Letholdus Stirling II

Reginald Stirling

Letholdus Stirling II was the third king of Apicarta. His reign is considered unremarkable; it was a period of relative peace, and the king's focus was on "mundane" domestic affairs such as the economy, law, religion, and the education system. Indeed, Letholdus the Second made education mandatory for all children, and it was under his leadership that the scribes fashioned the first Apicartan translation of the Mandorlin, or Holy Books.

These works seem admirable at first glance, but there is one problem; the virtuous and morally upright Letholdus II was also weak-willed and cowardly. He didn't just listen to his advisers, he let them make the decisions for him, signing whatever documents were put in front of him and granting the royal seal to whoever asked for it politely. Thus, his "great works" were marred by conflicting agendas and the corruption of bias.

## Biography

The sole son of the sickly Prince Erasmus Stirling I and his mad wife Felicity Morris, Letholdus II became a point of contention at an early age. Disgusted by Erasmus' deformities, his mother took him and fled to her family's house in Zemar. Erasmus, desperate to have his son back, went to his father, King Cassius I, for help. The king ordered Felicity to return to her husband; instead, she committed suicide via poison. She also poisoned her young son, intending to take him with her even in death, but his nurse forced him to vomit the poison, saving the boy's life.

Returned to his father, Letholdus grew up in the city of Tyr. He fell in love with a local woman, Helena Molyneux, and married her. They had two sons, Erasmus Stirling II and Reginald, and a daughter, Miranda. Helena died giving birth to a third stillborn son.

Erasmus I succumbed to his frailty and perished, and after many years as king, Cassius I fell ill and died. Letholdus II was declared the new monarch at the age of twenty six.

### Third Exekian War

A few years into his reign, the land once again faced the threat of an invasion by the Exekians, who had been gathering strength in the south. Seeing that the once-mighty armies of Cassius I were scattered and stretched thin, Letholdus II sought outside help. He petitioned the Kataru for help, and they briefly joined forces with Apicarta to combat the threat.

When the Exekian Nechtan arrived with his army, he faced attacks from three fronts and was pushed back into the Shadowlands. Unfortunately, Erasmus II was killed in battle.

### Mandorlin Translation

In 72 AYZ, Letholdus authorized the first translation of the Mandorlin into Alucarsian. Several scribes came together to work on the project. However, it quickly became apparent that some stories and verse were "problematic". Namely, the scribes and their superiors took issue with the idea that humans had come from Exekians, as well as the abundance of Exekian characters and the lack of human characters. Thus, the decision was made to scrub any references to humans having been an offshoot of the Exekians. This was all done in the wake of the Third Exekian War, which had resulted in the death of the crown prince and countless others, so there was little to no controversy over it.

Letholdus II died at the age of fifty seven in 88 AYZ, having ruled for thirty years. He was succeeded by his youngest son Reginald.