Rejladan Virayana
by Jennifer GuerraRejladan Virayana
Son of Prince Jherek Virayana IV of Krondahar
Dream Master of the First Circle
AC 1014
By Jennifer Guerra
"It is not a matter of misogyny that Lady Lan-Syn cannot inherit, Princess, but rather one of tradition. While we are sworn to uphold the laws of the Principalities, those laws do not supersede the laws of Krondahar, except only in matters of the national security."
(Said as Jherek's proxy in a Council committee discussing methods of inheritance in the Principalities, in rebuttal to Princess Isidore d'Ambreville's assertion that the Krondaharan succession "wastes the talents of potential female rulers in favour of their inept sons." Rejladan's reply sparked a "Principalities' Rights" debate among the Princes which lasted for months.)
Appearance
Rejladan is a handsome young man, having inherited the light colouring of his mother and the rugged good looks of his father. He has a small build, owing both to his mother's petite frame and his stunted growth due to the long years of malnutrition in captivity. His light brown, wavy hair is worn at shoulder length and is often tousled, giving him a boyish appearance. Rejladan dresses only in traditional Krondaharan robes, and has been overheard complaining of older brother Ralindi's habit of dressing like an "outsider."
History
Born at Singhabad in 993, Rejladan is the second son of Prince Jherek Virayana IV, by his third wife, Waira Virayana. Rejladan was a happy and inquisitive child, raised by his mother in the company of his half-brother Ralindi (whose mother, Aleah, had virtually abandoned him to Waira's care). The boys were extremely close, and spent every waking moment together, even in their lessons. Rejladan fought to keep up with his brother (who was three years older), and thus became something of a prodigy. As the years passed, the brothers grew slightly apart in interests, though not in spirit. Ralindi was more physically inclined than Rejladan, and began accompanying Prince Jherek on introductory hunts at an early age. Not one to be left behind, Rejladan insisted on going as well, but tended to separate himself from the hunting party to read beneath a tree.
Krondaharan law dictates that boys be tested for magical ability at the age of six. Prince Jherek tested Ralindi, but waited to send the heir to the Great School of Magic for training until Rejladan was ready, three years later. At six, Rejladan was the youngest student at the school (though in a private tutoring program for children of Krondaharan nobility). Doted upon by instructors, he became known as the "little wizard"-a child whose wide-eyed absorption of knowledge gave his elders pause, considering how formidable he might later become.
On the last day of his first year of instruction, Rejladan was pursuing his favourite activity-scouring the Library for books with interesting covers-when he came across what appeared to be a secret cubby-hole in the back of a dusty bottom shelf. He pried open the panel; within lay a thin tome, bound in cracked red leather with a strange rune stamped on the cover. The book, so old that the pages were crumbling, did not appear to have been marked with the Library's magical sigil to prevent theft. Unable to resist, Rejladan slipped the tome into his book bag, took it back to his room, and promptly forgot about it in the rush to return home for the break.
Unknown to Rejladan, the ancient book was the journal of Flaemish wizard Jaesel de Lhaen. It contained limited but precise information concerning the existence of the Radiance. Unfortunately for Rejladan, it was one of the few such manuscripts not hidden away (and magically protected) by the Brotherhood of the Radiance. So when Lady Sinaria Verlien, Countess of High Sonden, randomly scried the Virayanas for knowledge of the Radiance (an admitted last-ditch effort on her part), she saw that the prodigy, Rejladan, knew of the coveted secret power, and she made arrangements to have the boy kidnapped.
That fateful day in AC 1000, seven year-old Rejladan prepared to "accompany" his father and brother on a small hunt in the foothills. As always, once the chase got underway, he peeled away from the party and relaxed to read. In his pack were his spell primer from the Great School of Magic, an enormous volume on Krondaharan customs (absconded from
Jherek's personal library-its illustrations had caught Rejladan's eye), a sheaf of writing papers and his magical quill, and the ancient red-leather tome.
