Stefan Bula

Stefan Bula pictured at a summit of political leaders in Karkaros in 6 AF

Stefan Bula is a Lakkosian lawyer, statesman, and diplomat who currently serves as the Ambassador to the Kingdom of Karkaros. Bula's career started as a talented prosecutorial lawyer who helped put some of Lakkos' most heinous and famous criminals behind bars. After a 22 year career in law, he entered the political sphere by running for and winning a seat in the Lakkosian Parliament as a representative of the Courtyard District. Bula was a reluctant member of the UWA, who were a bit further left politically than Bula was owing to his platform as a law and order politician. After a single term as a MP, Stefan Bula would not seek reelection. Instead he would join the Lakkosian Diplomatic Corps as the Ambassador to one of Lakkos' most important allies: Karkaros.

## Early Life

Stefan was born to a middle class family in the Courtyard District of the Republic of Lakkos. Bula's father was a shipwright who worked at the Port of Lakkos. When Bula was still a young child, his father received an offer to work for the Karkaros navy in the metropolis of Leviathan. Not wanting to miss such an opportunity, Stefan's father moved the entire family to the beautiful sea-side city of Leviathan. Stefan's father made very good money building, repairing and maintaining the naval ships of Karkaros, and young Stefan wanted for nothing in his new home.

As Stefan grew older, it became apparent to all that he was a very bright kid with a keen interest in history, philosophy, and politics. Bula went to a private school in Leviathan and joined the debate team to find more intellectuals like himself. He found life-long friends in his debate club, and also became obsessed with the art of crafting persuasive arguments. It was no wonder, then, that he would pursue a career as a lawyer, studying both Lakkosian and Karkarosan law at Leviathan University. Bula would end up graduating summa cum laude and made up his mind to help rid his homeland of Lakkos of the criminal element that had taken hold there in his absence.

## Law Career

Upon arriving back in Lakkos, he found the island had changed greatly in the years he was away. Organized crime had increased substantially and crime was so rampant that petty thefts were conducted without fear in broad daylight. Disgusted with the lawlessness of the once great island republic, Bula opened a law office using a small business loan from his father and began taking cases to build a liturgical profile. After two years of consistently brilliant law work, Bula's law firm had gained two new partners and was starting to receive notoriety for their efforts. Stefan needed a watershed case to help put him on the map, and as fate would have it, one presented itself.

In the summer of 3 BF, Little Serenus had been plagued by a demented serial killer who had stalked the city for nearly a year and a half. The killer went by the moniker of The Porcelain Slasher for his peculiar ritual of leaving creepy porcelain dolls at the scene of each murder. He mostly attacked young women in the labyrinthine back alleys of Little Serenus and had the entire city on edge. The police had finally found the man they thought was responsible, Theodore Wittenberg, a veteran of the Bush Wars who had knowledge of porcelain making. Despite the evidence against him, the trial was by no means a forgone conclusion. One misstep would inevitably lead to a mistrial, and to the horrifying proposition of this diabolic killer walking free. Stefan Bula, who was personally incensed by the killings, sensed an opportunity to test his keen argumentative skills and put his name forward as a potential lead prosecutor in the case. Despite more experienced lawyers throwing their names in the ring, Bula was able to secure the position likely do to the influence of his father, who had become a rich and powerful member of the Karkarosan elite since retirement.

The case was a long, exhausting endeavor that stretched on for an unimaginable 14 months. Throughout all of the proceedings, including six to eight hour long witness questionings, Stefan was able to keep his composure and ensure the defense was always on the backfoot. Whereas Theodore Wittenberg had been cockily smirking during the beginning of the trial, his demeanor changed as the trial started to swing the in the prosecution's favor. By the time the trial ended, there was never any doubt on the verdict. The jury deliberation, which would often drag on for many days, lasted a short three hours before they reached a decision and found Wittenberg guilty. Stefan Bula became a national hero for his efforts, and Wittenberg, having ended sixteen lives (that we know of) was sent to an underwater dungeon off the coast of Kundrall to spend the last of his days in lonely agony.

## Entry into Politics

Bula became an overnight household name in Lakkos, and many encouraged him to run for Parliament in the 0 AF election. In the past Stefan had always enjoyed politics, but never felt as if it was the right place for him. The Porcelain Killer trial changed all that, as he saw first hand how badly the police had bungled the investigation, leading to more victims before Wittenberg was caught. Bula felt as though he could do more good reforming the justice and police systems from the Parliament Chamber as opposed to fighting in the Courthouse. Bula somewhat reluctantly announced his candidacy for a seat representing his birthplace in the Courtyard District. Bula was a staunch law and order candidate focused on justice system reform, and as such didn't fit in with any of the political parties of the time. He ended up joining the United Workers Assembly (UWA) after being invited by the party leader Francis Martello.

Bula did not have an easy time in Parliament, and became disillusioned with the political infighting and posturing that had become commonplace in Lakkosian politics. In the courtroom Stefan had full command and was able to quickly do whatever was needed to get results, however in the Lakkosian Parliament he was just another rich man in a suit. Unwilling to play politics with the other MP's, he had a hard time getting anything done, and soon yearned for the end of his term. When his term was almost over, Bula was fully prepared to go back to his career as a lawyer. However, he was contacted by the Lakkosian Diplomatic Corps and given a tantalizing offer to become the Ambassador to the Kingdom of Karkaros. After a week of careful consideration, the always adventurous Bula decided an ambassadorial position was too good of an opportunity to pass up and accepted the generous offer.

## Ambassador to the Kingdom of Karkaros

Stefan Bula returned to the city of his childhood and once again breathed in the salty air of Leviathan. Despite having a great love and admiration for his homeland, most of his childhood took place in Leviathan and he was ecstatic to be back. Bula's father was also in poor health, so he enjoyed being close enough to spend time with him.

The Karkarosans welcomed Bula warmly, setting him up with a large manor and a posh office with opulent furnishings. As Ambassador, Bula's job was twofold: he must first ensure Lakkos is always in good standing with the larger kingdom, and second he must ensure Karkaros will always be ready to help protect Lakkos, should the need for military help ever arise. Bula would end up acquiring many new connections and making useful inroads in a number of organizations in Leviathan to help increase Lakkos' presence and power in the capital of Karkaros.