Modern Era of the Amarr Empire

The Modern Era of the Amarr Empire encompasses the time from the rise of the capsuleer in YC105 to the present. The Empire suffered under a period of chaos and leaderlessness, followed by a strong resurgence.

###Empyrean Age Begins ####Rise of the Capsuleer In YC105, the capsule and clone were joined together, bringing about a new age of interstellar politics. The number of capsuleers exploded virtually overnight, as thousands were eager to join the new ranks of the immortals. The Empire designated three schools to specifically cater to training capsuleers; Hedion University, the [Imperial Academy](../../new-eden/organizations/imperial-academy, and the Royal Amarr Institute. While the Empire expected the majority of the capsuleers graduating from these schools to remain loyal to the Empire, a number of them accepted the training and then ventured out on their own, regardless of the Empire's wishes.

####Heideran Awakens During a meeting of the Privy Council, Emperor Heideran VII shocked those in attendance by suddenly speaking up. The Emperor had attended the meetings for decades without making the slightest show of interest in the proceedings, instead allowing his ministers and the Heirs set Imperial policy. Heideran specifically reiterated his decree against Holders owning their own defense fleets in response to a request for assistance in the Bleak Lands.

The action was the first of Heideran's steps back into cluster politics. Shortly after this, he ordered a crackdown on illegal slavers operating within the Empire. Those slaves who had been captured by these slavers were to be set free, while the slavers themselves were stripped of titles and rank and either imprisoned or enslaved. He also renegotiated several treaties with the Republic and Federation, and reaffirmed the century-old agreement with the State.

In early July, the Aidonis Foundation announced it had decided to award Heideran with the Aidonis Statue for his efforts at bringing about peace. They recognized his early work with Aidonis Elabon in founding CONCORD, as well as his more recent accomplishments.

While Heideran was widely praised for his movement toward peace, certain groups within the Empire were unhappy with what they saw as coddling the Empire's enemies and turning his back on the faith.

#####Rise in Terrorism Though the majority of the cluster praised Emperor Heideran's awarding of the Aidonis Statue, it enraged a segment of Minmatar terrorists. They launched numerous raids into Amarr systems in response, causing concern from both the Amarr and Minmatar governments.

In response, the Amarr began discussions with the Ammatar to launch a series of strikes into Minmatar space aimed at exterminating the terrorists. Before the discussions could finish, a terrorist ambush killed the Amarr official charged with delivering sensitive documents to the Consulate.The anticipated ramp up in hostilities led to increased sales among Amarr weapons merchants in border zones.

Pax Amarria

In early September, Emperor Heideran published the Pax Amarria, a mixture of his memoirs and dreams for a peaceful future. The book covered his later years as emperor, following the Minmatar Rebellion and disastrous Amarr-Jove War, and how his views on the other races changed. It extensively covered his personal struggles in reconciling his personal faith with the notion of warfare and how he fought to bring about peace with the other nations of New Eden. It ended with several chapters detailing his hopes for the future and how he would guide the Empire into a new era.

Cult of Tetrimon Causes Waves

In early September, as Emperor Heideran's health was failing, Doriam Kor-Azor announced a plan to free numerous slaves and return them safely to the Republic as a gesture of goodwill. Unfortunately, one transport carrying 700 child slaves was intercepted and destroyed in Roushzar. Soon after, the blame fell on the shoulders of the Order of St. Tetrimon, who up until this time had remained relatively quiet in Imperial politics. Two priestesses of the order, Hamida Ytheros and Omon Drakian, were thought to be involved in the attacks and actually entered Republic space to a system once held sacred by the Order. Soon after, the priestesses were captured and executed by Minmatar loyalist capsuleers.

Death of Emperor Heideran

The acclaim from Heideran's book was short lived, however. A mere three days after the book was published, Emperor Heideran failed to make a scheduled meeting with the CONCORD Assembly. His unexpected absence raised concern across the cluster, with many speculating about his health. Amarr loyalists held a vigil on his behalf. Around 300 capsuleers attended the vigil, earning a special message from the Emperor himself, praising their efforts, urging them to fight for peace, and ominously bidding them farewell.

The ending to his message prompted concern across the cluster, even from President Souro Foiritan, who took a moment during a Senate session to praise the Emperor. The uncertainty surrounding the Emperor led to chaotic markets, with share prices tumbling and the price of goods rising sharply.

Soon after, two weeks since his memoirs had been published, the Empire announced that Emperor Heideran had passed from complications with Turit disease.

Amarr Succession

Almost immediately, the Empire began preparing for the Amarr Championships, the rituals designed to select a new Emperor. The five heirs all stood ready to challenge for the throne.

