Judanarius
From FiranMUX
Contents |
Overview
Judanarius of the Griffon Clan is widely considered to be one of the most ill-fated Clan Leaders to ever rule in the Firan Republic. This is quite a feat considering the failed reigns of leaders like Nydiam, who was deposed by his people and caused a civil war in a different clan.
But Judanarius has the distinction of having lost his medallion not once, but three times. And yet, he lived to tell the tale.
Early History
Though his mother, Tazi was a member of the Griffon Clan royal family, Judanarius spent his youth in the Cockatrice Clan in his step-father's home. He grew up wealthy, well-educated, and privileged, though he was never spoiled and did not consider himself the heir to any throne. His step-father, Lanester, treated him well and it would later be difficult for Judanarius to believe the rumors and ill-things that people said about him.
His family consisted of his mother, his step-father, and his baby brother Jalil over whom they all doted. The only challenge to his idyllic upbringing was the threat of the Cockatrice Clan Leader, Kenirikas whose mood swings were notorious and who oppressed the people more by the day.
But Judanarius' life would be changed forever by an external threat. The Shamibelians.
When he was just a boy of twelve, he was forced to flee Sarkaran with his family during the Shamibelian invasion of the Great War. He felt that he was old enough to fight and wanted to take up arms, but Lanester told him that he needed to take care of his mother and brother.
So it was that Judanarius and his family made the great Exodus with the Firans to escape slavery. On the way, they were beset by Shamibelian warriors. Lanester told Judanarius to take his mother and brother and run. Judanarius never looked back, but his brother Jalil would swear to this day that he saw the Shamibelians cut Lanester down.
It was up to Judanarius to lead his family to safety and he would live the next year in the hidden Caldera City with the rest of the refugees while the war raged on. It was during this time, in the Caldera City, that Judanarius would first come to realize that he was indeed the heir to a throne, for when Nala the Great was killed, the Griffon Clan medallion fell to his mother, Tazi.
Recent History
Personality & Beliefs
Ranks & Offices
- Clan Leader of the Griffon Clan. Twice over. No longer.
- Griffon Clan Regent. Once. No longer.
- Priest of Eesha.
- Captain in the Griffon Clan Military.
- Republic Judge.
- Griffon Minister of Economics
Family Life
Siblings
- Lord Jalil Firgalik, who would go on to become the Gold Dragon Clan Leader when an illicit romance between Judanarius' mother and Clan Leader Judano was revealed upon her death.
Marriage
Judanarius has been married four times.
- Clan Leader Eve of the Eagles. When Lord Judanarius seduced and impregnated Eve the Chieftain of the Eagle Clan, there was naught to do but marry her. Due to the scandal, however, Clan Leader Eve abdicated her throne in favor of her son Nydiam and went to join Judanarius in the Griffon Clan as his wife where she was subsequently poisoned by Judanarius' mistress, Brinna Sennet.
- Lady Petrina Ista Aldrik. After the scandalous death of his first wife, it was thought the only possible redemption for Judanarius and his womanizing ways would be to marry an Ista Aldrik. Unfortunately, whilst married to Lady Petrina, Judanarius fell into a fever that forced him to give over regency of the clan to Petrina. Whilst she was in power and he was in a coma, the Alliance War broke out during which Petrina's decisions left the Griffon Clan on the losing side. She was forcibly divorced from Judanarius by the Clan Council, and married to Taleo Teranzik in an effort to legitimize his Regency of the Bear Clan.
- Lady Lucretia Firgalik. After all that had transpired during the Alliance War, the Griffons thought Judanarius must be mad to marry a Firgalik. They blamed it on his fever, they begged, pleaded and cajoled him to divorce. And though Lucretia did win over some supporters in the clan, they remained hostile to her throughout, and transferred their hatred onto Judanarius and his second ill-fated rule. When he insisted on getting her with child, however, the conflict between his wishes and those of his clan reached a fever pitch, and he was forced to divorce her and disown their child Zayus. This came too late, however, as he was deposed a second time.
- Lady Taleena Oshta. At Judanarius' age, and given the scandals of his life, he was thought to be nearly unmarriageable. One supposes that is why he agreed to wed Taleena, a savage of the Ticanee Clan as his fourth wife.
Children
Given Judanarius' proclivities, he may have countless untold bastards, but this is a list of his known legitimate children:
- Clan Leader Luna Corinala. Though Judanarius lost his medallion, he was the son of a Clan Leader and he's the father of one. His eldest daughter Luna, his child with Eve of the Eagles, has gone on to claim the Griffon Clan throne.
- Lady Juneva Corinala. Judanarius' second daughter with Eve came to some scandal in an affair with returned slave, Cletus Sennet. Juneva was later ruled to be suffering from the water sickness, which affected her judgment.
- Lord Zayus Firgalik. When Zayus was born to Judanarius and Lucretia, the people rioted and the situation became so dire that he was forced to disown his son. His brother Jalil took the boy in and raised him as a Firgalik lord instead, much to the consternation of the Griffon Clan.
