Historia Imperii

The Scouring of Rozan, henceforth referred to as The Scouring, was a 9 day period during which the city of Rozan was purged of Secessionist influences through the use of the infamous Proscription Rolls. Over 500 prominent Dwarven and Dragonborn families were massacred by Loyalist forces, their lands seized, their estates turned over to Loyalist families as reward, their names forever stricken from the records.

The Defiance of Etrusca encompassed a 55 day siege of the township of Etrusca, after it had been overwhelmed by insidious Secessionist forces and its Loyalist garrison brutally slain; their bodies grotesquely spiked on display for the forces of Acerbo to witness upon approaching what was thought to be a secure township.

An emergency session of the Senate is called by the Dictator, Acerbo, wishing not to run roughshod over the Senate despite his absolute dictatorial powers. During this meeting, henceforth referred to as the Bellicose Senate whenever it is reconvened, the matters of the pacification of Wavelock and the troubling events that preceded the pacification of Etrusca were tabled for discussion. During the lengthy debate, which lasted a total of 7 days and established the Senatorial rule known as Noctus Proconsularum, the complete destruction or mobilisation of the male populations of these towns was of primary concern. As a result, legislation was proposed and unanimously agreed upon by the Dictator and the Senators present, allowing plebeian women to enter professions considered strictly for males or skilled patrician women. With this mobilisation, massive social upheaval was seen in the towns of Wavelock and Etrusca, with skilled professional Plebeian women migrating to these particular towns to fill economic vacuums. So great was the migration that emergency grain stores were released by the town Aediles to feed the oncoming storm of economic migrants, along with lavish games being thrown to celebrate the triumphs of Acerbo and welcome their new brethren to their townships.   More cynically minded commentators also noted that this allowed for skilled Plebeian women in the army to be promoted to higher pay grades and jobs, which conveniently filled some of the missing links in Felix's army after they were gutted by the Hellish Marchers. Nevertheless, this was a landmark moment in Rozani society and though technically the act was repealed when Acerbo was declared a traitor to the state, the de facto arrangement remains.

Fourteen years of war had passed when lawlessness in the Palus Delta threatened to strangle the Republic's logistical efforts to reclaim the southern reaches of the Republic. The River Lords, petty warlords wielding draconic magic and forbidden pacts, had transformed the delta into a nest of tyranny and extortion. Among them rose a figure of true terror: Velex, called the Scaled Saint, champion of the Cult Draconis and wielder of powers that bridged the mortal and the draconic. She had claimed the ruins of Old Palusia as her throne, and from there commanded a coalition of River Lords in open rebellion against Rozani authority. The 22nd Legion, the famed Sand Diggers, marched to restore order but found themselves shattered by Vellex's sorcery and the River Lords' ambushes. Their cohorts scattered, their commanders slain, the legion fragmented across the treacherous delta. Into this chaos came Astarius the Unyielding, now a legend in her own right, bearing the title Brightblade of Rozan. She rallied the broken 22nd around the Legion Temple standards and led them into the heart of Old Palusia's ruins. There, amidst shattered columns older than the Republic itself, Astarius and Vellex met in single combat. For six hours they battled, holy fire against draconic might, righteousness against corruption. The very stones cracked beneath their fury. Legionnaires and River Lords alike ceased their fighting to witness the duel of titans. In the end, as the sun set red over the ruins, Astarius split Velex's skull with a blow that shattered his draconic transformation. She held his severed head aloft as a beacon to the scattered 22nd Legion, and in that moment, bloodied, radiant, and wrathful, she became myth incarnate. The River Lords broke. Old Palusia's ruins became a graveyard of rebellion. The delta was pacified, and Astarius was named Saint of the Second Exalted March, though she rejected such honors, claiming only to serve the Republic's eternal flame.

