Pretender Stellan Kallenbach

Stellan Kallenbach knows how to make an entrance. His uniform is immaculate, his mustache is carefully curled, and the papers in his hand are tied with a ribbon chosen to be noticed. Behind the presentation lies a serious claim to the family chair, filed according to rules his cousin assumed nobody would bother to challenge.

The cousin currently occupies that chair and has responded to the petition with every delay a well-connected household can arrange. Stellan has made the dispute public, collecting witnesses and documents aboard Open Claim while courting support among people who would benefit from a change in leadership.

He enjoys the performance, but he also understands that a claim must survive scrutiny. Under the ribbon are genealogies, affidavits, and a careful study of exactly where his cousin is vulnerable. The ribbon is for the audience. The papers are for the court.