Jackal Among Snakes

The governance of the Blackgard Union, and the imperial family as proxy for it, was as much a product of excellent circumstance as it was excellent governance. Without the Last Calamity as a foundational event, it’s highly unlikely that such sweeping and effective changes could be implemented. It was a great reset of the board, leaving behind a power vacuum that was taken advantage of for positive effect.

In the Age of Fury, cracks in the foundation began to show themselves. These cracks were even apparent in the imperial family, who reeled after learning of Prince Enrico’s death. It affected their largely blissful lives deeply. The necessity of controlling the situation in the Great Chu meant that their parents weren’t as present as they normally were, and this generation of the imperial family grew up differently because of that.

Third Princess Rose of Vasquer

Born 10AC

As the eldest, Rose was least affected by the Age of Fury. Named either for a birthmark on her neck or after the daughter of the former House Parbon, Rose has proven to be her mother’s daughter in more than appearance alone. She is a scholar of some acclaim, a magic researcher, and a curiosity-seeker who remained largely uninterested in other people during the whole of her childhood and most of her adulthood. She and her father were quite close before the Age of Fury, but its events put some distance between them.

During the Age of Fury, she was the one to discover and publicize the cause of Prince Enrico’s death—specifically, a poison that targeted the magic within the imperial family’s black blood. That finding further stoked the flames of rage prevailing in the country at the time, because it meant it was a deliberate attack on the imperial family. Garm claims that she expressed regret for publicizing this fact, as it only added fuel to the fire.

Beyond her own work, she patronized institutions that discovered great things under her direction. Most notable among these discoveries is the printing press, black powder, the microscope, and most of all what would become the foundation of the form of power vital in the Age of Revolutions.

She took little credit for each of these discoveries, claiming her father’s stories had inspired the majority of them.

Fourth Princess Lieselotte of Vasquer

Much like her older sister Rose, she and her father were quite close before the Age of Fury. Lieselotte took after her father the most of any of the children. She was mischievous, deceptive, but nevertheless good-natured. Prince Garm claims the other children called her ‘lies a lot,’ playing off her name. Father and daughter fed off each other’s humor, bringing an air of levity to the imperial family.

When Argrave was forced to head to the Great Chu, her shift was dramatic. In the following years, Lieselotte often rejected her name—even her father’s nickname, Lisa. She began to act out, refusing classes, sending away tutors, and generally causing trouble at important functions. When her actions nearly caused a serious diplomatic incident in 30AC, Argrave called upon Law, a former deity, to act as her mentor. She was taken to a secluded area, where she remained quiet for three years—perhaps only because there was no one around to hear her protests.

Lieselotte learned under Law for three years. When she returned, a woman of twenty-two, she was changed. Much like her father, she had become quieter and more restrained, even if her fundamental nature was still intact. One hundred percent of her effort turned toward breaking up unrest. She would soothe the anger of those dissatisfied with the lack of progress in the war. She would communicate with governors upset by the lack of manpower. Though never involved in governance, she undoubtedly had a tremendously large influence on the politics of the age.

Fourth Prince Elimar of Vasquer

Born 13 AC

Elimar was very close to his older brother, Enrico. His death impacted the then twelve-year-old child immensely. The boy, described as a clumsy giant, became very staunchly militaristic as he grew. In 31AC, on his eighteenth birthday, he attempted to join the imperial army as a common soldier. His parents, fearing for their son’s life, dissuaded this path. He remained stubbornly committed to soldiering all the same. One day, in anger, Prince Garm recalls his father saying this:

“You’re my son, and I love you, but Enrico was almost too much for this family to bear. Remember who you are. Know your place.”

Even despite this cold rebuke, Elimar was persistent. When rumor began to spread that the emperor was denying his son the right to be a soldier in the Blackgard Union, the mere idea provoked a public protest in Blackgard. The imperial court’s hand was forced, and Elimar became a soldier in the imperial army near the end of 31AC, six months after his initial request.

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Elimar was placed under extremely harsh commanders, perhaps in hopes their strictness would cause him to return home. Their training, however, only fed the flame inside of him. He was passed over for promotion many times, but bore no resentment. By the end of his first year of training, he had become a man of tremendous stature, standing larger than even Orion.

His prowess in both the battlefield and the magical arts was notable. In 36AC, at the age of twenty-three, he achieved his A-rank ascension. He had inherited the ascension of his mother, who was less opposed to his dream of military life. There was always some conflict between Argrave and Elimar, but Anneliese kept them bridged, understanding both her boys often better than themselves.

