Irvad, the Terrible - 154th King of Kings
Of the Benicent Dynasty [Sigil: A Golden Crown, Surrounded by Ten Golden Stars, upon a Blue Field]
[91 NA – 120 NA] It was said that after Remos’ troubles and Zenedras’ madness, the Benicent dynasty had shown itself to be indestructible. This claim would face its greatest test in Irvad the Terrible. Upon his coronation, Irvad was already wed to Lady Elmwith of Embelmadro, with four famed children: Bennis the Brave (a celebrated tourney champion), Vias the Valiant (a great warrior and hosterman), Benegon the Brilliant (a prodigious mind and a staple of Irvad’s Six from a young age), and their young daughter, Pious Perditia. Queen Elmwith died birthing Perditia, and it was often said that her kind and loving spirit went into the child. Bennis, called the Brave, had a sword in hand from age five and a lance from age eight. He entered a tourney at nine, against the insistence of his steward and his master at arms, and unhorsed two renowned cavaliers. He was knocked eight feet off his horse in the penultimate tilt and broke his shoulder, but his wide smile upon standing won the commons’ hearts. He would win his second tourney three years later, and would feature as a frequent victor. Bennis served as an ambassador to Zalja on several occasions, where his easy smiles and gallant demeanor served him well; he even brought about a resurgence in jousting in Zalja’s capitol, where they had long been out of favor. Bennis was the first to admit he was not a thinker, but he was a good enough judge of character and humble when it came to heeding counsel; except when it came to his own safety. Vias, called the Valiant, was less ebullient than his brother, but still a warm and courteous soul. He too took up sword at five, and famously disarmed a man who was chastising his wife with the flat of his blade. The man was so red-faced he took his sword back up and looked about to strike the Prince when his guards seized the man. “I’ll not be unmanned by a boy!” he howled, to which Vias famously replied “You unmanned yourself before I struck you.” Vias was a frequent champion of women and the defenseless, and was outmatching his instructors by ten. He sat a good horse, but never once entered a tourney. After wedding a lady of Albanesca, he would frequently spend a year at a time in the north, ensuring its stability, and forming a friendship with his cousin Orramir as well. Benegon the Brilliant was a healthy baby, but small, quiet, and wont to cast suspicious eyes at folk. He became a speller, though he did not vaunt of it, and his fascination with the study of magic had many fearing another Zenedras (who had himself been a third son). Irvad warned Benegon of the people’s fears, and the boy endeavored to keep his studies and interests as secret as possible. Despite this, he proved a brilliant tactician and was correcting his tutors in arithmetic and challenging historians well before manhood. So sharp was Benegon’s mind that Irvad set him among his Six at age nine (Irvad’s mother Elat was removed upon his coronation, and Irvad famously had no women amongst his Six). Prince Errion of the Shadowveil was heard to jape “The King’s Six is meant for six men, not boys of six years.” Benegon’s counsel earned much mockery from the rest of the Six and especially the Gilded Table, at first, but as time went on he often managed to win over even the most recalcitrant men to his views. Pious Perditia was a bright, beautiful, dutiful, kind, and courageous girl. In her youth, she was an enthusiastic student of any enterprise that came to her, and her brothers helped her pursue these interests. She learned horsemanship from Bennis, swordplay from Vias, and spelling from Benegon. She proved devoutly interested in the Hosts from an early age, and spent much of her time studying their names, natures, origins, and stories. The three brothers adored and doted upon her, and this would prove to be her undoing, and indeed the beginnings of Irvad’s fall. The commonwealth and especially the Mortal Kings still remembered the scandal of Geremo and Qahira, Irvad’s brother and sister, and rumors flew wide and varied about the three brothers who allegedly showed “unnatural” levels of affection for their young sister. Perditia was only seven when these rumors began, which served to exacerbate the intensity and outrage of the rumors. Irvad first hoped to stem the issue by sending Perditia to the Holy Isle where she might pursue her passions isolated from her brothers. She wept and pleaded against this, and even her brothers defied him in court, only lending more credence to the rumors. Irvad remained firm, but it was the Prince of the Hosts who refused, calling the little girl a temptress and refusing to welcome her at Acciano. Irvad had spent some time at Acciano with his cousin Orramir rooting out elements of the Old Faith, and no