Elvruzahl

Early Life

Elvurzahl was the first born child of Eldrakar, head of House Erexis, and his wife Valkira. House Erexis was one of the most powerful and influencial wizard houses, and the only one keep their seat on the Azmaran Council during the systematic oppression of wizards. Elvruzahl grew to become an influential advocate of wizard rights, growing up witness to the gradual legislations and laws put in place barring access of wizards from for example employment, higher education, and eventually even voting. When his family was cast out of the Council, a seat they had held for many centuries, when he was 18, this marked a turning point in his attitudes. His family had always tried their best to make do and use their position in government strategically while appeasing to the rules to protect their reputation and position, but where had it got them? Now, Elvruzahl had had enough. He decided to take matters into his own hands, no longer was he going to walk on eggshells to 'preserve his honour' like his family had always insisted. His parents, to begin with, were disapproving of Elvruzahl's plans, convinced the best way to solve their problems was through peace and strategic negotiation: a conversation which deeply shocked their son after everything they had already lost. Not only their reputation, but their child too. His sister, not many years before, had died tragically at only 7 years old: she had been playing outside and accidentally used her magic, and a group of passing mundane teenagers took pleasure in brutally murdering her. Due to his upbringing, especially after his sister's death, Elvruzahl was extremely prejudiced against the mundanes, and it was this that laid the foundations of his ideology, which drove him to joining the rebellion, despite his parents' wishes.

The Wizard Rebellion

Over the next several years, he partook in many protests, and aided by his House' existing influence in wizard circles quickly rose up the ranks. Soon enough, he was widely considered the figurehead of the rebellion. Over time, the rebels organised, and formed an unofficial Council of their own. Due to his reputation, many encouraged him to take his place officially as their 'leader'. However, he was not without rivals, and in the name of democracy, they decided to hold a vote. Each candidate put forward a manifesto, outlining their ambitions and strategies. Elvruzahl, 25 at this point, submitted his, titled 'The Children of Esvelen'. When the vote was held, he won by a landslide, and officially was name Leader of the Wizard Rebellion. In his role, he orchestrated many of the most famous protests and boycotts of the period, and it was his influence that marked a significant shift in the nature of the protests. Under his command, what had once been small-scale parades and peaceful demonstrations became huge, violent protests and organised interruption of infrastructure and services. One notable incident was the arson of the Arcane Registry, a building, when finished, to be used to store the records of spell-casters, spell-casting licenses, and track their magic use, a practice mandated under the newly passed Arcane Regulation Act which barred wizards from employment, using any public services, and the right to vote unless they registered for a license which tracked the use of their magic.

Independence

The rebellion did not end in triumph, but in compromise: one that satisfied no one. Due to the immense strain caused by the rebellion, including strikes, boycotts and violent protests, and the ensuing pressure the government was facing from outraged mundanes affected, they had to act. But they weren't about to magically absolve all laws and restrictions they had carefully and strategically put in place to protect their position of power. Instead, they made a radical decision. A trap of sorts. On parchment, it was a gesture of peace; in practice, it was calculated exile. The Crown of Azmarin declared 'The Arcane Protectorate' an independent nation. To the outside world, they had given the wizards exactly what they wanted; freedom. But in reality, it was a decision that strategically segregated and outcasted the wizards from their kingdom. They predicted it would go one of two ways, either: they had an excuse to bar wizards from citizenship, and a reason to criminalise them for 'invading' and stealing from their people, or; the united wizard rebellers, set the impossible task of forming an entire new government, system, and society, would crumble into chaos and anarchy. But they did not anticipate the resolve and firm leadership Elvruzahl, and strong allyship of the wizard communities.

Dreams of an Empire

After the great declaration of independence, Elvruzahl, like the wider wizarding community, was outraged. This was not what they had spent the last decades campaigning for. But as longstanding leader of rebellion, he was quick to take action. Firstly, he renamed their nation the Empire of Evruzudal, and himself Emperor, and arranged a circle of advisors at his command. But what the public weren't aware of, and were too blindly loyal to see the signs, was Elvruzahl's true motivations. The dark god Omen was awakening, and secretly had been advising the now Emperor for several years. He had come to Elvruzahl not long after his appointment as Leader of the rebellion, at first in vivid dreams, and later in his consciousness, an ever-present advisor, praying on his doubts and patriotism for his nation. He promised him that he could help: if Elvruzahl sided with him, he would him build a great Empire, that together they could rule the Continent side by side. It wasn't long before Elvruzahl fell victim to the god's dark promises: as a strong nationalist and ambitious man, he was easy to prey to Omen's manipulations. After the fateful declaration of independence, Omen's proposition of an empire, that seed he had planted in his mind, grew into a twisted plan of cruel dominance. Elvruzahl didn't want independence, him and the wider nation never had. His people wanted an end to the villainisation of his people and equal footing beside the mundanes. But Elvruzahl wanted more than that. He wanted a return to the old days when wizards ruled and held all power: for them to take their rightful place as rulers. With Omen's aid, this is exactly what he could achieve. Now an independent nation, a revolution was not possible, but... war was. Under Omen's guidance, Elvruzahl readied his empire for war.

The Great War

Eziris was the first target of Elvruzahl's assaults. Similarly to the newly formed Empire, Eziris too was named an independent nation from Azmarin (by choice), the once united kingdom divided down the centre by the wizard Empire. This territory is what lay between Elvruzahl's Empire and the Barren Lands, home to Mount Eresven, where Omen had taken up residence. As an industrial nation, it was a far bigger threat to him and his empire than the farmers of upper Azmarin, with access to revolutionary weapons and tech and large military force. It was the siege of Furnhame, a walled settlement on the boundary between the nation, that marked the end of the so called 'peace' between the human nation. A sudden night assault by fire wizards overwhelmed the guards and meagre military presence, and killed countless civilians, alongside much of the town being burnt to the ground: one of the brutalist attacks against unarmed civilians in the history of the Continent- though the record didn't hold long. Over the course of his life, he was responsible for the mass expansion of Evruzudal, and colonised much of Eziris' outer villages. Other notable battles lead by Elvruzahl were the Battle of Coalspire, a key industrial city, which held out for twelve days under magical bombardment until reinforcements arrived, one of the few the settlements to outlast the cruel first sieges of the war, the Decimation of Drudgelake, a fishing town burnt to cinders, a night where the lake boiled and waters ran red. Eziris called it a massacre. Evruzudal called it a necessary purge. However, not every settlement required an epic conquest: most, when the armies marched through their streets, civilians put up arms in surrender, fearing the infamous wrath of the wizards they had so long oppressed. Soon, much of the northernmost front of Eziris was occupied by wizard armies, governed under Elvruzahl's rule.

Family

Elvruzahl was a cold man, but married a woman just his match. Her name was Zarethis, an air wizard from House Zardragor, Elvruzahl's loyal but equally cruel second in command. Together, they bore only one child, a boy they named Elforin. Elforin grew to be a renowned emperor in his own right, and continued their lineage in glory. As a parent, Elvruzahl's cold nature was no different: he was distant and dismissive, with little time for his child. He had high standards, and often punished Elforin harshly for his mistakes- verbally and physically. As a result, Elforin grew up as a man much like father: cruel and harsh, as well as emotionally distant and repressed.

Death

Elvruzahl lived to a remarkably- some say unnaturally- old age. He died at the age of 103, after a gradual decline in his health due to illness and old age. At 100, he abdicated the throne to Elforin, no longer capable of furfilling his duties as he once could.