The life of Godobald Dastrux
49 years before the Dastrux Epoch, Godobald is born to parents fleeing the forces of the Necromancer-Kings.
1: The Dastrux Epoch begins when Godobald uses the treasure of Zerwyce to overthrow the Necromancer-King Helmut Krieger and raises his banner at the future site of Dastrux City.
57: Godobald dies at the age of 108. He outlives his son, Berthoald. Bethoald’s first son Theodosius Septimus takes the throne.57-60: Theodosius Septimus rules for just 3 years before dying of old age in 60. With no sons, his eldest daughter Libuše takes the throne as regent for her young sons.
60-90: Libuše’s reign is characterized by extravagance. She rules what is called the Illumined Court, which produces at great expense many of the literary classics that preserve the early Dastruzan legends, and many of the literary romances that establish norms of gallantry for centuries to come. Due to her popularity, she maintains the regency until her death. Her elder son dies in battle; her second son, Radigis, takes the throne.90-110: Radigis I rules quietly for 20 years. He establishes the Empire’s system of tribute and rents to refill the coffers after Libuše spent the last of the Zerwyce treasure. He dies of sickness in his old age; with no sons, the throne passes to his nephew Bruno.
110-132: Bruno proves a middling administrator. In 116, the border counts rise against him, seeking to roll back Radigis I’s reforms; Bruno ably puts them down, but the damage is thorough. He swallows his own ambitions and spends his reign rebuilding; his name becomes a byword for dutiful stoicism. He dies suddenly, and his son Krakus takes the throne.
132-156: Krakus I rules with wisdom, issuing the Codex Legum Populorum Subditorum, parts of which still protect the rights of local communities to this day. He dies of a death-curse, and his brother Radigis takes the throne.
156-174: Radigis II keeps the throne warm and the borders quiet. He dies of very old age, and his son’s son Radigis takes the throne.The Fratricide
The Empire is divided north-south by feuding cousins.
174-177: Radigis III‘s reign is dated thus. However, he remains in power in Messara until 201, when he falls to an assassin’s blade.
177-206: Karl is the son of Radigus II’s daughter and thus Radigis III’s cousin. He quickly takes control of the northern half of the Empire, but the civil war against his cousin lasts until the latter’s death. In the aftermath of the war, Messara is demoted from a confederated partner under the Kaiser to a vassal kingdom, though its rulers are allowed to keep their ancient titles. Karl dies in his old age and the throne passes to his grandson Wenceslaus.
206-227: Wenceslaus I rules quietly. Little is remembered of him. He dies and the throne passes to his nephew Bolleslaus.
227-261: Bolleslaus rules in peace. He negotiates alliances with tribes all along the western border. He dies of old age and the throne passes to his son Radigis.
261-296: Radigis IV‘s early reign is marred by a short but wide-ranging and destructive succession war against his brother Claudius Julianus. Once he establishes his reign, he embarks on a series of building projects; an enthusiast in architecture, he designs them well, but they take beyond his lifetime to complete. He dies of old age, and his grandson Wenceslaus takes the throne.
296-329: Wenceslaus II rules quietly. Aside from the Arminian Plague in 311-314, the realm prospers. Wenceslaus II is most known for his vigorous marital life; his many children led to a proliferation of the royal family that would both make it stronger and eventually lead to rivalries among its branches. He dies of old age, and his son Krakus takes the throne.
329-360: Krakus II is said to have been visited by an angel who warned him of an accident that would otherwise have killed him. He removes himself from the capital and rules from a simple wooden chapel; after producing a single heir, he forces his wife into a monastery. Later in his reign, he annexes various tribes and tributaries within and on the borders. He divides the land among his nobles to gain their loyalty, and uses some of it to augment the territories of a few reliable tribal kings before integrating them into the feudal system; for this reason, a few count-level nobles still hold the title of King of the [their territory]. Krakus is found dead with a rictus of terror on his face; various legends say he died of fright upon recognizing his would-be assassin, was punished by his angel for his treatment of his wife, suffered a mortal wound in a psychic battle against a demon, or was taken to one of the heavens by his angel (the expression on his face being of one who has witnessed the sublime.) He is venerated as a saint in some parts of the empire and reviled in others. The throne passes to his only son, Pippin.
360-390: Pippin I begins his reign with the rakehell behavior one might expect of a son released from the household of Krakus II. After a decade, his behavior suddenly moderates; his wife Theresa is said to have tamed him. They have many children, all daughters. Pippin I grows in wisdom and issues the Corpus Legum Imperii, the Rogationes Populi, and the Commentarii de Codice Legum Populorum Subditorum, among others. He dies of sickness and his daughter Brunhilde takes the throne.
The Interregnum
The Empire is de facto ruled by an interrupted sequence of 5 empresses. There is no precedent for an empress regnant, so each woman uses a different legal fiction to maintain power.
390-394: Brunhilde serves as regent for her infant son, Radigis, until they are both killed in a shipwreck. The throne passes to her sister.
