Lyssa von Zarovich
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This section contains canon Ravenloft information from officially published sources; see the References below. |
Lyssa von Zarovich is the de jure ruler of Zeidenburg and its surrounds, holding the seat of northern Gundarak. She rules this domain from an estate a short distance to the north of the city, and occasionally holds court there, but it is usually held in the Great Hall of the Ashen Stronghold. Lyssa is a very talented sorceress, and she makes no secret of the fact she wields magic, though the exact nature of which is what is kept more closely held. The local superstitions of magic, especially among the gundarakites, fear it, and that fear that keeps people in line. It is not entirely needed: Given by her fairly dispassionate and "hands-off" approach to governance, only truly ruling when needed, she is the most well-regarded of the von Zarovich, at least by those she serves. Her rivalry with the Count is well-known, and the people generally hold that it is her usefulness in keeping the rebellious gundarakite population to heel that keeps her both in her station and, well, alive, for lack of a better word.
Physical Appearance
Background
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This section contains server-canon Ravenloft information from the Time of Unparalleled Darkness server; see the References below. |
Lyssa von Zarovich is a vampiress, but this is not widely known among the population, and she takes elaborate steps to hide it with illusory and shapechanging magic, practical effects, and disguise, when among her subjects. It is believed by the general populace that her longetivity is a result of the same poison that keeps her bed-ridden for long periods - something that is well known, if not its source - and the theory is that her life only progresses in her waking hours. While it isn't completely unheard of to have someone claim she is undead, or a vampire, these theories are usually held as crank theories. After all, vampires are evil - and Lyssa, for all her faults, is not regarded as so by her subjects. Capricious sometimes, or harsh to those who anger her - but it is never anyone whom isn't seen as underserving of it. Most importantly, she seems able to walk by the day, which the vast majority of vampires cannot, and in the minds of most this fact eliminates the possibility.
In stateswomanship, Lyssa is a distant ruler. For most things, she trusts in the burgomaster and their garda to enforce order, only directly intervening for particularly contentious disagreements, or disputes which threaten borders or sovereignty, though she does hold general court infrequently. When holding court, she acts brisk and businesslike, keeping to the topics at hand, with little pageantry or fluff, and is regarded as fair if not overly merciful. Only those whom waste her time with the theatre and politicking she tries to avoid have typically given rise to her ire, and those that do often become her guard's guests for an indefinite time.
However, in more casual life, Lyssa is a fairly frequent appearance in the lives of her subjects, often visiting the museum, Ashen Stronghold, and sometimes the markets in the wee hours. She is known to be generally rather affable, and charismatic, and those whom speak with her - while they have that nagging fear to not wish to upset her - tend to regard the encounters where they manage to avoid offending her sensibilities well. Those that do not, simply disappear some time after, and no one ever truly knows where, save perhaps Lyssa herself.
This highlights something Lyssa takes pains to in her public persona; while she is an intelligent and ruthless woman in the Great Game (aka statecraft), as a result of this, she recognizes the easy acclaim and soft power she gains for having the reputation for being affable and just compared to her kindred in the Count, or her other siblings and extended family such as Talena. In short: it's largely an act, to curry favour with those she serves, but there can still be said to be some good that she cares about the opinions of those she serves - something that definitely cannot be said of many of her relatives.
It is rumoured she is secretly an Ezran. Whether that is true or not, she will not say - which only further fuels the rumours. The source of these rumours is her frequently having audience with officials of the local church, though it may well just be that they discuss matters of mutual interest frequently.
