Jamyl I

Jamyl Sarum, styled Jamyl I, was the Empress of the Amarr Empire from YC110 to YC117. Assumed dead for many years, she returned to lead the Empire at the Battle of Mekhios and was subsequently crowned Empress by the surviving Heirs. She assumed the throne in YC110. Her brief reign was marked by sweeping change within the Empire.

Early Life

Jamyl was born in YC12 to the Sarum Family. Inquisitive, charismatic, and attractive, she reportedly commanded attention from all those she interacted with. Many of her tutors were both awe-struck and frightened by her, and often times she stumped her teachers with her questions and rhetoric.

Many of the nobles attending the Sarum Family came to adore Jamyl. It was during these young years that he first met Lord Falek Grange, then an ambitious Holder. The two formed a deep bond, and Grange, knowing his own limitations, stoked the fires of her ambitions, the two pledging to rise to the top of the Empire together.

It was not only Grange that Jamyl entranced. Dozens of other Holders and minor nobles within and without the Sarum Family fell under the sway of her charm. By the time she was a young woman, she was perhaps the most influential figure within the entire Sarum Family, even rivaling the current Heir for stature. For several decades, the two maintained a balance, with Jamyl constantly refraining from openly coveting his position.

When that Heir fell suddenly ill in YC65, there was no question that Jamyl would be the one to take his place. She was named his successor days before he succumbed to his mysterious illness.

Sarum Heir

Among the first steps Jamyl took upon ascending to the position of Heir was maneuver Falek Grange into a Theology Council High Justice seat. The movement was not difficult, as Grange was highly respected by his fellow Justices. She additionally rewarded those who were most loyal to her in the Sarum domains, while subtly marginalizing those who had not supported her rise.

As Heir, Jamyl pushed for a more aggressive Empire, frequently coming to verbal clashes with members of Emperor Heideran VII's court. While the Emperor himself was in constantly declining health and had mostly recused himself from Imperial politics, he too supported a passive Empire. Jamyl frequently railed against what she declared the abandonment of the Empire's way and vowed to change things once she held power.

Her ambitions did not go unnoticed by the other Heirs, who viewed her cautiously. Even the highly conservative Idonis Ardishapur did not publicly ally himself with Jamyl, fearing a backlash should her gaze ever outdistance her reach.

During this time, Jamyl also discovered she was capsule-compatible. Understanding the great power the capsule would provide, she began training for its use. The other Heirs followed suit, even after the capsule and cloning technology were joined. As with the other Heirs, however, Jamyl forswore a clone, citing the doctrine of Sacred Flesh.

Amarr Championships

When Heideran's health began to fail and it appeared his end was near, Jamyl worked in the shadows to ensure her own victory in the upcoming Succession Trials. Through capsuleer paramilitaries loyal to the Sarum Family, she encouraged the Order of St. Tetrimon](Order-of-St.-Tetrimon) to attack slaves freed by Doriam Kor-Azor in an effort to disgrace the popular heir.

When Heideran finally passed, Jamyl, along with Doriam, was considered most likely to replace him. Jamyl, thanks to her machinations, felt assured that she would be victorious. However, these plans were thrown into disarray when the Amarr Imperial Succession Committee revealed its plans for the Succession. Each house would have a small number of champions do battle on their behalf to determine the next Emperor.

While this in itself was not unheard of, the method of selecting champions was virtually unthinkable to the Amarr: every citizen of the Empire would be allowed to vote for a champion to represent each Family. This democratic method drew Jamyl's immense ire; her spokesman denounced the method as heretical. The decision had been made, however, and Jamyl was unable to undo it.

In a hasty move, Jamyl decreed that she would only accept an Amarr as a champion and also forbade his team from using anything but Amarr ships. Though her advisers warned that such an action might cost her the throne, Jamyl refused to back down.

Her advisers' warnings proved true, as the Sarum team was eliminated from the Championships, leaving the Kor-Azor team triumphant. Doriam Kor-Azor would be crowned Emperor and Jamyl would be forced into committing Shathol'Syn, the ritual suicide.

Apparent Death and Cloning

Jamyl Sarum refused to allow death to defeat her. Though the doctrine of Sacred Flesh forbade her from cloning, Jamyl secretly arranged for her survival. When the Heirs gathered to commit suicide, her Family fleet interrupted the proceedings and attacked. Jamyl wisely ordered them off, however, and committed suicide without naming an Heir.

