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Background
Known as "The Rose Queen," Alysande Tracano has persevered through the pain and turmoil of the Succession War to rightfully claim the throne of Rivana. In just a few short years she has already cemented herself among the dominant figures of the Edge, and she is both greatly beloved by her vassals and subjects and respected by her fellow rulers. She very well may be the most powerful woman in the world.
WORK IN PROGRESS
On the Grid
The personal seal of Queen Alysande, "The Rose Queen"
Personality
Alysande Tracano is a young woman whom extraordinary circumstance has forged into a formidable ruler who seems wise and capable well beyond her years. She is intensely charismatic, with a real knack for reading those around her and adjusting her approach to them as needed to accomplish the desired results. In private she is often warm, considerate of those around her, and possesses an earthy, even ribald sense of humor that often shocks those that don't expect it of a Queen (or who have built her up as a paragon of purity and virtue in their minds), much to her own amusement. In public she maintains every bit of the dignity and regality that is expected of her position, though she is well aware that a strategically calculated "slip" into a seemingly more-unguarded persona can have benefits. In both cases, she is strong-willed, utterly confident, and decisive when it is called for.
Alysande can be stubborn to the point of intractability, but such incidents are more rare now that the realities of rulership have settled upon her. There are still times will she will vehemently hold her ground against all challenges to her chosen course of action, but generally they are only in matters that are particularly near or dear to her heart. Instead, she tends to win others over with compromise and the proverbial "soft touch" though she's also well aware that sometimes you have to "crack the whip" to get people in line. She also has a mischievous streak, though the crown has tempered much of that and relegated it to stealing occasional moments of amusement at others' expense, usually by demonstrating her talent for vulgar language, or otherwise sharing her coarse humor for shock value. Snide remarks and passive-aggressive jabs are also weapons in her arsenal (particularly when she's in "Queenly mode") though generally only directed against those that have displeased her or otherwise gotten on her bad side.
Alysande is more cognizant than most rulers of the plight of the Common, as many times during the Succession War she and her family were forced to live as commoners to avoid detection. While these times were brief, they were enough to help her realize just how difficult life can be for them, and also gave her opportunity to be more exposed to common folk than a woman of her station and breeding would normally enjoy. While she is hardly likely to overturn the entire system of nobility, she does take efforts to improve the quality of life for ALL Rivanans where she is able, and has made it known that she does not look highly upon those that overly exploit or victimize the common folk under their rule. On matters of The Faith, Alysande is a "disillusioned believer." She believes in the principles of the Faith and in the history they present, but is considerably less confident that The One hears the prayers of the people, much less answers them. Still, she recognizes the power and influence of the Church and thus at the very least puts on a good show of being appropriately faithful even if her heart isn't really in it. In her mind, the Church is largely just another player in the game of politics that she needs to find ways to effectively deal with, and more and more she has come to believe that "faith' and "the Church" are not necessarily synonymous.
Alysande is deeply aware of just how dirty politics can get, and understands that sometimes idealism must be sacrificed for pragmatism if a Kingdom is to survive, much less thrive. That is not to say that she will always choose the expedient path over the morally or ethically superior one. Quite the contrary: If something can be accomplished the "right" way she will see it through with determination. It's just that if it can't reasonably be accomplished without dirtying ones' hands…she will still see it through with equal determination. The welfare of her Kingdom, Vassals, and common subjects is foremost in her mind, and she is willing to sacrifice of herself to see them thrive. This should not, however, be taken to mean that Alysande is completely selfless or magnanimous. While capable of great mercy (and seeing the value in it), she will order harsh punishments to those that betray her or the Kingdom without losing a wink of sleep over it. While she strongly desires peace, she would not hesitate to absolutely crush any threat to her kingdom or rule. She values life…even that of the commoners…quite highly, but understands that sacrifices must be made, and that even a Queen can't force Creation to always be orderly and peaceful. While it may be at times painful to make those sacrifices, she has the strength to bear that pain. She can do no less, for otherwise she would dishonor the memories of the many that perished to bring her to the Throne.
Quirks
Personality Quirks
Skill Quirks
Gifted Ruler - For all the flowery tales told of her, Alysande is a pragmatic and insightful woman, who learned many hard lessons watching her father fight the Succession War (and leading the Rose's faction in the closing years of the conflict herself). She is perfectly willing to make sacrifices of herself and others for the good of her Kingdom and its' people, and while she certainly will feel the pangs of regret when she's forced to make such hard choices (especially if they might hurt those she cares for personally), she does not hesitate in doing so if it is the best course of action. She has a keen grasp on the inter-house politics of her vassals and has a natural gift for seeing how to use those relationships to the advantage of her Kingdom, or at worst making sure the rivalries don't boil over into open hostilities. Perhaps her greatest gift, though, is as a judge of people. She has an eye for both talent and loyalty and has stacked the deck in her favor by surrounding herself with extremely competent individuals, whether as advisers, military commanders, or bodyguards. (This quirk functions as the Head For Numbers and Natural Leader quirks).
