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Emperor Elric I Ravenea-Moresaine
Emperor Elric the Warden, the Iron Emperor, Elric the Shield, and the Steadfast, are some of the titles given to him during his reign.
"Unlike his predecessor, he was a warrior-emperor but lacked the diplomatic finesse of Emperor Daerin I." -Imperial Historian Acillius Cinna
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Following the intellectual enlightenment brought about by Emperor Valerion, the empire was tugged on from two sides; balancing between a thirst for knowledge and the practical necessities of a state constantly under threat from hostile tribes outside its borders.
Emperor Elric I, who ascended to the throne 476 years after Landfall, would soon be dubbed "The Iron Emperor".
The emperor was a product of the military schools that had been disfavored during Emperor Valerion's reign, and was famous for his disagreements with his father over the direction the empire was heading. The Crown Prince believed that a strong military and secure borders were the bedrock upon which a prosperous society could be built.
He also recognized the political significance of the nobility and their influence, specifically those with Blessings, by bringing them back into the fold of his administration upon his ascension. His reign began with what is now known as "The Reclamation," a ten year period that saw the return of numerous territories.
His armies were mobilized to recover territories ceded by his father for peace, a fact that had disgruntled many hawkish advisors and supporters. With masterfully executed campaigns, the Iron Emperor drove back the mountain tribe invaders and expanded imperial lands to reach geographic choke points that led into the empire, and fortify them.
The emperor often led the charge adorned with the Ravenea A'luthean, Corvidae. However, the Church soon intervened and protested the use of the holy relic against other fellow believers. Not wanting to incur the wrath of the Church while he was campaigning, he acquiesced.
Through reports and private letters found around this time, we can see that the emperor's military prowess was intentionally used as a diplomatic tool, further lending credence that the Iron Emperor took precaution to not overextend the empire.
Utilizing the strength of his battle-tested armies as a bargaining chip, he successfully negotiated several peace treaties with other nations, thereby consolidating not just physical territory but also spheres of influence centered around large urban settlements with a heavy Belthean presence. In this way, the emperor practiced economic warfare by threatening embargos or interventions. This allowed him to influence the politics of many city-states, nations, and regions without needing to use actual force.
After witnessing and benefitting from the efficiency of his father's new logistical corps, Emperor Elric I kept the organization intact and even expanded any other such useful reforms that directly supported the military; further showing a level of pragmatism to his decision making that many don't attribute to him.
Further evidence of the Iron-Emperor's ability to work in other areas not martial comes in the fact that while the military schools indeed received increased patronage, the educational academies were not neglected as many thought would happen once he took power. Instead, he kept their funding to the levels his father appointed, and directed the budget used for previous diplomacy and appeasement to instead increase the funding military academies would receive.
Alongside this, the emperor pushed his military officers to study governance, philosophy, and even the sciences, in hopes of creating a new generation of well-rounded leaders that could double as efficient bureaucrats. This can easily be pointed at as the beginning of the future military families that currently make the foundation of professionalism in our military, and the position of the Imperial Military Governor.
But not everything went according to his will, to the point multiple minor rebellions broke out.
These rebellions came from those who felt the burdens of heavy taxation. In their minds, why should they have to pay for the upkeep of faraway frontier garrisons that didn't concern them? This was especially exasperated by the fact funding was kept high for the many schools throughout the empire, something many in the empire didn't see the benefits of yet.
The nobility, especially those who had lost influence to the still newly established Satraps, often questioned his unilateral decisions in public, and decried the high taxes levied against them as well, including mandatory military service with their Blessings.
The empire soon saw internal strife, but due to the emperor's decisive and sometimes ruthless leadership, these uprisings were swiftly quelled.
Emperor Elric I passed away after 19 years on the throne on 495 A.L., his final year marked by deteriorating health likely caused by a thigh wound from his son during a mock joust that never quite healed.
