket and two tails hanging from the back of his waistcoat.

Personality
Teo is a strong hearted man who cares for the well-being of others. He cares little for the opinions of the nobility and strives to do right by his moral code, regardless of what others think. He is regarded as an approachable ruler and he does not engage with the pompousness other nobles do.

Background
Teo Schwarzer was born as the son of Baron Schwarzer in Ymir, Erebonia.

Around S.1164, Teo's father lost a close friend in an avalanche and decided to adopt his 13-year-old son: Giliath Osborne. For Teo, who was 5 years old at the time, it was like gaining an older brother and he considered Giliath both gentle and trustworthy. At the age of 17, Giliath left Ymir to enroll at Thors Military Academy.

It was shortly after the Hamel Tragedy in S.1192 that Giliath suddenly contacted Teo again, the first time in three years. He begged Teo, who was now the ruling Baron Schwarzer, to take custody over a certain child and urged him to not mention their friendship to said child. Giliath informed him about the location he had abandoned his child. Teo dashed toward the location, realizing how heartbroken Giliath was as a single father.

Adopting an abandoned child into a noble family did not sit well with the other noble families. They shunned him and in response he took distance from Erebonia's high society. He preferred to be an approachable ruler who lived a simple life, which made him well liked by his people.

Although he is on good terms with his drinking friend Yun Ka-fai, whom he requested to teach Rean the Eight Leaves One Blade school, Teo never pursued that school of swordsmanship himself since the art of fencing has been passed down in the Schwarzer family for generations.

A month after the Erebonian Civil War began, Ymir was attacked by the Northern Jaegers, who were contracted by Helmut Albarea to capture Alfin Reise Arnor. Teo attempted to defend his village, but the jaegers resorted to dishonorable tactics and severely wounded him. Fortunately, he was able to recover from his injuries.

Teo opted to remain out of the Great War, which would have normally been seen as treason with the Erebonian Curse spread all across the country. He was able to negotiate with Osborne, and the two came to an agreement; the small town would not have to help with the war effort at the cost of being cut off from the rest of the world for the duration of the war. This agreement was short-lived however as the war ended in two days.

Sometime after the Great War, the Bright family came to Ymir for a vacation. Teo was honored to serve as their host and provided them with food and lodgings for the duration of their trip. When they left, he commented on how the family was more than what he had heard.

After the Brights' visit, new Class VII, Matteus Vander and Claire Rieveldt came to Ymir. Teo was pleased to meet his son's students and provided lodging. When several Magic Knights appeared and threatened the town's safety, Teo rushed out to face the threat, but Matteus had already cleared them. Teo thanked Matteus for his help and saw the entire group off.

"Dear Rean, It's been a while since we last talked, huh? About six months or so, I'd guess? Judging from your last letter, you seem to be well. I'm sure Elise mentioned it, but Master Ka-fai visited Ymir in late May. He left a letter for you, so I sent it to Elise via a reliable source so she could deliver it to you in person. I'd also like to tell you that which I promised I would.  I imagine by now, you know about your birth father. Elise had her suspicions, but your mother and I immediately knew something was amiss when you last visited. First off, I need to apologize for not telling you sooner.  I've known Giliath Osborne for about 40 years.  His family were commoners from the north, but his father and mine were acquainted. When he lost his family to an avalanche, we took him in. He was 13 years old at the time. I was only five then, so I looked up to him as an older brother.  Once he was 17, he left Ymir and enrolled at Thors. After his graduation, he joined the army and was promoted at a remarkable rate. Because of this, the nobles took notice and tried to quash his rise through the ranks. Even after my father passed on and I took over Ymir, Giliath continued to keep in contact. Untill that day 14 years ago. It had been three years since I'd heard his voice. 'I want you to take in a child.' 'You must cut all ties with me and never speak a word of this to that child.'  'I'm sorry, Teo. You're the only one I can turn to.' I accepted his request and immediately took a horse out to the place he told me. The rest, you should know. The moment I saw the child, I knew it was his. I knew Giliath was married and had a child. I'd even seen pictures. But seeing the child up close, he resembled his mother more than anything. Even so, I chose to forget all that and take that child in as a member of the Schwarzer family. Fortunately, Lucia agreed and Elise warmed up to him in no time. From then on, it all felt like a wondrous dream. That child grew up into a man any parent would be proud of. Of course, Elise was proud of her dear older brother, as well. I knew he worried about the mysterious power deep within him. But he studied under Master Yun in order to get it under control. We, his parents and his sister, will always be proud of him. He is an irreplaceable member of our family. Much has changed since then, yet I know he is still the same young man we all love. My older brother Giliath was kind and dependable. I know he would not have left his child, were there any other choice. That said, I refuse to give you back to him. Even if it comes down to a bare-knuckle brawl between us, even if I have no chance of winning, I will never let you go. Above all, I wanted to make sure you knew this. That's why I wrote to you today. Sorry it took me such a long letter to say it. Say hi to Elise for me. Sincerely, Dad. P.S. He did contact me just before after the incident. Though it was simply as a request from the Imperial Chancellor to a local baron. 12 years ago, he asked me to introduce him to a young noble from the Alberea family to whom I was teaching falconry at the time. In retrospect, I feel my introduction to him was a prelude to recent events--such as the civil war and the occupation of Crossbell. It's possible this isn't relevant, but I thought I'd let you know anyway."

Trivia

 * Teo loves to hunt with their dog Badeux and horse Arthur.