Emperor Beagle de Caine

**Beagle de Caine** (1362-1470) was the creator and first ruler of the Beaglian Empire, a large power in the Middle Ages which controlled many parts of the world. Born of angelic ancestry into European nobility, Beagle led the Corsican Revolution of 1380, a war which culminated in the overthrow of the ruling King Albert IV. After a betrayal by his first wife and a stay at a mental hospital, Beagle focused his attention on conquest. Amassing forces and land through his various campaigns, Beagle is considered to be one of the greatest rulers in world history, joining legendary company such as Julius Caesar, Charlemagne, and Genghis Khan. One of Beagle's greatest accomplishments in life was the defeat of the Elder Paracausal Sekris in 1412, ending a war that had raged for nearly two decades. The lasting legacy of the Emperor in the modern world comes in the form of a small scenthound.

## Background

### Origins of the Angelic species

#### The Curse of Maldoris

The *Codex Angelicus* (C.A.), an illuminated manuscript found in Bastia, Corsica in 1910, relates the origin legend of the Angelic species, of which Beagle was allegedly the most powerful member to ever exist. The legend states that a witch known as Maldoris had been mildly annoyed with some 20 human workers who unknowingly started to build residential on her land. Enraged that she could not halt the construction, she decided to slowly wreak havoc and chaos on the humans. She begun by giving all 20 the power of telekinesis, which proved difficult to harness. "If a man went to pick up a tool such as a hammer, it would be sent flying off into the workpiece he was about to use it on, destroying it (translated from *Codex Angelicus* 3.25-29)." Despite this interference, the humans were determined to complete their build, and decided against interacting with Maldoris in order to maintain the safest and most civil relationship possible with their neighbour. As the work continued, Maldoris would try to physically halt the work by disorienting the humans by manipulating their control on reality. The workers were now able to randomly exit their bodies and transcend to different planes of existence, which was also difficult to harness. "Some would awaken from a nap in a place they could only describe as a furnace, and had to be dragged back to the neutral plane by others who were awake (C.A. 5.73-77)." The humans tirelessly continued on the build and the project had eventually reached completion, much to Maldoris' dismay. She decided to take more drastic measures and resize the humans to three times their initial size, causing their houses to snap open from the inside. They decided to pack their supplies and tools with the intention of moving to the Giant Lands, however Maldoris was not finished. As a final blow, she generated a large hurricane which swept the remainder of their houses away, and as a by-product, giving the 'humans' retractable feathered wings, which were white and lined with rainbow feathers. These wings gave them the power of flight as they went to seek out a new home in the skies. The Angelics used their resources and built their new home, an island in the sky known as Celestalis. With this action, they would begin a new species.

## Corsican Revolution of 1380

The initial stages of the voyage went well. However, according to what is thought by modern historians to be Beagle's personal journal, the ship began to run out of supplies sometime around the fourth week. Gripped by starvation, somewhere around 200 of the soldiers died on the way. In a last-ditch attempt to save himself, his friend, and his crew, legend says that Beagle fashioned a fishing pole out of spare planks and extra sail rope. Using the final rations of the Marlingford as bait, it is said that Beagle miraculously caught a fish half the size of the vessel itself. This fish was able to sustain the remaining soldiers for five days. The crew of the Marlingford began to fear that starvation would take them again, but the day after the last of the fish was consumed, the boat crash-landed on the shores of Corsica's capital city, Ajaccio.

After a few repairs and refurbishments from local shipwrights, the Marlingford was docked in the local harbor, where Beagle made his home. He had full intent to conquer the small Mediterranean island, he just needed to bide his time until the opportunity came along. He would not have to wait long. In early August, rumors began to spread around Corsica that the reigning king, Albert, had been having multiple affairs behind his wife's back. At this news, the majority-Catholic population of the island became rather disillusioned with its monarchy. Beagle saw this as an opportunity, establishing himself as an iconoclast, an alternative to the family which had controlled the island for 300 years. Many peasants and a few nobles joined the ranks of the Marlingford, and by October, Beagle's army had grown to 700, comprised of 550 Corsicans and the 150 surviving soldiers from the initial voyage. A civil war would soon break out on the small Mediterranean island. At the end of October, Beagle and Condor were both arrested by order of the King; days later, a mob led by Reginald Vetinarvi would free them. After this event, and the preceding collapse of the Corsican Royal Militia (also caused by Vetinarvi), the tide would turn in favor of Beagle's forces. The war would come to an end on November 14, when Beagle's forces assassinated Albert by throwing him out of the bedroom window of the Ajaccio Palace.

