Since there seems to be no one around dating back to 1991, I am relying on public BB posts for this account.
A few posts dating from earth year 1991 reveal an intriguing incident that was much referred to in the Avalonian years to come, as it brought some of Avalon's most important personalities of the time into bitter conflict. It nearly brought two cities to war.
In those days, Mercinae was still Mycenae, and its king was Theseus. Thakria was called Thebes. The two cities were locked in a long-running economic competition, especially for the retail economy, both cities trying to lure customers across the Greenwood.
In those days, Mycenae's barony was perceived as corrupt even on Olympus, and dominated by Sir Palin, a loudmouthed and blustering knight. Politics in those days was much more like a blunt instrument, with much shouting and banging of shoes on tables. The shouting was not always literate, and Palin communicated with muscle and swords far more than words.
At some point, the people of Mycenae seemed to have enough and there were calls for an election. Palin stalked off, publically vowing blood vengeance on his political critics in a temper so furious that Genesis Himself publically warned him away from slaughtering innocent people in his own city.
Palin moved to Thebes, and Elviron, an animist, was elected in his place. At some point, Palin moved across the Moonstone and assumed sovereignty over the seaside village of Ladakh. Palin did not, however, leave Mycenae empty-handed. He helped himself to 130,000 coin from the city treasury and, it was said, used this money to establish himself as Ladakh's ruler.
Some time passed, and Kobyashi - second guildmaster of the mages - was elected to the barony as well. It seems that he made some outreach to the Theban leadership (which included his friend, Loremaster Davros) to assist Mycenae in the wake of Palin's treachery. When those appeals seemed to come to naught, Kobyashi made a decision that nearly brought the cities to war. Through some cunning means, Kobyashi somehow managed to steal 300,000 coin from the Theban treasury.
The Theban barony, including Davros, confronted Kobyashi with threats of complete destruction of Mycenae and its leadership. Frightened, the citizenry of Mycenae was roused to question Kobyashi's leadership. The mage considered his position and entered into negotiations. The matter was resolved without violence, to the mutual satisfaction of both cities.
And Palin remained in Ladakh, shouting at enemies both real and perceived from his lonely stronghold on the lake, a man once admired across all of Avalon who was eventually seen as a nuisance.
Not long after "The Palin Incident," Sir Galahad of Mercinae received the money back from Palin on behalf of Mycenae, and Loremaster Davros of Thakria ascended Mount Olympus to become Apollo, the God of Light and eventually the divine patron of Mercinae.