In the wake of the battle to reclaim Gradus Imperii, the intrepid Felix and her lifelong friend and Dictator Acerbo venture into the Al'Akra desert with the Grand Master Vario and fifty Dwindalian Paladins, as well as the full might of the 7th Legion; Felix's most trusted and veteran Legion since the first siege of Etrusca.   Accounts differ on the exact events that occurred in the desert, though it was clear that the Dictator sought to finish off the merciless Zharias the Cruel to ensure stability in the home provinces whilst Felix reclaimed the southern provinces. It is said, on the eve of their departure, they were visited by the patriarch of the House of Serrania, Dominus Viligifatz Pugno Serrania, de Facto leader of the Sylvani Elven faction within the Rozani Republic for at least 300 years. Remnants of their conversation survive, with the Elven Patriarch urging the Dictator not to personally attend this expedition. His motivation is unclear but his advice was ultimately unheeded, with Acerbo dismissing the ancient spymaster from his presence and setting off on the fateful expedition the following morning.   From the surviving account from a Dwindalian Paladin taken fifteen years after the Wounding, she was one of less than a thousand souls that survived the expedition. Originally, five thousand had set out, equipped with light armour, clothing and enough provisions to survive a month in the desert. Whilst the Legate Marcus Rufus engaged the remnants of the Lesser Races around the ruined fortress of Gradus Imperii, they would be the heroes that ended the demonic violence that had plagued the Republic for twenty years. The fighting was fierce, a sandstorm blew that day obscuring much of the surrounding area, though it was fought against twice their number, the Republican forces were stacked with magic users, clergy uttering prayers to keep demonic forces at bay and the elite Dwindalian Paladins; as well as the fact that the 7th had been equipped with adamantine weaponry and shields. The Dictator observed from a high dune, surrounded by his bodyguards hand-picked by Felix and himself personally, sure to lay down their lives before any creature could harm him.   Zharias had been held up in an ancient ruin, once inhabited by the Tallarin people and, presumably, before them, the Gallacians. Nothing remained of its scavenger inhabitants, though the looming, sandswept Gallacian structures still towered ominously above the battling ants below. Many hours of fighting occurred, sweeping aside the remnants of the Cult of the Devourer and her pitiful demonic host, before the Magister Militum reached the gates of this unfortified ruin. Entering with haste, they were greeted by a laughing Zharias the Cruel, surrounded by destroyed tomes, crumbling structures, odd geometric patterns and scores of corpses unidentified. The ground quaked as he spoke, though it was clear that it was not due to his voice, revealing that it had all been a feint, a trick, and that their Dictator had been left vulnerable, ensared by the traps of pride and vanity. Though he was a powerful sorcerer, he made no attempt to defend himself as Felix cut him down, causing an expulsion of dark, purple energy from the corpse.   With the Dictator protected, all seemed to be well at first, with the battle progressing as expected and the slaying of Zharias the Cruel, much was to be celebrated. As the collection of corpses, loot and exploration of the ruins began, the Dictator was assailed by one of his hand-picked bodyguards and stabbed once with a long, bonemade blade. The assailant did not survive long and was cut down by another bodyguard, before the Dictator was shepherded to the clerics for healing; though this too was stymied as, after the bodyguard was slain, another purple discharge occurred, causing the tremoring ground to open up and swallow hundreds of Legionnaires, along with the ancient structures. Many perished in the mad crush to retreat from the crumbling dunes, swallowed by the sand, trampled by their comrades or outright slain in an attempt to save their own skins.   The account ends at this juncture, with a notation indicating that the rest of the account was destroyed during the Moradon attack on the city of Aramathia. What is known is that Acerbo was wounded, whether with a magical blade or by a bodyguard driven mad by the carnage or paid by his rivals, who could know, but one thing was certain; it proved to be the fateful event that saw the Reclamation effort halted for over one-hundred years and sundered the patchwork Republic permanently.

