Thrane Lunaheim

Thrane Lunaheim was the Lord of the House of January from 1638 to 1998, ruling an impressive 360 years before conceding to his son in a game of chess which ended his rule and his life. He maintained his position in court not through political maneuvering but by brute force and the projection of his physical power.

To consolidate power within the court Thrane had made strong alliances with the rival House of December by marrying Daealla Wyn, one of the daughters of Urtica. Due to the potency of the magic in their houses many speculated that a marriage of this nature would spell disaster in the long run, and considering how his children turned out this speculation has proven mostly true.

His persona of "The Alpha" began to fall apart in 1997 when his son and personal enforcer Azadiel refused an order to kill a child Thrane had sired while in the mortal realm. Instead Azadiel renounced his ties to the Wolf King and the Lunaheim family, fighting his way out of Urfang Castle and swearing to protect his infant brother.

The fallout from this event would shatter Thranes' carefully cultivated reputation, and one year later he would be visited by the Archfey of December, Urtica. She gave Thrane an ultimatum: '''There must be only one uncontested Wolf King of January not two dogs fighting in the snow for scraps. Your prodigal prince has brought into question the strength of your house; prove to me yours is an alliance worth keeping. Settle the business with your son or the Winter Court marches to war without me''.'

Backed into a corner, Thrane challenged his son to a duel to the death. Because of tradition Azadiel was allowed to choose the weapon and the manner of the fight. So when representatives from every house in winter assembled to bear witness to the duel, Azadiel showed up with a chess set and a plastic fold-out table.

Once they were sitting across the chessboard from each other and their conversation was magically sealed behind ancient magic the Wolf King leveled with his son. Thrane knew that everyone in his court hated him or wanted him dead and the only way he could see out of the situation was throwing the duel, abdicating the throne, and naming Azadiel Lord of Winter. After carefully considering the options, Azadiel accepted.

Urtica however, was not amused with the theatrics of the Lunaheim boys. As Thrane stood before her, telling her of his abdication, she brought her finger to his lips and silenced him by freezing his head solid. Then, she shattered it, killing Thrane instantly and sending a message to all the Fey in attendance.

Not much is definitively known of the events directly following the Wolf Kings duel as court rumor and baseless speculation have buried any actual truth, but those closest to the old Lord of January believe that Thrane is still alive somewhere. What is certain is that after her coronation, one of the first things Elora Lunaheim did as Lady of January was to torture and interrogate Thrane's court wizards for information.