Kings and Queens of Yore. Stories wanted.

[Viviyana]

I seem to spend far too many marcs staring at the faces and figures in of the kings and queens in the N'rolav Tombs and wondering at their stories. I love to build little imaginings and stories around who they must have been. And then I began to wonder what stories others have created or would create for them. So give me your best stories or tales of these long gone royals and I shall pay you handsomely.

(( Submissions accepted from now until the end of February, this is not a contest so everyone is encouraged to try their hand at this. Please include the name of the king or queen in the description. For newer players the tomb is located in the N'rolav Desert and is filled with the carved images and names of ancient kings and queens. EVERY Submission will be awarded 1K plat. Post stories below. Enjoy!))

[Turcko]

Queen Tiah-tor's tale, the queen that would become known as 'the Hopeful', is not an overly pleasant one.

From birth she shunned the other girls in court, and all the girly things expected from the first born of royalty, much to the despair of her mother and the amusement of her father. Her turns were spent chasing boys with wooden swords, sneaking into the kitchens for sweets and cakes, ripping skirts and dresses to shreds and stealing plain pants from the servants' sons, all the better to run everywhere.

This should not make one believe she was a tomboy without beauty, however. As she matured her face became more and more like a carved statue, honed to perfection with chiseled straight lines. Her eyes were piercing and ever observant, seemingly burning with a fire and life unbound. Her hair, although smooth as the most delicate of silks, was permanently braided in such a way that it wouldn't be a nuisance while running about. Tiah-tor's fairness and role as princess and heir caught the eyes of many pretenders, from lands near and far to the kingdom, even if none of them received more than a second glance or a polite and dismissive curtsy from Tiah-tor.

Her companions were the hunters, the fishers, the adventurers... All that took her from the boredom of castle life. In one such turns when she was evading dancing lessons and hunting bears, she was attacked by a hidden snake, coiled in the bushes. This left were with a bite mark in her arm that never fully healed, a new pet snake and a symbol that she had the palace blacksmith fashion into a belt buckle.

Her heart was eventually won though, by a charming traveling enchanter. This angered her father, usually permissive of Tiah-tor's adventures, as old age was catching up to him and he sensed the approach of the marc when his daughter would have to become a Queen. The king insisted the princess had to find a match of noble lineage, to ensure the purity of the royal line to follow. He had the charming enchanter chained, beaten in public and then exiled, never to return, and called for a great feast where the princess was ordered to choose a suitable lord to marry.

The princess was seen later that turn in a temple, something rare, quiet in prayer and anger in her face. "May the Gods listen to her hopes and desires" the people of the kingdom were rumored to say. And so they may have, for the King and Queen died of poisonous mushrooms the next turn.
It was never clear if it was an accident, an act of an enemy kingdom, revenge from one of the enchanter's friends or relatives, or, Gods forbid, an action from the princess herself.
Kitchen staff were questioned, the cook was hanged, the feast was called off and the Queen was crowned after the customary ten turns of mourning.

Tiah-tor's first demand was to send scouts to every neighboring kingdom to look for her departed love. She was also seen holding a strange glass globe at all times. Rumors named it a gift from her exiled lover, or perhaps a cursed item that had the princess enthralled. Ever hoping, ever seeking, turns passed, then cycles. After two years, when everyone thought the exile of the charming enchanter was nothing but a disguise for a veiled execution, Queen Tiah-tor left the castle on foot. Her garments were quite practical, her boots sturdy, a dagger on her coiled snake buckle belt, her hair braided as it always was, and the fire in her eyes silently commanding those in her path to stand aside.
Missing was the crown on her head, but firmly in hand, the glass globe glowed eerily. She was last seen crossing the border into a kingdom that was on the verge of war. Young, decided and "guided by hope to find her lost love", Queen Tiah-tor the hopeful had an all too brief reign but inspired generations of lovers for years to follow.

[Viviyana]

Oh wow, Turcko! That was exactly what I was hoping for I always marvel at what an amazing storyteller you are!

I'll slip you that 1K as soon as I see you.

[Lavender]

Therll the Kind

Therll was born to rule the lands, this was true and as a young child, she was taught by the best teachers, taught to read, to write, and yes even to fight. She learned each lesson well, yet she rarely wore a sword when she would often go out among her people. Much to the distraught of her parents and the servants that watched over the young woman. Therll would go through her lessons with careful consideration, always diligent to pay attention to every detail and was even very good with a sword, yet when the lessons were done she was never found in her home. As soon as she was able to escape her duties she would gather, cloth, food, wool, and whatever else she could and she would go out among the people of her future kingdom. Learning what her people did for a living, giving food to the hungry, wool to those that needed warmth. She would even manage to figure out how to get one person of a certain trade, say a farmer who needed tools to work his fields but had no gold, to give a portion of food to the person who made the tools. So the trade market was created to keep people of each village she oversaw fed and well and all would have enough and she would personally oversee the market each day to be sure that no one asked for more than what she believed each item would be worth. She hated cheaters and liers. And things were peaceful in her kingdom for years. Her mother after a time had passed of illness, and her father was aging too much to lead the armies any longer.

