it/she/he/they • cursed ruler

The King, granted the divine right to rule by the Crown itself. Vainglory was not ambitious; they did not want power or responsibility, but the Crown chooses the King without regard for what the King wants. It granted Vainglory immortality and an authority that nobody questions, and until recently Vainglory accepted this burden for what it was: unwanted, but inevitable.

It was only after being confronted by Radiance about the origin of their claim to the Crown that they began to have ideas about breaking the curse...

he/him • royal spymaster

Radiance is a cunning man who wants the Crown for himself. He is willing to go to any length to get it: treachery, treason, and murder are all on the table. He was the first person to see through the mysterious fog the Crown places over any thoughts of the King's origins, and ever since he has done everything he can think of to get close to Vainglory and attempt to steal it away from them.

But the Crown grants Vainglory immortality. It isn't just a matter of killing them and stealing the Crown -- he has to do something about the curse first.

he/him • knight-captain

The unshakeable captain of the castle knights, Siobhan is known best for never putting down his work. He is serious, dedicated, and unbelievably focused; there is speculation in the castle about whether or not he even sleeps, let alone takes breaks that aren't forced on him. He is completely loyal to the King, and sees defending them against any threat to be a part of his job.

He is unhappy about Radiance's proximity to the King, and goes to great lengths to make sure Vainglory isn't vulnerable to any attacks the spymaster might attempt to make.

she/her • future-seer

A blind, beastly dog whose presence unsettles almost everybody in the castle. As the rumors go, Seer can look at people with the eye on her tongue and tell their future; plenty of people say they want to know what fortune has in store for them, but hearing it from Seer inspires feelings of dread so strong, they turn away. Seer herself is unbothered by this. She isn't here for them.

When Vainglory began searching for a way to break the curse, they brought Seer into the castle in hopes that her powers would grant helpful insights.

he/him • hunting dog

A friendly man who likes people, animals, and the outdoors. His official job is organizing & directing hunts in the grounds around the castle, but the King isn't much for sport hunting, so Greer spends most of his time ensuring the pantry is stocked for dinners, training the hunting animals, and keeping up with his many, many friends throughout the castle and its surrounding areas. Greer is known for knowing everybody.

Greer is the person to go to for information about how people are feeling, and he's happy to share what he knows. He is unambitious, and doesn't worry about how that information is used.

he/they • working dog

An ill-tempered dog who doesn't care much for "people skills" or "manners". For the most part, he does odd jobs around town (and, on occasion, in the castle) and makes a modest living; while he might prefer to have an easier life, he's cynical and doesn't believe it's possible for him. And he's proud: if he was offered money for nothing, he wouldn't take it. He is snappish and quick to argue, and he respects people who bite back.

Dirch sees a lot of things in his work. He isn't anyone's first choice, but plenty of people go to him when they think something strange is going on. He has no issue with selling information for a few extra coins.

she/her • noble knight

One of the castle's most skilled and respected knights, Arthur has left home on a quest seeking information on the Crown's curse and the means with which to break it. Vainglory entrusted this mission to her personally: Arthur is one of the few people in the castle with the mental clarity to see through the curse's fog, and the King believed that she was capable of finding out more and bringing it back to the castle.

Arthur spends most of her time traveling, sometimes even beyond the borders of the kingdom itself. She returns to the castle every few months to report in and see her loved ones before leaving again.

they/them • religious leader

Arcangela presides over religious services in the castle and most of the religious staff: a prestigious position that requires a very organized mind. They also keep records and information on a wide variety of subjects -- a library that only they can reliably navigate. Arcangela is easily the most knowledgeable person in the castle on almost any subject, but they are a jealous defender of their work and don't share it often.

They harbor the idea that they are a god, lost from the pantheon and trapped in a mortal body. Now that the reality of the Crown's curse is coming to light, Vainglory isn't sure if that is or isn't a delusion.

he/him • inspired sculptor

Fenmore is an artist renowned throughout the kingdom. He has a patron in the castle who pays him to create art full-time; typically, that includes art his patron specifically requests, but he has more than enough free time to pursue his own projects on the side. One of those projects was a sculpture so enrapturing, Fenmore -- inspired by an old legend -- begged the gods to bring it to life. And they did.

Fenmore and Imogen lead a happy, peaceful, relatively simple life together. Fenmore doesn't dream about much more than his art and his wife; it feels dangerous to want for more when he has already been so lucky.

she/her • divine beauty

Imogen was a work of art created by the sculptur Fenmore, brought to life by the gods. It hasn't been a straightforward journey, learning how to be a person, but she is sharp and determined and she won't let anybody take the chance away from her. She defers to no person, not even the King; not even the gods that brought her to life. Her fierce defense of her own agency is her best trait; her second best trait is her undiluted joy for the world and everything in it.

Imogen is one of the King's personal friends, one of the only people who saw the curse for what it was from the outset. Because she began life as a sculpture, her mind has never been clouded by it.