Dracian Personalities

Áron XII Barna Pârcălab of Zanavria, Aparator of House Barna, Twelfth of His Name Áron Barna Original article: Áron Barna Once the irresponsible young scion of House Barna, Áron was intended to inherit the Vojvodina of Sabravia from his father two years ago. As the elder Áron lay dying, the Queen tried and convicted him in absentia for funding various rebel causes in the region and declared his choice of heir voided. She instead installed a non-noble wizard, one of her loyal Vraitors, Čedomir Zupan, as Voievod of Sabravia. The younger Áron retained his seat as Pârcălab of Zanavria (a traditional role for the heir to Sabravia) and became Aparator of House Barna upon his father's death. Since that time, Áron XII has rarely been involved in national politics, avoiding the Queen's Court and quietly amassing his own fortune. Compared to other Aparators, he is rather young and was involved in a scandal a decade previous. As a youth, Áron was known to woo more than a few young impressionable noble women, but his proclivities finally caught up with him when he bedded Albína of House Tzoresc, eldest daughter of Augustin, Aparator of House Tzoresc and left her with child. Though he tried to flee his responsibilities, soldiers from House Tzoresc hunted him down and dragged him back to Vararad, seat of the Tzoresc at that time, and forced him to marry Albína at sword-point. Despite such inauspicious beginnings, Albína and Áron became quick allies and some are starting to suspect the two might even love one another. Of course, other rumors linger that Áron has reconnected with the criminals and rabble-rousers his father was connected to and may be himself funding rebellion against the Ivory Queen.

Grigore V Drunar Voievod of Drasylvania, Guardian of the West, Aparator of House Drunar, Fifth of His Name Grigore V Drunar Original article: Grigore Drunar Grigore V is Voievod of Drasylvania and has dominion over the vast majority of the unknown tracks of the Dracian Wood. Nicknamed "The Forest Voievod" for good reason, he is reputed to be an able hunter who knows the forests better than his own huntsman and has seen his share of battle against human and inhuman foes. He was scarred as a young man fighting a forest gryphon, which slashed his face and cost him a few teeth before he finally felled it. As Aparator of House Drunar he is never without his hereditary Strand of the Folk, a legendary necklace said to give him the ability to communicate with and pass freely amongst the Fey. He is also known as a collector of unusual (and often expensive items), though rumor suggests that his habit borders on an obsession and that his castle in Torsvar is packed with various miscellany gathered in his travels. Despite the respect he commands among the nobility of Dracia, Grigore rarely attends the Queen's Court unless directly commanded to or tradition dictates the attendance of all the Voievods. He is, at heart, a very practical man and has little patience for the fripperies and ostentation of the royal court.

Horațiu Marušić Pârcălab of Kasnova, Temesh Herald, Aparator of House Marušić Horatiu Marusic Original article: Horațiu Marušić Horațiu of House Marušić is the elderly Aparator of House Marušić and the Temesh Herald for Dracia. His brother, Vilém of House Marušić, was Voievod of Bistrovia and Horațiu intended to lay claim to his brother's throne upon his death four years ago, despite decades of estrangement between the two brothers over the love of a woman in their youth. The Ivory Queen instead installed Yuri Budny as Voievod, an event that caused no small amount of strife between Horațiu and his new liege. The Queen did install Horațiu as the Temesh Herald, a position traditionally held by the Aparator of House Marušić. As such, he is often found at the Queen's Court, despite considered being out of favor with Her Majesty. Long considered a bitter old man who was slipping slowly into dotage, Horațiu has recently started to display remarkable acumen in navigating the intricacies of Dracian politics, much to the surprise of his peers.

