GhostKing

Personal Info

A member of the mysterious organization known as the Jokers, she styles herself GhostKing. Haughty, imperious, and flamboyant, her presence commands the spotlight wherever she goes.
She takes great pleasure in the adulation of others. Those who amuse her may find even priceless treasures bestowed upon them without a second thought.
By the same token, to provoke her displeasure or defy her will is to invite GhostKing's boundless fury.
This very nature makes her the Jokers whom Explorers most desire to cross paths with.
Yet not all are worthy of her grace. Those she disdains will be met with scorn and wrath alone, their pretty words falling on deaf ears.

Chronicles

I once encountered GhostKing in a restaurant. She was simply sitting there, dining quietly, and seemed no different from any other young lady of high society.
No, on second thought, she appeared more elegant, more composed than those young ladies. In short, she was captivating.
Had I not later been told that she was GhostKing, I could never have connected her with that infamous name from the rumors.
After all, according to the tales, shouldn't she be far more arrogant, domineering, and overbearing?
— An Explorer

There are indeed times when GhostKing conducts herself with immense pride and confidence. But what of it?
Every member of the Jokers has their own way of doing things. That is her way, and this is mine. We do not crave the validation of others.
GhostKing has her own pride and principles. If she so chooses to be flamboyant, it is of little consequence.
— GhostSamurai from Jokers

That family was indeed merely a lineage of merchants, but at the height of their power, they held enough sway to influence the courts of several neighboring nations.
Faced with such a colossal entity, how could the royal families possibly permit its continued existence? Its eventual suppression by a united front was an inevitable outcome.
And it wasn't just the royals. So many nobles across those neighboring lands had to defer to that family's whims in matters of trade. The noble lords and ladies must have long been simmering with discontent.
What a lamentable turn of fate, though. Such a vast legacy, utterly vanished. Even the traces of their existence were meticulously erased by the combined efforts of royalty and aristocracy.
Once our generation passes, I fear no one will remember them at all.
— An Old Man

Record

After the initial, brief surprise, it didn't take more than a few days for GhostKing to be regarded by the members as just another "ordinary," albeit highly distinctive, companion.
This sense of ordinariness stemmed purely from the fact that the expedition team already boasted so many unique personalities; GhostKing's "specialness" had simply become commonplace here.
One might have expected GhostKing to take issue with this, yet she remained surprisingly composed.
No, in fact, ever since her arrival, GhostKing has comported herself for the most part with the grace and bearing of a well-bred young lady from a prestigious house.
It leads one to wonder if she has perhaps come to regard this place as her home.
Of course, such a notion is not something one can easily verify with the lady herself. Moreover, her time with the expedition has been relatively short; surely she wouldn't think that way yet... would she?
GhostQueen showed considerable interest in this speculation, though she merely offered, "Who can possibly know such a thing?" before saying no more.
In any case, GhostKing's current conduct is rather reassuring. Once our relationship deepens a bit further, I shall seek an opportunity to ask her for the answer myself.

Anecdote

This is a story told by a beautiful lady, slightly in her cups, on a certain night...

In a distant land, there once was an ordinary merchant family.
Their business was not vast, yet it held a measure of local influence.
Had nothing untoward occurred, that family might have continued living their lives in peaceful prosperity...
Then, turmoil that swept through several neighboring nations erupted without warning, followed closely by various plagues.
Though merely common merchants, when faced with such chaotic circumstances, that family chose to exhaust their resources to aid the refugees.
In the course of their widespread relief efforts, the family encountered certain "distinguished individuals."
These "individuals" included former wealthy merchants, erstwhile nobles, and even exiled royalty.
At first, the family thought little of it, treating them all as ordinary commoners in need. Yet fate dragged that family into a political maelstrom of unfathomable depth.
Over the years of conflict, some of these "distinguished individuals" introduced new trade channels to the family, while others helped expand their markets.
Before they knew it, they had become prominent merchants of note in that war-torn era.
When the turmoil subsided and nations desperately needed vast supplies to rebuild, numerous officials and nobles came knocking at their door...
Several more years passed. As political stability returned and economies recovered, the family's commercial empire had spread far and wide.
With this shift in status, though they remained merchants in name, they were no longer just merchants.
Willing or not, the family had become inextricably bound to the political machinations of various nations.
A tiger does not tolerate a presence within its domain that is powerful enough to pose a threat.
Once all was settled, the true war—the one without smoke or gunpowder—began in earnest.
...
Without the cunning of a politician or the ambition to match, even the most exceptional merchant remains merely a merchant.
Having ascended by chance to a position they could not hope to control, their downfall was an inevitable conclusion.