Antonia
Bayle is ruler of the kingdom of Qeynos. Born with the name Shirrana
on a small island isolated for centuries by cataclysms, she had
no idea that she was descended from the ruling house of Qeynos.
When the cataclysms subsided and word reached her island that the
Bayle family had been wiped out by disaster, the guardians of the
young woman's secret finally revealed the truth of her destiny.
Shirrana went to Qeynos with letters that proved her ancestry, and
she began the process of learning how to be a leader. After several
years of training, she assumed the title of Antonia and took the
throne; she has led her city for over seven years.
Though only in her late 20s, Antonia
Bayle is already an accomplished leader. Possessing an enigmatic
charm and an undeniable beauty, she immediately commands the attention
of all who see her. But she is far from just a pretty face; she
proved soon after her arrival in Qeynos that she has a natural gift
to inspire her people and make wise decisions regarding their future.
She speaks from the heart and motivates her subjects to believe
in their ability to achieve great things.
Antonia cares little for the accumulation
of personal power, putting all of her time and energy toward the
benefit of her city. To her, the past is simply prologue; she encourages
her subjects to put aside old rivalries for the good of the future.
She constantly emphasizes accomplishments over failures, believing
strongly that people must move past their mistakes and learn to
improve the lives of everyone around them.
In keeping with the tradition that no
ruler of Qeynos should ever be called king (or queen), Antonia sees
herself as a representative of her people. Though she does not shun
her royal lineage, she portrays herself as a fellow citizen who
faces the same challenges as the average person. Her speeches appeal
to commoner and aristocrat alike, making clear that all people have
a responsibility to one another, regardless of station. When speaking
of the accomplishments of her people, she emphasizes that a victory
for one is a victory for all. Antonia understands her people's need
for faith, and so she encourages religious freedom. Though she advocates
no specific deity herself, she sees any belief in a benign god to
be a positive thing that can inspire people to do the right thing.
When speaking of the rival city of Freeport,
Antonia is careful to direct her animosity at its leader, not its
people. She openly despises Lucan D'Lere, who has attempted to deceive
and mislead her multiple times in the past. She will portray him
as the liar and manipulator that he is, but rarely depicts the people
of Freeport as anything other than misguided. If a former follower
of D'Lere renounces his evil ways and proves to have a desire to
work toward the greater good, Antonia will accept him gladly and
count such a conversion as a victory for Qeynos. She wants to see
Lucan fall so that all citizens of Freeport have the opportunity
to accept a new path, but she is wary of a costly war between the
cities.
Though kind and giving by nature, Antonia
Bayle is extremely willful and does not back down from what she
knows to be the right thing to do. While open to compromise in many
areas, she will not negotiate her belief in justice. She is a formidable
ruler who has earned the respect of those around her by being that
rare combination of idealist and pragmatist, believing a better
future is possible only through hard work and unity - as well as
the judicious use of force.
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