IDWIT OOGLE FLATHEADIdwit Oogle Flathead was the eleventh king of the Flathead Dynasty, and father of Wurb Flathead. Idwit came to the throne in 845 GUE after his brother Barbawit, and reigned from Flatheadia for 36 years until 881, when he was succeeded by his son.
BEFORE IDWIT'S REIGN
By the time the advisors of Duncwit Flathead were compelled to push the old monarch off his throne, it was clear to everyone involved that Duncwit's first-born son, Barbawit had absolutely no interest in taking charge of Quendor. The high-ranking military figures that ousted Duncwit have been blamed for ignoring a golden opportunity and doing away with the reigning dynasty once and for all. Lacking the political originality, or perhaps fearing the consequences of bringing the Curse of Megaboz to an early fulfillment, the small group of coup leaders felt they had no choice but to take their chances with Barbawit. The older group of advisors that had steadied the course of the state after the deaths of Dimwit and Loowit had long since been distanced from the reigns of power at Aragain, Feepness himself finally giving in to the death of a lonely exile in the wilds of Fenshire, and already the young Idwit Oogle was itching for a chance to claim the throne.
THE REIGN OF IDWIT OOGLE FLATHEAD
When Barbawit Flathead was executed in 845, Idwit Oogle assumed the throne. Little is known of the achievements of this monarch (if any), other than the minting of a new Zm1 gold coin with his portrait in 857. (Misprints of this coin, dated 657 were accidentally put into circulation.) Tales tell of several occasions during his reign in which Syovar himself nearly died in magical battles fought to preserve his life.
What is known for certain are Idwit Oogle's last years, which are a sad story indeed. Due to an unexplainable disease that he had obtained, the king made his home deep in the underground caverns to the north of the Flathead Fjord, hoping desperately that the subterraneous hotsprings there would be enough to nurse his unhealthy body back to life. Idwit himself had never left the Eastlands to visit his older, more civilized provinces, and for the last seven years of his reign, neither did any of his public officials. The forces of government in the east became increasingly concerned with nursing the health of the king and preserving the safety of the eastern cities. When the Guild Revolts of Borphee and Accardi erupted in 873, no troops were sent to quell the violence. The naval garrison at Anthar had been given deployment orders, but unbeknownst to the royal government, the soldiers there had already risen in mutiny and seized the western half of the island.
Convinced that the Curse had come to fruition nine years too early, the wife of Idwit Oogle Flathead committed suicide in 874 GUE. Her last weeks were spent in a state of paranoid delirium, the end finally coming as she ran through Port Foozle, waving a blood-stained knife and screaming that the dornbeasts were coming. This last death was a crushing blow for Idwit and his own self-confidence, the spring of 874 marking the end of any sort of effective government emanating from the royal court.
When a claimant to the throne of Kaldorn rose to announce the principality’s secession from Quendor in 880 GUE, Idwit Oogle was helpless. His only recorded response to the crisis was to write a letter to his own governor in Kaldorn, exhorting him to provide for his own safety.
THE FIRST INQUISITION BEGINS (881 GUE)
A year later, in 881 GUE, affairs had reached the boiling point. Extremist religions spring up whenever an empire collapses, and this was not an exception. Early that spring, the first violent stirrings of the Inquisition swept through the streets of Foozle, and quickly through the forests to nearby Flatheadia. The followers of this crackpot religious sect believed that the impending doom of the Curse of Megaboz was caused by widespread sinning, and the only way to forestall the curse was to appease the gods. The original goals of the movement, rather than beginning with an indiscriminate massacre of the general populace, called for the sacrifice of only those people in power, particularly members of the Flathead family. Correspondingly, after the sack and looting of several governmental buildings, the growing ranks of the extremist cult group laid siege to the Flathead Castle itself, seizing both the key forest roads and underground caverns leading away from the capital.
Surprised by the stiff resistance encountered from the local garrison within the castle, the attackers were forced to settle down for the long haul. As it turned out, the makeshift and unprofessional job by the Inquisition of cutting off all communications with the surrounding countryside did nothing to prevent news of the crisis from reaching Idwit in his distant underground retreat. Shaken from his sickness and lethargy by the news of the imposing threat to his son, Wurb's life, Idwit Oogle Flathead was moved to one final, decisive act.
Against the better judgment of his advisors, who urged him to wait and let the crisis defuse itself, the aged Flathead monarch mustered the few troops available to him from the garrisons of the Gray Mountains Province and began the long march to the south.
A few weeks later, a serious split in the Inquisition leadership, marking the beginning of persecution of the general population, had significantly weakened the makeshift forces besieging Flatheadia. This second branch, believed that the sacrifice of those in royalty were not enough, that the gods could only be placated if every person in the entire kingdom was executed.
The arrival of the relieving army from the north brought the whole affair to a sudden and painful halt, the remaining Inquisition extremists around the castle crushed in a matter of hours. Unfortunately, the events of the last few weeks seemed to have been too much for Idwit's mental well-being. Unwilling to wait in relative safety while his forces secured victory, he somewhat recklessly mounted his steed and charged ahead to lead his army to battle. To this day, it is not known whether the dozen arrows found lodged in his back came from the Quendoran archers he was trying to lead, or from the archers of the Inquisition that he was soon trying to flee.
In any case, the eleventh king of the Flathead dynasty was dead, and only his sixteen year old son, Wurb, remained. Two years later, he would reach the age of majority and lose the throne of the greatest empire the world had ever seen.
Although Idwit Oogle Flathead was long dead as late as 915, degrees from the Antharia University were still given out in the name of his Royal Highness.