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[anomaly00-archive]

when comes the dawn ; the vi drochona dynasty

the imperial family ; the vi Aetiers

Since the founding of the Aetierian Empire by Kaelstansa the Great, officially there has only ever been one family, one dynasty, the ruled over Aetier. Those bearing the surname vi Aetier (literally meaning "of Aetier") have since then become synonymous with the empire, and the empire synonymous with the imperial family. That does not mean however that there were not sub-dynasties within the empire. Families who, by their own good fortune and the ill fortune of others, found themselves seated on the Phoenix throne with the right to take the vi Aetier names for themselves.

ascendance of the drochonan dynasty ;

When Emperor Alexios V died of an illness and left no blood heirs to assume his throne, the short-lived and tragic Arkadian dynasy came to an end. Ascending the phoenix throne in its place are the vi Drochonas—first cousins once removed—whose reigns are as bloody as they are prosperous.

Below is a partial list of all known members of the Drochonan dynasty since Empress Saphynia's coronation.

/ SAPHYNIA I “THE IRON QUEEN’

The younger of the vi Drochona twins and the one who assumed the crown upon her coming of age at eighteen. Her reign saw the end of the Cal-Aei war and the expansion of the Aetierian Empire, brining victory to the empire after almost half a century of gruelling losses. Her sexuality gained her the criticism of her advisors and the nobility, as her adamant refusal to take a male consort sprung up questions of heirs. A problem easily remedied when she adopted her brother’s son.

/ KAREO “THE INDOLENT”

The elder of the vi Drochona twins and the duke of Rubello, the seat of the vi Drochonans. He famously refused to the crown in favor of his twin sister citing that the crown was ‘too much work’ and would drive him to an early grave. This did not stop him, however, from being one of Empress Saphynia’s most trusted advisors and he had even ruled as regent for long stretches of time in his sister’s absence.

/ KARLEON III

Kareo’s son and Saphynia’s appointed heir. His reigns saw relative prosperity, though it is during his time that Aetier declined its expansion eastward towards the Taulan Plains. Their efforts stymied by the rising power of the Iskaavar and the threat of the unification of the numerous Taulan tribes. He is most known for his numerous children and was killed by his fifth son, Dantalion I.

/ AREIONA

The first child of Karleon III and his first wife Empress Meidira of Aranthia. She was praised for her brilliance in numerous subjects such as history, science, theology, literature, and military tactics. She was named reilma-imperessa but perished from an undisclosed illness, though there are rumors that foul play was involved.

/ ARETOS

The second child of Karleon III with consort Silvia. The blood-sibling of Astaria vi Aetier. He was confirmed as the next reilma-imperessor a decade after Areiona’s death and was the first of Karleon’s children to die in the King’s Game.

/ ASTARIA

The third child of Karleon III with consort Silvia. The blood-sibling of Astaria vi Aetier. She was Dantalion’s main contender for the crown, with their feud lasting six years as she fought for her crown and revenge for her family. She died at the Siege of Konstantinye, marking the end of the King’s Game. Astaria only had one child, though it is rumored to have died during the Siege.

/ DANTALION I “THE GREAT”

The fifth child of Karleon III with consort Ruona. The blood-sibling of Andras vi Aetier. He was Astaria’s main contender for the crown. He was sent as a political hostage to the Iskavaar atthe age of 10 and would not see his homeland for more than seven years. He distinguished himself in the military with the reclamation of the Islands of Cer and his nigh prodigious control of arcana. He is known by many epithets, including “Areia-blessed” “favri deori” “the Lionheart” and most famously “the Kinslayer” for the assassination of his father and his many siblings.

/ ANDRAS

The seventh child of Karleon III with consort Ruona. The blood-sibling of Dantalion vi Aetier and the current Duke of Rubello. He is the only one of Dantalion’s siblings (sans those who married into other kingdoms) that survived the King’s Games. He helped Dantalion secure strategic victories during the King’s Games and often acted as his brother’s representative in gaining supporters.

/ FENICE

The first child of Dantalion I with his first wife, the once-empress Titania of Taul. What was supposed to be the herald of a new age and a source of stability for his reign turned into an ill omen. Adeadborne, she grew up far from the eyes of court in the dukedom of Isidore.

/ CHARLES

The second child of Dantalion I with his second wife the consort-premier Illysandre vi Soresi. Beloved amongst many, he is expected to take up his father’s mantle as the next emperor of Aetier. He is known as the gentlest of the vi Aetiers.

