Jdvn1 said:
What's Aglaia?
Cool poem!
Aglaia means beauty or splendour in ancient Greek.
She was one of the three Kharities (= Charities = Graces) the daughters of Eurynome and Zeus. They're the three naked girls in a lot of paintings who always form this sort of circle; you can see them dancing in Botticelli's Primavera, for instance, if I recall correctly.
Aglaia, also called Kharis sometimes (which is somewhat redundant for a Kharity, but we can't really blame the guy who made up that name for her, him being Homer and all: "Thetis of the silver feet came to the house of Hephaistos .. As he was at work .. the goddess Thetis the silver-footed drew near him. Kharis of the shining veil saw her as she came forward, she, the lovely goddess the renowned strong-armed one had married. She came, and caught her hand and called her by name and spoke to her: 'Why is it, Thetis of the light robes, you have come to our house now? We honour you and love you; but you have not come much before this. But come in with me so I may put entertainment before you.'
She spoke, and, shining among divinities, led the way forward and made Thetis sit down in a chair that was wrought elaborately and splendid with silver nails, and under it was a footstool. She called to Hephaistos the renowned smith and spoke a word to him: 'Hephaistos, come this way; here is Thetis, who has need of you.
Hearing her the renowned smith of the strong arms answered her: 'Then there is a goddess we honour and respect in our house. She saved me when I suffered much at the time of my great fall through the will of my own brazen-faced mother, who wanted to hide me for being lame ... Now she has come into our house; so I must by all means do everything to give recompense to lovely-haired Thetis for my life. Therefore set out before her fair entertainment." -Iliad 18.382)
Anyways, Aglaia was the youngest of the three Kharities (the others were Thaleia [Good Cheer], a name she shares with the Muse of Comedy, and Euphrosyne [Mirth]), and she became Hephaistos's second wife after he divorced Aphrodite over the whole "Sleeping with Ares" thing.
Oh, and although the poem is about a year older, she's also the title "Temptress in the Mists" of this legend that won the grand prize in Necromancer Games' Legends contest (seen below, in its expanded form, though it was condensed to fit the word-limit):
Aglaia, the Temptress in the Mists
Bewitching splendour shines through umbral shade,
Alluring temptress, delicate and fair.
With lilting luscious laughter she hath bade
Her willing victim gently to her lair.
Seductive simpers; superficial tools
Hold power far in excess of their worth
Which turns the wisest men to drooling fools,
Mere tantalising veils to hide the dearth
Of honest substance, lacking which to seal
Into eternity can never be.
And who can say if she were ever real,
For evanescence incarnate is she.
But even knowing she will surely fade
The mem'ry may be worth the price that's paid.
-attributed to Raljen the Haunted
There was once a doughty warrior known as Raljen Brightshield, who battled the forces of evil with his paramour Kharisa. A great shadow loomed across the land, as the insidious demon Epiales the Tempter scoured the countryside. In a bitter struggle, Raljen managed to deal Epiales a mortal blow, but the hero soon collapsed from his grievous wounds.
With honeyed whispers that sent a chill down Kharisa's spine, the dying demon spoke, “Fair maiden, thy husband has defeated me. Indeed, his might in battle is unparalleled. I congratulate thee on thy victory.”
Kharisa responded hesitantly, unsure of what to say, “Foul demon, it was not the sword of my betrothed that verily defeated thee, but our love, which guided his strikes and shielded him from harm.”
“Betrothed?” the demon insinuated slyly, “Then he is not thy husband? But why? Surely he searches for a comelier girl to replace thee, one with purest alabaster skin, and crystal-blue eyes that sparkle in the morning light...”
“Enough!” Kharisa shouted in her love's defense, “Raljen would never do such a thing. Soon we shall be married, and live together forever, in love and happiness.”
“And yet, there still remains the possibility that I am right.” the demon strenuously strove to speak silkily with his last breath, “ Would it then not behoove thee to at least heed my advice. Collect a vial of my blood, and if thou'rt right, then thou wilt have no need of it. But if indeed there comes a time when Raljen's love strays from thee, drink thou this vial, and win back your paramour.”
Unsure, but willing to accept the demon's wager, Kharisa sceptically collected a vial.
And indeed, the demon's prescience was uncanny, perhaps because Epiales had felt small portions of his own lustful blood seep into Raljen's wounds. Several months later, Raljen fell in love with a beautiful damsel named Leucosia, a lovely woman with crystal-blue eyes and a soft, melodious voice, and soon the two were engaged to be married. Full of despair and dismay, Kharisa could think of no other choice, and thus she drank the draught of Epiales's blood, fulling expecting a poison, but willing to die to ease the pain she felt in her heart. But instead of aching spasm, Kharisa felt invigorated and confident. As she gazed into her mirror, she was amazed to see her hair become more lustrous, her skin smoother, her curves fuller. As she watched, she transformed from a fair maiden into a woman of unearthly and unparalleled beauty. Praising Epiales for his unexpected kindness, she joyfully went to find her paramour, skipping merrily to meet him as if with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love.
