Duchess Elissa of Tanith
Image from Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.
Perhaps the most famous woman in Realmgard, the reigning Duchess of Tanith is respected by the other rulers of Realmgard and venerated as the living incarnation of the patron goddess of Tanith.
Previously the dominant power on the Sea’s Edge Peninsula for several centuries, the Duchy of Tanith was ultimately supplanted by the nascent Kingdom of Pelayo and reduced to a de facto Pelayan vassal after a decisive defeat at the battle of the Saludo River in the south of the Sea’s Edge. Thus, Duchess Elissa found herself not only young and untested, but also inheriting the rule of Tanith at a precarious time in its history.
Elissa quickly became well-known for her shrewd diplomatic mind and her ability to foster conciliation and concord with her rivals, strengthened by her personal charm and striking beauty. It is said that the next war fought on the Sea’s Edge will be waged between rival kings competing for Elissa’s hand in marriage.
With the military strength of Tanith all but completely destroyed in the wake of the great loss of life at the Saludo, exacerbated by long-standing sanctions placed on Tanith by the Kings of Pelayo to prevent the Duchy’s rearmament, Elissa has instead focused on ensuring Tanith’s role as the entry point into Realmgard for goods arriving from the Wandering Coast across the strait to the immediate south of Tanith.
In establishing herself as the necessary intermediary between the Wandering Coast and the Sea’s Edge, Elissa is also able to position herself as a diplomatic intermediary as a neutral mediator in the long-standing hostilities — often taking the form of pirate raids across the strait — between Pelayo and Torres on one side and the local rulers of the Wandering Coast on the other.
Despite the centuries-long enmity between Pelayo and Tanith, thanks to Elissa avoiding any large-scale military build-up and making Tanith a conduit of wealth into Pelayo, the ruling Kings of Pelayo have softened their stance on Tanith, now viewing the Duchy primarily as a commercial partner rather than a rival.
Well-educated from a young age and now a patron of education, Elissa has recruited the finer scholars from across Realmgard and the Wandering Coast, turning the Duchy of Tanith into one of the most vibrant centres of learning the continent. An invitation to one of Elissa’s salons is sought after and envied among the thinkers of Realmgard.
Despite the distance between the two realms, Aurora and Tanith have fostered close diplomatic ties during the reign of Duchess Elissa, helped by the fact that both realms primarily worship a sky goddess. Elissa has encouraged the growing belief that the Tanithite goddess Melketa and the Aurorean goddess Nainen are the same divine figure under different names. Under Elissa’s reign, Aurora has become a destination for Tanithite pilgrims hoping to catch a glimpse of the eponymous northern lights in the skies of Aurora as a sign of the sky goddess’ divine favour.
Similarly, Elissa has proclaimed that all Aurorean travellers in Tanith are under her personal protection, leading to severe punishments for Tanithite criminals who do harm to Aurorean visitors in the Duchy.
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