In that same year, a wave of resentment built up against the Obsidian Throne festered as news of the emperor's illness spread. A year after his death, his son faced the largest uprising in imperial history.
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Emperor Cenric Ravenea-Moresaine
Emperor Cenric the Pious, the Healer, the Reconciler, the Peaceful, and the Holy Emperor are titles attributed to Emperor Cenric.
"His reign is remembered as one of the most enlightened reigns in history, and paradoxically, as one of the most catastrophic." -Imperial Historian Acillius Cinna
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495 years after Landfall, Emperor Cenric ascended.
The emperor had inherited a troubled throne, one where his empire was on the brink of total rebellion thanks to the inaction of the previous emperor in his dying days.
He faced his first major crisis only a year into his rule: the Noble Uprising of '96.
Fueled by discontent over the taxes imposed by the satrapies because of Emperor Elric's wars and his policies, the commonfolk and a number of noble houses rebelled against the imperial throne. The main rebel army gathered in the city of Farghas, and made public their intent in hopes of lighting the fires of revolution so that people everywhere would rise to oust the Ravenea.
The emperor had no easy solutions. He could use the armies, but many would perish, and there were no guarantees that the rebellion would end quickly. The discontent brought upon his father had reached throughout all corners of the empire, and there were still those alive who could remember the days without empire.
And so, the emperor made his decision.
Utilizing his family's A'luthean, Corvidae, he brutally quelled the rebellion at it's heart; utterly destroying the city of Farghas, but at a steep psychological cost.
St. Hytera's Academy is in possession of the journal belonging to the long dead emperor, and a particular passage details the nightmares that plagued him constantly.
"...the ground where the crater was made is glowing red, the dust clouds rising to the heavens seemingly containing an inferno within. All was silent 'cept the wind blowing through what was once a city. I could feel it somehow, the wind's surprise at this new vast nothingness. Nothing would block its path anymore."
"How is it, that the silence was the most deafening thing I had ever heard in my life? Not the screams that I could hear even above the city, not the explosion that rivaled the sun for but a moment, not the rumbling sound of buildings collapsing and breaking once the second sun disappeared, nor the drum of my heart beating that mighty drum against my ears."
"Embers surround me, falling from the sky. I wonder often, just how high did my fireball carry the once proud city into the air? City. City. What I saw was not a city, but the corpse of one. Strewn about buildings, somehow tossed and turned, sometimes with entire pieces erased. My work. Some blackened limbs could be seen, people crushed within the rubble."
"I still hear it now, when I close my eyes. I can forget the smells. The ruins. Perhaps even the glowing crater I had made, like an angry red eyeball judging me as if it were the earth itself. I could forget it all, 'cept the silence that accompanies me when I try to sleep. The silence that greets me when I wake. The silence that walks with me when I go to wash my face. The silence that follows once I sit upon my throne. I can never escape the silence..."
The bloodshed transformed the emperor into a pacifist, a seemingly paradoxical position for a man vested with such extraordinary power, who had actually used said power.
After the destruction of Farghas, the emperor issued a universal pardon for all involved in the rebellion, on the condition that the leaders are brought forth and executed. The leaders of the rebellion were almost instantly turned on.
In an effort to reforge the empire's very soul after the brutal suppression of the uprising, Emperor Cenric turned toward religious and spiritual pursuits. Aligning closely with the church and its Archpriestess, he poured resources into proselytizing missions, extending the faith of the empire to far-off lands.
These missions were dispatched eastward over the Snowpeaks, westward towards the Tripartite Alliance, and south to the islands inhabited by the pirates.
Despite the continued threat of raids from over the Snowpeaks, these missions did find some success. The Tripartite Alliance, in particular Lymark and Argent, welcomed the Belthean clergy and embraced the faith, strengthening diplomatic ties and opening new avenues for cultural exchange.
However, these missions were not universally successful or appreciated, and they drained substantial resources from the empire's coffers.
