Following her execution by the gathered forces of good, evil and anybody else who wanted the world to continue to exist, the name Aelindis Kingslayer became synonymous with True Evil, her actions listed alongside those of Dii Casses (either her former patron, or rival depending on who you ask) and the few other monsters whose names echo down through history.

In this three part special we review exactly what is known about Aelindis and what historical sources have to say on the matter.

One for her eyes,
Two for her ears
Three for her footsteps,
as she draws near.
Four for a murder,
Five for a spell,
Six for the Aelindis, risen from hell.
— Medieval child's rhyme, marking the number of ravens seen in one place

We all know the tale, the star crossed lovers Saint Guinevere and King Arthur, separated by the jealous Aelindis for hundreds of years, only to be reunited for all of an hour before Aelindis came to slay the King. Of course, the eponymous Kingslaying was one of her less heinous crimes.

Experts argue over her greatest crime. Was it the cannibalistic killing spree she undertook to become Demiurge back in Tir N'Aill, or the creation of the portal that brought about the Totalising Will and the great wars in Europe caused by its destabilising effects? The most well documented one in which she led the entire populations of Paris and London to the place where she systematically murdered them to power her spells?

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In this program we ask what real evidence we have of the existence of Aelindis, what documents she left behind, and whether she was truly as evil as the tales make out.

Modern scholars agree that there are several distinct parts to her identity. The myth of Merlyn, a guise she reprised on a number of occasions to fool even the great and powerful attendees at Godstow Abbey. Her self-portrayal as the peasant Aelindis of the Marsh, tricked into being a cat's paw of Dii Casses against her will, the role for which she will ever be known. Or her true status as the demiurge of deception, trickery and mass-murder?

We can see just how she portrayed herself in a letter she wrote to High King Samuel:

“They might know a few of my tricks. Tell them more. Tell them how Aelindis tricked the old king of Scotland into wasting his might on a futile crusade. Tell them how Aelindis and her friends saved a cathedral from imps when she trapped the creatures in tar. Tell them how Aelindis tricked Hereward the Wake into letting her friends escape his camp with the Boat of Elaine. Tell them how she fooled a miserly Venetian lord into throwing his fortunes to the poor, after she posed as his own ghost from the future. Tell them how she tricked half of Spain into slapping each other with fish to cure the gutta. Tell of how she led Agrona into a trap and then faked her own death to escape reprisals.

“Tell them how the Holy Roman Empire's soldiers started deserting after she spiked their water and got them literally shitting themselves. Tell them how she used her disguises to pretend to be her friends' friends, and all the pranks she played on them. Tell them how she performed for Genghis Khan as a jester, and then used the old disappearing sword trick to steal the symbol of his alliance with the Ysbathadeni. Tell them how she had Allie the Upshot fighting phantoms, how she infiltrated the cult of Dii Casses and cleverly distracted Wymond Payne from sacrificing several old gods before she finally turned on him.”

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In the final episode of our three part series, we ask the question as to whether Aelindis was truly evil, or just misunderstood? Was she merely doing what needed to be done, consequences be damned?

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“Quite simply, if she had not sealed King Arthur away, it is clear he and Guinevere would have made war upon Charlemagne. With the empire still reeling from its battle with the fae, it is likely Europe would have disappeared under a tide of blood.”

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“The evil Ichor needed to be contained. A ward based on the sacrifice of thousands of lives was the only way. Noone else stepped forward. If she had not sacrificed those people, the world would have ended. Full stop.

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“All the evidence points towards the murder of King Arthur as a crime of passion. The sort of murder that happens week in week out somewhere in the world. Why do we place so much weight on such a common crime when it was committed by Aelindis?”

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