House Pardasian

**House Pardasian** is the royal family of Anderlay, and the family of dragon hunters that brought the creatures to near-extinction in the Sixth Age.

## History

The Pardasian family originated in the small town of Hunteron. The family became royalty in **2A46** after Harren Pardasian claimed the throne, deposing Jonas, the previous ruler. Pardasian rule continued uninterrupted, with the brief exception of the Maudesian occupation, which was ended by Harren Pardasian II, still one of the most revered Pardasian rulers.

In **5A37**, Lestor Pardasian was killed, and Borden Larkham seized the throne, beginning the Larkham dynasty, forcing the remaining members of the Pardasian family to flee to their ancestral home of Hunteron. Eventually, the last Larkham king died during the Sixth Age, leaving no male heir. His daughter married a member of the Pardasian clan, restoring Pardasian rule and merging the two families. Together, they solidified Anderlay's status as a significant power in Morgaea. The Pardasians maintained their rule for generations, while their Larkham relatives enjoyed an equally lofty status among the nobility.

In **7A82**, in an attempt to build up alliances lost by the Larkham dynasty, the Pardasians approached Emperor Eligius I of Maudet to solidify a peace treaty through marriage. The emperor set aside his wife of seventeen years to marry Princess Solara, hoping to finally produce an heir. By **7A97**, Solara was still childless, however, and the emperor sent her to a cloister so that he could marry his mistress. The Pardasians took this gesture extremely poorly. They sent a small war party into Maudet to reclaim her, but took no other military action until **8A46**, when they started the Perendale War. Solara Pardasian eventually married a minor Maudesian noble named Gustav Fleurent, and raised his son Aurelian as her own. Though not a Pardasian by blood, Aurelian was raised as one, and considered Solara his mother.

Years later, Aurelian made a bid for the Anderan throne, but when his lack of Pardasian blood was revealed in **8A60**, he was exiled in disgrace and joined the Legion of the Dead, the only human ever recorded to so.

The current King of Anderlay is Markus Pardasian, a man of advanced age. The most immediate successor is his younger brother Ferdinand, a famed dragon hunter. Neither brother has any known offspring. Members of the Pardasian and Larkhams are already lining up to replace Markus upon his inevitable death. However, some Anderan noble families believe both clans have held power for too long, and think they should step aside. There have been at least two attempts to overthrow King Markus: one in **9A08** orchestrated by Baron Paulene, and one in **9A10** orchestrated by several prominent Pardasians. This second attempt led to widespread arrests, and executions in what has since become known as the Anderan Purge.

## Known Pardasians

* King **Harren** Pardasian – known as "Harren the Magnificent"; ruled Khecaster between **2A46** and **3A06**; said to have lived a hundred and twenty-seven years
* King **Mathas** Pardasian – known as "Mathas the Glorious"; great-grandson of Harren the Magnificent
* King **Harren** Pardasian II – one of the most revered Pardasian rulers; ended the Maudesian occupation in **3A65**
* King **Lestor** Pardasian – deposed and killed by Tylus Van Markham in **5A37**
* Princess **Solara** Pardasian – second wife of Emperor Eligius I of Maudet; set aside in **7A97**
* **Aurelian** Pardasian – the notoriously false Pardasian who tried to claim the throne of Anderlay; after his disgrace and exile, he became the only human to join the Legion of the Dead and is the owner of the Last Descent armor
* King **Markus** Pardasian – ruler of Anderlay as of **9A30**
* **Ferdinand** Pardasian – legendary dragon hunter and author; younger brother of Markus