Title Page

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Dedication

For Bethany,

whose faith and friendship

will always be gold.

Maps

DOMINIONS OF THE EMPIRE

(IN ORDER OF CONQUEST)

Quur—Not technically a dominion, Quur was a city-state ruled by God-King Qhuaras. He was slain by Simillion (who promptly declared himself Emperor Simillion), who then expanded Quur’s borders. Quur remains the capital of the empire of the same name.

Eamithon—Added to the empire in 1 QR (Quuros Reckoning) with the marriage of Emperor Simillion and the god-queen Dina. It was the only dominion added to the empire without violence, and its citizens are granted enormous privileges and latitude compared to the rest of the empire.

Khorvesh—Added to the empire by Emperor Nerikan in 5 QR, with the death of the region’s previous god-king, Ynis. The native thriss population was either slaughtered or pushed out. The descendants of the Eamithonian and Quuros populations, who moved there after its annexation, have since become famous for their bravery and talent on the battlefield.

Kazivar—Conquered in 43 QR by Emperor Nerikan. This was the conclusion of a campaign that started forty-two years before. This push began with the death of the area’s god-king, Nemesan, at the hands of Emperor Simillion. Most of the native population was forcibly assimilated, and the empire wouldn’t expand again for over a thousand years. This was in large part due to the nonexpansionistic proclivities of Emperor Samar the Builder.

Raenena—Conquered by the empire in 1533 QR by Emperor Atrin Kandor. Whether the dominion was conquered or claimed is debatable. Most people believe Kandor killed the native dreth residents in order to have greater access to the region’s ore mines.

Jorat—Conquered by the empire in 1612 QR, with the death of the god-king Khorsal. He died at the hands of Emperor Kandor. As part of the same campaign, Kandor dammed the Zaibur River to flood the Endless Canyon. This created Lake Jorat, Demon Falls, and Atrine—later embraced as the capital of Jorat.

Kirpis—Conquered by the empire in 1699 QR by Emperor Kandor, who pushed out the vané population of the Kirpis region. This included their king, Terindel. The Kirpis vané resettled in the Manol, with their Manol vané cousins. Emperor Kandor followed them in 1709 QR and was slain during the attempted invasion. His sword Urthaenriel, a.k.a. Godslayer, was lost.