The first child of King Osric of Olaran, Randar never cut the dutiful image of crown prince which his father and his counselors would have liked. From a young age, Randar was more interested in books of lore and legends of the end of days than in royal writs or feudal ceremonies. Despite his foul mouth and general irreverence, he tended to prefer the company of the clerics of Luminos and their holy knights to his noble cousins. Perhaps thanks to their influence, Randar became obsessed with the Sword of Hope, a legendary artifact said to be humanity’s only hope against the dark forces which infest the Northlands.

One day, Randar and a number of his companions departed Olaran without warning, sailing off to distant realms in search of the lost Sword. For years, the kingdom faced an uncertain future, its crown prince missing in unknown lands. Following the assassination of King Osric at the autumn festival, civil war seemed sure to erupt. Only Randar’s unexpected return and ascent to the throne kept the peace in Olaran. With the authority of his crown, Randar redirected the energy of the kingdom’s greatest warriors towards finding the Sword of Hope. For a time, there was a king in Olaran and all seemed well.

But something insidious was amiss with the new King of Olaran. Whether by enchantment or curse, Randar was only sometimes himself. Sometimes he was the Mad King, praying ostentatiously without purpose to Luminos and barking tyrannical commands, only to retract them moments later as if nothing had happened. Other times, he knew neither his crown nor his name, believing himself to be a timid monk named Brother Hildebrand.

For several years the Throne’s Council (a group of nobles from all across Olaran) ruled in the King’s stead, and the king stayed locked away in a distant monastery, where healers and priests alike sought a cure for his madness.

But tragedy struck during the summer of 1121: early in the summer the king took sick with a severe bout of ague, and because of his madness he proved a recalcitrant patient. Unable to restrain him or force him to take care of himself properly, the healers watched in despair as the mad king sunk further into the clutches of the sickness.

Towards the end of the summer, King Randar, the last of the line of Alirion, died. He was buried in the ancestral tombs of the monarchs of Olaran outside of the capital city, and the realm mourned the loss of the royal bloodline.

The Throne’s Council continues to rule in his stead, but rumors of Civil War, already rumbling, have gained strength… what will happen to the kingdom without a king?