House Zenali

Faduyar Zenali
Faduyar, the Lord Zenali, Protector of the Realm of Drecitou, was born in FY 148, son of Yuhara II and Aevrin Zenali. He is an odd but good-hearted man, gifted with the holy power of a cleric. During the Interregnum, when he was a man in the prime of his youth, he was sent into exile for his own protection to Utempe beyond the Pale Sea. The kings-blood boy did to take kindly to the situation, and alone (but for a retinue of guards) in Tsrin, he decided to entertain himself while the Realm bled. Sunk in dissipation and debauchery, he was in the midst of revelry when a messenger informed him of the catastrophic deaths of his father, two of his uncles, and his baseborn brother Karnutel at the disastrous Battle of the Lakes in 175. Faduyar was so stricken with horror, grief, and shame that he immediately became an ascetic and an active agitator at the Court of House Gemsari, trying to involve Utempe in the Drecitoun Civil War. When that led to a general distaste for him among the ranks of Utempi nobility, Faduyar instead began sending letters to the loyalist Governor of Serlau, trying to convince him to allow the High Prince to return to his kingdom. He did soon return, but once in Serlau, he vanished into the hills. After an initial uproar, it was assumed that he had died or lost his reason, and the succession passed to another Zenali prince. However, as the civil war wound down in 177, reports suddenly swirled through ruined Jalyonne that a princely sage had settled among the poor, using god-sent magic to save many from death. They called him Heaven-struck, for he had visions and divine fits. When the stories drew official curiosity, the facts surfaced: this man was Faduyar Zenali. He was given his throne later that year, and he took Fanrutisorta “Isora” of House Vintarak for his Queen-Consort. Today among the Drecitoun low people, Faduyar is the best-loved king since Good Glebaryuv himself. However, he is, unfortunately, totally unsuited for the White-Spear: he allows his wife, an equally pious but robust lady from the bloodlines of Lai-de-Tomne, to make his decisions concerning the nobility and general affairs of state, while he prays for and provides largesse to the poor. He is rather dull-witted, but very powerful in holy magic (level 8 cleric), which he uses near-constantly on various lowborn petitioners that seek help. He is a lean man with close-cropped red hair and a pleated and well-adorned red beard, both streaked with white.

Fanrutisorta Zenali, called Isora, born Vintarak
Fanrutisorta does not like being called by that name, and the common usage is instead “Queen Isora.” She was born in FY 158 in House Vintarak, a loyalist House that, as a reward for its extraordinary fidelity throughout the civil war, was raised to the Governorship of Lai-de-Tomne Province at the end of the Interregnum and rewarded with an arranged marriage between one of its daughters and the King. Her marriage to Faduyar was one of those unusual instances of arranged marriage where the spouses are perfectly suited to one another. Both are deeply pious and moral people, but where Faduyar is unintelligent and devoted to the low people, Isora is clever and an expert in managing the nobility of the nation. Indeed, Queen Isora is the true power behind the throne, and she has been for twenty years. Her power and influence are greatly belied by her appearance and demeanour: she is a modest, plain-faced and plump woman with dark brown hair tucked under her wife-cowl and a gentle, motherly voice. In her spare time, she teaches her youngest son, plays the harp, and signs death warrants.

Lainna Zenali
Lainna was born in 179 soon after his parents’ marriage, and his birth was widely celebrated in Drecitou for strengthening the succession that had almost disintegrated during the Interregnum. The eldest of the three High Princes of Drecitou and heir-apparent, he is an intense and sombre man, with the religious zeal and honesty of his father and the keen political awareness of his mother. He is not to be trifled with, and his most notable flaw is a stern humourlessness. It is rumoured among the members of Court that Lainna has not smiled in ten years. However, he is better prepared for rule than his father is, for he has the respect of the high and the admiration of the low, and a close friendship with one of the twin heirs-apparent of Sraiyag Vacan, Karnutel Malkerian. He recently married Arta of House Vintarak, his sixteen year-old cousin, thus making him the only one of the Zenali children to have reached adulthood. His narrow face already sports a full beard, his arms bristle with hair, and his voice is a bass rumble. There is one foreseeable problem with Lainna’s future kingship: he deeply resents the several Houses that largely escaped punishment despite their betrayal of his grandfather Yuhara II during the Interregnum, and means to make them pay. Whether this will destabilise Drecitou or will strengthen the authority of the White-Spear remains to be seen.

