Olcadan of Dhund
Supreme Commander of the Great Juran Empire
The Great Juran Empire: A Hostile Retrospective
The University of Halewijn
Often titled the Hegemon, Olcadan of Dhund was the first and final Supreme Commander of the Great Juran Empire during the late Second Age, and possible ascendant, Material demigod. Under his rule, the empire lasted 202 years and extended across much of Materia's Gamma Quadrant, mainly the continents of Gondara and the Lorent, as well as thousands of adjacent islands.
Despite having possibly achieved demigodhood, Olcadan is confirmably dead with no known worshippers, placing him in a sort of pantheon of Departed Gods alongside Solonn, Gavvan Grimbold and others.
The Emperor's alignment is unknown but was likely Lawful Neutral or Lawful Evil.Description
See also: Olcadan of Dhund Image Gallery (External)Olcadan was a tall, robust man of Meranthic (human-enari) ancestry, a powerful spellsword and a cunning warlord. Frescoes and stelæ usually portray him in fine white armour, wiedling his mighty, magical falchion, the Ptarmigan.
Olcadan was inexplicably long-lived for someone of Meranthic makeup, living an estimated 295 years, which is considered old even for a pure-blooded enari or drow. He was a clever artificer, fond of ornithoptry and practiced at least one form of magic unknown to any other Waking wizard, which he described as Koldu'unic Sorcery. It's widely rumoured he had multiple personalities, sometimes drastically different in tone but all with the same insatiable drive to move and to conquer (and later, to suddenly return home).Background
As per his most common title, Olcadan was born in the city of Drumsport on the island-province of Dhund, a moderately populous island nation off the Coreëast shores of the Lorent. All but the vaguest, anecdotal records of his rise to power have been stricken from Jura's administrative histories (this would be a great deal easier if he was of common birth, which is the prevailing theory). Nonetheless he seems to have climbed rapidly in military rank over the course of only a couple decades, whereupon he unseated Jura's previous monarch in a bloodless coup of non-confidence.
Not long thereafter, Olcadan created the Conciliat Panharmonica, a council of thaumacrats who rule Jura to this day. Under the direction of Olcadan's advisors and with the assistance of the dwarves of Nibelheim, he oversaw construction of the extraordinary Holy City of Calm beneath the great peak of Margulis Mons. Much of this was done by correspondence as he marched his troops westward across the great archipelago, uniting nearly the entire Gamma Quadrant under the Juran banner.
The Empire
Save for a few holdouts that were more easily contained than conquered (e.g. Ket, Zvaal and the Autumn Isles), The Juran Empire controlled the vast majority of the Lorent, Gondara and their peripheries during its height.
Accounts vary on their rulership, likely all containing some truth depending on the disposition of regional governers. Setting aside issues with discipline among these lesser rulers, Olcadan's commandments were generally considered strict but fair. Taxation was high but graded; it was not unheard of for the Empire to grant tax reprieves during droughts and the like. Nonetheless many peasants buckled under the weight of the Empire's expenses. Criminality and corruption were dealt with harshly (to some scholars, overenthusiastically), but local customs were generally respected and criticism was even tolerated from the citizenry so long as it was voiced in the appropriate venue. Indeed, some enterprising locals benefitted from the increased resource flow across the continents.The Retreat
Inexplicably, and at the height of the Jurans' power over the archipelago, Olcadan ordered his Empire to pick up their stakes and return to their home land. It is hence the great archipelago is now called the Broken Empire. The reasons for this sudden retreat are perhaps the most hotly debated topic in historical circles on each side of the the Worldscar; at the time the Empire wasn't struggling any more than usual with battles or vassal uprisings, nor was Olcadan known to have achieved any particularly noteworthy goal in the months prior. Without knowing his motivations for the campaign in the first place—beyond a general conceit that the lands benefitted from his rule—this dilemma may never be resolved.
By all accounts, the former emperor died in his bed shortly after his return home to the Holy City of Calm.Nature & Possible Godhood
Theories vary on his nature, with some schools thinking him a minor, ascendant demigod, others a disguised Lichlord of Nireau or Alanthan'aravaut. One scholar at the University of Halewijn thinks him an Etiainen, and that his other personalities are in fact his past selves, which have partially survived the usual amnesia inherent in their arcane parabiology. Clerics of The Orphans often consider him the reincarnation of the great hero Margulis, the namesake of Margulis Mons. There is scant support for any of these theories.
While evidence for Emperor Olcadan's demigodhood is not strong, there are a few indications: the widespread awe the warlord inspired, his astounding longevity and the presence of divine casters in his inner echelons despite their apparent secularism.
If Olcadan was indeed an ascendant god, his divine alignment would likely have been Lawful Neutral or Lawful Evil. His domains would have likely revolved around lore, magic, tactics or society. He is known to have wielded a mighty falchion named The Ptarmigan.
Finally, the Emperor's possible godhood renders the story of his dying "of old age" to likely be a lie, since ascendant demigods are immortal. What, then, the nature of his disappearance is is a mystery.
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