4 HK – 653 DR. The First Æzàlari Dynasty. House of Queen Āúla the First of Æzàlar through her …, High Lady Illōdor the Second of Æzàlar.
The Jūn Kàrdam Dynasty is the longest lived House of the Old Empire, despite almost two millennia of ensanguined skulduggery. The first High Lady of this ancient house was crowned at Kryr Trèmendūm by the first High King in 4 HK. Her family and their descendants have ruled the state ever since. Over the centuries, rumors have persisted that the Pryr Zàlan have orchestrated the deaths of innumerable male heirs to promote the succession of female rulers. Typically, it has been the High Lords who are reputed to be unscrupulous due to alliances and efforts undertaken to secure their succession.
Lineage
- Queen Āúla the First of Æzàlar. She was born circa 18 AR at Æzàlar. Chosen by a cohort of Zalàni priestesses, Āúla was crowned Queen of Æzàlar in 4 HK at Kryr Trèmendūm in accordance with the Pact of Lanádrynágdralyð. Following the High King’s death in 9 HK and outbreak of the Dekàli Civil War, Āúla began assembling an army and sailed for Lanàdus in 14 HK. The High Lady had a great advantage over the other Dekàli monarchs in that the Zalàni temple was opposed to the Council of Lanàdus’ usurpation. She exceeded the Sapphire Crown in 14 HK by establishing herself as High Queen at Kryr Trèmendūm. The Sapphire Crown passed to her sister. She died in 23 HK and was the first High Monarch to be interred at Tor Trèmendūm. Posthumously, she was titled Defender of the Empire. The Medal of Āúla was created to honor people who have served the Empire with great distinction. Only the Medal of Rūn, given for exemplary military service, was more venerated.
- Queen Ānàsa the First of Æzàlar. She was born circa 15 AR at Æzàlar. She married circa 1 HK to Lord Kāma of Balar. She was crowned in 14 HK after serving as regent while Āúla I was on campaign in the Mar Dèkali. Ānàsa I established relations with the Shirū Empire, partly to accommodate her passion for Sha’ali artwork. She was assassinated by the Zin Vìrāel in 21 HK, after declaring war against the group. It is unclear why the Queen declared war against the organization, though some have suggested Lord Kāma may have had unresolved debts that he chose to ignore once his wife was crowned. Interestingly, despite three heir apparent daughters, the Sapphire Crown passed to her son…
- King Iōzō the First of Æzàlar. He was born in 5 HK at Æzàlar. He was crowned by priests of Zalan in 21 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan. Following his coronation, his father Lord Kāma, disappeared and was never seen again. From the start, the young King was suspected of being a Zin Vìrāel puppet. He made no effort to avenge the death of his mother, instead turning his attention to diversions in the City of Æzàlar. Within eight months, the young King was found dead in a harálið den. Though the House report was not made public, investigators discovered that the King and a dozen prostitutes had inhaled a poisoned drug. The case was not pursued. Iōzō I died in 22 HK. The Sapphire Crown passed to his eldest sister…
- Queen Ānàsa the Second of Æzàlar. She was born in 2 HK at Æzàlar. She was crowned by priests of Zalan in 22 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan. Ānàsa II was blind since youth, the result of disease that kept her bedridden for two years. She wore a silver mask when when she appeared in public, and took great care to practice her steps and movements throughout Kry Sòlyzámir. Her blindness was kept a secret through much of her reign. The Queen was an eloquent speaker and a talented singer. Ānàsa II married in 24 HK to a unnamed Lord from Shiráddam. They had several children. She died in 37 HK. The Sapphire Crown passed to her daughter…
- Queen Ēshàla the First of Æzàlar. She was born in 24 HK at Æzàlar. She was crowned by priests of Zalan in 37 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan. She did numerous short-lived marriages but no children. She died in 60 HK. The Sapphire Crown passed to her sister…
- Queen Āúla the Second of Æzàlar. She was born in 25 HK at Æzàlar. She married in 43 HK to Lord Horōd of Æphàja Var. She was crowned by priests of Zalan in 60 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan. Despite popular support for a second High Queen from Æzàlar, based on namesake alone, Āúla II had no desire to rule. When her daughter reached maturity, Āúla II abdicated. Āúla and Horōd retired to a noble manor in Æphàja Var. The Sapphire Crown passed to her daughter…
