Imperial Timeline of the First Age

0 - 48 - Irud Chainbreaker claims the Silver Throne. He rules for ‘three times the number of true deities,’ before Sol brings him to Empyrean, where the emperor continues to rule at the Empress Sun’s side, judging the worthiness of his descendants. Irud, like a number of his heirs, is honored by the Emperor Cult, which sees certain rulers as being aspects or projections of Sol. According to the sacred texts, before ascending, Irud gathered his companions at the Field of Banners. He tells them that only Sol will choose his successor, and then a sunbeam descends to carry Irud to the Abyss. At the place of his ascension a fire springs up. The Red Dome is later built around this fire, and it becomes the site of all imperial successions. 
48 - 65 - Reign of Anasis, who was chosen to rule after a ‘tongue of flame’ danced upon his head at the ‘Ascension Sacrifices’ of Irud. At the urging of his comrades he steps through the holy Crownfire of Sol and emerges unscathed, the flames briefly turning gold in divine acceptance of Anasis’ rule. Anasis had previously been one of Irud’s Spear Companions in the War of Liberation. Anasis becomes ruler of Aldan, and the remaining Companions make up the Circle of Speakers, which eventually morphs into the Senate. At Anasis’s death, the Crownfire turns briefly black, a phenomenon which occurs at the demise of all future sovereigns. Sol’s priests begin the testing of new candidates for the Silver Throne.   
65 - 87 - Reign of Kaldes the Horned, who was said to have the blood of dragons in him. He kept ‘bronze serpents’ in a moat around the Ten-Tower Palace which he fed criminals to. When Mujesh, son of Druna came rampaging through Kaldes’ realm, the two met in battle, wrestling for three days and nights. On the fourth day, the two declared themselves equally strong and became friends. Mujesh ruled beside Kaldes for some years, until the dragonson asked for his own realm. Kaldes took his friend south, to the Siyuf Mountains, and there conquered the gnoll kingdom of Haska. The pair eventually grew tired of their duties and departed into the Shadow Sea, searching for further adventures. 
87 - 91 - Reign of Lavras, who ‘profaned the Worm God’ by attempting to steal a branch from the prophesying Ivory Tree. He was filled with maggots that ate him alive and his body was set adrift into the western sea so as not to offend the ‘holy land of Aldan.’ 
91 - 114 - Reign of Cuvo the ‘Elf-Lover,’ who sent envoys to the island of Karkana, much to the disdain of his court. He became obsessed with mirror magic, and had ‘scry stones’ placed throughout his realm to allow quick communication. This relay became integral to the empire in later years. Ignoring the protests of the Circle of Speakers, Cuvo reopened the Brass Tower, from within which the Azlan had worked many of their rituals. He came to spend much of his time in the tower, which was said to stretch into heaven and ‘far into the worlds below.’ Cuvo vanished into a mirror while exploring the Seeming, the realm behind the mirrors.  
114 - 136 - Reign of Anasis II, who attacked the city of Yened in Fendrel after it violated a sacred field of Gadri, which was given over to growing grain for sacrifice to the Sower. The grain was apparently sold at high profit to pay for some lord’s jewels. The blasphemy was avenged by Anasis who began the conquest of Fendrel. 
136 - 149 - Reign of Karlia, daughter of Anasis, who continued the conquests of her father. Apparently a skilled sorceress, she used a ‘secret word’ to ‘bury the city of Ut upside down’ (?) 
149 - 177 - Reign of Cayav the Sojourner. Sent expeditions into the Abyss. The resulting tome, ‘The Periplus of the Lower Waters,’ contained an immense record of spirits and demons and other things residing in the World Below. Cayav built the Hall of Dreams to house the strange artifacts brought from the Abyss. A ‘statue of black ice that sang holes in the world’ was one of the more intriguing articles. 
177 - 184 - Reign of Kaldes II, who sent raiding parties into the Worldspines to acquire snow orcs. He then had the orcs pull his great golden chariot. One of the orcs, who was affectionately named ‘Small Tusk,’ later drowned Kaldes in his bath, apparently because ‘he had almost freed himself.’ (?) 
184 - 199 - Reign of Tavias the Scholar. He was a great patron of learning and raised a school around Sacris’ high fane of Issio. This would later become the College of Keepers. Tavias was apparently crushed to death when the weight of all his scrolls and tablets caused a bookshelf to collapse, the immense contents of which buried the aged monarch. 
