Adelberto Leonidas

Adelberto Leonidas, most commonly remembered as Monsignor Leonidas, was a Mehicanian necromancer, churchman, and military officer. He was one of the architects of Mehicania’s magical war apparatus during the Poasan-Apgarian Conflict, where he commanded the Guerreros de los Muertos, a unit of necromancers within the Ejercito della Salamanca.

Leonidas remained a figure of influence after the war despite the formal disbanding of his unit. He preserved part of his network through secret military and intelligence circles, especially the group known as Los Illustrados, and trained several necromancers who later became important figures in their own right. His pursuit of the secrets of the Town of Hama eventually brought him into conflict with Hedwig Rosenkrantz, Minfilia Diaz, and their allies. He was killed during the Hama affair of 1275 AI.

Military Career

Leonidas rose to prominence during Mehicania’s rapid militarization of magic in the closing years of the Poasan-Apgarian Conflict. The Mehicanian magical corps searched widely for people with magical aptitude, and Leonidas became one of the figures most closely associated with necromantic training. His unit, the Guerreros de los Muertos, used fallen soldiers as undead auxiliaries in the western theater of the war. The tactic was militarily effective and psychologically devastating, especially against Apgarian forces made to face their own dead.

After the war ended in 1255 AI, Mehicania’s new government and the Poasan Thirteen grew wary of necromancy. The Guerreros de los Muertos were officially disbanded, and Leonidas’ open military influence declined. He nevertheless retained loyalists among former necromancers and maintained access to clandestine channels within and around the Salamanceros.

Los Illustrados

Leonidas’ postwar influence was most clearly expressed through Los Illustrados, a covert intelligence circle staffed in part by former Muerteros. The group operated adjacent to the military rather than as an ordinary command structure, and was supported by factions that still valued Leonidas’ methods despite official unease with necromancy.

Minfilia Diaz was one of Leonidas’ most notable pupils. He recognized her necromantic ability while she was still in military service and trained her personally. She later served in Los Illustrados, where she continued to refine her magic before growing disillusioned with military life. Leonidas opposed her departure, but Minfilia secured formal permission to retire from the Salamanceros.

The break between master and pupil did not end their connection. After Minfilia became known among smugglers for using necromancy to preserve whale meat aboard the Lady Whiskers, Leonidas tracked her down. A Los Illustrados contingent attacked the ship near Uyama, forcing Minfilia and her surviving allies to seek refuge elsewhere.

Hama Affair

In 1275 AI, Leonidas’ interests turned toward Raibon Island and the old mysteries surrounding Hama. He sought the remnants of the Town of Hama in order to uncover its secrets, especially those tied to the Hags of Hama and the Deep Lore. His activity overlapped with the broader crisis around the Free Theater, the Reformist presence on Raibon Island, and the politics of Port Rainoso.

Leonidas ultimately attempted to reach what remained of Hama. Hedwig Rosenkrantz, Minfilia Diaz, and their allies intercepted him before he could claim the town’s secrets. He was killed in the confrontation.

Leonidas’ death coincided with a profound transformation of the region. The debris that had formed Hama’s Tears magically reformed into the geography on which the town had once stood, and the Town of Hama itself was raised from the depths and returned to its former place. The event renewed Hama as a political and religious question in the Apgarian islands, and ended Leonidas’ attempt to control its hidden inheritance.