Keris Veliant

Biography
Keris Veliant, King of Maridrina, is the elder brother of Queen Lara Veliant of Ithicana.

Keris was born in Vencia and is the son of King Silas Veliant and an unnamed harem wife. When Keris was a child, his father strangled his mother to death in front of him after Lara and Keris' other half sisters were taken away to the Red Desert to train. Keris was raised by his "aunties" in the harem and is close with his half-siblings, especially his younger half-brother Otis and his younger half-sister Sarah.

Personality
Keris is often described as bookish and very clever.

While he has been trained in combat by his half-brother Otis, Keris is not particularly skilled in the art of war.

Keris is known to over-indulge in both alcohol and women.

Keris is intensely loyal to his family and, eventually, to his lover General Zarrah Anaphora.

The Inadequate Heir
Keris has been stationed in the contested city of Nerastis by his father.

One night, Keris apprehends Zarrah Anaphora in his half-brother Otis' room. Zarrah takes a stack of letters (including love letters from Otis' late wife) and flees into the night. Keris chases her and catches her at a dam on the outskirts of the city. Zarrah agrees to return the letters to Keris, accidentally keeping one of the letters in her possession.