Elimar would become a far more notable figure in the Age of Revolutions, serving as second to one of the central figures of the age.

Fifth Prince Vincent of Vasquer

Born 15AC

Vincent was born missing an eye, and lacked the magical aptitude of his siblings. No healing magic could restore his missing eye as his body had simply developed without it, and he made little effort to correct it even as he aged. Instead, he merely wore a patch with a ruby over his empty socket most of the time. His disabilities, magical or physical, never seemed to bother him. Some regarded him as a cursed child, but his parents and siblings were fiercely protective of him all the same. This attitude only increased after the Age of Fury began.

In time, he became a rather listless, even lazy, prince who was viewed as unusually wise—great potential wasted by coddling, according to some. He lived a very quiet life, refraining from any involvement with imperial politics. Elenore thought highly of him, and eventually, by Prince Garm’s words, ‘roped him into managing some of her business interests.’ He also said that Vincent was ‘incapable of feeling anger,’ and would ‘readily forgive someone for stabbing him in the heart.’ Petty insults and attacks meant nothing to him. He often laughed at any assaults, even when his younger sibling once punched a tooth out of his mouth.

The only one who could motivate him to action was Sophia, whom he had a lasting connection with. Some claimed his interest was romantic, but Vincent vehemently refuted that, saying that she ‘has always been my sister, now and forever.’ Indeed, she eventually pushed him into a marriage with the daughter of Lorena, leader of the lunar dragons, in 37AC.

In 35AC he defused a largescale attack on Veidimen refugees by suggesting the offenders beat him instead, and is claimed to have said the following:

“After all, we’re all citizens of the Blackgard Union. I’ve done far more deserving of a beating, even if none of you know the truth of it.”

This incident earned him some reputation as a protector of refugees and defender of polygamy, which was the primary cause of the upset. Prince Garm claimed he loathed the reputation, and often said that ‘one wife is too many,’ and that ‘he never would’ve bothered if it meant getting so much attention.’ Regardless, his actions helped integrate Great Chu Veidimen into the Blackgard Union.

Sixth Prince Theodore of Vasquer

Born 17AC

Theodore, in his youth, could be described as a timid, even tepid child. The death of his brother Enrico proved to only exacerbate these problems that he was already facing in his youth. It wasn’t until he began to enter educational institutions that his shell finally began to crack, and he fully took part in things that interested him. Arts, culture, music—he became a part of a burgeoning movement arising in many cities, a natural repercussion of the transition toward a more urban society.

Though it wouldn’t be for some years that these movements truly became a part of the wider Blackgard Union, there’s no denying that Theodore, as a representative of the beloved imperial family, paved the way for this change. Some claim that he remained timid his whole life because he championed pacifistic, isolationist ideas that most couched as ‘idealistic, yet naïve.’ Prince Garm described him as ‘the dreamer of the family,’ and said that his hatred of war was rooted in the fact that it had disturbed so much of his idyllic childhood.

He never achieved great renown, eventually deciding to help his older sister Sophia in 36AC, where he would show similar compassion to the struggles of the broader world as she did. The movements that he’d been a part of carried on in the wake of his absence, however, and would move on to shake the foundation of the Blackgard Union in the Age of Revolutions.

Though the fifth princess had reached the age of majority within the Age of Fury, her presence bears far more significance in the Age of Revolutions, and as such, her profile will held until that point.

The imperial court was very careful in refraining from pushing their children toward prominent positions, doubly so after the assassination of Prince Enrico. Nevertheless, as the rulers of the nation, countless eyes were upon the imperial family, taking them as example.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Prince Elimar’s joining of the army and his public views on the war had a great effect in the populace. Princess Rose’s focus on scholarship and technology, too, disseminated throughout the wider populace. Lieselotte’s protests in her youth, coupled with her change in adulthood, alongside Theodore’s idealistic pacifism, created burgeoning and disparate notions among the increasingly educated class of landholders. Even Vincent—in claiming himself equal to Veidimen refugees accepted as citizens—had a substantial impact in the attitudes of the age.

Though the imperial family was largely isolated from the day-to-day occurrence of what it meant to be a citizen of the Blackgard Union, there was no denying that their respective personalities helped inform the citizens just as the emperor and empress had in years past. Particularly among young people, who were incredibly numerous, they stood as example.

Nevertheless, the imperial family alone cannot adequately inform the reader of the of the sweeping, almost palpable unrest throughout the whole of the Union. In the next section, I’ll provide some of my own testimony as a Knight of the Sun in a major city, alongside some insights into prominent figures of the time who came to meaningfully oppose the imperial court.