Gemella Torvold

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The wife of Emperor Jarlath, the sister to Emperor Renis the mother and regent to Emperor Coriam, Gemella was one of the most powerful women in all the Aurian Empire's history. Clever and inventive, Gemella was a master of relationships and political maneuvering.

**Appearance**

In her youth Gemella was remarked for her statuesque poise and immaculate sense of current fashion. Not considered a renowned beauty she was nevertheless a much sought after bride due to many other factors. Gemella aged well her light brown hair resisting the turn to grey into her seventieth year. With a small upturned nose, a long slender neck and pale skin she was called the porcelain princess in her youth when she became engaged to the then Prince Jarlath.

Her clothes were always of the finest but she echewed foreign fashions and would not wear elven made materials such as synthe.

**Reputation**

Gemella was known for being cold and calculating. As astute political observer and a manipulative people manager often working from a distance through agents to achieve her aims. She was seen as highly influential over her husband and far more so over her son for whom she acted as regent. History also recorded her as massively influential in the decisions and rise to power of her brother Renis.

Clever, cold, controlling and every inch the imperial noble.

**Timeline**

725PE: Gemella, was formally introduced at court as an eligible woman. She was the scion of the very successful Torvold noble house that had made huge profits both in fortune and influence.

727PE: She married the Emperor at the tender age of 16 in 727PE. The union was completely political, matching the powerful Torvald house with the Emperor's second son. Gemella was a good match for a powerful man as she came from a hugely wealthy and politically successful family.

745PE: Succeeding his older brother Jarlath becomes Emperor raising Princess Gemella to Empress.

753PE: The beginning of the Conclave Dispute. Facts of this event were disputed in various histories. Most agree that at least five some suggest six and some seven of the eight archmages that make up the Conclave of the Sapphire Wizards' Guild (known as the Master Magi) attempted to remove the current Saffier Repletan. Naturally, he resisted this move and it resulted in a cold war. Mages quickly chose sides and one of the Master Magi who moved against Repletan was a powerful archmage called Interal.

754PE: The dispute ran on with no end in sight. Multiple factions vied for supremacy. Interal was the leader of one of the more powerful sections of support and he claimed he should be the Saffier. However some others did likewise including Interal's main rival the Archmage Feint. The Emperor Jarlath found himself in a difficult position as the office of Emperor did not have any direct clear role in running the Sapphire Wizards' Guild.

755PE: After a lengthy investigation an investigator by the name of Danil Durova uncovered the faction known as the Splinters of Bone who had caused a spree of murders within Tor Armakan. This brought him to the attention of the Imperial elite, including Trent Fell who was a favourite of the Torvald faction inside the palace. This faction were particularly supportive of the Empress and her brother Lord Renis. Gemella and her husband ask Renis to find a way to resolve the Conclave Dispute without using the army directly.

756PE: The year of three Saffiers. Interal declared himself Saffier, Repletan the sitting Saffier tried to have him arrested. This divided the guild as Feint directly opposed Interal with his own claim. Durova was officially introduced to Gemella's brother Lord Renis and they entered into an agreement for Durova and his allies were ordered to investigate the wizards and the potential threat that the growing Conclave Dispute posed to the royal family.

The Saffier Repletan was killed originally Interal took credit but the actual killer Lethe revealed to Durova that it had in fact been he that had murdered the old Saffier. This exposed Interal as weak and he fled. This made Lethe the Empire's primary and Durova and a team of elite soldiers were sent by the Empress and Renis into Lethe's hidden base. The attack failed but wizard went into retreat.

757PE: The dispute ran on, with multiple factions vying for supremacy. The Conclave was officially suspended by the Emperor Jarlath responding to Gemella's suggestions. The wizards' rivals: the Senate, the military and the church start to take over the running of the country. Gemella realised this was a crucial event and opportunity to solidify imperial control over the incredibly powerful wizards guild. Yet within a few months the situation became much worse.

