Hey there Scribes! Long-time, no write! Sorry for the lack of activity here. With the holidays, things just got crazy! But, we are here with another story for you today! Jarrad came to us with a campaign idea he had floating around in his head. But, he needed help coming up with a backstory for the current ruler of the land. She was someone who was working with mysterious forces to keep the rebels of the land at bay. There needed to be clues and rumors about who they truly were so the story could progress. So, we took his idea and came up with the Scarlet Queen. Let us know what you think!
Anastasia Drage was born in the lower slums to a family that was extremely poor. Although they loved their daughter dearly, she eventually became another mouth to feed. With a heavy heart, the parents came to the current King and Queen of the land, The Godredson Family. They struck a deal with the current King and Queen; their daughter was to be sold to them as a servant for her life in exchange for enough money to pay off their debts and feed the two-person family for a year. Although they were upset, they agreed, knowing their daughter would have a better life than them. This was a common occurrence in this town due to the massive divide between the rich and the poor.
Anastasia grew up in a section of the massive castle where she was cared for, fed, and loved by a surrogate mother who happened to be a servant as well. The servants of the King and Queen had their own section of the castle that included housing, schooling and all their needs met. They even got paid monthly for their services and were free to roam the city as they please. Once Anastasia and the other children turned 5, they began their servant duties while studying in homeschool. It was small things like washing fruit for dinner or cleaning some rooms. The Queen took a particular liking to Anastasia due to her appearance. She has natural crimson hair and large vivid hazel eyes with snowy skin that had no blemishes. The prettiest of the children who were sold to become servants became personal servants to the Princesses and Queen of the family.
As she grew, Anastasia became close to the Princesses and the Queen. They would never be seen around the castle without Anastasia in tow. The older she became, the more beautiful she became. The many noblemen of the city lusted over her, always finding excuses to even catch glimpses of her. The King, Fonati Godredson, even lusted over her as well. He would purposely catch her alone doing the dishes or the laundry. He was extremely nice to her, giving her extra pay or really nice pillows to sleep on. Over time, the two fell in love but worked hard to keep it under wraps. A few weeks after Anastasia's 20th birthday, she found out she was pregnant with the King’s child. Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the servant’s housing and the Princesses found out, who told Willa Godredson, the Queen.
She went into a furious rampage and locked Anastasia in the castle’s dungeon to try and hide the child. Her treatment went from the best of the best to the worst. The King secretly came to see her at night but the visits became sparse. The child was born during a terrible storm in the middle of the night. Anastasia gave birth to a beautiful son. Before she could even name him or enjoy her son, some royal knights came down and snatched him away. The royal knights whisked her away, deep into the woods. They were ordered by the Queen to be executed to get rid of the stain she had left on the Godredson family.
With no way out, Anastasia knew her death was coming. No one was coming to save her and she would never see her lovely son again. She closed her eyes and accepted her fate. But, she heard a noise she never expected. The knights were fighting with someone. With a surprise attack, the person managed to knock out and even kill some of the royal knights. The figure was cloaked in robes, the night hiding their face. They reached a hand down to the woman and helped her to her feet. "Come with me," the man spoke in a gruff voice. Not having any other option, she followed.
The figure led her deep into the woods where a small sewer opening was hidden in some brush. They headed into a confusing maze of underground sewers and came to a small door. Once opened, it led to what used to be a massive storage room. In there it seemed like someone had made this room their home with various items around. But, the person living there was not what Anastasia expected.
The cloaked figure kneeled down as a monstrous Beholder came into view. "Your lord, I brought the woman you wished to see," the figure said. The Beholder smiled approvingly and said, "Welcome. I am Meddalsh the Mind Mender."
The Beholder began telling Anastasia his story. Once a human, he craved power unlike anything else. He was tired of being under the heel of the royalty above him. In his anger at the world, he summoned Mystra, the Goddess of Magic. Appalled by the rage she felt in his heart, she came to an agreement. She would give him the power he sought but in return, he has to dwell underground for all his life. Craving nothing but power, he agreed. The Goddess turned him into a Beholder and he was cast to the sewers of the city. There, Meddalsh began honing his magic powers and used them to impose his plans on the world above.
He found out that he could bend the will of people as long as they gave him permission. For years, he was gathering forces of those who lived within the slums of the city. They wanted revenge against the royals and banded with Meddalsh to gain power. He had been watched Anastasia for years and saw how the Queen mistreated her for her own husband's wrongdoing. "So, will you join me?"
Anastasia joined forces with the small army he had gathered. With her permission, she was given powerful magic and scary fighting skill. The small army quickly realized her power and made her the leader of their group. She was then reborn as Adoel the Scarlet Queen. For years, she gathered forces while she came up with a plan to get her revenge.
10 years past and it was finally time for the plan to be put into action. With Meddalsh working underground, the army stormed the castle at night. They wiped out the royal army with a breeze thanks to the power given to them. They held the King and Queen with swords as the army defeated the guards. They instantly recognized who this person is and was scared. They knew she would come for revenge sooner or later. Adoel smirked as she stabbed the King in the stomach. The Queen cried out and begged for her life. "Let the water run a deep scarlet," Adoel whispered to the Queen as she slew her as well. She sent the guards to find her son as she sat on the throne that was now covered in blood, placing a blood-splattered crown on her head.
Julius Godredson was watching this from the shadows. He saw a woman dressed in scarlet and white clothing just kill his mom and dad! Scared for his life, the 10-year-old managed to flee the castle with the help of some of the servants. As he ran in the woods, he vowed to come back when he was strong and get revenge for his family.
Another 10 years had passed and Julius had been working within the shadows of the slums. He was banning together a group of rebels who wanted to overthrow The Scarlet Queen. He became the leader of this group and renamed himself The Broken Crown. He wears a bent and broken crown upon his head, hiding his royal lineage from his followers. The rebels are gaining forces as well as The Scarlet Queen. But eventually, blood would begin to spill as the rebels stood their ground against The Scarlet Queen.
The original idea was given to us by Jarrad Watherston. It was written and edited by us, Bards of Lore! We take no credit in the creation of this world!
I really like this backstory! ❤️