The Heirs

Idonis Ardishapur was the eldest of the Heirs, but that was seen as a weakness by many. Emperor Heideran had been youthful when he was elected and had reigned for centuries, providing a stability that many in the Empire craved. Additionally, he was staunchly conservative and, having presided over the Starkmanir genocide, seemed an ill fit for the modern, peaceful Empire.

Temal Kador had the benefit of being related to Emperor Heideran and was relatively youthful. However, she also had been an ineffective Heir, allowing others to govern on her behalf. She had won few friends in her years, leaving her with little influence to bring the throne to the Kador Family for another generation.

Davit Tash-Murkon had the wealth, acumen, and influence to contest the throne, but his Udorian heritage was still a concern for more conservative groups in the Empire. Though he attempted to cleverly give his house an advantage by allowing champions of any race to stand for him, the Kor-Azor Family made the same concession, defeating his gambit.

Jamyl Sarum was young, ambitious, and had earned the staunch loyalty of her underlings. While she advocated a return of the aggressive Reclaiming, she had used her influence to gain numerous capsuleer allies. Many thought she would be one of the favorites to take the throne and lead the Empire into the future.

Doriam Kor-Azor, like Jamyl, had youth and charisma. Unlike Jamyl, he carried the torch of peace that had been lit by Emperor Heideran. He had been involved in appeasement efforts with the Republic for years and was well-known as a diplomat and arbitrator. He was considered a natural to continue Emperor Heideran's reforms.

The Championships

In a rather unusual occurrence, the Empire announced that the next Emperor would be decided by a trial by combat between champions representing the five houses. While this in itself was not unheard of, the Theology Council also decreed that these champions would be chosen not by the Heirs themselves, but would rather be nominated and voted on by the commoners of the Empire.

Both the Sarum and Ardishapur families reacted poorly to this, with Jamyl Sarum denouncing the decision through a spokesman. At the incessant prompting of a reporter, Idonis Ardishapur announced his intention for no non-Amarr to represent him. Even Doriam Kor-Azor placed restrictions on his potential champion, demanding that they possess positive standings toward his house. The other families quickly adopted his demand as well.

Soon after, the championships were held over the course of several days. In the end, the champions of House Kor-Azor were victorious, placing the throne in the hands of Doriam Kor-Azor. Doriam's champions were rewarded for their service in a private ceremony. In an effort to show further thanks to his champion, Doriam renamed a planet in Kor-Azor Prime after him and his wingmen.

Reign of Emperor Doriam II

First Days and Inauguration

Doriam was officially inaugurated as Emperor on November 29th. Each of the losing heirs committed Shathol'Syn, though a fleet loyal to Jamyl Sarum attempted to disrupt the proceedings and prevent their heir from committing suicide. However, Jamyl ordered them down and went through with the ritual by self-destructing her ship. Afterward, Emperor Doriam II promised to continue the spirit of peace and prosperity invoked by his predecessor.

The Empire, meanwhile, was undergoing rough social changes, as the victory of Doriam seemed to insure that the Amarr would continue their conciliatory ways. In the few weeks following his inauguration, tensions were high throughout the Empire, but they gradually gave way to calm. Doriam II reaffirmed many of the Privy Council appointments made by Heideran VII, including keeping Dochuta Karsoth as his Court Chamberlain.

He later announced a plan to visit every inhabited planet in the Empire. He began to visit every system, stopping by each planet at least briefly to meet with leadership and appear to the populace. Additionally, he met with CONCORD to discuss the rise in pirate activity in the outer regions of the cluster.

The New Heirs

Tal-Romon Cathedral Incident

Aritcio Kor-Azor, the son of Doriam II and new Kor-Azor Family Heir, caused waves when he was caught in some illicit acts during religious festivities at the St. Tal-Romon Cathedral on Eclipticum. The incident supposedly involved a Gallente exchange student and resulted in the necessary destruction of several holy artifacts. Soon after, Yonis Ardishapur and Uriam Kador, the new heirs of their families, openly criticized Aritcio's actions. Yonis demanded an official investigation, though Emperor Doriam brushed off his concerns, while Uriam got into a brief war of words with Aritcio that ended with Uriam embarrassed.

Aritcio continued to throw lavish parties, spending more in his first few months as heir than his father ever had. Meanwhile, the Theology Council cleared him of any wrong-doing. Soon after, Catiz Tash-Murkon purchased the cathedral and announced plans to turn it into a tourist attraction. The Kador and Ardishapur families staunchly opposed the plan, believing it would sully the holy site even further. Uriam Kador even publicly questioned the legitimacy of the Tash-Murkon Family as heirs, though Catiz refused to respond to his verbal jabs. Amarr capsuleers, meanwhile, pledged millions of ISK to restore the cathedral as long as it was kept from being turned into a tourist site. The Tash-Murkon Family refused the offers, however, for financial reasons.

