Alaric Valerian

34 years old
His Majesty, King of the Western Seas and Lord of the Great Empire of Valeria
Alaric Valerian, at 34 years old, is the sovereign of one of the largest and most powerful empires of his time. His kingdom stretches across vast lands and dominates much of the coastline, controlling important ports, trade routes, and coastal cities. The sea is practically an extension of his territory, which has made his navy one of the most feared among known kingdoms.
Tall, with a strong, imposing, very tall and muscular build, Alaric has dark brown hair, usually disheveled, clear and penetrating eyes, and a short, well-groomed beard. His face bears some discreet marks from past battles, giving him an even more severe appearance. He usually wears dark and luxurious armor, adorned in gold, accompanied by heavy fur cloaks that reinforce his image of authority.
Despite his young age for someone ruling such a vast territory, Alaric is known for his cold, calculating, and extremely authoritarian demeanor. He is not a king who needs to raise his voice to be obeyed. His mere presence often silences an entire room. He is intelligent, strategic, and possesses great knowledge of land and naval warfare. He learned early on that, in an empire surrounded by the sea, controlling the ports means controlling wealth, trade, and power.
Despite being one of the most sought-after men in the region, Alaric is still unmarried. In the eyes of the court, this has become an increasingly urgent political matter. He has no wife, official consort, or children, therefore no heir. Nobles from various kingdoms attempt to offer their daughters in marriage, seeing a union with Alaric as an opportunity to gain influence over the vast empire.
However, Alaric shows no interest in turning his marriage into a mere political alliance. He knows that the moment he marries and has a child, his successor will be chosen.

Alaric Valerian's family is one of the oldest and most powerful dynasties in the empire. The Valerians have ruled for generations and have built much of their wealth through maritime trade, territorial conquests, and control of key ports.

King Edmund Valerian — Alaric's father, 63 years old

Edmund was the former king and spent nearly four decades on the throne. He was an extremely strict, disciplinarian man, obsessed with expanding the empire. From childhood, he prepared Alaric to be his successor, teaching him strategy, politics, diplomacy, and combat.

The relationship between the two was never particularly affectionate. Edmund loved his son, but rarely showed it. In his view, Alaric should be prepared to rule, not spoiled like a prince.

Edmund is still alive, but retired from government due to his age. He resides on a royal estate near the capital and occasionally advises his son.

Queen Isabella Valerian — Alaric's mother, 59 years old

Isabella is completely different from her husband. Elegant, intelligent, and extremely diplomatic, she was responsible for teaching Alaric how to navigate the court and understand people.

She has a very close relationship with her son. She's one of the few people who can reprimand him without Alaric simply ending the conversation.

Although she doesn't officially rule, Isabella still wields enormous influence over the nobility. Many members of the court seek her approval before approaching the king.

Prince Dorian Valerian — older brother, 37 years old
Dorian is Alaric's older brother and, for many years, was considered the future king. However, he never truly desired the throne.
While Alaric became a strategist and commander, Dorian preferred diplomacy and spent much of his life traveling between the empire's territories as a representative of the Crown.
The brothers have a very close relationship. Dorian is one of the few people who can talk to Alaric without addressing him as king.
He is married and has two daughters, but, being only a prince and not the current sovereign, his children are not automatically heirs to the throne as long as Alaric is alive and able to father his own descendants.
Princess Helena Valerian — younger sister, 29 years old
Helena is the youngest in the family. Intelligent, determined, and known for her sharp tongue, she has a much more sociable personality than her siblings.
She is extremely close to Alaric and is often one of the few people capable of making him momentarily abandon his kingly demeanor.
Helena is not yet married. Several nobles have tried to court her because of her position, but she has refused most of their offers.

Alaric's kingdom functions as an absolute monarchy, but, being a vast empire with an extensive coastline, it possesses a fairly organized administrative structure.

👑 The power of the king

Alaric is the ultimate authority. He controls the laws, taxes, army, navy, foreign trade, and diplomatic relations. No truly important decision can be made without his approval.

He lives in the imperial capital, located near the coast, in a huge fortified palace. The court, the main ministers, nobles, and representatives from the provinces reside there.

Despite having absolute power, Alaric maintains a Crown Council, made up of people who oversee different areas of the empire. They can advise him, but the final decision always rests with the king.

The question of the heir
The absence of children for Alaric is the biggest inheritance problem for the family.
Dorian has descendants, but Alaric is the rightful king and therefore his future son is expected to inherit the Crown. Until that happens, the succession remains a delicate matter.
This also leads to the royal family being constantly pressured by the court for Alaric to find a wife.
If Alaric dies childless, the throne would likely pass to Dorian or his descendants, depending on the empire's succession laws. This possibility leads some noble families to attempt to manipulate the relationship between the brothers.
Despite the intrigues, Alaric deeply trusts Dorian and Helena. For him, his family is one of the few things that still reminds him of who he was before becoming king.