In a neighboring kingdom, the new king, king Dimion there decided he wanted to expand his kingdom and slowly started taking over hers. She gathered her armies, everyone there had grown used to her kindness, and willingly took up their sword to follow her. King Dimion hearing they were coming gathered his own army to meet her. His kingdom was far more vast and he had mounds of platinum, gold, silver... more than enough to pay all of her people several years of living. They met in between his kingdom and hers. He laughed at what he thought was a pitiful army, smirking he came to the center to meet her as was the custom before a battle is waged.. to see if negotiations could be made. Therll with a hand resting idly on her sword came forward and asked him to leave, offered to give him a tribute that would be more then a king's ransom! so her people would not have to see bloodshed. He laughed at her, saying not even her hand and every bit of goods her lands had would stop him for it would be his soon anyway! Raised his spear and ran at her swiftly intending to force her surrender! Without even so much as a blink from her, both her army and his, having seen and been moved by her kindness, came to her aid. But King Dimion was forced to a stop, by Therll herself as she swung her mighty sword, outmaneuvering him. Knocking his spear from his hands and putting her sword to his throat, before either army could get to them, he closed his eyes ready to die. And the armies stopped but a swords reach from them, breaths held, swords ready... waiting. But to everyone surprise, instead of his death, they heard her sword being sheathed and Dimion opened his eyes to find her smile and an offering hand up. There finally understanding and being taken in by her kindness he instead knelt to her and for sparing his life when he knew then he did not deserve it, his own army following suit and kneeling as well. The King offered her the very tribute he had demanded of her and her kingdom and even returned all the lands that he had taken back to her rule. The tales of her deed spread to the other kingdoms around and soon she was known through the lands as Therll the Kind. But each ruler understood that even though she was kind, and she would trade with them willingly, she was not a woman to be messed with. For with each passing day she would be out among the people spreading her kindness and gaining their trust and their dedication. And each king knew that the people would follow her, and did until her death.

People will not always remember a lesson taught, the may not always remember a gift given. But people always remember the kindness shown to them. And Therll had the hearts of all the people for the kindness she showed, for kindness was a way of life for her. Which is why she was then and will always be known as Therll The Kind.

I hope you enjoy the tale.

Lav

[Topaz]

IDYNA THE BRAVE

Idyna was the youngest child and only daughter of a royal family. She and her three brothers all chose different professions; Orne the eldest was an enchanter, Robert was a cleric, Garth was a rogue, and Idyna followed the path of the warrior. Like everyone else, Idyna expected that Orne would inherit the throne, so when one day their father failed to return to his Life Monument, the people began (once the days of mourning were ended) to prepare for his coronation.

On the day of the coronation, a great procession made its way to the temple. The High Cleric stood at the door, holding a large heavy shield on which were engraved the words TRUST IN THE GODS AND YE SHALL PREVAIL. Orne strode confidently at the head of the procession, with his brothers and sister as his honor guard.

The High Cleric raised his hands on high. "O Ben the Mighty, Builder of Worlds, choose for us a new ruler. O Cory, Bringer of Light, illuminate the true ruler of our land," he prayed. He took hold of the heavy shield, lifting it with difficulty. "This shield signifies that the ruler of our land will be our shield and defense, striving always for the good of our land."

He offered the shield to Orne, and Orne staggered under its weight. His three siblings reached to steady him, and suddenly the shield shone with blinding brightness. As one, they let go and stepped back, dropping the shield to the ground. The light vanished.

Robert the cleric heaved the shield upright, trying to see where the light had come from, or gone. Garth ran his hand over its surface, looking for secret opening. And Orne tried again to hold it and could not, so Idyna, with a warrior's strength, took hold of it.

And the shield blazed with light again -- and this time, so did Idyna. And when she put down the shield in astonishment, its light vanished -- but Idyna continued to shine, brighter even than the shield.

Everyone stared. Orne's mouth moved, but no sound came out.

But the High Cleric knew a godly sign when he saw one. "Hail, Queen of the land by the gods' decree!" he said promptly.

"But --" Idyna began.

"Take up the shield," said the High Cleric. Bemused, Idyna picked it up, and it instantly glowed again. "Cory the Lightbringer has illuminated the true ruler of our land, as our ancient prayers have asked. You are the Queen."

