The Petran Star, Vol. No 2

[Denmat0407 166]

Spoiler

EMPEROR HADRIAN DECEASED!		Hadrian I had a life many wished to lead, born to Emperor Tiberias I when he was still titled as the King of Burgundy. He was from a young age prepared for the life of a king, or if the courtiers back then might’ve dreamed, an emperor.   In this publication we will thus instead follow the life of Hadrian I, the entirety of it, the many ups and the downs. Who was the Emperor of Azuras, how did this man shape the world and most importantly how did this man take all of Azuras in a relatively short lifespan.   All this will be answered in this special midweekly volume of the Petran Star.    I hope you can find some enjoyment in the archival work which the author of this paper has performed. For the respect of this man and for the all around solemn nature of this publication, Reinhold Publishing has chosen not to release any advertisements in this publication.   Without further ado, enjoy.   • ─────────────────── •   PENNED BY Belgar Grandaxe   REVIEWED BY Alistair Armand Reinhold	• ─────────────────── • THE EARLY LIFE OF A FIRST SON   • ─────────────────── •   Hadrian Tiberias van Aert was born on the 20th of the Sun’s Smile of the Imperial year 2025 to Tiberias I of Burgundy and Circe Mareno of Burgundy, followed shortly by his brother Maximilian Caius van Aert, and was soon after declared heir of the Kingdom of Burgundy.    In the Crown Prince’s earliest years King Tiberias I sent him off to Numendil to be the ward of Tar-Anorhil, High King of Numendil to learn the noble virtues and spiritual values befitting a crown prince of Burgundy. At this time he was also appointed his personal bodyguard with Sir Sirius Mareno and his squire Godric de Swann being assigned to escort the young crown prince wherever he goes in Numendil.    PAGE 1.
HIS LEGACY LEAVES A HEAVY BURDEN FOR US TO CARRY, BUT CARRY IT WE SHALL  – Marcus I   For decades Hadrian I has ruled the lands of the Empire of Man, the second to take the throne after his father, Tiberias I. A force to be reckoned with both politically and militarily, the reign of the first Emperor of Azuras seemed like an unmovable certainty.    It was thus a shock to the continent when, upon the 16th of Sun’s Smile, 278 S.A, the life of Hadrian I came to an end.	A memorial was held for the late Emperor within Rittersberg, honoring his life and legacy. With certainty, the coronation preparation for Hadrian’s son Marcus Tiberias, now known to all as Emperor Marcus I of Azuras, is well underway.   This huge geopolitical shift leaves many questions left unanswered, many of which will not be answered in this publication due to the lack of time, space and insight into the future.    However one thing is certain, this death will change Azuras in one way or another.

 

It seems Hadrian had good relations with the Kingdom as not shortly after in the year 2028 he organized a horse race between the two nations as a sign of good relations.   Little else is publicly available regarding Hadrian’s earliest years, aside from some signatures on documents which were likely included for posterity.   HEIR OF A NEW CROWN • ─────────────────── • THE RISE FROM  BURGUNDIAN PRINCE TO KING OF KINGS • ─────────────────── •   In the year 2030 Imperial the Empire of Man was formally declared, following victory over the Horenic Covenant. Hadrian Tiberias turned from a Crown prince of Burgundy into a crown prince of the Empire. Though this was a large shift in his future scope of ruling, he made no public statements at the time. His first public appearances at events of the Imperial court began during 2035, with Aevos returning to a brief state of relative peace.   He was soon after promoted to Lord Justiciar of the Empire, a high position in charge of enforcing the law			• ─────────────────── • LESSONS OF THE BLADE   • ─────────────────── •   Shortly after Hadrian was wed to Lady Elizabeth of Balamena in 2040, the Druscan Conflict began to arise. It is difficult to doubt that this event was formative to Hadrian as war always is. First did the crown threaten for tensions to ease and Drusco to fall back into line, the Druscans proudly refused to which Hadrian was tasked with creating the war charter for this conflict, then released in the year 2043.   As Lord Justicier, Hadrian played a close role in the quelling of his father’s rebellious vassal. From a heroic retelling of the final siege on Drusco it is told that Hadrian led the primary charge and personally carried out the execution of the Druscan leader Roger de Rouen.   PAGE 2.
	on both nobility and peasantry alike. This shows a greater level of power being put in his hands for the first time in his life. Only time could tell how young Hadrian would fare with this power.   Four years later, Hadrian Tiberias legalized the practices of the Qalasheen people and faith inside Imperial lands for their services towards the crown. This signaled a large evolution in his life as for the first time, he was wielding his abilities as Crown Prince to shape the world around him.	Shortly thereafter, in a show of duality, Hadrian once more exerts his power to order a kill on sight order en masse for any cursed child inside Imperial lands. These two acts so close together give a hint of the power the Crown Prince would have to contend with later in life as Emperor, both the power to grant peace with one hand and the ability to sow war with the other.   It is difficult to imagine what the burden of this power may have felt like, and the strain of true authority on Emperors of old has been a frequent topic of academic discussion.  Any struggle Hadrian I faced himself has remained private.

