Isidor’s Cursed Ring
The unsolved mystery of the Emperor's missing ring.
Lost to the world since the Second Age, only echoes and whispers gossip about the many theories surrounding the legend of Isidor’s Cursed Ring.
There are five known truthspeaker's rings known to exist in Melior, almost all of them belonging to long standing rulers and great leaders. As the name implies, a truthspeaker's ring enables the wearer to only speak the truth and as such is usually only displayed by those in power in times of great need to imbue trust in their courts.
One of these enchanted golden rings in particular was passed down through the generations in the Severin Dynasty of The Jolundrian Empire, until it came to rest upon the fat middle finger of Emperor Isidor Severin upon his coronation day on the 4th of Feldturn 437 2A.
Isidor was a powerful yet careless man who let his emotions rule over his realm. He never learnt to control his manners or dance around sensitive topics of conversation; the truthspeaker’s ring forced him to openly voice his opinions at all times, causing him to offend every political advisor, negotiator and noble within earshot of him.
Jolundrian Empire by TJ Trewin
I will earn the trust of my people by wearing the truthspeaker's ring at all times! Let everyone know my words to be true!
Silencing The Truth
As his popularity fell, the tensions that grew in the Emperor’s court finally shattered when Emperor Severin spurted racist insults at members of the Xendrian Council. Two nights following this deeply insensitive remark, Emperor Severin was assassinated by an unknown assailant; the murder was never solved as there were too many suspects that the late Emperor had personally offended. When his body was discovered, the truthspeaker’s ring was missing, and has been lost to the world ever since. The world knows that the ring was his downfall and so it came to be known as Isidor’s Cursed Ring; it has become a popular tale of speculation for many years.Conspiracy Theories
There are three key theories that surround the mystery of the Emperor's missing ring. Each has their own merits, and bringing it up in tavern conversation can bring about some heated discussions on the topic.
1 The first story suggests that it was a retaliation from the Xendrian Council after being so unfairly treated. Many folks say that they used this as an excuse to break away from The Empire and not get themselves involved in the war against The Melopian Commonwealth.
2 The second theory is that actually it was stolen by an undercover spy from The Commonwealth so that they could sow discord in The Empire by framing the Xendrian Council.
3 The final story suggests is that the ring was surreptitiously removed from the late Emperor’s finger by the royal protector (who clearly failed at their job) and fled Jolundria without a trace.
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Cool idea! I do have a question though. From the initial text ("only displayed in times of great need.") I got the feeling that the ring would only be worn when necessary. However, it seems that Isidor was wearing the ring constantly. Is it that the rulers always wore the ring, but did not showcase it? Or did Isidor wear the ring more often than others for a particular reason?
TJ Trewin
Oooh thanks for the comment! I've updated the article to reflect this better :D
Gauntlet - my shiniest article this year!