"But --"

"NO! I AM THE KING!" shouted Orne, finally finding his voice. "THERE IS SOME TRICK HERE, SOME CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD ME OF MY THRONE! IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MINE --"

"Once the gods have spoken," began the High Cleric, but Orne would not hear him, nor would he listen to what Idyna tried to say to him. With one sudden movement he wrested the glowing shield (which instantly stopped glowing) from Idyna's grasp and vanished in a puff of enchanter's dust.

Among the sudden hubbub, the High Cleric spoke into Idyna's ear. "Your first royal act must be to retrieve the shield," he said. "The gods of Valorn will guide you. Trust in the gods and ye shall prevail."

So Idyna (now no longer glowing) and Robert and Garth left the crowded temple and made their way to a small, dusty, little-used shrine where they could discuss plans and ask the gods for guidance. And as they sat in the shrine, a spider on a thread came down from the skylight, and the light on the spider and on its thread was like the light from the shield.

Now Idyna feared nothing on earth except spiders, and she backed away from the small spinner as she would not have fled a demon. But Robert the cleric put out his hand and let the spider hang from his finger. "It is a sign," he said. "We must seek our brother and the stolen shield where there are spiders. I know a cavern in the Dark Forest which leads to a land where spiders rule." And Idyna shuddered, but heeded her brother's advice.

Into the Dark Forest they went, and the wild beasts fled before them. They went deeper and met demon-spawned bears and wolves, but easily defeated them. Then in a maze of caverns they began to meet the spider-minions.

"Orne has passed this way," said Garth the rogue, pointing at some footprints, "carrying something heavy." He slipped into the shadows and behind a spider, and slew it with his poisoned blade. But alas, a second spider attacked him while he was weak and wounded, and Garth was slain.

Robert the cleric gave light to himself and to Idyna until they shone (though not as brightly as she had shone in the temple), and they moved further into the caverns. Idyna quivered at every movement, and fought the spider-minions with her eyes averted (although they still died on her broadsword). As they went further in, the spiders became larger and fiercer, armored like human fighters. In one encounter Robert was overwhelmed, and despite his clerical ring and weapons he too died.

Only Idyna was left, alone in the shadowy corridor crawling with spiders of all sizes, from thumbnail-sized to the armored Spider Overlords. Her skin shivered, and she thought with longing of the way out. She took a step, and spiders crunched under her feet. She took another step, and another -- deeper into the caverns. Again and again she fought the Spider Overlords with their hairy limbs and multi-faceted eyes, and defeated them again and again until she saw, lying on the floor among the chitinous remains, the great engraved shield. There was no sign of Orne. She lifted up the shield and once again it blazed like Sunrifter, lighting every crevice of the corridor, and every single spider, large or small, fled that light. She strode back to the mouth of the cave and made her way home, where Garth and Robert awaited her at the Life Monument.

But not Orne. No one ever saw Orne again.

It was Robert and Garth who told the story of her battle in the caverns, with the spiders and with her own fears, but it was the High Cleric, when he completed her coronation, that named her the Brave. And evermore, in peace or in war, Idyna carried her great shield with her kingdom's motto and her own: TRUST IN THE GODS AND YE SHALL PREVAIL.

(And even now the spider-minions great and small, remembering Idyna's shield, will sometimes carry shields of their own.)

[Lavender]

This has been outstanding! Viviyana, as I understand has been having some technical difficulties, but was able to be in the game just long enough to ask me to give out the prizes and give them to me. So Topaz and Turko come and seek me and I will see that you get your plat! I had just as much fun writing as I did reading the others! And I also have a bit extra, so don't feel just because prizes are being given that you lost your chance to write! Please feel free to continue to share!!!


Just to share proof of the conversation here is a copy : 16 Jan 8:18pm Iron Protector Viviyana (( hey, so my computer died..and I struggle on mobile. Is there anyway I can get lav the plat and you can distribute?))

Thank you my friends,

Lavender

[Lavender]

Turcko has received his reward... now whether it belonged to Turcko or Falx... was a point brought up but not... fully resolved. But, I am certain they can be gentlemen and will figure it out among themselves.

[Lavender]

All rewards have been given, but please do not stop the stories. Those that have written before are welcome to do so again, perhaps try a different queen or king! Or if anyone else is brave enough to give it a try too! All stories are welcome! ~ Lav

[Turcko]

Turcko has received his reward... now whether it belonged to Turcko or Falx... was a point brought up but not... fully resolved. But, I am certain they can be gentlemen and will figure it out among themselves.

*Turcko grins and runs with a plat purse in hand* "Finders keepers".
*Falx growls and shoots staff bolts at his rogue cousin* "One of these turns you scoundrel!"