Kovias Junlinson
Emperor Kovias Junlinson (a.k.a. The Undying)
Emperor of the Empire of Dalthion.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
It is hard to separate the history of the empire and that of it's first and only emperor. While Emperor Junlinson's life since founding the empire is a matter of public record he rarely reveals anything about his life prior to that. What he has revealed is that he was a warrior in a distant land striving to free people from the yoke of the elves. From what he has shared he and his companions were successful. Unfortunately those he worked alongside in that distant land were only concerned with freeing one country and refused to go out to help others. Tiring of their selfish attitude our emperor travelled here on his own in order to continue his good work.
The Emperor arrived on our continent at the village of Deiran Bay where he found a community in disarray and besieged by bandits. Weakened by years of raids, the few remaining people even close to being able to fight were weak from lack of food and easy prey for the bandits. It had become easier to just give the bandits what they wanted rather than trying to fight back.
Disgusted by the situation Emperor Junlinson took command of the village almost as soon as he arrived and instituted some reforms to rebuild the village's fighting force. By enforcing a policy of the fighters getting a larger share of the food, the emperor allowed the fighters to rebuild their strength and gained many new volunteers. There was some resistance to this policy, but even back then the emperor was fully committed to his idea of the greater good, and he dealt harshly with any protests. When the the bandits next came they were met by a much stiffer resistance than before and were forced to retreat.
Since one village didn't have the people to drive out the bandits for good, the emperor travelled to nearby villages to discover if there were others willing to join him. He was disappointed to learn that the other villages were in an even worse condition. With the help of some of the warriors from Deiran Bay, the emperor took over the other nearby villages and began work to create the beginnings of the imperial army.
With an expanded force the Emperor was able to drive the bandits from the area and he set up guard towers to keep watch for any new raiders. With security sorted the Emperor turned to improving the food supply. With less hands available due to the need for defenders, Emperor Junlinson organised the villages so that they became interdependent, having each one focus on the crops and animals they were best suited to supplying. As food became more plentiful the Emperor was able to reduce the difference between the food allocated to the fighters and those who worked to support them.
The emperor's next project was to begin a school to educate the children in the villages. This met fiercer resistance than than his other changes as the time the children were being taught to read and do sums was time they could have been working in the fields. Only the intervention of an elderly cleric who voiced her support for the plan prevented a rebellion against Emperor Junlinson. The emperor served as the first teacher himself, splitting his time between the school, training his army, and settling disputes.
As the villages grew more prosperous the emperor reintroduced the idea of exchanging metal tokens of a fixed weight for goods rather than relying on barter. While commonplace now and before the demon attacks, the concept had fallen out of use while people were struggling to get by. These early coins were far simpler than what we use now and the concept took a while to catch on, but within a few years most transactions involved the use of coins. The combination of prosperity and an easily transported store of wealth naturally attracted thieves so the emperor created a series of laws and punishments designed to deter them. Many of the new thieves came from outside the villages and fled outside the region claimed by the emperor when they were seen stealing. In order to address this issue, Emperor Junlinson began expanding the villages' sphere of influence.
Diplomacy and trade were the emperor's weapons of choice in this expansion, with the leaders of nearby settlements invited to see the prosperity of the villages for themselves. Most joined the expanding empire willingly as the benefits were clear to see. A few settlements refused to join in working for the common good, preferring to harbour criminals or taking advantage of the work of the army in clearing out bandits without contributing anything themselves. In these cases the emperor was unfortunately forced to resort to use of the army.
Unwilling to risk his forces unnecessarily Emperor Junlinson would position his forces out of bowshot of rogue villages and then personally infiltrate the settlement to weaken it's defences. The emperor's infiltrations did not always go to plan. On several occasions he was discovered and the alarm raised. At such times the army was under orders to attack while the defenders were distracted by the emperor. During one such attack the army arrived a bit slowly due to the marshy ground around the village. When they arrived they were amazed to find the gate open, and the emperor injured but standing with the bodies of the village's defenders lying around him. Word of the emperor's prowess spread quickly after this, and it was not unusual for bandits and renegade settlements to surrender almost as soon as they learned Emperor Junlinson had arrived.
With the beginnings of the empire expanding to the west, the emperor was obliged to delegate some day to day tasks. This included creating the first Regional Governor and the post of commander of the imperial army. The hardest role for him to relinquish was that of teacher, and he did so only he realised that he was needed on the frontier.
Unlike rulers from previous ages, the emperor is not one to rule from an oversized, lavish palace and allow others to do the work. Once he was satisfied that the governor was able to handle matters, Emperor Junlinson took command of the forces at the forefront of the empire's expansion, and he has remained in this role to this day, only returning to the capital when his presence is urgently needed.
Education
Althought he has refused to divulge where he acquired his vast knowledge, there can be no doubt that Emperor Junlinson received an incredibly broad education. In addition to his training with weapons, he has taught healing, smithing, and even farming techniques long lost the people of this continent. While not a magic user himself, his knowledge of arcane theory is such that even the senior imperial mages will request an audience to consult with him on obscure matters of magic.
Morality & Philosophy
All for the greater good. The emperor firmly believes in the concept that the needs of a land outweigh the needs of an individual. That is not to say that an individual is unimportant, but if there is a choice between sacrificing a small number of people's happiness to save thousands then he won't hesitate.
Earn your place. Nothing comes free, and only through having to pay for something do we truly value it. This concept is why the emperor choose to implement in the empire's caste system, ensuring that everyone understands that to enjoy the benefits of being a citizen you have to earn them. Not one to rest on past glories, the emperor applies this principle to himself, believing that he must be constantly working to improve the empire in order to earn his place as emperor.
Social
Family Ties
The emperor has made no mention of his mother, but occasionally mentions his father Junlin whom he describes as being a brilliant wizard. The emperor has also occasionally mentioned several siblings, including a fierce rivalry with his brother Rion. Given the emperors extraordinary lifespan it is unclear whether any of these relatives are still alive or if they had a more regular lifespan.
Despite repeated requests by his senior adviors during the early years of his reign the emperor has never married or had children. Given that we now know that the Emperor does not have a regular lifespan this decision makes considerably more sense than it did when his advisors were concened with ensuring his legacy could be carried forward into the future.
Current Status
Ruling Dalthion
Species
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Undying Ruler of Dalthion, The Prophet of Truth, Defender of the Restored Races, The Elfbane Warrior.
Age
At least 150
Date of Birth
14 Ling
Children
Gender
Male
Hair
Blonde, long
Height
6'2"
Aligned Organization
Founded Settlements
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