The actions of the capsuleers eventually caught the attention of Emperor Doriam, who announced he was “monitoring” the situation. Meanwhile, Uriam Kador and Yonis Ardishapur met personally to discuss the matter. Eventually, Doriam seized the cathedral as his own property. This unprecedented act raised the ire of some in the Empire, as the emperor traditionally only stepped into the affairs of the Heirs and Holders when the situation was dire. Doriam brushed aside such criticism, however, and ordered the cathedral deconstructed and relocated to Amarr Prime.

The cathedral began its transfer in June under the guidance of capsuleers. Many of the transports came under attack, leading some to believe that Catiz was behind them. She denied these accusations, though many praised her for resisting the Emperor's interference nonetheless. Regardless, the cathedral was eventually safely transported and reconstructed as planned.

Crielere Controversy

Aside from the Tal-Romon Incident, Aritcio caused more problems for the Empire when he purchased two kidnapped Crielere scientists from the Guristas pirates who had kidnapped them. Instead of ransoming them for freedom, however, Aritcio seemed poised to set them up as personal slaves and put them in charge of a research facility he was building. The legal legitimacy of Aritcio's actions were murky, as he had the right as an heir to make anyone within his domain a slave, even though the two were brought there under duress. International petitions were sent to Emperor Doriam, demanding he take action against his son, but he once again turned a blind eye to the crisis.

Instead, he released a statement saying he would not interfere in the personal affairs of the heirs. Federation and CONCORD officials urged Aritcio to peacefully release the scientists, though he seemed to have no intention of doing so. Eventually, President Foiritan got involved personally, traveling to the Kor-Azor region to personally negotiate for the scientists' release. He eventually convinced the heir to set them free in return for trade and mining rights, intelligence sharing, and tech exchange with the Federation. Once again, observers wondered if Aritcio had overstepped his bounds in negotiating with a foreign government, but the Imperial palace made no move against him. The agreement between the heir and president brought vocal concern from the Republic.

However, as the scientists were to be freed, their identities were stolen by two common slaves, who boarded the shuttle in their place and fled to the Federation. The scientists were instead sent to a mining colony on Inis-Ilix I, a notoriously dangerous facility. As the Kor-Azor Family searched for the scientists, it also demanded the return or execution of the escaped slaves. The Federation, however, declared the slaves legitimately purchased and freed them. Eventually, the scientists were discovered starved to death in the sulfur mines, while the escaped slaves were revealed to have been terrorists who had infiltrated the Kor-Azor Family and absconded with sensitive documents.

Improving Relations with the Republic

Soon after the championships ended, the head of the Krusual Tribe called on Doriam to put a stop to the illegal slave raids taking place along the Republic border. Doriam was unable to respond to the initial request, however, as he was deluged with numerous official duties as the Emperor Elect.

In an effort to smooth over relations with the Minmatar Republic, Emperor Doriam II continued the slave emancipation efforts he had begun as an heir. He began by freeing 15000 slaves from the Empire's largest slave facilities, turning them over to the Republic to become full citizens.

Tensions with the Federation

UDI Terrorist

In April of YC106, the Federation captured a member of the UDI terrorists named Goran Mitelek. Goran was of Ni-Kunni birth and was wanted by the Empire for numerous crimes before he joined the UDI. Though the UDI had committed several terrorist acts within the Federation, the Empire demanded the extradition of Goran. President Foiritan was adamant that Goran remain in Federation custody, but after several weeks of debate the Federation justice system eventually determined that the Empire had a right to try Goran themselves. They attempted to return Goran to the Empire quietly, but the extradition was captured by the Scope.

As Goran was being transported between holding locations in the Empire, the ship carrying him was ambushed and destroyed by unknown assailants. The wreckage of the ship only contained unidentifiable biomass. This led many to believe he had escaped, leading to a manhunt within the Empire.

Interaction with Capsuleers

The Imperial Apocalypse and the BIG Lottery

At some point, an Imperial Apocalypse, one of the most prized warships of the Imperial Navy, came into the possession of a Gallente holoreel star named Gloria Monterneux. When she died, the ship was willed to her sister, Martina, who donated it to the BIG Lottery, a well-known capsuleer-run lottery. Thousands of tickets were purchased for the ship, as the Empire attempted to secure its return. It was eventually determined that the ship had come into Gloria's possession when Aritcio Kor-Azor had left it behind after a night of debauchery. The ship was won by an Amarr member of the Ionstar corporation, who decided to return the ship to the Empire. The ship was to be returned under heavy escort from Amarr-loyalist capsuleer paramilitaries to the Imperial Navy Chief of Staff several days later. The ship eventually made it, though not before numerous Minmatar terrorist organizations attempted to waylay it. Clone 0, the pilot of the ship, and Golan Trevize, the fleet commander, received the prestigious Cross of the Sacred Throne Order for their work in returning it.

