Rules of the Empire I - VII

Rulers of the Empire I: The Tribe

PART I: THE TRIBES

Long before we were united as our Holy Empire, our people lived the traditional ways of our pre-Snake tribes. There is little record left of this, our feral age. What we do have are the notes taken by the mighty Kunzar upon their encounters and conquests of the lessers.

KOTIZ, ZUMAIK, VERIX KYLOX--THE KYLONG MASTERS

As the Kunzar marched upon Kunark, the Kylong tribe's three archmages met in their capital of Veksar: the necromancer Kotiz, the shaman Verix Kylox, and the enchanter Zumaik. There they broke the sacred Kylong Medallion into three, and each carried their piece away to be hidden from the Kunzar.

Kotiz fled to ancient Kaesora to claim the Unholy Book of War, which would allow him to retaliate upon the Kunzar. Venril Sathir pursued, and struck down Kotiz in his moment of triumph. Sathir took the Unholy Book and left to retake command of his armies. The Kylong fragment is rumored to be lost in the dust and decay of Kaesora.

Verix Kylox journeyed to the Dreadlands, but was captured by the expanding Kunzar armies. The shaman resisted the Kunzar and was locked away for many years, concealing the nature of the fragment he hid on his person. He eventually died in the dungeons of Castle Karnor, and as with all those whose bodies remained there, we can assume that Kylox now belongs to the undead legions of the Lich Venril. Kylox's fragment of the medallion is likely in Karnor with him.

Zumaik the heretic Enchanter disappeared for many years, but Kylong documents recovered from Veksar indicate that he left in the direction of what is now the Burning Woods. There is a good chance that his fragment of Kylong is in the hands of the Sarnak or Dragonkind.

THE JARSATH CHIEFTAIN?

The savage Jarsath, isolated to crude island homes on the islands of Timorous Deep, had no written records or apparent organization of rank. It is guessed that there may have been a single tribe chieftan or one for each of the Jarsath occupied islands, but it seems just as likely that these Iksar were entirely uncivilized and lived almost as beasts in the wild. The Jarsath, like the Kylong, possessed a sacred and powerful medallion, but were careless with it and did not entrust it to anyone in particular. Venril Sathir, disgusted with the primitive ways of the Jarsath, destroyed the medallion and had its pieces scattered across Kunark.

SLIXIN KLEX--THE ELDER OF OBULUS

The Obulus were a strange tribe, devoted to the spirits of earth and nature, and chief among them was Slixin Klex. The Obulus were eradicated in the meteor fall that created the Burning Woods, and thus we know little else about them. Our records consist only of the lamentations of Klex himself, who now haunts the woods in a state of eternal undeath.

NATHSAR CHIEFTAIN?

While the Kunzar scouts reported encountering Iksar claiming to belong to the Nathsar tribe, the tribe itself was never found. Aside from various artifacts bearing the markings of a Nathsar tribe, we know nothing about their ways or their leaders.

SSRAESZHA--THE SORRIZ GOD

While little is known of the cursed Sorriz tribe before the Age of the Snake, we know them well now as the Snake-worshippers, those who surrendered themselves almost fetishistically to Shissar rule and sacrifice. They regard the King Snake as their god and king, and we regard them as blasphemers, cowards, and trash to be spit upon.

VENRIL SATHIR--THE KUNZAR WARCHIEF

Legend has it that Venril Sathir was never a broodling, but was somehow "Born a Master at Arms". According to the same legends, Venril assumed control of the Kunzar Tribe at an early age by slaying his father, and assuming his place as Chieftain (as was the custom).

In his capacity as Chieftain, Sathir began his quest for power and knowledge, aware of the many Draconic and Shissarian secrets lost and hidden around Kunark. He lead armies far and wide in the search of books and artifacts.

In his late youth, Sathir encountered the Kylong master Kotiz in the depths of ancient Kaesora. Sathir struck Kotiz down and took from him the legendary Unholy Book of War penned by the heretic Zebuxoruk. Learning from the dark secrets in the book, Venril Sathir's command of tactics became supreme, and his power over the divine art of Necromancy grew exponentially. Venril was no longer a mere mortal...

Rulers of the Empire II: Venril Sathir

PART II: THE SATHIR DYNASTY

The mighty Venril Sathir and his no less great heirs established a standard for which we Iksar are to strive. The Glorious Empire of Sebilis, height of our peoples' strength and majesty, is owed directly to the hands of each of these Holy Emperors.

VENRIL AND DRUSELLA SATHIR: THE CONQUEROR AND THE QUEEN

Venril, having become warchief of his own tribe and now possessing the Unholy Book, set his eyes on conquering all of Kunark.

