THE COUNCIL MEMBER AMALTHEA EITHAR |
Amalthea Eithar (1708 b.S.-1621 b.S.) was a member of the Ruling Council of Voldar during Maengolth's, Jenefra's and Katya the Just's time. Despite her stern demeanour and nature, the counciller was reputed for her sharp intelligence and shrewd nature. Staunch ally of Jenefra during the latter's reign as Sovereign of the Erpheronians and later transferred and utilized her considerable talents in service for the succeeding Queen, Katya Ileri.
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Considered quite a beauty in her younger days, Amalthea married Lord Timas Othal when she was but nineteen
years of age. She was appointed to the seat of House Eithar within the Council
when her father died, a victim of the Red Plague that descended upon Voldar between b.S. 1666 and 1665. Already
known for her formidable will and extensive knowledge of Erpheronian
history and her keen interest in Voldarian politics, it was therefore only
natural that she succeeded the Council seat. The same month that her father died, she also lost
her husband and only daughter to the plague as well. Although grieved beyond measure, she rose to
the task of Council governing and
provided Maengolth with valuable insights on how to contain the Red Plague which was transmitted by
the rats that infested the sewers of the city.
Upon her advice, a full-scale systematic slaughter of the carrier rats was
mounted thoughout the entire city and thus was the plague able to be finally contained and extinguished.
She became guardian to her nephews, Drafas and Gerwon
Tristin, when the boys' parents died tragically in a house fire. After Gerwon was carried to safety,
Drafas was still trapped within the burning house and was rescued by a
newly recruited soldier of the Erpheronian Royal Army,
Vaelaron Dain, who dared to rush into the flames and
carried the unconscious child out. It was partly due to this act of courage which
saved her nephew's life, that Amalthea submitted Vaelaron's name to the
Council as a candidate for the prestigious rank of
Captain of the Guards after the retirement of the
previous Captain, Medoc
Ileri. Her instincts which told her that this was no ordinary man was proven right
when Vaelaron defeated fourteen other younger candidates during the
succession trials to become the new Captain. The two also became good
friends and both were united in their respect and devotion for their liege-lady,
Jenefra and later, Katya. After the
Dragonstorm and Prince Caein's act of
betrayal when he murdered Maengolth, his own father, Amalthea put a stop to the outright chaos
that erupted in the streets of Voldar by declaring her open
support for Jenefra to succeed as the new Sovereign. Bypassing the
objections of the Council which included
Nikos of House Lothari and Aerlicht of House Hruth, Amalthea
amassed the support of Trioan of House Sellus and Kel of House Branoc, and using the
influence of the Erpheronian Army under
the guidance of Captain Vaelaron, in the
year b.S 1650, she crowned Jenefra as the new Sovereign. For
what she had done, Amalthea is still sometimes referred to as the Queen-maker in the
annals of history.
During the Vardýnnian Atonement, a strain appeared in the relationship with her beloved nephew,
Drafas, which came about when the young man voraciously
upheld to his aunt about his doubts of appealing to the priests of Foiros for
salvation against the siege of the dragons. The result of this break was
Drafas Tristin, along with his brother Gerwon, leaving
Voldar a few months later against his aunt's wishes as she
had high hopes that Drafas would take over her place on the
Council after she stepped down. Her heart would be
further darkened by sorrow once more when she heard of Drafas's ultimate
fate.
Amalthea never remarried and passed away in b.S. 1621 at the age of seventy-eight.
Gerwon's youngest daughter, Marryn, who travelled back to
Voldar from the lands that Drafas had
founded, succeeded her position within the Ruling
Council. Inheriting her great-aunt's intelligence and strength of character, Marryn continued the Eithar
name with honour and pride.
Information provided by
Dalá'Valannía
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