Monk Stephen

Several miles off the road to Hell was a huge monastery, named "The Devil's Keep. The Steward was Monk Stephan. His nickname was "Even Stephen" and he was served by a host of accolades. Stephen worked tirelessly to foster alliances with the the down trodden peoples who surrounded the Fertile Kingdome. He hated King Percival blaming him for the murder of his father. The king he alleged, colluded with fey creatures to arrange his father's death, confiscation of their lands and disappearance of Fortress Magnifico.

Stephen was lucky to survive his father's downfall and managed to barely escape with his life, fleeing to the monastery and finding sanctuary therein. There he met his benefactor, Friar Nussbaum. Following the death of his mentor Manfred assumed his role as Steward. The purpose of "Something for Noting was to make sure everyone entering the gate to hell was dead. Thus it fell to Stephen to insure that all the travelers making the journey were first separated of their possessions and then their lives. Their spirits were harvested and cooked in a hot furnace turning them to hard kernels of cinder. Manfred was a perfect man for the job of preparing the pilgrims for the last leg of their journey.

On the road was a toll booth of sorts called "The Devil's Keep." The name in itself should have raised a red flag with the Pilgrims, but once they drank the free cool-aid served at the welcome tents they stopped thinking too clearly. The "Toll" gave him the means to further his love of politics. The toll was a simple pledge in the belief of "Even-Handedness" where each promised their energy and talents in his scheme for the equitable distribution of wealth. In the service of this premise sent his minions far and wide to identify the leaders of the downtrodden. These were brought to the Keep and given a special status, "Champions of the Realm. Naturally there were some special perks reserved for the champions. Particularly sought after were teachers frustrated by the lack of appreciation and compensation for their selfless education of the ignorant. The promise of rising from a Champion to a "Gifted Elite" made them open to spreading the political views that Stephen distributed far and wide. Once that was done the initiants were trained and equipped for espionage and military duties including an annual training exercise to assail the walls of the Fertile Kingdom, both from without and within. Once his minions proved their mettle they were sent to Utopia, which was a town built for housing his growing army of dissidents.

Song from the repertoire of the "Cool Aid Choir"

Even Steven
Champion of the Poor at heart
Even Steven
He's the man for me.

Even Steven
Roses and Lol-pops
Even Steven
Makes the rich beware.

Even Steven
Gives honest men a pittance
Even Steven
Gives our children hope

Even Steven
Someone you can count upon
Even Steven
Shine your light on me.

Even Steven
Give the greedy pause to think
Even Steven
Buys a man a drink

Even Stephen
Master of the give an take
Even Stephen
Gives us all a break

Even Stephen
Steward of the Weak and old
Even Stephen
Divies up the gold

Even Steven
All for one andone for all
Even Steven
Hear the master's call