love was lost between him and the Prince of Hosts. Irvad next sought to send Perditia to Khabar as a companion to some serif's daughter there, but again there were loud objections. Further, there were no nearby serifs with daughters of similar age. Irvad had similar ill luck in Zalja: he would have had to send Perditia all the way to the other side of the country, and even the King felt that was too far for his only daughter. He did not trust Vaina, and none of the great families in Monos would take her, so poisoned was her reputation by the Prince of Hosts (and several of the Mortal Kings). Talk became so pervasive that Irvad himself began to suspect his sons. He had grown so dependent on them, however, that he would not excuse them from their duties. He instead chose to seal Perditia in her apartments, attended only by hostesses, not to be seen by any man or boy. By the time she had turned ten, she was called Perditia the Prisoner. Overnight, public opinion turned against Irvad. Rather than release his daughter, he grew furious with his own people. When Prince Bennis begged for Perditia’s release, the King sent him to far west Zalja, demanding that he find a place for Perditia after all. When Vias spoke for her, he was told not to return from his next trip to Albanesca. Benegon dared to speak for his sister on many occasions, though only in private, knowing his father had grown too dependent on his counsel and his power over the Table to send him away. In time many seemed to forget Perditia existed, but still Irvad would not release her for fear of looking weak. At age fourteen, Perditia was betrothed to a minor family in Terminallia, but was still kept in her prison. Upon hearing of this, Prince Bennis returned from Zalja to voice his objection to the low match and to again insist upon her release. The King would not hear him, until Bennis demanded the right to fight for her freedom. Irvad refused, but Bennis brought his concerns to the public, and the commonwealth that had most virulently spoken against Perditia and her brothers a few years back now cheered his valor. Bennis was a great jouster, but an indifferent sword. Irvad charged the head of his personal guard, Niro Calvion, to answer Bennis’ challenge; to disarm and shame him, though not harm him (too much). Bennis was clearly outmatched, but would not surrender. A mishap occurred in their fourth face, and Calvion accidentally slew the Crown Prince of Monos. Irvad had no choice but to execute Calvion, making him triply hated by the people. When Prince Vias returned from Albanesca to demand justice, the King confined him to the dungeons. Benegon earned a reputation as a snake for refusing to stand up to his father, but knew where his own strengths laid. He conspired with the Prince of Geumsil and orchestrated a secret betrothal, even convincing the Prince of Hosts to dissolve the prior betrothal, also in secret, then had Perditia spirited away to Geumsil. Benegon kept his own role in this secret to preserve himself, and so became as hated as Irvad. By the time the King learned of her location, Benegon had convinced him to let her lie: it was a better match, and the matter of the rumors was settled. The Near North, around Coredillo and Geumsil, became very unsettled. Bands of commoners rose up, called Bennismen, demanding that Vias be released. Many went so far as to suggest Vias take the crown, and there were even a few champions for Irvad’s cousin Orramir, who sat amongst his Six. Even members of the nobility joined the mob, calling themselves Knights of Bennis. Many of these bands roamed the countryside, harassing those they accused of supporting the king, quickly devolving into bandits. Others formed into giant, disordered armies and began marching on Vargano. Irvad feared to call his banners: he might seem weak responding so strongly to “an unwashed mass, armed chiefly with hoes and hatchets.” Further, there was the dread that he might call and none would answer, leaving his rule all but finished. He stiffened the guard by offering prisoners freedom in exchange for service. Such criminals became known as Chain Men, and Irvad’s favor diminished further. He sent into Khabar to solicit aid from the paladins. Two responded, with less than three-hundred adherents, yet Vargano’s defenses were so meager that this was a significant improvement. The Bennismen were many, but they were poorly armed, undisciplined, and outside the city walls. At first, the King let them sit outside the walls chanting and screaming, but support grew within Vargano, and Irvad knew he must do something. The paladins and their adherents were set outside to disperse the crowd, meeting with some mild success. Some of the Bennismen were slain, but many more retreated into the Farwood, and some even crossed the border into Zalja. They soon returned. The paladins scattered them several times, never