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Lord Greylord

Also See: The Kings Council

Magic Sword King of The Kingdom of Parsonya, wielder of the Holy Panhandle, master of DragonBone Keep, Lord Silvius Alaren Greylord ruled for a thousand years with wisdom and equanimity, though he was often misjudged and misunderstood by denizens of other realms.

Greylord was tall, lithe, and pale; though by no means introverted he was fairly somber. Indeed, his unremarkable childhood and thorough education made him a perfect ruler for The Kingdom of Parsonya, for he could personally relate with the majority of his subjects.

Though often considered a bit of a "stick in the mud" by other members of The Kings Council, Lord Greylord was actually quite fun-loving by the standards of his people. His dry wit and epic swordfighting abilities were matched only by his deep political wisdom and organizational mastery. It is said that Lord Greylord's manifesto, Furnocracy, was instrumental in the stability of The Magic Sword Kings Period by creating a stable civil service (populated in large measure by Furniliars).

The Life of Lord Greylord

Also known as the Thousand Year King, Greylord was born in Parsonya Castle in -076. It is unknown who his parents were (beyond the fact that they were very minor nobles), but it is suspected that they were minor nobles with grand ambitions. Following the deaths of most of the royal family of The Kingdom of Parsonya to a peculiar illness (the symptoms of which corresponded to a certain blend of exotic poisons), Greylord was elevated from 276th in line for the throne to first just in time for his birth. Being from such a remote branch of the royal family tree, however, he was forbidden to take the title of King and was known only as Lord Greylord. Though he had all the same powers and responsibilities as a King, this seemingly trivial matter of nomenclature was a sore spot for the rest of his life.

At a young age he was sent to study with the Badass Philosophers of what would soon be known as The Land of Thrown Fish. Were it not for a diplomatic visit which introduced him to King Ronard, Lord Greylord may have lived and died uneventfully, ruling a peaceful kingdom as caretaker monarch until someone more Epic could arrive on the scene.

But King Ronard's penchant for adventure drew Lord Greylord in, and soon the two became fast friends. Greylord's careful manner and thoughtful approach to everyday problems made him an excellent foil for the brash but powerful King Ronard. Each Magic Sword King on more than one occasion saved the other's life, and though often consumed with their own personal duties, the two travelled together whenever possible. King Ronard's charisma rubbed off somewhat on Lord Greylord, and in turn some of Lord Greylord's administrative brilliance inspired King Ronard's own ruling efforts. And while Greylord could never quite match Ronard's skill with the blade, with Ronard's help Greylord did become a proficient master of his Holy Panhandle.

Greylord mourned the death of his friend in 583 TMSK, but continued to be a valuable ally to Ronard's line and lent great stability through his continued presence on the The Kings Council, though he never sought the role of High King. During this time he made his most famous "mistake"--Parsonya's full-scale preparation for war against the Invisigoths, a preparation which nearly bankrupted the kingdom. As it turns out, these preparations were not in vain, allowing The Kingdom of Parsonya to maintain independence for 121 years during the Vampyric Wars. While other kingdoms lasted a bit longer, few were so geographically ill-placed or (consequently) so regularly assaulted as Parsonya.

Rumors Surrounding Lord Greylord

Accounts of Greylord's life typically begin in the 27th year of his reign, when he commissioned the forging of a magic sword, The Holy Panhandle. The creation of this sword is celebrated as a turning point in the fortunes of both Lord Greylord and his kingdom. The Holy Panhandle greatly increased his longevity and physical resilience; while it is rumored that the price was a part of his humanity, those close to Greylord dismiss such claims.

His pale skin, thin physique, and somber expression, combined with his unusual longevity, did not make it easy to quell strange rumors outside Parsonya, though within his own kingdom his features and attitude were unremarkable. One story asserts that he often took perverse pleasure in acting as court executioner, personally beheading prisoners. Another claims that he built The Long Road from DragonBone to BashRock purely to ease the transport of the salt known as "natron" to the castle for his own ineffable purposes. The definitive truth regarding each has not been canonically disclosed (but of course has been thoroughly explored in much Fan Fiction).

It is known that King Ronard was much more upset by the negative rumors than Greylord himself, and would personally injure anyone he heard repeating the tales. Even so, there is scarcely a bard in all of Battal who has not in his repertoire at least a few songs concerning Lord Greylord; favourites include “Greylord Rode to Mandleclang One Dark and Brooding Night”, “Twas All in Vain ‘gainst Vhadxi” and “The Thousand Year King Done Stole My Yellow Basket.”

Greylord's idiosyncrasies were further compounded when, working non-stop and without sleep for 85 days, he drew up minutely detailed plans for a gigantic citadel with Parsonya Castle at its centre, to be built on top of and around the current capital city as an unassailable defense against virtually any invader. He named it DragonBone, as the stone the fortifications were built from contained the fossilized bones of ancient dragons. Construction began in the year 4, and would not be completed until 115. Lord Greylord's meticulously designed keep has played host to many stories--and his unusual longevity has only made those stories all the more Epic.

Of course one of the most hotly debated rumors revolves around the incident with the Invisigoths. When asked whether he had made an ultimately fortuitous mistake, or had really been preparing for the Vampyric Wars all along, Greylord himself would only respond mysteriously, "That's not exactly a soup question, is it."

The Death of Lord Greylord

During the reign of Lord Greylord, later known "The Thousand Year King", The Kingdom of Parsonya fell to Vhadxi during the Vampyric Wars in the year 924, on Greylord's 1000th birthday. It is said that Greylord was away from the kingdom when it fell, consulting with Ronard the Shorter on how to address the threat that Vhadxi posed. There are those who say that had Greylord been in his personally designed fortress he would have been able to use its special features to turn back the invasion, but none had the knowledge of the castle's hidden defenses that the lord posessed.

Seeking vengeance for his lost kingdom, Greylord was among those who led the final offensive in 1003 and died under the edge of the Fell Blade. This marked both the end of Lord Greylord and the sealing of Vhadxi.