With Rozan secured, Lenarr turned to his ancestral homeland. The Serranian Forests, though protected by the House of Black and Gold, were surrounded by hostile forces. Orc war-bands, demonic remnants from the War of Mer Succession, and various warlords all threatened the ancient woods.   Lenarr's campaign was as much about liberation as conquest. Village by village, grove by grove, he cleared the forests of threats. His grandfather Vilgifatz provided crucial intelligence, identifying enemy camps through arcane scrying and ancient knowledge of the forest paths.   The culmination came at the Battle of the Twilight Glade (144 TA), where Lenarr's forces ambushed and destroyed a 15,000-strong Orc host that had been preparing to assault the House of Black and Gold. The victory was total, and by 145 TA, the Serranian Forests were secure.   During this campaign, Lenarr's men began styling him "Imperator", not yet Emperor, but a military commander with authority beyond normal consular bounds. The Senate, thrilled with his swift reconquest of the lucrative territories of the Serranian forests and many prominent senatorial estates in the Rozani hinterlands, ratified this declaration and bestowed upon him the formal title: Restitutor Orbis or Restorer of the World.   Cynical historians declare that this was manipulated by the patriarch of the Serranian house, as well as the spoils collected from the two campaigns being used to buy the love of the legion, but more optimistic outlooks combine the political maneuvering of the House of Serrania with the natural charisma and military acumen of Lenarr, citing that both factors needed to play a part in the rise of the Imperial office.

In a brilliant maneuver, Lenarr led a force through a supposedly impassable route (discovered by the patriarch of the Serranian House, Vilgifatz, through methods unknown) and seized the fortress of Ferrum Keep, cutting off Grukz's troops still occupying portions of the Hellish Peaks. A swift surrender from thousands of Orcs, sensible enough to realise their position was hopeless, opting for Rozani chains instead of starvation or being picked off by Drow raiding parties.

With secure passage through the mountains established, Lenarr turned his attention south. The city of Emerhall, seat of House Marian, had remained loyal throughout the Tempore Ignis but had been cut off and besieged for decades.   Dominus Caius Marian, the red-haired patriarch of House Marian, had sent desperate messages to Rozan via bird and magical means, reporting that the city could not hold much longer. Grukz, having been driven from the Hellish Peaks, had redirected his fury toward Emerhall with a massive host of 35,000 Orcs, goblins, and other creatures.   Lenarr marched with the veteran 13th and 19th Legions, 10,000 strong, moving with remarkable speed through the newly secured mountain passes. House Marian forces, though depleted, still numbered 5,000 defenders within Emerhall's walls.   The Battle of the Pickets (151 TA) was a masterpiece of defensive engineering. Rather than attack Grukz's superior numbers directly, Lenarr established a series of fortified camps connected by trenches and palisades, the "pickets" that gave the battle its name. These fortifications created kill zones that negated the Orcs' numerical advantage, locking the Orcish host in between the city of Emerhall and the host of the Emperor.   For two weeks, Grukz hurled his forces at Lenarr's positions, attempting to break out of the Siege of Emerhall using superior numbers and strength. Each assault was repulsed with horrific losses. House Scipio officers commanded the picket defenses with skill, while Serranian mages provided devastating artillery support. Severion became legend during this siege, his divine blade appearing wherever the line threatened to break, smiting Orc champions and rallying the defenders. House Marian forces sallied from Emerhall to attack the Orc rear at crucial moments. The youngest brother, Valafon, was said to have personally saved the life of the Emperor after an Orog champion smashed his praetorians aside and began strangling the life from the Emperor with his bare hands. No soldier was without wound, line legionnaire, officer, Evocatus or high-ranking master of soldiers, all bled in the dirt for the safety of Emerhall that day.   By 152 TA, Grukz's army was shattered. He retreated north with barely 8,000 survivors. Emerhall was saved, and the grateful House Marian swore eternal loyalty to Emperor Lenarr. The bond between Houses Serrania and Marian, forged in blood during the Tempore Ignis and strengthened at the Pickets, remains one of the strongest political alliances in the Empire to this day.