Haemun Zenali
Haemun was born in 181, and she is a girl of a mild and classic beauty, a whimsical temperament, and a skilled contralto voice. She also happens to be a rogue wizard. When she was discovered to have the gift eleven years ago, Isora delivered an ultimatum to her husband, stating that their daughter would not to Cil Adasiga: the family could in no way appear inferior to any secular authority. Haemun has been taught in spellcraft and secrecy equally by a rogue wizard whom Faduyar rewarded with a passage to refuge in rural Paakirjä. She has remained unmarried a year past what is customary, and the reason for this is fairly obvious: the family does not know which nobleman they could trust with the knowledge of his bride’s powers. Her personality has been affected by the deception: she is a skilled and largely shameless liar, in order to guard the truth from Court. She is, furthermore, fiercely loyal to her family and her mother in particular, and if the Guild tried to claim her, she would rather die than renounce her House. She has flowing red hair, which she proudly adorns with jewellery and flaunts without a wife-cowl, bright blue eyes, and a dazzling smile, and many young noblemen have mourned themselves into a stupor over her steadfast refusal to even be courted.

Glebaryuv [IV] Zenali
Glebaryuv (if crowned, he would be the Fourth), who was born in 185, lives in the shadow of his siblings. Lainna is the crown prince and a grown man, Haemun is a wizard-maiden who many families seek desperately for a marriage, and little Simvara is the darling of his parents and the Court. Glebaryuv… well, he is a good horse-rider. He is rather good at academic studies. He is fond of peaches. That is, he has few real talents to speak of. He feels deeply inadequate to his brothers and sister, especially with his auspicious name, and he resents the attention that is lavished upon them. He was hurt by the unintentional neglect of his parents, who were so concerned with Simvara’s childhood illness, Haemun’s magical talent, and Lainna’s status. Though he manifested these feelings as viciousness to Simvara and insolence to Haemun and Lainna when he was younger, eventually Faduyar grew so disgusted with this that he sent Glebaryuv to live at the court of Lokirna Maknid in Teyoram, where the High Prince has been living for the last two years. Unbeknownst to his family, Glebaryuv has come under the power of the warlock-king. As the days pass, Lokirna’s hold over the boy becomes stronger: he plans to eventually introduce Glebaryuv to demon-worship, and to lead him down the same hideous path of hell-forged betrayal and might that have established Lokirna in his present office. Indeed, Lokirna sees much of himself in the Drecitoun prince, and treats him as fondly as any son. For his part, Glebaryuv has willingly followed Lokirna into the darkness, swayed by sweet love and respect that are an insidious spiritual poison.

Simvara Zenali
Simvara was born in 188, and for years, his youth was troubled by recurrent illnesses of the lungs that required the close attention of both his father’s magical talents and the ministrations of mundane apothecaries. Although the malady was completely resolved by the time that he was seven, the close nurturing and care involved with his treatment seem to have somewhat affected his personality. He is girlish and flighty, spending much of his time trailing around his sister or his mother and craving their love and attention. He enjoys dancing and the like, and his charm is famous throughout the Court. Of the Zenali children, he is the least troubled, without duties, a secret magical heritage, or demonic corruption. However, he is also the worst fated: his father experienced a vision, which he keeps utterly secret from all, when the boy was born, seeing that Simvara must somehow die before Lainna takes the throne, or the Realm will be plunged into a new Interregnum that will destroy it. The details of this dreadful prophecy are unknown even to Faduyar, but he is grievously weighted down by it, and as such, the boy sees little of his father, who dreads to be near the doomed child.