758PE: Multiple factions still vied for supremacy. The Emperor and two of his children were assassinated. The only remaining child Coriam, now the heir, was overseas. The Empress Gemella took control of the Empire and threatened to never reconstitute the guild if the dispute was not brought to a close.

Gemella declared a state of emergency and called on the Protectorans and the Church of Celer to help her bring those responsible to judgement. Durova who was known to the Empress' brother Renis was given royal mandate to investigate the death. However he insisted on working with Chareye who now had a reputation as one of the most brutal wizards outside of Lethe himself. The Empress feared Chareye and his influence over the operation. Gemella was much more closely involved in the dispute now and feared that events might unravel the entire Empire. So she secretly sent word to her old ally the sarrif Ivory.

759PE: The archmage Ivory returned from retirement at the Empress' request. She prevented the killing of the Empress and was used as a power balance for Chareye in the Imperial fold. Danil Durova discovered the Letter of Regicide. This revealed Interal's guilt in the deth of the Emperor. The would-be Saffier was declared guilty of treason by unanimous vote of the Senate. A new law was proposed by the Empress' faction. Called the Traitor's Knot it decreed that any one hiding, assisting or even associating with Interal, other than to bring him to justice, would also be condemned as a traitor to the crown.

The Empress assigned a group of Templar and Red Protectoran Elites (Who may have been Knight Stalkers) to her younger brother Renis and 'asked' Ivory to accompany them. These were joined by Renis' bodyguard, which was made up of Red Blades under the command of Blademark Trent Fell. There were also a huge assortment of clerics assigned to them as well. Renis named the unit in its entirety the Loyal Force. Initially, the Force were unable to find Lethe or Interal and so leaned heavily on Durova and Chareye's informants and knowledge of the Dispute.

Less than a month after they formally joined forces with Durova, Renis, Ivory and the Loyal Force successfully found and killed Interal and his inner circle. Chareye and Durova were certainly involved in finding him but their exact involvement in the fighting was unclear.

760PE: Renis and Gemella orchestrate a push in the Senate for compulsory registration of all wizards. Many of the wizards declared their voluntary loyalty to the Empire, allowing for the reformation of the guild. This also deftly countered Renis' push for a law forcing registration or exile. Lethe the soulcrafter did not conform however and instead continued his 'work'. All efforts to stop him failed. Gemella once again was forced to appeal to Durova for help in order to discover the location of Lethe. Together with the Loyal Force, Durova went to the confrontation. The Force defeated Lethe and his minions, but many of them were killed. Chareye was killed during the the final confrontation by Lethe himself. Durova was forever changed by the event.

761PE: A new Conclave was called in the reformed Sapphire Wizards' Guild but a new position of Imperial Adjunt was created to monitor the wizards with a civilian authority. The Empress intended this to be her close ally Ivory, but Durova discovered this and he had never taken to Gemella's manipulative and authoritarian style of leadership or Ivory herself. Through some careful manipulation he ensured this plan came to nothing. Instead, Durova took the position himself right from under the mage's nose. This in turn set the precedent that the position had to be held by a non-caster.

762PE: Ivory is asked to remain by Gemella and she took a position inside the Sapphire Wizards' Guild.

763PE: Coriam, the absent Emperor and Gemella's last son, died at sea. Renis moved from his position as Imperial Adjunct to the Empress and Renis as next in the succession became Emperor. Gemella was forced out of her position as regent and was forced to take a seat in the background though it was clear she maintained some influence through her brother and the various allies she had already placed at court. Gemella also found that the church now exerted its strength in their relationship. Instead of being able to suggest her own candidate for Imperial Vizier such as Ivory, Gemella was forced to back the church's suggestion Theonist Chadek.

775PE: Despite Her efforts Gemella's influence continued to wane as she aged and Chadek's influence over Renis increased. Renis became known as Renis the Pious as he created the Vormach as an independent state within the Empire and officially created the Cellan Guard as a private military asnwerable only to the church.

787PE: Gemella died.