Queen Arafdalia of Mazur

Queen Arafdalia of Mazur

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History

  Arafdalia was born in the heart of the incandescent caverns of Mazur, in 1294 New Era, daughter of King Zarhaz and Queen Mother Fridia. Her egg was laid and guarded in the Botròs, the sacred volcanic crypts where young Aj'Snaga undergo their first moult. From the moment of her birth, she was considered special: for three days, the thermal waters boiled with unusual force, and the Kathartai interpreted this phenomenon as a sign from the Ancestors.   The future queen's childhood was marked by a strict education, imposed by her mother Fridia. She studied diplomacy, religious rituals, military strategy, and rhetoric, but above all, she excelled in the art of war: she was already wielding the spear and gladius with skill at the age of twelve, impressing even the veterans of the Scale Phalanx.   Fate tested her when she was just sixteen. Mazur was shaken by the Revolt of the Scaleless (1305 N.E.), an uprising of slaves and paupers that ravaged the outlying neighborhoods. Many nobles and generals argued, but Arafdalia did not hesitate. She demanded to lead a sortie against the rebels and, with the Phalanx, assaulted the Tarmid Gate. Wielding the Thyssarion, the royal family's hereditary blade, for the first time, she led the charge that broke the rebels' ranks.   The victory turned into a lesson in terror: she ordered the rebel leaders burned alive with the Flames of the Elder Blood in full view of the entire city. From that day on, she was called Daughter of the Flames. Her fame already made her a symbol of authority and ruthlessness, far more so than her older sister Zarash, the official heir to the throne.   But fate turned in her favor again: Zarash died two years later, lost on a naval expedition in the Sea of Tritons, and the young princess became the sole heir. When King Zarhaz died suddenly in 1312 N.E.—officially from illness, but many suspect poisoning orchestrated by internal factions—Arafdalia ascended the throne.   Now, in 1314 N.E., Queen Arafdalia is a young, determined, and ambitious ruler, already feared and respected both within and beyond the walls of Mazur.  

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Character and Personality

Queen Arafdalia fully embodies the dual nature of the Aj'Snaga: icy and rational, yet capable of sudden outbursts of fury. She is a careful and patient strategist, knowing how to wait for the right moment to strike. However, beneath her apparent calm lies an unyielding and cruel will.   Her character is shaped by three fundamental principles:   1. Discipline – Arafdalia considers weakness an unacceptable flaw. She demands perfection from her soldiers and advisors.
2. Purity of Blood – She is convinced of the absolute superiority of the Aj'Snaga lineage and strongly supports the rituals of the Sanctuary of the Pure Bloodline.
3. Ambition – She is not content to simply rule Mazur: she dreams of extending her people's dominion outside the D'Hroha Peninsula and, in the future, beyond the seas.
  Despite her harshness, she is not without charm. She is skilled in diplomacy and seduction, and can bend her interlocutors with both a smile and a threat. Her presence is magnetic: a determination burns in her eyes that no one can ignore.  

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Relationships and Conflicts

 

Queen Mother Fridia: Her mother and chief advisor. Their relationship is ambivalent: on the one hand, Arafdalia deeply respects her, on the other, she seeks to free herself from her shadow, building her own personal power.

Lady Voluptia: A close friend and confidante, but also a suspect in the eyes of many. Some say she is the only person who can influence the queen's decisions, though no one dares speak of it openly.

Dikomenos: The wealthy slave trader. He is a powerful ally, supplying the Krataion and the Doulos Machia with the gladiators who fuel the games, but the queen keeps a close eye on him. She knows his influence among the masses can become dangerous.

Makysis, the Hoplomachos: Master of the games and a corrupt man. Despite tolerating his weaknesses, Arafdalia keeps him in his position because gladiatorial games are an effective tool of social control.

Among his open conflicts is especially that with internal factions of the nobility, divided between those who support his militarism and those who fear that his campaigns of conquest could destabilize the economy and trade.  

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Abilities and Powers

Arafdalia is a fearsome warrior. She trains daily and has never lost her habit of fighting. She is a master of the aj'snaga spear and curved gladius, as well as a skilled strategist.   On a darker level, the queen is said to possess the "Gift of the Red Scales", an ability passed down through her lineage that allows her to resist fire and bend it partially to her will allowing her to use the Flames of the Elder Blood. Some swear they saw her, during the Scaleless Revolt, engulf herself in flames without sustaining any injury.   Beyond combat and her innate powers, she is a skilled orator, capable of inflaming crowds with solemn and terrifying speeches, promising glory or destruction depending on the audience.  

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Possessed Items

Thyssarion – The royal family's ceremonial sword, forged from molten Botros basalt. Not just a weapon, but a symbol of legitimacy: whoever wields the Thyssarion is the ruler of Mazur.

Crown of Bright Scales – An ivory crown crafted from the ivory heads of the gulf, set with luminous crystals.

Cloak of Brum'thar – Woven from the hides of the great reptiles of the Sea of Moving Ice, blackened with Black Amber oils, resistant to fire and nearly impenetrable to blades.

Sigil of the Eternal Flame – A signet ring that holds a fragment of the Flames of the Elder Blood, capable of burning forever.

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Conclusion

  Queen Arafdalia is a young but already legendary figure. Her rise to the throne, forged in the blood of the Scaleless Revolt, cements her as a feared and respected ruler. Her ambitions for conquest make her as dangerous to external enemies as to her own subjects. Her story has only just begun, but her name is already seared into Mazur's memory: the Daughter of Flame, the Queen destined to bend the world to the will of the Aj'Snaga.