394-399: Hildegardis I rules as regent for her son and refuses to give up power even after he dies of a fever. She is assassinated and her elder daughter takes the throne.
399-403: Judith I pretends to be the figurehead of a regency council, but maintains the real power. She claims to be searching for a husband in a distant branch of the family, but makes no real effort to do so. When she dies of an overdose during a particularly exuberant orgy, the throne passes to her sister Hildegaris.
403-426: Hildegardis II rules with quiet dignity in intentional contrast to Judith. Evidently, she arranges to be anonymously impregnated by one of several elf surrogates; she then claims the half-elven issue is the son of an elven horned god who came to her in a dream, neatly producing a male heir without ceding the throne to a husband. She retires to a comfortable manor when her son reaches majority.
426-432: Belenor Half-Elven rules with grace and gallantry. At the age of 22, he leads the army against an orc earthwetting that has overrun the western lands, and is killed in battle. Six months later, his son Ezekiel is born. His widow takes the throne.
432-448 Jadwiga I rules as regent for their son. Hildegaris II advises her in rallying the nobles to halt the invaders. She steps down when Ezekiel reaches majority.
446-474 Ezekiel rules energetically, almost frenetically. He adds much territory to the Empire, builds roads, and gathers scholars to advise him. The Bluthof Zyclum, a violent satire on the power struggles of the nobility, is composed during this time, initiating the Empire’s vernacular literary tradition. He brings the orcs to heel, breaking up their territory and settling several of the tribes within the Empire. He dies of a botched medical treatment and the throne passes to his son Oskar.
474-496: Oskar I spends most of his reign facing down political threats from his nobles. He never flinches; if the nobles had smelled blood, they would surely have united against him. His reign gives rise to the phrase “as steely as Oskar.” He dies in battle and his son Ulrich takes the throne.
496-520: Ulrich rules poorly, taking more interest in the pleasure of his palace than the administration of the realm. The legions grow correspondingly in power. He dies of a fever and the throne passes to his daughter Jadwiga.
520-542: Jadwiga II rules as “executor of Ulrich’s will” for 5 years. Establishing a period of peace, she puts down a mutiny by the restless legions. Employing many magic-users, she funds an age of magical discovery in which the astral winds are mapped. She takes a foreign husband (no Emperor-by-marriage for him) and remains regent until her son Krakus is established in his majority.
542-566: Krakus III rules through a major financial crisis. The Imperial Treasury is stolen, sack by sack, by agents of the dragon Parutirix. Krakus opens trade routes to the distant East and forms a trade pact with the Huglon city-states of the northern coast. He dies of natural causes and his son Vojen takes the throne.
566-577: Vojen leads the Empire in defense against an army of Evil that issued from the long-silent Tower of Zagdranus. He vanquishes them, but takes a cursed wound from a rakshasa’s blade, and dies of it years later. The throne passes to his nephew Neklan.
577-611: Neklan I rules quietly. He issues several bureaucratic reforms, among them establishing the position of Viceroy, which remains the executive of the crown lands to this day. He dies of old age and his son Hostivit takes the throne.
The Decade of Poison
A shadow war between different branches of House Dastrux (Halnia, Kurchen, Stjarna, and Crosello) leads to a series of assassinations.
611-612: Hostivit of Halnia rules. He is deposed by his cousin.
612-614: Krakus IV of Kurchen rules. Hostivit returns from exile and has him executed by poison.
614: Hostivit of Halnia rules for less than a year before being assassinated with a poisoned dagger.
614-615: Pippin II of Kurchen, brother of Krakus IV, rules. He is assassinated with a poisoned arrow.
615-618: Judith II of Halnia, mother of Hostivit, rules. She is assassinated with a poisoned drink, ending the Halnia branch.
618-620: Emmerich I of Stjarna, Judith II’s nephew, rules. He is assassinated with a poisoned dagger.
620-621: Emmerich II of Kurchen, son of Pippin II, rules. He is deposed and executed by poison.
621-622: Neklan II of Stjarna, nephew of Emmerich I, rules. He is assassinated with a poisoned arrow.
622: Theffanie of Stjarna, sister of Neklan II, keeps the throne in that branch for several months before being deposed. Out of power, she briefly marries, but her husband is assassinated (by poison).
622: Gerard of Kurchen, brother of Emmerich II, rules briefly before being assassinated with a poisoned dagger, ending the Kurchen branch.
622: Emmerich III of Crosello rules. He is assassinated with a poisoned bullet.
622-623: Theffanie of Stjarna returns to power. She is assassinated with a poisoned dagger, but her son Wenceslaus is secretly delivered by caesarian section. He is fostered among the dwarves.
623: Neklan III of Crosello takes the throne. He is remembered for the cruelty of his rule; his purges secure his power, but fracture the Empire. Various duchies and provinces war against him and each other.
The life of Wenceslaus III
633: Wenceslaus of Stjarna secretly enters Neklan III’s household as a cupbearer under the name Komet Hoffnung.
