The Courage of Ahraz

Overview

During the Autumn Equinox 386YE, Hazelelponi of the Shattered Tower asked the researchers at the Lepidean Library to investigate the life of the Emperor Ahraz and to "look further into the Auras and Courage surrounding Emperor Ahraz, so that knowledge gained may gird those who seek liberation, both tomorrow and in years to come". The request was linked to the ongoing attempts to liberate Asavea and the need to ensure that future attempts to free people were not affected by unsavoury auras.

Emperor Ahraz sat on the Throne from 324YE to 329YE and much of his official life was already a matter of public record. He was declared an exemplar of Courage by Isaac di Sarvos in Summer 378YE but his personal life is less well known and there has been longstanding interest in the Empire's only Freeborn Emperor - from both the Brass Coast and the Imperial Orcs. In 384YE, Vaclav Mladenovich Kosti, the Minister of Historical Research at the time ordered research into the names and lives of the honour guard of ten orcs interred in Ahraz' tomb alongside the Emperor's remains.

Birth on the Coast

Emperor Ahraz, was born Ahraz i Tamerlin i Guerra, a poor child of one of the poorer families on the Brass Coast. There is little record of his early childhood which appears to have been largely unremarkable. He was taken as the apprentice of a scrivener, Marats i Casta i Guerra, who seems to have acted as something of a mentor to the young boy, teaching him to read, to write rather than encouraging him to attend the local school as others would.

His teacher appears to have had a huge influence on the young boy. Ahraz always spoke of Marats with great fondness his entire life. He is quoted saying of him that "while my peers had their minds drowned in a choking sea of tedious facts, Marats taught me to sail a sea of infinite possibilities. He taught me that the people of the Coast are born free, and showed me how the world constantly clambers to take that freedom away. That we must fight for our Freedom with every breath we draw, or we will be lost."

Such rebelliousness was always likely to lead to trouble and so it proved. As he grew to be a youth, Ahraz had numerous run-ins with magistrates and the law. The Freeborn have always detested slavery, but by Imperial law it was legal at that time, and there were people who possessed orc slaves who would visit Freeborn ports on occasion. Ahraz was caught breaking the law, engineering the escape of slaves, on three separate occasions. He was considered a smart lad, quick-witted, eloquent and sharp-tongued, so if he was caught three times they were likely not the only times he made the attempt.

At his third trial, he received a huge fine of 8 thrones for his actions. According to the court reports, the size of the fine was set high because he obstinately refused to plead clemency for his actions and proclaimed that there was nothing in the Way that absolved him of guilt. When the magistrate asked him if he would repeat the crime given the opportunity he is said to have brazenly boasted that he intended to free every slave in the world and that he would permit no law of any kind to stand in his way.

The fine was effectively a death sentence. His family might have hoped to raise a few crowns, maybe even a throne or two by borrowing from other families, but there was no way they could possibly raise such a princely sum. The young lad's story would have ended there were it not for what some claim is a miracle. According to the legends, someone placed an empty amphora in the market place with a sign above it that simply read "A night of guilt-free sleep - 1 ring". The next day they took the amphora to the magistrates and used it to pay the whole of Ahraz's fine with the rest distributed to the poor.

On the face of it, Ahraz appears to have learned his lesson after that, certainly he never got in trouble with the Imperial law again. In practice it is clear that his brush with death had simply made the young firebrand realise how much more he might achieve if he took the time to plan what he was doing. He said of this time "The magistrates didn't impart Wisdom, but they did teach me the overwhelming importance of Ambition."

The Journey to the Throne

Ten years later Ahraz arrived in Anvil still burning with the passion of youth to change the world. He came alone at first, and took the Coast by storm. He was chosen as adjutant by one of the Freeborn generals by the end of his first summit, and by the end of the year he had rallied a large group of young, passionate, politically active Freeborn to his banner. Officially they ran a parador, called Freedom to Breathe, which became infamous for the extraordinary parties hosted by their Sutannir, an entrancing musician called Elaine i Casta i Guerra.

Unofficially many people started referring to them as the "Firebrands". It was meant as an insult, but they took it as their unofficial moniker. The group were beyond passionate, driven and utterly committed to their cause, they were everywhere, and involved in everything. They were active in Conclave, constantly pushing the Conclave to act. They raised controversial judgements in the Synod, and would work Anvil three times over until they found enough priests to vote for them. Ahraz later said of this time "We came to Anvil, determined that we would either save the Empire from itself or burn the entire rotten edifice to the ground. We thought we were gods. We believed there was nothing we could not achieve."

The Firebrands continued to grow in power, and there was talk that Ahraz or his scrivener might earn enough money to buy the senate seat for Madruga. Before that could happen however, the Orc Rebellion began. The rebellion had an electrifying effect on the Firebrands and transformed their political fortunes.

