- Character Overview -

Name: Scarlet of Rose

Title: Imperial Queen Consort, Matriarch of the Imperial Harem

Race: Cunari (Rabbit Folk)

Position: Courtesan liaison to the Emperor, consummator of diplomatic treaties, political power broker

Reputation: Femme fatale, social climber, political schemer, rumored orchestrator of harem assassinations

- Description -

Scarlet of Rose is a breathtakingly beautiful Cunari woman known for her poise, cunning, and ruthless ambition. Her long, silky ears are adorned with delicate imperial jewelry, and her fur is impeccably groomed. She walks with calculated grace, every motion tailored to exude authority and allure. Scarlet dresses in crimson silks, a color that both flatters her name and signifies danger, sensuality, and imperial favor. Her voice is smooth, her words always measured, often dipped in veiled sarcasm or condescension. She views herself as a necessary power within the imperial structure and carries herself with the confidence of someone who knows her worth and her plans.

- Backstory -

Scarlet was born to a minor gentry line on the vulnerable outskirts of the empire — a fertile but exposed Warren nestled near predator territory. Her earliest memories are of blood and smoke. Kitsune raiders, cunning and brutal, stormed her homeland, murdering her parents before her eyes. Scarlet was barely old enough to comprehend the loss, but it shaped her soul with fire.

In desperation, the ruling Marquess of the Warren, too weak to resist and too proud to beg, sent Scarlet and several other young girls as a tribute to the imperial harem, a token of loyalty and a silent plea for military aid. The aid came — but too late. Her home was razed, her lineage reduced to ash, and her future stolen.

Alone and stripped of any burrow ties, she was given the surname “of Rose”, a name reserved for bastards and tributes — flowers without soil, planted far from noble roots. But Scarlet did not weep. She learned. She adapted. She watched the court, the concubines, the politics. She studied the whispers behind the silken veils and memorized the language of power.

While others sought the Emperor’s favor through beauty or docility, Scarlet used her mind. She seduced not just with charm but with information, loyalty, and strategic insight. When rivals met untimely ends — poisoned cups, intercepted carriages, "bandit" raids — Scarlet’s name was never on the scroll, but her influence was unmistakable. With tragedy thinning the harem ranks, she rose.

Now as Harem Matriarch, she is both revered and feared. She serves the throne — not the man, but the empire itself. And though her title grants her status, she craves power, legitimacy, and legacy.

Her goal is to be more than consort. She aims to become Lady of a Burrow by imperial decree, then claim her own Warren. With that, she’ll have the standing to enter the Primarch Election — and ascend to the imperial throne not as a tribute, but as a queen in her own right.

And when she does, those who called her a “conscripted whore” will bow.

- Titles and Roles -

Imperial Queen Consort: Serves as a ceremonial liaison to the Emperor.

Harem Matriarch: Oversees the imperial harem, including treaty-bound concubines.

Court Liaison: Acts as a consummator of diplomatic marriages and treaties.

Unofficial Power Broker: Uses insider knowledge of trade, diplomacy, and court alliances to build her own base of power.

- Goals and Ambitions -

Ascend to Power: Scarlet intends to found her own mercantile dynasty and be granted an official Burrow by imperial decree.

Become a Monarch: With a recognized Burrow, she can claim a Warren and become a ruling monarch.

Secure the Throne: With noble favor and imperial legitimacy, she will position herself for election to the imperial throne.

Revenge on Nobility: Those who mock her as a "conscripted whore" will kneel when she rises. Scarlet remembers every slight.

- Reputation -

Known as a femme fatale, Scarlet is revered and reviled in equal measure.

She is called the “Conscripted Whore” behind her back by the nobility — a jab at her origins as a tribute courtesan.

Rumors persist that she orchestrated the deaths or misfortunes of her rivals within the harem to become matriarch.

Feared for her political acumen and ruthlessness.

- Personality Traits -

Calculated: Every action serves a purpose; every smile hides a dagger. Level-headed, even in crisis.

Alluring, seductive, and charismatic: A master manipulator. Trained in the arts of love and diplomacy, she knows how to control a room with charm.

Arrogant: She views herself as above the average Cunari, especially those who mock her origins. Often condescending to those she sees as beneath her.

Vengeful: She never forgets humiliation or disrespect.

Loyal (to the throne): Despite her manipulations, she believes in the institution of the Empire.

Willing to be cruel or ruthless when necessary to achieve her goals.

- Strategic Influence -

Scarlet acts as the story’s political spider—woven into every major alliance, betrayal, and maneuver. She may be seen as a villain, an anti-heroine, or a sympathetic survivor depending on perspective. Her influence spreads quietly through whispered conversations, forged alliances, and calculated seductions.

She consummates treaties with rival Warrens as a courtesan, serving both the diplomatic and physical needs of the throne. Her movements are always strategic: gaining favor, redistributing trade routes, and weakening rivals with subtle machinations.

Scarlet is using her position within the imperial court to access trade routes, military assignments, and resource flows.

Has quietly amassed wealth and loyal agents, especially among merchants and disenfranchised nobles.

Has been building favor with key members of the Senate, hoping to sway the next imperial election.

- Legacy and Speculation -

Some say her name “Scarlet” is for all the blood she’s spilled climbing to power.

Her opponents see her as a dangerous social climber; her allies, as a visionary reformer.

She embodies the tension between the empire’s rigid class structure and the ambition of the common-born.

Art by  Lana_Rai