killing more than a few dozen, and the people grew more incensed. After the tenth scattering, the paladins and their adherents unceremoniously returned to Khabar. Irvad would send similar requests to Zalja, but received no answer. Matters soon declined further. The King of Geumsil had died, making Prince Niro the new king, and Pious Perditia the queen. Niro called his own forces and marched on Vargano to demand Vias’ release, and justice for Bennis. Feeling out of options, and against Benegon’s counsel, Irvad sent to Eysland for mercenaries. Two-thousand Eyschers arrived by ships a few days after King Niro had invested the town, unable to block the bay. Arrows and stones alike fell on the ships, and a few catapults struck home, sinking one, but all the mercenaries arrived safely. The Eyscher commander, Durek Pim, counseled the King to open the southern gates. The southern approach to Vargano was narrow, being blocked on one side by the bay and on the other by the river, making it hard to invest. Pim assured the King his Eyschers would make quick work of an army of rabble. Against Benegon’s counsel, Irvad agreed, adding another three thousand foot and five-hundred cavaliers under Pim’s command. As ever, the Eyscher’s unparalleled viciousness gave them a great edge: Pim placed the King’s soldiers at the front, while his mercenaries rained arrows on friend and foe alike. Thousands of Bennismen fell, and most of King Niro’s army was wiped out. It was said the Eyschers, “poisoned the bay with Monosi dead.” Many in the city itself rose up at this, declaring for Bennis, and the coldly efficient Eyschers put them down as well. Irvad lost most of his guard and half his cavaliers, while less than two-hundred Eyschers fell. Niro had escaped and fled back to Geumsil with his personal guard. Irvad was trapped in a city that hated him, virtually defenseless, sharing the space with over eighteen-hundred mercenaries with particularly evil reputations. Fearing they might sack the city, he offered them fortunes to stay as city guards, paying from Vias’ inheritance. The Eyschers were cruel, corrupt, and ruthlessly efficient. The city was in terror, but there were no further revolts at the time. The King was already being called Irvad the Terrible at this point. The Gilded Table was now functioning as hostages, all confined to their apartments and under Eyscher guard. Things grew even worse when Vias was slain by Eyschers whilst trying to escape his dungeon. The mercenaries tortured his guards to learn who had aided in his attempt, but they all died before confessing anything. Some speculate that Benegon had attempted to rescue his brother as he once had Perditia, but if so he once again kept his efforts under wraps. Irvad liquidated all of Vias’ inheritance to bring in more Eyschers, raising their numbers to four-thousand. He used his hostages to further demand a hundred soldiers from each of the Mortal Kings; wisely keeping their numbers small enough to be easily outmatched by his mercenaries. Money was running out, however, and Irvad was worried what might happen when he could no longer pay his mercenaries. With all other loyalties uncertain, he elected to pay them in land. The northern provinces were seeing huge influxes of Vainan immigrants, fleeing from their homeland as Eysch influence continued to take over there. Irvad chose to counter this by attainting the kings of Albanesca, the Viper’s Nest, and Embelmadro, along with several of their lords, and offering these lands to Durek Pim’s highest officers. To Pim himself, he offered Gemosia, King Niro’s seat. Pim responded by hiring four-thousand more men, leaving one-thousand in Vargano, and marching the rest northeast to seize their seats. More Bennismen and Knights of Bennis arose, and battle after battle was fought against the Eyschers. Seven great battles occurred in northern Westheart around Coredillo, and it was said the Western Hills were washed red. Indeed, the Eyschmen were so frustrated trying to cross Westheart into Gemosia, that when at last the Bennismen thinned out, they instead marched to Coredillo and assaulted it, seizing the city. The kings of Albanesca, the Hilldren, the Shadowveil, and Gemosia (with Perditia this time) all rose up to lay siege to Coredillo. Durek Pim was vicious, cunning, and brutal beyond compare, but his few thousand men could not stand against four armies. The Eyschers were slaughtered to a man, Pim’s head officers were drawn and quartered, and Pim himself was hanged to near death several times before being burned alive. The four kings installed a second cousin of the dead king on the throne, then marched on Vargano. After surrounding the city, the four armies demanded that Irvad submit himself to a trial by the Prince of Hosts. The charges leveled against him included kin-killing, soliciting invasion, and even promoting incest between his