As Rejladan settled down to read, two men appeared from nowhere, grabbing him and his belongings. Fighting as hard as he could, Rejladan screamed for help, but to no avail. He was whisked away to a flat, dimly-lit pocket plane. There, a loud-voiced woman with red hair rifled through his pack, snatching the red book. She leafed quickly through it, barked something in Flaemish that sounded like a curse, and grabbed him roughly by the shoulders, demanding to know everything he had discovered about something called the "Radiance."
Terrified, Rejladan wept, protesting that he knew nothing. He cried for his father and mother, and begged to go home. Enraged, the woman slapped him across the face. Then, straightening her composure, she smiled and told him that he will not go home. In fact, he will not rest until he gives up his knowledge. She grabbed his spell primer, leaving him defenceless.
Then, waving her hand, she murmured a few words of magic under her breath. The ground shook; the air was filled with the roar of trees crashing to the ground. A gigantic monster, a foul creature nearly twenty feet tall with three arms and enormous teeth, stepped into the clearing and howled in rage. The boy screamed, and ran. Laughing, the woman waved her hand again, and vanished.
Rejladan fled the wrath of the athach for what seemed like weeks. Finally, he slept fitfully, only to be awakened by the quaking ground which foretold the monster's approach yet again. Soon, however, he learned that the monster seemed to keep regular sleep-wake schedules, which he used to count the passage of days on the small plane. He became more adept at hiding from the creature, so that there were soon no more terrifying chases, as there had been that long first day.
The red-haired woman returned twice more. The first time, she again demanded Rejladan's knowledge of the Radiance, and flew into a rage when he denied having any. The second time, she listened to his protests with a defeated countenance, then smiled and said that she believed him... but that he would never return home. She then left, for the last time.
In addition to learning to evade the athach, Rejladan learned to find food in his strange prison (The atmosphere and terrain of the place were similar to that on his own world.). He weathered periods of deep depression, during which it was a struggle to will himself to eat and drink. He found solace in the book left to him out of Sinaria's ignorance-the illustrated volume on Krondaharan customs, which included an ink sketch of his father (he traced the portrait over and over with his magical quill). In time, Rejladan also found that the thick book contained Krondaharan law codes, cultural knowledge...and a number of traditional spells. He absorbed as many as he could, as the years passed.
Time and imprisonment worked their changes on Rejladan. Banishing thoughts of his imprisonment from his head, he immersed himself in learning of his heritage, the law, and magic. Lest he go insane, he kept faith that his father would some day rescue him. His immediate goal was gaining enough knowledge to defeat the athach, who still dogged him every hellish day.
Alas, he would never attain this goal; one day, Rejladan realised that he had not heard the giant's passage in what seemed like many days. Upon investigating, he found the creature dead in its lair. Although this news was a great relief to the now-adolescent Rejladan, the realisation that he was now the only living creature on the plane (aside from small animals) nearly drove him to suicide. Slowly, determinedly, he fought his way once again back from the brink. And went on living. The years still passed, though without the athach's regular cycles, it was difficult to keep time.
One day, many years later, Rejladan awakened to the sound of voices shouting his name-one of which sounded like his father! Terrified that he was hallucinating, Rejladan crept hesitantly toward the source. There, in plain sight, stood his father, and a young man who could only be Ralindi. Choked by tears, and holding back a wild cry of elation, he stepped out of hiding. Jherek and Ralindi stared at the naked and emaciated eighteen year-old; the prince rushed forward just in time to catch his fainting son.
The next months flew by in a rush as Rejladan slowly recovered. Overwhelmed by the changes in himself and his family, he battled melancholia off and on. He also suffered horrible nightmares which only abated when Jherek taught him to control them, by initiating him into the Secret Craft of Dream Magic. When left alone for any extended period of time, Rejladan panicked; thus, he attached himself to his father's retinue, impressing the Prince with his mastery of Krondaharan custom. Satisfied with his level of magical learning (and unable to disassociate spellcasting from imprisonment), he instead focused on a greater understanding of legal matters.
