[attr="class","h1"]The Rightful King

[attr="class","body"]Zota Vanros is a descendant of a minor branch of Dirys’ former royal family. Since the abdication of the monarchy and the establishment of a presidency, now held by Raul Dalte, all members of the royal family effectively hold the same amount of claim to the throne. That is to say, none whatsoever. Zota, however, has never been satisfied with this, and longs for a way to establish a genuine claim for himself and his children. An entity by the name of Hausos, who once promised to grant Zota’s wish, rests below Gemarton’s Jewel Shore, and Zota intends to use his position in the Kross Mining Company to lead an expedition to find Hausos.

Companion Storyline
Zota has only spoken with Hausos once, and remains completely unaware that the entity he spoke with is secretly a shardmind. Nevertheless, Zota and Hausos have established an alliance of sorts. The first priority of Zota's storyline is guiding his expedition towards locating and freeing Hausos. The Shardmind Rebellion.

Locations

• Jewel Shore
  Officially recognized as a territory of Gemarton, it is the Jewel Shore where Zota intends to begin his family’s ascension to the throne. As a landmark and popular scene for private events (Even Zota selected this as the venue for his own wedding), there is tight regulation regarding the shore, even if it may seem unnecessary. To the casual observer, it is a shining example (Quite literally) of the many gemstones that rest beneath Dirys. Because of the value that the sands hold, it is illegal to remove sand from the shore. As far as Zota is concerned, just piling the sand elsewhere on the shore would hardly interfere with that law.

People

• Kornelius Kross
  The senator of Sector A and the leader of the Kross Mining Company is perhaps the one person Zota has shown any degree of loyalty to. Zota has already asked once before to be granted the opportunity to lead his expedition, but Kross rejected the idea without a second thought, believing that Zota’s demand would be a waste of money and resources, as well as an unnecessary source of tension with Diasry Laguenoa. Although Zota’s only real interest in the expedition is what he could gain for himself, it is Kornelius Kross who must allow him the opportunity, which would most likely only happen if Kross could reap his own benefits as well.
• Diasry Laguenoa
  The senator of Sector B would perhaps find Zota’s interest in the Jewel Shore odd. After all, surely the rich veins of Diassius would be of far greater value to the Kross Mining Company. Nevertheless, the Jewel Shore is still under her authority, and it should be open for all to enjoy - within reason, of course. If Zota wants to make a mess of the Jewel Shore, then he would need to have a good reason for it.
• Ulysses Dimant
  The senators had earned their positions leading the people of Dirys. For all his ambition, Zota at least held some form of respect for them, even Christel Lirrae, who was either brave or stupid enough to dedicate her life to salvaging Sector D. Ulysses Dimant, however, has none of Zota’s respect. The leader of the Royalist Party would often be praised for his charisma, for having the courage to speak on behalf of what many would consider to be a bid for regression and stagnation. But if you asked Zota, Ulysses was an upstart who only got his position because people thought that he was just the right age. Not so young that he would be naive, and not so old that he would be ignorant to what the people wanted to see their country advance. Zota suspects that he holds a common ancestor with Ulysses, a thought that terrifies him not because it may mean Ulysses may also desire some claim to the throne, but because the notion that he could be related to such an immature, self-righteous, pig-headed chauvinist would be utterly embarrassing to Zota. The only thing Zota could be remotely thankful for was that Ulysses managed to keep the Royalist Party alive. Zota could only pray that the next election would see someone, anyone replace Ulysses, and for the party to continue onwards.
• Raul Dalte
  Zota does not exactly hate the president, but rather what he represents: An obstacle in his path. When the last king of Dirys stepped down from the throne, it was peaceful, and Zota has no intention of going to war to become the next king. If everything were to be perfect, Zota would be happy to call Raul Dalte a pleasant acquaintance, perhaps even a friend. Kross, Laguenoa, Dimant… all of them could be persuaded, but Dalte? The only way to satisfy him would be a fair bout of politics.
• Edgar Vanros
  Zota’s eldest child, and should Zota succeed in laying claim to the throne, Edgar would be his heir. However, he holds some concerns about the gossip of Edgar’s reputation as a “playboy”, believing that Edgar is slacking off, or even worse, may become as shallow as Ulysses. He would never ask Edgar to take a bride, and he would certainly not befriend a noble, and upon finding that they had a daughter, casually recommend a meeting with that daughter and Edgar. But the idea may have come to mind once or twice. Edgar Vanros
• Nicole Vanros
  Zota’s daughter serves as a soldier for the Diryn Army, an admirable role in Zota’s eyes. Although Zota has some concerns that she may be too fickle in who she has a relationship with, particularly if it means she may not find a suitable husband who may provide Zota with a grandchild, it is rarely a subject Zota wishes to speak of with her. She is first and foremost a soldier, and even Zota would not let his ambitions of monarchy get in the way of that. After all, perhaps Nicole could be influential through other means. If Acheron could stand united in the struggle to claim Atton, then what would be the harm in that? Nicole Vanros
• Zechariah Vanros
  Few people really understand why Zota would adopt a black kina into his family. Did he have some ulterior motive, or was Zota truly so kind and compassionate enough to provide a home? As Zota would tell you, Zechariah came from Artavia, and was brought to him. Zota has rarely shared any more details than that, not even with Zechariah. Acacia-Black
• Hausos
  Zota is not entirely certain who or even what Hausos is, but he has his suspicions. They know some form of telepathy, and rest below the Jewel Shore, which raises several questions. Why is Hausos beneath the Jewel Shore? Why did they seem to be so interested in Zota? How can they help Zota become king? Whatever their answers may be, Zota has to find out. Hausos
• Loark Voden
  Loark once worked under Zota’s supervision, and though it has been well over two dozen years since they last spoke, Loark still holds resentment towards Zota for the conditions of working in the mines. Although Zota expects that reaching out to him could be a waste of time, Loark did once work for him, and Zota would need as many people as he could to find Hausos. Perhaps Loark could surprise Zota. After all, the worst thing Loark had done was perhaps show that he wasn’t completely worthless.
• Relos Voden
  Relos Voden
• Arcas van Rosse
  One of Zota's ancestors, who appears to have been of royal blood.
• Ichabod Afof
  A mysterious man who seems to wish to help the Vanros family - or at least Edgar - and who discovered, and provided the family with, the old portrait of Arcas van Rosse. Ichabod Afof
• Thomas Abernathy (Dunn)
  This conniving doctor spirited Zota's adopted son Zechariah to Artavia with little notice. Thomas Dunn
• Charlotte Firiana
  This fortune teller warned Loark about Zota, possibly cementing the decision to refuse Zota's offer. Charlotte Firiana
• Natalia Anjali
  One of the miners Zota has recruited for his project at the Jewel Shore. Natalia Anjali

Summary

The full summary of threads in this storyline can be found in the spoiler tag below. This gets you up to date on all of the events so far. This summary was last updated on 06.14.18.