Lothan du Varlyr

Lothan du Varlyr is the de facto King of Brinn. His claim to the title suffers from numerous challenges, including his bastard birth (later legitimized by his own royal decree, a possible contradiction in terms), and from the possible crimes of murdering both his half-brother Riven, the Crown Prince and his father Taranis, the King. The former he justifies as the result of a valid and legal duel, fought for the hand of Éliane du Lythe (questionable, as the deed was done years after the duel was lost by Lothan and Éliane long since married to Riven); for the latter, he denies responsibility, having tried and executed the king's true killers and those who conspired in his death.

Largely due to his murder of the otherwise fair and just king Taranis, and especially of the beloved prince Riven, Lothan is not well-loved by his people, as evidenced by the common epithet "Lothan the Loathed". Most attribute his rise to the backing of the powerful House du Laurent, the lords of Dacia, who were never close to the crown, but whose finances had kept the realm afloat during the reign of Taranis and his father Varsalus. Some outright accuse Marten d'Laurent, the Duke of Dacia, of buying the throne by proxy; said accusations seem to carry less and less weight, as two decades have passed without the king taking any wife or getting child on anyone at all, much less one of Marten's many daughters. With the news of the survival of Tristan du Varlyr, Lothan's heir apparent, prospects for the House du Laurent to inherit the throne seem to have vanished.

Despite public sentiment, Lothan's rule has not been without success. He managed to end the cycle of borrowing and debt that famously plagued his predecessors--with much help from the wealth of Dacia, as well as lucrative trade deals with the rising Ascadian Empire. Brinn has known no wars since Lothan's own civil war against his brother, largely fought amongst nobles alone, and he has vowed not to intervene in the affairs of Ascadia, even as they invade multiple neighboring realms. Still, his foreign policy record is marred by the betrayal of a mutual defense pact with partners Uldenor, Valte, and Obrith against any aggression by the Ahrimid Empire. Brinn left the Valtans to their fate in the 1189 invasion, and since then the unlikely outcome has arisen that Valte repelled the empire and has risen stronger than ever--and many worry the Sapphire Queen thinks Brinn has much to answer for. Still, his defense that the pact was offered not by his own word, but by the Crown Prince Riven, who wasn't technically the king anyway. It is a valid defense in legal terms, but many worry that argument will not sway the horselords of Valte.

Recently, the death of [Gjor Mennos, Duke of Menendara, prompted the king to consider a "royal marriage" of sorts with Rulenka Argard, Duchess of Orendras and his own niece. Rulenka, considered the most eligible bachelorette in Obrith, enjoys a sort of de facto standing as "first among equals" relative to her fellow High Lords, especially with the end of the line of Mennos, and such a move could conceivably cement her rise to Queen of Obrith, with himself as King, potentially unifying both countries. He has yet to issue any formal invitations, but he is known to be making preparations for a royal visit to Orendon.

Even more shocking was the recent news that the king had sent a royal writ to Tristan in exile, offering him peace, amnesty, and reparations for their conflict, and furthermore an offer to name him heir apparent before the court, to bestow upon him fit title and honours, and to host him at court. This has not been announced publicly, and so the content of the writ could be fiction, but rumor has spread like wildfire. the Duke of Dacia has not received the news well, and many fear new unrest if the Hand feels jilted by this development.