40 days after Albert's death, Lord Beagle was crowned King Beagle I, Ruler of Oslo, Bucharest, and Corsica, on December 24. A noblewoman from the House of Dor, Irene Aarre, began making advances towards Beagle shortly after his coronation; her motive was to strengthen ties between the House of Caine and her own family. The pair were eventually married on June 1, 1381. Their honeymoon was interrupted by another war which had ignited on the island. A "Dark Lord" from a rival house had arrived, seeking to kill the newly-crowned and newly-married King; to this day, it is unknown who the particular adversary is, "Dark Lord" being a title employed by Beaglian historians to reference him. In the midst of all this, it was revealed that Irene had been having an affair with the Head of the Advisory Council, Beagle's closest friend, Lucel Condor, and she had begun to carry his child. The child was lost in the war, killed by the Dark Lord himself. After the enemy's defeat, both Irene and Lucel were exiled from the island. The stress of the previous events caused Beagle to have a mental breakdown. Going on a drinking binge, the King lay unconscious in his room for three days, before being found by one of his guards. Reginald Vetinarvi was promoted to Head of the Advisory Council, and became the de facto ruler of Corsica while Beagle was committed to the Ajaccio Sanitarium for a year.

## Campaign of 1383

While the Imperial territory was initially composed of the aforementioned island in the Mediterranean, the betrayal of Irene drove the King to become focused on conquest. Shortly after being released from the Ajaccio Sanitarium, Beagle would communicate his intentions to annex other territories, beginning what was known as the Campaign of 1383. Assisted in part by the Empire's then-Patron Paracausal Vexurith, the Beaglian army would take Sardinia, then, converting its military to their cause, spread out through the Mediterranean. This initial campaign would result in Beaglian control of the entirety of modern-day Spain, Portugal, Italy, most of modern-day France, and certain parts of Northern Africa. After this campaign, Beagle changed his title from King to Emperor. During the campaign, Beagle would become acquainted with a French noblewoman known as Emelie; they would marry in 1385, but their marriage would be cut short when Emelie, along with the unborn child of the Emperor, perished as a result of the first conflict with the Paracausal Sekris.

## Five Years' War and marriage to Mathilda of England

As the Beaglian army moved further into modern-day Ukraine, the Five Years' War would commence in 1391. Forces from the British Empire, led by then-Princess Mathilda, allied with the Beaglian forces in order to provide more support against the surprisingly strong Elven military. It was here that Emperor Beagle would meet Mathilda of England, the woman who was to become his third wife. While the two had been arranged to marry each other by Marjorie (acting as regent Queen), they began to take a liking to each other. The pair were married after the end of the war in 1396, and this marriage would result in the creation of one of the largest powers in world history. The British Empire was unified to the Beaglian Empire, giving Emperor Beagle control of Great Britain, territories in North America, and certain islands near southern Asia and Australia. Even more military fortification was added to the Empire when the title of Patron Paracausal was handed by Vexurith to Primus Oberon, the Elder Paracausal of War.

In the period between Beagle's third wedding and the re-emergence of Sekris, Mathilda bore Beagle two children. First came Prince Callum in November 1396, followed by Princess Octina in late 1397. Sometime after the birth of the first two children, the Imperial Family adopted Yuma, an orphan from an unknown country. Shortly after Beagle's marriage to Mathilda, he was introduced to the sport of cricket by various noblemen who knew her family. He immediately took to the sport, and declared it the imperial game of Beaglia in 1401. Beaglian cricket rules were similar to modern Test rules, but each team only had one innings per match, and there was no five-day time limit. In 1405, after the completion of a cricket ground near Ajaccio, Beagle organized the Imperial Cricket Cup, inviting acquired territories from across the Beaglian Empire to send representative teams to compete in Corsica. Four teams participated in the first event, which was won by Great Britain; they defeated the Netherlands in a final that lasted for three days. The competition continued to be held every two years, but was cancelled in 1411 due to the war with Sekris. The Imperial Cricket Cup would continue to expand, but its final edition was held in 1479, nine years after Beagle's death in 1470.

## Sekrisian Conflicts

Initial Beaglian conquests were backed by a very powerful force, that of an ethereal creature known as the Elder Paracausal, Vexurith, who would take the title of "Patron." Entering into an alliance with the entity shortly after his release from the Ajaccio Sanitarium, Beagle de Caine would continue his mission of world domination with Vexurith's assistance. Subjugating the Mediterranean region, Beagle would find himself in command of tens of thousands of soldiers, and it was this fact which inspired him to take the title of Emperor.

### First Conflict (1385)

Supernatural assistance in warfare would find Beagle's empire to be itself the target of supernatural conquest. Vexurith's involvement with Beaglia had drawn the attention of one of his fellow Paracausals, an infernal being known as Sekris. This being would begin to attack the island of Corsica in the fall of 1385, going straight after Beagle and Vexurith in the center of Beaglian power. He was met with failed resistance from Beaglian forces, which lasted for around three weeks. On October 12, Sekris would arrive at the Ajaccio Palace, drawing the Emperor into a one-on-one conflict. The battle, which took place over the course of five hours, led to the utter destruction of the Palace's interior. It would come to an end in the throne room when the Emperor opened a portal to the Hellscape, sealing Sekris in for a number of years. The most notable casualties of the First Sekrisian Conflict were Beagle's wife, Empress Emelie, and her unborn child, who possibly would have been heir to the Beaglian throne (dependent upon the laws of primogeniture relative to gender). Emelie's body was never found, but she was given a symbolic funeral at the Ajaccio Cathedral on January 4, 1386.

