Asurlan I

(a.k.a. The Great)

Asurlan I is perhaps the most famous and greatest of the Seris Emperors. Through his military campaigns and reforms he lead the Seris Empire to the zenith of its power.

For the Seris, Asurlan I is the ideal ruler. Fair in rule, Honourable towards its enemies, a brave warrior, a cultivated man and a poet. He embodies the ideals of monarchy in the seris world that have been guiding the Seris state since its foundation and even before.

Asurlan I by Heroforge

Early life

Asurlan I ascended to the throne in 251 AP, aged 16 after a brief civil war after the death of his father Andrash II. He appeased the nomads, who previously had sacked the frontiers marrying the daughter of the Farai Khagan , Luci.
With his eastern flank secured, he launched an expedition to the south , penetrating deeply into the dark elves territory and forcing them to pay tribute to the Seris Empire. In 249, Lashel and Swift were invaded by the Desert peoples and asked for seris intervention. The Emperor quickly deployed his army and with the help of his great general and friend, Darvush, he defeated the Desert King Sitarma II in Vanush, and entered into their capital Gomameniki declaring himself Desert King. In 235 the kingdom of Adhel requested being declared a tributary of the Empire in exchange of Seris help against the Sun Elves. Asurlan then, lead an army of 74000 men and invaded the elven realm defeating them in Elvidrin and then occupying the Elven capital  Ymhilean , forcing king Almantayr to become a tributary in 264 AP .

Eleven years later, after the premature death of King Arshas without an heir, Asurlan I claimed the throne of Adhel. At first he encountered some opposition, when an Adhel warlord name Wilus raised an army and proclaimed himself king. Asurlan then invaded again Adhel, and in a long 4 years campaign across the country finally defeated Wilus in battle and was recognized as king. Promising to respect Adhel customs and religion, even making offerings to their gods.

Seris Emperors would continue to be Kings of Adhel (through viceroys) for the next two centuries, until 478 AP, when a massive revolt expulsed the Seris vicerroy and proclaimed independence. But in 495 Emperor Mithradates I invaded the country again, this time forcing it to become a tributary.

Rest of his reign

After these campaigns, the Seris Empire became fabulously wealthy and powerfull. With Asurlan I, the Empire reached its greatest extension and was at the peak of its power. Asurlan then dedicated their efforts to improve the lives of their subjects. First he began a huge construction program that included his famous  The Palace of the Thousand Columns , the so called Asurlan Channel, in southern Seria who connected the Southern Coast and the PIlars of Toshia with the river Tehir and the capital, Sakouramish, thus improving trade and communications across the Empire. It was also here, in the Southern Provinces, where the Emperor impulsed a new program of colonization. Since its conquests from the Barbarians even before the creation of the Seris Empire itself, waves of Seris settlers had arrived over the course of the centuries. But despite these centuries of colonization, the South was comparabily less populated than the north. To gave a new impulse to the population of that area Asurlan founded new cities that bore his name like Niasurlan ( The "new city of Asurlan) or Kaumasurlan (The "brilliant" or "sunny" city of Asurlan) or various settlements that are named Kaumsou (lit. "new city").

His strategy worked, not only thousands of peasants and veterans of his armies went south following the rumours of new oportunities and new lands., but also many officials from the imperial goverment who began settleling on the coastal cities, specially two of them, Ziardah and Komand. The first became the main port of Southern Seria and also one of the economic centers of the country thanks to the many ships and traders, specially elves from the west, that began to arrive. He also approved a law that lowered the ammount of food peasants have to pay to the state as taxes from 4/5 of the harvest to 2/5.

In terms of religious policy, Asurlan I favoured the expansion and development of the  Followers of Yemu. He is also credited for ordering the first codification of the teachings of Yemmu in 256 AP. Although he also favoured the more traditional version of the Seris religion, he was famous for building many temples to the gods. 

Asurlan suddently died in 298 AP, loved by his people because of their military exploits and for its social reforms and building programs that improved the life of millions of Seris. His body was carried in a procession from the  The Palace of the Thousand Columns, through the streets of Sakouramish   to the royal necropolis of Fastan, where, according to his will, he wanted to be buried alongside the great legendary kings of the past, being until date, the only seris emperor to be buried there.  His succesor and son,  Kadphises IV, declared him a god, and created a holiday and a festival in his honor. The crown of Arsakes became the Seris royal crown until it was lost with the downfall of the Sittakid dynasty three centuries later.  From the momment of his deification onwards, some miracles like battles against the enemies of the Seris and also miracles related to his cape and his sword have been atributed to Asurlan himself. A local legend says that Asurlan's sword, called  Ściryepur (lit. Star of Fire), sets itself on fire during the festival of the goddess Youri, the divine ancestor of the Seris Imperial family and its people. 

Holidays

Each year, a procession with the Seris Emperor at its head, travels from Sakouramish to the Royal Necropolis at Fastan, where libations are made at the entrance of Asurlan's tomb. Then, the emperor enters the main chamber of the tomb where is marble sarcophagus lies and bows three times and recites a prayer asking the Emperor for protection and guidance. 

His cape is also paraded through the streets of the capital, and its said that whatever kisses it would be blessed and  have luck in comming year. 

Personality Characteristics

Savvies & Ineptitudes

Asurlan I was surrounded by a brilliant general staff during his campaigns. Perhaps the best of his age. But despite being a great commander, he was sometimes a bit undecisive, he waited too long sometimes to make a decission. But even despite these flaws, he always founded the right answer or solution to the situation. 

He was also sometimes shy and reserved, and only showed his true self with its closest circle. Despite being an emperor he liked to talk with commoners and soldiers, something that some of his commanders, members of the oldest families of Seria, deeply disliked and sometimes openly critized. 

Virtues & Personality perks

Asurlan I was a brave man,  during his campaigns when he was young  he wasn't the kind of ruler that throw itself into the battle like others did, he was more an strategist, but when the situation required he didn't hesitated to fight alongside his men. He even led rescuying parties in order to save friends or champions of his army that had became prisioners. 

He was kind with his friends and family, he was a loving husband and father, and he was also kind with his subjects, and was one of the few Emperors who exited the Imperial palace and walked through the streets of the capital. 

Divine Classification

Deified Emperor

Current Location

Sakouramish

Ethnicity

The seris

Date of Death

298 AP

Life

235 AP 298 AP 63 years old

Birthplace

Sakouramish

Place of Death

Sakouramish

Gender

male

Eyes

blue

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

pale

Aligned Organization

Seris Empire

Ruled Locations

• The Palace of the Thousand Columns

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