Queen Andrea Helsing

The best-known name in all Kandar is Queen Andrea Helsing of Hrist. Leader of not only Clan Mithra but the elected war chief of the united alliance of Kandar clans, Queen Andrea is a ruler who must balance the needs of the various clans with the threat of Thrull in the west. While she might claim to have never wanted such responsibility—and truly, she never wished for war—her ambition and desire to drive change and progress in Kandar would have led her to such a position even without the threat of invasion. Though much of her childhood was spent in Hrist, Hels- ing traveled throughout Kandar with a diplomatic mission from Clan Mithra to the other clans during her youth. She was part of the entourage not as a diplomat herself, but as a bodyguard to Urda Longsight, a Clan Mithra seer and poet. The ancient woman took Helsing under her wing, and though the young warrior never took to the reading of runes or entrails, she learned a great deal about patience and listening—and how knowing what someone wants can be used as leverage when forming alliances or compromises. Some say that the queen, now in her middle years, is still advised by the shade of the seer, who died ten years ago of old age. Once known as a golden-haired shield maiden, Helsing has grayed over the past several years, not only due to her growing age but her worry over Kandar’s fate. Helsing shows her battle scars with honor, frequently wearing sleeveless tunics under a fur cape, so that the old injuries are obviously displayed on her pale arms.

Plans for Progress.

Helsing is dedicated to the survival of Kandar, free from The Prismatic Circle and the threat of Thrull. She has no philosophical or cultural problem with her fellow Valikans across the border, but she seeks to keep the Clans within Kandar unconquered. To do so means forming alliances beyond historical treaties and althings. It means reaching to the southern lands. Fighting against the prejudice that all the people of the northlands are barbarians has been a struggle, and one of the ways Queen Andrea counters that image is by support- ing Hrist’s cosmopolitan look and atmosphere. She welcomes trade with other nations and pursues alliances from those who would offer military or magical aid.
In addition to her political alliances, she has savvy when it comes to working outside the rules. She frequently has her agents hire adventurers for tasks related to the war effort, or in creating situations that would lead other cities and nations to ally with Kandar. If some of these missions seem to walk a thin line along the edge of honor, well, she’s not the one carrying them out—that ethical question rests solely on those she has hired.