In response to the rebellion, the civil service presented briefings that described opportunities for the Empire to consider before each summit, offering a number of ways the Empire might respond to the growing crisis. At each turn the Firebrands argued passionately that the Empire should seek to make concessions with the orcs - they failed each and every vote. The Senate chose instead to tighten their grip on the situation, even sending armies to deal with the orcs. Each time the situation grew worse, and every time it did, political support for the Firebrands continued to spread.

By 324YE it was clear to everybody that the situation had become intolerable and that everything the Senate had tried had failed. On Friday night, an amphora was placed in the clearing of the Freedom to Breathe parador with a sign that again read "A night of guilt-free sleep - 1 ring". The next day, Elaine i Casta i Guerra, was elected senator for Madruga. Her very first action as senator was to raise a motion calling for an election to the throne.

Nobody was surprised when Ahraz stood for the title, but they were surprised by his speech. There were three rival candidates, all of whom delivered obsequious speeches praising the Senate and talking of how important it was to be a voice for the Senate, to reflect its wisdom.

Ahraz went last and chose a different path. He proclaimed the doom of the Empire and said that if it didn't change course it would be destroyed. He tore into the senators, lambasting them for every decision they had taken on the orc rebellion. He personally called them out by name, shaming them for the decisions they had taken, the crowd loved it, but it was very clear he was winning no friends where it counted.

Then at the crescendo of the speech he loudly proclaimed that if the Senate elected him to the Throne he would end the rebellion within a single year or stand down. The announcement thrilled the crowd even as it shocked them to silence. He dared the Senate to prove him wrong and claimed that if they didn't vote for him it was because they wanted to stop him from being proved right. Moments later Firebrands in the crowd began to shout his name. Stunned senators found themselves voting while surrounded by a crowd of hundreds all chanting for Ahraz.

It is well known that some of Ahraz most fervent opponents voted for him. The Varushkan senator for Miekarova, Ingra Colvaera, who detested Ahraz was explicit about it. She later told the Anvil press that she only voted for this callow youth because his arrogance demanded that he be given the rope he needed to hang himself.

Despite his triumph in the Senate, Ahraz came close to failing the second test. He narrowly survived a vote by the Imperial Synod to veto the Senate motion to appoint him. Senators who had been bounced into supporting him by the crowd turned their coats once the throngs had melted away. A rumour spread that Ahraz was a heretic, based on the fact that he was bonded to a rare Freeborn magical item called the Shackle of Freedom. This belt of chains boosted Ahraz's personal conviction and passion, allowing him to respond with a burst of passion to anything that might influence his feelings, (like a circlet of falling snow), but it had the unfortunate side effect that it concealed his aura from any attempt to read it, much like a Shackle of the Unvirtuous.

A hasty inquisition was passed through the Synod and Ahraz was compelled to appear before the Assembly of the Nine. They demanded he remove the Shackle and allow them to examine his aura. A winter mage duly broke the bond with the item, and his aura was read and the Assembly confirmed he was dedicated to... Ambition.

Unfazed by this unexpected result, one of the cardinals demanded to know if Ahraz had ever been dedicated to any other virtue. Ahraz is reported to have responded calmly and said "I have been dedicated to many Virtues - the one constant in my life is my dedication to the Freedom, Prosperity, and Dignity of the inhabitants of the Empire." The rest of the inquisition passed without incident, the judgement to veto narrowly failed.

The End of the Rebellion

It was never officially confirmed, but is widely known that the Firebrands had already engaged in some diplomacy with the leaders of the Orc rebellion. Those who study the records believe it began when one of the Firebrands led a skirmish against a group of the rebels, shortly after the rebellion began. The group reported that the skirmish was a complete success and everyone assumed that all the orcs had been killed, but it is now widely assumed that the Firebrand in charge chose to talk to the orcs rather than kill them.

Contact between the Firebrands and the orcs increased significantly following his election. While most of these were between other Firebrands and the rebels, on two occasions, Ahraz himself was forced to miss a Senate session to take advantage of an opening of the Sentinel Gate to travel to an encounter with the rebel orcs. Rumours around Anvil were rife about what was happening, but his supporters pointed to the promise he made when he was elected and claimed that he was simply following through on his oath to end the rebellion personally. Armies led by generals sympathetic to Ahraz were in position to attack the rebels, but were on orders to defend.

After meeting with the rebels via the Sentinel Gate, Ahraz used defender of the Empire to seize control of the Granite Pillar, the only army near the rebels that was not led by someone in his sphere of influence. He announced that the Pillar and those armies in theatre with them would confront the rebels that season and end the rebellion once and for all. In a boisterous final session of the Senate, Ahraz informed the assembled throng that this would be the final battle of the rebellion and that the war would be over when he returned to Anvil. He was widely heckled by his detractors, but left looking triumphant.