Misaba Security Failings

In early YC107, an Amarr Navy frigate was seen scouting capsuleer installations in the system R3-K7K in Providence. Lord Sorn, a representative from the Ministry of War, recruited capsuleer pilots to track down and capture the frigate, piloted by naval veteran Jorvel Nekkar. As he was being escorted to a Zoar and Sons station for holding, his ship was destroyed by a pirate, but his pod managed to safely dock. In the days following, numerous transports carrying scientists were seen docking at the station, but never leaving. Security around the station was also unusually high, raising questions from the locals.

Despite the increased security, a pilot named Kanjin Odana from the Takamatsu Trading Exchange managed to sneak inside and abscond with top secret military information. Lord Sorn gathered capsuleers to pursue and Odana was caught and podded. Though the pilot who killed Odana tried to return the corpse for a promised reward, Sorn exchanged heated words with him and reduced the offered reward, prompting the pilot's scorn. Sorn, however, was unconcerned, confident the stolen information had been destroyed.

The Ministry of War further clashed with Takamatsu, after the Caldari corporation refused to execute employees the Ministry felt were involved in the theft. In response, Lord Sorn gathered pilots to move the detained pilot to a new location.

Mamet 500

In March YC107, a Holder from the Mamet system took the unusual step of gifting 500 of his personal elite slaves to the capsuleer organization Curtatores Veritatis Alliance. The alliance, popularly known as CVA, had been instrumental in pacifying the low security systems around Mamet and the null sec systems of nearby Providence, greatly increasing the safety of the Holder's property. CVA planned to auction off the slaves, but postponed it after the Cross of the Sacred Throne Order was somehow stolen from Golan Trevize.

It turned out that the Cross had been somehow burgled by operatives of the Ushra'khan and fell into the hands of Hamish, their executor. Hamish offered to ransom the Cross for the release of the 500 slaves. The Holder who originally presented the slaves to CVA called for them to make the trade. Eventually, even Chamberlain Dochuta Karsoth ordered CVA to retrieve the Cross by any means necessary.

After some negotiation, the two sides came to an agreement and the exchange was made.

War on the Blood Raiders

Insorium Imbroglio

In May YC107, the Amarr Empire was shocked to learn that a renegade Caldari scientist, Ullia Hnolku, had created a substance called Insorum which acted to cure all forms of Vitoc. As Hnolku had vanished with the formula and only prototypes, the Amarr were on high alert, fearing the repercussions if the Insorum fell into the wrong hands.

The Empire's worst fears were realized when the Blood Raiders revealed they had captured Eckarine Mitumi-Hnolku, the wife of Ullia, and had obtained the Insorum prototype. While the Caldari State disputed the factuality of the Blood Raiders' claims, the Amarr responded with widespread worry.

Soon after, the Blood Raiders unleashed the Insorum prototype over the world of Mabnen I. Within minutes, slaves began rioting on the planet, overwhelming their guards and slaughtering their masters wholesale. The planet's air and ground forces moved to strike back, with at least four slave colonies bombarded by air strikes. The Emperor called a full session of the Privy Council to considered the situation. Panic erupted throughout the Empire, as locals feared their planet would be the next target. Young Amarr in particular reacted poorly, organizing lynch mobs to savagely attack slaves.

Eventually, the Mabnen armed forces, with assistance from the Amarr Navy, managed to contain the situation. However, thousands of Amarr and tens of thousands of Minmatar slaves lost their lives in the violence.

Declaration of War

In response to the Blood Raiders' attack, Emperor Doriam II gave an impassioned speech in which he declared war on the Covenant. The Amarr Navy claimed the assistance of capsuleer forces in assaulting the Blood Raiders and their allies in the Bleak Lands. Within days, full scale warfare raged in the region.

Four billion ISK worth of assets were destroyed on both sides in the first week of fighting. Soon after, they dealt a crushing blow to the Covenant's forces by destroying a key Blood Raiders installation in Sahtogas, though the Vice Admiral leading the attack went missing in action during the assault.

The overwhelming superiority of the Amarr Navy forced the Blood Raiders to pull out of the Bleak Lands, except for token raiding forces. The majority of the Blood Raiders leadership and infrastructure relocated to the Delve region, far from the reach of the Empire.

Assassination of Doriam II

On July 4th, YC107 Emperor Doriam II was assassinated by an unknown assailant inside the Imperial Palace in Dam-Torsad.

Karsoth Regency

Assassination Aftermath and Investigation

The Privy Council gathered in an emergency session, while Court Chamberlain Dochuta Karsoth once again took over as acting regent of the Imperial Throne. Karsoth firmly stated that the Empire would not rest until it had hunted down the perpetrator. The other nations of New Eden reacted with shock and horror. The Caldari State and Minmatar Republic both quickly moved to condemn the act.

