Empire Rising

The decline of Vardeu

With the fall of Beltar in 58 BE, Endros had won its right to be counted as a major power. But relations between Endros and Vardeu had been irreparably damaged by Vardeu's decision to remain neutral, and conflict was inevitable.

Kêbor gave Seleŋk, the general responsible for the final defeat of Beltar, the position of Duke of Dûnlaurêa (a province that was, after his death, renamed Selenca in his honour), and Seleŋk put in place laws whose purpose was to cut off the trade route between Vardeu and Khalgatêr. Vardûran cargoes were taxed heavily for the privilege of passing through Laurêan territory, and relations between the two powers worsened further.

Crisis came in 52 BE when Chelker III of Vardeu died unexpectedly. His heir was his eldest son Orden II, but his second son Alver organised a coup and took Orden captive and claimed the throne. His third son, Cheldis, at the time governor of Ilnœra, refused to recognise Alver's claim as legitimate, and Vardeu descended into civil war. Peace was only established in 49 BE when Cheldis allied himself with Kêbor's successor, Nairen, against Alver, and a new border between the two powers was established.

Cheldis was succeeded by his son, Kêu of Ilnœra, in 23 BE, and Alver by his son Orden (later Orden III) in 21 BE. Kêu sought to reunify the Vardeu kingdom, and to this end cemented his alliance with Endros by marrying Merka, the daughter of Nairen's second son, Veukar, Duke of Urnathel. Veukar saw the advantage in a unified Vardeu under Arêndron rule, and troops poured across the border. Orden III was defeated at the Battle of Three Cities and again at Giltal, where he surrendered his kingdom to Kêu. Veukar advised Kêu to have him executed, but he spared his life and permitted him to remain as governor of the city of Vardi.

Over the next decade, Vardeu became, in effect, a province of Endros. It retained its own cultural identity, but the troops keeping peace in Envallândra (which was constantly under threat from Sairyan barbarians) obeyed orders from Veukar, and a proportion of tax money was paid over to Endros (now ruled by Veukar's elder brother Aukar). However, in 12 BE Orden III died, probably murdered by his general Hêval, who took control of Vardi and declared its independence from Endros. Aukar sent an army, under the command of his son Masra, to help Kêu reclaim the city.

Vardi was destroyed in the ensuing war, and Hêval brought back to Endros for public execution. Kêu was allowed to establish a new seat of government at Velêra, in return for which he promised to marry his daughter Serissa to Masra's son Ingar when both came of age. The marriage duly took place in 6 BE.

The final war broke out after the Great Winter of 2 BE sent an unprecedented wave of Sairyans into Envallândra. In this emergency, Kêu was given control of a section of the Arêndron army, but he broke his promises and used the troops to fight against Arêndron rule. Aukar this time refused to lend his brother troops, preferring to let him fight Kêu and wait to see who emerged the winner. But Masra joined Veukar's cause against his father's wish, and with the army under his command Kêu was defeated. Masra then demanded that Aukar surrender the kingship to him, and, having finally joined the two kingdoms, gave himself the title of Arthaŋ or Emperor.

Masra spared Kêu's life after hearing Serissa's pleas on his behalf; he died in OA 21. As for Aukar and Veukar, both died peacefully of old age, in OA 17 and 15 respectively.

Early expansion

The reigns of the first two emperors, Masra (1–23) and Ingar (23–48), were periods of consolidation. Masra had to put down several small rebellions (not all from Vardeu territory) and keep the Sairyan border held against invasion, but he proved himself a capable ruler and his reign was mostly peaceful. Trade with Khalgatêr and along the north coast of the Great Inland Sea was re-established, and the Empire prospered. Ingar finally brought peace to Slaudja by drawing up a comprehensive system of laws that, among other things, left the Vardûran people free to worship their gods so long as they joined in public worship of the Arêndron gods as well.

The Empire's territory soon began to expand westwards. Ingar's son Mœstil oversaw the conquest of Shorauca and Tilœna before his untimely death in 25. His widow soon remarried one of his commanders, Daryen Zûrei, who inherited Mœstil's position as Duke of Urŋundra and continued the conquest north into Traël.

Ingar was succeeded by another son, Voreun (48–53), a weak emperor who was deposed by his general Mairek (53–76). Mairek added the provinces of Mœssanha and Ussœra to the Empire, as well as pushing the northern boundary beyond the Sairyan mountains.

The most powerful of the Empire's remaining rivals was the island nation of Ljanair. Mairek's successor Axol I (76–80) made war on Ljanair, but was defeated and killed. His death plunged the Empire into crisis, with two rival generals, Heuren and Baunar, both declaring themselves Emperor. The result was a civil war in which Heuren was killed, but the former Vardeu territories denied Baunar's claim because he was not descended from Ingar and Serissa, and their rival emperor, Kêu II (80–95), deposed Baunar and took the throne.

In all the confusion, Ljanairan ships had been raiding Arêndron territory with impunity. Kêu II re-established peace, but the Ljanairan attacks were not forgotten, and his heir Zaural (95–108) declared a second war in 98. Zaural did not live to see Ljanair defeated, but the conquest was completed by his son Gômar in 111. Gômar was made Duke of Ljanair, but did not succeed to the Imperial throne, which was taken by his brother-in-law Axol II (108–117). Ljanair formally became an Arêndron territory on Gômar's death in 135.