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Emperor Garland Ravenea-Carsthe
The Founding Father of the Empire, the Great Conqueror, the High Ancestor, and the Sword of the Goddess.
"The man who bent the knees of kingdoms." -Imperial Historian Acillius Cinna
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After his incredible conquests, the Emperor saw fit to construct a new Imperial Capital near Lake Traiseme, envisioning a city to put all others to shame using the old wooden scrolls his people carried with them when they left their homeland.
He never got to see it finished, having passed away in his sleep at the age of 71 after ruling as emperor for 27 years, 398 years after Landfall.
In dying inside the city, he gave the hirtherto unnamed city it's name, Ravenfall.
Born in 327 A.L., Emperor Garland's story was the history of the third century.
Prince Daerin became Emperor Daerin, who continued the construction and expansion of the great capital.
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Emperor Daerin Ravenea-Carsthe
Daerin the Destroyer, Daerin the Lawgiver, and Daerin the Great, are some of the many titles attributed to this legendary figure.
"The entirety of Emperor Daerin I's reign is one upon which every subsequent emperor and empress shall always compare their reigns to." -Imperial Historian Acillius Cinna
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As soon as he was crowned, the emperor introduced sweeping reforms to the empire. Here are the three most important laws written in his Code.
The Code of Daerin ensured slavery was outlawed in all its forms and that perpetrators who ignored the decree were to be worked to death in the construction of Ravenfall's gigantic walls.
Women will inherit on the same equal footing as men, could conduct business as men do, and be treated equally in court as was the Belthean tradition across the entirety of his empire.
It also outlined the Satrapy System that would be used to help govern the empire until it's recent dissolution by his descendant, Emperor Otto.
Yet despite for his obvious talent for statecraft and governance, Emperor Daerin I had not forgotten how to wage war, as shown when the Kingdom of Jelaytha hired pirates to raid Trevalyn shipping routes while enslaving his citizens.
Emperor Daerin I was enraged when he heard of the attacks. But instead of waging all-out war against the Kingdom of Jelaytha and the pirates, Emperor Daerin I kidnapped the eldest son and youngest daughter of the Royal Family of Jelaytha, House Nile, at the time by using the very same pirates they hired against the empire.
The empire then sent House Nile a letter personally penned by the emperor himself, the contents of which have never been revealed to this day.
The Jelaythans, having the letter at hand, were horrified at the sudden turn of events and negotiated the release of the children by surrendering the pirates that had participated in the attacks to the empire, and freeing any slaves that were held by the pirates or citizens of Jelaytha. The kingdom then had to transport those freed slaves back to the mainland, along with the prisoners.
Emperor Daerin I then crucified the pirates, later burning them alive on the coast of Trevalyn to end their suffering.
The man known as Daerin the Destroyer had returned for only this event.
The emperor then died after having ruled the empire for an incredibly stable 54 years, 452 years after Landfall. Emperor Daerin had managed to overshadow his already glorious father with brilliant administration, and soon became the standard to which succeeding emperors compared themselves against.
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Emperor Valerion Ravenea-Moresaine
Valerion the Enlightened, Patron of Historians, The Scholar Emperor, Valerion the Wise, The Librarian Emperor and more such titles are given to him. Emperor Valerion inherited the throne 452 years after Landfall, ruling after Emperor Daerin I's unparalleled tenure.
"Valerion was an emperor more concerned with intellectual pursuits and the arts, than the might of the sword." -Imperial Historian Acillius Cinna
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Empero Valerion ascended the throne at a time when the empire was still at its intellectual infancy, still deeply enamored with the might and valor of the two previous emperors, Garland and Daerin.
However, Emperor Valerion was a man of a different kind, an intellectual who found solace in the written word rather than the clash of swords. This was mostly due to his father, Emperor Daerin I's desire to give his son a more balanced education as Belthean culture focused too heavily on martial matters in his opinion.
His reign, which started 452 years after Landfall, was almost immediately marked by the establishment of the Imperial Library at Ravenfall. But it wasn't just any library; it was a repository of knowledge unparalleled in its scope and ambition. Even today, not even the Master-Scholars of Jelaytha have managed to reach the number of scrolls and tests collected within.
Texts from across the empire and even beyond its borders found their way to the library's hallowed halls. Emperor Valerion, known widely as "Valerion the Enlightened," even invited scholars from neighboring kingdoms, breaking traditional barriers to enhance the exchange of ideas and wisdom so that the empire could grow intellectually.
Under Emperor Valerion, the Imperial Court- traditionally a body dominated by military advisors and Awakened nobles- was diversified to include philosophers, poets, and even a few scientists. This saw the empire's first breakthroughs in medicine and engineering as these fields were encouraged and sponsored by the Imperial Raven.
Irrigation systems improved under new scientific principles, and hospitals following organized medicinal practices started cropping up in major cities inside the empire. The rural farmer became part of a massive network of producers who fed entire settlements with their growing yields of harvest.
While the empire flourished intellectually under Emperor Valerion, it was not without its challenges. Neglect of the military structure led to weakening borders, leading to several skirmishes and even minor invasions in the outer territories by barbarian tribes. The Blessed nobility, often revered for their martial prowess and lineage as leaders, found themselves less influential at the court, stirring discontent among the empire's most powerful families.
To further distance himself from them, Emperor Valerion initiated a diplomatic endeavor that sought peaceful resolutions with neighboring kingdoms, effectively facing potential threats through dialogue rather than the sword. While it reduced the immediate need for military intervention, it was not enough to entirely safeguard the empire's vast territories.
Even with these difficulties, his reign saw a surge in education among the general populace. Schools and academies were founded in even the most remote towns. For the first time, commoners found themselves with access to a basic education, as the emperor firmly believed that an educated populace was essential for a strong empire.
Emperor Valerion passed away peacefully, having ruled for 24 years.
His death was deeply mourned by the intellectual community, and while military leaders and nobles saw his passing as an opportunity to regain their lost prestige and influence, none could deny he was a worthy successor to his father.
He was succeeded by his son, Prince Elric, in 476 A.L.