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Note: I made a Mage out of the priests, because Terra Pagoda doesn't have priests. I hope that's okay.

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(35) King: Mordecai Chester Homeros Caspar “The Defender" (they don't call him King Mordecai the Defender, but only speak of him as The Defender)
(27) Queen: Salacia Mirabel Vianne
(10) Princess: Bellona Viviana Morgaine
(8) Crown Prince: Solon Morpheus Brynmor Emory Morcant
(5) Prince: Mordecai Homeros Andor
(3) Princess: Salome Isobel Morana
(nb) Prince: Isador Erastus Morpheus (died at one month old)

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The Royal House of Tyrian
In the Kingdom of Terra Pagoda

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Written form Mordecai's perspective

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The war is done for now and I have an heir. The people are starting to rebuild their homes and the Lords are rebuilding their keeps and cities. It looks like we are entering the first quiet period of my reign. I consider myself fortunate as my Father only had 5 quiet years when he was King. 5 quiet years out of 31. I am only now beginning to understand how tired he must have been.

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I told Salacia that I wanted to have another son with her as soon as possible. I am a fourth son myself and I sit the throne now, so of all people I should know that having one son is not enough.

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*three years later*

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General Andor keeps on warning me that our enemies will soon have regained their strength and he thinks we should be expecting them on our doorstep within a year or two. He suggests that we can take the fight to their doorstep instead. But he and I know we cannot do that. We do not have sufficient ships to transport our army to their lands, and if we were attacked before reaching land, we were doomed. There was also the danger from the people from the North. If we moved our army, they were sure to attack. Following his council I decided to have more ships built and more crew trained, so if the people from overseas attacked again, we could hold them off on the waters and shore line, and they wouldn't penetrate our lands as much as previously.

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I am very relieved that I finally have a second son. Salacia would not become pregnant for two years, even though we tried. She insisted he would be named after me. I like the idea and named him Mordecai Homeros Andor. I felt I should honour the General as well, for without him I do not think I would have a Kingdom to rule.

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My eldest son is now 3 years old. I am glad to see he is a strong and clever child. He will need both strength and wit to rule one day. I can barely wait for him to grow old enough to start weapons training; I think he will do well at that.

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*two years later*

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The plague has spread once again. The Healers had assured me it was dying out, but now it has hit the south as well. There seems to be no fighting this. The Healers cannot stop it. I cannot stop it. But I need to stay strong, the Kingdom cannot have a King in despair, so I will meet with my council again and discuss options.

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Salacia is too fearful and too gullible. She fears for the life of our new daughter and of the other children, which I expect a mother to do, but as a Queen she shouldn't show this so much. It makes the people afraid. She has called in a Mage and now the man has told her that she should have another child and name the babe with the initials I.E.M. and the plague would go away. Although I would like to try for another son, I don't think a Queen should take advice from a man such as he is. And as for his advice: judging from the way this plague is spreading we'll all likely be dead before she has another child or the plague will have stopped on its own accord by then. But my sweet gullible Sally is determined to do as the Mage says.

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*two years later*

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The plague is still raging the lands. Our population is now down to half of what it used to be. Almost everyone who gets this plague dies from it. Only one in 50 seems to survive it. Our enemies are scared off by this plague as well, which is a good thing since General Andor has taken ill too. I have sent him my own Healer, but I expect him to perish soon. Being King will become even more lonely for me after that.

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Sally is almost due with the child the Mage told her to have. Even though I don't think I should, I find myself hoping there was truth is his words...

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The scroll on my table looks exactly like the one that brought the news of the death of my Father and Brother. Only the seal is different. General Andor's seal. I pick up the scroll and break the wax. Even the wax feels the same. The massage is not much different either. The General is dead. My instructor in the ways of battle, my advisor in dark times, the only one who would dare say "No" to me when I made a bad decision, the only one I could truly trust, my dear friend. Gone.

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Sally has given me another son. I cannot bring myself to even smile at that. I let her name him, and only said I wanted the M to be for Morpheus. I could use my Father's support right now. My councilors bore me. They don't know what to do about this plague no more than I. Were trying to isolate the plague now, and all goings between villages and castles are forbidden now. Only soldiers will be on the roads, to kill anyone who disobeys this order and carrying goods and messages where others aren't allowed to go anymore.

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The plague seems to be subsiding a little with the new measures. But the plague is getting too close. My Sally complained of severe headaches and muscle pains. I fear for her. This is how they say the plague starts. I asked my Healer to keep her in a room to herself and asked her not to let the children near her until she is well.

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The Queen is gravely ill. She does have the plague and I have tried my best to keep her isolated, since that is the only thing that can be done with this disease. I should have kept a better eye on my daughter though. Bellona had gone and visited her mother without me knowing about it. Sally had asked to bring her the baby and she did. Now the baby has gotten ill as well and I'm keeping Bellona separated until I know for sure that there's nothing wrong with her.

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The plague seems to be settling. In all the places the plague has died down, there have been no new reports of it flaring up again. In some villages everyone died. I have ordered to have those burned, so that if the plague lingers there, it won't spread. I also ordered all the bodies to be burned before burying them. I don't want to take chances. The losses have been far too great already. Only one third of my people survived. Even some Lords are gone with their entire household. The army has sustained great losses too. I will need to appoint a new General to take the place of Andor. But no one seems a strong enough man to fill the void he left. My newborn son is gone as well, but I'm happy my wife survived. I don't know what I would have done with the children is she had gone too.

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Our army has weakened and if our enemies form overseas should attack, there is little we could do to stop them in the state we are in. I am hoping that the fear of the plague will hold them off for a little longer. We need more allies. I'm think to find a fiancé for Bellona. Being the eldest child of a king should secure her a good match. Her beauty and grace will help as well.

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This message was edited 8/24/2009, 2:47 PM