Eikab's Saga cap.1
by EikabThe Pact.
The Saga of Eikab began in the year AC 990 in one small and squalid cell in the underground plans of the Palace of the prince of Belcadiz situated in Nueva Alvar, capital of this principality. Eikab was found, illicitly respect is to the laws that to the customs of the country, in one be of slavery submit to don Ralondo's will, monarch of this small elvish territory making part of the enchantocraty federation said the Principalities of Glantri1.
The reasons of this fact, and the events antecedents to this date, aren't still of our acquaintance. We instead know that prince Ralondo, gone up to the throne in the AC 858 after that his father King Alfonso of Belcadiz abdicated because he didn't approve many aspects of the process of foundation of the Principalities of Glantri. He was seriously sick from various years, a lot that, he had indicated since the year AC 892 its successor: the smaller daughter, Doņa Carnelia y Fedora2. Also of this evil, the particulars are ignored. But the various and diffuse voices that then circulated in the palaces of the Principalities, and the particular characteristics of the elvish race3, make to suppose us that pathology of psychological type was be a matter of one, caused probably from a one strong stress to govern the Alhambra's family in those difficult years.
The night of the 9 Gromdain of the month of Thaumont, Eikab, in his cell, received a secret visit of the first-born one of Ralondo: don Hippolito4. He had matured a conspiracy that would have had bring him to head of the family. He had carefully planned a surprise attack in order to prevent, like we said, his sister succeeded the father. He only remained to find the way to eliminate the old and sick prince.
Don Hippolito thought to Eikab, because he couldn't find a better hired assassin than one that she had approached daily the rooms of don Ralondo? The future patricide could also confide in the hatred that Eikab had for his landladies, beyond that in one promised of a future freedom, than it made it for a reason or purpose personal, in order to obtain the engagement of the slave to realise the task.
The plan of don Hippolito after that night had been delineated with clarity and without great risks. The noble would have waited for that Eikab gave term to the life of its father before launch his personal guard to the onslaught of the rooms of Doņa Carnelia, for get him to the arrests and proclaim itself prince of Belcadiz. If all it had gone for the best, would have been one trifle to make to pass like illicitly the designation of the elf-women to Princesa made from the father, using the pretext of his infirmity and others quibbles5. In failure case all the responsibilities were unloaded on a poor slave who had attempted to the life of the prince risking aware (or less, this did not import) the dead.
The hopes that Eikab succeeded in the enterprise were good. don Ralondo was old and its psychophysicists conditions for a long time were compromised, while Eikab was young, and don Hippolito had noticed as its physical dowries and intellectuals they were outside from the norm.
In particular they had hit it his fatigue strength and to the pain, things of which Eikab from various months to come had endured in quantity breaking the back to an ogre. However it remained only a point that would have put in difficulty captive - and these he pointed out it to the noble that evening - of forehead to the prince: the magic; if don Ralondo had had the time launch also an only spell all the plan it would be failed.
It was necessary a stratagem in order to obviate to the problem that was not little account. Don Hippolito determined not to go for the thin one: if Eikab must defend itself from the magic, would have had learn that. So said, the noble found a solution and gave immediate and taken care of dispositions its allied one6. For all the month that follows this encounter the called being Eikab came begun to the secrets of Mysterious Science.
notes
1. The event that in particular made to decide (or more better, binged) king Alfonso than to leave the guide of its people was the famous action of the council of the noble ones that gained previous the civil war, known as "The light of Rad". It was the legal transaction that settled the birth of the state, in how much placed like prejudicial for being noble - and therefore to have the political power - the being also a wizard. Complementarily one decided for the abolition of all the clerical orders and for the spillage of all the priests from the Principalities, moreover, from this moment in then the nobility title hierarchically most high it would have been that one of Prince.
King Alfonso found to have itself to accept al same time his (and of his descend) degrade of rank, and to having to above all operate one political unpopular against the elvish millenarian culture, suppressing, for a will of a majority formed from humans (the race to which the elvish thought advanced naturally), the cults of Valerias Calitha, Mealidan etc are that they had adopted from when they had allocated itself in the extreme West of the continent of Brun. All of this produced immediately one strongly tension between the small state and the other " new-principalities ", and as many strong inner tensions: "Alfonso, infuriated, resigns from the council and threatens to pull the elven lands out of Glantri. He quickly comes to realise that they will not let him go, Glantrian armies far outnumber his own. What's more, The elves want to be part of Glantri, with few exceptions (mostly clerics). Offered the title of Prince, King Alfonso refuses, and altogether abdicates. His son, Ralondo, assumes the title of Casato leader, but no King. He tried to decides what do, as pressure from Glantri Builds". J. Guerra, Belcadiz Gazetteer, Official Mystara Homepage, 1999, "History of Casato Alhambra"
2. Ibidem, "NPCs: Princess Carnelia' s duenas. ".
3. Is well knowing that the elves they are immune to the greater part of medical pathologies that hit the others races; their organism in fact to could was damaged only from the physical violence, the magic, substances toxic or, in extremis from new virali shapes, bacterial or genetic for which they do not possess antibodies. All had to us from the mechanism of their evolution, that lowest rate reproduction goes to compensate they, granted to them one hope of exceptionally long life. Some students assert quite that an elf does not die of dead natural, but caught up a venerable age leave them community for destinations only known to the old in issue, perhaps, for joining with the natural elements.
4. In reality the visit was not carried out with the material encounter of the two. In that occasion don Hippolito used a particular shape (upgraded on parchment) of the spell Holography; projecting its fictitious image in the cell of the prisoner, but remaining the entire time in his rooms. In order to directly observe his interlocutor, the noble-elf used also a spell Eye of the Sorcerer.