199 - 212 - Reign of Karlia II. A physical woman, she instituted a number of athletic games that apparently were only held so the empress could win all the top prizes. She died in a chariot race, apparently after the vehicle was sabotaged by a young, arrogant nobleman (and avid sportsman) who had lost to the empress one too many times. 
212 - 243 - Reign of Anasis III, the Conqueror, who subdued the last cities of Fendrel and incorporated it into the empire, which was named Gallia after the valley, Galis, in which Irud had been born. Anasis, a great eater and drinker, was said to have died after gorging himself at the victory feast, held atop the ruins of the Fendrish city of Tarqui. 
243 - 258 - Reign of Cayav II, the Pious. He was a great patron of the temples; many became virtually independent of the empire. Cayav II ‘married’ a ‘grass statue’ of Gadri and a ‘terrible wolf’ that was an aspect of Veres. He was buried alive at his own insistence so as to be made one with his spouses. A ‘stone tree’ later grew from the spot of his immurement, the trunk sporting the face of the emperor which was said to whisper prophecies to those with the ears to hear.   
258 - 288 - Reign of Galgis the Greedy. In debt to many of the noble clans, he coveted the wealth his predecessor had lavished on the temples and had many of them looted by members of the Hearttaker Legion, which benefited greatly from the plunder. One of the Hearttaker generals, parading through the streets of Sacris wearing a golden helm which had once adorned Rheas’ statue, was assailed by a frenzied mob. When Galgis sent soldiers to quell the uprising, thousands of commoners flocked into Sacris’ plazas to vent their rage. Naturally, the priests blessed the ‘holy wrath’ of the believers. 
288 - 302 - Reign of Pilio the Soldier. A member of the Deathless Legion, responsible for the emperor’s protection, Pilio killed Galgis and his supporters to allay the mob. He returned much of the stolen temple treasure  and invited the high priests to the palace for a ‘reconciliation.’ The priests formed the Guardian Council to ‘protect’ the sanctity of the empire’s temples, and their gods. When Pilio died the Council chose a minor member of the Irudan Dynasty to replace him. 
302 - 321 - Reign of Ferrias the Weak. A puppet of the temple council, he confiscated much wealth from the nobility and warrior elite on vain pretexts, giving the riches to the temples as ‘debt sacrifice’ for the wicked doings of Galgis. Sejio, general of the Diamond Legion, was outraged and he gathered support from the nobility, eventually marching on the capital to unseat Ferrias. 
321 - 324 - Reign of Pilio II. A young son of Ferrias, he fled with his chamberlains after his father was captured by Sejio. Pilio II did not step through the Crownfire, and so was not a ‘true’ emperor as accepted by the Emperor Cult. He went to Brax to gather support from the horsemen there, but was eventually killed by his hosts after he failed to pay them their expected dues. 
324 - 337 - War of the False Emperors. Sejio attempts to walk through the Crownfire and is horribly scarred and burned. Declared unworthy by the temple, dozens of claimants come forward and battle for the Silver Throne. The war only ends when Tavir, a priest of Rheas and a member of the Javin Clan is ‘mantled in fire’ and so is declared worthy by the Ecclesiarchy of Sol. The Javinian Dynasty supplants the Irudan. 
337 - 343 - Reign of Tavir. He cements his rule by sending his fanatical troops into Brax to raid, along with attacking cities in Gallicia and Loren. 
343 - 349 - Reign of Tavir II, the Bloody. He furthered his father’s conquests, and is known for butchering thousands and impaling their corpses along highways to dissuade rebellion. Loren eventually falls to him. Tavir II ultimately drowns in the Sacred Lotus Pool in the temple of Myrmex, apparently while chased by the ghosts of those he’d slain. 
349 - 355 - Reign of Tavir III, who is known for little save his interest in statuary. He had sculptures made of all the leading people in the empire, which then filled the ‘Glade of Faces.’ He would talk to these statues for hours, apparently learning much about the ‘true selves’ of those whom the statues depicted. Quite a few people were executed after the emperor ‘discovered’ some damming secret from their statue. Probably killed by his own guards at the order of the Javinian elders. 
355 - 367 - Reign of Karlia III. A bloodthirsty woman, Karlia slaughtered the entire Braxian tribe of Lir after its chief refused to prostrate before a statue of Irud, her ‘ancestor.’ 
