House Frost

House Frost rules Frosthaven, Irna's second city and home of its navy. It is one of the more functional noble families in the kingdom—a fair king, a capable queen, staff who know what they're doing. Which makes the details stranger by contrast: an eldest daughter being arranged into an Antaean marriage who is also the kingdom's most effective interrogator, a son adopted from Funta, and an uncle whose title is the most useful thing about him.

Edmund, 50 years old, is 6'2" and 190 pounds, with soft blue eyes, silver hair kept short, and a well-groomed beard. He rules Frosthaven with a fairness that distinguishes him from most of his peers—has managed the city through a dragon attack and the ongoing complications of cursed districts, and has consistently prioritized rebuilding over political maneuvering. He is respected in Irna for being the kind of king who actually governs.

What does not appear in his public record: he had his eldest daughter and her ladies-in-waiting trained in interrogation and torture. They took to it.

Isolde, 48 years old, is 5'6" and 140 pounds, with sparkling green eyes and long blonde hair usually styled in an elegant updo. She came from House Atholl. She is warm in a way that does not read as performance, and serves as the city's primary diplomatic face—managing relations with other cities, facilitating trade, maintaining the connections her husband's directness sometimes strains. She is a beloved figure in Frosthaven, which is an achievement in itself.

Eleanor, 70 years old, is a widow, 5'4" and 130 pounds, with the family's blue eyes and white hair kept short and tidy. She came from House Douvat. She no longer holds official duties, but she has Edmund's ear when she chooses to use it, and her counsel—shaped by decades of watching Frosthaven politics from the inside—tends to be worth hearing. She carries herself with the calm of someone who no longer has anything to prove.

Harold, at 6' and 180 pounds, is Edmund's older brother—the one who surrendered his birthright rather than take the crown. He serves as a Thulgard Hearth Guardian, wearing the faith's emblem where a family crest would be. He is blue-eyed, brown-haired, clean-shaven, and calm in the manner of someone who made a decision long ago and is still at peace with it. He remains in Frosthaven and provides counsel when his brother asks for it. He does not press when he isn't asked.

Gemma, 25 years old, is 5'5" and 130 pounds, with sapphire blue eyes and thick blonde hair worn long in loose curls. She is Edmund and Isolde's eldest daughter, well-traveled, and renowned for her beauty across Irna—a reputation that has drawn a long queue of suitors and is now being directed toward a diplomatic marriage arrangement in Antaea.

Her ladies-in-waiting, Princess Lydia Geofferson among them, know what her public reputation does not cover: King Edmund had Gemma and her ladies trained in interrogation and torture. They excelled at it. Prisoners who survive magical questioning and still refuse to talk are sent to Gemma. Both the king and the emperor use this arrangement. She has not advertised it.

William, the eldest son and heir, is 6' and 175 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair that reaches his shoulders and stays slightly unkempt, paired with several days' stubble that seems to maintain itself at that level without ever becoming a full beard. He is being groomed for kingship—involved in diplomacy, in trade, known for his measured intelligence and steady temperament. He is the kind of heir who has looked clearly at what is coming and decided to be ready for it.

Matilda, 23 years old, is 5'5" and 125 pounds, with blue eyes and straight blonde hair. She is Edmund and Isolde's second daughter, quieter in public profile than Gemma. She spends most of her time among the people of Frosthaven—caring for the poor and sick, present in ways that read as actual commitment rather than political visibility. She is a beloved figure for this, and is known to be genuinely useful to anyone who needs something practical done.

Amelia, 15 years old, is 5'2" and 110 pounds, with blue eyes and blonde hair she changes between styles depending on her mood. She is the youngest daughter—still learning, still shadowing her older siblings, and still, at intervals, forgetting that the people of Frosthaven are not there for her amusement. She flaunts her position at the wrong moments and has not yet developed the judgment to recognize when those are. She is also intelligent, and there is time.

Kael, 20 years old, is 5'8" and 150 pounds, with amber eyes, short neatly kept black hair, and a diamond-shaped goatee. He is Black, from the Pokou family on the eastern side of Funta, and was brought to House Frost as part of a peace and trade arrangement. He has been adopted fully into the family. He wears Frosthaven's colors with a patch honoring the Pokou family sewn into his attire. His involvement in diplomacy with Funta requires no explanation.

Frederick, Edmund's younger brother, is 5'8" and 170 pounds, with light blue eyes and sandy brown hair that looks like he slept on it. He has never forgiven Edmund for being born first. He was given management of the castle grounds as a title with responsibilities attached, and handles this haphazardly. He drinks. He uses his name and position to extract advantages from those around him, and the castle workers have learned to be elsewhere when he comes looking for someone to receive his attention. His first-in-command, Sir Regenal, manages the actual work and keeps the function running.

Beatrice, Frederick's wife, is 5'2" and 240 pounds, with brown eyes and dull brown hair pulled back in a practical ponytail. She is frequently found leaving the bakers, the market, or a tavern with something in hand. She avoids Frederick with practiced efficiency. When he manages to corner her into a decision, she asks Sir Regenal what he would recommend, issues that instruction, and finds Frederick a bottle to occupy him. She is rumored to be unfaithful. This is probably just gossip.

Henry, Frederick and Beatrice's son, is 5'9" and 165 pounds, very muscular, with piercing blue eyes, brown hair kept shaved close, and a small mustache. He serves as a knight of Frosthaven—patrols, security, personal command in a crisis—and is known for his bravery and dedication. He bears no resemblance in temperament to his parents and prefers it that way. He wants nothing to do with Frederick or Beatrice, and would rather be Edmund's son than what he is. This is obvious to everyone who knows him and acknowledged by none of them.

Thoren, 150 years old, is a dwarf at 4'5" and 180 pounds, with brown hair and a grey beard worn long with beads worked into it, and the weathered hands the name suggests. He is the Master Builder of Frosthaven—which means every construction project, every fortification, every maintenance issue in the city eventually crosses his desk. He has served House Frost for years and is usually found covered in dust from the latest one.

Elara, 200 years old, is an elf at 5'7" and 130 pounds, with green eyes and braided blonde hair. She is Frosthaven's Harbor Master, responsible for keeping one of Irna's most active ports running—cargo, port laws, dockworkers, the daily management of a major naval hub. She does this with a commanding efficiency that makes the work look easier than it is. She is respected at the docks in the particular way of someone who has earned it rather than inherited it.

Seraphine, 230 years old, is a tall, slender elf with luminescent silver skin, deep violet eyes, and midnight-colored hair kept in an intricate braid. She wears dark robes with silver embroidery. She was trained in diplomacy and espionage from childhood, entered the service of Edmund's grandfather at roughly a century old, and has remained through two generations of House Frost rule since.

The event that defined her position: she uncovered a coup against the king, identified the conspirators through her spy network, and neutralized the threat before it became one. That ended the debate about her standing. She is Edmund's most trusted advisor and the woman who runs his intelligence operation. She is calm, consistently several steps ahead of most conversations, and fiercely loyal to the throne. When she is thinking, she twirls a silver pendant—a family symbol, and one of the few personal habits she has never bothered to conceal.