Ezra Vashar

Ezra Vashar was the Prince-Admiral of Myr and the patriarch of the Vashar family. Despite his exceptional talent for military leadership, he was a decidedly mediocre steward of his own affairs. Proud and content with his station, he led a luxurious lifestyle when he was not preoccupied with his duty as an admiral.

The eldest son of an ambitious magister, Ezra's youth was defined by aimlessness. At an unusually late age - and after a failed mercantile venture - he reluctantly took up a naval career. To even his own surprise, he excelled as an officer and earned distinction for his tactical successes and smooth navigation of the military bureaucracy. Late in the year 416 AC, he was elected Prince-Admiral of Myr. Though his tenure was largely uneventful, he managed to keep the confidence of the Conclave for many years.

In 426 AC, a coup backed by Tyrosh and Lys deposed Ezra Vashar and replaced him with a new, more potent Prince-Admiral. The intervention of his sister, Rania, spared him from execution; he now lives as an exile in Pentos.

Appearance and Character
Dark hair, deep brown eyes and olive skin reveal Ezra's overwhelmingly Rhoynish heritage. An unexceptional height and figure allow him to blend in among the Myrish populace - but the Prince-Admiral always prefers to stand out. Affable expressions tend to occupy a handsome face that is complimented by good grooming, and lively gestures animate his demeanor in conversation. His wardrobe is expensive but never too ostentatious; he usually sports fairly practical clothing. A few small medals are often adorned over his heart, proudly signifying his military rank.

Those outside of military circles seldom see any hint of Ezra's fitness for command. He is known for his careless demeanor and fondness for extravagant parties, material comforts and copious drinking. The Prince-Admiral is at ease even among powerful and distinguished company, and confident enough in his natural amicability to rarely fear what others may think of him. Indeed, he relishes in his reputation as a revelous buffoon, and considers the occasional indignity a fair price to pay for his amusement.

As the patriarch of House Vashar, he has proven adequate but neglectful. Content enough with the fortune he inherited, he has little interest in expanding his family's wealth and often delegates the management of their businesses to other relatives. Though he prefers to keep up good appearances, Ezra is readily forgiving of his most decadent and deviant relations. Mindful of his own hedonistic tendencies, he does not allow himself to play the moral arbiter.

His success in the political arena derives primarily from his geniality, pliability and military credentials; subtler political machinations often elude him. As a Magister, Ezra is usually inclined to favor the more popular side of any particular debate, and as Prince-Admiral, he seldom questions the Conclave's decisions.

Those involved with the armed forces of Myr, however, have a different impression. Though his affability has endeared him to his subordinates, they know him for much more than his indulgent lifestyle. Ezra is surprisingly competent at managing the military bureaucracy, and has preserved the efficient reforms of his predecessors. In battle, his strength lies in improvisation and an unshakable calm. Even when inebriated, the Prince-Admiral is quick to react to surprises.

Origins
Among the oldest and proudest houses of Myr, the Vashar family's stature waned and stagnated for much of the fourth century. However, the ascent of Idris Vashar righted the wrongs of his predecessors, and their wealth and influence were restored to a new zenith. Despite his shrewdness and stoicism, Idris was a worldly man whose ambitions extended beyond the walls of Myr. The Vashars began to patronize foreign artists and artisans, and their shipbuilding and lenscrafting businesses rapidly outpaced their competition. Shortly after his succession, Idris married an aristocratic Tyroshi, forging invaluable economic ties.

Youth
The first child of a reigning patriarch, Ezra was a designated heir from the moment of his birth - a status that was never called into question. At an early age he proved a quick learner and articulate beyond his years, though he was only half-attentive to his formal education. His interest was only sustained by his fascination with history. The Vashars' eunuch tutor had a talent for storytelling and enjoyed riveting the children with his embellished accounts of famous battles. Ezra's interest in military history went hand in hand with a passion for cyvasse, and he often shadowed the commander of the household guard.

Idris Vashar expected much of his son and heir, and all too often he was disappointed. In his adolescence, Ezra became an ineffectual dilettante, drifting between numerous short-lived interests and seldom mustering any ambitions of his own. Nevertheless, Idris and Ezra maintained a close relationship, and the son never fell out of the father's favor. His charismatic presence endeared him to many at the Vashar court, and he frequently kept the company of women - sometimes romantically, but most often as platonic partners in conversation.

Majority
Though he was already set to inherit all of his house's holdings, Ezra was encouraged by his father to attempt a business venture of his own. On his seventeenth birthday, he was given a generous loan and little instruction but to invest it. Naturally, he chose a passion project: the next year, Ezra opened the Crescent Amphitheater and set out to recruit great actors and writers from all across the Free Cities.

Ezra's first destination was Pentos, where his stay was prolonged after meeting Amira Salmanis, the daughter of a prominent magister. Smitten by her beauty and convinced that a match would have political merit, he spent a week petitioning the Salmanis patriarch for her hand in marriage. With his blessing, he called for his closest kin to join him in Pentos for a lavish ceremony, financed in part by a portion of his father's loan.