The identify of Doriam II's assassin was unknown and the Empire launched a full investigation with the assistance of CONCORD. Eleven days after the assassination, Chamberlain Karsoth reported that CONCORD had identified the assailant. Shortly after, however, the Caldari State reported that the investigation had not yet turned up any clues. Omir Sarikusa claimed that CONCORD was not close to uncovering the assassin's identity, leading some to believe the Blood Raiders were behind the attack.

The investigation seemed to stall, until a month later when a CONCORD memo was leaked implicating the Khanid Kingdom. Specifically, evidence pointed to a member of the Royal Khanid Navy as being behind it. This shocked onlookers, as relations between the Kingdom and Empire had thawed significantly since the Minmatar Rebellion. The Royal Khanid Navy immediately refuted the claims, insinuating that CONCORD was searching for a scapegoat to cover up their ineffective investigation. Naturally, tensions between the two nations rose, as did those inside the Empire. Many Imperial citizens were unhappy that CONCORD was involved as well, instead of leaving the investigation to the Ministry of Internal Order.

The Khanid Navy was eventually cleared of suspicion. It took several months for any further news to be released, with the only word being that “significant progress” had been made in identifying the killer. Despite the claims, the investigation stalled and no further information has yet come to light regarding the true identity of Doriam II's killer.

Imperial Succession

Under ordinary circumstances, the Imperial Succession would have begun soon after Doriam II's death. However, the assassination was completely unexpected and, unlike with Heideran VII's failing health, the Empire was not prepared for another round of Succession Trials.

Yonis Ardishapur pushed for the trials to commence as soon as possible, but the other heirs and Chamberlain Karsoth stood opposed. Karsoth argued that the Empire could not in good conscience name a new emperor while the previous one's killer roamed free. Additionally, Jamyl Sarum had not named an heir to her family, and House Sarum continued its internal debates to select one. Without an heir, only four families would be represented in the trials, which would inevitably lead to unrest among the Sarum vassals.

Catiz Tash-Murkon and Aritcio Kor-Azor, meanwhile, stated quite frankly that they had not risen to power to so quickly throw it away in the trials. Uriam Kador sheepishly agreed with them, not wishing to risk his own life to become emperor. Yonis was aghast at his fellow heirs and their willingness to throw out tradition and faith to cling to earthly power, but knew he couldn't act without ruining himself politically. He bitterly kept his mouth shut and acceded to their wishes.

Imperial Troubles

Gladiator Rebellions

In late August YC107, several Holders died mysteriously after becoming involved in an illegal underground gladiatorial bloodsport. The sport involved the Holders pitting slave gladiators against each other in ship-to-ship combat. Holder Rezini Lifu was the first death uncovered, his body found mutilated after he failed to attend a meeting. Several days later, Bamadak Pareh, an arms dealer with ties to Lifu was found similarly mutilated. The slaves and ships of both men had gone missing following their deaths.

Soon after, the missing ships and gladiators began assaulting Vitoc transports, apparently attempting to acquire the drug to treat their own addictions. After a second attack which ended with the Vitoc destroyed, the corpses of two missing gladiators were discovered, dead as a result of Vitoc withdrawal. Several days later, 70 similar corpses were discovered in Zaimeth.

However, this was not the last of the gladiators, as months later, an additional group of them was discovered traveling through the Empire. Despite this sighting, the gladiators vanished soon after and have not resurfaced.

Tetrimon Revival

Late in YC106, the Order of St. Tetrimon made public claims that it held ancient Scriptures which had been expunged from the official records and invalidated many commonly held beliefs. The Theology Council took the unusual step of temporarily lifting the Suppression Edict which had forbidden the Order from preaching inside the Empire while they determined the veracity of the Order's claims.

As the Order transported the Scriptures to the Theology Council for verification, the Order's Grand Master, Elata Ardo was podded by terrorists. As the Tetrimon refused cloning, Ardo was permanently killed. Horm was sworn in as his replacement.

After over a year of examination, the Theology Council declared that several pieces of Tetrimon Scripture were “authentic”, but refrained from clarifying which these were. The Privy Council permanently suspended the Suppression Edict, allowing the Order free movement and rights as a religious order within the Empire's borders.

The Tetrimon made their presence felt, as they led a group of capsuleer loyalists to retrieve a number of stolen artifacts from the Blood Raiders. In response, the Theology Council ordered an investigation into the validity of the Tetrimon's claims about the origin of the artifacts.

As the Theology Council debated it, the Tetrimon sainted their deceased Grand Master Elata Ardo. The canonization did not go without controversy, as some thought the Tetrimon had become increasingly disruptive in the years since they were allowed to return to the Empire. Soon after, these concerns were seemingly proven true, as the Order petitioned the Theology Council to strip the Cross of the Sacred Throne Order from Golan Trevize. The Theology Council debated the issue behind closed doors. While the Theology Council eventually refused to strip the Cross, the Order was not finished with its decrees, as it soon excommunicated an Amarr pod pilot as a heretic.