However, no corpse was discovered, leading some to wonder if she had truly killed herself. In truth, she had been cloned, but the procedure did not go as planned. In her effort to disguise what she had done, Jamyl allowed an unseen element to sneak into her cloning. She awoke, but was altered. Her personality had split into two; one was a peaceful woman of great piety, the other an ambitious zealot who held no great love of religion or God, only conquest.

Additionally, through some unknown method, Jamyl proved able to read the thoughts and communicate with those close followers of hers over vast distances. It was only the proximity of the EVE Gate that severed this link, and then only briefly. This power, combined with her split personalities, left Jamyl in a precarious position.

It was only Falek Grange who could control the rages of the second personality. He, along with the rest of her inner circle, urged her to remain in hiding until such a time as her survival could be announced to the world.

Return and Battle of Mekhios

By YC110, word of Jamyl's survival reached the ears of Dochuta Karsoth, the Court Chamberlain who had usurped the Imperial throne for himself. Knowing she was a danger, but unable to touch her, he instead targeted her loyal followers. He had them all executed and attempted to capture Falek Grange after he cloned, but was unable to pin the man down. The cloning was not a full success and left Grange without memories. He was reunited with Jamyl, who discovered to her great dismay that he was not the man she once knew.

Without Grange's guidance, Jamyl pressed forward with her plans. When the Elder Fleet invaded the Amarr Empire, Jamyl seized on the opportunity. She allowed the fleet to wreak havoc through the Empire until it reached Sarum Prime. Then, she used her remaining connections in the Navy to have all forces pull back to that system, where it made one final stand.

With the Amarr Navy being decimated by the ferocious Minmatar assault, Jamyl made her move. With an escort of only twelve battleships, Jamyl entered the field on board an Abaddon-class battleship. Using a Terran superweapon recovered by her followers, Jamyl annihilated the majority of the attacking Elders, sending the remaining Minmatar ships fleeing toward the border. Jamyl's fleet merged with the remnants of the Imperial Navy and pursued, only to halt at the Republic border following the restoration of CONCORD Rapid Response capability.

Crowning

With the people of the Empire hailing Jamyl as a savior, and her minions publicly proclaiming her return a "Divine Rebirth", Jamyl forced the remaining Heirs to proclaim her the Empress. While the Tash-Murkon and Kador Heirs, and the representative of the Kor-Azor Heir all acceded quickly, it was only with much gnashing of teeth that Yonis Ardishapur allowed the blasphemy to unfold. Yonis was forced to issue the pronouncement himself, an act that privately enraged the Heir.

With an interim Court Chamberlain appointed, and the approval of the Theology Council, Jamyl was poised to take the throne.

However, the battle had changed Jamyl deeply. She withdrew from those around her and preferred the solitude of caretaker drones to servants. For example, while on a multi-day trip, she separated herself from her retinue and retired to a small, off-the-path observation room where she met Jetek. Though he was intimidated by her, she bade him stay and keep her company. The two conversed, with Jamyl leading much of the conversation, contemplating her role as the Empress and her duties toward the Reclaiming. She related the story of Kerrigan Orsha and compared it to the task of reclaiming the other races. After the conversation ended, she informed Jetek that he would never speak of it to anyone.

Despite the high praise she received from the populace, her coronation was plagued with ill omens and the event was postponed once. However, the event eventually went off without trouble and she was crowned Jamyl I.

Reign

During her coronation, Jamyl issued a decree to the Empire, vowing to "return what others give to the Empire." Some viewed the words as a challenge; others a threat. Following the coronation, she appointed her nephew, Merimeth, as the new Sarum Heir and swore in the family's steward, Pomik Haromi, as Court Chamberlain.

Kador's Folly

When the forces of Uriam Kador invaded the Gallente region of Solitude and were subsequently massacred, Jamyl publicly castigated the Heir and confiscated his entire fleet and merged it with the remnants of the 7th Fleet in the region of Aridia.

Further still, when the Federation discovered Kador was harboring the traitor Anvent Eturrer, Jamyl allowed the Federation Navy to assault Kador Prime with no Naval intervention.

Tensions with Ardishapur

In contrast to Kador's failures, Yonis Ardishapur had been busy rebuilding and strengthening his domains. However, the words and actions he took could be read as critical of Jamyl's return and reign. He frequently appointed highly conservative officials, praised saints who had espoused the doctrine of Sacred Flesh, and constantly reminded the Empire that heresy would not be tolerated at any level. He had quickly proven himself a major thorn in Jamyl's side, but did so with such grace that he earned the favor of the people.

