Carain

**Carain** *(Olmë: vaeh Carassar Carain aep Taedhach an Maeren Lach Glannar; born 2345, died 2777 TC)* was the 24th emperor of the Elven Empire between the years 2497, and 2777 TC, when he was killed by his son and successor Calad. Carain presided over one of the most turbulent and chaotic periods in the history of the Caras Lenanh, something even more evident when compared to the passive and peaceful reign of his father.

Born a third son, meek and bookish, little was asked of him and even less was expected; described by the chronicler Kendwaer as *"...a timid lad, one more keen on spending his days in the Library and hypothesizing on the gods, lest his mind wither away."*  He spent most of his youth travelling, notably going as far east as Ard Nerewedd, to study among the Artinian scholars, at the young age of forty. He suffered great tragedy as most of his family, including his father had died in [REDACTED], in turn making him next in line as Carassar. He was crowned in early 2497, and was immediately tasked by the Senate to quell the insurrections in the East -- one of the complications that arose following Taedhach's death.

Much of his early reign was characterized by his reclusiveness. Disinterested in the nuances of governance, but also dreading the prospect of keeping the empire under control, he implemented a series of controversial reforms that effectively curtailed the absolute power of the Carassar, thereby stopping the trend of the increasingly authoritative powers the position had been attaining, one which had begun during the reign of Carandir. He expanded the Senate by another 150 members, he appointed hundreds of new magistrates and overseers, who, more often than not, were extremely wealthy merchant-lords or nobles, to rule over distant provinces. Towards the end of his life, he also instituted the office of *"haen Garadog"* -- the closest translation in the Trader's Tongue would be "prince" -- a hereditary office who served as head of state of a portion of the Empire. These principalities were frequently regions which already had a measure of autonomy, such as Leidivarn or Gaer Went.

Through what was undoubtedly his most controversial act, Carain had in 2689 TC, for the first time in the Empire's history, proclaimed that there will be one, and only one, the new *imperial* religion, practiced within its borders -- the hitherto unknown Cult of Siai, the Blood Goddess. This decision will prove to have far-reaching consequences that will eventually help lead to the downfall of his nation, with its immediate repercussions being quite obvious: in 2689, mere weeks after Carain's declaration of religious unity, the first of the three Elven Wars of Religion (2689 - 2714 TC) would begin, and with it, the chain of events that will later be called the Crisis of the 28th Century. This amalgamation of wars, most notably the 30-year long Tarenarin Invasions, which will bring the empire and the elven race to its knees, as well as sweeping societal, cultural and even climate changes, would prove ultimately fatal, with the Caras Lenanh falling within an elf's lifetime following the end of the Crisis, only forestalled by the actions of Carain's son and grand-daughter. He died, killed by his son as he sat on his throne, in late 2777, shortly after the war's end. Few grieved, as few remained to grieve in the first place. Estimates vary, but some historians claim that up to sixty percent or more of the elven population lost their lives, the vast majority being civilians.

Carain remains to this day a polarising figure -- some consider his ineptitude and cowardice the reason why the Empire met its eventual end, but others claim that Carain was little more than a symptom, rather than the cause of the cancer eating away at the heart and soul of the elven race. To them, Carain had been just one of the final, albeit decisive nails in the proverbial coffin that sealed his empire's fate, and cannot be blamed any more than his father or the general state of affairs at the time.