Antoinette

The 120th year since her grace the Lightweaver allowed the creation of the Light Fort in the Beacon of the Radiant Eye, was one of great celebration. It was the day of the crowning of Antoinette Sungaze the First, a moment of elation for the population who bathed in the numerous blessing of their deity. Antoinette was seen from her very birth as yet another sign of the Lightweaver’s favor for her eyes shined of the purest and brightest of all light. Stories from her infancy portrayed her as a miracle child whose intellect was well beyond her years and shined new insight in the mysteries of the world. As a princess she was celebrated as responsible for the victory of the Light Fort armies when enemy legions from the Ashfall Waste, jealous of the prosperity and science of the Lightweaver servants, launched a full scale assault upon the Beacon of the Radiant Eye; her brilliant intellect and foresight being credited for the trap in which the forces of the Flamecaller were destroyed. Later, it was also said that her eyes were the only ones capable of piercing the mysterious magical runes that kept a hidden vault filled with ancient scrolls. In addition to those stories supported officially by the ruling dynasty, other folk stories of miraculous healing and banishment of Shades spread. When her dying father named her his successor, the crowd amassed to assist to her crowning was the largest ever seen, clearly this was a glorious day!

Alas, where there is light there is also shadow and the greater is the former, the longer are the later. Behind the official stories told about the fair and blessed Antoinette was hiding a terrible secret. While her intellect was certainly remarkable and her knowledge of ancient magic was certainly great, one thing surpassed them both, a sick and pervert desire for adoration and for standing in the radiant light of fame. All of her accomplishment were not made for the benefit of her country and her subject but strictly for her desire to be seen as an almost messianic figure. Behind close doors, Antoinette was a capricious and vengeful creature lashing out at any of her servant or family member who made her look less then absolutely perfect. She was also fearful for her position as favored of her father and heir apparent to the crown, a position that she defended viciously by using and molding the public opinion to suit her needs. The stories of her triumphs were embellished if not produced out of thin air while that of her rivals suffered from the opposite treatment. While she did participate to the strategical meetings of the Light Fort forces during the war, she wasn’t the one to propose the ambush plan, but only defended it before other generals and nobles. She required the help of a dragon from the Starfall Ilse to break the spells guarding the vault and never faced a Shade or anything close to this dangerous in her life. The adulated queen-to-be was a fraud.

Sovereign exaggerating their skills and importance isn’t that of an uncommon occurrence even in the land of the Lightweaver and such an offense can be forgiven should the culprit at least shows a modicum amount of restrain and still provide sound governance to his or her people. Antoinette would not go down in the history of the Sunbeam Ruin simply as a fraud, but as the queen who would betray her own country. The lust of Antoinette for admiration and fame made her vulnerable to the vice of greed and jealousy. In the 126th year after the founding of her clan, Antoinette broke her alliance with two neighboring clan officially after these clans refused to renew vows of military assistance in case of a further invasion from the Fire Flight. Of course, what was hidden from the population was the fact Antoinette refused to pay her fair share in the defense effort and was taking umbrage over the refusal of a prince to marry her. Simultaneously, her capricious behavior drew the ire of peace representative from the Fire Flight who were there to negotiate a settlement over the last war. She went as far as to mock their defeat and hinted at further conflict should they not acquiesce to her demand. She had promised her people far too much to announce them a simply “fair” settlement. While she did extract a victory there, it would pave the way to her downfall as many clans of the Ashfall Waste decided to gather forces and prepare for war.

While her egoism was weakening her country on the international scene, it was also putting a strain in internal matters. Her court spending’s were notoriously high and with fewer allies and friends within the Sunbeam Ruin and abroad, riches didn’t flow in her coffers as they used too. When raids started and with no military assistance, Antoinette was forced to raise taxes and impose conscription, never would she bow and apologise to her former allies to get their help and even less would she extend an olive branch to the Fire Flight. When her people pressed her to rescind her orders and seek other solution, she refused. When clamor started to rise and riots ensued, she took it as a personal insult and a sign of disloyalty. She ordered her guards to supress dissent and arrest the naysayers. Several of her subject were killed because of this which resulted in turning her remaining allies against her. Antoinette was branded as a mad queen and a traitor for having ordered her troop to assault her own subject.

In 129, a scant nine years after her crowning, Antoinette Sungaze had to flee her own country. Her neighbours barred their doors to her and her scant few followers and she was forced to seek refuge, by twist of fate, into the Ashfall Waste. It’s a miracle the treasonous queen managed to survive her exile without falling prey to the blade of some assassin or to marauders. She managed to find her way to the Cinder Marsh where her infamy was yet to be known. There she found a refuge and an occasion to return to power for there lived the Brimstone Alchemist, famed smiths and weapon makers. She was also not the first sovereign without land to arrive there. Knowing she had no troops at her disposal, she entered the exiled court of queen Skara in the hope to gain her trust and steal her troops from under her nose to reclaim both her land and steal that of her benefactor as a “compensation” for what she had to endure.