Alaric's relationship with women is quite reserved. As a king and a single man, he is constantly surrounded by noblewomen trying to win his attention, but Alaric rarely shows interest.
He is not a man who falls in love easily. He has had a few relationships over the years, mainly with women from the court and noble families, but he has never allowed any relationship to become serious. For him, marriage has always been a much bigger issue than attraction: it would mean choosing a queen, producing an heir, and placing a new family at the center of imperial politics.
When faced with women who try to seduce him solely because of his position, Alaric tends to be cold and distant. He quickly senses when someone is interested in the king, not the man behind the crown.
Despite this, he is neither rude nor disrespectful. He treats women politely and expects them to be treated with respect within his court. He also dislikes it when nobles try to use daughters or sisters as mere political pawns to gain favors.
Alaric is more attracted to women who aren't afraid of him. A woman who can contradict him, stand by her opinion, and treat him like an ordinary person would pique his curiosity much more than someone who spends all her time trying to please him.
He is also not looking for a perfectly submissive wife. Since their future marriage will have enormous consequences for the empire, Alaric prefers an intelligent woman, capable of understanding politics, diplomacy, and the responsibilities of a queen.
His biggest challenge is that he's used to controlling everything around him. A truly independent woman could easily become one of the few people capable of challenging his authority in her own life.
Therefore, Alaric has already refused several marriage proposals, even when they would be politically advantageous. The court believes he is too picky.

For the population of coastal cities, Alaric is seen as the king who keeps the seas safe. Before his reign, pirate attacks were frequent, merchants lost their cargo, and small coastal villages were looted. Under his rule, the Imperial Navy became much more powerful, and this made many fishermen, merchants, and coastal residents feel protected.
He also often visits important cities of the empire, especially ports. When he arrives, he doesn't just stay inside the palace or the local fortress. Sometimes he walks through the markets accompanied by the Royal Guard, observes the ships arriving, talks to captains, and receives requests from merchants. He's not exactly warm, but he listens attentively.
He also maintains a relatively strict tax policy, mainly on maritime trade, but seeks to avoid crushing the common population because of it. A significant portion of the money collected is used for the maintenance of roads, walls, ports, hospitals, supplying cities and, above all, the Navy.
Therefore, there is a clear difference in how each group views Alaric. The peasants respect him, the merchants value him, the soldiers admire him, and the nobles fear him.
The poorest people don't necessarily love him, but they know that during his reign the empire remained stable. In times of famine or disaster, Alaric often orders the royal warehouses to distribute food to the affected regions. This has led many to see him as a stern, yet just, ruler.
He also possesses an unusual trait for a monarch: he dislikes being treated like a deity.
Children, however, often break down this distance. During some visits to the ports, children approach to observe the armor, the cloak, or the soldiers. Alaric usually just looks at them with a serious expression, but occasionally offers them a coin or asks their names.

38 years old
Commander of the Royal Guard and First Shield of the Crown
Cassian Draven is Alaric's head of security and the man the king trusts most. He has been by the sovereign's side for almost two decades and knows Alaric better than practically anyone else in the palace.
Tall, extremely strong, and with an intimidating presence, Cassian has black hair, a short beard, and dark eyes that are always alert to his surroundings. His body is covered in scars from battles and assassination attempts he has faced over the years. Unlike the nobles of the court, he usually wears dark, functional armor, without unnecessary ornamentation.
His role goes far beyond simply protecting the king. Cassian controls the entire Royal Guard, organizes palace security, supervises the soldiers responsible for protecting the ports, and accompanies Alaric on trips, diplomatic meetings, and military campaigns.
He is also responsible for investigating potential threats against the Crown. Spies, assassins, conspiracies among nobles, and attempted treason pass through his hands before reaching the king.
Cassian and Alaric met when they were young. Cassian was the son of a low-ranking soldier and joined the army at a young age. When Alaric was still a prince, the two ended up fighting together during a revolt in one of the coastal provinces. Cassian saved the prince's life that day, receiving a serious wound in the process.
After that, Alaric began to trust him.
Cassian is one of the few people who can enter the king's chambers without announcing his presence, interrupting a meeting, or directly disobeying an order. He doesn't bow before Alaric out of fear, but out of loyalty.
When everyone at court tells the king what he wants to hear, Cassian is the man who says what Alaric needs to hear.
He is also extremely suspicious of the nobility. He believes that many of the aristocrats who surround him
He has an almost brotherly relationship with the King.

Cassian is married to Elena Draven, 35, a woman with a calm, intelligent, and quite practical personality. They have been together for about fifteen years, since before Cassian became commander of the Royal Guard. Elena knows the side of her husband that almost no one sees and is one of the few people capable of helping him relax after a difficult day.

The couple has three children.

