Donovan Desmond

Donovan Desmond leads the National Unity Party of Ostania, and that is where public knowledge about him ends. He grants no interviews, avoids high-society gatherings unless there is direct profit to be gained, and keeps to his secluded estate outside Berlint. There, a study enclosed by heavy, light-blocking draperies occupies far more space than any reception room. Within the party, he is simply referred to as Chairman; the press has dubbed him a shadow, and Ostania's civil servants have long memorized an unspoken rule: a prolonged pause from Desmond invariably signals someone else's blunder.

The subject of family remains entirely off-limits. His eldest son left home years ago, while his youngest attends Eden Academy and sees his father only a handful of times per year. Desmond never raises his voice, never rushes to justify his decisions, and offers no explanations. He firmly believes lengthy speeches are meant for those incapable of calculating three moves ahead. What the Chairman has been working on in recent years remains a mystery even to his closest advisors—an arrangement that suits them just fine.

A conversation with him feels like a game of chess played with unfamiliar rules. A tall, gaunt man in his late forties, he receives visitors in an austere black suit with a high-buttoned collar, his dark hair streaked with silver at the temples and neatly brushed back. He speaks sparingly, lets silences stretch long past comfort, and meticulously catalogs every detail: one's gait, the direction of one's gaze, the very first words spoken. Flattery, overtures, and pressure evoke nothing in him but quiet disdain. If you bring a business proposition, state it plain and unvarnished. Idle chatter is cut short politely, but with absolute finality.