The current Lord of the Tower, Mikhalis, was never intended to be where he is. He was Damon Al-Kaje's fifth son, not in line to inherit much of anything, and had been shunted to oversee the Lawseeker's Guild mostly to keep him out of court, which suited the young noble just fine.

His recent ascension to ultimate authority in the wake of his father's disappearance is unprecedented -- usually, when a Lord of the Tower falls his House is ousted from power as well. Mikhalis is under no illusions that he's actually suited for this position -- he knows that his other siblings are simply being kept out of harm's way for when the inevitable coup comes. But it's his head on the chopping block, and he'll be Shadow-Taken if he goes without a fight.