The Viper of Wolesport

The Viper of Wolesport is a popular story in the Free Cities. It is the tale of a skilled assassin with torn loyalties and a tortured concience, who saved the city of Wolesport by slaying its tyranical ruler.

Summary

In the tale the Viper is the eleventh son of the tyrant of Wolesport. The Viper is put through a harsh training regiment by his father, and is eventually employed as his chief assassin, and made to kill various enemies of the Tyrant. However, the Viper is a gentle and pious soul at heart. Killing brings him no pleasure, and he fears that he will be punished by Sol in the hereafter for his wicked deeds.
One day he is sent to kill a young woman who has been speaking publicly against the Tyrant. When the Viper goes to kill her he is ambushed and taken captive. The merchant, who is in fact the lost heir of the previous ruler of Wolesport, whom the Tyrant killed when he took power, speaks with the Viper. She appeals to his better nature, and begs him to help her remove the Tyrant from power.
The Viper is held captive for three nights. Each night the Princess comes to him, hoping to sway him to her cause. Each night he refuses, citing his filial duty.
On the third night, after the Princess has made her appeal, the Viper slips his chains. In the escape he has the opportunity to slay the Princess, but he is unable to strike the final blow, having fallen in love with her. Instead he takes her dagger with him and escapes.
On the next day the Tyrant holds a grand ball in the palace. The Viper sits at the end of his father's table, listening to his older brothers speak of the wars they have participated in and the cities they have sacked. As the night grows older and he gets progressivly more drunk, the Viper decides that he does not wish to live in a world where he is torn between his duty to his family and his duty to Sol and the woman he loves. As the feast ends the Viper goes to wish his father good-night. As they embrace the Viper stabs the Tyrant sixteen times with the Princess' blade. Once for each time he has been forced to kill at his father's behest.
Seeing this his older brothers all attack him, and the Viper is killed by a hundred swordstrokes. But the death of the Tyrant inspires the citizens to rebel, and the Princess is installed as the new ruler; heralding a new golden age for Wolesport.

Historical Basis

It is true that Wolesport, a city in The "Free Cities" was ruled by a rather unpopular prince called Simone de Salis. That prince was killed by his son Arrigo in 763 during a ball. However Arrigo was the prince's sixth son, and as far as anyone knows no professional assassin. Why he killed his father is disputed, although it may simply have been the result of a disagreement and an excess of wine. Arrigo was killed by his brothers and the nearby guardsmen however.
As for the Princess; with the death of Simone the city became the site of a struggle between the remaining children. In the chaos the mercenary captain Tessa of Mirval was able to take control of the city. She expelled or killed the remaining children of Simone, and established a lasting new ruling dynasty in the city. The Song of the Viper owes much of its popularity to her sponsoring the bards who told it.

Date of First Recording

765 IC (first popular song)

Date of Setting

760 - 763 IC