- Lord Danazir Corinala. Danazir is the son of Judanarius with his fourth wife, Taleena.
- Lady Vahla Oshta Vahla is the daughter of Judanarius and Taleena. It was no secret that Lady Proxy Taleena keenly desired a daughter, and so this sunny child was most welcome. Some whisper that even a Goddess or two might have been involved in seeing the Lady Proxy's wishes met.
Accomplishments & Successes
Saving Two Royal Houses
Although it was not known at the time, when Judanarius guided his mother Tazi and infant brother Jalil to safety during the Great War, he preserved not only the blood of the Royal Griffon line, but also the Royal Gold Dragon line.
Griffon Clan Leader
Despite the scandals that occasioned his losing control of the Griffon Throne, his time upon it was marked largely by peace and stability.
The Legalization of Prostitution
This also appears under scandals and failures. Which heading it belongs under is largely a matter of perspective. Judanarius remains a staunch proponent of prostitution.
During Judanarius' reign as clan leader, he legalized prostitution. Since this profession, and the procurement thereof, had been illegal since the proclamation against it by Nala the Great, the women of the Griffon Clan reacted very poorly. There were, in fact, protests at the waterfront outside brothels, and quite a few domestic incidents stemming from this change in the law. While Griffon Clan women remain staunchly against prostitution, their efforts to undo Judanarius' work in this respect have not been successful.
The Liberation of Ellish
Judanarius journeyed to the front with the rest of the clergy in the war season of 42 AU. There he served in many capacities. As priest he offered blessings and counseling to the military. As a member of the team that led the cleanup of the poisonous mold from Fort Zayes, he contracted not one but two different diseases but still went on to offer counseling while he lay recuperating in quarantine. He participated in several high-level command meetings, and took up his bow for the two final battles at the gates of Ellish and within the city. The final battle saw him downed by a bolt from the evil tower, but as soon as he came to he was back up, albeit on one foot, loading arrows into the enemy and dodging engagements.
The Refounding of Firalut
Coming soon! (hopefully!)
Scandals & Failures
A Bit of a Foreigner
Whereas his little brother Jalil instantly fit in with the Griffons and adopted all their hurts and emotions as his own, Judanarius had been raised a Cockatrice and sometimes still carried himself with their sensibilities. As such, although he grew to be considered much more pure a Griffon than his brother (particularly when Jalil's Gold Dragon blood was known), Judanarius felt like a bit of an outsider in the Griffon Clan after the Great War. In fact, he had only dim memories of his uncle Corista and had only met Nala the Great during festivals, so Judanarius and his family struggled to meet the expectations of the Griffon Clan to be their new royal family and the pressure was immense.
The Legalization of Prostitution
During Judanarius' reign as clan leader, he legalized prostitution. Since this profession, and the procurement thereof, had been illegal since the proclamation against it by Nala the Great, the women of the Griffon Clan reacted very poorly. There were, in fact, protests at the waterfront outside brothels, and quite a few domestic incidents stemming from this change in the law. While Griffon Clan women remain staunchly against prostitution, their efforts to undo Judanarius' work in this respect have not been successful.
The Seduction of Clan Leader Eve
The love match between Judanarius and Eve is said by some to have been more of a lust match. Once you've seduced a Clan Leader and gotten her with child, there is no choice but to marry her unless you want war.
Judanarius did just that. Eve abdicated her throne to her son Nydiam, and he married her posthaste to legitimize their unborn daughter. Unfortunately, the scandal would not die. The taint of Luna's near-bastardy clung to her early life, and both of Eve's grown children blamed Judanarius for ruining their mother's good reputation and causing unrest in their clan.
The Poisoned Wife
Judanarius' affair with a commoner named Brinna Sennet became open knowledge which he flaunted in front of the public at every opportunity. During one particularly famous episode, he invited his mistress to a party at the Corinala Estate that Eve was hosting. When his wife made a snide remark about the nerve of his mistress to show her face, the two got into a public argument in which Judanarius appeared to take his mistress' side. Several days later, Lady Eve was found poisoned in her bedroom.
Suspicion immediately turned to Brinna Sennet who had been seen procuring poison several weeks before, and had Judanarius submitted to have the woman arrested and brought to trial, he may well have kept his throne. Instead, he protected her, proclaiming her innocence and frustrating all attempts to bring her to justice.
It was not long before Eve's surviving children, Zeysani and Nydiam, accused Judanarius himself of being the poisoner or having been a co-conspirator with Brinna, and his behavior was such that the accusation immediately took root both with the Republic and with the Griffon Clan itself.
Losing the Medallion the First Time
Judanarius attempted to barricade himself in from the wrath of the people, but he was eventually taken into custody, and stood accused of murdering his own wife. The Eagle Clan, livid over Eve's fate, seized her children Luna and Juneva, and held them under Zeysani's protective custody.
