Taskus the Maudlin
A famously depressed Overlord of Gorathia. He was perpetually miserable, whether because of defeat or illness or general ill-luck that fortunately only extended as far as his personal life. His career as overlord proved him a compassionate, powerful leader who was beloved by the people. An unfortunate side effect of this love was that his perpetual depression affected them a great deal.
They tried everything to cheer him up. Festivals were enacted and discarded, surprise gifts arrived at the Castle every other day, and a high percentage of the gross domestic income was spent on items found in joke catalogs and in jesters’ fees. Taskus smiled bravely, but could never muster a long-lasting form of cheerfulness or happiness.
Drastic measures were called for. Or at least, this was what the Gorathians believed. While the citizens of other, more ordinary countries might assume that medication, a psychiatrist or perhaps simply a vacation would help, the Gorathians went straight to the traditional means of drastic change in the Overlord world: they staged a dramatic attack.
If only they had thought it through a bit better. Hiring a group of heroes to storm the castle without causing a great deal of damage, or conquering a neighboring village and bringing the tribute to Taskus, both of these options are not outside the bounds of reasonable behavior. Instead, the Gorathians went to the trouble of hunting down a dragon tamer, which is a highly illegal profession, and then paid this questionable individual to send one of his dragons against the castle in order to be defeated by Taskus.
The dragon attacked on schedule and, in what was predictable enough to qualify as scheduled, broke free from his restraints. Two villages were destroyed, and the only thing that saved the lives of the inhabitants was the fact that they all knew about the dragon attack and had invested in high-quality flame-retardant gear. The battle to stop the dragon took six days and thirteen hours.
Ironically enough, the dragon attack, while ill-advised and causing long-lasting damage to the countryside, did do exactly what it was supposed to do. It cheered Taskus up. With his people under attack from a malicious force of nature, he left his castle and did ferocious battle. While the initial attack might have been staged, Taskus’ skill in battle against it was not.
When it was all over, the original masterminds of the foolish plot confessed to it. The resulting explosion of anger on Taskus’ part is credited with conquering his depression for good.
Previously Held Ranks & Titles
Children
Comments