Darrenian Conspiracy

Nobody but those involved know the true history of Darrena, yet the folk tales you will hear in any pub or inn are perhaps closer to the truth than what's officially stated.

Before the Imperium
Before the Imperiurm, Darrena had no ruler. Everyone lived by the land. Depending on which source you go to, the happiness of those times changes. The official documents of the Imperium mention mass depression and subsistence life-styles, whereas most of the folk tales tell of true peace and plenty. The truth is most likely somewhere in-between.

King Daren
Some time early into the current age, the rule of the Imperium was accepted by all. Even the young farmer Kel Daren had little against their rule. The wants and needs of the people were simple, and looked after, with plenty left over for the taxes of the Imperium. (The folk tales differ on this point.)

However, a young dragon (young by dragon standards) decided to make Darrena its nest, and decided that most of the former inhabitants were only a mild nuisance. The soldiers of the Imperium fell back, leaving the people of Darrena to fend off the dragon themelves. The official line omits this, stating the valiant soldiers tried their best alongside the public.

This, Kel Daren could not stand. Rallying the people around him, he fought the dragon back to the cavern it kept as its lair, then fought it single handedly, till it would submit to him. Many were surprised by this, as it would have been many hundred times easier to kill a dragon then to make it submit to someone else's will. Legend states that only a fiercer dragon can quell the fire of another dragon.

After the land had been freed, the Imperium came to reclaim their taxes, only to find Daren waiting to send them on their way. These 2 acts bought fame to this would-be farmer, and by unanimous vote on the part of the people, he was set up as their king.

The official line
The rest of the official line states that the Imperium accepted the rule of Daren, and after his assassination by the hands of Zirk Devils-sting, tried to restore order to the enraged public, only to be attacked by the public themselves. It was not soon after that the Imperium omitted Darrena from the list of countries under the protection of the Imperium.

The official line of the Darrenian Council
After Daren had been established as king, the Imperium assembled an army to quell this 'rebellion'. It is not known whether the Zirk was payed by the Imperium or not, but the assasination took place, and King Daren and his wife were murdered. Soon after, the armies came, and the people pushed them out again. The Darrenian council was formed, as another king was considered not only too big a risk, but also that no-one would be found who could live up to King Daren.

The Truth (as folklore calls it)
King Daren was not a man who was comfortable as a king. His was a life that had to be spent outdoors, in the employ of adventure. He had also promised the young dragon that he would visit him from time to time, and that could not be done from a throne.

It was not too long after his coronation that he got word of the armies of the imperium massing, to do battle with him. He knew the public said nothing else but 'King Daren will send them away'. This was not what he wanted. He cared for this people, and he did not want any of them to be subjected to any rule. He surmised that he could kill 2 birds with one stone, or to be more precise, solve 2 problems with one 'apparent' death.

After rigging his carriage to explode, he took only his wife with him on a picnic to the cave which had been the dragons lair. After escaping into the lair, deep into the caves which he had found when fighting the dragon, he blew the carriage, with such force that it sealed the entry to the cave.

Unbeknownst to his people, he had built an airship which he had kept in these caves, with a secret entryway/exit on the opposite side of the island. It was with this airship that King Daren became known as the Infamous Sky pirate Captain, Zirk Devils-sting and to boost his fame in this world, he took responsibility for his own death and used it to gain many strong and courageous allies.