As news of the campaign spread across the Empire, it became clear that the forces loyal to the Emperor had not, in fact, attacked the orc rebels, but had instead struck a deal with them. Rather than do battle, Ahraz had given orders for the armies to march, with the rebels, on Anvil. There was widespread shock when this news was discovered and disseminated and there was much talk of the Emperor being revoked or tried for treason.

Ahraz presented a treaty negotiated with the rebels at the very first Senate session. The meeting turned violent, weapons were drawn, and the session was somewhat hastily curtailed. The Firebrands spread out across Anvil looking to build support, while Ahraz' enemies tried to do the same. The situation remained volatile and tense all weekend, there were rumours of assassins sent to kill the Emperor, but that proved to be all talk. In a dramatic final session of the Senate on the Sunday the treaty passed by a single vote following a dramatic personal speech by Ahraz.

A second miracle appears to have occurred almost immediately following the ratification of the treaty with the rebel orcs. Emperor Ahraz and every single member of the Firebrands manifested spontaneous personal auras which have since become a matter of public record. "You feel empowered to free the downtrodden and oppressed from all who would keep them in chains."

A second inquisition quickly followed. This time Ahraz refused to remove his Shackle of Freedom, insisting that his dedication was a personal matter between him and his sutanir. There were public accusations that Ahraz was dedicated to Freedom which he simply refused to respond to. Instead he gave a passionate speech, talking about the shame he had felt all his life that so much of the Empire he loved had been built on the back of slavery. He argued that every coin in the Imperial treasury had been paid for with orc blood.

The culmination of his speech was a rousing defence of actions naming each of the seven virtues in turn and explicitly laying out why he believed his actions were Ambitious, Courageous, Loyal, Prosperous, Vigilant, Wise and filled him with Pride. He finished by reminding the Cardinals, once again, that the Empire was built on the Freedom, Prosperity and Dignity of its people and pointed out that the slaves they had personally kept... were still people of the Empire. He demanded they acknowledge that his actions in freeing them were in keeping with the founding virtues of the Empire.

The cardinals were unable to agree on a condemnation and the second inquisition collapsed without a verdict. Ahraz' enemies left the summit vowing to get even with the Emperor they believed had betrayed them, but the Throne, the Firebrands and everyone who had supported them left in triumph, their long dream of freedom for everyone in the Empire was finally a reality.

The Collapse

Ahraz' triumph in making peace with the rebel orcs saw the creation of a new Imperial nation and two new Imperial armies. It ushered in a wave of optimism for some who believed the Emperor's claim that the Imperial Orcs would strengthen the Empire. But it brought massive opposition from those factions that opposed the deal, most notably Varushka, Dawn and Highguard. The Empire quickly fell victim to political infighting, with heated Senate politics and constant accusations of disloyalty and a lack of Virtue. It did not help that Ahraz took to attending Senate flanked by a pair of Imperial Orc bodyguards who could not legally enter the chamber, but would escort him to and from the door.

Their Vigilance proved prescient and the young Emperor survived three assassination attempts from his political enemies in the years that followed. One of the attacks, a poisoning, failed to kill the Emperor but instead took the life of his beloved daughter, Liberty i Tamerlin i Guerra, who was only nine years old at the time. Ahraz was devastated by the loss and never fully recovered, but to the surprise of many, the Imperial Orcs were absolutely incandescent. It took the personal intervention of Ahraz to turn them back, after forty of them formed up fully intending to launch an utterly futile full frontal assault on the Varushkan camp where over two hundred schlacta were massing.

Ahraz struggled to reassert his control over the Senate and the Empire in the face of this hostility. If the years that followed had been quiet, it is possible that the Emperor might eventually have managed to do that in which case he could have gone on to reign for years and been one of the Empire's most Ambitious and daring thrones. Fate, however, was not kind and the years that followed would be anything but quiet.

The Freedom rebellion began during the second half of 324YE, when Crescencia i Marusa i Riqueza, a former ally of the Firebrands began to openly preach the heresy of freedom. Taking advantage of the closing months of the orc rebellion, she acquired several followers despite the overt opposition of the Synod. Her particular take on the false virtue of Freedom was that individuals should be free to do whatever they wanted without regard to the wishes of others.

She was shunned by the other Firebrands who loudly denounced her interpretation of Freedom. Despite this, the heresy attracted a large number of followers, many of whom were of the briar lineage. After several months the heretics began to openly call for the briar people to live apart from the rest of the Empire in their own state or nation.