367 - 388 - Reign of Unio. He continued his mother’s harsh policies towards Brax, including the infamous incident where he had a number of Braxian ‘druids,’ who served ‘dragon gods and land-spirits,’ buried under the foundations of a temple to Sol. Many Braxian chiefs, up to the limits of Lake Nai, pledged themselves to the Silver Throne to end the persecution. 
388 - 394 - Reign of Unio II. Often bored by state affairs, Unio II, sometimes called the ‘Orc-Blood,’ was said to be the son of Unio I and an orcish woman. A wanderer and poet, he wrote the famous ‘Songs of Dawn and Dusk.’ He disappeared during a hunting trip.  
394 - 501 (!) - Reign of Virae the Hungry. A patron of the College of Keepers, Virae was approached by Xarmak , who offered to teach the monarch the secrets of life-eating. The ambitious emperor eagerly began to consume deodand, hoping to rule forever. Many atrocities were committed by his sanguinary court. The ‘Maedi Heresies’ he practiced eventually turned multiple legions against the emperor, who was nevertheless popular with certain nobles, who hoped to become like their ageless, vampiric overlord. The terrible Night of Red Tears which followed the siege of Sacris by outraged generals apparently saw much of the city ruined. Virae was ‘consumed’ while attempting an ‘elvish’ ritual that would have destroyed his foes. Xarmak fled and his name was stricken from the records of the Keepers. 
501 - 507 - Reign of Procus. Though he attempted valiantly to hold onto the empire, the evils committed by his predecessor were too much. Procus was unseated by members of the Thunder Legion, and many Javinian nobles were purged or forced into exile. 
507 - 513 - War of the Blue Moth. Named for an omen that appeared to Io, priest-baroness of Kyrene, the conflict saw many claimants for the Silver Throne, and great slaughter occurred upon the rubble of Sacris. Io ultimately proved the victor, and she instituted the Lusian Dynasty, after Lusia Rift, where the deciding battle of the war was fought and won by Io’s supporters. 
513 - 544 - Reign of Parvo. Said to have been born when a ‘fiery hummingbird’ flew into his virgin mother’s mouth, Parvo went about renovating the empire. He made several excursions into the Ondos Mountains to try and subdue the Galician mountain lords. 
544 - 568 - Reign of Portina. An artist of some skill, Portina spent much of her reign designing gardens, halls and palaces to beautify her empire. She fell in love with Urich, a Veldyn member of her bodyguard, and had numerous statues of him placed throughout the empire as ‘exemplars of vigorous manhood.’ Rumors spread that Portina intended to name Urich her successor, and the infamous Hearthwatch Riots resulted, where many of Urich’s statues were torn down, and hundreds of canae assaulted or killed. Members of the Deathless Legion later ambushed and killed Urich. In despair, Portina threw herself into the Crownfire and was consumed utterly. The flames burned black for three days afterwards. 
568 - 592 - Reign of Kaldes III. A collector of concubines, he was apparently poisoned by a woman of Lorenese extraction. In retaliation, three cities in Loren were razed, sparking the brief Concubine’s War. 
592 - 606 - Reign of Ascas the Chaste. To avoid the fate of his father, Ascas refused all contact with women. He died in the devastating Dancing Plague that swept through central Gallia, apparently unleashed by a Hesha envoy who had declared, ‘You were not dreamed yet.’ (?) 
606 - 634 - Reign of Kendus the Green. Apparently semi-divine, Kendus was born when his father ‘seeded’ a sacred field of Gadri, and Kendus emerged from the earth the next spring, fully grown. He sent legions to assist the Gallician mountain lords against Orestian aggression, winning much acclaim. It is said that he transformed into the Dreaming Oak upon his ‘death.’ Any who fell asleep in the shadow of the tree were said to be visited by omens. 
634 - 667 - Reign of Elegio the Sailor. He turned away a large raid from the Amathine Isles, and undertook a number of counter-raids, also sending explorers into the Mist Sea, where they encountered many strange sights, visiting the isle of Khel-Chan for the first time, and returning with mysterious treasures acquired from the Copper Dwarves. One of these treasures, a bronze map that depicted eight (!) continents obsessed Elegio. He drowned on one of the many voyages that went in search of these lost lands. 
