[ Eladrin ] [ Aestetica | Paragons | Court of Stars ]
Vikramaditya
The Scholar-King, the Throne-Keeper, the Ruby-Giver, King of Questions (planar tulani eladrin empyreal lord [he/him] / CG)
Portfolio: Riddles, wise leadership, adventure
Realm: Arborea / Arvandor / The Wandering Palace of Ujjay
You want to hear the chant about a blood who’s got questions about everything from protean politics to rilmani riddles? Look no further than Vikramaditya, the eladrin lord who turned asking questions into an art form. This cutter’s got more tales spinning around his head than Queen Morwel’s had lovers—and every single one of them ends with a berk learning something they didn’t know before.
Vikramaditya typically appears as a regal eladrin with skin that shifts between the bronze of dawn and the gold of sunset, depending on his mood and the stories he’s telling. His hair is black as the night, although he usually covers it with a crown that looks different to every viewer—more on that later.
The King of Questions’ most distinctive feature though is his ever-changing throne, which manifests from thin air wherever he chooses to hold court. It ain’t your usual piece of furniture mind—it’s a chaotic thing that shifts shape, each one reflecting Vikramaditya’s thoughts that day. One day it might appear as a humble wooden seat beneath a banyan tree, the next as an elaborate golden throne studded with gems that each contain a represent a different plane. Chant goes the throne chooses its own form based on what lesson needs teaching or what adventure calls next. Some cutters whisper it might be a tame mimic, but if it is, it’s not tried to eat anyone… yet.
Philosophy of Questioning Leadership
Vikramaditya’s philosophy centres on the idea that good leadership comes through questioning everything, including oneself. Unlike the rigid hierarchies favored by archons or even some of his more directive eladrin fellows, Vikramaditya believes that wisdom flourishes best when challenged, tested, and shared freely. His philosophy can be summed up in his favorite saying:
A king who stops asking questions becomes a tyrant,
—Vikramaditya
and a scholar who stops adventuring becomes a fool
The King of Questions embodies the ideas that knowledge belongs to everyone—but that wisdom must be earned through experience. His favourite pastime is to wander Arborea in disguise, challenging cutters he meets with riddles and moral puzzles. These aren’t tests meant to trip people up—they’re gifts intended to help berks discover truths about themselves and the multiverse that they mightn’t have tumbled to otherwise.
Vikramaditya teaches that true generosity ain’t just about giving away material wealth, but about sharing the greatest treasure of all: the opportunity to flourish. He tells the story of how he once gave away the gift of a divine spark from Aditya himself to a simple brahmin, explaining that “Gold loses its lustre when hoarded, but kindness multiplies when shared.” The brahmin is now a demi-power, if you believe that tale. Vikramaditya teaches that leadership means creating more leaders, not gathering more followers.
Among the eladrin, Vikramaditya is seen somewhere between a wandering judge and a scholar-king, though he’d be the first to laugh at anyone who tried to pin him down with such a formal title. He’s not part of Queen Morwel’s inner Court of Stars, preferring his independence, but he maintains cordial relationships with the eladrin hierarchy and serves as an intermediary when inter-court disputes arise. His habit of questioning everything has ruffled more than a few feathers in the Court though, so it’s likely that his self-exile was not entirely his decision.
The Wandering Palace of Ujjay
His domain, the Wandering Palace of Ujjay travels throughout Arborea, never remaining in one place for more than a lunar month. Sometimes it appears as a magnificent city floating on clouds, other times as a simple tent by a crossroads. The only constant is the presence of Betaal (human vetala scholar [he/him] / N)—a reformed spirit who was once a malevolent vampiric ghost but has become Vikramaditya’s constant companion and challenger.
Betaal serves as seneschal in Vikramaditya’s court, constantly pressing the King of Questions with moral puzzles, pointed challenges to his decisions, and ethical dilemmas. While most monarchs would find a constantly critical unquiet spirit haunting their palace an irritant, Vikramaditya loves to show that even former enemies can become teachers—if approached with the right combination of firmness and compassion.
The Aestetica of Endless Questions
Vikramaditya’s aestetica is usually the tulani form, though he’s known to occasionally take on aspects of other eladrin when his adventures demand it. He sees himself as a bridge-builder between opposing concepts—scholarliness and adventurousness, the regal and the humble, the questioner and the wise sage. Unlike many tulani who prefer to maintain their dignity through keeping a distance from the hoi polloi, Vikramaditya delights in the messy business of actually helping people solve their problems.
His most valuable possession is the Questioning Crown—a circlet that appears different to every viewer, reflecting the question they most need to ask themselves. Followers report seeing anything from simple copper bands inscribed with their own doubts to an elaborate diadem that seems to contain a swirling galaxy of possibility. The crown never gives answers, only reframing questions in more thought-provoking ways. As Vikramaditya says—asking the right question is more valuable than receiving a dozen wrong answers. And when it’s time for the perfect question to be answered, reality seems to bend slightly around him, as if the multiverse itself was leaning in to hear what wisdom Vikramaditya might share next.
Vikramaditya’s influence extends beyond Arborea, and his ultimate aim is to inspire mortal rulers across the planes to embrace both intellectual curiosity and hands-on adventure. Kings who follow his example might leave their thrones periodically to walk among their people in disguise, learning the challenges they face and hearing unfiltered opinions from the mouths of their subjects. Scholars who embrace his teachings combine rigorous study with practical application, ensuring their knowledge serves the greater cause of good rather than mere personal academic pride.
Wisdom without action is hot air,
—Vikramaditya
and action without wisdom is folly
In a multiverse full of berks who claim to know all the answers, the King of Questions makes us consider that the best leaders might be those brave enough to be challenged, and strong enough to change their minds when new evidence comes to light.
Source: Bestiary 1 [PF1e] p23 (name only); expanded by Jon Winter-Holt inspired by the real-world mythological character Vikramaditya