Social Quirks
Renowned - Alysande is immensely popular with both her vassals and her common subjects. Her deft handling of the aftermath of the Succession War, and the seemingly instant turnaround Rivana has experienced in the past two years has won her much admiration, and with the exception of a few die-hard loyalists of the Thorn, there are few in Rivana who would dare speak ill of her. Her beauty is already the subject of bard's songs, her wisdom and grace a topic of discussion and agreement within circles of power throughout the Edge. She sets fashion trends without intent or effort, but simply by wearing a certain cut of dress or having her hair styled in a particular manner at any given public appearance. With the death of so many of the Tracano family in the Succession, a huge majority of the family's wealth and lands are consolidated in her control. She is barely two years into her reign, and already marked as being among Rivana's greatest rulers. Whether all this stands the test of time remains to be seen, but certainly there is a huge degree of anticipation and expectation directed towards Rivana's young queen, even beyond what would normally be expected for one of her station.
True Love - Sometimes the storybooks and the bards get it right, even if it takes well over a decade to get there. If Queen Alysande has one soft spot, it is her feelings for her longtime protector and Champion, the Viscount Jaren Cassomir. Given that they are now betrothed, this is less of a problem (and will be even less so once they are wed), but her usually-sound judgment can waver a bit where matters concerning Jaren, and to a lesser extent the Cassomirs as a whole are concerned. It is paradoxical that she might worry over a man that's tasked with protecting her (and considered by many to be the finest swordsman of the Edge), but worry she does, and that can provide distraction when she needs it least (such as when the Gerrells captured her in late Janvier of 1866). Likewise, she can at times show a certain possessive streak where Jaren is concerned, which can bring out a catty, jealous side if she suspects other women are flirting with him.
Wealthy - The head of an already wealthy house, Alysande also benefits from the canny investing of her late father, Lord Arturo Tracano, who had amassed a very impressive personal fortune even amidst a wealthy family. Indeed, so great was Arturo's wealth that even through the Succession War it failed to be fully depleted (and which has largely been re-invested, profiting greatly from the boom in Pacitta). In short, even beyond the immense wealth of House Tracano as a whole, Alysande has an entirely separate personal fortune, which combine to likely make her the most wealthy individual in the Edge, barring perhaps (on technicality) the High Priest of Sanctum.
Logs and Sundry
The Queen and her Champion
Portrait by Enife
(aidric alysande clara devlin jaren liam log quentyn social thaddeus tristan)
(aidric alysande devlin elaida event jaren johanna leander log martyn raimond thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(adrienne aidric alysande clara elaida emilia event jaren johanna log martyn raelyn stephen thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(aidric alpin alysande ania clara dalmer darren dawn elaida eleanor event ghazi hashim jaren kabede leander liam log malcolm raelyn raimond randall rashad rosana stephen symon thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(aidric alina alysande clara darren devlin emilia evelyn event gabriel jaren joffrey jordan log michael raelyn thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(aidric alina alysande bella broderick clara elaida elrick emilia evelyn event gabriel hashim jaren log michael nadine philippe raelyn samuel stephen thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(aidric alina alysande broderick clara darren devlin elrick emilia evelyn event gabriel jaren joffrey jordan justin leander log michael nadine quentyn raelyn raimond samuel thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(adrienne alysande antonia broderick clara clarke dawn devlin elrick emilia evelyn event gabriel jaren joffrey jordan leander lillian log michael nadine quentyn raelyn raimond rashad rosana samuel stephen thaddeus)
(adrienne aidric alysande antonia broderick clarke dawn devlin eduard elrick evelyn event gabriel gwendolyn jaren joffrey jordan justin leander log michael quentyn raelyn raimond samuel thaddeus tiadora)
(aidric alysande corvin elaida emilia esyld evelyn event jaren jordan lillian log martyn raelyn stephen thaddeus tiadora tristan zarine)
(aidric alysande broderick clara elrick emilia eva evelyn event gabriel gawain jaren joffrey justin leander lillian log michael nadine raimond rashad rosana thaddeus tiadora tristan)
(adrienne aidric alina alysande antonia broderick clara clarke corvin darren elaida elrick emilia esyld event gawain jaren joffrey leander log michael raimond thaddeus tristan)
(adrienne aidric alina alysande ania artos bartolo bella broderick clara darman dawn destrian elaida elrick emilia eva event gabriel gawain ghazi giorgio graham gwendolyn hashim jaren jean-paul joffrey johanna jordan kabede leander log louisa marcel martyn michael quentyn raelyn raimond rashad rosana samuel samwell stephen thaddeus tristan)
- 1867-04-13: Unprecedented
- 1867-02-02: Royal Considerations
- 1866-11-18: The Wedding of Raelyn Cassomir and Stephen Greycen
- 1866-11-14: Queen Takes Knight - Wedded
- 1866-10-13: A Very Unexpected Reply
- 1866-09-30: A Queen's Prerogative
- 1866-07-03: Three Requests
- 1866-06-06: The Coronation of Jean-Paul
- 1866-01-28: The Old Knight and the False Prince
- 1850-11-09: Introduced
- 1850-11-08: Selected