667 - 688 - Reign of Anasis IV. A skilled tactician, he conquered the kingdom of Bira, a great mercantile power of the Zurul Sea. The territory gained would later become the nucleus of Praesia, or Birasa as it was long known. 
688 - 703 - Reign of Cayav III. A rather mediocre monarch, Cayav III was most known for the raising of the Purple Column which recounted the deeds of the legions. He also wrote a lost text on account keeping and household management. 
703 - 734 - Reign of Vindis the Liberator. During Vindis’ reign, Orestes finally overcame the Gallician lords and occupied the Ondos Mountains. Raids were sent further north, into Fendrel, threatening the empire’s food supply. Vindis sent secret envoys to the conquered Gallicians, offering to liberate them in exchange for their fealty to the Silver Throne. The lords agreed, and Vindis marched on Gallicia, driving the Orestians out after years of bloody conflict. Galicia was made part of the empire. 
734 - 735 - Reign of Karlia IV. Sometimes called the Impious, Karlia IV’s brief reign ended when she mocked the aged and balding high priestess of Sol, who had taken to wearing wigs made from the hair of Lorenese maids. Karlia died in her sleep, apparently smothered by moths, a sure sign of the gods’ displeasure. 
735 - 744 - Reign of Balais. A weak ruler, Balais was much given to Locian ways, and had the famous Flower Pavilion built atop Lake Hala. He invited many Locian philosophers to his court and would spend days in discussion with them. Died when a drunk Kulroq philosopher hurled a solid gold platter at his head during a heated dispute over the nature of the Twin Goddesses. 
744 - 751 - Reign of Juro. Seeking to surpass Elegio, Juro embarked on an expedition to Alba, planning to recover the legendary ‘Eye of Seraya,’ which was said to grant anyone who looked at it effortless grace and beauty. Juro and the entire Storm Legion vanished somewhere in the interior of Alba. The emperor’s last words, transmitted through the mirror relay, were, ‘It breathes.’ 
751 - 759 - First Praesian Revolt. The vanishing of Juro begins a succession crisis as the Lusian Dynasty comes to an end. Nobles in Praesia take advantage of the chaos by attempting to break away from the empire. A bitter struggle ensues. At the end, a council of generals and priests decides to expand the Circle of Speakers into the Senate until a suitable successor to Juro can be found. The Senate is to be advised and led by the Arch-Lector of the Keepers. Beginning of the so-called Reign of Scholars. 
759 - 792 - Arch-Lectorship of Zayel. The Senate is much preoccupied with stamping Gallian authority onto the fractured empire. Zayel devotes his time to diplomacy, sending many priests of Orm the Wayfarer on diplomatic missions. The sacred nature of the priests ensures that they are at least grudgingly listened to. 
792 - 806 - Arch-Lectorship of Ulia. A curious woman, Ulia sponsors many excavations of Sacris, digging into the buried maedi capital of Vathram, and the vanished dwarven stronghold of Talamon beneath it. Excited by the dwarven relics, she sends expeditions into the Worldspines and beyond, which scour Erebus for artifacts from the empire of Tir Urdun. The dwarven Mourning Clan, dedicated to the sanctity of Tir Urdun tombs, kill many of the explorers. Allegedly, they even send assassins after Ulia, who dies of a mysterious sickness that even the priests of Arva cannot cure. Stories claim that her bones turned to lead, and rust was found on her tomb even though the sarcophagus was made from crystal and porphyry. 
806 - 813 - Arch-Lectorship of Anvali. The eccentric Anvali was obsessed with exploring the moons, and devised arts by which ‘aetheronauts’ might travel through the Abyss and then to Eshid and Ayos. The expeditions were apparently successful. The Coral Grotto in the Garden of Marvels was said to have been constructed from material taken from Eshid. Likewise, the Ruby Cenotaph of General Laes, Commander of the Thunder Legion, was allegedly constructed from rock brought from fiery Ayos. The aetheronauts were claimed to have built a ‘floating colony’ on Eshid, which angered the ‘Lunar Hesha.’ They destroyed the colony and killed many of the aetheronauts. The Senate determined it was too costly to mount a punitive expedition. Anvali vanished while ‘exploring the insides of a mirror-box given as a gift by a mischievous Rasna envoy.’ (?)
