The Empty Throne

Some said, that Altarin fell against the dragon guard of Barûm, the Dragongod of Brûm. Others said, he faced himself the Great Worm, and was killed by the great creature.

But others said, they had seen how came from the ashes and the smoke twenty horned demons, who chained him, dragging the mightiest of the elven princes to the deepest dungeons of Dol-Nur.

After the great Battle of Polforia -as well known as the Fall of Dragons-, the High Elves searched among the charred bodies any sign of their prince.

Later, in the Siege of Dol'Nur, they hoped to find him captured, deep in the dungeons of the demons... but nobody ever found a trace left.

Altarin, Emperor of Elves, Ruler of the Venerable Empire of the Whide Axis had dissapeared.

It had begun the age of the Empty Throne.

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The Venerable Empire of the Whide Axis, the High Elven Empire that in it golden age would rule over most of the continent of Ushaenor and important regions of Aels, Hieyoks and Zarhuy was an elective monarchy, with the elector princes choosing a life-long emperor.

The Imperial system was complicated, and often there where conflicts of interests between the local governments, the Imperial Authority, the Mages, Free Cities and so on, and often the effective Imperial authority depended of strong willed emperors, who could impose his possition.

The Emperor of the Elves Altarin (Emperor of the Elves from 2147 to the 2220 a.a.H)  was one of the later, strong willed emperors that wanted to reinstitute the Imperial Authority.

Since long, the White and the Purple Parties of the Empire had been at odds with each other, with the White Party being the supporters of the Imperial Authority, Imperialism and Expansion -being supported by the trading elites of the cities-, while the Purple Party defended regional and provincial particularisms, isolationism and the rule of magic users, being supported by the low and high nobility and the magicracy of Dahl'Haran.

Altarin ambitions of increasing his Imperial Authority will be challenged by the Purple Party, and several rebellions and uprisings doted the Empire: in front of this, he aimed to create an Imperial Army to crush the rebels.

A generalized civil war between the Purple and the White Party was feared to be imminent, as positions were seen as irreconcilable ... when began to arrive the rumours of the First War of the Power from the east, and how the Demonic Dark Legion had fell as a bane over the Human kingdoms of Aels. 

At first, many decided to ignore these rumours, as in their isolationism they didn't consider the wars of humans and demons to concern them, and some even celebrated the fall of the humans, who once had taken part in the fall of the High elven colonies of the east.

Much of these appreciations will however change with the arrival of human refugees from Sargos at the northern shores of Ushaenor, escaping from the war.

These survivors, largely ignoring the existence of Ushaenor or the Empire of Whide Axis beyond myths, was seeking for a safe haven for their peoples. When they found the deserted shores, they will settle in them, until they were discovered by High elven scouts.

The Emperor of the Elves, acting in front of a fait accompli, decided to grant refuge to the northwestern aelian humans. The northwestern humans as well, learning of the real -and non mythical- existence of an Empire of High Elves, decided to send delegations to the elven Emperor, requesting elven support in the First War of the Power against the Dark Legion of Demons.

The human delegations tried to convince with several arguments for the High Elves to enter the war, until they finally did so.

It will be in part due the arguments and horror stories told by the survivors, telling how not only humans were affected by the demon invasions, but as well the relatives of the high elves, the Grey elfs and Sylvan elfs ... but more than the stories of the refugees, what determined the elves to act was the presence of the refugees themselves in northern Ushaenor.

After the last invasions around the year 1.000 a.a.H across the sea from Aels, for about 1.200 years Ushaenor had only sporadic contact with Aels, and many high elves had come to forget of the possibility of a naval invasion of their homelands, especially as they gave their backs to the sea -having forgotten that they deserted them precisely to escape coastal raiders.-

The presence of the refugees however became a reminder for them of the vulnerability of their eastern shores, as if some rag-tagged human refugees could reach so easily their shores and be only detected after they had already settled down, they became suddenly conscious of the dangers of an expansionist imperial power as the Dark Legion.

