King Aden
Aden Damaren Coriander, first of his name, is the current King of Odessa, a position he has held for eight years since his mother, Eloise Saradi (formerly Queen Eloise III), fell victim to madness. Despite being very young (26), after almost a decade of rule, he is an able and shrewd ruler. While his aggressive policies in regards to Alexian refugees and the Celstian border are several degrees above those of his two predecessors, his people generally admire his stoicism and respect him for the obvious pain caused by his upbringing and the madness of his mother. This does not mean his reign is without controversy.
His primary focus over his reign has been increasing the size, scope, nature and potency of the Odessan military, to the point that some among the Privy Council have begun to balk and deny requests for further taxation, leading the king to take several substantial loans from the Bank of Wydmoor over the past few years to maintain military growth. The terms of the largest and most recent loan, taken out two springs ago, are a cause of particular consternation among the nobility and the public. By drawing on his claim of "dominion over the seas and forests of the realm", King Aden essentially mortgaged the entire of Heartwood Forest to the Bank of Wydmoor for a multi-year, multi-part loan, apparently to add to the Odessan fleet. Additionally, he has begun to put the screws to the Alexian client-state.
A great deal of the domestic agenda during this time has been ceded to select ministers, and the privy council respectively. Chief among his ministers is Hedrafax Kaine, a wizard who has served the Crown of Coriander for three generations, and is generally seen as the primary architect of the vassalization of Alexia and, thus, is still given great respect, despite the recent troubles from that state.
As a man, Aden is all that one could expect from a young, energetic king. Strong, handsome and commanding, King Aden often drills among his troops, though his campaigns against the Alexians have all been directed from Cebridon. He is still unmarried and, despite several rumors of bastard children, has no legitimate heir at this time. Although some question the tactic, King Aden seems content to use coy indications of interest to woo and manipulate various Privy Houses.
- True Odessan nobility, as opposed to those elevated to Nobility, have three names. The middle name is usually elven, or of elven origins, and indicates direct line of descent from Elves. Only members of the Coriander family, who are descended from the demigoddess of love Saradi, even have standing lay claim on the throne. Generally speaking, standing is measured by closeness of relation to the Wystarian human dynasty that predated the Corianders.
