King Kevran Andras is the monarch and official leader of Andarra, He is the doting father of Princess Karaliene, brother of Duke Elocien, and uncle to Prince Torin and Princess Deldri. He led the effort to overthrow the Augurs during the Unseen War, though he has generally held a moderate attitude towards the Gifted.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Kevran, much like his brother, is of solid stature, with a regal air to him. In good health, he shares the blond hair and fair skin common among the Andras family.
As his illness has taken hold of him, his skin has gained a pallid hue and his appearance began to seem rather sickly. While he maintains a dignified composure, he seems a fair bit older than his true age.
Personality[]
Kevran is renowned as a moderate, just and thoughtful king, not quick to make any rash decisions or policies. He has an especially strong and bond with his daughter, and surrounds himself with intelligent and trusted vassals to ensure stability in his rule.
His illness radically changes his personality. He becomes rather careless with his family members and confidants, often boldly attempting to dictate policies based on his gut feelings. His megalomaniacal actions serve to alienate him from others at court and cause a significant rift between the royal family and Andarra's nobility.
History[]
Pre-Revolution[]
Sometime prior to the revolution, Kevran fathered his daughter and loyal heir Karaliene. Little is known about her mother, and it is implied she died not long after giving birth.
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"Only for a great love would he take such a risk."
The following section(s) may contain spoilers. You have been warned.
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Despite his title, Kevran originally served the ruling Augurs as a token monarch. His brother Elocien, dissatisfied with the current state of affairs, invited him to a meeting with a mysterious woman, who promised to help them achieve a revolution. They were shocked to see Jakarris si'Ithridian, leader of the Augurs, appear as well. Expecting to be tried and executed, Kevran and his brother were even more surprised to learn that Jakarris intended to sabotage the rule of the Augurs from within, and would be working alongside them.
The Revolution[]
The woman provided them with the Oathstones, Traps, Vessels and Finders required to establish administrative power over the Gifted, and assured them the opportunity to strike would soon present itself. Jakarris used his influence as the chief Augur to falsify the public record of the Augurs' predictions, causing them to lose the trust of the public and go into hiding while they sorted out the issue.
In the meantime, some of the Gifted, no longer beholden to their masters, took the opportunity to manipulate normal citizens, making sport of mass violence, rapes and other severe crimes.
Eventually, public opinion against both Augurs and Gifted in Andarra reached a boiling point. Kevran and his brother led the revolution that overthrew them from the ruling class, and instated a new system of government as well as Administration, an organization to police the use of Essence.
With the revolution complete, Kevran and his brother convened with Jakarris, who had recently finished killing all of the other Augurs. He verified that their memories had not been tampered with, then wiped them from the King's memory.
As King[]
While Kevran's reputation indicates he was a moderate leader with no severe hatred for the Gifted, their treatment by Administration indicates he was willing to turn a blind eye to the abuses of power perpetrated by his brother. For normal affairs of state, he was regarded as generally competent, though in his tenure he was unable to de-escalate tensions with Desriel or Nesk. He had a close advisory relationship with Laiman Kardai, and often consulted the Gifted man for his perspective on matters of state.
His family relationships remained generally healthy, as he fostered a particularly strong bond with his daughter — who he hoped would eventually replace him as Andarra's leader. He was aware that Prince Torin was Gifted, and kept the true purpose of his nephew's multi-year absence a secret. He also extended an invitation for Dezia and Aelric Shainwiere, to live at the palace as his wards after their father was killed and their House had fallen from grace.
At some point, he began to apparently suffer symptoms of a strange illness, which appeared to alter his health, beliefs and behaviour. His skin gained a pallid hue, he began to eschew his trademark moderation for Loyalist rhetoric and he alienated his closest advisors and his daughter.
The true cause of the illness was a set of Controlling Vessels being used by Tol Shen. Its Council of Elders, led by Dras Lothlar, possessed the final records of the Augurs' predictions and knew of the Blind invasion well in advance. Sensing an opportunity to gain power, they planned to manipulate some of Kevran's actions in order to harm the reputation of the royal family, mismanage the military and alienate Tol Athian — which would allow Tol Shen to bargain for modifying the Tenets, and step in to save Andarra when the invasion finally occurred.
They set the plan in motion approximately two months before the anticipated invasion, and the Control is a success. It does cause some unintentional side effects on the King's physical and mental health, as the Shen Elders did not possess the full set of Vessels required to properly Control someone. Lothlar made certain to frequently place himself in the King's entourage to monitor his subject for signs of aberrant behaviour.
