List of Azanese Rulers

This is a non-exhaustive list of all known rulers of Azan. Although modern historiography groups the rulers of Azan into ten imperial dynasties, the rulers of Azan have gone by many different titles and names over the millennia. In fact many rulers of the same dynasty were only faintly blood related and many chroniclers argue that the traditional classification system of ten dynasties is purely an invention of 8th and 9th dynasty emperors working backwards from the famous Ten Titans of Essakor.

## First Dynasty (1700-1401 BBE)

The oldest of the dynasties, much of what is known of the First dynasty is highly fragmented and imbued with mythical overtones. After the death of the first **Yang di-Pertuan Agong**,  *He Who is Made Lord Supreme*, Aza, power in the realm was for a time split between the direct descendants of Aza who acted as heads of state in their role as Yang di-Pertuan Agong, while Saint Calixta, Aza's closest ally was created **Amir al-Mu'minin**, *Defender of the Faithful*, who acted as head of the church. These two titles would be merged a few generations later by emperor Siti who united the two lines by marriage.

The fifth Chapter of the Book of Azan, one of the only surviving documents from the later first dynasty also details a period known as the *Death Dances*, a long civil war during which the empire was split between two emperors and two courts, the so called *Claw* and *Wing* factions. It is presumed that the civil war ended with the famous Battle of Blossoms which saw most of the direct descendants of Aza perish. This was later followed by lord Cemak, one of the few still living blood relatives of Azan assuming imperium, marking the beginning of the Second dynasty.

## Second Dynasty (1401-1184 BBE)

The turbulent last days of the first dynasty saw the realm split in two between the *Wing* and the *Claw* courts, which both claimed the title of *Yang di-Pertuan Agong*. This stopped Azan's expansion for a period, allowing for the unimpeded rise of the First Elven Empire under Rex Augustine to the west. As the Death Dances period came to an end with the bloody battle of Blossoms, the marble throne passed to the Cemakids, as the main pretenders of the Wing and Claw fell in battle against each other. The first order of business of Cemak I., the new emperor was asserting his own dominion and checking the power of the rising First Elven Empire which he did successfully with his victory over Rex Augustine in the Peninsular War.

Tiefling blood was becoming weaker and weaker amongst the great Tiefling houses of the empire during this era which led to the practice of inter-marriage with Elven nobles amongst the aristocracy and the keeping of strict pedigree records. A notable example of this was the marriage of tiefling Prince Cik Nur to Rex Valencia III of House Valencia, the powerful Doges of Viola. Notably this saw the Windwand pass into Azanese hands for the first time as dowry to the House of Nur.

By the end of the second dynasty, the Cemakids were becoming heavily inbred as to preserve their draconic bloodline, which heavily impacted their prestige as they gained the reputation of a dynasty of cripples and madmen.

## Third Dynasty (1184-733 BBE)

The third dynasty, also known as the Sun Kings represented a great shift in history of the Azanese Empire. The first emperor Adrian I. of the House of Valencia-Nur was a product of an increasingly mixed Dracotiefling and Drow nobility in the eastern Scimmitarian. Adrian's progeny held incredible magical potential compared to the vestigial remnants of magical potency the late Cemakids exhibited. Thus when the last direct Cemakid, Amir III. died without issue, the Imperial Council anxious to find a sane and non-inbred emperor was happy to invite Atri, Doxe de Viola to Essakor in the hopes of preventing a bloody civil war between the degenerated Cemakid remnants.

Crowned as Adrian I, the new emperor would prove more than competent, engaging on a long campaign to syncretize Drow and Azanese culture as well as create a strong dynasty. Polygamy was legalized and Drowish influences on the Old Azan Faith began appearing. Adrian I was also the first emperor to build a titan of Essakor in their own image in an act of self-assured arrogance. The Adrianids soon numbered in the hundreds and to this day, many noble families can trace their ancestry back to the reigning house of the Third dynasty.

Starting with Adrian IV. the Adrianids would also begin the custom of passing the throne not to the first-born but to the most magically competent of their progeny, ensuring a long line of at least magically capable emperors. The standing of the dynasty began to wane with Adrian XIII, who began a disastrous campaign against the elves and hobbits which would eventually see, through an intrigue of evil rituals and magic, Adrian XV, a half-hobbit crowned as emperor. Adrian XVII would thus be the first emperor since Adrian XII to spend time in the capital of Essakor, which, abandoned by the emperors, began developing a distinctly human character.

Rising anti-elvish sentiment culminated in the *War of Waves and Willows*, a short civil war that began as an anti-elvish riot in Essakor to protest the "elvish" birthday festivities forced upon the populace by the "Half-King" Adrian XVII. The war would see a quick end with the death of Adrian XVII. at the hands of a demonic curse wrought upon him when he attempted to use Windwand to defend himself.

After Adrian XVII follows a period of slow decline of the now discredited Adrianids. Adrian XX would be the last Adrianid emperor, ousted by their wife, Thea of House Leo. Although radical pro-human agitators mainly from the almost entirely human lower classes of Essakor demanded the death of the Adrianids, Thea would mercifully allow the Adrianids to go into internal exile to the rural frontiers of the empire. In exchange the Adrianids formally abrogated any right to the Azanese throne and were forced to take their pre-dynastical name of Valencia-Nur. The House of Valencia-Nur has continued to exist to this day, although it has never been able to fully return to relevancy.

