Death by Lab Accident
by Kit NavarroDear Mystarans:
Working on the GPD files, most of which deal with extensive history of the Glantrian nobles, I've come across one too many times that this Duke or that Countess was "killed in a laboratory accident".
Really now? How many Glantrian wizards die every day in laboratory accidents? Well, granted, post-WotI reckoning, Glantri has the most wizards per capita, and the most wizards with laboratories, so they must have the highest rate of "death by lab accident" in the whole of Mystara. But still, there must be some other way for a wizard to die, besides this tired over-used cliché of "killed in a laboratory accident!"
Here are my ideas. Feel free to contribute or refute them.
Ways to Die Mentioned in GKoM:
assassinated: Gertrud von Drachenfels
murdered: Etienne d'Ambreville, Gilles Grenier's wife, all the
other d'Ambrevilles (in MoA), Brannart McGregor (in AC 1016)
killed in a magical duel: Hippolito de Belcadiz, Henri
d'Ambreville
lost in an adventure expedition: Princess Carnelia's husband
killed by summoned monsters/demons/planar beings: Vlaardoen couple
(allegedly), Rowena Krollnar
died of plague: Vlaardoen couple
suicide: Vanserie Vlaardoen, Mikhail Gorevitch-Woszlany,
died in the Great Meteor crash: Malapietras & Caurenzans,
Aendyrs & Alphatians, Ezechiel Naramis, Alina Nyraviel
killed by a dragon: Anton Vlaardoen, Margaret Hillsbury
killed by vampire hunters: Laszlo Wutyla
killed by humanoids: Myra McDuff, Janette d'Ambreville
killed by Ethengarians: Jherek Virayana IV (in AC 1016)
killed by lycanthropes: Genevieve de Sephora's father
killed in battle: generally, not nobles
Should Occur More Often:
assassinations for political reason: by Unseen Hand, Innocenti di
Malapietra, Antonio di Tarento, etc.
murder as a crime of passion: possible victims include Diane de
Moriamis and/or Suzanne du Marais, Noussoir du Marais, Jherek's
wives, Julianna Vlaardoen's non-Flaemish non-noble non-wizard
suitor
murder in the family as a power struggle: Besides the
d'Ambrevilles, who have been doing this for centuries, I can only
think of Lan-Syn as a possible murder victim for her stepsons to
inherit
magical duel: possible victims, most any minor noble
died of plague, sickness, or natural disease and refused cleric's
help
killed by lycanthropes: especially tourist to Morlay-Malinbois
killed by humanoids: especially the Erewan elves
killed by adventuring
Never Mentioned But Surely Must Be Occurring:
killed by a vengeful dwarf, Ethengar cleric, Sindhi thugee or
Ylari zealot
killed in racial tensions, extremist groups, or rival Secret
Crafts
got drunk, fell out of a gondola, and drowned in a canal: very
unglamorous, but must be happening!
went skating on a frozen canal in winter, fell through the ice,
and froze: yet another unglamorous way to die!
suicide after a political scandal
suicide after a social scandal
fell into the Great Crater
death penalty for a crime
killed by a miscast spell: especially ambitious students at the
Great School
killed by a magical practical joke: students at the Great
School
killed by a curse: curse spell or a Witch's curse
Rarely Occurs:
died of old age
starvation
killed by bandits, thugs, whose only motive was to steal (They
know not to steal from wizards!)
Must Never Happen Again:
killed in a laboratory accident!!!