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Exchanging Baron Avarice

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Exchanging Baron Avarice

04.21.04 (2:24 pm) [edit]

“Mago!” two small children ran up to the tall elderly man. “Mago, tell us a story, please?”
“Ness I thought we were goanna play bed’ogg!”
“Don’t you think you could have more fun doing something else Ness? Your brother wants to play bed’ogg. Besides my stories usually don’t interest you.”
“No, Mago please, I love your stories so much please tell us another” Ness pleaded.
“But Ness,” wined Jake.
“No I don’t want to,” yelled Ness who stomped his foot
“But why,” Jake began to sob.
“Don’t cry Jake. How about I tell a story, then you two play bed’ogg?” Mago suggested. After some deliberation Mago finally got them both to agree.
“I think I know just the story that you two should hear,” Mago told his nephews. “It’s the tale of our baron, and how he came to be.” He continued.
“But everyone knows that, Mago, that’s not an interesting story at all,” Jake spoke out.
“Oh, but I mean the real story, and if I tell you this story you mustn’t tell a soul, do you two understand?”
“A secret, hurray! Oh yes tell us that story!”
Mago stroked his beard in concentration, trying to remember the details of the story. “Hmm… ah right, a long time ago, in the year two hundred and eighty seven of the third age was born to the king’s sister a son. The child was shown a great welcome into the world and was named Coeplanê by his mother, meaning roughly “equalizer” or “bringer of new” in the elfish tongue of the Fronest Kingdom. However Coeplanê was not alone, he had an older brother, a brother of particular cruelty. Coeplanê‘s older brother, Avarice was only five but had already been ruined by many years of being spoiled by his father. Avarice slowly built resentment for his new brother; over the expressive love Coeplanê received from his mother. Avarice began to treat Coeplanê with more and more disrespect and was protected by his father without repute. This trend would seemingly continue indefinitely.
These transgressions would not truly solidify until the passing of Coeplanê’s twelfth birthday. While traveling through the lands of Exlange in route to the Elfish Kingdom of Aze’ta, Coeplanê and Avarice’s father disappeared. When the Court of Man sent a letter to the Protestictor Clan of Exlange enquiring about the disappearance of a member of the Royal family that had gone missing while in route through their territories, they replied that the body of a man had been found in a tractor wheel and that he probable had been accidentally killed by it. Two wizard counselors that had known the man were dispatched to the region to identify the body. When they returned they reported to the court that it was in fact the body of Coeplanê and Avarice’s father. Despite the courts feelings of foul play the wizards guild persuaded the court not to act upon it. Spouseless, Coeplanê’s mother was left alone to raise her two sons.
In the year three hundred and twelve of the third age, the King of Men and his court gathered in the province of Sun’tarrece for the naming of the next baron of Sun’tarrece. The man who was chosen was the king’s nephew Avarice; his nephew had great influence on his uncle (the king) and immediately used his new position in the court to bring to vote a declaration of war on the Protestictor clan of Exlange. He also saw to it that his mother and brother whose love for one another he resented so greatly were put to the hardest of labors. So began the chapters of the Exlange conspiracy. Poor Coeplanê; his brother treated him so poorly; he had such irrational demands, up to his last days. I can still remember the fight they had the day before I revealed the conspiracy to Coeplanê.
“Coeplanê! Where’s my soup, I want it now!”
“My lord, you must show patience. The water has to boil before I can make the soup.”
“Well hurry it up, or your head will be on display in my game chest with the others.”
Coeplanê hurried back into the royal kitchen, “Oh he’s really upset this time. What did Mago tell me to do to make water boil faster?” Coeplanê scrambled about the cabinets, causing havoc on their contents. “Oh, where’s the salt,” Coeplanê agonized. “Thank the creators, the salt.” Coeplanê exasperated poured a handful of salt into the royal cauldron that was reluctant to boil.
