Sly • Paranoid • Haughty

The youngest child of the House of Reynard seemed like an unlikely choice to rule in many ways. She preferred to hide inside the castle, reading and attempting to learn others' secrets, and was by far the smartest of the lot, her father's darling and mother's least favoured. Emotionally, she never quite grew up: to this day, she is prone to peevishness and resentment when contradicted or denied something, and criminals are treated perhaps harsher than is absolutely necessary. Yet, she can also be seen caring deeply for those who show her true kindness or whose stories touch her (though she trusts slowly). It was the sudden and tragic death of both her parents and siblings at sea that forced her to assume what maturity she is capable of and rule Vulland through a turbulent time. In truth, Nakhta is a deeply unhappy young woman. If she could make a perfect world, it would be just like the dollhouses she spent hours with as a lonely child: perfectly unchanging, so that you could always go back to the way it was and nobody would have to ever die or leave her again. Since that's impossible, she strives simply to keep order and prevent chaos and social upheaval while keeping a firm hand on the tiller of her nation.

History

Vulland is a kingdom with a long and storied history, founded over a thousand years ago by, according to legend, the Fox hero Reynard. His family has reigned there ever since, sometimes for good, often for ill, and sometimes in unexpected ways. The fifth child and second daughter of King Gattrem and Queen Velise was a small and sickly infant who grew into a small and sickly, but ultimately resilient child. She had neither the brawn of the eldest siblings Absarren and Bilba, nor the singleminded devotion to task of Vilgem and Berehn, but her intelligence was remarkable. So was her talent for subterfuge, and she could often be found exploring the castle's many secret passages to eavesdrop on others and spring elaborate pranks and build elaborate schemes--when she wasn't invested in history books and novels of adventure and romance. The King, a wily old scoundrel himself, took great amusement at seeing his daughter turn out this way, but his queen was not so happy and frequently avoided paying the girl much attention. Likewise, her brothers and sister were far too busy to pay much heed to young Nakhta. Still, she loved them deeply and truly, overlooking any flaws they might possess. In fact, Nakhta finds it difficult to truly love anyone other than her family, or those who are like family to her. Although Nakhta never had ambition to hold the crown (that would be a betrayal of her brother), she did one day desire to become a power behind the throne, with visions of herself pulling strings throughout the kingdom at the head of a vast agency of spies filling her head--and none of that foolishness about being married off too early. She told nobody that her ladies-in-waiting held more attraction for her than the young grooms and butlers who would flirt with her. Perhaps, in time, she might find a suitable match, but that was a long way off for a Princess. She had plenty of time, she believed. Life was good, and she was young.

The Disaster

Unfortunately, she proved mistaken about the time she had left. One day, her parents and siblings chose to board a ship to visit a neighboring kingdom. Nakhta did not wish to go on this trip. For one thing, she preferred her own kingdom, and particularly terra firma; to travel abroad by sea did not appeal to her at all. For another, she knew this was once again to attempt to arrange marriages for all the children and so gain alliances for the kingdom, and though she was 19 by then, she still had no interest in joining the expedition. It never occurred to her that to put nearly the entire family on a single ship could be perilous. Who could possibly strike at the well-respected Vullish navy? And so she remained contentedly at home, until what would have been near the end of the trip when a messenger, quaking with fear, brought her the worst news of her life: the royal flagship had capsized and broken apart in a great storm. Everyone on board was lost. This was a cataclysmic loss for the Princess. Her family was everything to her, and they had kept the kingdom stable between them under her father's rather autocratic rule. To learn that her world of childish fairy-tales and make-believe power was ending and being placed with a colder, harder world where she really did need to exercise authority and bear responsibility was almost too much for her to take. Yet endure it she did, and was rapidly crowned Queen Nakhta of Vulland and the Isles, with a level of pomp and excess to which she was already accustomed. Given her well-known propensity to subtlety and plots, it was inevitable that there would spring up a crowd of those who could not believe that a mere "coincidence" would work out so well in Nakhta's apparent favour. Many still suspect her of engineering the family's demise, and resent her (particularly those who grew fat under Gattrem's patronage). This has merely added another layer of stress for her to manage and a way to manage her image. Traitors are dealt with appropriately, but though this has intensified her natural paranoia, she would rather win over her people with wisdom and cunning than outright fight for their hearts.

Present

Nakhta may be an absolute monarch, but she does not rule unaided. Her dreams of a spy network, at least, have come true, and the Special Diplomatic Service operates with great discretion and efficiency, or at least she's quite confident that it does. True, Nakhta spends a great deal of tax money on patronage of the theater and literature in general, to say nothing of royal feasts (at which she keeps an eye on people of importance). But this was true of many monarchs before her. And it's true that she's afraid of danger and subversion in many places, but this is often in her head. What is certain is that the world is growing smaller as new technologies expand the horizon, and change lies ahead. It will not be easy for her personally, or for the nation she rules, but Nakhta is determined to make the best use of what she has been divinely granted. One way or another, Nakhta will show that her arrogance is justified. She is important, and everyone who won't help her prove it had best stay out of her way.