 

These events show Hadrian’s developing skills as a martial leader, as well as a political one.   It was after the end of the war in the year 2045 that the first offspring of the Crown Prince’s marriage to Lady Elizabeth came forth, as Livia Caesonia and Martinus Aurelius were born in the Imperial Capital of Grense.    After a decade of relative quiet, Hadrian Tiberias was given an additional military role in  2052, appointed to be Adelman of the Middelland. This was also a position of great power, though with similar duties to his existing ones.   In the year 2057 Hadrian makes his most impactful decree up to this point, working alongside the High King of Numendil to declare their vassal, the Silver State of Haelun’or, has been investigated and revealed to be host to a number of	darkspawn and conspirators. The Imperial guard and its Inquisitors are sent to cleanse the city of malevolent entities, followed by a great number of elven deaths.   Though controversial at the time and to this day, it’s undeniable that this event characterized Hadrian I’s future rule, and the lessons he had learned from his time as the Empire’s military commander.    It is also somewhere around this time that the Crown Prince relinquishes the position of Lord Justiciar to his brother Johannes.    THE EMPEROR OF ALL MANKIND • ─────────────────── • A REIGN OF GRAND AMBITION AND MILITARY ACTION • ─────────────────── •   One year after the events with the Silver State, Tiberias I would abdicate from the throne in favour of Hadrian, who would in that same year of 2058 be formally crowned Emperor Hadrian I.   He would waste no time in his reign as in the very same year he created the Imperial Province of Iryalen through the annexation of the former nation, minted new coins with his image on it, and appointed Lord Marshal
		Aetius Vanderius Thrax. Shortly thereafter he would issue another exterminatus order for the beastmen, the Kha and Hou-Zi citing the danger in the manner they conducted business on the continent.   In the following year Hadrian I would also annex the elven lands of Cauróst, establishing in its place the Holy Protectorate of Malin, formally known as the Princedom of Caurost. With two annexations within a year, the aims of Hadrian I for his reign were becoming clear to any analyzing the common threads of his policies.   Following his perceived goal of establishing total human rule, Hadrian then unilaterally withdrew from the Lonely	Mountain Act, bringing uncertainty to previously amicable Human-Dwarven relations. The exact goal of this is uncertain, but it is likely that the Emperor saw no point in being subject to such an agreement at this point in the Empire of Man’s growing power.   In 2060 he also began sending out the first letters of patents for new vassals to be created for men that were particularly loyal and useful to the Imperial crown such as the Barony of Mynge and The County of Metz. This marks again an important step in the solidification of Hadrian’s power, ensuring his most leal subjects were content and rewarded.     PAGE 3.

 

Just like that, Hadrian I had accrued so much power in two years which changed Azuras in a way that no one could describe at the time.    It is at this point that wider dissent both within and outside the Empire began to make itself heard in response to the Emperor’s foreign policy. Several accusations of genocide were made against the Imperial crown, and promptly disputed, turning into a still-ongoing debate. Meanwhile, the Horde and the Grand Kingdom of Urguan, two states still outside of Imperial control, began to notably pool resources.   As tensions rose, a wizard of the Imperial College of Magic attempted to take the Emperor’s life while he was addressing his subjects in the capital of Rittersberg. The assassination failed, and resulted in the destruction of the Imperial College due to its complicity in the attempt.	• ─────────────────── • THE UNITING WAR • ─────────────────── •   After years of being at odds, both regarding previous annexations and several small skirmishes afterward, the Grand Kingdom of Urguan and the Horde of many tribes sent to Hadrian I a list of demands for peace, threatening war if he did not abdicate his throne. Emperor Hadrian refused the terms, officially declaring war in 2061. It is currently the largest-scale conflict Azuras has yet seen.   Hadrian’s rule was very alike to his father in the administrative ways (Consistent courtly activity, day to day control of state authorities, and moving around trusted people in the highest positions) although some may argue he proved to be even more militaristic than the soldier-emperor that was Tiberias I. He was unafraid to impose harsh punishment on those who posed a potential threat to his rule, a tactic which, regardless of moral debate, certainly made the authority of the Empire his father created iron-clad.   It is notable that there was shortly before his passing a regency of the crown, which charged both the Archchancellor and the	Crown Prince with partial rule of the Empire, as a sickness prevented Hadrian I from exerting himself to the fullest. It is left to us to wonder what else the late Emperor may have achieved or chosen should he had not been troubled by illness at such an early time in his life.   This brings us to the present, the Imperial year 2073. Hadrian I dissolved the Horde, absorbing its vassals and lands into itself and destroyed the Fourth Grand Kingdom of Urguan, passing a kill on sight order for any dwarves not given exception from the Imperial Council. These were his final acts before death.   This is a somewhat comprehensive collection of the most important decisions and twists of Hadrian I’s rule.   Following are a few questions and the answers on them that will finely sum up Hadrian’s rule in a short form.	• ─────────────────── • QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER • ─────────────────── •   How did Emperor Hadrian I shape Azuras?   Emperor Hadrian I formed the Empire of Man into the greater Empire of Azuras and cemented imperial rule as the only rule, making himself one of the few men in history to claim absolute authority over an entire landmass.   Why did Emperor Hadrian I conquer all of Azuras?   Whilst we do know that there is a reason more than Hadrian ever let on beyond the casus Belli’s he published, what this reason may have been is lost on anyone outside the Empire’s highest circles, may it have been personal vanity, a desire to control Azuras for an everlasting legacy or was he partly convinced by an external actor, we shall unfortunately never know.   Where will the future take us?   Most theories at current speculate on if the Empire of Azuras shall find longevity or not. If Tiberias I established the Empire, and Hadrian I expanded its power and authority, then it shall be the task of Marcus I to create stability and create longevity.   PAGE 4.

