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The young queen of Vantia who was forced onto the throne when her father the king died under suspicious circumstances. Sensing weakness in the young queen, the royal council of Vantia attempted to control Anri through courtship, deception, intimidation, and manipulation, but Anri has proven wiser than her years and resisted their attempts so far.
Anri believes in her late father's ideals of benevolent rule and strives to prioritize the welfare of the common people over the nobility. Combined with her resistance to their attempts to control her, this has enraged the council and caused some of them to unite in a surreptitious faction with the goal of undermining Anri's power. The young queen struggles to juggle her social initiatives with resisting the council's attempts to undermine her and remaining on guard against potential border incursions by Vantia's expansionistic neighbor, Rikenfald.
This combination of troubles has placed immense strain and pressure on the newly coronated queen. Fortunately, she does have some competent allies to aid her in her struggles. She is also trained as a Communicator, a type of priestess who can hear the voices of the gods and summon otherworldly beings called eidolons. It is rumored that the royal line of Vantia can call upon a secret and mighty eidolon at need, though whether this is true or merely a deception propagated for the sake of deterrence, none can say.
Anri's cousin once removed on her father's side, Marshal Kendrick has sided with her against the dissident councillors, both out of family loyalty and because he is disgusted by the dissident faction's naked disloyalty and lust for power. A legendary warrior and military leader who commands Vantia's ground forces, Marshal Kendrick makes for a valuable ally. Anri leans heavily on him for advice both on matters of domestic politics and how to deter Rikenfald from invading.
Marshal Kendrick sees the queen as the daughter he never had and shows her a soft and caring side that others rarely get to see. To most of the rest of the world, Kendrick is an ill-tempered old war dog. Anyone who thinks age has weakened his sword arm learns where he got his warrior's nickname, "the Ogre."
A knight loyal to Anri's cause whom she has elevated to the position of captain of the royal guard, due partly to his allegiance to her ideals and also because he is a skilled knight and powerful paladin of Luminar. Despite being thrust into the center of dirty court politics and a dangerous and volatile situation, he remains composed and dignified, the very image of a holy knight. But every now and then, he utters off-handed nihilisms which betray that perhaps the filth frothing within the royal council has tinged his thoughts with cynicism after all.
Yet those who mistake courtesy for softness learn that beneath the serene exterior is a cunning tactician's mind, and in battle Axl is an implacable swordmaster who fights with precision and overflowing radiant power. With him by the queen's side, the royal council's prospects for removing Anri through assassination are slim.
Ringleader of the faction of dissident councillors. Chancellor Ralven and his allies have a simple objective: to preserve their wealth and power, and they see Queen Anri's policies focused on improving the welfare of the commoners as an obstacle to that goal. Given Anri's unexpected savviness for their machinations, her competent captain of the guard, and most of all the allegiance of Marshal Kendrick, none of the other councillors are strong enough to oppose the crown individually. Collectively however, their political influence, economic resources, and private forces rival or even exceed that of Anri and her allies.
Chancellor Ralven and his compatriots realize that instigating a civil war would merely erode their own power base and provoke Rikenfald into invading Vantia, so for now, this "last resort" option of open rebellion is off the table. They are not above trying assassination, but under the command of Sir Axl, the royal guard is competent enough that the prospects for success are poor. For the time being, they are content to oppose the crown through more subtle means like undermining Anri's policies and engaging in economic warfare against the crown.
Queen Malvoria has ruled Rikenfald for centuries and is said to be a powerful dark sorceress who has unlocked the secrets of immortality. Some whisper that she is actually a lich who conceals her true undead form with illusions. Whatever the truth, Malvoria rules her domain with an iron fist, utilizing sorcerous secret police and mercenaries recruited from savage humanoids like orcs and gnolls both to keep order among her subjects and to protect the kingdom's borders. Malvoria has also absorbed several neighboring fiefdoms through military conquest. Her next logical target would likely be Vantia, but that would prove a more difficult target than the feedble realms she has conquered in the past -- unless, of course, it weakens itself through internal conflict. Malvoria has the patience and long lifespan to bide her time, waiting to strike when her targets are at their weakest.