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Duke Vedris IV of Emelan (pronounced VEHD-riss fair TOHR-rehn) is the ruler of Emelan and member of House Toren, a line which has ruled over the country for eight hundred years.[2] He is Sandrilene fa Toren's great-uncle[3] through her father, Mattin fer Toren. He has three living sons. Another son died after his marriage to Inoulia fa Juzon.

Biography[]

Early life[]

When he was younger and more active, Vedris was a pirate chaser and tried to eradicate pirates from the Emelan area. Many pirates were pushed back to the Battle Islands, an archipelago that is a home for pirates and their kin.

Vedris was deeply in love with his wife, and had around four children with her. He disowned the eldest, Colederran for reasons unknown.

A few years before Sandry returned from Hatar his wife died. He allowed his court functions to effectively end, causing his nobles to socialize on their own estates. These include his three sons who do not live with him.[4]

His niece and her family[]

When Sandry returned to Emelan after the death of her parents in Hatar, he offered for her to stay with him rather than return to her Namornese relatives. The idea, however, wasn't very pleasant for the ten year old girl due to the end of court functions in the citadel. He gave into the idea of Niklaren Goldeye bringing her to the Winding Circle Temple, as it was close to Summersea.

In the same year he helped arbitrate an incident involving Trisana Chandler when she lost control of a water sprout in the market. In doing so he gained the respect of Sandry's foster family, especially Tris.

That same summer he had to deal with several earthquakes as well as a well coordinated pirate attack on the city.

During the fall he traveled to his northern fiefs due to a three year drought. He was accompanied by his niece and her foster family, who aided him in his efforts to reduce the damage on the lands' crops and economies. There, he stayed with his daughter-in-law, Inoulia fa Juzon. Compared to Inoulia, he wore his power easily, while she tried much to hard to look commanding.

The next year the Blue Pox epidemic broke out in Summersea. He was given aid by Winding Circle to stop the city from being wiped out.

Sandry's role increases[]

In 1039 KF, a little while after Briar Moss, Daja Kisubo, and Trisana Chandler leave Emelan with their teachers, the Duke suffered from a heart attack. He survived, but was weakened. The now fourteen year old Sandry moved out of Discipline and into the citadel to help with the matters of the Duchy. It was during this time that a series of murders erupted in the city, targeting a prominent merchant family. With the aid of Sandry, Winding Circle, and Sandry's student Pasco Acalon he and his guards were able to put an end to the murders. The Duke was not happy with this plan, as he was loathe to put his great-niece, and only relative that he liked, in danger. He, however, was forced to acquiesce, as it would mean catching vicious murderers.

Because of these events he would meet retired dancer Yazmín Hebet, who would later become his lover.

Struggle with the Empress[]

As Sandry is an extremely wealthy countess in Namorn, Empress Berenene tried many times to get her to come back, by imposing taxes on her tenants, and by threatening the peaceful trade agreements that she has made with Emelan. This was quite a threat, as Emelan has a number of banks in Namorn. Losing trade, also, would be very bad. His seneschal accidentally let this slip to Sandry, who furiously made plans to journey to Namorn so that no one would suffer on her account. Once Sandry's brother and sisters returned the Duke enlisted them to be her companions and body guards during her travel to visit her cousin Berenene dor Ocmore, Empress of Namorn. While they were gone the Duke was a constant reminder of Sandry's duties in Emelan, and one of the main reasons that she refused to stay in the country.

During this time it became apparent to the world that the Duke might change his will so that Sandry inherits Emelan, rather than his own son. However no official changes to the will have been made.[5]

Personality[]

The Duke is a good ruler, caring very much for his people. He doesn't only listen to his fellow nobles but also considers the opinions of commoners. While staying at Gold Ridge he even minds the servants, a major difference between him and Lady Inoulia.[6]

Physical description[]

"To Sandry, Duke Vedris wore command on his powerful shoulders like a cloak. He didn't need gems and precious metals to declare his position."
—Description of Duke Vedris[src]

