The King
The King is the ruler of the Kingdom of Evenhold in which the Main Hall is located and where most Eamon adventures take place. A number of adventures take the form of a mission undertaken on behalf of the King and feature him in their introductions.
Name
Most authors refer to the King of Evenhold simply as "the King", or sometimes (as in The Forbidden City and Quest for Orion) "the King of Eamon". In Chaosium Caves, Hokas Tokas styles him as "King Eamon". In his Eamon Gazetteer author Pat Hurst identifies the current ruler of Evenhold as Tanis IV, lineal descendant of Anharos and defender of Alaxar. A scene in The Halls of the Adept shows Sam Slicker ordering the Knight Marshall to seize the adventurer in the name of "King Thorvald".
Some authors have introduced kings of different names, though given the adventurer's frequent missions in other kingdoms it's not clear that they are meant to refer to the same ruler: King Mithidas (The Black Castle of NaGog), King Stevron (Castle Mantru), and King Raulos (The Treachery of Zorag).
Appearances
The King features in the introductions to a number of adventures, often summoning the adventurer to the royal palace to impart some important information or task. He plays a role in:
- The Tomb of Molinar, relating history to the adventurer and giving him a mission to find the tomb of an earlier king;
- The Caves of Mondamen, compelling the adventurer to undertake a mission to kill a wizard and rescue a princess;
- The Temple of Ngurct, hiring the adventurer to eradicate the evil priests of Ngurct, and subsequently destroying the demon's gold medallion;
- Return of Ngurct, sending the adventurer to investigate the demon's possible reappearance;
- The Black Death, describing a serum that the adventurer must find to cure a plague affecting the kingdom;
- Chaosium Caves, having lost a powerful artifact from his treasure room;
- The Search for the Key, commissioning a rescue attempt for several kidnapped officials;
- Quest for Orion, giving the adventurer a mission to find and return Eamon's animals;
- Utterly Outrageous, rewarding the adventurer for a successful mission;
- The Forbidden City, suffering from an attempted assassination by poisoning, for which the adventurer must find an antidote;
- Redemption, trying and banishing the adventurer after his expensive plan to vanquish a dragon fails disastrously — something for which the adventurer must ultimately redeem himself.
In Grunewalde the adventurer thinks it unlikely that the King would ever hire him again for a secret mission: "Everybody knows that the king has had it in for you ever since that little ruckus about debasing the coinage."
Family and officials
The King has at least two sons, the benevolent Prince William whom the adventurer may rescue in Picnic in Paradise, and Prince Castillon who aids the adventurer in Dungeons of Xenon. The good Prince Charlie of The Pirate's Cave is probably a son as well, though this is not explicitly stated.
The King also has at least two daughters, the beautiful princesses Heleena and Aeriel. Both were the targets of kidnappings, Heleena in The Caverns of Vanavara by the thief Gremonis, and Aeriel in The Halls of the Adept by a magical adept. The adventure Lifequest centers around the search for a cure for the illness of an unnamed daughter of the King. Princess Catherine, whose pet cat was abducted from "her father's castle" in Search for Mack, and Princess Thera, rescued in The Temple of Ngurct, may also be daughters of the King, though this isn't explicitly stated.
The King's wife is mentioned in Black Mountain, offering a reward for the return of various lost antiques and mementos including a diamond necklace. In Redemption the Queen is said to be upset at the loss of the necklace; her necklace can be recovered again in The Pirate's Cave.
Lady Amrat, featured in Dungeons on Xenon and Chaosium Caves, is the King's cousin; author Sam Bhayani describes her both as a "fair lady" and as a "barbarian".
The King employs royal wizards named Sagonne (Orb of My Life) and Zakmar (The Rescue Mission), a royal warlock (The Search for the Key), and at some point had as his counselor the good Sir Charles of Aknor (The Senator's Chambers). The King also maintains a contingent of knights, guards, and other able men, including Lord Harvey Killabrew, a knight marshal at the royal palace, and P'Tin Kan, a warrior at the castle and deputy to William Misslefire.
Previous rulers
Prior to the king's reign, various others ruled the land. Some of those are:
- Anharos, an ancient king renowned as a good and just man. (The Pyramid of Anharos)
- Evron, described as "once-mighty". (The Tomb of Evron)
- Molinar, the last of the great wizard-kings who ruled in the distant past. (The Tomb of Molinar)
- Riveneta, a queen whose castle was abandoned after her death. (Castle of Riveneta)