sons and daughter. Irvad was so furious he meant to challenge King Niro to single combat, but Benegon persuaded him to give himself up on the condition that Benegon be allowed to speak on his behalf during the trial. King Irvad was taken into custody by a company of hostermen and removed to the Holy Isle, where he was set in a dungeon. Benegon left with him, leaving Vargano in the hands of Pious Perditia and her husband, King Niro. Mountains of evidence were leveled against the King, and the entire nation was anxiously awaiting his execution. Incredibly, Benegon’s argumentation would prevail. He convinced the Prince of Hosts to consider all the charges jointly, rather than singly, then managed to prove that Prince Bennis had indeed died by accident, and that his killer Niro Calvion had been justly punished for his deed. Having disproved this point, the Prince of Hosts had no choice but to dismiss all other charges. Irvad was returned to the capitol with an escort of one thousand hostermen to protect him. He returned to find the Gilded Table emptied and Perditia’s army in attendance. At first, she and her king refused to let Irvad take the throne. The hostermen prevailed, however, and the Gemosian forces all returned home. Incredibly weak and more desperate than ever, Irvad began to spread the rumor that Perditia (an adult by now) had in truth been a temptress all along, and that her wiles had manipulated Bennis and Vias to betray their nation. Always ready to think ill of a powerful woman, the people of Monos took to this new story readily. Perditia’s sway diminished, and more opportunistic lords and kings began to seek Irvad’s favor. He and Prince Benegon reestablished the Gilded Table over the course of four slow, considered years, securing pages, gentlewomen, and other hostages from the ten kings in that same time. Benegon also ran a successful campaign to depict the King as pious. His success at the trial, and Perditia’s now fallen reputation, helped to support this new image. The Spring of 108 NA would begin the decade known as Irvad’s Wrath. After four years of relative peace, Irvad initiated the Third Terror, a widespread inquisition against the Old Faith. The Old Faith was not especially powerful at this time, but the Terror stirred up fervor against it, which Irvad used to destabilize and wipe out his enemies. Anyone who stood against him was accused of heresy, imprisoned, attainted, or executed. He even had Benegon arrested, no longer trusting anyone, though as usual Benegon managed to argue himself out of imprisonment. It was during this time that Irvad took a new wife, Dowager Queen Lumennia of Terminallia, and set about siring new heirs. Lumennia had two sons already with the now dead king of Terminallia, but was in her early thirties and proved still fertile. They would produce two sons and a daughter. Upon the daughter’s birth, Irvad was reported to have mused aloud on throwing her in the bay, to prevent the conflicts that had emerged from his treatment of Perditia. The sons, Tyrannis and Vittorio, were able warriors and apt to please their father. The daughter Isabel was, likewise, pious and obedient. Irvad often referred to these three as the children he had always wanted. Meanwhile, his reign of terror continued. By the time Benegon got himself out of custody, several of the Mortal Kingdoms had had their kings attainted or even their entire ruling families rooted out and replaced. Chaos was reigning in every region. Benegon had been disinherited and disowned, and found himself in a poor position to effect change. The Prince assembled a company of hostermen to escort him to Vargano, where he spent two years subtly gaining support. In 116 NA, he presented himself to the King and requested to be readmitted into his grace. Irvad refused several times, but eventually agreed to hear his son. As ever, Benegon’s rhetoric prevailed, and he was accepted back into the family and renamed the heir. This went poorly with the populace. Queen Lumennia was popular with the people, and many hoped her children would represent a change. More still supported Perditia’s claim. Virtually no one supported Benegon. Even so, his counsel eventually compelled Irvad to end the Third Terror in the late Winter of 117 NA. Of the countless atrocities committed in that time, both by the King and many of his supporters, there is not ink nor tears enough to describe. The final years of Irvad’s reign were spent turning regions against Gemosia (and Perditia) and attempting to coopt the new Queen’s popularity. Though hatred of Benegon settled a little, Irvad would be known as the Terrible until his last days. The King died in the Spring of 120 NA, in his bed, apparently of natural causes. The Queen and he rarely shared a bed in these days, though she was indeed with him this night, and reported his death tearfully to his morning attendants. Returning to tradition, Benegon traveled to Acciano to be crowned.