While the Synod condemned Crescencia and her followers, Ahraz vetoed two distinct Senate motions to instruct the magistrates to round up the heretics, arguing that the Empire had just managed to free one people and that he would not allow them to enslave another group for their beliefs. Suffice to say that these actions did not endear him to the Senate or the Synod, but they were pivotal in preventing the Empire taking direct action to crush the heresy.

Within a year, Crescencia and her followers including a Dawnish general named Lord Geoffrey of House Casillon, seized control of several castles on either side of the eastern border between Semmerholm and The Barrens. They intended to use the castles to establish a briar free-state. Their coup was bloody, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers who refused to support the heretical cause.

The Senate raised a motion to declare war on the rebels, but to the astonishment of many it was voted down. Ingra Colvaera gave a long speech on the floor of the Senate insisting that the Empire must respond to this outrage but demanding that Emperor use the power of the Throne to declare war on the rebels. She claimed that he was secretly a supporter of Freedom and in league with the rebels and that the only way for him to prove his innocence would be to act to preserve the Empire he claimed to love.

Ahraz was unmoved and the session ended without a decision. At the next session, a united group of senators proceeded to publicly vote down every single motion, stating each time that the Senate would take no action until Ahraz had declared war. With no other choice, he did so at the last session of the summit. According to those present, he was said to have wept on the floor of the Senate as he did so.

The rebels were quickly driven out of Dawn and forced into the Barrens. There they established a tiny kingdom there called Montane and issued calls for briars, secessionists and "lovers of freedom" from across the Empire to join them. Ahraz was openly mocked to his face in Senate, by senators repeatedly asking him why he had not left Anvil to join them. Attempts by his allies to declare peace with this new kingdom of Montane were soundly voted down.

The inevitable Druj attack on Montane came in Winter 328YE and it was instantly clear that the briars would be unable to defend themselves. Desperate pleas were sent to Anvil begging for aid against the Druj. Three times allies of Ahraz raised motions offering to declare peace with the rebels and urging Imperial generals to help them. Each time the motions were soundly defeated. The Emperor's powers to veto a motion was helpless in the face of an openly rebellious Senate filled with many people who personally despised the current occupant of the Throne.

In 329YE, Crescencia and several of her closest followers were caught fleeing from the Barrens into Dawn. Several prominent members of the Firebrands were among their numbers, including Elaine i Casta i Guerra, a sutannir who had once been one of the closest personal companions of the Emperor. Their trial and execution on charges of heresy and blasphemy, signalled the end of the Freedom Heresy, but it was the final straw for Emperor Ahraz. Faced with a Senate that had made it plain that they would never accept his rule, and forced to watch as some of his oldest supporters were executed for being followers of Freedom he broke down and wept for a second time.

In a dramatic evening sitting of the Senate, he resigned the Throne to the public mockery of many of the senators present. He was met at the door of the Senate by an honour guard of Freeborn corsairs and Imperial Orc legionaries. The Orcs insisted on bearing the former Emperor to the Imperial Orc camp before he was allowed to return to his own people. There were wild rumours that they were taking Ahraz to a meeting of warlords to discuss an attack on the Senate, but if so then nothing came of it. Instead, the supporters of the former Emperor made their way to the Imperial Orc camp and spent the night there with the orcs celebrating the short reign of the only Freeborn Emperor.

Ahraz never returned to Anvil, choosing to go into seclusion in mountains of Kahraman. He died a few years later, at the age of thirty-seven (not forty-seven as is widely reported elsewhere). On his deathbed he was said to have the appearance of a man twice his age. Critics claimed his spirit was born down by his failures, but his supporters claimed that the passion of life had burned twice as brightly in Ahraz, but the price he had paid for that was to live half as long as any normal mortal being.

Ahraz had few friends in Highguard at the time of his death, and his body was interred in the Necropolis in an understated black marble tower - where he would later be joined by an honour guard of ten Imperial Orcs.

Legacy

Emperor Ahraz died in 331YE. He was mourned by few in the Empire outside the Imperial Orcs and the Freeborn. Even in the Brass Coast, feelings were mixed. Many were proud of their Emperor and those of the Guerra especially praised him for his passion and opposition to slavery. But many felt disappointed that his reign ended in infamy and blamed him for a political decline of the influence of the Brass Coast in the wider Empire.

Those who had backed him thinking that a Freeborn Emperor would put the Freeborn first were bitterly disappointed. There were even some who commented that he should be seen as the first Imperial Orc Emperor as he seemed to care a lot more about the Orcs than he did about his own people.

In the years since, the view of Ahraz has slowly shifted. In hindsight, it appears that many of the things that the Emperor spoke of came true. Bringing the Imperial Orcs into the Empire did strengthen them, just as Ahraz had claimed it would. The Empire renounced slavery and though his actions were contentious at the time, history has largely sided with the Freeborn.