In 2740 Loris Kleftin, the third Earl of Urkonis, married Taralyn Odas, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy vassal knight. She was a gentle woman of great renown for her service and pious devotion to the Cult of Ariala, Mother of the World. Loris was a valiant knight and a wise and generous lord and the match was regarded as perfect.

Taralyn bore two sons, Madrin and Arvan, and a daughter Jayal. The boys grew into honorable knights of fine standing and Madrin, the eldest, won renown in tournaments. He traveled widely to broaden his knowledge of the world that he might better serve his father and his people. In 2769, he traveled to northwestern Ysgareth paid a visit at the court of Nahandis, the Delfari Emperor.

When Madrin returned home to Urkonis in 2771, he was a changed man. Where before he had been cheerful and ready with kind words, now he was moody and prone to fits of anger which gradually grew more and more frightening.

Madrin came to believe that his mother was betraying his elderly father, and went so far as to accuse her of adultery with the Baron of Belthin. Madrin became so obsessed with the notion that his father forbade him to speak Taralyn’s name in his presence.

One morning in Margas, Taralyn was found abed with her throat slit. A search of Madrin’s chamber uncovered a bloody dagger. Protesting innocence, Madrin cut down the guards sent to arrest him and fled, never to be seen again.

Loris, beset with grief, commissioned a tapestry depicting his gentle wife ministering to the orphans. Finished about a year later, the tapestry was hung in the great hall, where it hangs to this day. On the first anniversary of Taralyn’s murder, her pale face took on a red tinge, and this strange occurrence has repeated each year since, for two and a half centuries.

Madrin’s younger brother, Arvan, who succeeded his father, never believed in his brother’s guilt. He made several attempts to find the real murderer, but learned nothing except that his mother was murdered during the Night of Shadows, one of the most unholy nights of the year to several Naventhülian cults.

NOTE: It is not generally known, except to scholars and ecclesiastical authorities, that the effect occurs on the night of 14 Margas at about 24:30 and lasts for 25 hours, fading out at the same time on 15 Margas. Over the years the family has allowed scholars and religious experts to examine the tapestry, but they discourage casual sightseers; they have never allowed the artifact to be removed from the castle, despite repeated requests from the Church and various T’ara Kul institutions.