“Coeplanê! Where’s my soup!” another bellow came from the royal chamber.
Coeplanê rushed back into the room panting, “My lord, the water still does not boil.”
The baron snickered “You incompetent fool, surely you could have made the soup by now… I had a servant do it in forty seconds once, and you’re better than any old servant, you are my brother, and not only that but the brother of the Baron Avarice of the Sun’tarrece province. Now bring me my soup!” Coeplanê once more ran out of the room. Coeplanê was pleasantly surprised to find the water boiling to the brim. Coeplanê poured the contents of a bowl of freshly cut greens into the boiling cauldron.
“My lord, your soup is almost ready,” Coeplanê yelled out.
“Finally, you wretch for a brother,” the baron bellowed. Coeplanê poured a bowl of soup from the cauldron and carefully carried it into the royal throne room. As Coeplanê got closer to the king he climbed a small flight of stairs that presided towards the baron’s throne. Coeplanê placed the bowl down on the armrest of the king’s chair, and while doing so; the king flayed his arms out into the air.
“Oops,” the baron mumbled as he watched the result, which was an awful mess upon Coeplanê and the red carpet.
The Baron began to chuckle, which degraded to a full out roar, through which he tried to say, “Look at the mess you made, ha, ha, I should have known you were incapable of such a simple task.”
“But, my lord, you did that on purpose, it was no folly of mine.”
“Ha, that as it may be you are still going to take responsibility for it, ha, and clean it, clean it tell its crimson shin glows as it did before you made wreck upon it. First bring me another bowl of soup, though.” Coeplanê frustrated with what he was being told stamped back into the kitchen to do as he had been told. Little did Coeplanê know but his luck was about to change, for he was unaware of what conspiracies even at this moment were being devised, and what was about to transpire.
Late in the night I crept into Coeplanê’s corridors, and woke the abused brother of the baron, to tell him of the fate that most come of him and his brother to seek an end to a soon to pass war.
“Coeplanê wake up”
“Mago, is that you?”
“Yes my boy”
“Why are you visiting so late?” Coeplanê asked me.
“Because, this is the only time where you wont be busy, so I can tell you all that I need to tell you with out interruption” I replied.
“Not busy? What are you talking about, of course I’m busy; I’m busy sleeping, did that occur to you!” he scolded.
“I apologize for the interruption, but still I persist we must get to what I’ve come to tell you, for it is of the utmost importance.” I handed Coeplanê a book, “Here read this, it contains some valuable information”
“I’m confused” Coeplanê confessed.
“I know, but it will all become clear in due time, read.” I told Coeplanê
The title read “A brief Record of Man and the Days of the Ol’dros Wars.” Coeplanê opened the volume to its first page and began to read, “Section I.1; In the days when gods walk upon the grounds of the second realm of Sol, before men or elves, there only existed but one race in the world, the Ol’ones. The Ol’ones were a people of great science and wizardry…” “Mago what’s science?” asked Coeplanê.
“Science, hmm... It’s hard to explain with out a viable reference that you would comprehend. It could be considered as an ancient form of magery that was practiced by the Ol’ones, most of it was lost in Ol’dros wars. Read, ask me questions when you’ve finished the section.”
