Horace Virilo

The only bust of Kaiser Horace Virilo ever produced

**Horace Virilo** was a politician, military general, and historian of the Dinamid Republic who played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Republic during the Magdamolia. He was also a writer of great Dwarvish prose and helped spread literacy and grammar across the plebeian class. Horace Virilo is most noted for being the father of Gaius Olivius.

In 20 NCE, Kaiser Horace Virilo, Knight, and Cas the Spider formed the Kabal, a powerful political alliance of vampires that dominated Dinamid politics for several years. Their attempts to amass power were opposed by traditional Dinamians like Visello and Constantine the Younger within the Dinamid Senate. Kaiser Horace Virilo rose to become one of the most powerful politicians in Dinam through a number of his accomplishments, notably his victories
 in the Iron Crusade, completed by 11 NCE.

Kaiser Horace Virilo's conquests extended Dinam across both Cisteria and Tyrrhos. These achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse the standing of Cas the Spider, who had realigned himself with the Senate once Kaiser Horace Virilo had married Eurydice of the Aspis dynasty in 9 NCE. His alliance with Espios permitted him to pay all the taxes of Dinamians by adding their owed taxes to those of Espiosi citizens. With some degree of control over the government, Kaiser Horace Virilo began a program of social and governmental reforms, and began developing a new calendar that led to the Mycenian Calendar. He gave citizenship to many residents of far regions of Dinam. He initiated land reform and support for veterans. He centralized the bureaucracy of the Dinamid Republic as well, and this period was called "Virilo's Peace."

The Senate legitimized Lonen in the interests of weakening and eventually toppling Aspis rule in Espios, and finally ordered Kaiser Horace Virilo to step down from his military command and return to Lenorum. Leaving his
command in Tyrrhos meant losing his immunity from being charged as a criminal for waging unsanctioned wars. As a result, Kaiser Horace Virilo found himself with no other options but to annex Espios by issuing a charter known as the Castigation of Espios. This document effectively took the city as his own, asserting that his marrying to Eurydice gives him claim to the city.

Shortly after this proclamation, the Lonenites invaded *Lydia* and *Solernia* and civil war broke out across Dinam. Horace Virilo fought Cas the Spider outside of Lenorum and, despite being weary from previous wars and heavily outnumbered, won the battle. However, Kaiser Horace VIrilo was assassinated by a group of Senators he thought were allies, being stabbed thirty-seven times. His son Gaius Virilo rose to sole power after defeating his opponents in civil war, working with his mother Eurydice to eliminate potential rivals and conspirators. This resulted in the recruitment of the Olivian Army.

Much of Horace Virilo's life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns and from other contemporary sources, mainly the
letters and speeches of Visello. Most of his published works were destroyed despite being extremely popular; however, they were later corroborated by his son.

Kaiser Horace Virilo is the first military strategist who gave his opinion on the *Trimastine*, or the "Three Pillars." Such a question was posed by Cas the Spider during his wedding to Kaiser Horace Virilo's daughter, Fabia. He said he believed the three greatest generals of all time were Horace the White Tiger (his great grandfather), Attacus Rex, and Tyranno the Great. Kaiser Horace Tigrios demonstrated his tenacity in his war against the dragon Kulshedrex; Attacus Rex, his sheer military genius during the Battle of Chelmanae; and Tyranno the Great's ability to fight in unfamiliar ground with certainty.