In jail, Judanarius feared the usurpation of his throne by a powerful clan, so when Sir Quonasi of the Ticanee Clan offered to keep the medallion safe, Judanarius surrendered it to him. Little did Judanarius know that he had unwittingly surrendered his medallion to Zeysani's bastard half-brother. For a moment, he thought all was lost--that the Eagle Clan, in their quest for revenge, had taken not only his children, but also his medallion. But it turned out that for all intents and purposes, control of his medallion fell into Clan Leader Taria Oshta's lap.
When Brinna Sennet was convicted and executed for Lady Eve's murder, Judanarius' fate was seemingly sealed along with hers. But the Clan Council, bullied by both Clan Leader Taria and Clan Leader Jalil ultimately returned a verdict of Not Guilty against Judanarius.
Losing the Medallion the Second Time
It was Jalil and Clan Leader Taria Oshta who helped get Judanarius his medallion back after he was arrested for Eve's murder. Jalil also used the full pressure of Gold Dragon might to retrieve Judanarius' children, Luna and Juneva, back from the Eagle Clan where Zeysani had seized and held them.
To help repair the damage to his reputation, Judanarius married an Ista Aldrik. There would be no question about mistresses being tolerated or wives being endangered. The Ista Aldrik Family reputation was such that no one could doubt Judanarius' intention to reform. And so his reign began once again.
But not long into his marriage to Petrina, Judanarius began suffering episodes, and eventually fell into a fevered coma. Soon people wondered if karmic retribution hadn't reached its zenith, for along with a reputation for propriety, the Ista Aldriks are also known as expert poisoners. When Judanarius fell so ill that he had to surrender his medallion to Petrina as his Proxy while he lingered in delirium, many wondered if the wily woman had not made him sick so that she could control the Griffon Clan.
Petrina was a mostly capable leader, but she made some mistakes in trading that impoverished the Griffons and led to food riots. Then, she unwittingly chose the wrong side during the Alliance War--neutrality. Having failed to take a stand during the most eventful civil war in the Republic's history did not spare the Griffon Clan any suffering. When the war was won, they were forced to surrender as if they were one of the combatants.
Thus, Judanarius' medallion was seized by his brother Jalil, who named himself Regent for the Griffon Clan until the constitution would be restored. Lady Petrina was forced to divorce Judanarius, and when he woke from his coma, he had lost everything once again.
Losing the Medallion the Third Time
Although Jalil had once been a popular Griffon Clan hero, before his true parentage was revealed, the strain of leading two clans was far too much for the man, and for the Republic. Although the Republic Constitution was never officially restored after the Alliance War, the Clan Council made efforts to restore things as close to normal as possible in its aftermath.
A deal had been struck between the Alliance Powers that Judanarius' daughter Luna would be betrothed to Jalil's son, Judanus. It was hoped that this alliance would keep the Gold Dragons from slaughtering the Griffons out of hand, now that they were in such a position of power over them. And for a time, this arrangement sufficed to appease both sides. The Griffons were certain that Lady Luna would become Clan Leader one day, and that Jalil's son was mostly Griffon anyway. The Gold Dragons were sure that Judanus would be Clan Leader one day and then they would control both clans once again. Gold Dragons were always confident that Dragon blood would out.
Once this peace accord was solidified, Judanarius was made Regent of the Griffon Clan, and though it smarted not to have the actual title of Clan Leader, he held the medallion again and that's what mattered. For a time, it seemed inevitable that he would retake the throne.
But then, against the wishes of nearly everyone in his clan, he took Lady Lucretia Firgalik as a wife. Whereas the Griffon Clan remembered Jalil as one of their own, Lucretia Firgalik was pure Dragon. She was a direct line descendant of the Butcher of Scirlut, and they despaired of this match.
Judanarius married her anyway, and insofar as their Regent seemed happier and stable during this marriage, the Griffons grumbled but sucked it up. It was thought that Judanarius was too old to produce children at this point, and certainly, the Clan made it clear that they would tolerate no more Dragon blood in proximity to their throne.
Tensions between the two clans continued to ratchet upwards now that the terror of the Alliance War had passed, and so when Judanarius proudly announced the birth of his son Zayus, the people rebelled. To appease them, Judanarius disowned his son and divorced Lucretia, but made the fatal mistake of trying to shame the mob.
The end result was another riot during which Judanarius barely escaped with his life, and without his medallion.
Enemies
Zeysani and Nydiam
Eve's children never forgave Judanarius for seducing her, impregnating her, and ultimately having an affair with Brinna Sennet to rub in their mothers' face. Both Zeysani and Nydiam blamed Judanarius for poisoning their mother and swore vengeance.
Allies
Miscellany
- Habits
- Sleeping with women he shouldn't sleep with. (He shares this habit with his brother, Jalil.)
- Actually sleeps very little
- Works very hard and takes great pride in his work
- Very methodical
- Likes
- Lobster bisque
- Good whiskey
- Intellectual debate
- (censored)
- Dislikes
- Mention of his illness during which Petrina lost him his medallion.
- Disrespect
