King Staynard is the head of the Aractrashan Kingdom. He came to the throne when his father was assassinated on the orders of Amalgami. Staynard is an overly cautious king, unwilling to commit to any concentrated set of actions. His advisors vie for his attention and favor. Without a strong unifying vision, the kingdom of Aractrash will suffer under his leadership.
Staynard was born during the interbellum period between the First and Second Alliance Wars. Due to Aractrash’s disastrous entry into the First Alliance War, Staynard’s father, King Ballard, kept the kingdom free of foreign entanglements. This international cowardice instilled a sense of personal cowardice in Staynard during his upbringing. He was trained in all manners of knowledge, but was always told to prioritize the kingdom’s safety over anything else. The Prince took these lessons to heart and always prioritized his own safety over beneficial activities with the slightest risk.
Prince Staynard lived a life with many restrictions imposed by his father in a failed attempt to build him into a brave leader. Ballard trained his son in dragon riding on Kinderax, but the lessons never stuck. To try and improve Staynard’s alliance building status, Ballard forbade all romantic relationships. The teenage boy disobeyed his father, but kept getting caught one way or another. He finally succeeded in keeping a relationship secret by having his paramour, Shasta, dress as a male friend and spend time with him among his other young compatriots. When a free moment came, Staynard and Shasta would sneak away to engage in youthful romance.
Staynard’s life changed forever when Amalgami paid for the assassination of King Ballard. The assassin named R worked his way into the King’s inner circle by first replacing Shasta and then Prince Staynard. Staynard was kept alive but unconscious by R. After Ballard’s murder, Staynard was returned unharmed. Ballard’s soul was captured, preventing any hope of resurrection. Like it or not, Staynard ascended the throne to be King of Aractrash.
Staynard’s reign was characterized by inconsistent decisions without any clear direction. Ballard had surrounded himself with opinionated advisors that gave him a variety of options for every scenario. He listened to each of them and then made his decision as he saw fit. Staynard inherited the same group of advisors, but lacked his father’s strong will and unifying vision. The young king often followed the advice of whoever he last spoke with leading to constant course corrections for Staynard’s listless nature. Hektor’s reputation allowed him to act as a mediator at the start of Staynard’s reign, but the mage was soon distracted by his obsessive hunt for Amalius and Aractrash was forgotten. Staynard now rules amongst a flock of vultures who will gladly pick him apart to satisfy their own ambitions.
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