Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 13 May 2005 to 14 May 2005 (#2005-99)
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Date: 15/05/2005, 17:00
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Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion

There is one message totalling 66 lines in this issue.

Topics of the day:

 1. The Death of Desmond Kelvin

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Date:    Sat, 14 May 2005 19:55:41 -0700
From:    Andrew Theisen <jsmill@WANS.NET>
Subject: The Death of Desmond Kelvin

Ominous sounding, eh? :)

Don't think this thread will quite live up to its
name, but I wanted to post an interesting tidbit and
subsequent theory that I came up with today.

While working on my Ylari NPCs for the
[URL=http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=415451]Gazetteer
NPCs[/URL] thread, I came across this entry for
Mustapha-ibn-Ibrahim, Provincial Secretary of Kirkuk
(p. 41 in Gaz2):

"... [He] unwisely became involved with the wife of a
baron of the Duke [of Karameikos'] Court. The duel
resulted in the baron's death and Mustapha's return
home in disgrace."

Hmm... there aren't that many Barons in Karameikos,
and of those (Ludwig von Hendriks, Sherlane Halaran,
Desmond Kelvin II, Philip Vorloi), all are currently
alive. The only one that wasn't an original appointee
by Duke Stefan is Desmond Kelvin II, who inherited the
title from his father, Desmond Kelvin I.

Now, though I doubt there was ever intended any direct
connection, I postulate that Mustapha had an affair
with Desmond Kelvin's wife, resulting in a duel in
which Desmond Kelvin was killed, Mustapha was
extradited to Ylaruam, and the baron's son, Desmond
Kelvin II came into power. It had to have happened
prior to 998 AC (Mustapha, in 1000 AC, has been the
Provincial Secretary for Kirkuk for two years), and
probably sometime before that (in the interim
following his return to Ylaruam, he worked in several
different fields, presumably over a couple of years).
I don't know precisely when/if it has been stated that
Desmond Kelvin II took over, but if there isn't any
hard information, this should fit.

It also fits with the idea that Mustapha worked as a
diplomat at the Imperial Court in Thyatis, where he
may very well have encountered Kelvin and his wife
(prior to or subsequent to their emigration to
Karameikos) and/or acquaintances of theirs.

Another option would be to consider the "baron" line
to refer simply to a Karameikan noble, in which case
perhaps it was Lord Penhaligon (another noble whose
circumstances of death are not directly revealed). I
kind of prefer the idea that Desmond Kelvin II would
a) have a scandal of a family affair coloring his
background, especially given his membership to the
Church of Karameikos and the Order of the Griffon, and
b) possibly have a grudge against Stefan Karameikos
for allowing his father's murderer to be extradited
for political reasons, rather than allowing Kelvin to
have vengeance.

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End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 13 May 2005 to 14 May 2005 (#2005-99)
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