Daelin I

Last photo taken of the Emperor, by a Gretian reporter at his trial in Utopia

Drakon I (Allegedly m. 257)

Lenara

Arisinia

## Titles

His Royal Highness Emperor Daelin of Hybretia and Gorathica, King of Kreisaria and of Taris, Lord Protector of Gorathica, Lord of the Citadel, Diokitis Ordera

**Patéras** **Daelin I, Anóteros** **Aftokatoras of Hybretia & Gorathica,** was the founder of the Hybro-Gorathic Empire. He gained of King of Hybretia after the War of 241 in which he led Coalition forces to victory against the Kingdom of Varsais, and gained the title Aftokatoras after the conquest of the Gorathic Clans in the Gorathic War (244) and subsequent Treaty of Union in 249.. He reigned from 233-260KOR, and again from 262KOR-271KOR, albeit with a reduced role.

He was previously made **Duke of Hybretia** by Emperor Arthwr III after The Second Invasion of Kolangrad in which he switched sides following the disastrous Battle of Miertiel Bay, helping ensure a Kordynian victory.

After a reign of twenty-seven years, Daelin's forces were massacred in the Battle of Taris. His whereabouts are unknown, and a telegram of his abdication was issued, but he is presumed dead or MIA. His reign has a confusing legacy. On one hand, he brought Hybretia from a small western state to a major Empire at the cross roads of three worlds with a large industrial empire at it's disposal, and close relations with foreign countries, on the other hand his constant warfare lead to his reputation as selfish and uncaring towards his people, especially following the Hybro-Cordolvan War. During his reign, there were three major coups or civil wars, and numerous incidents dealing with his failure to control the Army, which would eventually be his downfall.

In 262 he took command of an army during the War of the Hybretian Succession and seized Recionlaudum and Hybretian Ostindien, with support from Makriaudia and Gorathica. He reached an agreement with his daughter Lenara II to jointly rule as Senior Emperor and Junior Empress. The rest of his reign saw him increasingly sidelined by his daughter and the government. As war injuries began to catch up with him, he decided to take matters into his own hands in an attempt to restore his country's honor after their embarassing alliance with the Gretian Empire. He was captured defending Allied forces withdrawl at the Evacuation at Hollandis, and executed by firing squad as allied forces began to close in on key Gretian Positions.

## Early Life

Born in 207 to Felrik III and his wife Lenora, Daelin was the third son and thus never expected to gain the throne. His father focused all his time on his elder brothers leaving Daelin to the care of the Lord High Admiral Kyros of Endiolaudika. Due to recurring bouts of sickness in his youth, Daelin was not trained in the military as were his brothers, leading to tension and resentment between the family.

As a teenager Daelin rebelled against his parents by becoming an astute scholar and sharpening what he saw as the ultimate weapon, the mind. Daelin often endured taunting from his stronger older brothers Velron and Caelar, but learned how to trick them and mislead them so as to avoid confrontation. His go to tactics of deception and evasion were called dishonorable by his father, as the Hybretians believed that facing your enemy head on in combat and winning through overwhelming force was honorable. His sister, Mila, was born when he was 13, and he had a hand in raising her, causing the two to become close later on.

## Ascension

The Second Invasion of Kolangrad saw the deaths of his brothers in the Battle of Endio Bay in late 232 and his father's honorable suicide after the armies defeat at the Battle of the 400. Unexpectedly crowned Commandant, he broke the alliance with the Grand Duchy of Kolangrad and ordered the troops to turn sides, leading to the end of the Second Siege of Kolangrad. His actions earned him the vulgar title Daelin the Dishonorable in Kolangrad and to his dissenters in The Order. Bitter about his lack of a proper education, he insisted as part of his surrender agreement that his sister receive a proper education in Kordowyn.

In 235, a coup was attempted against him by the Lord High Admiral, who claimed Daelin was leading The Order into dishonor. With the use of deception and assistance from Kordowyn, Daelin put down the coup and the Lord High Admiral was executed for treason. Conspirators in the coup were sentenced to imprisonment, some have since died mysteriously or were forced to work on large scale and dangerous projects for the King.

In 239, Daelin ordered the construction of Novohybrilaudum to establish a new cultural and civilian center for the Order, fitting of it's new position as an Imperial Duchy. He also reordered the re-settling of Taris to combat overcrowding of the Citadel. In 240, he became a founding member of the Alliance of the Fang, an alliance and trade union between various western states, which quickly reorganized into the Pan-Continental Coalition as tensions rose with the Kingdom of Varsais.

The Duke supported the Kingdom of Garman in their attempts to secede from their vassalship to Varsais during the Garmanese Secession Crisis, which resulted in the War of 241. He personally led the combined Hybretian-Kygonese-Drekehimian Forces along with Freidrich Kaiser and the Drekheim generals, chasing the Varsisian army into the Frozen steppe before the war stalemated. While not a skilled fighter, Daelin proved an excellent tactician, allowing the Coalition forces to make significant gains against the enemy. When Kordowyn joined the war and Emperor Arthwr III joined Coalition forces in the south, Daelin was present for the First Battle of Maereynde, which resulted in him receiving serious wounds, leaving his face and chest scarred.

