Iniquitous Argon'atsu

"Prince Iniquitous Argon'atsu, firstborn son of Zumaridi Argon'atsu III and Queen Khenemara, was a man of patience, strategy, and quiet ambition. Unlike his older brothers—Zumaridi IV, the fallen heir, Acrimonious, the gentle warlord, and Nefarious, the serpent in the court—Iniquitous cultivated a reputation for subtlety and control. Where his siblings' actions painted vivid strokes across Adyntian history, Iniquitous wove his legacy in the shadows, a delicate thread that guided events from behind the scenes.

​

From a young age, Iniquitous displayed a natural affinity for his mother’s arcane art of Ankh’Tahar, the manipulation of time and vitality. While Khenemara had often used her powers for healing and preservation, Iniquitous took a different path. He saw time as a river—not merely a force to be slowed or accelerated but a current to be redirected. He studied the art of foresight, harnessing temporal echoes to predict outcomes and influence events long before they unfolded. His perception of time was not linear; he saw paths and choices branching before him like a great tree, each leaf a possibility to nurture or prune."- Passage from The History and Legends of Adyntia, by Sir Warth Fallow.

​

A Scholar of Time

Iniquitous preferred the libraries to the battlefields. He spent hours beneath the vaulted ceilings of the Grand Library of Adyntia, pouring over scrolls of prophecy, tomes of lost history, and tablets inscribed with the calculations of ancient astronomers. His fascination with history and fate made him a formidable tactician, one whose strategies often seemed as if he had already lived the battle before it began.

During the Siege of Seresh Keep, when a coalition of desert clans threatened Adyntia’s trade routes, Iniquitous offered his counsel. Rather than engage the enemy directly, he orchestrated a series of events that saw the enemy generals fall to internal strife. He sent whispers into the right ears, provided mercenaries to the weaker factions, and slowed the progress of their supplies by manipulating local merchants. When the battle came, it was not a clash of swords but a quiet surrender, the enemy already defeated by their own hands. His father praised him for the bloodless victory, and Adyntia’s coffers swelled with tribute from the humbled clans.

​

The Master of Alliances

While his brothers courted glory, Iniquitous courted influence. He was the architect of marriages, treaties, and trade agreements that expanded Adyntia’s reach without a single blade drawn. He struck a deal with the southern alchemists of Nyshem, securing access to their Sandsilk, a rare material that could hold enchantments indefinitely. He brokered a pact with the Cliff Nomads of Ul’tharek, ensuring safe passage through their lands in exchange for enchanted waterskins that never ran dry.

His crowning achievement, however, was the Accord of Veiled Winds, a pact with the Windcallers of Vesh’Tura. These mystics could guide storms and alter the paths of sandstorms. With their allegiance, Adyntia gained a new weapon—natural disasters that could be directed as precisely as any army. When Nefarious attempted to exert pressure on rebellious nobles by cutting off their food supplies, it was Iniquitous who sent a storm to mask the smuggling of grain into the besieged towns, positioning himself as a savior to those who might have otherwise become his brother’s pawns.

​

The Subtle Hand in the Shadows

Despite his outwardly composed demeanor, Iniquitous was not without ambition. He saw the chaos wrought by Nefarious’ rule and the discontent simmering among the court. Unlike Nefarious, who sought power openly, Iniquitous preferred to cultivate debts and favors. His influence was not shouted but whispered, his power felt in the hesitation of a rival’s hand or the unexpected fortune of an ally.

His connection to Ankh’Tahar allowed him to unravel plots before they were spun. He saw the subtle shifts in behavior, the echoes of decisions before they solidified into actions. Many believed his ability to manipulate time extended into his political dealings—those who plotted against him often found their plans crumbling due to accidents and coincidences that seemed too perfect to be real.

​

A Legacy of Unanswered Questions

One story, often told in hushed tones, hinted at Iniquitous’ deeper machinations. It was said that during the illness of Acrimonious, Iniquitous was seen speaking with an apothecary who vanished shortly after the prince's death. Though nothing was ever proven, and Iniquitous publicly mourned his half-brother with genuine grief, some wondered if his influence had woven through that tragedy.

He never made a claim for the throne, at least not openly. Instead, he positioned himself as a counselor, a voice of reason amidst the volatility of Nefarious’ reign. When his brother married Hexonia Ray’zore, the Frostfyre dragoness, Iniquitous was instrumental in maintaining the fragile alliance with Mount Carpeisian. His ability to foresee potential fractures in the alliance allowed him to present solutions before they became problems, often undercutting Nefarious’ harsher policies with quieter, more effective methods.

​

The Veiled Prince

Iniquitous remained unmarried, a deliberate choice that allowed him to play the role of the ever-available mediator in the court’s many political games. He was a confidant to all, yet loyal to none save his vision of Adyntia’s future. His legacy was not in children or battles but in the tapestry of alliances and debts he wove. Those who owed him favors were many, and those who feared him were wise.

When asked of his ambitions, he would smile and offer soft words of support for Nefarious’ rule. “My brother is the flame,” he would say, “and I am but the shadow he casts.” Yet, in those words, many saw the truth—that shadows endure where flames burn out.

​

A Future Yet Unwritten

As Adyntia stood on the edge of change, with Zumaridi III’s reign nearing its end and Nefarious tightening his grip, Iniquitous remained a wild card. He moved like a ghost through the court, his true motives a mystery even to his closest allies. Some believed he sought to position himself as the power behind the throne, others thought he might be the only one capable of saving the kingdom from Nefarious’ excesses.

Whether Iniquitous was a savior or a serpent, a hero or a villain, was a matter of perspective. What was certain, however, was that the sands of time flowed at his bidding, and as long as he drew breath, the future of Adyntia would never be as simple as it seemed.