Rather suddenly, the Imperial Navy launched an assault on a starbase belonging to the Order in Myyhera. Under the order of Deacon Lorenzo Azir of the Theology Council, the fleet jumped several capital ships into the system and systematically destroyed the installation with minimal resistance. The Theology Council revealed that the installation was housing a radio telescope that was actually a high powered spying device aimed at tracking encrypted transmissions between the Empire's leadership.

Shortly after the Suppression Edict was reinstated against the Tetrimon and the group fled back to the Khanid Kingdom.

House Torash

In March YC108, Lord Jamir Torash, a Holder from Chaven, was slain by Minmatar terrorists. CONCORD pinned the attack on Vitoc in the cargo hold, though the Amarr were convinced it was a targeted assassination. In retribution, Amarr loyalists destroyed a starbase belonging to the terrorist organization. Soon after, Gavit Torash, the son of Jamir, was inducted as the new Holder in a public ceremony.

Kor-Azor Deterioration

Meanwhile, in the Kor-Azor region, Aritcio's capricious ways began to have a further destabilizing effect on his domains.

Amarr Lords and Ladies

Under the rule of Aritcio Kor-Azor, the uneasy balance of power between Holders began to break apart. In particular, in the Jatari constellation, two houses came into open warfare with each other. House Darabi, a young upstart Holder family, found its eldest daughter insulted by a neighbor, Lord Touraj Miyan, the Holder of House Miyan. When Holder Iraj Darabi demanded an apology, Miyan refused, claiming Darabi was attempting to rob his family of their ancestral holdings. Darabi vowed to claim the apology by force and launched an attack on House Miyan. The two fought numerous battles over the course of two months, with House Miyan holding the field but suffering a disproportionate number of losses to the better trained and equipped House Darabi fleets.

As the war reached a stalemate, both sides turned to outside capsuleer intervention. While certain capsuleers did aid in the fighting, many others attempted to negotiate peace between the warring sides. After House Darabi managed to gain a foothold in the traditionally Miyan-held system of Nebian, the two were convinced to meet at the peace summit in Kor-Azor Prime. The negotiations failed, however, when the tempers of House Miyan's fleet commanders flared. While a cease-fire was called to allow the negotiations to continue once things calmed, a House Miyan ship fired on a House Darabi transport suspected of carrying military equipment, violating the cease-fire and reigniting open conflict.

The two sides continued to do battle as capsuleers scrambled to salvage the peace. The capsuleer peace initiative managed to secure security footage of the incident which supposedly would exonerate Touraj Miyan of any wrongdoing. The footage was examined by the Ministry of Internal Order, who verified its authenticity, then was given to House Darabi for additional examination. House Darabi, utilizing a Caldari scanning method, managed to uncover irregularities in the subatomic structure of the holoreel. Upon further examination by the Ministry, the irregularity was confirmed, and House Darabi continued their attack.

The final battle came in the system of Fensi, where House Miyan was dealt a crushing blow. Rather than continue the war, Touraj Miyan agreed to surrender. He paid restitution to the Darabi Family, turned over control of the systems Darabi had captured, and made a public apology. Aritcio Kor-Azor, under whose rule the violence was allowed to go uncontested, was reportedly “greatly amused” by the chaos.

Aritcio Unravels

In YC109, the mental stability of Aritcio Kor-Azor came into question as the heir began making an increasing number of capricious and sadistic rulings. The trouble began as his police force began to engage in brutality against the populace. Additionally, Aritcio decreed that if any slaver was caught outdoors at the same time his own personal hound was, the owner of the animal would be tortured to death in front of it and have his remains fed to the creature.

Following this, Aritcio made a number of controversial judgments in his personal court. He ordered a man put to death on the word of someone no one but the heir had ever seen, had a child tortured after flying a kite into a tree of the royal courtyard, ordered a noblewoman to strip naked and dance in the court square so that she could not selfishly hide her beauty, and had the noblewoman's husband killed for keeping her all to himself. After hearing rumors of negative words spoken against him by the Holders of Liparer II, he decreed that they could only wear slave-stained rags.

The Holders refused the decree and went into open revolt. An enraged Aritcio ordered his personal fleet to blockade the planet, while ground troops were landed to pacify the Holders. The situation grew so dire that a Speaker of Truth was called in to mediate. Moments before the Kor-Azor fleet was to orbitally bombard the planet, the Speaker, Brother Joshua, ordered the fleet to stand down. As a Speaker's words carry weight equivalent to an Emperor's, the fleet was forced to withdraw. Brother Joshua then announced his intention to tour the Kor-Azor region and investigate Articio's rule.