He attempted to rectify his father's mistakes, and instead of maintaining many academies that sought to find and train the very best in their fields, Emperor Cenric decided to instead offer a basic education to his citizens. His main focus was to continue the wish of his grandfather, in making a literate society.
The next, was to create the Imperial Examination.
If any wished to further their education, they would need sponsorship, something only wealthy or noble families could provide. Sometimes, even local churches could provide a private scholarship.
But for those without such connections, once every year all students were allowed to partake in the Imperial Examination. Those who rank high enough are then given scholarships from the emperor himself to join one of the select few seats of higher learning where even a commoner may become a military officer or scholar-bureaucrat.
Emperor Cenric's steadfast dedication to his citizens, peaceful expansion, and religious piety earned him both accolades and criticism. The church canonized him as "St. Cenric the Pious," a title of unparalleled religious honor.*
Yet, this focus also rendered him somewhat controversial among the imperial elite and military, who felt that his pacifist leanings and religious expenditures weakened the empire's geopolitical stance. As his reign progressed, Emperor Cenric became more deeply involved in religious efforts to unify the faith of the continent, even initiating theological debates and councils aimed at reconciling different sects and interpretations of the faith within the empire.
While his initiatives promoted religious unity, they also muddied the waters between the church and the state, leading to complex power dynamics that would confound his successor.
Emperor Cenric passed away 14 years later at the age young age of 44, his death coming as a shock to all.
To date, his life and reign remains a study in contrasts.
A pacifist who used ultimate power to destroy an entire city, a spiritual man leading a worldly empire, his legacy was as complex as the man himself. His passing led to a state of deep public mourning, as well as intense debate about the direction the empire should take in the years to come. These debates however, were quickly silenced by the only one who has neared closest to the pedestal that Emperor Daerin I stands on.
*His sainthood is currently only recognized within the lands of the empire, but there's been a recent push to formally induct him among the main line.
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Emperor Saldwin Ravenea-Moresaine
Emperor Saldwin the Slayer, Warden of the Snowpeaks, the Avenger of Ulthred, and the Scourge of Arava.
"...the only one who has neared closest to the pedestal that Emperor Daerin I stands on." -Imperial Historian Acillius Cinna
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Assuming the Imperial Throne at the relatively young age of 26, 509 years after Landfall, Emperor Saldwin harbored a passionate aspiration: to rival, if not surpass, the accomplishments of Emperor Garland the Conqueror.
From his early years, he was captivated by the Conqueror's aura of invincibility and territorial conquest, envisioning himself as the modern manifestation of such greatness.
For Saldwin, the Kin of Arava, notorious for raiding the plains of Ulthred, were the perfect targets to showcase his military prowess and unify the empire in common purpose.
Infamous for their decentralized leadership, the Kin had frustrated previous emperors' efforts to quell their incursions definitively. Emperor Saldwin, however, was not a man made of half-measures.
Mobilizing an army of 24,000, he traveled through the Snowpeaks but emerged the other side with only half of what he entered with. His forces were tired, depleted, and stricken with mountain sickness.
Originally, Emperor Saldwin had grand designs for a complete subjugation of Arava. However, the complex socio-political structure of the Kin's tribes complicated any attempts at annexation. The High Kinlord, despite his title, had limited authority; each tribe had the prerogative to accept or reject his decisions.
This rendered Arava virtually ungovernable as a single entity under imperial rule. As such, Emperor Saldwin was infuriated with the slow and oft times intentional diplomatic maneuvering of the Kin. It was also around this time that he was informed of the imperial nobility conspiring to overthrow him. Considering this new threat to his rule, Emperor Saldwin changed his strategy when news came of his colony's destruction.
The Kin had at last pushed too far.
Instead of striving for direct control, he decided to impose a ruthless demonstration of might using the A'luthean of his family. Not just for the Kin, but for the rebellious nobles across the Snowpeaks.