[91 NA – 120 NA] It was said that after Remos’ troubles and Zenedras’ madness, the Benicent dynasty had shown itself to be indestructible. This claim would face its greatest test in Irvad the Terrible. Upon his coronation, Irvad was already wed to Lady Elmwith of Embelmadro, with four famed children: Bennis the Brave (a celebrated tourney champion), Vias the Valiant (a great warrior and hosterman), Benegon the Brilliant (a prodigious mind and a staple of Irvad’s Six from a young age), and their young daughter, Pious Perditia. Queen Elmwith died birthing Perditia, and it was often said that her kind and loving spirit went into the child. Bennis, called the Brave, had a sword in hand from age five and a lance from age eight. He entered a tourney at nine, against the insistence of his steward and his master at arms, and unhorsed two renowned cavaliers. He was knocked eight feet off his horse in the penultimate tilt and broke his shoulder, but his wide smile upon standing won the commons’ hearts. He would win his second tourney three years later, and would feature as a frequent victor. Bennis served as an ambassador to Zalja on several occasions, where his easy smiles and gallant demeanor served him well; he even brought about a resurgence in jousting in Zalja’s capitol, where they had long been out of favor. Bennis was the first to admit he was not a thinker, but he was a good enough judge of character and humble when it came to heeding counsel; except when it came to his own safety. Vias, called the Valiant, was less ebullient than his brother, but still a warm and courteous soul. He too took up sword at five, and famously disarmed a man who was chastising his wife with the flat of his blade. The man was so red-faced he took his sword back up and looked about to strike the Prince when his guards seized the man. “I’ll not be unmanned by a boy!” he howled, to which Vias famously replied “You unmanned yourself before I struck you.” Vias was a frequent champion of women and the defenseless, and was outmatching his instructors by ten. He sat a good horse, but never once entered a tourney. After wedding a lady of Albanesca, he would frequently spend a year at a time in the north, ensuring its stability, and forming a friendship with his cousin Orramir as well. Benegon the Brilliant was a healthy baby, but small, quiet, and wont to cast suspicious eyes at folk. He became a speller, though he did not vaunt of it, and his fascination with the study of magic had many fearing another Zenedras (who had himself been a third son). Irvad warned Benegon of the people’s fears, and the boy endeavored to keep his studies and interests as secret as possible. Despite this, he proved a brilliant tactician and was correcting his tutors in arithmetic and challenging historians well before manhood. So sharp was Benegon’s mind that Irvad set him among his Six at age nine (Irvad’s mother Elat was removed upon his coronation, and Irvad famously had no women amongst his Six). Prince Errion of the Shadowveil was heard to jape “The King’s Six is meant for six men, not boys of six years.” Benegon’s counsel earned much mockery from the rest of the Six and especially the Gilded Table, at first, but as time went on he often managed to win over even the most recalcitrant men to his views. Pious Perditia was a bright, beautiful, dutiful, kind, and courageous girl. In her youth, she was an enthusiastic student of any enterprise that came to her, and her brothers helped her pursue these interests. She learned horsemanship from Bennis, swordplay from Vias, and spelling from Benegon. She proved devoutly interested in the Hosts from an early age, and spent much of her time studying their names, natures, origins, and stories. The three brothers adored and doted upon her, and this would prove to be her undoing, and indeed the beginnings of Irvad’s fall. The commonwealth and especially the Mortal Kings still remembered the scandal of Geremo and Qahira, Irvad’s brother and sister, and rumors flew wide and varied about the three brothers who allegedly showed “unnatural” levels of affection for their young sister. Perditia was only seven when these rumors began, which served to exacerbate the intensity and outrage of the rumors. Irvad first hoped to stem the issue by sending Perditia to the Holy Isle where she might pursue her passions isolated from her brothers. She wept and pleaded against this, and even her brothers defied him in court, only lending more credence to the rumors. Irvad remained firm, but it was the Prince of the Hosts who refused, calling the little girl a temptress and refusing to welcome her at Acciano. Irvad had spent some time at Acciano with his cousin Orramir rooting out elements of the Old Faith, and no love was lost between him and the Prince of Hosts. Irvad next sought to