Once Brother Joshua had completed his investigation, he led a contingent of wronged Kor-Azor subjects to the royal palace, where Aritcio was holding public court. Brother Joshua announced his findings, claiming Aritcio was guilty of numerous crimes against his subjects. In retribution, each wronged individual could claim a piece of Articio's flesh in accordance with the severity of the wrong. Though Aritcio's status as heir meant even the most grievous claim would be reduced to a mere nick or cut, the sheer number of claimants meant Aritcio would be flayed alive.

Rather than allow the heir to be murdered, his advisors worked out a compromise. As Aritcio's flesh was being stripped away, a cellular regenerator would be utilized to regrow his flesh. Despite the device being similar to one used in cloning, using it would not be in violation of the doctrine of Sacred Flesh, as Aritcio's flesh would always be regrown from the same core. Despite Aritcio's objections, he was unable to stand against the Speaker for fear of having his name struck from the Book of Records.

Slave Troubles

Imperial Human Resources

A small slave trading company made the controversial decision to begin selling slaves directly to pod pilots in contradiction with Amarr tradition preventing non-Holders from owning slaves. The corporation, Imperial Human Resources, was soon accused of making illegal slave raids into the Minmatar Republic to capture their slaves. They were opposed by a terrorist organization known as the Brutor Freedom Front. After suffering several losses at the hands of the Front, the corporation decided to cease selling to capsuleers, announcing that it was not financially feasible to continue.

Slave Mistreatment

Following the Fifth Capsuleer Alliance Tournament in March YC110, Amarr officials discovered a pair of Bestowers belonging to a trader named Mastuk Rinmumi abandoned in a station docking port. After forcefully entering the transports, the officials discovered thousands of slaves, trapped in cramped quarters without sufficient food or water. When questioned, Rinmumi claimed the slaves were the settlement of a bet with another trader named Edophia Agmarn. Agmarn, however, refused to accept the slaves, claiming their condition did not meet the terms of the bet.

The Theology Council launched an investigation which ultimately cleared either trader of wrongdoing. It nevertheless urged all Amarr slave owners to take proper care of their slaves. The lack of legal action against either trader for the inhumane condition the slaves were left to endure sparked outrage both within and outside of the Empire.

Bleak Lands Difficulties

Cult of Catechization

A minor Amarr order, the Cult of Catechization, briefly surged into prominence when it gathered loyalist corporations to assault a Blood Raider hub in the Bleak Lands.

The Defiants

In June of YC108, Karishal Muritor, a Republic Fleet captain, disappeared along with a Hel-class supercarrier, two carriers, and a number of smaller support ships. The Empire feared the ships would be used to attack the Empire, and demanded CONCORD track them and provide their locations. The Republic declared Muritor an outlaw and revealed that he had broken away from the Republic Fleet along with his command to form a new terrorist organization known as “the Defiants.”

Months later, Amarr installations in the Bleak Lands came under attack by mysterious forces. Initial reports did not know who was responsible for the attacks, though the ships were identified as Minmatar in origin. They followed up this attack by teaming with Minmatar capsuleers to destroy a battlestation while simultaneously assaulting several other Amarr-controlled sites. The failure of the Navy to protect their assets let to the demotion of the regional commander, though rumors from the Court Chamberlain's office pegged the Bleak Lands as “not a top priority”.

The Amarr redeployed forces to the area in an attempt to salvage the situation, dealing the Defiants a significant blow. Despite this, Chamberlain Karsoth continuously demanded the Republic step in to rein in the Defiants, despite Republic denials of involvement. Shockingly, the Republic acted on the Empire's requests by assassinating Karishal Muritor. After this, the Defiants fell silent for some time.

Bleak Lands War

In November YC109, several mysterious attacks in the Bleak Lands occurred, leading many to question the safety of the region. An attack at a slave breeding facility led to the disappearance of all the slaves housed there. The attack was well coordinated and professionally done, leading many to wonder who was behind it. A number of other slave installations were attacked, while the Court Chamberlain and Imperial Navy appeared to turn a blind eye to the troubles.

However, shortly after, the Amarr 7th Fleet, under command of Admiral Vanazir Saracen, was transferred to the Bleak Lands en masse. The fleet, nicknamed the Saracens after their leader, quickly reinforced the region and vowed to pacify the raiders. Naval patrols quickly became more common, helping to put the minds of people at ease.

Shortly after the build up, a surprise attack on numerous 7th Fleet installations commenced, along with an ominous message broadcast across communications channels. The attacks occurred during a schedule downtime of local military networks, leaving the installations in chaos. As the 7th Fleet scrambled to contain the damage, they announced that the attacks were the work of the Defiants, who had regrouped following the assassination of their leader Karishal Muritor. The Defiants continued to strike across the region, managing to engage the 7th Fleet directly on numerous occasions and inflict considerable damage. The actions led to significant casualties on the part of the Defiants, however, The Defiants even managed to destroy a central defense cortex, seriously compromising the 7th Fleet's defense network. The ferocity of the attacks appeared to leave the 7th Fleet on its heels, as it struggled to maintain control over the region.