- Queen Ānùrēa the First of Æzàlar. She was born in 44 HK at Æzàlar. She was crowned by priests of Zalan in 64 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan. She married in 67 HK to Lord Garað of Kændal, son of King Orgèð II and nephew of High King Mordūn II. She exceeded the Sapphire Crown in 85 HK and was enthroned at Kryr Trèmendūm. Her selection by the Council of Lanàdus surprised most everyone as few knew anything of the Tassèri Queen. Her entire reign prior to her exceedance involved understanding and orchestrating complex financial strategies and minutiae related to Æzàlari trade. As High Queen, Ānùrēa I leveraged these skills into developing Dekàli finances and establishing rules for international trade. Her knowledge of trade, shipping, and currencies were dizzying in their breadth. Some contracts drawn and signed under her guidance lasted over one thousand years. She is however, most well-known for enjoining the Ælyryr in the Second Ildûni War. She placed her faith in a Lanàdi military commander named Savàrin the White, promising him every resource he required to prosecute the war. Ildûn was crucial to her plans to control the economic “landscape” of the Mar Dekàli. She died in 118 HK. The Sapphire Crown passed to her daughter…
- Queen Orzàna the First of Æzàlar. She was born in 68 HK at Æzàlar. She was crowned by the priests of Zalan in 85 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan, following the exceedance of her mother, Ānùrēa I. She was nicknamed “Orzàna the Pale” due to her Kændàli ancestry. The Queen and Æzàlar profited greatly from the High Queen’s business acumen. She visited Kryr Trèmendūm on numerous occasions, leaving the state in the capable hands of her husband and children. In 89 HK, a confederacy of Nirzìl tribes emerged from the Great Esh, seeking to reclaim ancestral lands. Nirzìli raiders began laying waste to Æzàlari towns and caravans. While Orzàna I was returning from Lanàdus, her husband Lord Shāan dispatched the Queen’s armies to find and destroy the rebels. Wherever the army found Nirzìli encampments, families were killed, herds were slaughtered, and tents set to the torch. Though some historians refer to the conflict as the Nirzil-Æzàlari War, it also known as Shāan’s War and the Nirzìli Rebellion. For the next nine years, Orzàna I’s armies crossed the Great Esh, exterminating the Nirzil wherever they were found. Many fled to ancient mountain retreats while others escaped into the east and south. In 98 HK, Orzàna I declared victory over the Nirzil, recalling her forces to assist with the Ildûni Campaign. The Nirzil returned to the Great Esh, but their numbers never recovered. In 106 HK, at the request of her mother the High Queen, Orzàna I withdrew support from the Ildûni Campaign to assist Æva Tereð against the Sha’al. Defending Æva Tereð proved very costly, so when the High Queen died in 118 HK, Orzàna I withdrew much of Æzàlar’s support. The Queen corresponded extensively with her mother’s successor, Agydira I, attempting to convince the new High Queen that the Sha’al-Dekàli war could not be won. She died in 120 HK. The Sapphire Crown passed to her son…
- King Shāan the First of Æzàlar. He was born in 89 HK at Æzàlar. He was crowned by the priests of Zalan in 120 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan. The officiating High Priest at the coronation voiced misgivings about crowning Shāan but neither the Temple or Crown’s advisors could find legal exception. Shāan was not a Zalànyn. Once crowned, Shāan I dismissed his staff. In the weeks to follow, the King was seen in the company of a Priestess of Evíssor. Soon, all religious relics and decorations within Kry Sòlyzámir were collected and destroyed. The Temple appealed to Agydira I, but the sickly High Queen never responded. By the year’s end, staff at Kry Sòlyzámir reported dark rituals being held within the citadel. The Pryr Zàlan dispatched the Temple Guards to empty and quarantine all of Tower Heart. For over two years, no one entered or exited the citadel though terrible howls and cries were sometimes heard from within. When the High Queen died in 121 HK, her successor received approval from the Council of Lanàdus to remove Shāan I. After much preparation, the Temple Guards cautiously entered Tower Heart through a section of wall. Inside they found the place overrun by Ghûls. After a long and harrowing battle, the remains of the priestess were found upon the throne with the King’s remains curled at her feet. Ghūls were unknown to Æzàlar before the reign of Shàan I but have persisted ever since. With the King dead, the Sapphire Crown passed to his uncle…
