Fairytales of Marada

The Story Of King Baspinar's Castle

Many years ago, when Marada was young and many things were not as we know them today, there was once a great celebration throughout the realm. The old King having passed some months ago after a long and fruitful reign, his sucessor, the young King Baspinar III was finally to be crowned on midsummers day, and news quickly spread through the land that this was to be accompanied by the party to end all parties - a grand feast which would last from sun-up to sun-down on the longest day of the year and to which every Maradan would be invited.

The soon-to-be King ordered his scribes to work throughout day and night penning invites to every citizen, from the grandest royal chibs down to the lowliest hobo osafo, and common prices of stamps rose into the millions as all available stocks were comandeered for the huge task of posting out all the letters of invitation.

It finally came to pass that the job was done. With only two days left before the feast, every invitation was written and posted, and the scribes gratefully laid down their pens and staggered off to sleep, their thoughts ringing with the tales they would one day tell their grandchildren.

Around Marada the very air was alight with the excitement of the feast. Quarrels set aside as neighbours gathered together to chatter about what they would be wearing, and rumours flew across the land like fireflies concerning the fare that was to be served and suchlike. Every Maradan was in a frenzy over the upcoming event.

All, that is, except one...

Far far up the highest peak in Biala, in an icy cave miles from the nearest village, lived a solitary wizard ercuw, the Master Rephulias. Arguably the most powerful of the great Maradan wizards, he had retreated to this haven years ago where he could practice the mystic arts undisturbed by the clamour of Maradan life, and the pleas of those who wished him to use his great power for trivial ends such as love potions and the like. Even in this far away place though he had heard the news of the great feast, and had busied himself dusting off and pressing his best robes and polishing his mighty staff until the knob at the end gleamed with the light of the sun itself. Every day he would stand at the entrance to his cave, scanning the skies for the carrier osafo delivering his invitation. Day after day he waited, for the invitation that never came.

To this day it is not known why in all Marada this one ercuw alone was not invited to the feast... Whether his name did not appear on the lists due to some administrative error, or whether Elger had worked some dark magic to anger one of her rivals, or whether it was in fact dispatched and the hapless carrier-osafo assigned to its delivery had simply been overcome by exhaustion and perished in the icy wastes of Biala. The fact remains that it did not arrive.

And so, when the fateful day dawned, and the sun rose on the castle on the longest day of the year, it also rose on an enraged wizard. Furious at King Baspinar's seeming disrespect, he strode to the highest peak of the mountain, melting the very snow in front of him with the intensity of his rage, where he would have a clear view down to the castle.

Finally he stood at the summit, terrible in his fury, the air crackling about him, and raised his staff to the heavens and intoned the words that even today govern the area around the castle. Words of power that no Maradan would dare repeat for fear of who might be listening or what might happen.

"In days of now, for nights to come
My will, say I, shall thus be done
Let sun speed fast across the sky,
Let night draw in and daylight die.
One score and four in single day
On this castle curse shall lay
One hour is all the sun they see
For now and all eternity."

As he spoke, thunder cracked the sky, and despite the distance his words were carried clearly down to the throngs gathered at the Castle. All was confusion as the sun above the castle seemed to speed up to make its day-long journey from East to West in a single hour. Halls which so soon before had been filled with the excited chatter of thousands were soon echoing with screams of panic as people began to realize what Rephulias had done. For now, in and around Baspinar's Castle day and night lasted only for one hour. And to this very day, that is how it remains.