The Legend of Queen Andra's Necklace

Queen Andra's necklace was a rectangle of red cinnabar carved with three layers of flames. Legend says that the necklace was magical and could conjure flames that did not need fuel. It occasionally even gave the queen prophetic dreams, which is said to have driven her insane.

Summary

Legend says that Queen Andra was given her Cinnabar necklace by the King Ahti of the Mer when she was a toddler and was taught to use the charm's magic by her Faerie nurse. Throughout her life, she could often be seen lighting candles and kindling fires with the magic from her necklace. As an adult, she used the stone's magic to protect her from assassination attempts and gave it to her son when he was born. During the last years of her reign, she was betrayed by the Merpeople and was wary of the necklace and its power. Leading up to her disappearance she became more and more worried about the dangers from the Merpeople and the necklace. She always had the necklace with her and stopped nearly all trade that entered or exited the city through the sea. The legends don't agree on why the Queen disappeared. Some variations say that she was kidnapped by the Merpeople. Others say that she fled the city after being blackmailed. A few say that the queen filled with worry and fear went mad and was removed from office to prevent a public scandal. These tales say that she lived out the rest of her life in a castle in the country. What the legends do agree on is the disappearance of the queen's magical necklace. They say that it was buried with her in an unmarked grave. No one is sure where this grave is or if the necklace was even real.

Historical Basis

Although the existence of the necklace can not be verified, Queen Andra is a known historical character. She ruled for 24 years before disappearing in 462 AvGa. She was succeeded by her son, King Sorin, who made sure that his mother's legacy was not forgotten and commissioned a biography to be written about her. Although the biography was completed the only copy was buried with the young king at his death, causing the common narrative to come from the tale that has been handed down by oral tradition.