Travels Through Telara

The Story So
Far: href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week1">Part
1 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week2">Part
2 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week3">Part
3 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week4">Part
4 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week5">Part
5 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week6">Part
6 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week7">Part
7 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week8">Part
8 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week9">Part
9 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week10">Part
10 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week11">Part
11 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week12">Part
12 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week13">Part
13 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week14">Part
14 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week15">Part
15

By Padraic




Greetings, dear reader. Today it is pouring with rain in Potter’s
Field, a veritable deluge, I must say. Bran is moping about
complaining, no one has brought their children for lessons, and Barik
is in bed moaning that the cold is getting into his bones. So this week
I thought I would write up my notes about one of the great tragedies of
the war. Yes, obviously, there are thousands of tragedies. You don’t
even need a war for that. Thousands upon thousands of sad tales, of
death, betrayal, bitterness and anger. There are also countless tales
of heroism, of sacrifice, of bravery in the face of evil. But this tale
is one of the former.



For it is the story of Alsbeth Rothman, later to be known as Alsbeth
the Discordant, the most trusted lieutenant of Regulos the destroyer
and the woman responsible for the fall o f Port Scion.

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When Alsbeth Rothman first came to the Court of Mathos, she was a quiet
young girl. She had pale skin, as if she didn’t get out in the fresh
air much, and pitch black hair. Her eyes were large and curious, always
looking, always questioning. She kept to herself, never drawing
attention, always standing at the back of the crowd. Now whether this
was because it was her nature, or whether it was because of the shame
she carried with her as part of the Rothman lineage is unknown. You
see, the name Rothman was once held in high regard. Phynnious Rothman
was the first of the pyromancers, and he fought bravely for his people,
bringing much honor to the family name. But all that was undone by
Alsbeth’s father. When he discovered his wife’s adultery, he murdered
her in cold blood. He was caught, and executed for his crime, leaving
poor Alsbeth an orphan. Her uncle inherited the Rothman estates, and
the first thing he did was cast her out into the darkness, banishing
her from the estates.



So as you can see, Alsbeth traveled under something of a cloud.
Rejected by family, betrayed by those she loved, her whole world
has  just fallen down around her.



She traveled to the court of King Jostir Mathos. Something about this
sad, curious little girl must have caught the attention of Queen Lenia
Mathos, because she took pity on Asbeth and offered her shelter, taking
her in as a ward of the court. Alsbeth allowed herself a flicker of
hope. Has she found a new family? Had she found stability? Had she
found – dare she even hope – the maternal love of a good woman?

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She had, yes, but once again, the fates had terrible plans for Alsbeth.
Queen Lenia contracted a deadly disease. It was incurable, a coughing
sickness that destroyed the bodily organs. Alsbeth sat with the queen
as she weakened, waiting by her bedside, sleeping on the cold floor.
She mopped her head when she was hot, fetched blankets when she was
cold. Alsbeth prayed for Lenia’s recovery, did everything she could to
make the woman comfortable.



But it was all for naught. Queen Lenia died in the cold hours of a
winter’s morning, leaving Alsbeth alone once again.



This time, she was not thrown out of her new home, but King Jostir was
indifferent to her, paying her not the slightest bit of attention. Once
again, Alsbeth was on her own. She did not socialize well with the
other children in the castle. They mocked, her, teased her for her
quiet nature, for her pale skin. And when the children found out what
happened to her mother and father, well, we all know how cruel children
are. They did not leave Alsbeth alone.



So Alsbeth spent her time reading in the library or walking alone
through the hills around Caer Mathos. She rarely talked to anyone. In
fact, some thought her mute, the odd, strange, silent girl who drifted
around the castle with no friends.



All this changed when Alsbeth attended Quicksilver College. Here, she
started to slowly emerge from her shell, like a – if you will forgive
the cliché – butterfly from the cocoon. Finally, she found an outlet
for all her internal energy. She threw herself into her studies and
quickly distinguished herself as an excellent student. She gained in
confidence, and with every new accomplishment she came out of her
shell. And while it is true that she never had many friends, she
started to accrue many followers, those who wanted to bask in her
brilliance.



After her studies, she returned to the Court of Mathos a powerful mage,
and her family's troubled past was buried beneath the weight of her
accomplishments. After King Jostir died, both Zareph and Aedraxis tried
to gain her favor, tried to tempt her over to serve in their retinues,
to help them gain the disputed throne. She chose Prince Zareph,
although no one knows why. Some say it was simply a matter of a small
cruelty Aedraxis had committed when she was small, a casual insult
tossed over the shoulder of the young prince to what he thought of as
an unkempt orphan. (There’s a piece of good advice for you. Be careful
how you treat people. You never know what they will grow up to be.)



Alsbeth fought valiantly throughout the Mathosian Civil War, and her
name was uttered in the same sentences as Cyril, Shyla, Borrin.
Songswere sung about the quiet and mysterious Alsbeth, the silent
sorceress who weaved spells and plots to overcome Aedraxis.



Alsbeth was one of the many to perish when the rifts came, and none
were surprised that the Vigil brought her back to serve as a Guardian.
Along with the other Ascended, Als-beth helped Zareph lead the refugees
to Port Scion. There, she spent years as a seemingly loyal and
steadfast defender of the city.

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alt="Rift lore"
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And here we part with fact, and are left to wonder. What happened?
Because Alsbeth was no longer Alsbeth Rothman, but she became Alsbeth
the Discordant. At some point over the years she had pledged her
allegiance to Regulos the Destroyer. What whispered words did Regulos
cajole her with? The promise that she would see her family again? The
promise of stability? Or was it simply that Alsbeth got the taste of
power during her time at Quicksilver College, got a taste of the
respect people gave her, the fear, and simply wanted more? That she had
decided she had reached the peak of her powers and wanted to carry on
higher?



Only she and Regulos know the truth. But whatever the case, she set in
motion the fall of Port Scion, was responsible for the disappearance
and presumed death of Prince Zareph.



And now, as the leader of the Endless Court and the most formidable
Necromancer alive, Alsbeth sows the seeds of destruction. Her heart is
owned by Regulos, and no one really knows why. It is one of the tasks I
have given myself to find out the truth. Hopefully, on my travels I
will uncover more of Alsbeth Rothman’s story, enough to fill in the
gaps.

The Story So
Far: href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week1">Part
1 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week2">Part
2 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week3">Part
3 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week4">Part
4 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week5">Part
5 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week6">Part
6 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week7">Part
7 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week8">Part
8 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week9">Part
9 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week10">Part
10 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week11">Part
11 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week12">Part
12 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week13">Part
13 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week14">Part
14 | href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/rift/features/travels/week15">Part
15