Using his own innate tactical talent and the powers of the Book, Sathir and The Kunzar swept across Kunark with a mighty army of living and risen Iksar, making short work of all opposition. On the campaign, he met the fierce and beautiful necromancer Drusella. The two were impressed by eachother immediately, becoming fast friends and, soon, mates.

With the tribes finally united, Sathir ordered the construction of a glorious capital to be called Sebilis, from which he and Drusella would rule over the Iksar as King and Queen. As Venril began his famous crusades against the intelligent races of Western Kunark, Drusella took command of the development of the conquered Eastern Kunark.

The Kunzar capital of Charasis was renovated to become the personal laboratory and retreat of the King and Queen, where the two experimented with the powers of the Unholy Book. In an incident whose specifics were never recorded, Venril lost control of the powerful magics and Drusella was fatally wounded. In his grief and anger, Venril unleashed a mighty curse upon Charasis. The custodians, scholars and other inhabitants of the complex were torn apart and resurrected as mighty undead, and the very stones of the corridors rose up as deadly magical Golems. Venril swore to discover a method of returning from death, and until he did so, he would leave all of Charasis to watch over Drusella's final resting place.

Sathir remained at the reigns of power, and continued to extend his power and influence for many years, using the powers of the Unholy Book to extend his life far beyond that of normal Iksar.

It was also during this time that an Iksar named Tynn emerged from the wilderness. Tynn petitioned for Venril to establish a caste of skilled unarmed warriors. The petition was immediately challenged by Venril's warlords Kurn, Chosooth and Karatukus. Venril offered to allow Tynn his caste if Tynn were able to defeat the warlords using his new methods. To everyone's astonishment, Tynn defeated all three with little effort, using only his fists, feet and tail. Emperor Sathir immediately commanded that Tynn form the first Court of Pain, and soon ensured that hundreds of Swifttails bolstered the ranks of his army.

Even Venril eventually aged, and in his last years he finally unlocked the Unholy Book's secret to immortality. Using the Book's incantations, Venril made contact with Innoruuk, the vile God of Hatred. The two made a pact--Venril would secretly make a great sacrifice of Iksar blood for Innoruuk, and in return the God of Hate would raise Venril as an intelligent undead Lich. A number of Iksar disappeared, never to be heard of again, as Venril made the sacrifice.

Hierophant Avengain, one of the few Iksar aware of Venril's secret, eventually defected to the loyalty of Venril's son Rile Sathir. On the night of the ritual to bring immortality to Venril, Avengain sought Rile and told him everything. Enraged by the blasphemy of the act, Rile and a number of guards attacked and killed Venril's loyal priests before the ritual could be completed. Sathir's soul was torn from his body, and imprissoned in an amulet. Unaware of the true nature of the Unholy Book, Rile entrusted it and the soul amulet to the High Priest Avengain.

Venril Sathir's remains were sent to Charasis to be entombed with Drusella, and Rile assumed command of the throne. But Avengain was not as he seemed, and the High Priest would later make a second betrayal.

Rulers of the Empire III: RILE SATHIR: THE CRUSADER

Although Venril is credited with founding the Iksar Empire, it is Rile who is referred to as "Our Father". He, not Venril, is the greatest Emperor of Sebilis, since the blasphemy surrounding Venril's later life blackened the King's name. Rile's reign was one of continuing conquests and fierce battles with the resistant races of the Western continent, and eventually nearly all of Kunark was under the rule of Sebilis. Rile, showing his wisdom, placed trust in the great warlords who had served his father: the warrior-general and torturer Kurn Machta, the zealous knight Karatukus, and the vampiric necromancer Chosooth.

In battle, Rile wielded a mighty Khukri named "Greenmist", named after the great liberating force that had set the Iksar free many generations earlier. The blade was forged by the great artisan and "Haggle-Baron" Dalnir. The original Greenmist was later lost as the Empire fell, and the secrets behind the blade were stolen by the Sarnak.

During Rile's rule, the Sebilisian Empire became a great threat to the Dragon community on Kunark, although Rile had wisely chosen not to directly engage the wyrms. The infamous Ring of Scale convened to discuss the situation, and an otherwise moderate and much revered first-brood Blue Dragon named Trakanon agitated for swift and decisive intervention against the Iksar. Trakanon was blessed and cursed with the power of prophecy, and had been haunted by visions of the Iksar Armies marching on Veeshan's Peak, and eventually all of Norrath. Despite the ancient laws of the Divine Dragons which prohibited them from directly interfering with the course of history or of the so-called "Second Generation" (mortal races created on Norrath after the Dragons), Trakanon felt that something had to be done.

