Orian Aurix

Orian Aurix Ianthinus was one of the three illegitimate children of *Imperator* Aurelion Aurelos - notably, his only son. His mother was Iantha, a professional concubine whose services Aurelion solicited in an attempt to "cure" himself of his "affliction". He is the twin brother of Flavia Aurix and the half-brother of Rea Aurix and Trebia Aurelos. Orian was a staunch believer in his father's vision and committed himself entirely to the cause, taking up arms to serve in his father's legions. He earned himself a reputation as a zealous defender of the faith, who put insurrection down hard. Despite this fearsome reputation, Orian was beloved by his troops, who saw their commander as one of their own.

He would eventually rise through the ranks to serve his adoptive brother, Pallix Arterius, as one of his three *duarchs*. Orian would eventually succeed Pallix as *Primarch* of Palaven, once again placing Aurelian blood on the throne. He was notably the first bastard to rule the empire and used his social authority as the son of Aurelion to legitimise House Aurix, removing the stain of illegitimacy from their name. He would rule for seven years before passing away peacefully in his sleep. He was succeeded by his highest-ranking duarch, Traianus Tiervian.

Orian is largely responsible for the spreading of many Aurelian religious beliefs that are held still today by many modern turians, having founded a cult in his name. The cult's teachings proclaimed that Aurelion was a Living Spirit who had been sent into the world to save his people. Over the centuries this belief became the mainstream norm, with Aurelion being venerated as chief of all Living Spirits.

Orian was very close with his sisters. He looked up to Rea especially and would often seek her counsel in times of personal crisis. He was also inseparable from his twin, Flavia, whom he lived with for the entirety of his life, even after becoming *primarch*. Flavia enjoyed her brother's favour for the entirety of her life, making her a prime target for those seeking to get closer to him. Orian was thus extremely protective of her and turned away countless suitors and sycophants who had been attempting to use her, often duelling them to first blood just to prove his point.

When Orian came to the throne, imperialist sentiments began to stir once again. Some saw Orian's rise to power as a chance to restore the ancient Right of Blood, which would have returned Aurelion's bloodline to its proper place as the empire's ruling house, as it had been for centuries. Conversely, others saw Orian's reign as hypocritical; while he was a son of Aurelion, which put him above people like Pallix, he was still a bastard and thus his claim was weaker than that of Aurelion "Auri" Abrudas, Aurelion's true-born grandson, who had once been his grandfather's heir apparent.

These two camps soon began fighting each other in the shadows, jockeying for the positions of power that would allow them to influence Orian to change Aurelion's Sacred Law. Auri was once again forced to renounce his claim to the Aurelian Throne in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, choosing to remain on Carthaan to distance himself from the people who sought to use him as a figurehead for their treason. Little did he realise that his son, Septonian Abrudas, was directly involved with the conspirators, who had inflamed his desire to restore Aurelion's legitimate bloodline to the throne so that he might one day be *Imperator*.

Orian crushed the conspirators with absolute prejudice, seeing their attempt to change Aurelion's Sacred Law as sacrilegious. He had the leaders of both camps publicly executed and burned to make a statement to those who would oppose him, reiterating that the right to rule must be earned. He briefly considered having his half-nephew assassinated but his half-sister, Rea, counselled him against such dishonourable action. He instead chose to exile Auri, confining him to Carthaan for the rest of his life. Despite being innocent, Auri accepted his half-uncle's terms for the sake of peace. When Auri rose to become *Primarch* of Carthaan, Orian chose to follow imperial protocol and travel to Carthaan to personally invest his half-nephew. The affair was notably cool, the two men choosing to remain overly formal with each other, displaying no observable bond of familial kinship.

Ever suspicious, Orian chose to scrutinise everything that Auri did as *Primarch* of Carthaan, searching for signs of treason or heresy. Despite his vigilance, he never found any evidence that would incriminate Auri, who retained his innocence and continued to publicly denounce any group who sought to place him on the imperial throne. In time, Orian would come to forgive his half-nephew but would never repeal his exile for security reasons. Auri, understanding the situation, accepted this painful reality and the two men grew to have a close working relationship.

When Orian died, Auri was permitted to return to Cipritine for the funeral, on terms he would return to exile immediately afterwards. Auri travelled to Palaven with his family and laid a piece of hand-spun silk, dyed Tyrian purple and embroiled with an Aurelian Sunburst, on his uncle's bier before he was interred, signifying his respect for him as both his uncle and his legitimate ruler. As agreed, Auri returned to Carthaan after the next day. He would never again return to Palaven, dying on Carthaanean soil as his father had.

## Imperial Family of Orian Aurix

* **Orian Aurix** and his wife, Rigela Halabrian
	+ Cressida Aurix and her husband - *Orian's daughter and son-in-law*
* Flavia Aurix and her husband, Atreus Impera - *Orian's sister and brother-in-law*
* Rea Arterius - *Orian's half-sister*