Eutropia
17 Calistril, 4719
My dear charlatans, traitors, backstabbers, vipers, and other colleagues,
I arrived in Oppara on the ninth, to try and find what had befallen our mumble-tongued coreligionists. Some dedicated snooping revealed that the Brotherhood of Silence had committed the grave error of getting involved in local politics. (Yes, I am aware of the irony.) Since it doesn’t seem like the Brotherhood is going to get out of its defensive crouch anytime soon, I’ve spent my time putting together a dossier on the cause of their problems, Grand Princess Eutropia Stavian. If nothing else, it might keep us from making the same mistakes in Absalom.
Let’s begin with the mundane details. Eutropia is the eldest daughter of the previous ruler, Grand Prince Stavian III, born in 4679 AR. Her brother, Carrius II, is born two years later, and their mother dies shortly thereafter. Nevertheless, her childhood seems happy enough. In 4698 AR, a teenage Carrius dies in an unfortunate accident, and Eutropia breaks with her father. She spends the next decade as a troublemaker and intellectual gadfly. In her thirties, Eutropia settles down into a somewhat more socially acceptable role as dedicated opposition to Stavian’s rule. Last year, Eutropia finally pushed a law through the Taldan Senate which repealed agnatic primogeniture and made her the rightful heir.
Whereupon Stavian III launched a royal coup.
I won’t go into the details of the Taldan War for the Crown, save that it was complicated, multifaceted, occasionally bloody, and that Eutropia won. Two key points, however. First, some bizarre minor cult managed to resurrect the late Carrius II. Then, toward the end of the crisis, our coreligionist Rhien secretly murdered Eutropia on the orders of some secret society or other, which led to Carrius II briefly ruling Taldor. Eutropia’s agents managed to resurrect her, Carrius stepped down, and Eutropia became grand princess; public opinion is that she faked her death. Their skepticism is unsurprising, given Eutropia seems to have weathered her own homicide without so much as a chipped nail or ruffled feather. Really, the agents even resurrected the dog that Rhien killed during the assassination (named Taldogis, on which I have no comment), so as to magically question the poor canine. I am gravely disappointed in the quality of assassination in this country.
Which brings us to today. Eutropia is the newly minted grand princess, the first woman on the Taldan throne, with her younger brother Carrius II at her side, as well as her faithful Taldogis.
Last night, I weaseled my way into a royal salon and managed to speak with Eutropia for about an hour before Lady Gloriana Morilla recognized me and I had to escape the Ulfen Guard by way of a dumbwaiter. Eutropia is a canny politician and a dedicated Taldan patriot, but underneath I found her rather melancholy. Her brother’s death and subsequent resurrection, her father’s dementia, and her own struggles for the throne weigh on her, and though things seem to be on the upturn, I suspect she’s still waiting for fate’s next blow to fall. The only time she seemed truly happy was when speaking of her catch-dog, or talking about sport fencing, during which she betrayed a downright impish sense of humor.
With regards to politics, Eutropia is a moderate reformer. She won the throne by carefully maneuvering between rival powers, sometimes displaying honest compassion, sometimes brutal efficiency, and sometimes level-headed practicality. For the moment, she’s been putting Taldor’s financial house in order, working to root out corruption, and installing loyal and competent agents in positions of power—all necessary but tedious tasks. In terms of tactics, Eutropia has a marked preference for soft power and using discreet groups of agents, and I’ve already heard her called the Queen of Spies.
Among her allies, Eutropia counts Ladies Martella Lotheed (part-Qadiran scion of the ancient Lotheed family) and Gloriana Morilla (of the Absalom Morillas and with connections to the Pathfinder Society) as her closest confidantes. Dominicus Rell, the leader of the Lion Blades, continues to serve Eutropia as he did her father, and acts as her liaison to the more recalcitrant nobles. Dominicus seems distressingly loyal to the nation of Taldor, though his struggles with Eutropia over who ultimately has control over the other are quite fascinating to watch.
Unfortunately, not everyone is so fond of her. Oppara has enough conspiracies that even the underground mithraeums have scheduling issues, and several of these are less than benign. The Cult of the Twilight Child worships Carrius as Taldor’s savior, regardless of the poor youth’s ideas on the matter, and several old allies of former High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus have formed a semisecret pact in the military known as the Ninth Army. I’ve also heard rumors of some severe issues relating to foreign investments, which sounds dreadfully dull until you realize just how much money is involved. Most curious, graffiti depicting a three-headed crow has been popping up all over Oppara, to the confusion of most and the abject terror of a few.
Finally, after the recent troubles, the question of succession is never far from people’s minds. Eutropia is unmarried and seems inclined to remain so. Her brother Carrius is her heir; nearly twenty years younger by quirk of magic and known for his gentle and thoughtful personality, the youth is presently the most eligible bachelor in the Inner Sea region. Oppara is positively swarming with pretty girls (and boys) with sterling political connections and impressive dowries. The sight is endlessly amusing, but not all the hopefuls are inclined to leave such a thing to chance—or to Carrius.
Since taking the throne, Eutropia has sent emissaries of friendship to all her neighbors, including Andoran’s Andira Marusek, Galt’s Camilia Drannoch, and Kyonin’s Telandia Edasseril, with mixed success; Taldor’s history as the regional hegemon keeps relations from getting too cozy. She’s also been negotiating a new trade pact with Katapesh’s Hashim ibn Sayyid and has lent quiet support to Lady Darchana’s efforts to become primarch of Absalom. Relations with Satrap Xerbystes II of Qadira are a bit thornier; rumor has it that there were a few exchanges of assassins and agents before Xerbystes was forced to pull his horns in by his vizier.
Ultimately, I like Eutropia. She has the instincts of a Norgorberite, though I doubt she’d appreciate the compliment. Regardless, we can expect little help with our own problems from our coreligionists, so I shall be sailing back home with the next tide.
Your disobedient servant,
S. Maleagant
Senior Priest-Advocate of the Court of Black Paper
—Samel Maleagant
Comments