He returned to Myr with a beautiful wife, several talented actors, and unrealistic expectations. When the initial romance of their marriage waned, Ezra and Amira discovered that they had little and less in common. The Pentoshi girl did not adjust well to her new home, disdained her husband's lifestyle and never warmed up to the rest of the Vashar family. After three years without a pregnancy, it became apparent that Amira was infertile.

This revelation coincided with his first extramarital affair. On a visit to Lys, Ezra became enamored with the daughter of a petty craftsman, who he soon impregnated. In light of his wife's failure to conceive, he encouraged her to keep the child. To appease her angered parents, Ezra convinced his father to finance their fledgling enterprise and promised to raise the child himself.

Despite his growing closeness with his lover and her family, Ezra felt obligated to set her aside following the birth of his daughter. He had hoped that his solution to his wife's fertility issues would allow them to rekindle their relationship, but it only worsened with the introduction of a legitimized bastard to the Vashar court.

In his work, however, he found great initial success. With the retention of a brilliant Lysene playwright, the Crescent Amphitheater presented the finest theatrical spectacles ever known to Myr, most of which were met with acclaim by much of the upper class. Nevertheless, the common people did not appreciate the troupe's artistry, and their performances did not attract enough attendees to justify increasing production costs. After two years of commercial failure, Ezra had no choice but to close his amphitheater.

Rebound
The collapse of his business and deterioration of his marriage prompted Ezra to return to Lys for a year, where he and Nadine produced a second child. When he returned to Myr - legitimizing the boy like his sister before him - he formally divorced his wife on the grounds of infertility. It was, however, only an excuse; Ezra could no longer allow himself to maintain a loveless marriage. Amira Salmanis was sent back to Pentos, and Ezra Vashar did not seek a second wife.

For the first time, Ezra's personal and professional failures earned the sustained ire of his father, and he was pressured to take up a different path. At the age of twenty-four, he reluctantly agreed to join the Myrish navy. His family's purchase of a commission allowed him to enlist as a ship's captain, despite his inexperience and lack of a formal military education.

Low expectations were completely upended. Ezra proved exceptionally capable as a naval officer, displaying excellent tactical instincts during his occasional skirmishes with pirates. He was well-liked by both subordinates and superiors, and he quickly climbed the military hierarchy. In the year 409 AC, Ezra Vashar was named a Vice Admiral of the Myrish fleet. The next year, a venerable family elder died, leaving one of their seats in the Conclave vacant. Ezra was appointed magister, signifying the completion of his ascent to the highest tier of Myrish society.

Distinction
The Scouring of the Stepstones presented a new threat to the their nearest city-states, emboldening Idris Vashar's advocacy of an alliance with Tyrosh. However, the old patriarch died of illness before he could see his political plans come to fruition. His successor lacked any real political convictions of his own, but out of respect for his late father's wishes, Ezra wholeheartedly backed Tyrosh's proposal to revive The Triarchy.

Without his father's guidance, Ezra had little confidence in his ability to manage the mercantile affairs of House Vashar. Instead, he began delegating that authority to his brother, Nero, and his sister, Rania. At the same time, his daughter came of age. Already favoring her over his son, the new patriarch eventually allowed Jasmine to play an integral role in the family.

Late in the year 416 AC, Ezra Vashar was elected Prince-Admiral of Myr. It was the crowning achievement of his military career, and a position in which he quickly excelled. While not a particularly innovative administrator, he kept the course of the reformers who preceded him. Though he has not yet led the armed forces of Myr in an active war, the new Prince-Admiral has maintained the confidence of the Conclave.

Family

 * Kemal Vashar b. 329 AC d. 377 AC
 * m. Taena Othomere b. 334 AC d. 403 AC
 * Darion Vashar b. 352 AC d. 369 AC
 * Idris Vashar b. 354 AC d. 415 AC
 * m. Nyla Adarys b. 355 AC d. 406 AC
 * Ezra Vashar b. 378 AC
 * m. Amira Salmanis b. 375 AC div. 402 AC
 * w. Nadine of Lys b. 380 AC
 * Jasmine Vashar b. 399 AC
 * Myles Vashar b. 402 AC
 * Salma Vashar b. 381 AC
 * m. Elyas Mar Noyne b. 382 AC
 * Darion Mar Noyne b. 402 AC
 * Nero Vashar b. 388 AC
 * Rania Vashar b.392 AC
 * Hana Vashar b. 358 AC
 * m. Anwar Jhaga Nhai b. 353 AC
 * Children of Hana and Anwar
 * Mose Vashar b. 361 AC
 * m. Mina Khartys b. 361 AC
 * Irfan Vashar b. 384 AC
 * m. Dyanna of Dorne b. 389 AC
 * Sonia Vashar b. 410 AC
 * Reman Vashar b. 332 AC d. 410 AC

Household

 * Irfan Vashar, guard captain
 * Rabid Dog, Unsullied commander