Count John Felipe Almaviva (Count Almaviva XII of
Cantonova) was killed in a duel by Elion Argo, husband of Ambassador Caecelia Argo of
Kyolondë, on 8 August Y1001.
The Conflict
Prelude
Caecelia Argo, a high elf ambassador from Scalados to Cantonova, had traveled to the city with her husband Elion to attend the closing ceremonies of the Y1001 Exposition of the Realms and to negotiate a major trade deal between the two governments whose terms had not been changed since the early days of Eldatar Supedo I's reign.
Mrs. Argo, new to her position and eager to prove her worth, spent as much time with the Count as possible within the few days of her visit. Sources in the ambassador's retinue reported that, while Count Almaviva had been resistant to the lowered tariffs in Ambassador Argo's proposed contracct, he had seemed quite fond of her during their visit. However, Elion grew suspicious of this close contact. At the closing ball of the Exposition of the Realms on 7 August, he challenged Count Almaviva to a duel over his wife's honor. Ambassador Argo protested this, swearing she and the Count were innocent, but Mr. Argo refused to back down from the accusation.
"I have seen no cultist's fervor wilder, no Enchanter's geas stronger, than Elion Argo's insistence that the Count must face his blade the next dawn. Argo was as a man possessed." —eyewitness account from the night of the incident
Mr. Argo and the Count met at dawn on the main walkway of the
Esplanade of the Muses for the duel. Both were adept swordsmen, but it was obvious to all in the crowd that the Count began to slow rapidly after Mr. Argo the first few hits. When he stepped back to ask the Count if he conceded, the Count fell down unresponsive, and was pronounced dead on the scene by his attendant clerics despite their work with healing magic.
Master clerics from multiple religions at the
Temple of Life and Death examined Mr. Argo's sword, and found traces of multiple poisons on it, including the expensive and incurable poison of the
Leafwyrm's fruit.
The Spymaster of Cantonova, upon investigating the murder, came to believe that neither Elion Argo nor Caecelia Argo was responsible for poisoning the blade. In the trial to clear the Argos' names, he made the case that Elion had been having an affair with another woman, who had been the one to suggest the duel and poison the blade. However, he refused to pin this evidence on any specific suspect, and it was therefore deemed inadmissible by the courts. Both Caecelia and Elion Argo were sentenced to death by Guillotine.
The death of the
Count left his position functionally vacant for another fifteen years, as his young sons John Felipe Jr. and Jean-Rodrigo were both well under the age of majority. His wife,
Countess Julietta, continued to fulfill her duties and act as regent in his place; however, she was a much more timid ruler, and the vast slate of changes that John Felipe intended to make to various international relations between the Free City and its allies in honor of the Golden Millennium slowed to a crawl.
Historical Significance
In popular Cantonovan mythos, Elion Argo's lover was
La Donna, the famed femme fatale of Cantonova. The opera
L'assassine tells this story, and furthermore heavily implies that
Maria Verdini in particular was the culprit who poisoned Elion Argo's mind and blade.
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