A Brief Interlude V

The Tale of the Emir and Iblis

As told by Lady Tyra al Razier

My tale is a sad one, filled with jealousy, avariciousness, and human pride. It does not suffer from the fatal flaw of your western tales, which is to say, it does not end happily and all is not made right simply to please an audience starved for something better than their own miserable lives.

Lady Tyra al Razier

Long ago my father, Zulkar al Razier, Emir of Razier, that beautiful jewel of a city in the heart of the faraway land of Samarra, was known far and wide as the greatest player of Dragon Chess in all the land. He was host to dignitaries from the exotic lands of the west, the north, and even the eastern lands of the necromancer kings; and he bested them all. For many years he found no equal from any mortal realm and his pride grew. But there are creatures of darkness and flame in worlds beyond ours that watch us, Demons and Devils of all kinds that plot to corrupt and dominate the mortal races. For though they know that the mortal races have not their inborn power, they were gifted with cleverness - something that these creatures greatly admire, hate and yes, even fear.

It came to pass that a great demon known as Iblis, the Prince of All Flame, sought to test the cleverness of my father and teach him a lesson. Using powerful magics, Iblis whisked my father away from his throne room to the heart of his fiery domain and challenged him to a game of Dragon Chess. If my father won, the great Iblis would grant him a wish. If Iblis won, then my father would grant the demon lord's desire.

Now my father, being a wise and clever man as any I have ever known, knew that demons are deceitful creatures. He expected Iblis to cheat, and so the demon lord did. Despite this, my father, in his pride, still believed he could best the fiery Iblis. Sadly, he was wrong. When the match was over and the demon lord stood triumphant, he demanded his prize: Me. My father begged the demon lord to reconsider -  to take his wealth, his lands, his own life; but not his beloved Tyra. But Iblis would take no other prize.

I was taken that night from my home to dwell in Iblis' fiery realm. Before I left, my father's vizier informed me that Iblis - though powerful - could not take me by force for his bride. I must willingly submit to him or fall victim to his deceitful tricks in order for him to succeed in wooing me. Armed with this knowledge, I was determined not to by charmed by his wiles, nor to offer myself up to him, no matter the cost. This infuriated Iblis. He tried all of his tricks, but he found - as he feared - that ultimately, demons are no match for the cleverness and recoursefulness of mortals. Years passed and Iblis resorted to more desperate measures. He showed me through a magical mirror the deaths of my parents and my brothers, the ruin of my father's city, and the passage of years. He argued that I had no one left in the world save him and that I should give up my stubborn fight against him. But still I refused. So he had me imprisoned in the fiery mountain of Zatal until I came to my senses.



Iblis, the Prince of All Flame

Now Iblis, though he is powerful, is not without his enemies. The politics of the Brass City are intricate and complicated affairs, and through many brokering of deals and acquisitions of magic, many creatures rise and fall in power over the roll of years. One such creature, was the Efreet pasha, Imladris. He and Iblis were bitter enemies (though I confess that I do not know whence the rivalry began). Each sought to overthrow the other and beget the other's ruin. After many centuries, Iblis was able to secure the magic to bind Imladris to a magical sword and then had him exiled to the mortal realm. There he dwelt inside the sword, unbeknowst to those who wielded him.

When the mortal men carrying the sword passed over from the mortal realm and assaulted Zatal, Imaldris saw his chance to get back at Iblis. Using his influence, he communicated to the mortal druid Kieren to release me from Zatal and take me back to the mortal realm, where Iblis could not find me. Thus, Imladris struck a blow against his old enemy and I was set free.

My family and my lands are all gone now; I wish only to live out my life in peace and find love and happiness in the years remaining to me.