But when Trakanon confronted the Ring of Scale with his visions, he was over-ruled. The law of non-intervention was decreed by Veeshan herself, and it was, after all, in order to uphold this very law that the Dragons of the Ring of Scale had fled from Velious hundreds of years ago. They would not see a repeat of the horrific war between King Yelinak and the giants of Kael Drakkel.

Trakanon was furious that he, possibly the wisest of all the Dragons, had been dismissed. In direct defiance of the laws, he led a group of young and headstrong Dragons on an ambush against Emperor Rile.

At the height of Rile's rule, the Iksar villages of Danak and Viesar had been refitted to serve as great shipyards, creating the bulk of a glorious and unrivaled naval fleet. This fleet would set sail for the shores of far Faydwer, there to ambush the peaceful Elven races and their allies and take the land for Sebilis. A young and powerful swifttail called Vizk Irontail was chosen as captain of the royal Navy.

Trakanon seized an opportunity while Rile and Vizk were drilling the fledgling navy in Timorous Deep. With his younger Dragon allies, he ambushed the fleet and a vicious battle ensued. The forces of Rile and Trakanon meeting were said to be so powerful that a massive squall formed in the eye of the battle. Regretfully, in the end, the navy was too small and the Dragons too great for the Iksar to survive. Rile, Vizk, and the entire fleet were destroyed.

It was then that the high priest Avengain betrayed Rile. As the Dragons flew away to recover and the storm settled, Avengain and his Cult of the Arisen slipped into the wreckage and recovered Rile's corpse. They would carry it to Sebilis itself, and attempt to resurrect the fallen Venril in the body of his son. Though the Arisen failed in their attempt, many years later, what they had begun was ended by a cadre of Sarnak. Thus, the great hero of our ancient Empire was defiled by the ruined spirit of Venril Sathir.

Rulers of the Empire IV: ATREBE SATHIR: THE ARCHMAGE

Rile's first-hatched son would never match his father's fame in the ways of the Crusade. Atrebe's focus, rather, was on unlocking and using the extraordinary arcane powers of the Shissar for Iksar use. It is believed that in this time the Unholy Book of Zebuxoruk surfaced in Iksar history once more, and Atrebe, recognizing its potential at once, began to delve into the secret magics of his grandfather Venril.

At this time, western Kunark was the site of a great Dragon civil war. The council of the Ring of Scale, enraged by Trakanon's slaughter of the Sebilisian navy, had called for the deaths of Trakanon and his younger allies. Atrebe took advantage of the relative peace in eastern Kunark to build several deep underground laboratories. In these hidden complexes, Atrebe and his close students would experiment with the magics of Zebuxoruk and the Shissar.

The sorcerers discovered a means through which two intelligent species could be melded, body and soul, into a single new species of being. Their first successful attempt melded an Iksar heretic with a young captive Dragon. Thus were born the foul Sarnak, twisted halfbreeds with an affinity for magic. Atrebe was delighted, and commissioned a great number of Sarnak to be created and trained as living shields for the Army of Ik.

The second species created by Atrebe were the mighty Sokokar. These hardy, loyal beasts were a fusion of Froglok and Dragon, but held only an animal intelligence. It was soon discovered that the Sokokar could serve as fine flying mounts, from atop which an Iksar could learn to match a Dragon in flight.

The Army of Ik swelled, its ranks now bolstered by great numbers of Sarnak slaves and multiple newly trained Air forces. Atrebe saw that eventual war with the Ring of Scale would be inevitable, whether or not Trakanon survived, and so he took advantage of the Dragons' weakness and confusion. As the Dragon civil war reached its peak, the Army of Ik swept in and began to annihilate both sides.

Equiping the fearsome Iksar Warriors with Sokokar, Atrebe was able to take swift advantage of the Dragons' occasional weaknesses, and slowly but surely the Sebilisian Empire extended to encompas the whole continent of Kunark, save the stoutest and hardiest Dragon Strongholds.

Sadly, Atrebe would not live to see the Dragons completely defeated. At the time of his death, the Ring of Scale had been pushed back to their stronghold on Veeshan's Peak, but held the mountain well. How exactly Atrebe fell is unknown. Some have surmised that he was consumed or captured in the chaos of a battle. Still others believe that an experiment in one of his secret laboratories went explosively awry, trapping him inside.

Whatever the case, Atrebe's first son was more than ready to return the Sebilisian throne to its martial roots.

Rulers of the Empire V: GANAK SATHIR: THE WARRIOR KING

If Atrebe represents the extreme of Iksar magical power, his heir, the fearsome Ganak Sathir, is an awesome display of Iksar martial might. Ganak was born with none of the magical ability that had led his father to greatness. Rebirthed into the Legion, Ganak learned from an early age to hone his body as he would a blade. It would be sharp, hard, perfect, and a deadly weapon against the foes of Sebilis.

