#15 – Queen Adrienna Vasa

Adrienna is a shrewd, pretty, and above all else, realistic woman. She the outcomes as much as possible before taking any action, and commands a small diligent group of spies within Scania to make sure she knows the actions of the nobility in her country before they would move against her. Just two generations ago, her grandfather Gustav Kjelder single-handedly convinced the nation to move against the budding worker’s unions and appoint him lawful monarch after a single brilliantly executed political and military campaign. But during his children’s generation, a plague swept through the country, taking with it one third of the population, exacting a higher toll on the nobles and his own family than any other. When the plague finally dissipated a few years later, he was dead, and the country was left with two infertile daughters, no sons, a single promising granddaughter, and many nieces, nephews and siblings poised to knife Adrienna in the back. By coaxing, bribing, and arranging the nobility to her side, she fended off her usurpers and claimed the throne despite her born gender, though her grasp on the country is tenuous at best, with the rest of the sea-lying regions progressing ahead of Scania in trade and magical prospects. When the sorceror Drahomir comes to her doorstep offering his lands and services in exchange for her aid in his future political projects, she accepts. When he wants her hand in marriage as well, so carefully avoids the topic for almost a decade, taking the man to bed, but not to church, to often seal their bargains and plans.

When Drahomir presents Jyorn to the court and tells her his plans for Himmerd, she is delighted with both. When Jyorn proves himself a capable mercenary and striking court figure, she welcomes him to her bed as well, though they both know full well their relationship will never been solidified within court politics, royal lineage, nor Drahomir’s claims on her.

Category: 2011, Drama, Fantasy