Duchess Melissa Aetos

Melissa Aetos was not strictly in line to be duchess, but then, it wasn't clear who was. She was born to a generation who had simply let the house wither away for decades. Melissa was educated in part in Myos in the Great Green, held by House Regas, and had a sound idea that whatever leadership should look like, it certainly wasn't what the older generations of House Aetos were providing. It was Melissa, more than any other, who was responsible for the rebellious streak that can be found amid her similarly-aged cousins, that led to them seizing power after the death of Melissa's aunt, Areti, who had no children. Melissa orchestrated all of it in 629, and is by now secure in her seat. She is not popular with her father, Filippos, eldest sibling of Phyllis, to put it mildly. Filippos is an indolent wastrel and his rants in the Aetos seat of Malthi are a daily occurrence.

Melissa faces now into the ongoing reform of two duchies which are not in good shape, financially, socially or militarily. There remains resentment among some of her family, though considering it was idleness and decadence that led the house to the place it is, this resentment manifests more as inertia than any active pushback, and she provides stipends to keep unhappy family at bay. She enjoys the support of plenty of the younger generation, at least.

Melissa comports herself with the utmost dignity and gravitas; the situation scarcely matters. That is not to say that she is stern. Quite the contrary, she can be as warm or as cool as she deems necessary to the situation. She is not known to lose her temper, though as her seizure of power from under the noses of more senior and generally covetous members of House Aetos shows, she is scarcely a woman to be trifled with.

Melissa enjoys many allies in Dyria, although she holds herself somewhat aloof from most. She has a talent for keeping her thoughts on sensitive matters, whether personal or political, quite to herself. The views that she puts forward are curated, in a way, for the consumption of a specific audience.

Melissa is almost unflappable, and reasonably well versed in a broad range of political matters, enough to know what she doesn't know.