And so, the Emperor of the Elves Altarin will sign the human-High Elven alliance of the Whide Axis in the year 2208 a.a.H. As well, as he prepared for external war, Altarin signed in the city of the wizards of the coast of Dahl'Haran the Purple and White Concordate, in which basically was a call to stop the confrontations and machinations between the Purple and White parties for the duration of the absence of the emperor, who was going to fight in Aels.

Having decided to enter the war, the Emperor of the Elves Altarin called to arms the Empire of the Whide Axis, as he meant to prepare what will be the largest elven army in history.

Altarin hadn't signed this alliance only as a sign of good faith toward the humans, as he entered the war as well with clear political goals: he expected that the presence of an external enemy -other than the weak Hakes cornered in the distant south, separated from the main High elven kingdoms by deserts, mountain ranges and jungles-, will unify his subjects. Not only that, but he expected to use the war to boost his own power -being finally able to call and gather an Imperial Army for this war, which later he hoped to use against the separatist provinces of his empire-. As well, the White Party and Emperor Altarin hoped, aside of reconstructing the imperial authority in Ushaenor, to rebuild the High Elven empire beyond-the-sea.

Answering the Call of the Emperor, the Expedition will gather in the Shae'luth Bay: about 120.000 warriors of all the Whide Axis, between High and Ash Elves, Ushaverican and Aelian humans. 

As the greatest expedition in the history of elfkind sailed to Aels, as Emperor Altarin departed in the 2209 a.a.H., he declared the Venerable Empire of the Whide Axis to be at war against the Dark Legion of Demons. The expedition, which will resupply and as well reinforce itself in the Alan Sea islands of Novanliohn and Akresh, will finally land in the bay of Begian, Botania at the same year of 2209, reaching with the reinforcements and remnants of the northwestern human kingdoms a strength of 140.000 warriors.

Despite the protests of their human allies -refugees of the northwest-, who wanted to march northwards to liberate the Five Kingdoms, Altarin and the High Elven commanders decided to march to the south, where once were some of the stronger Aelian human kingdoms as the Unlic Empire of Uslen and the Kingdom of Purpurian -and importantly, the Grey elven cities of Dol'Sorne, that Altarin hoped to annex after the war-.

The Expedition of the White Axis will defeat the Dark Legion in two consecutive battles in the 2209: in the Battle of the Cold Plains and the Battle of the Bultr Bridge, continuing in the 2210 with the campaign of liberation of the Hannian and grey elven duchies of Dumia and defeating the Dark Legion a third time in the Battle of the Deserts in Iperto. Afterwards in the 2211-2212 will be the Campaign of Liberation of Uslen, beginning the Siege of Hortann, from the 2213-2214.

After the fall the demonic fortress of the Unholy mountain of Hortann, they continued to liberate Purpurian -always Altarin having in mind the liberation of elven peoples to later reclaim them, as the Unlic Mourlicouns and Flairie, and the flairies of Purpurian-.

More demonic defeats followed in the Battle of Gmonia (2215) and the Battle of the Titanizk Mountains (2216), where the Emperor of the Elves Altarin killed the drow Queen Miz'ri Vrinn of Negeémiliel.

The armies of the Whide Axis marched to the north, across the Barlans, defeating a Kanov-allied army of the Dark legion in the Battle of the Cold Steppes at the 2217 a.a.H, and forcing their way into Polforia, the core of the demonic lands, in the Battle of Montes Cado (2217).

While the Emperor of the Elves and his expedition were triumphant in the east, however their political enemies and opposition of the Purple Party used the opportunity to continue undermining the Imperial authority in Ushaenor, knowing full well that Altarin meant to use the war as a political leverage, they prepared themselves to counter the new might of the emperor -and were so successful at this that during the duration of the war, only minor reinforcements, supplies and money will arrive from Ushaenor to the expeditionary force, becoming less and less until they completely stopped-, with the Purple Party and the magicians enacting stronger pro-magic and sectorial laws in detriment of the Emperor.