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[anomaly00-archive]

when comes the dawn ; the king's game

“The vi Aetier children entered the world as players, targets, and they will leave it as victors, survivors—

—or they will leave in ashes.”

The Origin of the King’s Game

It is unknown when these ‘games’ officially began in Aetier or were known as such. The term, ‘King’s Game’ itself was never an official term, per se, but merely a colloquial description for the power struggles between different imperial heirs for the throne.

One of the features that sets the Aetierian Empire apart from the rest of its contemporaries is that there was no set rule of succession. The founding emperor, Kaelstansa I, had first decreed that the one who should succeed him would be the most capable of his children. As the sixth child of his own family who was slated to never amount to more than a political bargaining chip, Kaelstansa understood more than any that capability was not determined by birth order but instead by skill. His decree to forgo the standard rules of male primogeniture opened up the throne for heirs of any gender and birth order, as long as they had the skills and resources to back up their claim.

While a good system in theory, it eventually became clear that the members of the dynasty became a large problem for the monarch if one or more of them decided to lay claim on the Phoenix throne. Early Aetierian history can be described by its numerous civil wars and succession crises, most notably the Aeon du Ter-Imperessirs (the Era of Four Princets) and the Decade of Blood. (Interestingly enough, a consistent factor that pulled the entire empire back together is the invasion of a third party, which lent to the belief that Aetier can only be defeated by itself).

The victor of the Decade of Blood, Empress Anastasia II instituted the Scion’s Code, stating that it is acceptable for the princet who ascends the throne to execute their siblings for the stability of the empire and the benefit of its citizens. Though the Scion’s Code did work in preventing more large scale civil wars, it had the added effect of changing the fight for the throne from one of power to a matter of survival. This idea only embedded itself further into the imperial family when the Imperial Harem began involving itself in succession politics.

‘King’s game’ as a term saw a resurgence in use during this period, referring less to civil wars between imperial heirs, but instead to the dangerous politics that played out within the harem, hidden from outside eyes. Imperial consorts were a princet’s foremost advocate for the throne, and the competitive nature of the Harem saw consorts doing anything they could to ensure their child’s survival and that of their own.

The king’s game is bloody. Ruthless. And for the majority of imperial children, it begins at birth.

The King’s Game [0 A. Dan. - 5 A. Dan]

While not the first king’s game of its kind, The King’s Game gained its infamy from being the first big civil war in Aetierian history in centuries and involved the largest execution of dynastic heirs to date.

The King’s Game began in Emperor Dantalion I’s interim year [15th Cierhal, 0 A. Dan] when he staged a coup, assassinated his father Karleon III and proclaimed himself ruler under the right of conquest. His 0 year and first year as king saw the death and execution of the majority of Dantalion’s siblings excluding the ones who married outside the empire, his blood-brother Andras, and his half-sister Astaria who escaped to the city of Konstantinye in Northern Aetier.

In Vindercrest, Dantalion worked to stabilize his hold on the southern and eastern provinces of Aetier. In Konstantinye, Astaria built her powerbase, gathering allies from all across the empire and from her husband’s, Prince Verrine’s, connections to the kingdom of Volyr.

The King’s Game lasted five and a half years with battles converging over land and the Hirithian Sea. The war reached its turning point on the 15th of Rueprae, 3rd A. Dan, with the formalized marriage of Emperor Dantalion and Titania of Taul. Titania, being the favored daughter of Eliskander-konig, offered Dantalion and his allies greater access to the the silk road than they have ever had before as well as the protection of the Iskaavar, should they ever need it. This marriage doubled the amount of resources available to Dantalion, and coupled with Titania’s feared skills and tactics on the battlefield, giving him a much needed advantage.

The war finally came to an end in the Siege of Konstantinye. A two month bombardment left the city’s walls a crumbling ruin, and the last of Astaria’s resources depleted. Strangely enough, she made no attempts of escaping to Volyr, facing Dantalion’s fury directly in the castle’s great hall. She was beheaded on the spot, her husband and close allies fleeing to Volyr or surrendering.

There are conflicting rumors as to the welfare of Astaria’s son, born on three years into the war. Dantalion has expended effort into finding out about the child’s whereabouts, but to no avail. Most believe the young prince died during the siege, though this has never been officially confirmed.

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