Duke Vedris has deep-set brown eyes and heavy features[3] with a hard chin and jaw.[7] Vedris' head is shaved.[8] He has a hooked nose, which is also referred to as "beak"[9] but which also gives a proud impression,[7] and "fleshy visage".[2] Through the strains of 1035 KF the lines on Vedris' face had deepened in the early spring of 1036 KF.[7] The Duke is stocky, muscled, broad-shouldered and commanding.[8] Despite his position as ruler of Emelan he prefers simple clothes,[3] only wearing a gold hoop as earring and a heavy signet ring to show his wealth. Nonetheless he radiates power.[6] When speaking to his great-niece his voice was once described as being velvet-soft.[10]

Relationships[]

Family[]

The Duke dislikes most of his remaining sons, especially Franzen fer Toren, his second son who has aspirations of inheriting the dukedom, since Vedris had disowned his firstborn, Colederran fer Toren.[1] He likes Gospard fer Toren, as the man is a naval commander and has no underlying aspiration to become duke. He saw his nephew, Mattin fer Toren, as rather childlike and focused only on having fun—the same with his wife, the Namornese heiress Amiliane fa Landreg.

Sandrilene fa Toren[]

The Duke is very close with his great-niece, Sandrilene, and has become a father figure to her. He visited her often when was at Winding Circle, and talked with her about her magical studies. Lark remarked that the Duke was always very content and happy with Sandry. While her foster-siblings went off on their journeys across the world, the Duke had a heart attack and Sandry forced her way into his rooms by tying up guards with threads from curtains and their own clothes so she could keep him alive with her magic before healers arrived. She stayed at the Citadel, and learned the ins and outs of running a household. She also made sure he wasn't doing more work than necessary, and tried to get him to delegate his duties to competent people.

The Duke was very protective of Sandry, as he saw her as a daughter. He almost refused to let her do what was necessary to capture the Dihanurs. After the danger passed, she stayed at the Citadel with him indefinitely and he taught her many things about politics and economics, and she became very savvy in diplomacy. As he doesn't see his sons as good rulers for Emelan, he may instead make Sandry his heiress apparent.

Yazmín Hebet[]

The Duke had met the famous dancer earlier in her career, and was familiar with her work. It wasn't until after she retired, in 1039 KF, that a romance blossomed between the two of them. Sandry did some matchmaking, much to their amusement. Yazmín was still involved with the Duke in 1041 KF, when Sandry was sixteen, and it is assumed that they continued their affair.

It is unlikely that the Duke and Yazmín will marry, due to Yazmín's personal feelings and the extreme difference in their classes. A Duchess would be the hostess of Duke's Citadel, and during Vedris's and Yazmín's affair, Sandry had taken that mantle quite spectacularly.

Trisana Chandler[]

Duke Vedris also fostered a friendship with Trisana Chandler, Sandry's foster-sister; he gave her books from his library and had commented that he believed she was mildly infatuated with him. He was also impressed by her progress in controlling her power and her cleverness.[11]

Family tree[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Mentioned by Tamora Pierce in the FAQ section of her Tumblr
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sandry's Book, Ch. 2 (pg. 24; Scholastic paperback)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sandry's Book, Ch. 2 (pg. 23; Scholastic paperback)
  4. Sandry's Book, Ch. 2 (pg. 25; Scholastic paperback)
  5. In The Will of the Empress, it is alluded to that the Duke can change the will and can elect an heir if he does not wish his eldest child to inherit. This was later disputed by Tamora Pierce on the internet years later, who says that only one of his sons would inherit.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Daja's Book, Ch. 3 (pg. 52; Scholastic paperback)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Briar's Book, Ch. 2 (pg. 21; Scholastic paperback)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Tris's Book, Ch. 5 (pg. 65; Scholastic paperback)
  9. Tris's Book, Ch. 1 (pg. 10; Scholastic paperback)
  10. Daja's Book, Ch. 9 (pg. 164; Scholastic paperback)
  11. Briar's Book, Ch. 2 (pg. 24; Scholastic paperback)
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Sandry's Book (electronic edition) Ch. 2.
  13. Tumblr post "Frequently Asked Questions Volume 1". At the Wayback Machine August 12, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Daja's Book (electronic edition) Ch. 3.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Sandry's Book (electronic edition) Ch. 3.
  16. 16.0 16.1 The Will of the Empress Ch. 3. (Scholastic hardback, pg. 76.)
  17. Magic Steps Ch. 3 (Scholastic paperback, p. 43).

See also[]

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