RAO ORDAN

Height: 4’ 11”

Weight: 92 lbs.

Can bench press: 75 lbs.

Runs a mile in: 15:49

Alignment: Neutral Good

Hobbies: Gardening, spending time with Dria, dodging responsibilities of state

Rao is the reigning emperor of Itudaeia and the father of Dria, heir apparent to the throne. Despite what anyone might tell you, it isn’t easy being emperor even with the glory and wealth that comes with the job, as Rao knows only too well.   

Born into minor nobility, Rao would have been content leading a quiet life tilling his hobby farm. He never had ambitions for the crown. But, in an act unheard of among the nobility, the reigning empress married him out of love and not for advantage as was customary among the ruling class. Little did he suspect that so trivial a choice as marrying an empress might result in him one day becoming responsible for the realm’s governance. 

When his wife died of illness early into their marriage, he unwillingly took on the mantle of emperor. The stress of governance has aged him beyond his years, leaving him with a permanently haggard, washed-out countenance. He has since looked forward to being rid of these obligations so he can retire to a quiet life of farming once more. Before this can happen, he must ensure his successor, Dria, is adequately prepared to rule. While she possesses boldness and vigor he never had, sometimes he questions whether her youth impairs her judgment—though he has never said so to her face, as that would only further delay his withdrawal from affairs of state. 

Rao may be clueless, timid, and out of touch, but he is not unsympathetic to his people’s hardships. He knows he was never the right person for the job, but he cannot simply leave his realm without a ruler. He can only hope his daughter will do better than him when the time comes to step down. That time might come sooner than he thinks—rumors tell of insurrectionary groups forming in opposition to his rule. And while being forcefully ejected from office might not be the most genteel way to retire, if it brings about his departure sooner, he might actually welcome it.