send Perditia to Khabar as a companion to some serif's daughter there, but again there were loud objections. Further, there were no nearby serifs with daughters of similar age. Irvad had similar ill luck in Zalja: he would have had to send Perditia all the way to the other side of the country, and even the King felt that was too far for his only daughter. He did not trust Vaina, and none of the great families in Monos would take her, so poisoned was her reputation by the Prince of Hosts (and several of the Mortal Kings). Talk became so pervasive that Irvad himself began to suspect his sons. He had grown so dependent on them, however, that he would not excuse them from their duties. He instead chose to seal Perditia in her apartments, attended only by hostesses, not to be seen by any man or boy. By the time she had turned ten, she was called Perditia the Prisoner. Overnight, public opinion turned against Irvad. Rather than release his daughter, he grew furious with his own people. When Prince Bennis begged for Perditia’s release, the King sent him to far west Zalja, demanding that he find a place for Perditia after all. When Vias spoke for her, he was told not to return from his next trip to Albanesca. Benegon dared to speak for his sister on many occasions, though only in private, knowing his father had grown too dependent on his counsel and his power over the Table to send him away. In time many seemed to forget Perditia existed, but still Irvad would not release her for fear of looking weak. At age fourteen, Perditia was betrothed to a minor family in Terminallia, but was still kept in her prison. Upon hearing of this, Prince Bennis returned from Zalja to voice his objection to the low match and to again insist upon her release. The King would not hear him, until Bennis demanded the right to fight for her freedom. Irvad refused, but Bennis brought his concerns to the public, and the commonwealth that had most virulently spoken against Perditia and her brothers a few years back now cheered his valor. Bennis was a great jouster, but an indifferent sword. Irvad charged the head of his personal guard, Niro Calvion, to answer Bennis’ challenge; to disarm and shame him, though not harm him (too much). Bennis was clearly outmatched, but would not surrender. A mishap occurred in their fourth face, and Calvion accidentally slew the Crown Prince of Monos. Irvad had no choice but to execute Calvion, making him triply hated by the people. When Prince Vias returned from Albanesca to demand justice, the King confined him to the dungeons. Benegon earned a reputation as a snake for refusing to stand up to his father, but knew where his own strengths laid. He conspired with the Prince of Geumsil and orchestrated a secret betrothal, even convincing the Prince of Hosts to dissolve the prior betrothal, also in secret, then had Perditia spirited away to Geumsil. Benegon kept his own role in this secret to preserve himself, and so became as hated as Irvad. By the time the King learned of her location, Benegon had convinced him to let her lie: it was a better match, and the matter of the rumors was settled. The Near North, around Coredillo and Geumsil, became very unsettled. Bands of commoners rose up, called Bennismen, demanding that Vias be released. Many went so far as to suggest Vias take the crown, and there were even a few champions for Irvad’s cousin Orramir, who sat amongst his Six. Even members of the nobility joined the mob, calling themselves Knights of Bennis. Many of these bands roamed the countryside, harassing those they accused of supporting the king, quickly devolving into bandits. Others formed into giant, disordered armies and began marching on Vargano. Irvad feared to call his banners: he might seem weak responding so strongly to “an unwashed mass, armed chiefly with hoes and hatchets.” Further, there was the dread that he might call and none would answer, leaving his rule all but finished. He stiffened the guard by offering prisoners freedom in exchange for service. Such criminals became known as Chain Men, and Irvad’s favor diminished further. He sent into Khabar to solicit aid from the paladins. Two responded, with less than three-hundred adherents, yet Vargano’s defenses were so meager that this was a significant improvement. The Bennismen were many, but they were poorly armed, undisciplined, and outside the city walls. At first, the King let them sit outside the walls chanting and screaming, but support grew within Vargano, and Irvad knew he must do something. The paladins and their adherents were set outside to disperse the crowd, meeting with some mild success. Some of the Bennismen were slain, but many more retreated into the Farwood, and some even crossed the border into Zalja. They soon returned. The paladins scattered them several times, never killing more than a few dozen, and the people grew more incensed. After