Coeplanê continued reading, “…They spread their empire and influences across the realms. In the peak of their empire the Ol’ones monarchy divided their rule amongst the Protestictor Clans that governed and policed their endless provinces. At the dawn of the second age a new infant race emerged in the realm of Mandros. The Mandroneans could sustain only short lives despite their greatest efforts and grew increasingly envious of the old ones. In the dark pact of el’shinard the leaders of the Mandroneans allied themselves with the Shinards, the ancient ghost gods from before time that thirsted for and endless supply of souls. In exchange for carrying out the will of the Shinards, they would provide the Mandroneans with bodies that could sustain eternal life and youth, however the Mandroneans remanded mortal. The Mandroneans soon began to realize that they had been given the short end of the deal, as they lost more and more of their free will. The Shinards lead the Mandroneans into endless wars with Protestictor Clan, after Protestictor Clan. At this time the central monarchy of the Ol’ones had grown very weak and most of the power and governing of the Ol’ones was determined by individual clans. This made it extremely difficult for the Ol’ones to organize an efficient counter to the growing threat of the Shinards. These times were known as the Ol’dros wars (reference sections I.2 and IV.6 for further detail on the Ol’dros wars), and the conclusion marked the end of the second age. In the end the Ol’ones vanquished the Mandroneans, and they are now all but extinct. Only a few Protestictor Clans survived the Ol’dros wars, and those that did were only a shattered vision of their former selves. In the wake of the power vacuum created by the fall of the Ol’ones arose the societies of man and the elves. Three elfish kingdoms and seven human provinces formed in the second realm of Sol. The seven provinces of man eventual formed a feudalist nation under the first king of man, Angelo Del Q`av”. “I finished the section,” Coeplanê announced.
“Good now read section IX.4,” I instructed Coeplanê.
Coeplanê groaned and flipped through the heavy volume until he found the section, “In the times after the Ol’dros wars, the Protestictor Clan of Exlange, the only remaining in the third realm of Sol, started an academy of wizardry. Those who could survive the regress courses, and graduated were few. Those who did would be kept in Exlange till an advisor was needed in one of the kingdoms outside Exlange. The wizards were highly sought after, and this created a level of checks and balances that sustained peace in the realm...”
“I’m still confused Mago, what does any of this have to do with me?”
“As you know Coeplanê, I am the counselor for Baron Avarice, and as a wizard it is against my principles to allow a war ever. Your brother is blind with hatred for Exlange, because of what happened to your father, and he will not listen to me. His influence is too great in the court; he’s gotten the war passed in vote, passed in vote. The war at this point is imminent, I know that, it will be the first war in the third age, dark times these are, but we need a leader with compassion, a clear mind, one who will do all they can to stop this war. Tomorrow the Baron is traveling to the capital in Moto Bay for the final signing of the declaration that is to be sent to Exlange Core, and we must travel there too.”
“What am I to do? I have no authority, no one will listen to us!”
“Oh but they will, if they think you are the baron.”
“Think I am the baron? But how absurd, I look nothing like him.”
“You are his brother, you look more like him then any other, and you have a pure soul, I can think of no other who could do it, besides you forget Coeplanê, I am a wizard.”
Coeplanê packed up his things, and we set of for Moto Bay that very same night. We traveled for two weeks by horseback, sleeping in fields, or wherever anyone would take us in. The most difficult part of the journey for Coeplanê was the crossing of the pass between Korảce and Moto Bay. He had to pack an extra layer of fur around his feet to keep them from getting frostbite. After crossing the pass, we descended down into the Moto Bay delta. The Capital City is a glorious city, larger than another built by man. It claims all of the territory making up Justque Island, but before we could reach the capital we had to cross the Morrow Strait. We found a man who owned a small fishing vessel who said he would help us across, for a price. We made our negotiations and set sail. It was a stormy season and the crossing was treacherous. We battled storms for three days before we finally made it to the docks of the Capital. Once in the capital we scavenged for an inn. We ended up making stay at a place called “Capital Inn,” very imaginative name indeed.
We made it to the capital two days before the scheduled date for the signing of the declaration of war. This gave me two days to prepare Coeplanê, and execute my plan. I trained him in royal conduct, proper language, and etiquette, so he could pass himself as his brother. I used a masterful hand and applied many cosmetics to Coeplanê’s face until his appearance was indistinguishable from that of his brother’s. Even Coeplanê was impressed. There remained but only one task to be completed: we had to get ride of the actual baron as not to cause confusion amongst the court when two barons of Sun’tarrece appeared. This part of my plan I most admit I had not thought out very clearly and it started to prove one of the most challenging tasks presented to me.