Shortly after his seventh year of rule as Emperor, between 171-173 TA, Emperor Mariann Lenarr mysteriously disappeared. It is unlikely that this disappearance was intentional, as the Emperor had been gearing up for a great campaign in the southern reaches of the Empire, intent on expelling the Moradon conclave from Imperial lands. Despite exhaustive investigations led by both his grandfather Vilgifatz and his brother Valafon, his fate remained unknown to all but perhaps Severion, who refused to speak of what he knew.   Evidence suggests Lenarr was preparing to negotiate lasting peace with the Helvenic Dominion and other former enemies rather than continue wars of reconquest, a position that made him powerful enemies among the old Loyalist nobility, particularly among the "Higher Races" (humans, elves, and vedalken) who benefited from continued military expansion.

A year after Lenarr's disappearance, Severion the Godblade made a fateful declaration before the Senate. He revealed that through divine communion and visions granted by the gods themselves, he knew where his brother had gone not to death, but to realms beyond mortal ken. The Emperor, he claimed, walked the pathways of the Astral Sea, whether by choice, compulsion, or some darker fate.   Before the assembled Senate and his younger brother Valafon, Severion announced his intention to journey into the Astral Sea itself to find Lenarr and bring him home. He walked into the Hall of Mirrors in the House of Black and Gold, summoned his divine blade one final time, and cut a rift between worlds. Stepping through radiant with holy power, he vanished.   Neither brother has returned. The Empire mourns two heroes lost to the great mysteries beyond the world.

When Valafon returned from his mysterious sojourn, the Regency Council moved to consolidate their power permanently. They had grown comfortable in their authority and feared the young prince who carried the weight of two lost Emperors in his green-and-gold eyes.   The attempted coup was swift but poorly executed. House Scipio remained loyal to the Serranian bloodline, as did House Marian, remembering their oaths to Mariann Lenarr. The revolt collapsed within weeks, and Valafon, displaying psionic powers that had never been seen in the Imperial line before, put down the rebellion with a ruthlessness that would become his hallmark. Those Regents who had plotted against him vanished. Some say they were executed. Others whisper darker fates, but none can say with certainty.   Key developments during the Regency included:   Standardization of Imperial law across provinces Expansion of the Legion system to 23 full legions and 40 Auxiliary Legions, totalling over 250,000 men. Continued low-intensity conflict with the Moradon The Regency Revolt and its brutal suppression The Reclusiarch status granted to Vilgifatz, who retired from political life shortly before the return of his grandson.

In the wake of the Dragon Wars, Emperor Valafon declared that the age of dragon-rule must end completely. He proclaimed the Great Dragon Hunt, mobilizing the Legions and calling upon every able warrior to seek out and destroy any remaining dragons or dragon cultists within Imperial territories.   The Hunt was brutal and thorough. Lesser dragons, wyrmlings, and drake-kin were hunted across the Empire. Some were slain in their lairs, others driven into the wilderness beyond Imperial borders. The campaigns reached even the most remote corners of the realm. By 215 TA, the Hunt was declared complete. The Empire was largely purged of draconic threats, though whispers persisted of dragons surviving in isolated pockets, deep caverns, forgotten ruins, and trackless wastes where even the Legions feared to tread.   As part of this Great Hunt, one of the first Obliteration Edicts was issued by Valafon, ordering the destruction of all materials, idols and other items associated with dragon study, worship or idolatry. This is largely considered to be one of the most effective Obliterations ever carried out by the Cult Imperialis.   Of the great Moradon themselves, only two were confirmed to have escaped the Emperor's wrath: Anansi the Web-Weaver, who had vanished into her mists and deceptions before Valafon could corner her, and Al'Zastrain the Hybrid, whose fate after Aramathia remained unknown.   The fates of these two dragon-lords remain one of the great unanswered questions of the age. Some believe they perished in hiding. Others fear they yet live, plotting their return from beyond the Empire's reach.

The Cult Imperialis are established by decree of the Dragonbreaker Emperor and Exarch Inviso Mortis is appointed to tend to matters of state as the Emperor's right hand.