the tenth scattering, the paladins and their adherents unceremoniously returned to Khabar. Irvad would send similar requests to Zalja, but received no answer. Matters soon declined further. The King of Geumsil had died, making Prince Niro the new king, and Pious Perditia the queen. Niro called his own forces and marched on Vargano to demand Vias’ release, and justice for Bennis. Feeling out of options, and against Benegon’s counsel, Irvad sent to Eysland for mercenaries. Two-thousand Eyschers arrived by ships a few days after King Niro had invested the town, unable to block the bay. Arrows and stones alike fell on the ships, and a few catapults struck home, sinking one, but all the mercenaries arrived safely. The Eyscher commander, Durek Pim, counseled the King to open the southern gates. The southern approach to Vargano was narrow, being blocked on one side by the bay and on the other by the river, making it hard to invest. Pim assured the King his Eyschers would make quick work of an army of rabble. Against Benegon’s counsel, Irvad agreed, adding another three thousand foot and five-hundred cavaliers under Pim’s command. As ever, the Eyscher’s unparalleled viciousness gave them a great edge: Pim placed the King’s soldiers at the front, while his mercenaries rained arrows on friend and foe alike. Thousands of Bennismen fell, and most of King Niro’s army was wiped out. It was said the Eyschers, “poisoned the bay with Monosi dead.” Many in the city itself rose up at this, declaring for Bennis, and the coldly efficient Eyschers put them down as well. Irvad lost most of his guard and half his cavaliers, while less than two-hundred Eyschers fell. Niro had escaped and fled back to Geumsil with his personal guard. Irvad was trapped in a city that hated him, virtually defenseless, sharing the space with over eighteen-hundred mercenaries with particularly evil reputations. Fearing they might sack the city, he offered them fortunes to stay as city guards, paying from Vias’ inheritance. The Eyschers were cruel, corrupt, and ruthlessly efficient. The city was in terror, but there were no further revolts at the time. The King was already being called Irvad the Terrible at this point. The Gilded Table was now functioning as hostages, all confined to their apartments and under Eyscher guard. Things grew even worse when Vias was slain by Eyschers whilst trying to escape his dungeon. The mercenaries tortured his guards to learn who had aided in his attempt, but they all died before confessing anything. Some speculate that Benegon had attempted to rescue his brother as he once had Perditia, but if so he once again kept his efforts under wraps. Irvad liquidated all of Vias’ inheritance to bring in more Eyschers, raising their numbers to four-thousand. He used his hostages to further demand a hundred soldiers from each of the Mortal Kings; wisely keeping their numbers small enough to be easily outmatched by his mercenaries. Money was running out, however, and Irvad was worried what might happen when he could no longer pay his mercenaries. With all other loyalties uncertain, he elected to pay them in land. The northern provinces were seeing huge influxes of Vainan immigrants, fleeing from their homeland as Eysch influence continued to take over there. Irvad chose to counter this by attainting the kings of Albanesca, the Viper’s Nest, and Embelmadro, along with several of their lords, and offering these lands to Durek Pim’s highest officers. To Pim himself, he offered Gemosia, King Niro’s seat. Pim responded by hiring four-thousand more men, leaving one-thousand in Vargano, and marching the rest northeast to seize their seats. More Bennismen and Knights of Bennis arose, and battle after battle was fought against the Eyschers. Seven great battles occurred in northern Westheart around Coredillo, and it was said the Western Hills were washed red. Indeed, the Eyschmen were so frustrated trying to cross Westheart into Gemosia, that when at last the Bennismen thinned out, they instead marched to Coredillo and assaulted it, seizing the city. The kings of Albanesca, the Hilldren, the Shadowveil, and Gemosia (with Perditia this time) all rose up to lay siege to Coredillo. Durek Pim was vicious, cunning, and brutal beyond compare, but his few thousand men could not stand against four armies. The Eyschers were slaughtered to a man, Pim’s head officers were drawn and quartered, and Pim himself was hanged to near death several times before being burned alive. The four kings installed a second cousin of the dead king on the throne, then marched on Vargano. After surrounding the city, the four armies demanded that Irvad submit himself to a trial by the Prince of Hosts. The charges leveled against him included kin-killing, soliciting invasion, and even promoting incest between his sons and daughter. Irvad was so furious he meant to challenge King