813 - 881 - Arch-Lectorship of Frades. Called, ‘the Old,’ Frades lived to the age of 103, and credited his superannuated existence to ‘not getting bothered by very much of anything.’ He was renowned for his tedious lectures, his obsession with insects, and his vain and endless attempts to ‘square the circle,’ all because a master at the College of Keepers told him it was impossible. The Senate largely took control of the empire’s daily business during Frades’ Arch-Lectorship, and Gallia enjoyed an extended period of stability, albeit a rather dull one. Frades’ most interesting contribution was the construction of the Gossamer Gallery, a winding series of halls where he kept the thousands of insects brought from across Altea. The walls were lined with many-colored silk, mimicking the iridescent pattern of insect wings, hence the gallery’s name. Not long after Frades’ death, the gallery was set aflame by an academic rival who insisted that Frades’ had ‘stolen’ an irreplaceable ‘golden ghost-knocker beetle’ from distant Tsaiyun. 
881 - 889 Arch-Lectorship of Nekto. Hoping to renew Gallia’s ‘contract’ with the gods, Nekto sent delegations of ‘hierodules’ into the Abyss to visit each of the divine realms and make obeisance. The record of the abyssal journeys, ‘Account of the Inner Spheres,’ became a classic of pneumatology. Nevertheless, Nekto’s negotiations with the gods must have offended at least one deity. The Arch-Lector ‘fell through an infinite hole’ while walking in the Topaz Gardens one night and was never recovered, despite the summoning of sorcerers from as far away as Khanaan. 
889 - 898 - Arch-Lectorship of Palomedes. Called the ‘Locian,’ he originally hailed from the city-state of Lycis. He was a great patron of the arts, and also encouraged closer cooperation between the Locian cities and Gallia. He is most famous for his ‘Records of Former Ages,’ which collected many fragmented texts into the first complete narrative of the pre-human periods of Altea. He also sent envoys to Karkana, Mazar and the far southern island of Dewa, which subsequently sank into the Jade Sea following the upheavals at the end of the First Age. 
898 - 927 - Arch-Lectorship of Kurovus. Called the ‘Bellicose,’ he was the son of Baladis, general of the Cloud Legion, who was slain in a border war with the Orestians. Unlike previous Arch-Lectors, Kurovus was highly concerned with martial matters, and strongly urged the Senate to expand the empire’s borders. Ultimately, Kurovus won enough support from the nobility to order several military expeditions. Under his authority, Gallian legions invaded Heide, advancing past the Boruz for the first time. Legions also marched on Locia, seizing three cities, and crossed the Ondos Mountains, taking the valuable Kato-Lazas Commandery. Though the Gallians founded a number of colonies in Heide, the Diamond Legion was utterly destroyed at the Valley of Wooden Teeth by a coalition of Veldyn clans. The defeat was a great blow to the proud Gallians, who had previously considered the Veldyn naught but beasts. A later revolt by the gnoll ‘Slave Legion’ over disputes about food allowances further turned opinions against non-humans. Despite the defeats, Kurovus ordered a second invasion of Heide. The legions never marched, as before Kurovus could perform the necessary sword sacrifices at the temple of Kyrene he was assassinated, allegedly by a Hesha who was smuggled into Sacris in the form of an egg. (?)     
927 - 943 - Arch-Lectorship of Padana the Pure. Strongly dedicated to the ‘spirit of humanity,’ Padana gave many gifts to the Emperor Cult, and sacrificed greatly to the ‘immanence’ of Karlia I. To pay for the disastrous invasion of Heide, Padana confiscated land from the estates of so-called ‘Guest Elves,’ the ‘Xenia Maedi’ who had given up their ancient privileges and were allowed to remain in human lands. A number of guest-elf families rebelled, greatly souring already strained relations between human and maedi. The rebellious families were slaughtered, and though other families professed loyalty, almost all of them were resettled in the Praesian hinterlands. This region, called the Red Hills, served as a buffer between Praesia and the many tribes of Veldyn, gnolls and orcs that swept down from the highlands to raid the empire. The exiled elves were given the unenviable task of policing the empire’s eastern borders. These families developed rather cosmopolitan attitudes, incorporating Gallian, Heidan, Praesian and traditional Rasna culture. The ‘border’ elves became known as the Kaseni Maedi, after Kasen Rock (named for the Azlan, who built the original fortress), a massive fortress that served as the central keep of the Red Hills, both to guard the border and to police the Maedi in case of further rebellion. The nobility of the Kaseni were known as the ‘Marquis of Grace,’ as their titles were retained by the continued ‘grace’ of their human overlords. A number of Xenia fled into the Ondos Mountains and became the warlike Lavani Maedi, meaning ‘Free Elves.’ These holdouts remained a nuisance until the end of the First Empire, when they became independent barons who aided the Orestian invaders and were thus granted many concessions. Though the guest-elves were exiled, sentiment continued to turn against non-humans, culminating in the bloody Sweeping Day, when riotous humans killed hundreds of non-humans in the capital. Padana herself was stabbed to death by an orcish serving girl whose mother had been killed in the riots. 