Seeing Ardishapur's growing power as a threat, Jamyl attempted to put him in an untenable position. She granted him control of the leaderless Ammatar Mandate, anticipating the staunchly conservative Ardishapur would either refuse to deal with it and lose face or turn the people against him.

Ardishapur proved to be of greater savvy than she anticipated, however. Through a massive public works program and clever diplomatic maneuvers, Ardishapur won wide acclaim through the Mandate. At the same time, his continued emphasis on faith and the Empire's true path won him popularity with the conservative elements of the Empire who were feeling increasingly marginalized.

Rewarding Kor-Azor

As Aritcio Kor-Azor recovered from his encounter with a Speaker of Truth and emerged a changed man, Jamyl saw fit to reward him with the post of Imperial Chancellor. The move was highly popular, especially among the poor and common people of the Empire.

Capture and Execution of Karsoth

When the Khanid Kingdom began launching attacks against the Blood Raiders, few realized it was a partnership with Empress Jamyl. However, the strikes were aimed at capturing Dochuta Karsoth, who had fled the Empire following Jamyl's return.

With Karsoth captured, Jamyl had him quietly and privately executed, putting an end to a dark chapter in the Empire's history.

Emancipation

Jamyl shocked the entire cluster when she announced the historic emancipation of millions of Minmatar slaves. Every Minmatar slave of 9th generation and up, plus any involved in theological and academic fields, were to be released from bondage.

While most Holders followed through on the demands, some did not approve of the emancipation. While a few attempted to trick authorities, others outright refused to release their slaves. These Holders, nicknamed Refusards, were condemned by the Theology Council and refused aid by the Speakers of Truth. Eventually, they were destroyed by a fleet commanded by Chamberlain Kor-Azor.

The reception throughout the cluster was mixed. The Caldari offered to train any former slaves who would be remaining in the Empire as part of a joint plan with the Amarr. The response of the Federation was decidedly mixed, with many applauding the new-found freedom of the slaves, while others worried that an influx of refugees would disrupt life. The Republic viewed the move with caution, welcoming the freed slaves, but reminding everyone that the Empire still held millions more in bondage.

Improved Relations with the Caldari

In an effort to strength the Empire's diplomatic ties, Jamyl announced a massive investment package for the Caldari State. The package not only helped reinvigorate the Caldari economy, it also opened up further joint ventures between the two empires, such as the former-slave training program.

The Seyllin Incident

Though Empress Jamyl's connection to the Seyllin Incident is not entirely clear, there is at least one case where she expressly stated (in a private conversation with Marcus her confidence that Sansha's Nation would not blame the Empire for what happened. During that same discussion she expressed her wish that Marcus had been able to witness the aftermath of the incident. At her order, the Empire offered aid to the Federation to recover from the disaster.

Khanid Reconciliation

Following the Kingdom's capture of Karsoth, Khanid II made a historic visit to the Imperial capital of Dam-Torsad and met personally with Jamyl. Calling the Heirs to the meeting, Jamyl revealed her intention to begin a reintegration of the Kingdom and the Empire. The news further drove a wedge between the Empress and Yonis Ardishapur, who departed in haste.

After several days of private talks, it was announced that the Khanid Family would be granted a Privy Council seat, effectively making it part of the Empire's leadership. The Kingdom itself, however, would remain an independent nation. The move reunited the two sides after centuries of schism, continuing Jamyl's policy of strengthening the Empire's ties with its allies.

Pashanai Bombing

When the Bloody Hands of Matar bombed a Ministry of War station, killing the head of the Theology Council, it was soon after revealed that Jamyl was meant to have been on the station at the time of the attack. It was only a timely cancellation on her part that spared her life.

Death

On August 21 YC 117, Jamyl I's Avatar-class Titan TES Seraph was annihilated by a massive and sudden attack by the dangerous and enigmatic Drifters. Jamyl had travelled to the Safizon system to attend the commissioning ceremony for the new Imperial Navy flagship Auctoritas. The empress' Titan was immediately destroyed by the mass firing of the Drifters' superweapons, and this was soon followed by the destruction of Jamyl's escape pod, ending the empress' life.

In a previous appearance, Jamyl had downplayed the danger of the Drifters, claiming their threat was "contained". Days after her death, Court Chamberlain Pomik Haromi - as Regent of the Empire - formally declared war on the Drifter forces.

See Also