At the time of his father's death, Ganak was more than ready to take command of the devastating armies. Atrebe had led a victorious campaign against the dragons using the Sarnak and Sokokar, but it was Ganak that would win the war. Great legions of expendable Sarnak conscripts were produced, and Ganak ordered that all Iksar soldiers be trained in flying, mounted Sokokar combat.

Sebilis and the Ring of Scale clashed fiercely for many years. Their battles scorched and cursed the land itself in many places, obliterating cities and landscapes across the continent. The very fabrics of the magical and spiritual planes were ravaged.

The war closed with the cataclysmic battle of the Field of Bone. Jaled'Dar, the greatest lord of the Ring, led his remaining forces to meet the assembled Iksar armies on what was once a great plain north of Cabilis. The ensuing battle lasted for many days, and in the middle of the chaos were Ganak and Jaled'Dar. The two traded blows in the sky over the field, Ganak mounted on his monstrous Imperial Sokokar. The power and fury of their combat ripped across the land, but neither great lord would give an inch. Jaled'Dar's magics tore at Ganak, who countered with the might of enchanted weapons unequalled in any age.

The Dragon war met its end at the very moment that Ganak and Jaled'Dar met their own. In an act of desperation, Jaled'Dar summoned the total of his remaining mana into a horrific spell. Ganak struck with his remaining strength at the moment the spell was unleashed. Their clash filled the plain and the sky with a blinding, incinerating explosion.

When the ashes and smoke cleared, a vast portion of once fertile land had been seared completely and littered with the bones of the dead. The majority of the Imperial and Dragon forces were consumed in the explosion. The Ring of Scale was crippled beyond recovery, but its final act of hatred would be to ensure the demise of Sebilis and the Sathir Dynasty.

Note: To this day, Ganak haunts the mausoleum created for his entombment. The Great Emperor has vowed to aid his people, even in death, in their revenge upon Trakanon and the Ring of Scale.

Rulers of the Empire VI: CHOTTAL SATHIR: THE LAST OF THE LINE

At the time of his death, Ganak might have mated several times and produced many heirs. Only one, though, was of age to take the throne--and barely, at that.

The coronation was a brief and joyless ceremony, and messengers from the Field of Bone arrived soon after to warn Chottal that the remaining Dragons were headed to Sebilis to make a final strike.

There were far too few fighting Iksar remaining in Sebilis, but Chottal gathered whom he could: guards, wounded soldiers, and civilians with arms. The Dragons cut through the first line of defense with ease, and much of the city was damaged before the ragged Imperial forces finally forced the Dragons to retreat.

Only in the aftermath did the Sebilisian military realize that the dragons had only one real target in their raid: the Imperial Palace. It was crushed utterly, and the heirs of Ganak were lost with it.

The body of Chottal was recovered from the wreckage, and entombed within the crypt of the Emperors--the first King of Sebilis to actually leave a body to bury. The Sathir dynasty, too, was buried, and Sebilis placed its hope in a new form of rule.

Rules of the Empire VII: Vekin

From the pen of Vhalen

Emperor Vekin was the first ruler of the Cabilisian Empire. He resurrected the iksar nation after the End Days.

Emperor Vekin was a born warrior. He used his superior martial skills to unite the small bands of iksar that were scattered around Kunark during the Age of Turmoil.

He hailed from a warrior tribe. It is rumored that this tribe descended from the elite soldiers of the Army of Ik. The particular military unit that his tribe spawned from was said to be very sadistic and they were known for gruesome acts of torture.

Was he the one to retake Cabilis and found New Sebilis, or has the new Empire had more than one Emperor so far?

Cabilis, a former iksar city, was captured by Emperor Vekin's legion and declared the capital of the Cabilisian Empire. He resided within Vekin Palace, a grand structure within Cabilis. This palace was like no other. Inside one could not only find the opulent chambers of the Emperor, but also a vast underground dungeon. Vekin enjoyed the art of torture and made it a part of his everyday life.

Vekin has no Sathir blood flowing in his veins.

Emperor Vekin wanted the iksar to return to glory. Building his legions and claiming Cabilis were his first big steps. What came after that has yet to be discovered.

Emperor Vekin does not look favorably upon the resurrected Venril Sathir. He and many other iksar saw Venril's return as a threat to the rise of a new empire. The new armies being formed by Venril were not merely iksar soldiers, but also of a supernatural and often undead nature. The Cabilisian Empire and Venril Sathir would be destined to come in direct conflict. What came after that conflict cannot be known until you set foot upon the rediscovered continent of Kunark in the Age of Destiny.

Sources

• Found at https://archiveofik.proboards.com/board/11/articles-heroes-emperors; TODO find original source. Last accessed February 19, 2022.