The King

The current Regent of the Lion's Regency, Ludovicus has kept a stranglehold on power for the last 40 years. Though fighting an unsuccessful unpopular war against Lady Nilda for the majority of the past two decades he retains a majority of votes in the Council through blackmail, political scheming, and intimidation.

At the very beginning of his second term Prince Mirza, the first heir in several centuries, was born. Normally that would provide an expiration date on his time in power but heirs have gone missing or perished in childhood before. Ludovicus began trying to have him killed around the age of three. He survived through luck and the secret assistance of many members of the Royal Guard (many of whom had children around his age or younger and were not going to let a toddler get murdered). In between assassination plots he instructed that the young prince be kept in a tower and taught very little of the outside world or how to govern.