| Subspecies: | Stonefolk |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Born: | 970 (Age 51) |
| Title: | Superintendent (Former) |
| Family: | Maelia (Partner)
Saskia (Daughter) |
Kellen Ridge is a member of the Ridge family, one of the prestigious wealthy families that resided in Upper Old Iryna. He served as Superintendent of Iryna PD until the end of 1020. Due to increasing public disapproval of his conduct, he resigned his position and emigrated from the city of Iryna.
As Superintendent, Kellen Ridge had a reputation for being humorless, uncompromising, and at times domineering. Subordinates were expected to follow orders or face dismissal without an opportunity to discuss their grievances. However, Kellen Ridge was also loyal to his Upper Old Irynian connections, frequently shielding them from the legal consequences of their actions. His devotion to maintaining the established social order was publically-known enough that Governor Reiner sought to exploit it upon taking office. As Kellen Ridge's direct superior, Reiner mandated that he suppress investigation into a number of cases, as well as conduct investigations into certain individuals without clear cause. For reasons that he did not divulge, Kellen Ridge followed these orders without any objections. These actions went largely unnoticed by the general public; the sole notable exception was Iryna PD Inspector Neeka, who made the decision to continue investigating closed cases against Kellen Ridge's explicit orders.[1] Neeka's investigation ultimately led to Reiner's arrest[2], at which point the public was made aware of Kellen Ridge's actions. Amidst the shock and horror at Reiner's criminal activity, some analysts turned their ire towards Iryna PD, and especially Kellen Ridge himself, for failing to prevent the deaths of an unknown number of Irynians. Political analysts at The Inquirer theorized that Kellen Ridge could potentially be charged with accessory to murder, obstruction of justice, and/or perjury, although it was not clear how much he had known about Reiner's actions or motivations. Even so, Iryna PD's structure made it impossible for Kellen Ridge to be arrested, because he had the ultimate authority in making arrests. The only person capable of removing him from power was the Governor. For these reasons, calls for Kellen Ridge to resign began immediately after Reiner's arrest.[3]
In Reiner's absence, Parliament voted to elect a new Governor. Kellen Ridge steadfastly refused to resign his position, in the hopes that his longtime supporter Aemile Lux would take over the position. Aemile Lux made it clear that should they be elected, Kellen Ridge would be absolved of all wrongdoing, and Iryna PD would continue to function as it had in the past.[4] In large part because of this intransigent refusal to hold Kellen Ridge accountable, Aemile Lux lost the election with a humiliating 1.7% of the vote. The victor was Neeka, who pledged to dissolve Iryna PD entirely and replace it with a more accountable law enforcement agency.[5] It was clear that Neeka, at the very least, would not retain Kellen Ridge in a position of power; to avoid arrest, Kellen Ridge resigned from Iryna PD and left Iryna before Neeka officially took office, accompanied by the majority of his Upper Old Irynian associates as a demonstration of their support for him.[6]
Kellen Ridge has been in a relationship with fellow Upper Old Irynian Maelia Ridge (formerly Maelia Orva[Note]) since 987. They have one daughter, Saskia Ridge.