The Reign of Scias The False

Political event

The scheme, rise, and fall of Scias, the false Keeper of Lothia.

Scias Bilmikin was born of noble blood to a family of aristocrats within the bloodline of the fabled Keepers of Lothia. However, Scias's blood was not noble enough - as his distant cousin, Reynis Theliel, was the true heir to the throne. Having always had aspirations for power and visions of grandeur, he could not accept this fate to be true.   As a young man, Scias chose to study the arts of casting Essence magics, which his father allowed; after all, the throne would need use of a great mage some day if these times of peace were to come to an end.   On the first day of the second month of Reverie in the 5927th year after The Severance, an apparent unfortunate disaster struck Varok. A well trained group of bandits had infiltrated the Varok palace in the night and slain the royal family. Having somehow snuck past all of Varok's guards as well as the magical wards on the Keep, the bandits ransacked much of the royal family's quarters before alerting any attention.   Once found, these ruffians were attacked and pursued by the royal guard and by advisors to the Keeper. Many guards were slain and some of the intruders fell as well, however most escaped with their lives and heirlooms to the Keeper's family. Unfortunately, however, the Keeper and his family were lost to The Corvus Queen and the only surviving member of the royal family, Scias, accepted his duty to take the throne.   Investigations were made, but none found any further information on the group that had slain the Keeper and his family, save for the information that was left on the corpses of the fallen bandits. These were the Red Sun's Scar, a group of skilled and organized mercenaries who wouldn't lift a finger for all of Thoroth without being shown coin first. They were impossible to contact, and even more difficult to find.   With this, Scias now ruled Lothia and sat in the seat of a once great man. As Keeper, Scias knew his title would protect him from others who might seek to usurp his throne or challenge his rule. The honor of Keeper was bestowed as a birthright by the gods to the royal family, meaning anyone to challenge this and kill a Keeper would be subject to great punishment from the gods.   And so life went on for the great city of Varok. Freedoms would be restricted, as more and more legislation was enforced on the populous and less and less "freelance" work was allowed. Instead, crafts were being turned over to be under the Keeper's domain; no longer would unsanctioned works be allowed. Hunters, detectives, soldiers, and even librarians would be forced into joining the growing militia in the city so that all laws would be strictly enforced and all producing citizens would be watched carefully.   As the months droned on in the wake of Scias's rise to power, curfews would be implemented and enforced as rumors spread of a terrifying winged mass that patrols the skies at night, preying on those foolish and unfortunate enough to be out past curfew. Many in the city believe this to be a corrupted bastardization of the black Rocs that, according to legend, have historically protected Varok.