- King Vōzæn the First of Æzàlar. He was born in 70 HK at Æzàlar. He was crowned by the priests of Zalan in 121 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan. He was married in 90 HK but remained childless for many decades. His first priority was the cleansing and restoration of Kry Sòlyzámir. The Pryr Zàlan scoured the residence for residuum of Evíssori magics, dispatching dozens of restless creations in the process. Beginning in 122 HK, Vōzæn I spent the next few years on long pilgrimages to far-flung Æzàlari holy sites, collecting relics for the Crown residence. It was during one of these journeys that the old and heirless King encountered the Great Phāéridū, Tazēmsis. In 125 HK, aged 55, Vōzæn I’s first son was stillborn. In 126 HK, his second son was born and shipped to Caphar. The next month, Tazēmsis descended upon Kry Sòlyzámir and clawed the King to pieces, erasing the pact between them. The Sapphire Crown passed to his niece1…
- Queen Anùlāa the First of Æzàlar. She was born in 85 HK at Æzàlar. She was crowned by the priests of Zalan in 126 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan. Anùlāa lived a sheltered but secure life within Kyrm Oryzálan until her coronation. Soon after her crowning she was beset by suitors. In 127 HK, she married Lord Gāmèram of Mandàrím. They had one child. Anùlāa I was very obsessively devout and adopted a schedule of extravagant rituals, prayers, and observances to fill every calendar day but one. On her daughter’s birthday, mother and daughter would spend time together. When the birthday ended, Anùlāa I would kiss her on the head and return to her rituals. When Anùlāa I died, her daughter was asked about her mother, but she had no idea who the visitor was. She died in 136 HK. The Sapphire Crown passed to her daughter…
- Queen Dyrádrēa the First of Æzàlar. She was born in 128 HK at Æzàlar. She was crowned by the priests of Zalan in 136 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan, aged eight. She was seldom seen during her minority, but her rite-of-passage party in 144 HK was the stuff of legend. Never in the history of the Æzàlari monarchy has there been a more debauched celebration. The main spectacle was Dyrádrēa I’s deflowering by no less than a dozen men and beasts. The young Queen had an insatiable hunger for sadism that only a person of her resources could scratch. At the event, side-stages featured the torture of Eylfāe slaves and sexual congress with Grū, Brū, and Restless. The Lord Advisor, who had counseled the young Queen for many years, was publicly castrated and made Master of Ceremonies. Her enemies were given euphoric drugs and laid in dry baths with carrion insects. Following the month-long orgy, the Pryr Zàlan did everything in their power to cover-up the event. Their efforts were successful. She exceeded the Sapphire Crown in 154 HK and was enthroned at Kryr Trèmendūm, aged 26. She died after 188 HK. The Sapphire Crown passed to her cousin…
- Queen Talāa the First of Caphar. She was born in 130 HK at Æzàlar. She was crowned by the priests of Zalan in 154 HK at Kyrm Oryzálan, following the exceedance of her cousin Dyrádrēa I. The Pryr Zàlan were both relieved and mortified that Dyrádrēa I had exceeded to High Queen. On the one hand, they were relieved of her madness and passions. On the other hand, their “damaged” ex-Queen was now on an international stage.
Post-Dekàlas
- Queen Illōdor the Second of Æzàlar. She was born in 630 DR at Dur’ajn.
Footnotes:
- Anùlāa I was not heir apparent. The Pryr Zàlan claimed they could not locate the King’s son in Caphar, so selected the next in line. Following the coronation of Anùlāa I, objections were lodged but nothing became of them. There is some evidence that the Pryr Zàlan may have hired the Zin Vìræl to kill the son of Vōzæn I. Petitions to contest the coronation of Anùlāa I ceased in 130 HK.
High Crown: 154 HK: Queen Dyrádrēa I; 4/823-4/827 ER: Second Sha’al-Dekàli War