Marcella Pethros

Empress Marcella in 1084.

*This article is about a lore character. For game character, see Marcella Pethros (Bannerlord).*
**Marcella Pethros**, was the empress of the Calradic Empire, which was the longest reigning monarch in the Empire for total of 58 years on the Imperial Throne. She inherited the Imperial throne in year 1083, when her uncle, Arenicos were murdered in the capital of Lycaron. During her reign, she is also known as "The Wise" and "The Peacemaker", due to her wisdom and resolve a peaceful solutions of conflict.

## Lore

### Early life and conflict

Marcella was born in year 1058 in the Imperial capital of Lycaron to nobleman Baldimos and his wife Terea. His uncle is the late Arenicos, the future emperor of Calradia and his wife Rhagaea. Her childhood were in troubled during the years of the conflict between the Empire and the three main factions of Vlandia, Battania and Sturgia. While her father is either a senator or governor of Lycaron, he was most of the time defending the Empire during the reign of Emperor Neretzes as the Emperor's loyal subordinate. By her youth into maturity, as a 19-year old in 1077, she became an loyal soldier and a successful Elite Cataphract. However in the same year, Emperor Neretzes had killed in battle during the Battle of Pendraic against the Battanian and Sturgian coalition. Her father were elected Emperor by the Senate, thorough Marcella became the heir presumptive, the Empire declined. During her uncle's reign, she was given Chanopsis Castle as a gift by her father, which was close to Lycaron. Throughout the six years as princess, Marcella became an warrior to be not to be missed with, even notably that she was wounded multiple times but keeps fighting.

### Imperial Reign

After her father was either assassinated or mystery murdered prior of year 1083, Marcella was proclaimed empress due to her wisdom and fair ruler, as well reunited the Empire with diplomacy and peace. Dispite having her mother Rhagaea to the throne, however she declined that her healthy daughter Marcella on the Imperial throne. First, she made non-aggression pacts with various of the Empire's neighbors, and most importantly that she went loyal bilateral relations with the Aserai Sultanate, the Principality of Sturgia, and Kingdom of Vlandia. For the first decade of her reign, the Empire remained peaceful. In times of war, she is known to as the warrior queen or the warrior empress, while taking prisoners who is disloyal to Marcella and treated likeable prisoners better.

Her reign saw the Empire relative peace and prosperity, trade between neighboring kingdoms restored, letting women to elected as senators, and same-sex marriages across the Empire. In 1084, a noblewomen named Rhagaea, whose saddened over the death of her husband, fall in love with the young Empress and became a couple immediately after. In 1086, Marcella and the Imperial family took a few days visit to Sturgia, from cities from Tyal and the capital of Balgard to meet the Sturgian Grand Prince Raganvad Gundaroving. During the 58-year reign, she became the, and by the time of her death, remained the longest reigning monarch in Calradia by the time of the Empire dissolution in 1254. Even in peace, the Empire's economy was at the peak and the richest due to its trade and diplomacy.

She is also known for giving people second chances from criminals to vassals who made a mistake that either rebelled against her rule. However there are times when giving second chance that cause to make her "weak" thorough some of her vassals. In times of winter, she visit her winter residence of Onira. Since the start of her reign, she is troubled by the minor organizations such as the Embers of the Flame, the Hidden Hand, the Legion of the Betrayed and Eleftheroi questioned her rule, and repressing unrest of overthrowing or deposed the Empress.

### War with the Vlandia

In 1094, Marcella survived an assassination attempt by the Vlandian assassin, presumably ordered by King Derthert dey Meroc. However the assassin was killed by Imperial forces. The King, angered by this, send a embassy to the Empress that a war was emmient. She ignored this, and sent a ultimatum to the Vlandians that why they accepted the golden crown that was given by the Emperor himself, other than decline the offer. The Vlandian council declared war against the Empire. The Vlandians attacked first, however their raiding parties were defeated quickly to earn the Empire's early upper hand. Giant two Imperial armies led by Senator Lucon Osticos and General Garios Comnos cross into the Vlandian lands, and lay siege to Charas however the siege was lifted by a army of the King himself and attacked the two large Imperial armies. During the battle, two Vlandian armies joined the King, and Marcella's army herself also joined the Garios and Lucon's armies, and defeat the King's army and the siege continued. However the heavy losses make the siege unworthy to take but lift the siege and took Tharctorea and Usanc Castles. In the next two years, both armies taken the castles back, which result into ruin. By the times the war ended, both sides had suffered heavy losses, and Marcella recognized Derthert as independent King of the Vlandians.