At twenty-one, Rejladan is now a well-respected authority on Krondaharan law, as well as Prince Jherek's proxy to the Council of Princes and the Parliament. He no longer researches new magic, though he is not hesitant to use the spells he already knows. Rejladan is quickly gaining a reputation in the rest of Glantri as a radical Krondaharan patriot, due mainly to his passionate belief in maintaining the cultural autonomy of his homeland. This (and his rakish good looks) has made him something of celebrity in Krondahar.
Personality
Rejladan was deeply scarred by his captivity. He is old beyond his years, and often stuns members of Parliament and the Council of Princes with his masterful grasp of Krondaharan law and custom. However, despite this apparent introversion, Rejladan has an almost desperate need to never be alone; this compulsion has driven him into the arms of countless women, who have been easily charmed by the young man's good looks and soft smile. (Prince Jherek has had to pay out numerous dowries for Krondaharan ladies "ruined" by his son, but will not chastise him.)
Rejladan is also a regular at high-class Braastar gambling establishments, where he often appears in the company of two or three young nobles. These are not friends, though; Rejladan has no true friends, aside from Ralindi. However, his need for companionship leads him to encourage these hangers-on. Acquaintances often fail to see that behind the charming manners and dashing appearance, and above the ever-present half smile, Rejladan's hazel eyes are cold and stern.
Web of Intrigue
Watchers of the Virayanas have noted that for all his socialising and womanising, Rejladan is rarely found in the company of non-Ethengar. Unfortunately, his long captivity resulted in a near-fanatical allegiance to Krondahar and an apathy toward all other ethnic groups, except Flaems, for whom Rejladan has a pathological hatred (He has already duelled, and killed, two young Flaemish nobles for minor offences). Rejladan believes that Krondahar is being ill-used by the Glantrian system, and he constantly pushes for legal ways of giving Krondahar more power and autonomy.
Rejladan is close to only three people: his father, his mother and his brother. Prince Jherek is at once proud of his son's accomplishments (and by the fact that he survived his long imprisonment) and heartsick at the change in the boy's personality. Waira lavishes attention upon her only son, believing that he has not yet let go of his pain and rage, and that her love can heal him; Rejladan resents being treated "like a child," and has withdrawn from her somewhat. Only Ralindi has not changed in his behaviour toward Rejladan; he still accords him the same attention, friendship, support, and brotherly love he always did. While Rejladan vehemently disagrees with many of Ralindi's policies and beliefs (particularly his open cooperation with other Glantrian principalities), he will fully support his brother's succession, should Prince Jherek die.
Statistics & Style of Magic
8th-level wizard, Dream Master of the 1st Circle.
Str 10 Dex 12 Con 11 Int 17 Wis 16 Cha 16; AL L (D&D), LN (AD&D).
Languages: Ethengarian (Krondaharan), Thyatian (Glantrian dialect)
Weapon Proficiencies: none.
Skills: reading/writing, spellcraft, local history (Krondahar), law, survival, etiquette, gaming.
Rejladan does not use weapons in combat, but only spells, and is quite effective in it. As Rejladan learned his spells from a book of traditional Krondaharan lore during his imprisonment, some of his spells have different names than in their common usage in Glantri. These spells are listed as follows:
|
Gaze of the Khan |
Hypnotism |
|
Spirit girding |
Phantom armour |
|
Subutai's shattering shriek |
Tasso's shriek |
|
Reap the gaze |
Blindness |
|
Shrinking vision |
Tunnel vision |
|
Karajhin's paralysing punishment |
Paralysation |
|
Unknown countenance |
Disguise |
|
Banish falsehood |
Dispel illusion |
|
Hunter of the shadows |
Phantasmal killer |
Besides these spells, Rejladan also knows many of the basic illusions spells, such as phantasmal force, improved phantasmal force, illusionary script, and others.
Rejladan has a ring of teleportation, as well as two unique items that bear his name: Rejladan's spectacles of true meaning, and Rejladan's quill of ever-inking.
"A rebellious wolf, cloaking himself in the sheep's clothing of the law. We can but thank Rad that he shall not inherit his father's princely charge."
(Prinz Jaggar von Drachenfels)