Valyra Helos

Valyria Helos is the current Imperial Ruler of the Celeste Empire, and the reigning monarch of Sol. She is the fifteenth emperor of Celeste. As empress, Valyra has returned the Empire to an age of relative prosperity, focusing on technological growth and the cultivation of the arts. Despite this, she is still often blamed for the actions of the other Celeste monarchs, such as her unstable father. She has reigned for 43 years and has a relatively positive reputation throughout the Empire. Her eldest son, Valerian Helos, is set to inherit the throne. She is renowned for her beauty, kindness, and love for the performing arts.

Appearance
Valyra is known to be a very beautiful woman, with tanned copper skin, golden freckles, and the signature Helos red hair. She has a very slender figure, and is said to look much younger than she actually is. She frequently wears red, gold, and white.

Personality
Valyra is a kind woman, with a lot of motherly tendencies. She is very protective of her children. She is a careful, wise, and peaceful ruler.

Background
Valyra is the second child and only daughter of the 14th Emperor, Valyr Helos II. She was very close to her brother, Valen growing up, and was devastated by his death in 667 AE. She was only 18 years old when he died, and forced to train as heir.

She ascended the throne at the age of 34, after the death of her father from an untimely rebel attack. Despite having inherited an unstable Celeste, Valyra was able to bring the Empire back to an age of relative prosperity, focusing on technological growth and the cultivation of the arts.

She married her husband, Lord Myrid Atlas in 691 AE, back when he was only a lieutenant of the Scarlet Guard. This was supposedly a long agreed upon marriage, arranged by her father and the Sol council the moment she became heir. Myrid was said to have fallen in love with her instantly, but whether she felt the same was a popular discussion among the public. According to a vision from Pandora's mirror, Valyra at some point had a long-standing affair with an unknown lover that she had met before her marriage to Myrid.

Before the birth of her two children, many nobles and counselors worried about her ability to produce an heir, as she and Myrid had been childless for almost a decade since their marriage. Valyra is rumored to have suffered from multiple miscarriages before the birth of her eldest son, Valerian, in 700 AE, and daughter, Valla in 704 AE.

As of Campaign 1, Valyra has reigned for 43 years and has a relatively positive reputation throughout the Empire. Despite this, she is still often blamed for the actions of the other Celeste monarchs. She has also been criticized for her passiveness and lack of intervention in regards to the other kingdoms, and the rumors surrounding her eldest son, Valerian's instability.

Campaign 1
At the beginning of the campaign, Valyra is the current reigning empress of Celeste.

Arc 6: Sunhaven
Valyra met members of the party during her son, Valerian's 24th birthday celebration. She was extremely grateful to Pandora and the party for bringing her son back.

Arc 9: Hunt
Valyra visited Oakheart for Hugo's coronation. She gave Hugo some meditation lessons in private, supposedly in relation to his draconic bloodline.

Valerian Helos
Valyra is incredibly protective of her two children, and loves them more than anything else in the world. Despite this, her duties as Empress has made it difficult for her to spend a lot of time with them. However, she and Valerian still maintain a very close relationship, with Valerian sharing his mother's love of music.

She seems to be aware that Valerian is not the most fit ruler to inherit the throne, but has made no additional efforts to prepare him beyond what she already has. She's also overly forgiving of his bad habits and behaviors, choosing to let him be rather than directly intervening.

Valla Helos
Valyra is incredibly protective of her two children, and loves them more than anything else in the world. Despite this, her duties as Empress has made it difficult for her to spend a lot of time with them, particularly with Valla. She is very proud of Valla's achievements in the Seros institute, though she has mostly left her to her own devices. She sees a lot of herself in Valla, and seems very against the idea of making her the heir, over Valerian.

Myrid Atlas
Valyra Helos and Myrid Atlas were arranged to be married by her father and the Sol council, shortly after Valyra became heir. The two did not formally meet until ten years after their betrothal. Myrid was supposedly smitten with Valyra, calling it love at first sight. Valyra, while polite and kind as always, had not shown any interest in Myrid, nor to any of her other suitors. After Valyra was crowned in 681 AE, Valyra delayed their marriage for another ten years, focusing on ruling the Empire and fixing her father's mistakes. Meanwhile, Myrid spent the next ten years training as a Scarlet guard, having reached the rank of 1st Lieutenant by the time they reunited.

The pair married in 691 AE, shortly before Myrid was promoted as general. The two supposedly dated for a few months, and the pair immediately became the most famous couple in the Empire, though Valyra heavily insisted on privacy. According to rumors, Valyra only married Myrid due to the growing pressures from the other nobles, especially in Sol. According to a vision from Pandora's mirror, Valyra at some point had a long-standing affair with an unknown lover that she had met before her marriage to Myrid.

Valyra and Myrid struggled to conceive for the majority of their marriage, with Valyra supposedly having multiple miscarriages. It is rumored that this caused a serious strain in their relationship, as journalists began to notice an increasing tension among the imperial pair. The couple was childless for almost a decade before the birth of their eldest son, Valerian, in 700 AE. The pair had a daughter, Valla, in 704 AE.

Their relationship has only gotten more strained over the years, due to their differences in trying to raise their two children. Valyra is often very busy with her duties as Empress, and Myrid has since become the High Commander and supreme head of the Scarlet Guard. The two have a civil and formal relationship in the public.

Abilities
Valyra is rumored to be a very powerful spellcaster and bard. Just her very presence is said to give inspiration to all who witness her.

Influence
As the Empress of Celeste, and monarch of Sol, Valyra is one of the most powerful people in Auros. She has supreme command over the Scarlet Guard, and all official affiliations of the Empire. She also has power over the second richest kingdom in Celeste.

Quotes

 * "Welcome everyone." (tupper reveal line)

Trivia

 * Valyra can play over 15 different kinds of musical instruments.