Gennon

Empress Gennon

Queen and Empress of the Aefeodel Empire. Gennon is credited with uniting the twelve remaining factions as well as the founding of the religion of the Twelve Whispers.

Gennon's charisma and diplomatic mind was outmatched only by her tactical and strategic abilities.

Her military campaigns subjugated dozens of species she considered "sub-human" as well as wiped out several more.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Gennon was a healthy, fit woman. There is no record to suspect that she suffered from any ailments or afflictions. It is however not unlikely that any documentation of those would have been ordered destroyed by the Empress herself. Still, there is no record of Gennon having records or diaries destroyed.

Body Features

Most portrature and descriptions of the Empress depict a tall, thin woman who, while possibly appearing slight, would have carried herself with such presence that she would easily be impossing.
Later in life, the Empress gained some significant weight. Despite this, her presence alone demanded control of any situation she was present for.

Facial Features

Some have described Gennon as beautiful but severe. This is evidenced in most portraits of the day.
Some portraits of Gennon later in life depict an almost grandmotherly monarch. Depsite this appearence, the Empress maintained and iron fisted reign.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Several centuries after a dragon scattered and effectively wiped out the Trembeleth tribe, it's remaining descendants were scattered throughout the realm.

This included Damfeer and Cleobald. Little is known about Cleobald, but Damfeer was known to be a brilliant healer among her people as well as a wise woman of great leadership.

Damfeer gave birth to her daughter, Gennon, on a night described as a night where winds howled so loudly that those in the next hut were unable to hear the birth or the infant's birthing screams.

Gennon grew up amonger the nomadic remnants of her tribe, and was given the opportunity to learn of the twelve factions and their warring nature. Trading with the twelve allowed Gennon to learn the skills of diplomacy as well as the desires, needs, and preferences of the tribes.

As she matured, Gennon not only grew to learn about the twelve but to befriend many of them, giving her the opportunity to form dialogue among them. These dialogues evolved into continued negotiations.

In 1832 FA, the representatives from the twelve factions agreed to a unification under a single flag.

Because of the respect she'd garnered from the factions, and her hand in the negotiations, representatives from the faction unanimously agreed that Gennon should lead this new unified realm. Gennon accepted the selection and was proclaimed and anointed as Empress of the new Aefeodel Empire.

For several years, Aefeodel saw peace and proserity. Mutual respect between the sentient species of Aefeodel was held and even elves sat in Gennon's Court.

In 1829 FA Gennon gave birth do her first son with the help of an elven midwife. Sadly, the child was ill from the start and died soon after. Initially crushed by the loss, Gennon refused to believe that her own bloodline could produce a 'weak' child and suspected the midwife of magically harming the child.

Gennon expelled the elven councilors from court. As a result, the Court of Aefeodel was entirely human.

Fearful of what the Empress might be planning, the elves started building defenses. Seeing elven forces growing was all the evidence Gennon needed that they were plotting against her and in 1827 FA, she summoned hundreds of mages and warlocks from across the realm to Kairndern Castle for a meeting with the purpose of strategizing a way to prevent elven agression. This gathering was called the First Synod of Magisters.

The Synod of Magisters resulted in the imposition of magical limits laid upon 'elven' territories. It also placed heavy consequences on elves who'd traveled beyond those boundaries without permission from the regional administrator.

Just two years later, in 1825 FA, a massive seismic event shook the entirety of Aefeodel causing widespread destruction, including the toppling of buildings - the Keep of Kairndern Castle included, volcanic eruptions and massive tsunamis.

Casualties of what history would call 'The Great Cataclysm' were incredible and historians still do not have an estimate on the numbers of lives lost. The lost did include Gennon's entire unification council, the original representatives from the twelve factions. Soon after, the collapse of the roof of Kairndern Keep, the tremors stopped and Gennon saw that as the souls of the twelve councilors stopping the event. As a result, Gennon declared the twelve as gods.

Soon after the Cataclysm, Gennon's paranoia settled in again and she began to believe that the Cataclysm was in fact an elven magical attack.

Within a year, Gennon had raised up the largest military force the world had ever known and began a strategic campaign to subjegate or eliminate all sentient 'sub-human' species of the realm in a five year long military campaign known as the Great Purge.

The Purge resulted in millions of lives lost and the eradication of at least five species. It also succeeded in lowering the populations of the remaining species to numbers that were 'managable' by the Aefeodel military. Surviving species, the elves included went into hiding.

During the Great Purge, in 1820 FA, Gennon gave birth to Princess Emrynlyn.

After the Purge, humans in Aefeodel enjoyed many privileges of wealth and peace, while non humans were subjegated as curiosities, servants, and slaves. Many noble houses kept elven servants, but Gennon banned them from Kairndern all together.

The period of human prosperity continued through Gennon's death in 1802 FA, from what is believed to have been coronary hemorage.

Gennon's death lead to the accession and enthronement of her daughter as Empress Emrynlyn.

Gender Identity

There is little question that Gennon identified as a female and in fact often used her femininity to her advantage.

Sexuality

While no record remains of any of Gennon's partners, the fact that she bore at least two children implies that the Empress was not strictly homosexual. It is not a difficult supposition that Gennon was, like almost all sentient creatures, pansexual.

Education

Little is known about the Empress's education. We can infer that there was little to no formal education, given her nomadic up bringing, and it is likely that any particular education would have focused around survival.

Accomplishments & Achievements

Gennon is credited with the unification and end of the Fractous Period of Aefeodel's history, the birth of the Aefeodel Empire, the founding of the Twelve Whispers, the purging of sub-humans and elevation of humans, and the reign of prosperity that followed.

Intellectual Characteristics

Gennon clearly showed a great military and strategic mind as well as the charasmatic ability to negotiate, communicate and manipulate.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Gennon was likely driven by her own ambition. Many historians believe that she had always planned to negotiate and manipulate her way to a throne. Her own megalomania likely contributed to her paranoia as well as her power.

Social

Reign

Gennon's reign marks the beginning of the Aefeodel Empire and a period of centuries with human beings as the dominant race. Gennon's time on the throne was just thirty years, but her legacy and influence still informs the rulers of the Five Kingdoms.

Religious Views

It is believed that early in her life, Gennon was likely a Drycraefter, however, following the Great Cataclysm and her elevation of the twelve lost councilors to deities, it is a safe assumption that she was a follower of the Twelve Whispers.

Wealth & Financial state

The wealth of Gennon is inestimable. Because she had direct access the the vaults of Aefeodel and could order the production of more currency as well as the imposition of taxes, it is impossible to even estimate the total worth of her assets.

Current Location

Gennon's Hill

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Her Royal Majesty, Empress Gennon the Outstanding, Queen of Aefeodel, Potentate of All that Is, Lady of the Great Seas, Duchess of the Lwaxanian Atoll, Ruler from Kairndern. The Most High, Most Noble, Most Mighty. Queen of the Western Skies and Tsarina or the Sea Depths.

Life

1858 FA 1802 FA 56 years old

Circumstances of Death

Arterial Hemorrhage (Suspected)

Place of Death

Kairndern Castle

Sex

Female

Gender

Female

Presentation

Female

Eyes

Dark

Height

5' 7"

Belief/Deity

The Twelve Whispers

Related Historical Events

• 1802 FA
  Empress Gennon Dies
• 1824 FA
  The Great Purge
• 1825 FA
  The Great Cataclysm
• 1827 FA
  The First Synod of Magisters
• 1832 FA
  Gennon Enthroned