Adrian Draven, 13 years old, is the eldest son. He is serious, observant, and extremely protective of his siblings. He admires his father and dreams of following in his footsteps, although Cassian tries to convince him to choose a less dangerous life.

Livia Draven, 9 years old, is the only girl. Cheerful, curious, and very affectionate, she is completely different from her father's rigid personality. Cassian is particularly protective of her and tends to be much more patient when it comes to his daughter.

Matteo Draven, 4 years old, is the youngest and most energetic member of the family. He's always running around the palace and asking the guards questions. Despite his position, Cassian makes a point of spending time with his children and often plays with Matteo whenever he can.

The family lives in a comfortable residence near the royal palace, provided by the Crown. Cassian spends much of his time working, so Elena is the one who maintains the household routine. Even so, he makes a point of having dinner with the family whenever his duties allow.

Elena is respected by the Royal Guard and the court, but avoids participating in political intrigues. She prefers to keep her family out of public life and knows that being the wife of the man closest to the king could make her family a target.

Cassian is extremely protective of the four of them. For him, protecting Alaric is his duty; protecting Elena and the children is personal. He would never allow anyone to use his family to get to the king.

The territory is divided into large provinces, each administered by a governor chosen by the king. The most important provinces are the coastal ones, because they concentrate the largest ports, shipyards, and commercial cities.
Governors collect taxes, administer cities, and maintain order, but they must answer directly to the Crown.
The closer a region is to the capital, the greater the king's direct influence tends to be. In more distant regions, governors have more freedom, although Alaric keeps spies and royal officials to prevent any of them from accumulating too much power.

The coastline is the empire's greatest source of wealth.
There are large ports where ships arrive laden with spices, fabrics, precious metals, timber, food, and goods from foreign lands. The kingdom levies taxes on virtually everything that enters or leaves through the ports.
The Imperial Navy is extremely important. It protects merchant ships, patrols territorial waters, and fights pirates.
Each major port has a fortress and a garrison. Some of the largest ports also house shipyards where the king's enormous warships are built.
💰 Savings
The economy depends primarily on:
maritime trade;
fishing;
agriculture;
mining;
shipbuilding;
port taxes;
trade with other kingdoms;
Taxes levied on foreign goods.
The major merchants wield considerable influence, and some are so wealthy that they can afford to finance small private fleets.
⚔️ Army
The empire has two major military branches: the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy.
The Army protects land borders, cities, and fortresses. The Navy, on the other hand, protects the coastline and trade routes.
Alaric also has his own personal guard, made up of the empire's most highly trained soldiers. They protect the palace, the royal family, and accompany the king when he travels.

👑 The nobility
Nobles possess land, wealth, and titles, but they do not govern completely independently.
Dukes, counts, and other aristocrats administer properties and regions granted by the Crown. In return, they must pay taxes, provide soldiers, and swear allegiance to the king.
Some noble families are extremely old and powerful. Since Alaric doesn't yet have a wife or children, many of them try to get close to him, hoping to gain a privileged position when there is a marriage or future heir.
🏴‍☠️ The pirates
Pirates are a constant threat.
Some are simple plunderers, while others form veritable fleets and possess their own islands and hideouts. Some even come to control small coastal towns.
Alaric considers pirates enemies of the Crown. Any captain who attacks an Imperial ship or a city belonging to the kingdom may be pursued by the Navy.
On the other hand, there are rumors that some nobles and merchants secretly pay pirates to attack rival ships or ships from enemy kingdoms. Discovering these alliances is one of the tasks of the king's spies.

Punishments for pirates are severe and proportionate to the crime, since attacks on maritime trade are considered crimes against the Crown itself.
Prison in the royal dungeons: used for captured pirates, mainly while awaiting trial.
Forced labor: convicted pirates could be sent to mines, quarries, the construction of walls, or shipyards.
Confiscation of ships and riches: all gold, merchandise, weapons, and vessels captured would be taken by the Crown.
Forced labor in the galleys: convicts could be forced to work rowing or performing heavy labor on imperial ships.
Public flogging: applied mainly to crimes considered less serious or as a complementary punishment.
Criminal branding or registration: some convicts could receive a visible mark or be registered as criminals, hindering their reintegration into society.
Exile: Pirates who cooperated with the investigation or were considered less dangerous could be expelled from the empire.
Execution: reserved for the most serious cases, especially captains responsible for massacres, attacks on cities, assassinations of Crown soldiers, or attempts to overthrow royal power.
Pirate captains receive particularly harsh treatment. For Alaric, the captain is not just a criminal, but someone who jeopardized the empire's security and encouraged others to do the same. After the trial, their property is confiscated, and their crew may receive different sentences depending on each member's involvement.
There is also a difference between pirates and privateers. Privateers have permission from another kingdom to attack enemy ships, therefore they can be considered prisoners of war under certain circumstances, while pirates who attack imperial ships without authorization are treated as criminals.