THE HELCRANI ANACTAR ARPAGAR |
(703-644 b.S.) Helcrani anactar of Milkengrad (651-644 b.S.). Arpagar was the son of Sphethal, a Helcrani landowner of the Codomman Fratra. He was a very educated man. Arpagar could read and write in the High Helcran, Common Santharian, Elven and Dwarven speech. He mastered mathematics, music and medicine, however, his interest focused in the arcane sciences of magic. He was a very ambitious person, and in magic he saw the way to accomplish his goals in life. Arpagar was very talented in this field and very soon he went to Ximax, the town of mages in order to further advance his knowledge.
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Picture description: The once exiled Helcrani and on his return most ferocious Helcrani tyrant. Image drawn by Faugar. |
As a character Arpagar could be described as ambitious, strongwilled, and hard. Once he had something in mind, he would suffer everything, if it was to help him achieve his goal. As most Helcrani, Arpagar had a passion for glory and public approval. The praise of the fratric gatherings was his greatest joy. He wouldn’t enjoy it many times, however.
After
Artahir’s failure in his campaign against Centorauria, Arpagar organized a
rebellion against him. He claimed that Artahir lost his authority over the
Helcrani, when he disobeyed the Centoraurian king and invaded Erpheronia. He
didn’t find many supporters though, and he was
exiled for life by Artahir’s son and heir, Ogygor. This punishment was
considered worse than death among the Helcrani, becaused it was considered a
major disgrace, especially if the exile was meant to last for a lifetime.
The
exile poisoned Arpagar’s soul with hatred for the Helcrani. He felt that he
was mistreated and he desired to take revenge. These emotions reflected in his
appearance, which changed dramatically through the
years. His exact whereabouts at this time are mostly unknown. The only verified
information is that he turned to study black magic,
and eventually visited the Ashmarian lands.
He
returned to Milkengrad a few weeks after Ogygor’s death, escorted by the
so-called Black Warriors, an army of barbarians all dressed in black. At this
time Ogygor’s two sons were rivaling for the throne. Arpagar appeared as a
saviour from the civil war and with the citizens on his side,
he crushed the two young kings, on
the Kings Plateau. The second largest square of
Milkengrad. Arpagar was proclaimed anactar upon the Efirhal in a festive
atmosphere on the 6th day of Avinni’modva 651
b.S. Nobody suspected what was about to follow.
Arpagar’s
intentions were no longer to rule in wisdom. He hated the Helcrani,
and all he wanted was to take revenge for his wasted years in exile. Soon he
started killing, raping, and torturing his
subjects. His behaviour caused an uprising
among the Helcrani. The elves abandoned the city,
and went back to the Goltherlon forest. Some
noblemen of the Menegulan fratra (to which belonged the late Ogygor),
gathered many aristocrats from the other fratrae and turned to the Centoraurian
king of Milkengrad, for help. Alas, the king turned
down their request and told them, that it was an
internal helcrani matter in which he would not interfere. The Helcrani rebels
guided by Jonnahir the kind, crossed the Kyranian borders and asked their
countrymen at Helcrah for help. There they found a warm welcome and the First of
the Council, Yaunin of Ahaiwana, provided them with everything they needed.
A few weeks later in the 9th day of the Month of the Singing Bird,
an army of Helcrani met Arpagar and his army in the Aurora Fields.
A few hours before the battle began, Arpagar magically had summoned an army of orcs encircling his enemies. Jonnahir,
seeing that
the battle was lost before it started, secretely sent emissaries to Arpagar with
the request to accept Yaunin’s oath of Faith. Thus,
allowing him to fight among the Ashmarians or leave in peace for Helcrah,
where he would be a loyal servant. The
envoys were cut down to pieces by the barbarians except one, originating
from Helcrah. Arpagar, although
he accepted the proposal, no Mountaineer
wanted to leave. Yaunin was so enraged by Jonnahir’s initiative, that he
drew his sword to kill him. Finally they decided that the simple warriors would
leave, while the noblemen would stay and die with their leaders, paying the
price for their decisions. And so they did. All of them were slaughtered and
decapitated after a heroic battle. Jonnahir and Yaunir were cut to pieces and
left unburied, to be loot by the vultures. Their cut-off heads were placed
on top of a pyramid of sculls in the center of the Hypheralean Square. A
monument of terror, which was destroyed only after Arpagar’s death. This
atrocity froze every thought for a rebellion against the evil anactar. A few
attempts to assassinate him failed as his magic protected him.
The next years Arpagar enjoyed humiliating his subjects, torturing them for fun, sentencing them to death for things like, not bowing to the ground or not helping him rape their daughters or wives. The horror of these years were beyond any description, and it would be better if it is not mentioned ever again.
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Finally,
on
the 23rd day of the month of the Changing Winds 644 b.S. An elven magician clad
in white, appeared and challenged Arpagar and
duelled with him on the Kings Plateau. His
name was Queenezar the White, whose symbol was a star with 19 edges and his name
would never be forgotten in Helcrani lands. The
fight lasted for several hours and it was ferocious. But at the end only the
black magician was standing, however Arpagar was
very weakened. Tephron of Sostra seized this opportunity and approached the
twisted king as if he would help him in the battle. Tephron was bearing
Helronn's sword, the Lawgiver, which had been created and runed by smiths of
all races, and it was cooled in blood not water.
Thus having the ability to destroy evil magic. This sword was the one to take
Arpagar’s head. The last words Arpagar ever heard were “For thy crimes
against the Helcrani I lay justice upon thee”. Then he lost his head and with
it his magic and his life. The surprised barbarians tried to retaliate, but
without their leader they were an easy loot to the outraged Helcrani. They were
all killed or sacrificed in Curogane’s grave between the Artapherana, the
blessed trees of the elements.
Arpagar’s
body was burned and his ashes were thrown into the sea. Tephron was proclaimed
anactar, the first one of the tragic Sostrian Dynasty, and prepared the war to
revenge the Centoraurian king for abandoning them.
Information provided by
Curgan
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