## Fourth Dynasty (733-547 BBE)

The fourth dynasty is started by Emperor Leovus I, a minor noble, military general, and a man of deep religious convictions. Tired of seeing pagan fey nobles acquiring more and more positions of power within the ruling elite in return for empty pledges of loyalty, he becomes a political agitator and occasional rebel during the rein of Adrian XV onward. However, it is the revelation that some draco-tieflings are in league with demons that causes him to fully commit himself to the rebellion and become its leader. Riding a massive wave of religious support, he swiftly seizes power, reorganizes the Empire as a theocracy, purges the demon worshippers, and drives out anyone tied to the old regime, particularly fey and magic users.

Despite losing many of their territories in the fey inhabited lands, Leovus I reasserts power in Siuverland, and in many southern and eastern provinces that have gone rogue or outright separated. As a result, his rule represents a peak in Imperial power not seen for centuries, nor matched again for centuries afterwards.

Unfortunately his descendants prove incompetent, often exceeding his zeal, but lacking his political or military sense. Various fundamentalist, xenophobic, nationalist, and populist movements compete to use the Church as a mouthpiece for their own believes, and the Empire crumbles into infighting.

## Fifth Dynasty (547 BBE to 433 ABE)

The Fifth Dynasty was founded by Sophia Diogene, a senior military bureaucrat and trusted Imperial Advisor who initially sided with Thea I (mostly due to family ties). House Diogene was a prominent House that traces its roots back to one of Aza’s most famous champions, and since then has acquired much land, wealth, and a number of senior positions in the Legion. They were strong backers of Leovic I, and had a knack for picking the right side during the many internal conflicts of the Fourth Dynasty. During the reigns of Hercule II and Thea I, House Diogene became highly prominent among a faction of military nobles tired with the incompetence of Emperors who were more interested in scholarship and theocracy. Despite this they were still key members of Thea’s court, with the Head of the House marrying Thea’s youngest sister. However, as Thea became more unhinged, it was arranged for Sophia to assassinate her aunt and begin a new dynasty.

Despite these treacherous beginnings, the early and mid Fifth Dynasty period quickly proved to be a golden age for the Azan Empire. It combined a strong military, robust but ethical research into magic, an efficient bureaucracy, and a knack for demonizing its rivals in order to regain territories lost by the Fourth Dynasty, and even expanding into the eastern wastes. However, not everything went their way. In the north and northwest, the fey continued to cause problems, and in the east the Khenomeric Empire caused them grief via proxy conflicts. Their were a few minor internal conflicts and weak leaders during this period as well.

Tension with the Khenomeric Empire finally exploded during the Battle of Empires, which devastated both empires militarily, financially, and politically. Within a century, the Azan Empire had essentially dissolved into independent provinces and warlord states held together loosely by the Azan Church and its associated bureaucracy, and the increasingly unpopular Diogenid Emperors reduced to nothing but figureheads. The last remnants of the Fifth Dynasty were swept away during the Scholar’s Revolution.

## Sixth Dynasty

The 5th and 6th Dynasty are extremely confusing times for the amateur chronicler to tackle and I leave the exercise to a better researcher of most ancient lore. Here is how much I managed to track down.

Diogenid Emperors of the 5th dynasty:

* Sophia I Diogenid
* Basilius V.
* Basilius X. - This man is supposed to have reigned during the Battle of the Empires which seems extremely spurious, I always thought the battle took place during the 8th dynasty?
* Yana V. - seemingly last Diogenid to be called "emperor"

Warlords of the late 5th dynasty:

* Zamindar of Essakor - either a name for late Diogenids after the country devolved into civil war or some sort of Clovisian "mayor of the palace" type hereditary position that effectively usurped power from the emperors - it's really unclear
* Captain Sam
* Rangatira of Aetia
* The Datu of Charito
* Archon Alexander III
* "various Erregeas, Mpanjakas, and Konungis"

High Protectors of the 6th dynasty:

* Hēnare I
* Asin II.
* Ajax I.

## Seventh dynasty (600-1100 ABE)

The seventh dynasty are also traditionally known as the Bellicarids or "the Southern Emperors" as they originated from a rebellion of southern marcher lords against the decaying 6th dynasty. Who led the rebellion and who officially counts as the first emperor of the seventh dynasty are hotly contested topics to this day. Some important names from the era of the Southern Rebellion are **Contra-Imperator Bao Xe, General of the East, Commander of the Steppe Fortresses** and **Lord Phillipos, Grand Admiral of the Southern Fleet**. If those men counted as emperors or were indeed Bellicarids at all remains unclear. The empire's capital shifted a lot in the early years of the dynasty, but was eventually settled on Essakor.

Under the Southern Emperors, Azan saw a period of relative prosperity and decentralization. Instead of funnelling wealth to the Heartlands, peripheral provinces see decreased taxes and renewed investments. The roads network started by the 6th dynasty and continued by the 7th allows for an explosion in overland trade in the empire, greatly benefiting regions like Fûrlaniya. In matters of culture and religion the south gains in importance. The southern religious movement known as the Aynur Doctrine, known mainly for its elaborate rituals, gains momentary importance across the entire empire during the 7th dynasty.