Altarin learnt this, so expected to quickly finish the war to return triumphant and with his victorious armies to subjugate the Purple Party that he considered to be rebels, so they searched for a decisive battle against the Dark legion, that will be the Battle of Polforia (2220 a.a.H). The Demons, that had gathered all their remaining armies and with now limited resources and fearing the desertion of their vassals, as well hurried to fight a final battle that they hoped, would turn again the tide of the war.

The Battle of Polforia, known as well as the Fall of Dragons was the largest battle of the First War of the Power.

A furious battle, where finally the Expeditionary force of the Whide Axis, was a hard won and costly victory for the High Elves:

Fighting the Black Dragons of Brûm, the Emperor of the Elves Altarin will disappear.

Many rumored about his death, but looking at the charred remnants left by the dragons, no one could confirm it. Others said, that they saw Bazrrod lords, who with their fire whips and chains, dragged their Emperor Altarin down to the dungeons of Dol-Nur...

But with the disappearance of the Emperor, the succession was unclear, as it was in hands of the electors, back in Ushaenor.

While the Expedition continued with the Siege of Dol-Nur (2221 - 2223 a.a.H), looking for a sign of their emperor, they will be finally victorious, but as Altarin didn't appear in the dungeons of the demons, and neither humans or elves knew how to vanquish the souls stones of the demon lords, many High Elves thought it was an empty victory.--

The Imperial throne was Empty. 

The Empty Throne

The supporters of Altarin hoped to find the Emperor of the Elves, lost after the Battle of Polforia, and so they didn't proclaimed a new emperor, as neither of the surviving generals felt like they could take the burden of the imperial throne: meanwhile in the west, in Ushaenor, the Imperial electors, members of the Purple Party, hadn't really interest in choosing a new Emperor, who may continue the dispute between the White and Purple Parties:

As well, using the White and Purple Concordate, the magicracy of Dahl'Haran will place themselves as the ruling head of a much looser confederation which the Whide Axis had become during the ausence of the Emperor of the Elves Altarin.

At the end of the First War of the Power, being clear the dissaparition of Altarin, some members of the White Party tried to elect a new emperor, but this was rejected by the Purple Imperial Electors, who said that being a lifelong charge the elective imperial authority, unless was demonstrated the death of Altarin, he continued to be the Emperor of the Elves.

In the west, the leaders of the Whide Axis Expeditionary Army, mostly interested in keeping alive the imperial dreams of Altarin of rebuilding the beyond-the-sea High Elven empire, fearing the humans wouldn't keep their word in the following peace without Altarin, will elect an interimn emperor -Saerchanar the Fake- to sit in the post-war conventions in Aels.

Without recognition from the Electors, Saerchanar tried to keep the promises of the humans that they made regarding the incorporation of Valknyria, Novanliohn, the grey elven duchies of Dol'Sorne, the lands of the Mourlicoun and Flairie to the Whide Axis, but the humans, having learned of the unstable possition of Saerchanar and the lack of support he had from the Whide Axis, retracted from many of the promises made to Altarin, as only was obtained an influence sphere in Valknyria and was recogniced the Empire of Whide Axis some rights to protect the grey elven population in human lands: Only was maintained the promise to keep open for colonization Polforia for a joint High elven-human proyect, and the High elves could try to extend their reach in other territories that weren't controlled by humans -as in the forest of Nubla, where the high elves build -in cooperation with sylvan and grey elves- the city of Lorthen in the Hidden Kingdom of the Forests of Lorthen.

The political capital of Saerchanar the Fake and of the White Party was spent in these treaties, and much to the dismay of the former expeditionaries and the Whites, they will see how the crumbs they achieved after the costs of the First War of the Power where abandoned by the isolationist and disinterested Purple Imperial Electors: only few Purple will continue to support the re-colonization projetcs in Aels.

After returning to Ushaenor and being ignored and humilliated in the empty imperial halls of  the Whide Axis, Saerchanar renounced to the throne bitterly, and the White Party, under the pretension of the continuation of the rule of Altarin, left the Throne empty.

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Bad scanner it's bad. For now consider this a WIP until I can re-scan it!