### *Pax Paracausalis* (1386-1410)

The period between the two Sekrisian Conflicts is identified by historians as the *Pax Paracausalis*. During this period, the Beaglian Empire would rise to its full potential, occupying the highest amount of territory in its entire existence. The continuing efforts of conquest by Emperor Beagle were partly motivated by a need for defense from Paracausal-related problems; while Beagle had secured Sekris in the Hellscape, he knew that the seal would not last forever and that Sekris would return, stronger than before. Therefore, the Emperor set about however necessary to amass forces and land to better defend himself against the enemy Paracausal. Beagle's third marriage would help him to achieve this goal; he received control of the British Empire as a dowry from Mathilda of England. This marriage would also bring about the security of Beagle's bloodline in the form of Prince Callum (heir apparent to the throne) and Princess Octina.

### Later life

Beagle's angelic heritage endowed him with longevity; he lived to be 108 years old. In 1437, at the age of 75, he abdicated the throne, leaving it to his then 41-year-old eldest son, Callum. With his wife, Mathilda, he retired to a mansion south of Corsica, in Sardinia, where he continued to advise his heir, who was then known as Emperor Callum. When Callum turned 50 in 1446, Beagle and Mathilda began to live at Warne Manor in New South Corsica (now New South Wales), a house owned by the Vetinarvi family. For the rest of his life, Beagle would rotate between Warne Manor, the house in Sardinia, and another house in the territory of Beaglian Guyana. Mathilda died in 1451; in the years following her death, many sources allege that Beagle's mental health began to deteriorate. The Emperor was an alcoholic for the majority of his life, and the problem only intensified with Mathilda's death. In addition to this, he became increasingly paranoid, and in 1463 began to accuse a noblewoman living near Warne Manor of being a literal demon in human skin. In 1466, the woman, known to historians only by the initials "A.W.," was brought before Beagle for an interrogation. After seemingly finding no evidence of demonic influence, the woman was released from Warne Manor and never mentioned again by the 104-year-old former Emperor. It is hypothesized that she fled New South Corsica shortly after these events.

### Death

On January 28, 1470, Beagle died of natural causes at Warne Manor. His body was transported back to Ajaccio on the Marlingford, the very same vessel that brought him and Lucel to the city 90 years prior. Legends say that despite the long journey, Beagle's body showed few signs of decay; this may be due to his angelic heritage. Before landing in Ajaccio, the casket stopped in Oslo and Bucharest, displayed in each city for five days. On April 1, the ship reached its final destination; Beagle's body lay in state at the Ajaccio Cathedral, visited by hundreds of thousands of people from around the empire. On April 12, he was given a funeral at the Cathedral and buried. Many witnesses to the burial reported seeing visions of Beagle's angelic form rising to the heavens.

## Legacy

Beaglia under the reign of its first Emperor was at the height of its power; the empire itself, of course, was named after him. After Beagle's death and the establishment of the Ural Territory, Beaglia's control over the world would lessen with each passing Emperor. The final ruler of Beaglia was Emperor Edmond; at the end of Beaglia's power, it only controlled a few small areas in different parts of the world. Edmond died without any heirs, meaning that the lineage of the House of Caine, as well as the Beaglian Empire, did not continue. Emperor Beagle's lasting legacy upon the modern world comes in the form of a small scenthound used for hunting rabbits and sniffing out contraband at airports; the dog breed shares its name with the legendary ruler. There have been many alleged apparitions and sightings of Beagle; for example, his spirit was believed for many years to haunt Warne Manor, based on many experiences described by servants working there. It is said that Beagle, in his true angelic form, appeared in the sky over Corsica on the day of Napoleon Bonaparte's death in 1821. Apparitions such as these have led to numerous small movements advocating for Beagle's canonization as a saint by the Catholic Church. However, all such petitions have so far been turned down, as Beagle is not considered to have lived a life of sufficient holiness according to the criteria for canonization.

## Attributes

Beagle had supernatural powers, given to him by his angelic lineage. These powers included, but were not limited to telekinesis, flying/levitation, and the ability to read minds. All males of the Caine dynasty inherited these powers. The source that maintained the Emperor's powers was the blood coursing through his veins. When ingested, said blood would give a person the exact same powers for up to 24 hours; if in the veins, the powers would remain permanently. However, this usually resulted in death from lack of preparation for such a high increase of strength. A notable example of the utilization of this ability was the creation of the Axtetii in 1412. Created with arcane gene-editing technology, Beagle's blood was extracted, diluted, and implanted into each member of the race. This gave them similar powers to Beagle, but the dilution prevented the full effect; this was done to keep the Axtetii from getting out of control, while still enabling them to expertly guard the Emperor's life.