Niro to single combat, but Benegon persuaded him to give himself up on the condition that Benegon be allowed to speak on his behalf during the trial. King Irvad was taken into custody by a company of hostermen and removed to the Holy Isle, where he was set in a dungeon. Benegon left with him, leaving Vargano in the hands of Pious Perditia and her husband, King Niro. Mountains of evidence were leveled against the King, and the entire nation was anxiously awaiting his execution. Incredibly, Benegon’s argumentation would prevail. He convinced the Prince of Hosts to consider all the charges jointly, rather than singly, then managed to prove that Prince Bennis had indeed died by accident, and that his killer Niro Calvion had been justly punished for his deed. Having disproved this point, the Prince of Hosts had no choice but to dismiss all other charges. Irvad was returned to the capitol with an escort of one thousand hostermen to protect him. He returned to find the Gilded Table emptied and Perditia’s army in attendance. At first, she and her king refused to let Irvad take the throne. The hostermen prevailed, however, and the Gemosian forces all returned home. Incredibly weak and more desperate than ever, Irvad began to spread the rumor that Perditia (an adult by now) had in truth been a temptress all along, and that her wiles had manipulated Bennis and Vias to betray their nation. Always ready to think ill of a powerful woman, the people of Monos took to this new story readily. Perditia’s sway diminished, and more opportunistic lords and kings began to seek Irvad’s favor. He and Prince Benegon reestablished the Gilded Table over the course of four slow, considered years, securing pages, gentlewomen, and other hostages from the ten kings in that same time. Benegon also ran a successful campaign to depict the King as pious. His success at the trial, and Perditia’s now fallen reputation, helped to support this new image. The Spring of 108 NA would begin the decade known as Irvad’s Wrath. After four years of relative peace, Irvad initiated the Third Terror, a widespread inquisition against the Old Faith. The Old Faith was not especially powerful at this time, but the Terror stirred up fervor against it, which Irvad used to destabilize and wipe out his enemies. Anyone who stood against him was accused of heresy, imprisoned, attainted, or executed. He even had Benegon arrested, no longer trusting anyone, though as usual Benegon managed to argue himself out of imprisonment. It was during this time that Irvad took a new wife, Dowager Queen Lumennia of Terminallia, and set about siring new heirs. Lumennia had two sons already with the now dead king of Terminallia, but was in her early thirties and proved still fertile. They would produce two sons and a daughter. Upon the daughter’s birth, Irvad was reported to have mused aloud on throwing her in the bay, to prevent the conflicts that had emerged from his treatment of Perditia. The sons, Tyrannis and Vittorio, were able warriors and apt to please their father. The daughter Isabel was, likewise, pious and obedient. Irvad often referred to these three as the children he had always wanted. Meanwhile, his reign of terror continued. By the time Benegon got himself out of custody, several of the Mortal Kingdoms had had their kings attainted or even their entire ruling families rooted out and replaced. Chaos was reigning in every region. Benegon had been disinherited and disowned, and found himself in a poor position to effect change. The Prince assembled a company of hostermen to escort him to Vargano, where he spent two years subtly gaining support. In 116 NA, he presented himself to the King and requested to be readmitted into his grace. Irvad refused several times, but eventually agreed to hear his son. As ever, Benegon’s rhetoric prevailed, and he was accepted back into the family and renamed the heir. This went poorly with the populace. Queen Lumennia was popular with the people, and many hoped her children would represent a change. More still supported Perditia’s claim. Virtually no one supported Benegon. Even so, his counsel eventually compelled Irvad to end the Third Terror in the late Winter of 117 NA. Of the countless atrocities committed in that time, both by the King and many of his supporters, there is not ink nor tears enough to describe. The final years of Irvad’s reign were spent turning regions against Gemosia (and Perditia) and attempting to coopt the new Queen’s popularity. Though hatred of Benegon settled a little, Irvad would be known as the Terrible until his last days. The King died in the Spring of 120 NA, in his bed, apparently of natural causes. The Queen and he rarely shared a bed in these days, though she was indeed with him this night, and reported his death tearfully to his morning attendants. Returning to tradition, Benegon traveled to Acciano to be crowned.
