| Mordred I | |
| |
| General Information | |
| Date of Birth: | Soon after the Great War |
| Location Information | |
| Status Information | |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Occupation: | Founder of the Snake Crown |
| Physical Information | |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Ethnicity: | Caucasian |
| Height: | Reportedly seven feet tall |
Mordred the First, also known as Mordred the Bloody Handed and Mordred Serpentus, was the founder of the Kingdom on the Snake. A legendary figure in Southeastern Idaho, Mordred was renowned for his great strength, merciless brutality, and generosity to his warriors. Inside the Kingdom of the Snake, he is revered as the god of the Snake River and is the sire of the ruling dynasty.
Legend and Life
Legend
Mordred was a great warrior who was born in Idaho Falls. When he was born a twin tailed comet soared through the sky, and he was raised and nursed by a Yao-Gui. He stood eight feet tall and each arm had the strength of ten men. One day Mordred spied a lone girl walking by the Snake River. She was more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen. He knew immediately that she was the kind Nimue, the daughter of the wicked River God. Clever Mordred bowed and lavished her with compliments and invited her to his Longhouse for a feast. The naive Blue Maiden agreed. The feast was the greatest Idaho Falls had ever seen with mead and meat for all. Nimue fell in love with Mordred, but felt a great pain in her heart because she new her father would never allow her to marry him. She told him as much, but Mordred would not allow their love to be foiled. He seduced Nimue and they were married the very next morning.
When the River God found out what had befallen his daughter the Snake River boiled and frothed with rage. No man could cross the Snake River, and all of Idaho suffered. Mordred went to the River God to demand the return of the river to normal. The River God sent swarms of Mirelurks to kill Mordred, but the great warrior put down every skittering beast the River God sent out. Finally the River God himself emerged. Mordred again asked for the river to return to its peaceful state, but the River God pulled him into the waters and tried to drown him. Mordred fought the River God and found no weapon could harm him. Throwing aside his weapons Mordred grappled the River God. Heaving mightily, he pulled the River God from the waters and throttled him to death on the riverbank.
All of Idaho rejoiced at Mordred's great deed. Nimue bore him fourteen sons and sowed the seeds of the Serpentus Dynasty. Knowing it was his right, Mordred brought his authority to all of Southeast Idaho. When Mordred was old and frail Nimue took him under the waves of the river and enthroned him in her father's palace. He became the new River God, and will rule the Snake River for eternity. His descendants carry his holy blood, and will rule Idaho in his name forever.
Historical Analysis
A recreation of Mordred based on eyewitness accounts.
Historians, primarily Followers of the Apocalypse and Teton Republic scholars, have had difficulty interpreting the legend and finding the truth in it.
It is believed that Mordred was born under a different name near Pocatello, Idaho. As a young man he rose to become leader of a Raider Gang called the Blackadogs. At some point he changed his name to Mordred and migrated north to Idaho Falls. His great strength, charisma, and political nature made him a natural leader and he was able to unite the warring factions of Idaho Falls. From this power base he established what is perhaps the first postwar state in Idaho. While the early Kingdom on the Snake was renowned for its barbarism and cruelty, it eventually gave way to a Pax Serpentis that lasted until the death of Queen Nimue.
While he reigned with an iron fist, Mordred is also recognized for returning order to southern Idaho. His Kingdom at his death stretched from the Craters of the Moon to Yellowstone National Park. He built roads that are still in use today, drafted legal protections for slaves, and established a simple and efficient feudal system that still endures over a century after his death.
Nimue
Historical sources report that Mordred's wife was named Nimue. She is always depicted as wearing blue and being of east asian descent. She is often idealized by Kingdom historians as the Mother of the Kingdom. It is believed that Nimue had a far more active role in the governance of the kingdom than is traditionally attributed to her. This is backed up by the fact that the Kingdom did not collapse into civil war until after her death, some seven years after her husband. Fringe scholars have even gone as far as to suggest that she was the one who truly ruled the Kingdom while her husband was occupied with conquest.
Journals discovered in Pocatello suggest that Nimue was in fact a Bethany Liu, a young refugee from a vault in the Teton Mountains. Bethany Liu is listed in recovered vault records as being the daughter of Michael Liu, a professor of English Literature specializing in the Arthurian Legends. The journals allege that Liu was captured by the Blackadogs and enslaved, and eventually became Mordred's concubine. However, she saved him from an assassination attempt and became the only person in the camp she trusted. Soon she had immense influence over him. It is inferenced that Liu masterminded Mordred's legend as a caucus belli to take over Idaho Falls. The authenticity of these journals is rejected by the Kingdom. The journals were discovered by Kendrick Glass, an infamous scoundrel and adventurer in the pay of the Teton Protectorate. It is rumored that he fabricated them to enhance his own fame.