Prince Orestes Kournis

This man is a person of elevated averages. Though his hair is a common shade of brown, it is styled well and has just enough length for a fashionable sweep back from his clear, unmarked brow. And though his eyes too are brown, they are clear and have lovely flecks of a cool caramel color around the iris. And still, even though his height is middling, his frame is tidy and trim, from his mild mass of musculature to the very neatly cut nails of his fingers.

The younger brother of Queen Sophia Kournis, Orestes was raised with an eye to being there just in case something happened to her. He was schooled in political matters, in the various concerns of Dyrian houses, and in the functioning of the imperial court. Before his sister's accession to the throne, Orestes had begun to operate as an envoy, a bearer of his late father's words, and has been across much of the Encircled Sea and beyond, though most often simply within Sanctuary.

When Sophia took the throne, Orestes' role was solidified. He continued to spend much time within Sanctuary, acting as an envoy when his sister's schedule precluded her own attendance, or indeed farther afield, visiting noble houses in their own homes. He has developed a reputation for discretion in his work and while most know, or at least assume, that when he arrives to a place, it is to deliver the queen's words, he has never been disposed to deliver them in public view.

Orestes is quiet and mild-mannered. When not on official business, while he will not shy from a conversation if someone strikes one up, he is as likely just to keep to himself, wherever he might be. When he is on official business, he dislikes disposing of it in public spaces, and will often seek to withdraw to a sitting room or a study to say whatever needs to be said. He is given to carefully padding whatever he has to say to take any edge from it, and frequently disposed to understatement. He often has written documents too, which contain sharper, more concise and precise language, for the avoidance of any misunderstanding.

A secondary benefit to his travel is that he can indulge in his pastime of sketching. He frequently finds interesting sites or fine vantages in the castles and towns he visits and sketches them.

Orestes has a fine understanding of politics and exactly how to apply political leverage.