This destructive campaign was so precisely executed that it left the Kin paralyzed by its scale and horror. His retaliation was swift and unforgiving. The emperor unleashed a cataclysmic assault on his lonesome, deciding to not capture the settled and nomadic tribes but instead raze them to the ground.
So exacting was his work that when finished, the Kin of Arava were left in a state of numbing shock at the scale of death and devastation. The emperor's razing of the populations southwest of Ka'roo (the Kin Capital), was so devastating in fact, that a large swath of Arava remain depopulated to this day.
There was no rallying cry, no glorious counterattack from the Kin.
The impact was so profound that any designs for rebellion from the nobles or further mischief from the Kin evaporated, replaced by quiet oaths of peace and non-aggression beyond the Snowpeaks- promises that have endured since.
To further ensure that the Kin never threaten the empire again, the emperor then used his A'luthean to carve a valley through the Snowpeaks. Forever after, an imperial army would never once again suffer through the horrors his army did years ago. His last actions in the Snowpeaks ended with the establishment of two forts, Saldwin for to defend the pass he used to travel, and the Eastern Bulwark that forces any and all travelers to go through it's doors.
The emperor then turned his gaze across the ocean, now 33 years old and only having pacified the Kin of Arava. The Kingdom of Jelaytha had repeatedly resisted numerous smaller invasions from Trevalyn and past kingdoms. The most famous repulsion of enemy invasions was soon to be that of Emperor Saldwin himself, but at incredible cost to the Jelaythans.
The emperor having failed outright conquest of the Arava and only their pacification, sought to finally end the pirating of Jelaytha as well. The Kin were poor, and offered no real spoils besides their defanging towards the empire. As such, the armies of the empire thirsted for real war spoils, and the emperor had to look outside his borders.
The Tripartite Alliance, that is the Kingdoms of Kayzack, Lymark, and Argent, were too well defended at this time, with their lands stable and offering no chink to exploit.
So, Emperor Saldwin looked across the ocean to the Island Kingdom of Jelaytha, a constant thorn on trade and peace in the Trevalyn Province. The Jelaythans in turn knew this, and mounted the first attack against the empire on the great port city of Trevalyn, blockading and mounting small raids on the coastal villages to the east.
The Emperor of the Belthean Empire marched south to aid the Trevalyns, levying an army that matched the size his great-great-grandfather Emperor Garland mustered in the past. The emperor reportedly found it ironic, that the great army in the past was to be used for conquering Trevalyn, and that his was to be used for saving it.
Quickly shutting down raids on the coasts with his A'luthean, the emperor organized an attack on the blockading ships using the talent surrounding him.
The empire broke through the blockade of Trevalyn by the efforts of the brilliant Admiral Ernst Callinger, who took advantage of the confusion the emperor created with his armor earlier. Punching through the blockade and defending the city from future attacks, Admiral Callinger waited and waited for the construction of new ships to aid in the coming invasion.
After seven months of waiting and deflecting Jelaythan attacks and raids, Admiral Callinger had 233 ships ready. Going ahead with the emperor's instruction of destroying the enemy fleet and establishing a beachhead, Admiral Callinger set off.
The cataclysmic naval Battle for Quey began underway 516 years after Landfall.
Quey is the westernmost peninsula of the island Jelay with flat terrain, thus a perfect landing ground for the empire’s forces. The empire had a total of 233 naval ships while the Jelaythans had 114 ships.
Although numerically superior, the empire’s fleet consisted of transport boats, landing ships, and perhaps most critically, untested sailors. This in contrast to the Jelaythans who were experienced sailors, the best in Nareth in fact. A majority of their ships were triremes manned by pirates, Jelaythan Royal Navy quadriremes, and the newly designed quinqueremes used as their flagships.
Diligently keeping the ships to be used used for the landing operation to the rear, Admiral Callinger's naval combat fleet was in actuality closer to 150 ships.
