Alizoya va Kuraos
Duchess Alizoya va Kuraos
Duchess Afaon is a complicated figure in Ithylin's history. At worst, she's an iron-fisted tyrant that dispenses law without mercy and crushes dissent. She rose to power after the old Duke died under very suspicious circumstances, and she celebrated her rise to power by throwing hundreds of people into the dungeon at Keremaralen.
At best, however, she's a visionary leader that practices what she preaches. Alizoya's guards don't take bribes; her courts are fair. Her civil servants achieve their position through merit, not birth or connections. She was the deciding voice in founding Afaon's university, and her legal reforms made the city more democratic than ever.
Alizoya wraps herself in a mantle of sheer willpower. Every aspect of her persona is dedicated to channelling the law. Only a select few know what she's like behind her emotionless, merciless mask.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
She's surprisingly small for a woman with such presence. She's short, slender, and toned.
Special abilities
She threw herself into a paladin's training growing up, and she has the mystical abilities to match. Channelling Erithal, the Okolonoyan goddess of law, Alizoya has access to divine magic that can let her sense and suppress lies.
Apparel & Accessories
Though suitably refined for a duchess, Alizoya's clothes are always quite simple, with a touch of militarism in the details. In public, she often relies on sweeping capes to disguise her slender frame.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
A younger daughter in House Kuraos, Alizoya grew up wrapped in the decadence and corruption of elite nobility. As her older brother was expected to inherit the title of Lord Kuraos, her family largely neglected Alizoya, sending her off to an elite education without worrying about the results. Lacking any discernible social skills, Alizoya threw herself into her work, absorbing law and politics astonishingly well and thoroughly impressing her mentor. She also trained as a paladin, learning divine magic and the art of war.
Then her brother died, and suddenly Alizoya had power. The moment she received her title, Alizoya started making enemies, purging inept family members from her staff and appointing officials based on merit in their stead. She grew the house's military power, intending to use it to enforce the law in chaotic Afaon.
When Duke Walgrove died, Alizoya's well-curated military swept across the city, capturing the assassin and quelling the inevitable riots before they could even begin. People immediately grew suspicious that she reacted so quickly — as if she knew ahead of time that the Duke was about to die, as if she'd been planning for it ever since she became Lady Kuraos. Her quick reaction paid off, however: she assumed de facto control of the city. As she cultivated good relations with the capitol, it didn't take her long to earn the title "Duchess Afaon" in name as well as fact.
Gender Identity
Cisgender
Sexuality
Though she'd prefer people thought of her as totally without sexual urges, she isn't; she's just really repressed. She prefers women.
Education
She went to Ithylin's best schools, receiving special tutoring in law from world-renowned legal scholars.
Failures & Embarrassments
Her complete failure to socialize at home or at school stuck with her. She aims to be totally self-reliant. No one will ever love her, she reasons, so they may as well fear her.
Mental Trauma
No one ever really cared for Alizoya: her parents didn't love her, her caretakers favoured her older brother, and she never made any friends at school. The only friend she did make in her childhood, Nessaril va Triscala, ended up turning against her. So Alizoya throws herself into her principles and her duty to drown out the whisper in her mind telling her that she's a waste of breath and no one will ever care about her.
Morality & Philosophy
Alizoya clings to political philosophy above all else. Law is absolute
Taboos
Alizoya regulates herself so carefully that even relaxation is taboo to her.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Crushing corruption and instituting a perfect rule of law are Alizoya's sole dreams — likely in response to her corrupt upbringing.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
In battle, Alizoya is a brilliant strategist, as well as a skilled swordswoman and rider. Within Afaon's walls, she's a notable scholar and a fair judge.
She isn't, however, as skilled in intrigue as she ought to be. In particular, she's terrible at making friends.
Virtues & Personality perks
Diligent, humble, patient, whip-smart, and relentlessly principled above all else
Vices & Personality flaws
Emotionally tone-deaf, self-loathing, sexually repressed
Hygiene
Extremely hygienic, almost to the point of compulsion
Social
Religious Views
Alizoya quietly worships an east elven pantheon, giving particularly devout attention to Erithal, the goddess of law. She keeps her religious practice out of the public eye, however.
Social Aptitude
Alizoya's intense force of will gives her a form of charisma. Her voice, though even and regulated, fills a room. She respects a form of decorum, but never loosens up. Even in private, she retains a military dignity in her bearing.
Hobbies & Pets
She allows herself little time for amusement, throwing herself into her duties at every opportunity. Give time for herself, she often dissolves into melancholy.
She has a horse.
Speech
Alizoya's tone is deep, even, and regulated at all times. Her voice isn't actually very loud. Learning to project took some time for her, and when she's in private, she speaks very quietly.
Wealth & Financial state
Though she has both Afaon's treasury and the coffers of House Kuraos at her disposal, Alizoya is a very restrained spender. She buys just enough luxury for herself to legitimize her reign as duchess, preferring to invest and grow her accounts.
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