943 - 965 - Arch-Lectorship of Orato. A relatively weak leader, Orato did nothing to prevent the anti-abhuman violence flaring up across the empire, and he gave his assent to the Senate’s edict stripping citizenship from all non-humans save for those who had completed legion service or held noble title. Orato was said to have been found drowned in his bath after eating too much narcotic splendor leaf. 
965 - 987 - Arch-Lectorship of Elesio. Much concerned with occult matters, he was very taken with the Black Star Society, a sect within the Cult of Ystarte. He neglected civil matters, and delegated much authority to the Senate and his chamberlains. ‘Snatched away’ by ‘tatter-winged shadows’ while performing one of the Society’s more obscure rituals. 
987 - 991 - Arch-Lectorship of Labra. A consummate scholar, he was fascinated by the south and sent many expeditions into Khanaan to uncover the ancient lore of the Zakhemite Star Empire. Many of the explorers were slain by outraged Basai, who even attempted to assassinate Labra. After surviving two harrowing attacks, he became terrified of death, and devised an ‘iron suit’ in which he claimed he would be impervious to injury. Apparently suffocated within his contraption. 
991 - 1003 - Arch-Lectorship of Barbano. Called ‘the Wrestler,’ he scorned the overly erudite ways of his colleagues, believing too much learning made a man weak. He was very fond of athletics and tests of strength, and once famously defeated three members of the Deathless Legion in a wrestling match, hence his epithet. Many whispered that he had orc blood, a claim that would make him furious. An infamous story records how Barbano beat a page boy to death after the lad sniggered about the Arch-Lector’s ‘hairy orc arse,’ which Barbano had exposed in one of his many displays of Locian-style wrestling. Died of apoplexy while trying to lift a Kulroq over his head and throw him. 
1003 - 1024 - Arch-Lectorship of Supicia. A member of the Emerald Tablet Society, a sect of the Cult of Issio, Supicia was obsessed with finding the ‘Stone of Law,’ the text on which the giants allegedly recorded the secrets of their art, and which had been placed within the foundations Talamon. To discover the whereabouts of the stone, she arranged to steal a crystal ancestor, a dwarf who had ‘perfected’ himself and become a being of pure mineral, immortal and able to recall centuries of existence to better advise his descendants. The ancestor, placed in an iron box, ‘sang’ to the Arch-Lector for 17 days before Supicia ‘unmade’ herself. When the iron box was opened, the ancestor, despite being immobile, was gone. No trace of the Arch-Lector was ever uncovered. 
1024 - 1038 - Arch-Lectorship of Lares. A venal man, Lares, despite being well over 60 when he assumed his position, was of salacious appetites. He was said to chew splendor leaf, drink paradise tea, and inhale copious amounts of huma. He kept numerous catamites and concubines, and was said to especially enjoy the attentions of a gnoll he called ‘the Log.’ By the end of his life he was immensely fat, and had a special taste for the pulped entrails of the jutu bird that dwelled on the island of Nyra, to the far south. It was said that the quickest way to win Lares’ approval was to offer him a bowl of spiced jutu tripe. Historians claim the Arch-Lector’s appetite caused the jutu to go extinct. Smothered under several participants in an orgy he held, where the guests were fumigated by black huma, the most potent variety of the drug.    
