Luan Sranten (LOO'ahn sr'AHN'ten)

King Luan Sranten

Luan Sranten was the founder of the Sranten dynasty that currently rules Yzel after the overthrow of the Zhouhang.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

The Sranten family was not a noble house at the start of Luan's life. His mother worked as a local county official and his father was a secretary. Through them, he worked through the standard education of a lower-middle class child and excelled in mathematics and literature. However, he had very little magical ability overall, not even enough to become an alchemist. As such, he dedicated his time to sharpening his skills with written words. His lack of magical talent was irrelevant to the family and his studious nature allowed him to secure a place in the Yzel Kingdom's most prestigious law school on a scholarship. 
There he studied to become a prosecutor and hoped to work with his parents in their local administration. Upon graduation, he returned home, but found that his parents had been forced out of their jobs by other officials who had used influence and money to secure their positions. His father blamed his mother for their downfall and had concluded that the fact that she was a woman was the reason for their ouster. 
This attitude was passed onto Luan and he began to see his mother as the cause of their family's suffering. Along with this, the last ruler of the Zhouhang dynasty was a queen. His resentment of women continued to build as he found more and more evidence of the corruption within the dynasty, which had filtered down to the local level. 
His credentials from law school allowed him to secure a minor position within the administration where he worked to avoid being pulled into the rampant corruption. However, he dismissed his female coworkers and eyed even some of the other men with suspicion. Despite his distrust of his coworkers, he married one, Yuteh Lirna, a woman slightly higher in authority than himself, who helped him secure a higher position as well. 
During this time, small revolts had begun around the country due to the Zhouhang's unpopular rule. Rather than remain in administration, Luan took his family and moved from rebel camp to rebel camp, searching for a leader. Finding none who fit his ideals of a ruler, he assassinated the one he deemed to be the least useful and took over the faction. Working together with the other rebel leaders, Luan consolidated a wide number of factions under one rebellion and pursued victory. 
The last remaining of the factions not to fall to him was fought in open combat while the Zhouhang army waited to ambush a weakened winner. Rather than fight, Luan convinced the second leader to meet with him and struck a last minute alliance to wipe out the Zhouhang troops. The surprise caught the military off guard and they were crushed. His new ally died in the ensuing battle and Luan subsequently assumed command of the entire rebel force beside his son, Kaelo.  
After marching on Leowit, his forces cornered the last Zhouhang queen and executed her and the remaining members of the dynasty. Luan was crowned only a week later as the new king of Yzel.

Accomplishments & Achievements

His most famous actions involved weeding out the corruption left behind by the Zhouhang dynasty. His measures restored a merit based system for the appointment of government officials and brought confidence back to the people in the administration of national and local affairs. 
He lowered taxes on the working class, intent on allowing them to restore their economic power. Along with this, he encouraged trade within the kingdom, uniting the norther and southern areas, which had become extremely culturally distinct over the last 200 years. 
His attitude toward the army he had fought against was to restore them rather than punish. In this spirit, he reorganized the training systems and used his knowledge fighting against them to determine their weak points and help in minimizing them. 
Lastly, he reformed the criminal laws left behind, reducing harsh punishments and working with esh in order to better the conditions of non-violent prisoners.

Failures & Embarrassments

Luan's most lasting failure is his institution of a nearly second class status for women. His resentment of his mother and the last Zhouhang queen translated into a view of women as inherently corrupt and unfit for high levels of power and he instilled this into law, which still holds sway over the wider culture of Yzel. 
He was used to being a sole military commander and his arrogance led him to disregard the council that had helped rule Yzel since the founding of the kingdom, as he believed them complicit. Even after changing their structure, he still barely listened to their advice. 
The families around him were in a constant struggle that he simply chose to ignore in favor of his own reforms. This led to a great deal of infighting among both the council and nobles, which almost led to the assassination of his son. 
He felt that the arts were useless and, while not outright banning their creation, pulled almost all royal patronage from artisans, resulting in a period of cultural stagnation in Yzel that is only just beginning to reverse under his grandson, Kaelo Sranten II

Personality Characteristics

Virtues & Personality perks

Diligent, steady, strong sense of justice

Vices & Personality flaws

Stubborn, misanthropic, devious

Social

Family Ties

He is the founder of the Sranten dynasty.

Religious Views

He was a devout practitioner of Tekel and in particular followed Raesay.

Honorary & Occupational Titles

King, The First, Lawyer King

Life

900 1040 140 years old

Circumstances of Death

Illness

Quotes & Catchphrases

Corruption is a disease and must be cured.

Aligned Organization

Yzel Overview