Gerasim

Title
 Gender
 Race
 Faction
 Nationality
 Status
 Location
 Power Rating

Emperor of the Aurian Empire between 553-588PE.

## Appearance

Gerasim was a rotund Emperor noted in some private records to have many chins. He was also described as balding and to have small round eyes. He dressed splendidly often wearing lots of cloth of gold.

## Reputation

Gerasim was seen as obsessed with gold and the finances of the Empire. He increased tazes which caused some revellion during his reign which he put down fairly effectively. He was generally disliked as he was seen by many as a spend thrift, a bit of a coaward and completely out of touch with the nobility. Nevertheless he was successful in almost every major undertaking and as the years passed his reputation has inproved with historians.

Gerasim also had a reputation of being particlarly devote but this may have been due to him presiding over the completion of the Cellestine Cathedral in Tor Celer which is acknowledged by all as his greatest accomplishment.

## History

512PE: North Gant a theonist of the Church of Celer is made Imperial Vizier. The Vizier spent a significant amount of time with Gerasim in his youth and that influence cannot be ignored in the man's future choices.

519PE: Gerasim was put in charge a section of the Audit Corporation as part of his preparation for leadership. As it was thought his brother would be Emperor it was thought Gerasim would be best in a counselling role with a great understanding of the working of Empire. Over the next several years he learned a lot from his mentors and grew into the role. He proved very able and particularly at managing import/export duties and taxation.

522PE: North Gant the Imperial Vizier and sometime mentor to Gerasim was named Cardinal and took the new name Truest.

523-529PE: Peter I, Gerasim's father embarked on his campaigns to expand the Empire in the south. These took significant financing and some projects such as the Cellestine Cathedral promised by Gerasim's grand father Aluap started to slow significantly as money was diverted into the new Protectorans. Gerasim and his team were among those who had to try and balance these needs. Also during this period both Peter I and Gerasim's older brother Andrey were out of Tor Honarik leading forces in the south. This era was when Gerasim created a lot of his support network in Tor Honarik and gained his reputation for financial obsession and management.

530PE: Gerasim's father Peter I died and his older brother Andrey was crowned Emperor of the newly expanded Aurian Empire. Andrey used his brother as his chief counsellor and herkened to Gerasim's advice to leverage taxes away from the newly aquired Gan Tarak, Kolaran and Tor Zeric and instead pulled funds from the more secure Rak Danning and Yewdon.

531PE: As crown prince and heir to the Empire, until his brother could father an heir, Gerasim was encouraged to marry. Not only did his brother the Emperor want this to happen but the Cardinal Truest clearly did as well. It was the Cardinal who introduced Gerasim to his eventual wife and who conducted the ceremony for his marriage.

534-5PE: Andrey once again got engaged in a skirmish war over the border first with Elygia and then with Torash. Gerasim noted the expense of these 'adventures' as he called them and used his influence with his brother to discourage direct war and instead to sell weapons and training to their enemies, enemies. This allowed Auria to make money from the conflicts without needing to suffer the direct and indirect expenses of running campaigns.

539PE: Andrey's wife the Empress died in child birth. His brother was devestated and never remarried. This left Gerasim as his heir.

346PE: At the Cardinal's suggestion, Gerasim was given direct control of the Cellestine Cathedral project started by his grandfather Aluap. He found it difficult to get enough finiances to properly progress the building however as his brother still needed his wars paying for and their were many lords in wider empire simply avoiding paying their true taxes.

553PE: After Andrey died from a brief but intense fever Gerasim was crowned Emperor of Auria.

554-555PE: Gerasim reviewed the tax laws of the Empire and working with the Senate and the Audit Corporation, he enacted new stronger laws for the enforcement of taxation and levies.

556PE: The previous exemptions for Tor Zeric, Kolaran and Gan Tarak were lifted and full importand export levies were enacted on those cities and their trading areas. This was most unpopular with the leaders of these cities unsurprisingly.

557PE: Lord Stokov rebelled and refused to pay the dues demanded. He claimed there had been errors made but the Auditors found otherwise. The Emperor's new laws were put to the test and unsurprisingly the Senate and the courts found in favour of the Emperor. A Black Protectoran Cohort arrived at the Lord's seat and the tax was taken by force. Not only that but when some resisted they were arrested and some killed. One of Lord Stokov's sons and one of his daughters was taken to Tor Honarik as well to learn the ways of the capital but also to send the message that the Emperor would not brook disobedience.

559PE: First major revolt against the increased taxation in Kolaran. There was a movement to poptentially call for a return to independence outside of the Empire as the stringent import/export levies were unbearable. Gerasim was disapointed in the first response to this and so raised a new Grand Admiral Thomas Waveworl. Waveworl organised his Legions and enacted martial law in Kolaran to put down the revolt. Many major families were arrested, some who resisted with arms (and some rebellious Blue Protectoran Legions) were actually killed. This created great resentment in the west

557-565PE: Gerasim redirected huge amounts of income into the building and completion of the Cellestine Cathedral. This made him very popular with the Church of Celer, its Cardinal and the devout of the Empire. He was heavily critisized for this by some nobles, especially those in the west.

565PE: The Cathedral was sanctified and officially opened with great pomp and celebration. The dedication was conducted by the Cardinal Truest. This also marked the foundation of the Templar Order of Golden Knights. This was officially sanctioned by Gerasim as they were close allies and allowing the paladins to offocially organise themselves under the church was something Truest had been desperate to achieve.

588PE: Gerasim died of a long standing stomach problem.