Archarrios Ephelar

Father of a Thousand

Like all Flame-Touched Scions who fulfil their familial duties, Archarrios Ephelar sired many children. However, the number of potential heirs that he fathered is heavily disputed, with some claims suggesting that he had more than one thousand children. Whilst more conservative estimates do place this number lower, they still suspect that he had at least four hundred children across his fifty year long life. This record has never been surpassed in the nearly 2500 years since his death at the hands of Empress Moranos. It is suspected that he would have raised this number even further if he had not been coerced into battling the mighty Empress.

In the time since his demise, the exact figures regarding his life have been lost to time, though some details persist. He had at least four hundred children whose names survive in old records, and over 150 unnamed children are alluded to. Archarrios is believed to have taken approximately 250 consorts and bestowed his gift to 34 children, one of whom would go on to become Emperor Venaeos. No other individual has sired more than 20 Flame-Touched Scions.

Weight of a Generation

Whilst the Flame-Touched Scions are encouraged to be fecund, Archarrios did so to an unprecedented extreme. In doing so, he placed a great deal of strain upon the Hearthkeepers of Myrengol and their treasury. By imperial law, any child of a Scion, be they Scion themself or bastard Towerborn, must be granted a comfortable life. Similarly, Royal Consorts must also be assured of a lavish lifestyle. For this reason, the royal house of Ral'Moranae encountered significant financial difficulty from the burden of supporting so many children. Taxes were levied and loans were taken in order to support the sudden influx of aristocrats.

Appalled with the rising taxation, discontent swelled amongst the lower classes, with several riots breaking out in the streets of Myrengol. These insurrections were exacerbated by the lack of town guards; many Flame Capes had been made redundant in order to save money for Archarrios' many children. Once the rebellions were quelled, the banks and money lenders began to demand that the debts be repaid. It is estimated that at least a quarter of the ships in Myrengol's Royal Fleet were sold to settle these debts.

Besides being the father of the current Emperor and the most fertile Scion of all time, Archarrios' greatest legacy is the rules that were put in place to ensure nobody else tried to mimic his behaviour. Now, a Flame-Touched Scion must immediately challenge their ancestral Hearthkeeper after producing their fifth blessed heir, and the Hearthkeepers are only financially responsible for the first fifty Towerborn children of any Scion. Additionally, a Scion can have no more than twenty consorts at a time, though they are still permitted to discard and replace their lovers as they see fit.