Nydiam
From FiranMUX
Contents |
Overview
Few men have enjoyed such fame - and such infamy - as the late Nydiam the Black. A twin, the son of a hero, the alleged grandson of a god, twice a Clan Leader and above all an adventurer, his life was varied indeed, and with his death on the fields of Ellish, one of the great heroes of the post-unification era was lost.
Nydiam was the son of the hero Zarid and his wife, the Eagle Clan Leader Eve. He was one of twins, and he and his sister Zeysani would often be regarded uneasily as a result. He became the Eagle Clan Leader following his mother's abdication, but this did not last long; when his wife Ibania bore him twins of their own, civil war followed, and Nydiam lost his medallion to his sister.
When his wife was named as first proxy of the Cockatrice clan, Nydiam left the Eagles to join her. Later, he was named Viceroy for a time and, following Ibania's infamous test, the Clan Council chose Nydiam to lead the Cockatrice clan. He would wear the medallion for several years.
Zeysani's death caused Nydiam to grow old before his time, and the prematurely aged Clan Leader retired in favour of his eldest daughter, Diamia. But despite his physical appearance, he remained as adventurous as ever and, when his second wife Lucretia was captured by the Shamibelians in 42 AU, he went to Ellish in an effort to retrieve her. Here he died a hero's death, using the power of Zin to defeat the magical Tower of Obala.
Family Life
Grandparents
- Zin Zarid is often believed to be the son of the god Zin and an unknown mortal woman. While there is some scepticism over this, the interest that Zin took in the lives of both Nydiam and his sister is undeniable.
Parents
- Zarid The roguish Zarid was one of the Seven Heroes, the criminal who took the place of the original Eagle Clan hero. He is believed to have died in a fight between Firanos, Elik and Drik; at any rate, he died before his children could really know him.
- Eve Eve - once known as Nori - was born into the Cockatrice royal family, and was the only survivor of Kenirikas' reign of terror over her family. She succeeded her distant relative, Darimon the Great, as Eagle Clan Leader, but abdicated to marry Clan Leader Judanarius of the Griffon clan. Here she died, poisoned by his mistress.
Siblings
- Zeysani Nydiam was incredibly close to his sister Zeysani, though their personalities often seemed to be at odds: she was the aloof, ambitious ice princess, and he an adventurous rogue. Her death in the war now known by her name came close to destroying him - both emotionally and physically, for after his twin died, Nydiam seemed to age by a great number of years.
- Quonasi Quonasi was Nydiam's older half-brother, the product of Zarid's brief union with the Ticanee Urtenia. Though Quonasi was not noble, Firan, or Zinnian, he and Nydiam shared a few adventures, claiming to have seen a mermaid together once. He was exiled by the Ticanee clan for reasons unknown, leaving Anarinuell in 24AU.
- Fridae Adopted by Eve after Zarid's death, Fridae was Zarid's old adventuring partner and sidekick. She was not a noble, but was considered a member of the Royal Eagle Family - at least until her own Zaridik family was founded. She died in 41AU of the Red Bloom.
Marriage
- Ibania When he was young, Nydiam dreamed that he would marry a woman whose name began with I. This woman was Ibania Istabannos, whom he wed shortly after becoming Eagle Clan Leader. They had four children, three of whom lived, and theirs was a somewhat tumultuous relationship. They divorced for the first time over Ibania's indiscretions: she had kissed a commoner, the Ticanee Meerak. But they would reunite, with Nydiam joining the Cockatrice clan at her side when she was First Proxy. They divorced again when Nydiam became Viceroy. After the infamous incident known as "Ibania's Test", Ibania vanished while in custody, and has never been heard from again.
- Lucretia Like Ibania, Lucretia was Nydiam's wife twice. They once ran off to the Oracle together in their youth, and had to be summoned on griffonback to return for Judanarius' trial for the murder of Eve. Their first marriage was shortlived, and ended when Prince Sadin returned, claiming to still be married to Lucretia. They would wed again years later, and their union is said to have been witnessed by the Kraken - perhaps an indicator of Zin's favour for the couple. Nydiam was still married to Lucretia when he died, though the later Trial of the Century would throw doubt on their union's legitimacy.
Children
- Diamia One of Nydiam and Ibania's twins, Diamia was also his successor, taking up the medallion of Cockatrice Clan Leader after her father's retirement. The daughter of Nydiam - of the old Cockatrice Royal Family - and an Istabannos, Diamia represents a unification of the two royal bloodlines of the clan, which her marriage to her cousin Rikon has cemented.
- Ibina Diamia's twin sister was killed in the riots that took place shortly after her birth, sparking the infamous baby lottery.
- Banian Nydiam's eldest son has many of his father's qualities: he too is a rogue and an adventurer who has led a somewhat scandalous life. He is married to Princess Thaddia, and is a priest of his great-grandfather Zin.