### War with the Khuzait

The Khuzait Khanate were ruled by Khan Monchug of Urkhunait, and by 1100, the relations with the Khanate seem to be deteriorating due to Khan's obsessive of conquering the Empire, while Marcella reformed the Empire from its former glory after its war against the Vlandians. Historians labeled the Empire against the Khanate were a various of upper hands and the most difficult war among Imperial nobles. Khuzait raiding parties raid the villages such as Polisia and Aeoria, however didn't take a single castle or town during the war. Monchug took prisoner by the Empire at the Battle of Sagolina. In the first week of 1101, the Khanate and the Imperial council ended the war by paying war reparations.

### Later reign and Death

After made peace with the Khuzait Khanate, peace restored among and declared neutrality when Vlandia declared war against the Sturgia and Battania that lasted five years. She returned to Lycaron where she remained the majority of her reign. In 1102/3, Marcella visit the Sultanate of Aserai and meet the Sultan Unqid Banu Hulyan to improved relations with the Aserai. After a few day visit, Marcella returned to the capital, before travelling to Sturgia for the second time. She participate to show her respect in the funeral of Grand Prince Raganvad after he died in 1113. Raganvad's successor Simir continued his father's policies. By the following year, Calradia had struck and suffered by a devastating earthquake that most of the towns and settlements in Calradia was either destroyed or heavy damaged; but most of Imperial towns such as Lycaron received some damaged, but damaged the Keep; which it was restored five years later. Years that followed, an Aserai-Battanian alliance went to war against Vlandia again. However due to the Empress and the Empire's rich economy, supported the armies of the alliance. Grand Prince Simir, with the help of Marcella, expand his kingdom western near the Vlandian town of Rovalt and Battanian town of Car Banseth.

Throughout the years of 1114 to 1117, Marcella, accompanied by her wife Rhagaea, visiting in Onira due to released the stress. In the 1120s, Marcella traveled in her final Calradic five-day trip across the Empire while her mobility had dramatically deteriorated, before finally settled in Lycaron. After the death of her heir Ira in 1128, Marcella adopted a young adult noblewomen Varia to be her heir which she accepted. In the final years of her reign, the Empire had once again peace and prosperous, as well restored to their former glory. Marcella died peacefully in Winter 2nd, 1142, at aged 84. She was succeeded by her adopted daughter Varia.

## Fiefs

 Onira | Image needed
 Chanopsis Castle | Image needed
 **bold** indicate starting home fief

## Personality

Marcella is known for her kindness, brave and wisdom and a fair ruler. Throughout the Empire, she is called the Peacemaker and the Wise. Like her grandfather the late Emperor Arenicos, Marcella reunited the Empire under diplomacy and peace, is also well-beloved and even inherited a prosperous Empire. Viewed as the savior of the Empire, a cult had begun to worship her as a partly divine ruler. She is known to have giving people second chances. She has honor for cultures and respect with the nations that ruled by their respective ruler. During her rule as Empress, her personality improved, and had worked all night of her paper work and was that she was also patriotic and loyal, fiercely protective of those she considers friends, as well being loved by her citizens and nobles of the Empire.

### Politics

Marcella favors a hereditary constitutional monarchy over the Imperial title, with a more feudal system of absolute governance under the Emperor. Marcella believes politics and history is defined by the law of succession hereditary claims and dynasties that define right from wrong. While the Senate proclaims Emperors of the Empire, Marcella also favored some kind of a constitutional monarchy that limits monarchs of their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. Under the Imperial law, only members of the royal Imperial Family by blood or marriage are eligible to ascend to the Imperial throne. While this has meant that the line of succession has been effectively hereditary, the Emperor's legitimacy is dependent on the Imperial Senate's approval, and the Empire's history has been shaped by the oscillation of influence between the Imperial throne and the Senate.

## Trivia

* The name Marcella is a Latin origin and mean "warlike; strong; young warrior". This feminine name owes its might to the Roman god of war, Mars.
* Marcella is partially inspired by Marcella Varian, who was a Dragonborn Empress of the Fourth Empire, and later a Divine. This also referenced to her marriage to Rhagaea (also took the inspired by Jenassa), a former Empress consort, making them a only same sex marriage in Calradia.
* Like her Bannerlord counterpart, Marcella is the only monarch and NPC to not raid a village, as well letting go other vassals or nobles when captured by her in battle.