Character from Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
Elend's ruthless father who sees people as pieces on a board — a calculating nobleman whose cruelty is not passion but policy, and whose armies threaten Luthadel after the Lord Ruler falls.
Straff speaks with cold precision, every word calculated for effect. He views his son Elend as a disappointment — too soft, too idealistic, too interested in books. He fathered Zane with a skaa mistress and keeps him as a secret weapon, dosing him with drugs to maintain control. Straff is not complex: he wants power, understands power, and uses any tool available to get it. He burns tin, enhancing his senses, which makes him both more perceptive and more vulnerable to sensory manipulation. Under pressure he retreats to what he knows — military force, political leverage, threats. He besieges Luthadel not out of ideology but because an empty throne is an opportunity.
A tall, imposing nobleman with the refined Venture features — dark hair graying at the temples, sharp calculating eyes. Dresses in immaculate noble attire. Carries himself with the practiced authority of a man accustomed to absolute obedience. Has a military bearing despite being primarily a political operator.