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Spoilers end here.
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Activities in The Shadow of What Was Lost[]
Reign of Chaos[]
Kevran remains in the grips of his illness, spreading rumours that house Andras may no longer be fit to rule Andarra. His radical changes of political position cause mass confusion among his allies, and his relationship becomes highly strained with his allies and top advisors, Elocien and Laiman Kardai included. Karaliene fills his role in matters of state, including the Song of Swords, to save face for the kingdom.
Upon receiving information of the Blind invaders, Kevran attempts to dispatch all of Andarra's 15,000 armed forces to meet them. Laiman's pleas manage to drop the number to 9,000. When his daughter returns from the song, he refuses to clear his schedule to see her, prompting her immense concern at his change in behaviour. Karaliene shares this with Wirr as he arrives in Ilin Illan, and advises him to tread carefully.
At the banquet celebrating Wirr's return, Kevran shares a table with his family. He receives news that his army has been overrun by the invaders, and calls an emergency meeting of political and military leaders to deal with the crisis. There, many of his advisors plead for him to change the Tenets to allow for Gifted combatants, but he emphatically refuses, stating that the Gifted may fight alongside the remaining soldiers with normal weapons.
After the meeting is dismissed, he speaks privately with his nephew, demanding to know if Torin's loyalties lie with Andarra or the Gifted. He is dissatisfied with the Prince's noncommittal answer, and dismisses him in disgust. Soon after, he returns to the banquet hall, where many guests still remain. He receives word that one of Torin's friends from Calandra requests access to the palace, and the news sends him into a frenzy. He publicly reveals the truth of the Prince's absence, and accuses Torin of smuggling Gifted agents into the palace to kill him from within.
As the Blind invasion begins, Kevran continues to isolate himself, seemingly unaffected by the further casualties in his military. He remains steadfast in his convictions, and his brother surmises that the King will sooner let Andarra burn than change the Tenets. At this point, the nature of his illness has been deduced by the Shadraehin, who informs her lieutenant Scyner of the truth. He, in turn, discloses this to Erran and Asha, who rush to tell Laiman Kardai of their discovery.
Breaking Free[]
Before Kardai can be reached, The Tenets are changed. This is noticed by Lothlar, who is in the company of the King and his adviser, and the Elder makes the covert order to stop the Control now that his goal is complete. The Control quickly wears off and Kevran's mental state returns to normal. His memories lack significant portions of recent events, and after Kardai fills in the blanks, he immediately calls for Karaliene to fill his role during the crisis. Exhausted, Kevran retires for the remainder of the battle.
Kevran is in recovery after the battle ends. He does not take significant issue with the modification of the Tenets, and supports his nephew in his position as the new Northwarden. Trusting his nephew's judgement on the once-wanted fugitive, he allows Taeris Sarr to join the royal court as Tol Athian's representative.
Activities in An Echo of Things to Come[]
This section re-write is in progress.
A Precarious Balance[]
A few weeks later, he continues to rule as the King. While he has returned Andarra's court to a state of normalcy, his support has begun to waver due to his actions while under Tol Shen's Control and rumours abound that the Andras family may no longer be fit to rule.
His actions as a monarch demonstrate his renewed sanity and kindness. His relationship with his daughter is rekindled and he remains supportive of Wirr; Both publicly as the Northwarden, and privately by working to promote the Shainwiere family to a Minor house — opening the possibility for Wirr to marry his beloved Dezia. When the Boundary momentarily fails and the Banes swarm into Andarra, he sends military forces to search for them and even sends his daughter to lead the reconstruction effort.
Activities in The Light of All That Falls[]
This section re-write is in progress.
Redemption[]
As another year passes, Kevran's rule has continued to re-solidify. When he is warned of the imminent eletai invasion of Ilin Illan, he helps his nephew gather the city's residents and shepherd them into Tol Athian for safety. As Wirr begins to show signs of exhaustion, he insists on sending the Prince inside the Tol and taking over the management of the refugees. Tragically, the mechanisms powering the Tol's gates suddenly close, stranding Kevran and many others outside — in direct range of the eletai swarm. Lacking protection or offensive capabilities against the Banes, he died quickly alongside his subjects.
Because he was killed by the eletai, his corpse was at risk for reanimation and assimilation into their ranks. Caeden prevented this by burning all of Ilin Illan to the ground, Kevran's body included.