5. Between which the fact that after the passing of the husband, Miguel de Fedora, happened in the AC 987, donates Carnelia would be due to wedding again for totally being able to be worthy to go up to the throne. Don Hippolito that knew the character well strong-willed person and decided of the sister, she counted just on this point in order to put in crisis "the infanta".
The only point weak person of this woman was just the love. The wedding with the Fedora was a state affair, but this - and after - Carnelia had a relation with a Belcadizian adventurer called Armando del Rio Unfortunately in the AC 928 Armando was killed from a dragon; Carnelia, even if was wed, at only 108 years old received a trauma terrible, that it was also an incredibly profitable test in order to forge its character. Although this Carnelia he always ferociously remained faithful to these its feelings, and probably don Hippolito did not mistake in thinking that the sister would not have never accepted a third companion in its life. Cfr. J. Guerra cit. "NPCs Princess Carnelia's Duenas"
Don Hippolito planned an intrigue indeed a lot detailed, in particular way care to the legal and psychological aspects of the intrigue. This can dared to us a misleading reflection on the elves of Belcadiz, because they culture and their characters tendencies introduced in the gazetteer dedicated to the Principalities of Glantri, give the impression to us that these elves strongly are influenced from their warrior impulses ad that "they are better fast to put hand to the sword, than to use the brain".
So making reference always to the - meagre - information of the gazetteer, this habit action of don Hippolito could turn out conflicting if not inexplicable. In a society where the pride and the honour appears the supreme values, that they must be always conquered defences and with the sword or the magic from war, don Hippolito not chip the frontal crash with his father and sister, nearly that account became that these are too much strong for he.
Is don Hippolito a coward? The point could also be, but isn't this. Is Hippolito a Chaotic-Evil, and that is behaved in this way, in evident breach with its cultural models? Not, this is to exclude categorically. That the Alhambra's are characterised from one ideology typically chivalrous and virile given of undeniable fact. However, two elements are at least others of which holding account. In the first place we are also always speaking about an ethnic elvish, than, like all the pertaining to this race, they enjoy a life much long-lived one and that, therefore, they think that it is a precious good not to waste. In the second place, the Principality of Belcadiz possesses one social, cultural and intellectual life of the highest level, pack-saddles to think next to the small details and the wealth of festival the this state, or next to the great importance given to the luxury and refined objects.
Decidedly we find ourselves of forehead to society extremely developed, is relatively regarding the others societies of Mystara, than for itself, the presence of a high rate social evolution with to a foolish use of the public and private violence always difficulty remains verifiable. For recorded: the Germany of Hitler was of course a nation a lot developed social and technologically (cultural consummations, socialisation, mass media etc, removed their contains, of course), nevertheless it possessed a high rate violence inner that external. But it was just the first society that gave life, without previous, to a system of scientific use of this violence in a position to maintaining in order the social order of the country, and to guarantee to way they, and second the Nazi views, a high degree of civilisation.
For Belcadiz the things are quite different speech, but not in the substance. The great emphasis that comes given to the duels to the first one or to the last blood, like resolution of the discords, so like means of reproduction of the social contract, is a false historian, or one over-simplified vision. The Belcadizian elves have to disposition, thanks to the magic, many other means for prescribed their social relationships, like as an example, the spell "the Duel double" (J. GUERRA, Op. cit., " Belcadiz Spells "..idem) that it creates two " doppelganger " of the fighters, that they resolve the discords in vece of wizard elves.
If the duel, the manifestations of intemperance and the perennial call-backs to the honour of the crews, also remain always one constant of the attitudes of the Belcadizian this is one constant date from the cultural identity of this people, and they do not give the fact that these elves do not know other lifestyle with their similar ones or with races different. Therefore - we conclude returning to don Hippolito - we are of forehead to a society that has exceeded the threat of the directed physical embezzlement, one against the other, like instrument regulator of the social relationships, and so the political sphere (than is a sphere of social relationships but too big and complex of before) has enrich itself of other instruments, not last that one of the thin intrigue.
6. Exactly don Hippolito gave information to Eikab about a Magi Item that lies for year in a room of the castle, this should be useful for the task. This object was a portrait of a triptych named "The adventurer" painted and enchanted by the sorcerer Soledad Luna in the IXth Century AC
The Adventurer shows a small group of four heroes that return from their first adventure. The party is formed by a human woman who brandishes a mace and brings on to a shoulder a shield and wearing a red clerical tunic; an elf with dark hair (therefore a Belcadizian), the tiny shapes of a boy who carrying a heavy and unmistakable spell book and, at least, a warrior with red hair dressed by red and black.
don Hippolito revealed to Eikab the working of the object - thing very simple - was enough to gave a vocal order to any character because the target breathes life himself and took a real form to come out from the portrait.
This simulacrums could make all the action in their powers, in the Eikab's case, the young mage might bestow the rudiments of the magic arts. Only a particular escaping to the noble-elf: the evocation could be doing only once for month.
This wasn't a secondary problem, because Eikab might elude, during the night (with the complicity of some Hippolito's guards) the surveillance, but after the dawn the simulacrum must return in the portrait, because hide it was impossible in to a castle where all the people knew the magic.
However, with always big surprise of the noble, Eikab easily resolved the problem without another help. With his extraordinary skills the prisoner could learned the spell Read Magic in only one nigh and he well thought to command to the simulacrum to cut with a nail the formulas of many other spells on the ground of his cell; the cutter were hide from the sight with the bed. So the continues of the study was very simply and without any risk.