After several strings of losses, however, the 7th Fleet was able to score a major victory against the Defiants, when it utilized capsuleer assistance to swarm a Defiants cynosural field and pin down a Nidhoggur and Nomad. The fleet and its allies managed to destroy the capital ships, as well as several support vessels, with minimal losses of their own. Adding to the 7th Fleet's troubles, a ceremony was interrupted by the Blood Raiders, forcing the Fleet to divert resources to drive them away.

Following the destruction of the capital ships, the 7th Fleet launched massive strikes on the Defiants and claimed several victories. However, the Defiants were put down and launched a counteroffensive, managing to destroy eight installations in a single day. The precision of the attacks led Admiral Saracen to launch an investigation, eventually coming to the conclusion that a local Holder had been assisting the Defiants with information and succor. The Holder was executed for his actions, while the admiral appointed his own nephew as the provisional overseer until a new Holder could be appointed.

The fighting continued unabated deep into YC110, with no seeming end in sight. Minmatar capsuleers poured into the region to assist the Defiants, causing headaches for the 7th Fleet. The Empire once again accused the Republic of assisting the Defiants, claims the Republic vehemently denied.

Just as the 7th Fleet seemed poised to finally wipe out the Defiants, Admiral Saracen was recalled to the Throne Worlds. Concerns had been raised about the Admiral's personal conduct in the region, as he took on many powers traditionally held by regional viceroys. Soon after, Admiral Saracen was charged with treason by Chamberlain Karsoth and was detained at the Chamberlain's pleasure.

Soon after, the 7th Fleet was reassigned to Aridia, while the Defiants suddenly vanished from the area as well, bringing an end to the warfare in the Bleaks.

Succession Controversy

As the regency of Court Chamberlain Dochuta Karsoth entered its second year in YC109, many within the Empire began to grow restless with the lack of movement in the Succession Trials. Uriam Kador ignited a firestorm of controversy when he publicly criticized the delays. He also advocated physical combat between chosen Amarr champions as the method of selecting the Emperor. The Sarum Family's representatives agreed with Uriam that the Emperor should only be chosen based on the actions of the Amarr themselves, without outside involvement as in Doriam's election, but also vacillated on the Family's lack of an heir. Articio Kor-Azor, in response, suggested the heirs engage in physical combat themselves, a suggestion that would seem to give him an advantage for his relative youth. Catiz Tash-Murkon reminded everyone that the Empire was forged by many outside of the True Amarr bloodline, while Yonis Ardishapur countered with his belief that only True Amarr be allowed to participate in the selection rituals.

Late in March YC110, several Theology Council Justices went missing without explanation. The three justices, Falek Grange, Aulus Gord, and Victor Eliade, were members of a group wishing to reform the Succession Trials, replacing it with a rotating seat that would go to each Heir Family in turn. A reward was offered for information relating to their whereabouts. However, reports about the justices were often conflicting, leading to little progress in locating them.

Days later, however, Court Chamberlain Dochuta Karsoth held a conference where he announced the justices were involved in an assassination attempt against him. He revealed that the three justices had been captured, had their clones eliminated, and were executed for their crimes. Chamberlain Karsoth then vowed to hold the Succession Trials when the Empire was ready for it.

Soon after, a capsuleer-led “prayer for the future” was misinterpreted by many Amarr Holders and high officials as a public plea to hold the Succession Trials. Many of the officials spoke out against the capsuleers attempting to involve themselves, especially so soon after the three justices had made an attempt on the Court Chamberlain's life.

Signs of Trouble

Mysterious Destructions

Unrelated to the war in the Bleak Lands, several Amarr trade ships were destroyed along the Minmatar border. The attackers were unidentified, except as flying Minmatar ships. Reports indicated the ships may have belonged to illegal slavers, though the Republic denied involvement with the attacks. Several weeks later, similar attacks occurred within Republic borders, leading the Empire to contend that terrorists were acting with the implicit authorization of the Minmatar government.

Starkmanir Discovery

The cluster was shocked in June YC110, when the Sisters of EVE and Eifyr and Co. announced they had discovered a pristine population of Starkmanir slaves living inside the Ammatar Mandate in the system Jarizza. The slaves were discovered by accident, after the Sisters were called in to provide humanitarian aide during a viral outbreak. Chamberlain Karsoth openly pledged to assist in the preservation of the Starkmanir, though how the population survived undetected for so many generations remained a mystery.

Continues in part 2