- Aeryk The youngest son of Nydiam's union with Ibania is a pilot, and often serves as his sister's proxy for the Cockatrice clan.
- Cecilia Nydiam's youngest daughter is his only child with Lucretia (though she would later be claimed as Sadin's daughter). Cecilia is now an Oshta, married to Octavian, and admiral of the Republic navy.
Accomplishments & Successes
Eagle Clan Leader
Many had expected Clan Leader Eve to leave her throne to the shrewd, calculating Zeysani. But when Eve's love affair with Judanarius began, it was Zeysani who revealed it, thus forcing her mother's hand: she would have to abdicate to marry him, for constitutional reasons. As an act of revenge, Eve named Nydiam as the next Eagle Clan Leader - though his tenure would be short-lived.
Viceroy
After his spell as Eagle Clan Leader, Nydiam did not fade from the public eye. Following Ranivor Vahlgellan's banishment to Caldera City, Nydiam was named as Viceroy of the Republic. This did not last long, as he stepped down in 27AU to take up the Cockatrice medallion.
Cockatrice Clan Leader
Though Nydiam took the throne amid a civil war (see Scandals and Failures, below), he would prove to be a generally successful Clan Leader. It was during his reign that the Cockatrice clan gained its third royal house, the Ista Barun family, from the Bear clan. The Cockatrice remained stable throughout his reign.
The Tower of Obala
In 42AU, Lucretia was kidnapped by the Shamibelians. Despite his premature ageing, Nydiam went to the Ellish frontlines. Here, the Tower of Obala was decimating the Firan army with deadly blue lightning. Nydiam called out a challenge to the tower, calling on his grandfather Zin to draw all the lightning into him, and thus save the army. The tower resisted, but Nydiam continued to call out his challenge. At last, Zin seemed to listen - for the lightning reached Nydiam, and all of its malicious energy was drained into him. He died, and in doing so saved countless lives.
Scandals & Failures
Twins and the Infamous Baby Lottery
In 22 AU, then-Eagle Clan Leader Nydiam's wife Ibania bore him twins. He announced the births of Diamia and Ibina, and his clan rioted. Ibina was killed, Diamia deafened (she would later recover), and Zeysani seriously injured. Furious, Nydiam announced that the Eagle clan would now face incredibly high taxes and an annual baby lottery: each year, a family picked at random would be forced to sacrifice its firstborn child in exchange for Nydiam's loss. The Eagle Civil War broke out, and ended with Zeysani capturing Nydiam and bringing him to her in chains. She took the Eagle medallion, and Nydiam's spell as Clan Leader was over.
Stealing the Ferry
During his first divorce from Ibania, Nydiam and his half-brother Quonasi drunkenly stole the Sarkaran ferry; he would later claim that his intention was to visit an old friend in Lurashar. Both he and Quonasi said they had seen a mermaid on their trip. In honour of their father's behaviour, Nydiam's children commandeered a Vrelander battleship after his death, and it was on this that his funeral took place.
Cockatrice Civil War
Nydiam's ex-wife Ibania had long been proxy for the Cockatrice clan. In 27AU, she made a speech announcing that her father Bannos was dead, and that she was Clan Leader. The public reaction was poor, and Ibania attempted to retract her words, claiming that they had been a test. The Clan Council decided that Ibania was unfit to rule, and Nydiam - who was a descendant of the old Cockatrice Royal Family, which had nearly been wiped out by Kenirikas - should be proxy instead.
But a man claiming to be the son of Kenirikas tried to claim the throne, and Nydiam retaliated by proclaiming himself Clan Leader. The Cockatrice Civil War followed and, with the clan weakened and fighting a three-way battle among itself, the Bears and Gold Dragons invaded, allegedly to restore order. The Bears took Nelabam, the Dragons Sarkaran, and Ibania herself was captured. But Nydiam escaped, and was eventually declared to be Clan Leader - though the Bears, out of respect for the Heroes, did not officially acknowledge him as such for some time. Nydiam's reign would always cause grumbling with the faction of the clan loyal to the Istabannos line, but his daughter Diamia taking the medallion would unify the two bloodlines.
Cockatrice Starvation
During Nydiam's tenure as Cockatrice Clan Leader, one year the clan's needs were not met, and the people began to starve. However, it was later established that his proxy, Junia Didoron, was deliberately starving the people. She was executed by self-administered poison for this crime, and also for allegedly poisoning her husband. Nydiam's reptutation was not overly tarnished by the incident.
Twin Magic
All his life, Nydiam and Zeysani were spoken of in whispers because of their status as twins. The extent of the bond they shared will never be known. What is known, though, is that when Zeysani was killed in 33AU, Nydiam was left suddenly and inexplicably an old man, withered by age. While his mind remained as sharp as ever, he had the appearance of a much older man, which he retained for the rest of his days.
Miscellany
Habits
- Drinking. A lot.
- Spontaneous Decisions (see Nydiam's Deck of Many Things)
