Gray Years

From Almeopedia

The Gray Years (Ver. zonî grisî [ˈzo nI ˈgri sI]) were the 43-year reigns of Verduria's wizard kings.

Rise to power

Gray Years
3198-3221	Utu
3221-3241	Utu-On

Utu was a court magician for the last Soley king, Alunařo. Magic is real on Almea, but it is not a matter of reproducible paraphysical laws; it involves dealing with shadowy Powers who are definitely the magician's masters and not his servants. Many a magician has desired worldly success, but this is rarely on the Powers' agenda. Still, magic can be useful enough that rulers often keep a magician on the payroll. Like most magicians, Utu was disliked and feared, but he seems to have won Alunařo's confidence with favors and counsel.

In 3198 he murdered his lord and took over the kingdom. Reports on the takeover emphasize Utu's terror: he killed any who opposed him, had monsters and demons as allies, was impermeable to attack, could read his enemies' minds. We must discount much of this as feverish excuses from those who should have resisted but did not. The soberest accounts suggest that supernatural events were almost entirely confined to a period of several days and to Alunařo's palace; once people were convinced that Utu could not be attacked, most people didn't try, and those who did could be contained by more ordinary means. Utu began developing an effective secret police, for instance, even before he seized power; key opponents simply disappeared. And once his power was secure, he had the army to help maintain it. Utu famously wore a simple-looking cloak that deflected blades, and was said to be able to become invisible when he wished.

The wizard kings

Utu took a great interest in certain economic endeavors, gathering or purchasing enormous quantities of certain minerals, plants, and chemicals, to say nothing of gold and silver. All this seemed to be at the command of the Powers. Nothing visible came of it, and it isn't known whether the Powers consumed these resources directly, or if they were pursuing some project which they and Utu were unable to complete. Several elcari later reported in fact that Utu had been "defeated", and hinted that they had had a hand in this; but they could not explain just what this meant.

Utu had a taste for personal luxury, and enjoyed exercising power for its own sake. The most spectacular instance of this was his razing of the central city, forming the Mažtan-lagana as an extensive park about his palace (now the Mažtansäte or city hall).

When Utu died, his chief minister Čagu succeeded him; he was so like his master that he was and is known as Utu-On, “Utu again”.

The wizards had little interest in the remoter provinces, and during their reigns Verduria lost Western Wild, Célenor, Ctésifon, Krasnaya, and Vimínia. The Gray Years also allowed Kebri to gain a leg up on ocean trade, and Érenat to advance in technology, notably by the invention of printing.

The fall

The wizards did not abolish the Esčambra, but Utu only called it when he wished to raise taxes, and Utu-On never convened it at all. They allowed the Mažtan-Kal or City Forum to continue-- mere city politics was beneath them. This proved a mistake when the leader of the forum, Tomao beom Arostrana, moved from criticism of the wizard king to veiled calls for civil disobedience.

In 3241 Utu-On had Tomao arrested, and decided (rather than executing him, as most rebels were) to make an example of him. Tomao had the opportunity to speak in court, and roused the crowded courtroom into riot; he was freed, and then approached by the commander of Arcaln, Anglavo, offering his support.

Once the power of fear was lost, Utu-On proved unable to mount any defense. Arcaln had magical defenses which Utu-On could not overcome; Tomao summoned the Esčambra there, and it proclaimed him king. He led the army out of Arcaln, intending to join up with the garrison of Pelym; but the streets were so packed that the Pelym garrison reached him first. The army and the citizens stormed the king's palace, and within ten minutes the last wizard king was dead. His body was dragged through the streets, to great cheering, though this unfortunately made it impossible to determine exactly how he had died.

Preceded by: Soley d.

Gray Years. 3198-3241

Succeeded by: Eleďe d.