635: A drunken Neklan attacks Komet. He defends himself with a kitchen knife; by sheer chance, ignorant of the laws of blood, he stabs Neklan in the heart. So ends the house of Crosello.
635-643: Wenceslaus lives for 8 years on the run with his elven tutor and a slowly gathering group of allies. During this time, Neklan III’s son Neklan IV wears the crown, but without the inheritance of the Empire, he is little more than a regent. The unrest reaches a fever pitch, and the empire is carved up by multiple wars of secession.
643: Wenceslaus III returns from exile, leading an army of humans, dwarves, and elves. He imprisons Neklan IV for the rest of his natural life (executing him decades later when sheer spite reanimates him as undead.) He begins the Imperial tradition of marrying an elven princess.
643-659: Wenceslaus spends his early reign reconquering the fractured territories of the empire. He is a dreamer, believing in the rights and unity of the people. At first, he is dismissed as naïve, but his critics fall silent as he begins to succeed. He abolishes slavery within the Empire, punishes the collaborators of Neklan III and IV, and delivers restitution to their victims. He places his wife, Jastira, in charge of the magical defenses of the Empire, and she redevelops Dastrux City into its current form.
659-666: Wenceslaus is called to be a paladin. He and Jastira leave the realm in the capable hands of their son Merith. They take their most trusted friends and go adventuring, uncovering corruption in the realm.
666: The party strikes the renewed Tower of Zagdranus. Wenceslaus enters its most secret unholy chamber alone, and returns unscathed. The tower trembles and topples.
666-671: Wenceslaus spends the rest of his active years alternating between rulership, adventuring, and mastering the arts.
671: Merith is devoured by the dragon Parutirix. Wenceslaus rides forth and slays Parutirix, but Merith cannot be resurrected.
671-693: Wenceslaus withdraws from the field and begins drawing plans for the maintenance of the Empire after his death. His painting reaches its zenith in this period.
693: Wenceslaus III dies in his bed, surrounded by his loving family. Jastira takes the black veil and lives as a renunciate tending his tomb. His handpicked successor, their grandson Anselm, takes the throne.
693-712: Anselm I cannot live up to his grandfather’s legend. He is an average emperor, making minor tweaks to the levies here and the tax system there, but he is slandered by nobles who disapprove of the tax tweaks. He dies of old age and is succeeded by his son Jean.
712-735: Jean rules quietly. In 718, his wife Ayda dies in childbirth; legend says his soul departed with hers, and his body spends the rest of his reign sleepwalking. His broken heart finally kills him and the throne passes to his son Renaeril.
735-764: Renaeril rules over an unprecedented level of peace. He begins many ambitious projects which fail before completion, but he doesn’t overspend to do so. He is remembered as a stable rock for the Empire to build on after Jean’s distracted reign. He dies of old age and is succeeded by his elder son Oskar.
764-782: Oskar II‘s rule is mixed. Everything he handles personally gets good results, but he alienates everyone he meets. Always suspicious, he grows gloomy and cynical. He resents his younger twin Gerard for the latter’s aimlessness. Oskar is suddenly killed when monsters overrun Dastrux City in the Deluge of 782. The unprepared Gerard takes the throne.
782-806: Gerard II is a kind ruler, but an ineffective administrator. He begins and abandons many infrastructure and cultural projects. In 789, he buys and levels a neighborhood in Dastrux City’s Oldmarket district for the construction of a pleasure palace; he digs the foundation pit before running out of money. Preferring the company of men to that of women (after his death, his wife will have their marriage annulled as unconsummated), he has no children of his own. Completely unaware of Oskar II’s one-sided feud against him, he begins grooming Oskar’s son Frederick to succeed him. When Gerard and Frederick die in a shipwreck, however, Frederick’s own 14-year-old son Anselm takes the throne.
The troubled reign of Anselm II
806-present: Anselm II is a sickly child. Most of his improvement in young adulthood is due to an advancing regimen of drugs, but beyond his mid 20s his body begins to decline again.
808: Anselm’s wife Lierin dies in childbirth, along with his only son and issue. He remarries, but Inaselle has the marriage annulled, which necessitates a very public declaration of Anselm’s impotence. No elf family deigns to provide a third bride.
810: Anselm squeezes the people for enough cash to dedicate Gerard II’s pit as the foundation of a Cathedral of the Canonical Virtues; this wins him some popularity, but not as much as he had hoped.
815: Khavandri-Shethya interferes with the succession of a border kingdom that the Empire considers part of its sphere of influence. Anselm declares war, but after a brief surge of patriotism, the war drags on to deleterious effect on both his popularity and the Empire’s finances.
823: The dwarves rise in a tax revolt, and Anselm uses the Hellstalkers to brutally suppresses them.
825: In the middle of the year, Anselm’s brother and the great hope of the kingdom, Renairil, is killed in the war. Later in the year, Anselm brings the war to an abrupt pyrrhic victory.
826: The current date.