1038 - 1067 - Arch-Lectorship of Excino. Called the ‘Thin’ and the ‘Cruel’ by Praesians, Excino was much dedicated to the Glorious Fetter Society, a harsh sect of Rheas’ cult that emphasized abstinence and fasting. When Count Lanas of Praesia made an impassioned speech calling for independence from Gallia, Excino had the Senate declare the entire man’s family anathema. The Gaunt Legion marched on Lanas’ estate and put it to the torch, killing the count and his entire family, down to the youngest child. The action was deeply unpopular even in Gallia. Excino had a street preacher’s tongue pulled out with hot calipers for proclaiming that nobody who served Rheas would act as the Arch-Lector did. Facing criticism, Excino had himself walled up in his chambers to fast and pray for a vision of guidance from the Castellan. He was found several weeks later, dead and frozen with his hands covering his face, as if to shield his eyes.   
1067 - 1094 - Arch-Lectorship of Delectus. Called the ‘Joyful,’ he was a great follower of the White Mask Society, a sect of Mortus that sought resurrection as undead in the Worm God’s service. Delectus was said never to have smiled and to have spent much time in catacombs speaking with animated corpses and performing bizarre rites to honor the Worm God and his crones. He increased taxes on the sale of Praesian rice, grown along the warm coasts of the Zurul Sea. This sparked the bloody Rice Riots, which saw the cities of Lastrum, Viata and Mosso burn. Delectus sent several legions to quell the riots, which met strong resistance from local militia. 
1094 - 1109 - Arch-Lectorship of Zanzara. The Second Praesian Revolt occurred several years into Zanzara’s leadership. Little else is said of him, save that he completed the Water Pavilion in southern Heide, one of a number of grandiose construction projects intended to awe the Veldyn into submission. Most of these structures fell into ruin when the Heidan colonies were largely abandoned. 
1109 - 1147 - Arch-Lectorship of Horace. A shrewd politician, he played many factions within the Senate while working to encircle and defeat the secessionist elements in Praesia. Though he subdued parts of Praesia, others remained in rebellion. Gnoll tribes swept out of the Worldspines, and Veldyn reavers pillaged the Heidan colonies. Still Horace was able to keep control of the empire even as it cracked apart. Horace asked the Senate for permission to step down, continuing his games as a ‘Lector Emeritus.’  
1147 - 1154 - Arch-Lectorship of Tercius. Though he tried to continue Horace’s legacy, he could not hold off an invasion from Orestes, along with attacks from Amathine pirates and resistance from the Locian city-states. A perpetually harried and nervous man, he inhaled huma to calm his nerves and ultimately drank himself to death on ginger wine. 
1154 - 1177 - The Scholastic Disputations, also known as the War of the Scholars. The Senate scrambled to choose a successor to Tercius after he died suddenly while attending a council at the Abbey of Issio in Geda. Many of Tercius’ peers came forward to declare their worthiness, and academic factions congealed around the most charismatic claimants. Brawls between the impassioned supporters broke out on the streets of Sacris. Even as one Arch-Lector would emerge, his rivals would have him killed or drive him into exile. At one point, the entire Amber Library was destroyed in a magical conflagration between supporters of Arch-Lector Koyel (served 5 months), and her rival Chief Tradent Prosperio (fled across the Shadow Sea to escape reprisals.) The Disputations only ended when the Onyx Legion assaulted the College of Keepers, sparking a magical battle that leveled large parts of Sacris. At the end of the ruinous conflict, Typhon had emerged as the Arch-Lector, and he was gratefully confirmed by an exhausted and divided Senate. 
1177 - 1196 - Arch-Lectorship of Typhon. The final Arch-Lector, Typhon was to bring about the collapse of the First Gallian Empire, though he strove valiantly to save his fractured nation. The Praesian rebels had gained the upper hand and Typhon faced terrible conflicts at the eastern border with Heide, with the Orestians, and on the Plains of Brax, where snow orc tribes had swept down from the Worldspines to 'freeze' Altea for their mistress Bhal. Armies of orcs spread across Brax, inspiring the plainsmen to rebel against Senatorial ‘incompetence.’ Typhon retreated into the archives, uncovering the ‘Tower Spell’ that the maedi had attempted to use to erase humans from existence. He sealed himself and his supporters in the Brass Tower, and called on the powers that Queen Akhei had, many centuries before. He only partially succeeded, becoming a portal for the Beast, which consumed him. Typhon became the Beast’s second head, and ravan spilled out from him to ravage broken Gallia. Though the Beast and its spawn were eventually banished, the empire collapsed, splitting into five kingdoms along with various petty baronies and border realms. The First Age had ended and the Second begun.
Category:History