October 2021 Prep Docs (Adherennium)

October 29th - Friday - Premise Review

Settings

The story is set in Europe in the later part of the later part of the 16th Century. Specific locations include,

Chester Castle

Queen's private chambers
Queen's public chambers (Audiences with foreign dignitaries)
William Cecil's chambers
Outer Pavilion (Where members of Council meet physically)
Banqueting hall
Prison room in the crypt of the Agricola Tower (Dafydd Morus)


Rome - Palace of the Pater and the Mithraeum (Temple of Mithras)

Wrocław - Silesia (Poland) - Palace of Sigmund II Augustus (King)
(Based on Wawel Royal Castle)

Rooms of Pater Matthias

Cádiz

and on board the Sol Inviticus - At sea near the Albion coast.

Protagonist

My main protagonist is Queen Boudica III, as she will become early in the novel. The novel will open with her taking the Mindwalk Pavilion. This will allow me to describe the way that who is Queen, (or King), is decided, the significance of the council, but also importantly the idea that mind powers or psychic abilities are involved in the story.

Boudica is to an extent based on Elizabeth I. She is intelligent and well educated. Her ancestry is Welsh, and her father, half brother and half sister have all ruled Albion before her. This succession of a single family is uncommon, but the family is unusually gifted, and often throws up rulers.


Flaws

Elizabeth finds it hard to trust anyone, and she is especially awkward in dealing with romantic interest. Dealing with people takes effort on her part, and she is often terrified of having to interact with others, even those she knows quite well. Her major flaw is procrastination. Because she can often see all sides of an argument, she finds it difficult to choose a course of action. Occasionally fear of 'getting it wrong' will paralyse her and make her unable to act at all, often until it is too late. Her close advisors are aware of this and will help all they can.

Very rarely she will lose her temper, but surprisingly this is often when she acts decisively and deals with problems that have been building up.

Being young, she is still somewhat naive and may not realise the full ramifications of her actions. She is also rather idealistic, and doesn't appreciate that her ideas for improvements might be objectionable to others.


Goals

At a simple level Boudica wishes to prove that despite her youth she is capable of being Queen, and of ruling her people wisely. This will involve dealing with the situations arising from the countries interactions with the wider world - developing her sea power, and establishing a strong foothold in the 'New World'. She will also face internal challenges caused by the spread of the Mithraic religion, which was accelerated by her half sister's marriage to the King of Spain. This was a plot by the Roman Mithras block, and it was derailed by the early death of Mary. The plot to use Boudica in a similar manner will extend from this.

She desires to build her abilities, and develop the Mindwalk Pavilion so that she can remain Queen in the face of the inevitable challenges to her power that are allowed after the three year grace period has expired. Challenges can happen at any time, though they will be discouraged if a monarch is seen as being successful.

Her personal ambitions involve a thirst to know as much about everything as she can. This has been instilled in her by her tutor Brian Peters and when time allows she works with him to extend her library and workshops. With Brian and Dr Dee ,she conceives the idea of luring certain of Europe's intelligentsia to Albion with the promise of patronage and assistance. She plans to create institutions to foster technological advancement, and also to extend education to the whole populace, especially children.


Conflicts

Certain of the families represented on the Council are extremely displeased that yet another from the same family has assumed the throne. Despite the rules, these are not above plotting to remove her, and replace her with one of their own members.

This will lead to an early attempt to rape/murder Boudica by David Morus, a man she has grown up with who has long been in love with Boudica, though she has no romantic inclination towards him. David's action turns out to have been instigated by the Llewellyn family. This betrayal will further make it hard for Boudica to trust potential suitors and make her fervently against the idea of marriage.

The two power blocks of Europe both seek to hinder Boudica and her people, using threat, and, sparingly, conflict. Neither side can really spare the forces for major conflict, because of their own ongoing conflicts with each other. They use agents to try and spread the worship of Mithras in Albion. When they become aware of the plans to lure artists, architects, engineers, astronomers etc. to Albion they make passage between Europe and Albion more difficult, though trade still continues. The Proconsul of Iberia, who was Mary's husband seeks to marry Boudica himself. When he is rebuffed, he can no longer ignore the actions of Drake et al as they plunder his ships from the Americas.


Antagonists


Iliaster da Ragusa a key member of the secret Order of Mithraides is a psychically talented man who is employed by Bernardo Bruno to attack the Celts and especially Boudica through the Mindwalk Pavilion.

The Roman Pater Patrum Giovanni Archinto is head of the Mithraic cult centred in Rome, (the equivalent of the Pope). He is served by various Helidromus, (Cardinals). One of these, Bernardo Filippo Bruno, will be the main instigator of plots and plans against Boudica. In this he will be aided by a secretary Niccolò Corsini.

The Proconsul of Iberia is Fernando Lucius de Moncloa (equivalent of King Philip of Spain). He organises the invasion attempt against Albion.

The Warsaw block is led by Pater Matthias.

The young man who attempts to rape Boudica is named Dafydd Morus.

One of the main families who oppose Boudica is named Llewellyn.

The Ottoman Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent seeks to control Albion through his son Bayezid.


Resolution

Boudica survives the attack by Iliaster thanks to the self sacrifice of Edward Carrick. Finding her inner strength, she sweeps everyone bar Brian Peters from the Mindwalk. She then summons a storm and destroys the invasion fleet sent against her. Brian Peters reveals his role in the Mindwalk, and Boudica evolves to explore it further.

Theme

The main theme of the novel is transcendence. Both Boudica and Iliaster transcend the current limits of what is considered possible, both of them - despite being in conflict due to circumstance will continue to grow, and lead others to follow their growth.