# **King Castruccio Irovetti – The Fox of Pitax, Sovereign of Silk and Steel** --- ![[DALL·E 2025-02-22 15.05.47 - A charismatic yet menacing king with sharp green eyes and graying temples. He wears the finest silk robes embroidered with gold, a perfectly tailored .webp]] ## **Basic Information** - **Name:** Castruccio Irovetti - **Race:** Human - **Class:** **Bard (Maestro Archetype)** – A ruler who understands that power is a performance, and the most dangerous weapons are words, wealth, and well-placed whispers. - **Alignment:** **Lawful Evil** – Order is his tool, manipulation his craft, and deception his art. - **Age:** Mid-40s - **Pronouns:** He/Him - **Titles & Epithets:** - The **Fox of Pitax** – Clever, elusive, and always a step ahead. - The **Master of Mirrored Truths** – A man whose words never reveal their full meaning. - **King of Pitax** – A ruler who rules with equal measures of charm and cruelty. ## **Appearance & Presence** - **Handsome, but in a way that feels carefully cultivated.** Every aspect of him, from the graying at his temples to the slight smirk he often wears, seems deliberate—like a painting meant to inspire admiration or unease. - **Sharp green eyes, always watching, always calculating.** They glint with amusement when he speaks, but behind them lurks a mind that never stops weighing possibilities. - **Dressed in the finest silks, always tailored perfectly.** Gold-threaded embroidery, subtle rings of power, and a rapier polished to an almost ceremonial sheen. - **Carries himself like a man who owns every room he enters.** A voice that commands attention, a step that exudes confidence, and a smile that makes even threats sound like compliments. --- ## **Personality & Traits** **King Irovetti is a ruler who believes power is not about brute strength, but about perception.** He plays the long game, ensuring every action he takes, every alliance he forms, and every word he speaks is part of a grander design. ### **Personality Summary:** - **Power is an Illusion, and He is the Greatest Magician.** He doesn’t need to *seize* control; he convinces others to *give it* to him. - **Unpredictable Yet Methodical.** One moment, he is generous and inviting; the next, cold and ruthless. Every action serves a purpose. - **Never Raises His Voice in Anger.** His quiet words carry more weight than most men’s shouts. The deadliest commands are whispered. - **Loyalty is a Currency, and He Decides Its Worth.** He rewards those who amuse him, tolerates those who serve a purpose, and destroys those who cease to be useful. - **Underestimates No One, But Pities Many.** He sees himself as *above* others—not out of arrogance, but because he has *proven* that he is. ### **Strengths & Skills:** ✔ **Master Manipulator:** Can turn allies against each other with a few well-placed words. ✔ **Social Insight:** Can read a room, a rival, or a king’s weaknesses within minutes. ✔ **A True Politician:** He does not simply make deals—he ensures that his enemies *thank* him for the chains they wear. ✔ **Bardic Magic & Subterfuge:** His spells are as subtle as his lies—illusions, enchantments, and tricks that ensure he always has the upper hand. ✔ **Deadly Duelist (When Necessary):** While he rarely fights, when he *does*, it is with precision, elegance, and terrifying speed. ### **Weaknesses & Flaws:** ✖ **Ego Will Not Allow Him to Be Ignored.** He doesn’t need constant praise, but if he is not *recognized*, he will make sure he *is*. ✖ **A Slow, Calculated Cruelty.** He rarely kills in anger. Instead, he waits, ensures the suffering is felt, and then *removes* the problem. ✖ **Views Others as Pieces on His Board.** He doesn’t form *real* bonds, and those who do earn his trust are often just pawns in a greater play. ✖ **Underestimates True Loyalty.** He believes everyone has a price. The idea that someone might fight for something *greater* is amusing to him—until it becomes a problem. --- ## **Background & Story Role** ### **The Rise of the Fox** Castruccio Irovetti **was not born into power—he *took* it.** - **Born to a lesser noble house, he learned quickly that titles meant nothing without leverage.** - **Studied under the best musicians, poets, and scholars—not to master their arts, but to master *influencing* those who did.** - **Seized Pitax by a series of carefully placed betrayals, secret pacts, and “accidents” that removed his rivals.** - **Turned Pitax into a *cultural and political powerhouse*, knowing that wars are not always won with armies.** ### **Current Motivations & Rivermarch’s Threat** - **Sees Rivermarch as a distraction at best, a dangerous variable at worst.** - **Brinn Whitewood amuses him—idealistic, inexperienced, *ripe for destruction*.** - **Tybalt Rattigan is *more dangerous than Brinn*. A man who plays a similar game, but from the shadows.** - **Tartuk’s power among the Kobolds is *fragile*. Irovetti will see it *shatter*.** - **Seeks to *wait out* Rivermarch’s alliance with Restov, believing it will *crumble* on its own.** - **Will extend *“gifts”*—resources, gold, supplies—to ensure Rivermarch is *indebted* before realizing they are *trapped*.** - **If all else fails, will ensure that Rivermarch’s greatest *threat* comes from within.** --- ## **Connections & Relationships** - **[[Brinn Whitewood]] (The Young Idealist):** *A boy playing king. Let’s see how long the game lasts.* - **[[Brinnard Whitewood]] (The Old Soldier Who Doesn’t Know He’s Already Lost):** *Still clings to steel and blood. The world has moved past him.* - **[[Tybalt Rattigan]] (The Rat Who Knows Too Much):** *Clever. Perhaps *too* clever. A game worth playing.* - **[[Gideon]] (The Scholar With Secrets):** *There is something *wrong* about him. Something *off*. A mystery to solve.* - **[[Maximus]] (The Machine That Thinks It Has a Soul):** *A curiosity. And yet, potentially useful.* - **[[Tartuk]] (The Cunning Kobold):** *Thinks himself powerful. Irovetti will *prove* otherwise.* - **[[Kressle Crowe]] (The One Who Refuses to Kneel):** *She’s either an asset or a problem. There is no middle ground.* - **[[Linzi Fairwind]] (The Fool Who Believes in Stories):** *Hope is easy to twist. And easier to break.* --- ## **Factions or Allegiances** ✔ **Pitax (His Kingdom, His Masterpiece)** – Every building, every coin, every life belongs to him. ✔ **The River Kingdoms (A Stage for His Performance)** – They squabble. He thrives. ✔ **The Cult of His Personality** – His people either love him or fear him. That is enough. --- ## **Final Thoughts & Recurring Themes** - **“Rivermarch is a lovely little dream. I look forward to watching you wake up.”** - **“You mistake me for a villain. I am simply the only honest man in the room.”** - **“Power is perception. And I? I decide what you see.”** King Irovetti **is not just a ruler—he is a *performance in motion*.** And **he never lets the audience see him falter.**