Following the war, a Fire broke out in New Hybris, followed shortly by a hurricane. The disaster destabalized the government, and Daelin has been clashing severely with his Generals' Council. It is unknown if he will be able to reign in dissenters, or if Hybretia is facing another coup.

Rumors of a coup were quashed after repeated Hybretian victories in the Inter-coastal war. Daelins popularity soared, and his cries for a punitive strike against Iksis. The resulting battle alerted Gretia to the Empire and Hybretia, and NewHybris came under severe threat. In order to support alliances, he married the younger sister of King Marcas De Róiste I of Garman, Amy.

## King in Exile

When the Gretians invaded Endiolaudika and later assaulted the capital in the Battle of New Hybris, Daelin was enraged by the Kordynian and Garmanese withdrawal while his small fleet tried to hold off the attackers. Forced to retreat in the face of certain defeat and the appearence of his thought dead elder brother, Caelar, Daelin was only able to withdraw with 8,000 troops, and began marching to Kygon to defend their cities. When the Kygonese were aggressively defeated at the Battle of Haven, he was given personal command of 40,000 Kygonese by Emperor Arthwr III, and moved to Fearna, where he oversaw defenses as the enemy closed in.

The Siege of Fearna began in early September of 243 after the Gretians were delayed navigating the Dire Straits. After three weeks of holding the line, the Kordynian Navy appeared and sunk a large portion of the attacking fleet. With the advantage starting to swing in the favor of the Subject States, Daelin began preparations to strike New Hybris and Kolangrad. Before he could launch, terror gripped Novac in the November Terrors, Daelin personally led 2,000 calvalry to scour Novac for the Gretians, leading to the Battle of Langston.

On December 1st, the Hybretians and Templari'i with their Kygonses charges invaded Gretian Kolangrad, evacuating the city and torching both Kolangrad and New Hybris's food supply. The starving Gretian fleet left little opposition in the Third Battle of New Hybris, and Daelin was returned to his throne by March 15th.

## A King Without Mercy

The Reconstruction Decrees were widely seen as a heavy swing towards further autocracy in Hybretia, and Daelin shocked many by calling for the arrests and executions of many collaborators with the usurper puppet state. Another point of contention was the King's desire to seize land in Gorathic territory, and ongoing endeavour, which has greatly been helped by his exile of the Religious Caste to that land for supporting Caelar's divine right to rule.

## Hybretian Expansionism

As Religious Caste efforts in Gorathica to 're'-civilize the Gorathic Clans began to be succesful, Daelin ordered the establishment of a base in unclaimed territory near the Goraths, under the command of Vina Korza.

## Post-Reign

Daelin was held in a Tarisian prison before escaping, and being resuced by the Kolanski. After a brief stay in Kordowyn, he and Drakon Kalkhas took a trip to the Old World on a speaking tour. The presence of a long-reigning New World monarch who could take in depth about the lands still mostly unknown to the Gretian, Tyretian, Sidonian, Lirrachan, and Pandrosi people lead to the tour's great success.

In 262, following the Slaughter of the Steps, Daelin gained control of a Sidonian army and captured Recinolaudum and Hybretian Ostindien with no fighting.

## Scandals

Daelin's relationship with his first wife, Eimi of Garman, was a subject of many rumors. Queen Eimi rarely made public appearences and only appeared with her husband in person 13 times in their four year marriage. Empress Ascina was renowned for her vow of chastity, and the marriage was clearly political from the onset. Observant Hybretians noticed Daelin appeared in public at events, private and public functions, shows, and often was seen just associating with General Drakon Kalkhas, who was showered with numerous titles and awards. It is rumored they married sometime in the 250s.

While Daelin and Kalkhas were in Sidonia, they began being seen in public with Aldis, Duke of Strathern, who began travelling with the two around the Old World. Rumours have circulated about impropriety, but again lack concrete evidence.

Kingdom of Hybretia: **Daelin I**, Éimí De Róiste, Mila, Drakon Kalkhas, Keila of Tysos, Adonis Konaksis
Grand Duchy of Kolangrad: Gregor Halzsa (I, II. III, IV, V VI), Vlasily I, Fyodor Yskorov, Grigorien Yskorov
Neo-Kygonese Empire: William Kaiser Daniel Ganz
Duchies of Varsais: Varsais: Admiral Vivienne, Maereynde: Bedoujin I, Pyremonde: Ledira
Templari'i Republic:Kaius Hellerian
Kingdom of Garman: Marcas De Róiste I, Caoifhlinn De Róiste, Joan de Roíste-Maigh Nuadha, Hoirebeard III
Republic of Novac: Peter Rioux, Willem McCario, Oliver Petrovich, Edward Madison, Rodric Valmoral
Other: