Rael Kingdom: Notable People
Lord Rael - Bubbling up from the bowels of Layonara, Lord Rael came into Bloodstone's service and immediately headed up the invasion into southern Dregar without ever having spent a moment in the ranks. He was tasked with taking the capital city and succeeded. Bloodstone, tasked with taking over the world, did not. Some say this is proof that such grand ambitions never work. Others say that the Deep Lord is simply smarter than his master was. And a very small set of voices claim that Lord Rael knew the identities of the groups massing to take Bloodstone down and decided to say nothing.
The little that is known about Lord Rael is that he is prone to listen rather than speak, but when he does speak, he is blunt. He is not without a sense of justice, albeit one completely his own. He is described as personally pious to the cause of Sulterio and given to long brooding silences or meditations in between bouts of frentic activity. He takes council with the heads of his government and his diplomats only, although ranking members of the Church of Sulterio have been seen in the castle occasionally.
He stands out with his bald head, his gray skin, and his soft violet eyes (but not the vibrant hue of the All'ra). His age is indeterminate but guessed at 250 years. He moves like quicksilver and has achieved a speed in his lifetime that is terrifyingly fast. He has been said to cross Castle Rael top to bottom in under a minute. Most of the time, he is said to walk with deliberate slowness, which gives the impression he's under water for the languid grace of his motions. His voice is a pleasing, mellow tenor, at odds with his unattractive exterior.
The Lord of Rael is only seen during working hours and in formal situations when he is in residence. He is often gone for days on end, however, and conspiracy theorists murmur that he's off to his other city below the earth, sacrificing prisoners, eating babies, or whatever. Whether attending business or social functions, he always dresses in a shimmering dark gray silk tunic and pants with a heavy pendant of adamantium in the shape of a mushroom hanging from his neck. He will dress up this attire with sashes, cloaks, or fancy boots, but the silks and pendant are as ubiquitous as the lack of emotion on his face.
Kharva Aran Maulfist - A Deep dwarf female collects and routes the materials taxed from the populace. She runs the Lord's Taxation Office with brutal efficiency, and Lord Rael has come to respect her input as always succinct, always well thought out, and always honest. She is not friendly with him, but then, she is not friendly with anyone; it is her place to gather resources, not to joke around with the boss.
Kharva is short and thin for a Deep dwarf with narrow hips and shoulders that make her seem almost like a small human rather than the race she is. Her silver hair hangs longer than one would expect and her olive eyes are waifish for a dwarf. Her slender form and large eyes seem to evoke a protective and sometimes condescending response in those she deals with. Those who make this mistake quickly discover the error of their ways, however, and are assumed to be thinking hard from their cells about how looks can be deceiving.
Jack Pinky Smith - Once a mere knuckle buster on the streets of Prantz, running protection schemes and occasionally robbing merchants, Pinky applied for a position in the new government, hoping to steal confiscated booty. Instead, he found himself enjoying his position as liaison and human confidant to the guards and flexed mental muscles he never knew he had. Over a few years time, he honed his techniques of gaining confidence, soliciting confessions, and ferreting out criminal activity, but it was his brilliant capture of a major player in Branderback's church that brought him to Lord Rael's notice. Pinky's revealing of a Deep dwarf conspirator caught Lord Rael by surprise and showed Pinky's ability to act as a double check.
Surprisingly, the two men found common ground and became friendly associates. When the position as head of the Adamantium Guard came available rather suddenly, Lord Rael elevated Pinky to the slot. Pinky discharges his duties with zeal and occasionally sadistic enjoyment. The reaction from those Deep dwarves that must now take orders from a human is rumored to be less than joyful, but Pinky takes it in stride and has made some inroads toward gaining respect.
Pinky is a tall, muscular human in his 40s with a prominent pot belly and gigantic hands. He wears his dark, thinning hair combed back over his white scalp; observers have snarkily noted it looks like a huge egg in the grasp of a spindly-legged spider. He earned his nickname from his favorite method of convincing people'breaking their pinky finger one joint at a time.
Ella Morch - She is the most approachable member of the government. Quiet, focused, she lacks much of the sour arrogance of her kind. She treats the people of the Rael Works as competent (if not equals) and listens when someone comes to her with a problem. She does not speak of her past except to say she has a son.
Ella is of average height and build, but she is one of the few Deep dwarven females who could be called attractive. She wears her white hair short and prefers a midnight blue to the gray that most Deep dwarves wear. She does not wear a mushroom pendant and has been known to turn a blind eye when one of her workers speaks of a god other than Sulterio.
Siann Urthon - She is a woman in her late 60s with very strong opinions. She is often at odds with Barvath Hiramun III. However, she is a shrewd and intelligent lawmaker, and she has been the only one, besides Barvath, to meet with Lord Rael openly and discuss the upkeep of his laws.
Siann has thinning white hair, brilliant blue eyes, and stoops from both age and a lifetime hunched over law books. She is proud to be mother to six, grandmother to 10, and great-grandmother to two, as well as one of the premier justices of her god.
Martyn Delanth - One of the most respected men within the cathedral in Prantz, his quiet manner and genuine love for the people of his city create a palpable aura of caring about him. Unfortunately, he lacks support within the upper ranks of clergy to see him advance any further; although, they will not say why. Hints of scandal haunt the distant past of this gentle-eyed blonde. While nothing can be proven, the now-unmarried man is clearly going to end his years as one of the Triune.
Horton Hiramun - Many claim that Horton is there solely through the direct intervention of Barvath, Horton's brother. Horton is in his late 50s, balding and rotund, who came to Prantz after holding a string of positions in small churches across Alindor (many ran out of funds and were forced to receive monetary concessions from the cathedral in Prantz). An investigation was undertaken but did not seem to establish any direct fault and the matter slowly disappeared. However, the not-so-secret secret of Horton's hidden but lushly opulent lifestyle has leaked out; Siann often uses this leverage to push Horton in directions she wants him to go.
