Back at Worldspectrum.net, I did a series of character bios for the main cast members of Rage of the Old Gods. I’m now going to do a similar series on some of the new characters introduced in the sequel, Children of the Gods. We’ll start with Prince Tyrom, the ruler of Pira.
WARNING: By necessity, this will contain some significant spoilers for Rage of the Old Gods. There will not be any spoilers for Children of the Gods.
Tyrom (tie-rahm):
“Our pride is all we have left.”
Prince Tyrom is the young ruler of Pira, the last remnant of the Jansian Empire. Though his title is prince, he is the sole monarch of the nation. The title is a relic of the old days of Jansia, where each province was ruled by a prince. No kings were permitted to threaten the authority of the emperor.
Tyrom lives every day under the crushing weight of history. Jansia once dominated all of Barria, but now Pira is one of the least influential human nations. His overriding goal in life is to ensure his people do not lose their pride.
But recent events have brutally humbled the Piran people. When the Automatons revolted, Pira was all but destroyed, its ancient history and culture ground to dust beneath metallic feet.
Tyrom had the choice of saving his people’s lives and fleeing to the coastal islands, where the machines could not pursue, or preserving their dignity and fighting to the bitter end. For some, this might have been an easy choice, but for the Pirans, losing one’s dignity is almost worse than death.
Ultimately, Tyrom chose retreat, but it was a crushing blow to his people’s identity, and by extension, to Tyrom. This sense of humiliation was only worsened when they discovered that the other human nations had been fighting and dying to free the world of machine rule while he and his people cowered in their island shanty towns.
Tyrom’s every thought goes to restoring his people’s faith in themselves. He has refused most offers of aid from the rest of the world, and he has prioritized the reconstruction of landmarks such as his palace. He does this not out of personal vanity, but because he knows his people need something to inspire them.
Tyrom tries his best to be the Piran ideal. He is a handsome man, with flawless skin and jet black hair, and he dresses and grooms impeccably. He has studied song since boyhood, and in addition to being Pira’s monarch, he is also one of its most accomplished singers, with a voice capable of moving one to the heights of joy or the depths of sorrow.
But Tyrom knows none of his efforts can ever hope to give the Piran people back what they’ve lost. Before the war, Pira was but a pale shadow of old Jansia, and now Pira is just a pale shadow of what it was before the war.
Now, war is brewing again, and Pira bears the brunt of the threat. Once again, the Piran people are at risk of losing everything, but this time, Tyrom is determined to fight, to do everything in his power to preserve his ancient culture and its proud heritage.
Superior Realities 