The Remzarian Treasure Controversy

Historical Testimony

"Flush from their victories over the servants of General Remzar, the Gondolas descended the mountains of Thrain with a vast treasure of magic, art and coins, which the canons of St. Barst calculate at a value of over 200,00 gold pieces. The townspeople of Mirsaki, unused to the spectacle of a score of carts laden with glittering spoils parading before their eyes, quickly rose into an ebullient mass, but out of respect for the Gondolas or out of fear of their blades, kept a respectful distance from the new lords of Mirsaki. The youthful adventurers, without a leader or an uniform plan, insensibly proceeded into the town square, and there rested their wagons before the enthralled eyes of both the people and the soldiers.

According to the half-elven biographers of Baron Cyrus, it was at this time that the disparate wills of the Gondalas first met in internecine conflict, and it has equally been observed by the chroniclers of St. Barst that it was the subsequent events which set in motion the civil war amongst the Gondolas, their eventual dissolution, and the final settlement of Balathar as lord of Mirsaki and baron of Dantareth. History denies us the innermost details of cause and purpose, mind and body; despite the most intimate accounts of Lord Glenwill, we must suspect his motives in his emoluments to the mercenaries and the poor, much as we must be circumspect in the portrait of house Darlantan: that in order to secure the city from the vices of demagoguery and nascent tyranny, an hero must kill his friend. It may even be that the greed of Alcon, who covetously looted with his faction the choicest treasures, inflamed the avarice of the mob, the sight of which engendered in Balathar the seed of his plot, even when, it is argued, Cyrus only designed a more even and orderly distribution amongst the mercenaries and villagers.

We are told by Virgil that the two chiefs in the debate were Balathar and Cyrus, and that the treasure might have been given in portion at least to the troops if not to the people had not Balathar interceded on his own behalf. No source records their words, save that Virgil calls their talk mild; the bards of the court at Zlin sing falsely in accusing Darlantan of threats and fury. Their debate, given continued pace and measured words, might have opened into a general council amongst the Gondolas, and we are informed that the other youthful captains were beginning to proffer their own opinions. An accident of choice by a soldier or a townsman may have provoked the calamity, or perhaps as the monks tell us it was the covetous hand of Alcon that first occasioned the general seizure of the treasure by all and sundry. Whatever the initiator, the mob's frenzy imposed the final breach between Balathar and Cyrus, even if, at the time, the gravity of the insult was not comprehended by young Lord Glenwill. The spirit of Balathar was incensed; his mind would or could not condescend to reflect that Cyrus was at best the accidental author of the frenzy, and at worst the insensible executor of an inchoate design. Their debate had been public; the soldiers could hear that the half-elven rogue meant to limit or even withhold their pay; and Balathar was beset with the prospect that his policy, however logical, might be interpreted as greed, and himself be seen as the enemy of the very troops he aimed one day to lead. The wound, even if invisible, was nonetheless unforgivable; Cyrus' weakness, so Balathar thought, was the occasion for his greatness in the eyes of the base crowd; and the very insult which Balathar had received could not but infuriate him in that the calumny was the cause of Cyrus' ascension in the public mind. His perceived cupidity forgotten amidst the parallel greed of the mob, Balathar could not forgive what prudence demanded he seize as an advantage. Ambition was to merge with vengeance, and it is certain that amidst the mass seizing of gold won through blood and strength of arms, the first germ of the plot to terminate the life of Cyrus was engendered in the mind of Balathar Darlantan."

-Gibonius, Monk of the Order of the Lake, from his Second Volume of the History of the Gondolas

Preface

After a major victory against the mixed goblinoid and orcish force within the mountains, the Dantarethian mercenary/adventuring group known as the Gondolas returned to their primary base of operations in Mirsaki with their supply train, now laden with the spoils they plundered from the campaign. Their own forces consisted of conquered mercenary groups who had failed to unseat them from Mirsaki and who had subsequently agreed to join their endeavors in the region, banking on the emerging goup's ascendance and the presence therein of several skilled adventurers. To date, though, the Gondolas had failed to honor their agreements with their contracted warriors, who had participated in multiple engagements and saw little or no pay. The Gondolas, until that time, appeared to be deferring payment in the hopes that their financial obligations would be whittled down progressively through attrition in the mercenary ranks. When they so boldly trekked back into Mirsaki with no small amount of wealth, the mercenaries, joined by many townsfolk who had fallen on hard times since the time their town was occupied to its 'liberation' by the Gondolas, became fed up and demanded to be paid from the spoils. Faced with the prospect of open rebellion among their ranks, several of the Gondola members began debating, in front of the townsfolk and troops, what should be done with the treasure.

Narrative

Alcon, the Gondolas' mage, was one of the most vocal that the treasure not be shared with the mercenaries or the common people. He is recorded to have confidently espoused his ability to deter anyone from getting their unearned share, as well as supporting the right of those (such as himself) who had risked the most and had been most efficacious in securing the treasure, to be the only ones who reaped the rewards. This sentiment seemed to be most popular with the other members of the Gondolas, chief among them Balathar. The warrior-rogue's voice was one of the most prominent in favor of hoarding the treasure, though his reasoning was somewhat more nuanced than that of his wizardly peer.

Cyrus Glenwill, arguably the party's most ascendant warrior, took both of his compatriots to task for what he believed to be a selfish motive and unethical act. He at first believed he could sway the opinion of Balathar, Alcon and the others with reason and impassioned speech, but saw in their eyes that he was alone in his position--the silent members of the party were either indifferent, or too weak-willed to stand in the minority with him. In desperation, he turned to Virgil Tyrion to moderate the dispute, but the young crusader, who was growing ever more certain of his role as a paragon of Neutralianism, was stoic and refused to weigh in to any great effect. Seeing that an impasse had been reached and that he apparently was the only one aware of the embarrassing circus-like atmosphere their argument was creating in front of the soldiers and townspeople who the Gondolas were claiming sovereignty over, Cyrus realized that bold action was required if a just outcome was to be achieved. Cutting off Balathar in the middle of one his rebuttals to Cyrus' plea for equity, the young warrior simply began throwing handfuls of coins and items of value from the wagon upon which he stood debating out to the onlookers. Furious, Balathar moved to physically intervene, but a frenzy had taken up the crown and soon Cyrus was not the only one helping himself to the treasure. Unable to stop the throng of reaching arms and trampling feet, the Gondolas were resigned to watch their spoils be taken by the mob; only Balathar continued his tirade and intercepted from the looters his now famous cuckoo clock.

Supplemental

Without their realizing it, the actions (or, in Virgil's case, inaction) of Balathar, Cyrus and Virgil had set them upon paths that would come to dominate their reputations and later lives. The view of Virgil as the sometimes frustrating, always uncompromising moderator was born, some argue, from his role in the Remzarian Treasure Controversy. As for Balathar and Cyrus, what kinship the two had up to that point had dissolved as a result of Cyrus' selfless actions. Cyrus would later be appointed governor of the town of Mirsaki, due in no small part to the tremendous popularity he enjoyed and the perception of his competency as a leader as a result of the manner in which he resolved the dispute. The Mirsaki portion of the Dantareth region had suffered from particular turmoil, and the prevailing view that a truly benevolent figure was needed to administer affairs was only reinforced by the goodwill Glenwill fostered by sharing the treasure. Balathar would never forget the insult that Cyrus had given him that day, however, and a resentment that only festered with the passage of time would ultimately come back to haunt his companion, and Balathar himself.