Ljupcho Lyubka Voievod of Boljova, Master of the Phalam Mines, Hammer of the Boltjovan Legions, Aparator of House Lyubka Ljupcho Lyubka Original article: Ljupcho Lyubka Despite his vast wealth (or perhaps because of it), Ljupcho is widely known to be as crass and crude as his fellow hillsfolk in the wild Moldogoi hills of northern Dracia. Shrewd in business as well as in war, the Voievod Ljupcho was instrumental in putting down the recent Boltjovan Rebellion. Ljupcho's sheer stubbornness and willingness to personally take the field, despite nearing his seventh decade, won both the respect of his unruly men and the Ivory Queen herself. Despite experiencing his share of setbacks in the Rebellion, he was named by the Queen "Hammer of the Boltjovan Legions". Ljupcho is loud, willful, smokes constantly and rarely completely sober, but he commands respect among his fellow nobility not only for his skill on the battlefield, but his aptitude with making coin.

Magdalena Vtalasav Her Majesty the Sovereign Queen of Dracia, First of Her Name The Ivory Queen "The Ivory Queen" Original article: Magdalena Vtalasav Nicknamed 'The Ivory Queen', Magdalena is the eldest daughter of the wily Remus of House Neculai. Some twenty years ago, she captured the heart of the aging King of Dracia, Otto VI. After some serious negotiations, at the conclusion of which Remus was made Pârcălab of Basras, the two wed. The young Queen was known for being bookish and was considered by most to be relatively meek, if quite beautiful. Otto doted on her, of course, as did most of his Court. As Otto's health began to fail, Magdalena personally tended to him and began assuming more and more of the responsibilities of state in his name. She had never given him an heir, though two months prior to his death, he named Magdalena his heir and Queen in her own right. When the old King finally passed in 1344 IC, Magdalena moved quickly to consolidate her power over Dracia. Those nobles who rallied to her, either through loyalty to old King Otto or because they had become smitten with the Queen herself were rewarded for their loyalty while those nobles who opposed her rule suddenly found themselves lacking support and divided amongst themselves. In the ten years since becoming sovereign, her reign has only strengthened. Rumor suggests that she is secretly involved with the Cult of Lucasa, who believe that the Heretic Emperor did not die in the final battle of the Mage War, but instead ascended to godhood. That she has been slowly replacing nobles she disapproves of with wizards loyal to her only serves to strengthen those claims.

Remus IV Neculai Pârcălab of Basras, the Exalted Protector of Dracia, Minister of War, Aparator of House Neculai, Fourth of His Name Remus Neculai Original article: Remus Neculai Charismatic brother of the Ivory Queen, Remus IV became Aparator of House Neculai upon the death of his father in 1353 IC and was chosen by his sister to serve as Minister of War. As such, he is rarely in residence in the Neculai family home in Zomatz, though his loyal twin brother Dimitrij, usually oversees the day-to-day affairs of the Comitat of Basras. Remus' father, Remus III, was legendary for his cunning and political acumen and the younger Remus is constantly in his shadow. Despite this, he is well liked by most of his peers and the soldiers under his command. Remus has even been known to befriend nobles considered out of favor with the Queen, particularly those who have been reduced in favor of one of her common-born Vrăjitors. As such, Remus has a growing reputation for his generosity (typically a negative trait among Dracian nobility), though his generosity is usually targeted perfectly to ensure loyalty to his sister the Queen or to him personally. More than a few nobles in Dracia consider themselves in debt to him, an enviable position for a noble in any nation.

Yuri Budny Voievod of Bistrovia, Aparator of House Budny, Lauded Master of the Malachite League, First of His Name Yuri Budny Original article: Yuri Budny Recently risen to membership among the Great Houses of Dracia, Yuri of House Budny was raised to the Vojvodina of Bistrovia by the Ivory Queen some four years ago, after the previous Voievod, Vilém of House Marušić, died without a clear heir. Voievod Yuri has quickly become a fixture at the Queen's Court and is considered one of her closest advisers. He is known to be deeply distrustful of priests, particularly the priesthood of Minos, and has actively worked to decrease the influence of various priesthoods in Dracia and in Bistrovia in particular. Of course, his most significant political rival is Šimon, Arapator of House Marušić and Pârcălab of Szera. Despite Yuri's relative inexperience, he has been extraordinarily successful in managing the complex political machinations of Dracia and is considered something of a force to be reckoned with. Despite his newfound wealth and association with the usually extravagant Malachite League, Yuri is known to be a spendthrift, often wearing threadbear clothing even in the presence of the Queen.