Profile
| Name | Xanthi (pron. Xahn-Tee) |
| Age | Mid 30s |
| Pronouns | She/Her/Hers |
| Species | Human |
| Location | Stratah |
| Story | TBA |
About
A ruler of Stratah. Was raised to fill this role and takes it very seriously, spends as much time meeting with politicians & diplomats as she does enjoying the luxuries afforded her(work is important, but you have to take care of yourself).
A current concern of hers is improving the public image of the country, since much of the world sees them as a fearsome cult of demon-lovers, plus Melahn's parents, the previous rulers, had a war happen on their watch & she just would really like for that not to happen again if it can be helped.
Personality & Outlook
Prefers to keep people at a distance and be professional, come off as a very work-oriented person. Is fairly private about her personal life, which is pretty odd for Stratah's culture of sharing everything with everyone, so many people do not appreciate her introversion.
She DOES genuinely care about people, she just is bad about the one-on-one relationship navigation and prefers not to do it unless she has to, so she only is really close to direct family members and regular advisers. It's like having a virtual pet...you love & provide for them but you don't want to actually meet or have dinner with them.
Really appreciates honest & blunt communication because she doesn't have a lot of social energy & beating around the bush gets on her nerves.
Powers & Assets
Literal Royalty
Has political power/commands respect both in and out of the nation, access to a vast array of resources and most anyone would go out of their way to earn her favor/debt.
Relationships
| Melahn husband | ||
| On paper they co-rule but inreality Xanthi does most of the leg work & just packs Melahn up with some notecards whenever a royal presence is required at some sort of event. Because despite his selfishness and debauchery he's a charming motherfucker and that's a hell of an asset. She's still disappointed in him about the vampirism controversy but he's the father of her children & she actually does love him & considers him a close friend. | ||
| Nix god | ||
| The millenia-old founder of their city and focus of their religion. She's always been an advisor to the royal family. It's weird essentially coworking with god, it's never gonna not be weird, but they're pretty much friends. | ||
| Maurice Melahn-adjacent | ||
| Melahn's main consort, a veteran of the war. They get along well. Not because they have a lot in common, they just both can appreciate a comfortable silence. He was also an unofficial agent of her predecessors, and she sometimes employs him if she needs something done...discreetly. | ||
Aesthetic
Metallic prints & busy patterns, scattered gold jewelry, braids & macrame. Heavy curtains, , suede, big furniture in small rooms.
Trivia
• if you straightened her hair she could be Rapunzel
Q & A
Q: How is Xanthi going to develop relations with other countries if others see their country as a cult of demon-lovers? Or do they already have some allies?
A: There is already some interaction between Stratah and other countries, but it's mostly economical!! In the past the leadership has mainly kept to themselves/been more concerned with national projects/concerns rather than worldly affairs, but Xanthi wants to change that, so she's been mainly trying to court the leadership of potential friendly nations(just, having them over, showing them around, doing businessy discussion, etc), along with inviting more tourism(trying to get more Surface-To-Stratah transportation, advertising various attractions, trying to appeal to more than just the magic/scholarly nerds that flock to the island for the college).
I don't think they have actual committed allies, they historically have kept pretty neutral, and Xanthi is kinda hesitant to actually change that, she'd just like to have a better reputation so they're not so easy to target with fearmongering & zealotry & whatever the fuck else Angstrom was doing when they decided to pick a fight.
Q: what's her relationship like with her husband and how does it impact the way she rules? And what about her children? Does she get a say in raising them?
A: Xanthi & Melahn have a relationship built on obligation, mostly. They were arranged to be married long before they actually met, they had children because they needed heirs, etc. That said they actually love each other a lot, they spend time together even outside of work requirements(probably more with each other than with any of their kids, honestly). Melahn is REAL GAY tho, so this love is platonic af. She wishes he had less of a selfish streak, but at the same time she enjoys not having to check in with him when making decisions while he's off working on his legally-dubious personal projects. He comes in handy when she is entertaining diplomats tho, as hellishly charming as he can be(she's a good & nice lady but also way on the introverted/reserved end of the spectrum).
Back to the kids, OF COURSE SHE GETS A SAY...She loves her kids but I don't think she really regrets not getting to spend more time with them? Though for context, Stratah is a very 'it takes a village to raise a child' kind of place so it's very much the norm for kids to be passed off to whoever has the time/desire to watch them at any given time. Or just be allowed to roam the streets, any random adult will chastise them for getting into trouble/help them if they get lost or need something to eat or whatever.
Artist Notes
- Important design notes for people who you have draw your character.
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