I hope you enjoyed this small document in commemoration to perhaps not one of the most beloved men in history but certainly one of the most influential men. Following this I present a bibliography used in the creation of this Special edition.

 

MEMORIAL OF HADRIAN I - Empire of Man - The Lord Of The Craft

[PK] BE KIND TO OTHERS, HADRIAN - Character Graveyard - The Lord Of The Craft

ROYAL APPOINTMENT OF WARDSHIP - Privy Appointments - The Lord Of The Craft

HORSE RACING | The Númen-Burgundian Tournament - Human Realms & Culture - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL OFFICE OF THE JUSTICIARY - Emissary Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

RESTITVTOR HVMANITAS | The Empire of Man - Page 4 - Crown Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL DECREE | Al-Iman Rashidun - Crown Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

THE DRAGON AND THE DOE - Empire of Man - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL WAR CHARTER | Drusco vs Myrine - Aevos Archive - The Lord Of The Craft

The Forlorn Stand of Waldemar - Empire of Man - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL WEDDING - Empire of Man - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL DECREE | On the Defense of Our Land - Crown Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL DECREE | Suffer Not The Witch - Crown Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

BLOOD OF BURGUNDY! - Empire of Man - The Lord Of The Craft

BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA [CORONATION] - Celosian Courts - The Lord Of The Craft

Long live the Emperor | Long live his Empire - Crown Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL PROVINCE OF IRYALEN - Emissary Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL DECREE | Appointment of the Lord Marshal - Privy Appointments - The Lord Of The Craft

Imperial Edict of Hadrianic Tibers - Privy Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL DECREE | EXTERMINATUS ORDER: BEASTMEN - Imperium Militarum - The Lord Of The Craft

HOLY PROTECTORATE OF MALIN - Emissary Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL LETTERS PATENT | County of Metz - Letters Patent - The Lord Of The Craft

IMPERIAL LETTERS PATENT | Barony of Mynge - Letters Patent - The Lord Of The Craft

On the Issue of Genocide - Empire of Man - The Lord Of The Craft

PEACE AND LOVE - Crown Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

EXTERMINATUS ORDER: MAGI - Imperium Militarum - The Lord Of The Craft

THE IMPERIAL REGENCY - Crown Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

THE DISSOLUTION OF THE HORDE - Crown Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

THE FALL OF URGUAN - Crown Publications - The Lord Of The Craft

 

Spoiler https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jXQ5miA2muFZoj9FjHqqGp8NlGNQxW4X18iUpdlrm6Q/edit?usp=sharing     Spoiler We tried to format the newspaper into the forums, the white pages are the original, if you can't read the lettering well, go into the presentation link which is open to all or read the forums ting

 

[BoyWonderr 346]

Spoiler

I absolutely keep loving these posts! But, unironically, I think the way you formatted the closed caption, under the spoiler, as the post itself, would work really well as the initial post. And you can absolutely continue to include the google link. 

 

[Werew0lf 24180]

Spoiler

Lovely read! Thanks!

 

[sergisala 3451]

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Good post!

 

[Anbennar 2351]

Spoiler

Oh hell yeah. You should use the closed caption version as the primary for the next one. It looks cool as hell in the forums.