When Raljen saw Kharisa, his jaw dropped, and he stared in awe. She was clearly the same woman, but her beauty had become uncanny, her suggestions irresistible. All thoughts of Leucosia banished, he rushed to embrace his true love. They closed their eyes and began a long, luxurious kiss. But Raljen felt strange, and so he broke off the embrace. He was horrified to discover that his fabled strength had melted away, leaving him a withered old man, but he was more aghast to see that Kharisa had sprouted a pair of batlike wings, and her large, innocent eyes had become a violent crimson. He let out a hoarse scream and fled.
Some who travel the lonely paths of Maladium at night say that they have encountered a strange old man who calls himself Raljen the Haunted and sings tearful threnodies of love betrayed. When a paladin offered the old man a drink, Raljen the Haunted laughed a rasping cackle and told the holy warrior to enjoy his strength and virtue while it lasted, and then continued along the path, traveling nowhere and yet searching for something all the same.
Calling herself Aglaia, the creature who was once Kharisa lurks coyly in the mists, reveling in luring men to their doom even as she inwardly mourns for her lost love, desiring more than anything to be loved once more.
Game Effects:
Incorporating the legend into your campaign-
#1: Introduce the legend with some details altered over time (particularly names; probably few today know that Aglaia's name was originally Kharisa). Perhaps a traveling bard or storyteller tells a version of this story to the PCs on a misty night at the inn over a warm meal. It could even be a bard PC if he makes a Bardic Knowledge check to have heard of this particular story.
#2: Using Raljen the Haunted
A- Raljen can act in several ways for the PCs. First, and most simply, even if you plan on using Raljen for something else, the PCs' preliminary encounter with him could simply be a chance occurrence, traveling along the mist-covered roads far from civilisation. In this sort of encounter, Raljen can read the sonnet from the top of the legend and give cryptic warnings to the PCs.
B- Perhaps the land has need of the might of the great hero Raljen Brightshield once more. The PCs might need to track the worn hero down and attempt to convince him to continue his battle against evil. Tired and lonely, Raljen is unlikely to assent, but perhaps he could be convinced to tell the PCs where his mighty sword and shield still lie.
C- Disillusioned by Kharisa's betrayal, Raljen might have become a dangerous and obsessed man, who will stop at nothing to get his revenge. This option is best used with the “Aglaia as sympathetic enemy” option below, as it could create a tense decision for the PCs.
D- Perhaps Raljen has thought over his actions after all these years and realised that he was acting under Epiales's influence in lusting after Leucosia. In that case, his only goal is to find Aglaia and make amends so that he can rest in peace. To that end, he may be willing to act as the party's patron in this endeavour, if they will aid him in his search.
#3: Using Aglaia the Temptress
A- Aglaia could be a chance encounter for a lone male PC on a misty night. From my experience, there's nothing that causes PCs to swear eternal revenge than random encounters that involve energy drain.
B- Aglaia could be the nefarious villain behind the PCs latest adventure. Possible ideas for villainous plots include:
In possession of far more of Epiales's blood than anyone knew, Aglaia is slowly transforming the kingdom's women into demons
Aglaia has adopted human form and charmed key government officials. The PCs come in to solve a series of mysterious happenings in the kingdom that are linked to Aglaia's machinations
Aglaia has used her enchantments to spirit away all of the village's men.
C- Aglaia could also be a sympathetic enemy, who is perhaps first encountered crying and desolate in her human form calling herself Kharisa, before anyone knows that she is a demon. In this case, the PCs will have to decide whether it was all a ruse or whether there is still the soul of a scared and sorrowful woman within the demon.
#4: Where to go from here? The above uses for Aglaia and Raljen will likely result in one of the following. You can aim for a happier or more tragic ending as you desire
A- PCs kill Aglaia, Raljen survives
B- PCs kill Raljen, Aglaia survives
C- PCs kill them both
D- Raljen apologises tearfully to Aglaia and then runs to her and dies in her embrace, with full knowledge that this would occur. Aglaia commits suicide to be with him.
E- Raljen kills Aglaia and then kills himself or dies because his job is done
F- PCs find a way to restore one or both of them to normal
G- PCs simply encounter these characters, but don't do anything long-lasting
My personal favourite option of these is D.
