Lucian XII Marcon

**Emperor Lucian XII Marcon** (2394 AH - 2440 AH), also known as **Lucian the Unlucky** and posthumously **Lucian the Last**, was the ruler of Dostani between and 2406 AH and 2440 AH. He took the throne after his father, Emperor Nevan II Marcon, died in 2406 AH.

He was married to Empress Eloria Banneth, and they had three children, Prince Valian (born 2421 AH), Prince Alavin (born in 2424 AH), and Princess Sira (born in 2425 AH).

## Reign

The entire reign of Lucian XII was surrounded by disasters and misfortunes, earning him the nickname "the Unlucky". He was only 12 when his father died, and although Lucian was his heir, he was too young to be crowned. Baron Garrel Canhorn was appointed his regent, and he made many arbitrary decisions which people held Lucian accountable for, even before he was of age. Lucian got rid of his regent after his coronation on his 15th birthday, but his troubles would not disappear.

In 2415 AH, after four continuous years of drought and the resulting bad harvests, which had most of the population starving, the popularity of Lucian was at an all time low. Even Archbishop Robett Byrde of Alzinca, who had very loyal to the previous emperor, spoke ill of Lucian. When the Archbishop died of natural causes a few weeks later, many thought that he had been murdered on the orders of Lucian, a theory which later have been completely disproved. Rebellion roamed, and in the spring of 2416 AH, the Third Dostanian Civil War broke out. Supposedly supported by King Harmund VI Vulmore of Medoran, the Dostanian peasants rose up and had control over much of the empire. The rebellion was eventually defeated in 2419 AH, but the populations faith in Lucian was not restored. He enacted a significant reduction in taxes, which did improve his popularity, but also required his treasurers to take considerable loans.

With a crumbling economy, the empire could not have been prepared less for the massive cyclone of 2423 AH, also known as The Blue Cyclone. This natural disaster hit many nations on the eastern coast of Itanea, but Y'elshar and Dostani had the worst of it. Settlements close to Dragonbreath Gulf were flooded, and the lower districts of Alzinca was reportedly covered in up to four meters of mud. It took many years before everything was rebuilt, which further strained the shattering Dostanian economy.

Even before Lucian had his 40th birthday, his health began to crumble. In 2430 AH he had to return from his summer voyage to Thikor prematurely, reportedly due to heavy breathing problems. In 2433 AH he was not seen publicly for almost the entire year, and when he eventually appeared in late winter, he barely looked alive. The empire experienced another drought and famine in 2436 AH, and in 2437 AH Lucian fell from a balcony, maiming him severely. In 2439 AH his carriage fell through a wooden bridge in Swan's Crossing, killing five soldiers and Empress Eloria, but Lucian was miraculously pulled out alive of the water. He did however develop a serious case of pneumonia, and he did not leave his bed until his death the following year.

When Lucian's son, Emperor Valian IX, had his son in 2461 AH, a courtier supposedly suggested that the emperor should name him Lucian, after his father. Emperor Valian promptly refused, claiming that his father would be the last Lucian of the Marcon family. This supposed story has earned Lucian XII the nickname "the Last".