At last I decided after a long deliberation to pay a young man to send a notice to the baron, which I wrote. It stated that the signing of the declaration of war would be postponed till the morning following the previously scheduled date, that would at least buy us time till I could think of a better plan.
On the morning of the date of the signing I led Coeplanê to the central Court building where the Court of Man convened. I took him as far as the great doors to the Royal Court Hall but no further. I told Coeplanê that this was where our paths must suppurate, for this meeting was to be held in complete secrecy and none of the guild was to know of it. He took a deep breath and entered the great hall leaving me behind. I waited outside the corridor for about an hour for Coeplanê’s return when something rather unexpected happened.
“Mago! What are you doing here?” screamed the baron as he noticed me coming done the hall.
Startled, I made a quick bluff, “Uh, well I was called here on err, a business matter involving the Guild, apparently the court wanted my advice on the matter and called me here, I’m, err... waiting for them to call me in, what are you doing hear Avarice?”
“I too was called hear for a very prudent matter, till I was very rudely blown off last night by the court, don’t they know who I am? I came to ask the meaning of such an insult.” He snorted.
“I’m sure they had their reasons and did not mean any disrespect to you, Avarice.” I told him as calmly I could. It was of no help though, before I could stop the baron, he flung open the doors to the court hall. A court of elderly men greeted him with shocked expressions upon their faces, and a duplicate of himself who had just been explaining to the court as to why he was changing his stance on the war, and was refusing to sign the declaration.
I quickly ran into the room after the baron and yelled in a booming voice, “I can explain, if you give me a moment.”
But then Coeplanê stood up and said, “I too can explain this. Mago, my own counselor, I trusted you. Nobles of the Court, that man who stands there before you is an imposter; it is my brother working against me with the help of the guild. My brother should be punished dearly for this act of treason. His punishment will be mandated service in the arms of Sun’tarrece, and you Mago, I will decide your punishment when we return to Sun’tarrec, but you should consider yourself lucky if you get anything less expulsion, and are banished from my providence.”
“Mago, did he really expel you” Ness interrupted.
“Oh no of course not, he was only try to present himself as the real baron... now where was I? Oh right, he then pointed at a guard and said, “Take my brother to the armory so that he can be placed with an escort back to Sun’tarrece, where he can began his service in arms.” Still in shock and not quite sure what was happening, the baron was quickly seized by the guard and pacified with rope. The guard then escorted the baron out of the room.
Coeplanê then addressed the court with a statement that forever marks him, it eats away at his soul, and he was given this one chance to prove himself. It was what I had estimated in him, what was for the safety of all. But he was blinded by is sunken hatred for his brother, and he condemned countless lives with what he said, “Nobles, I have, in light of recent events decided to change my stance on the war. I will sign the declaration of war, if sending my brother to war will make him understand the suffering my father death has brought to me; he has no compassion.”
I couldn’t take such an insult, I bursted out, “Avarice, think of your brother, show him now compassion otherwise you degrade yourself to his unspeakable level, you will be forever ruined by your hate.”
“Mago, after suffering the insults that I have suffered how can I do any less?” The first war of the third age began, and over three hundred years of peace were broken. Once back in Sun’tarrece, Coeplanê freed his mother from servitude and they were happy together. Many men died in the war, but Coeplanê did not petition for the end of the war till he had received the notice from one of his field generals reporting his brother’s death. Great pressure existed in the court after the deaths of many solders to end the war, and with Coeplanê’s support it wasn’t difficult for the kingdoms of man and Exlange to began peace negotiations. The war lasted only a year but the damage had been done, not on the land but on his brother and the anger he had created. That is the true story of our baron and how he came to be, but remember Ness and Jake it’s our little secret, no one should ever know”
“You can trust me Uncle Mago,” Ness, and Jake smiled at their uncle, before the run back outside to continue in their fun.