The First Kings Fate
The founder of the nation known as Sciadan and the first king of a proud lineage of kings and queens, though many believe of a far more sinister fate that befell the original king.
Summary
While the original king, King Lysandre Muireach is seen as a great, benevolent ruler who truly cared for his people, his true fate is written differently by certain people, a scribe to one of his descendants describing that a tormented soul spoke to him of Lysandre's true fate, believing the soul to be Lysandre Muireach himself, he spread the word of the supposed true fate of Sciadans Founder.
The scribe spoke of the truth that Lysandre Muireach is in fact Lord Chaffinch himself, having fused with the skeleton lord of misery during their battle for Sciadan. The scribe speaks of two souls within the skeleton lord, one of Chaffinch himself and the other of Lysandre. This is stated to be the reason Chaffinch always sets his gaze upon Sciadan, waging an eternal war, as Lysandre, or what remains of him, longs to rule over Sciadan once more.
Historical Basis
The myth is rooted in the fact that witness accounts of the original battle state that while Sciadan troops and Chaffinch's undead army were locked in combat, Lysandre rushed forward and into Chaffinch's castle alone, taking the battle to the skeleton lord directly. Nobody actually knows what happened within the castle, for it was just Chaffinch and Lysandre inside, however an hour later Chaffinch's undead army became less organized and sloppy, allowing Scaidan to push forward with ease and into the castle, where they found Lysandre and Chaffinch both dead mid combat, having killed each other.
Many believe that Lysandre brought about a Pact to slay Chaffinch, and in doing so fuse their souls, as prior to this event Chaffinch had been seen as an unstoppable force of nature, being killed in only an hour long battle with Lysandre.
The myth holds additional basis in the fact that Chaffinch originally set his conquests on Osteodor, only switching his ire to Sciadan when Lysandre took the battle to him, and has set his gaze upon Sciadan in every one of his resurrections since.
Spread
The myth is known by nearly everyone in Sciadan and Osteodor, with no effort being made from the royalty of either lands to quell the legend.
Variations & Mutation
While the legend usually remains vague, simply stating that after the battle Chaffinch fused part of Lysandre's soul into himself, some variations of the myth take a darker turn, stating that Chaffinch died on that night in 1471 and the skeleton lord who returns every so often is Lysandre utilizing Chaffinch's name for his own darker deeds, saying he wishes to rule Sciadan forever, taking the form of the skeleton lord to do so.
While many other darker variations of the myth exist, they are few and far between however due to the usual positive reception of what sort of leader Lysandre was.
Cultural Reception
The people of Sciadan view the story with honor, seeing the act of sacrificing ones soul for the betterment of the entire nation as one of the most altruistic acts a leader can take, as it means he can never rest peacefully while his soul is actively puppeteered by the skeleton lord. This is especially the case for the Muireach Royal Family, as they view it as a burden, to put their great ancestors soul to rest even for a bit every time Chaffinch decides to rise again.
Some people who reside within Osteodor regard the story with vitriol however, claiming that it is Lysandre's pact that is the reason Chaffinch rises again and again, blaming him for the eternal margraves torment on their land.
In Literature
Some authors within Sciadan have published creative re-tellings of the story, despite there still being no witnesses. The stories speak of Lysandre's great sacrifice of the soul, reaching for a fell Pact that gave him great power at the cost of eternal torment, just for the betterment of Sciadan. Other re-tellings are from the point of view of Lysandre's Royal Guard at the time, fighting countless undead for hours, cleaving through Chaffinch's well trained forces until they felt like giving up, only for the skeleton lord to fall in time and for his armies to scatter.
In Art
A singular painting of the supposed event resides within Muireach Palace in the city of Larc, a painting of Lysandre in his gilded armor on his knees, plunging a blade into Chaffinch while another version of Chaffinch looms above and behind the old king.
Date of First Recording
2011
Date of Setting
1471
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