In total, almost 90,000 men and women from both sides in total fought in the Battle for Quey. A large majority of the combatants were of the empire, owing to the large number of transport ships that could carry small battalions.
Naval warfare is conducted somewhat similarly to land combat, with warships launching grappling hooks to board and capture enemy ships. But sometimes, ramming actions are used to sink enemies. Very rarely, ships throw incendiary attacks, but ask any sailor and they'll tell you they prefer to use it only as a final option. If they could, they'd never use it.
Unfortunately for many a sailor, the Battle for Quey has the infamy of also being called the Battle of the Burning Sea.
As such, the battle resulted in a chaotic mess of ships lodging themselves to other ships in the middle of an inferno.
During the fierce fighting of the two vanguards, Admiral Callinger decided to make a final push to break the Jelaythan fleet.
Calling in the transport fleet as bait, he moved them to his left flank and ordered them to leave the battle as if they were peeling off to begin the invasion on Quey. Luring a sizable portion of the enemy fleet's right flank to follow them, Admiral Callinger capitalized the opportunity by rushing the weakened enemy flank.
A hole now present in the Jelaythan battle line, he flagged his right flank to push through the middle of the Jelaythans, hoping to pincer the whole fleet with two deep thrusts.
It is to the credit of Admiral Callinger that the Imperial Academy of St. Hytera and notable scholars agree that this would have, should have, won the sea battle. But instead of grasping victory, the empire was left choking on ash.
The Jelaythans, noticing the pincer movement at the last minute, resolved to ensure denial of landing on Quey at any cost. The hitherto unknown future King of Jelaytha, then Admiral Kwabena Narmer, gave the order to set aflame the ocean.
Dumping barrels of oil and a jealously guarded chemical contraption called Samum, the erupted fires did not care if the vessels were Jelaythan or Imperial, for it consumed flesh without restraint. Admiral Kwabena retreated back to Quey, with less than one-third of the original Jelaythan fleet.
Meanwhile, Admiral Callinger remained amidst the searing ocean to organize an orderly retreat and keep Imperial sailors from causing even more death by blindly fleeing. This caused the admiral his life as he stayed too long in the center.
It is estimated that the empire lost around 13,000 combatants and that Jelaytha 9,000. The fires stayed aflame for almost 14 hours, leaving only ashes and blackened wood drifting about. After the oceans calmed, Emperor Saldwin brokered a truce with Admiral Kwabena, supporting his elevation to kingship*.
After being crowned, King Kwabena accepted Emperor Saldwin's terms.
The emperor imposed strict naval restrictions, and an end to the pirating of imperial assets and property.
In return, the Kingdom of Jelaytha would enjoy special trading privileges, a guarantee of independence, and recognition as an “Imperial Friend and Ally”. Jelaythans could now travel to the empire freely and work or attend schools as Imperial citizens can.
Following this campaign, Emperor Saldwin once again shifted his focus towards expansion in other directions. Though he dreamed of capturing far-off lands, he was acutely aware of the needs for internal reforms.
Inspired by the innovative projects of Emperor Elric I and the pacifistic policies of Emperor Cenric, Emperor Saldwin initiated another period of reforms now known as the "Saldwinic Rejuvenation."
This included significant upgrades to the administrative infrastructure, the beginning of various monumental public work projects such as the total damming of the Mother's River and complete irrigating of the Mother's Gift, and the establishment of new guilds to encourage trade between the east and west sides of Nareth.
However, Emperor Saldwin never lost his taste for the military; he continued to expand the empire’s borders, albeit in a more calculated and diplomatic fashion than his early years.
An emperor still in his prime, with ambitions still to fulfill, and the empire the strongest it has ever been, it will remain a mystery to know how far and in what direction the empire would have gone under Emperor Saldwin's rule. Tragically however, the emperor died only 13 years into his reign at 522 A.L.
*Admiral Kwabena in fact usurped the throne with imperial aid in the form of coin.