Rolus
Rolus was the warlord known as the "Red Eagle", who became emperor at the founding of The Empire towards the end of the Second Age.1
The Red Eagle
According to the Empire's own account, the five Priest-Kings who ruled over humanity shared a dream one night in which they saw a red eagle. In the years that followed they surrendered their crowns to a warlord known as the Red Eagle, who had protected humanity against rising threats, and pledged their allegiance to him. That warlord was Rolus. Although he came of a noble lineage, his surname was erased from history, and he was established as the unquestionable emperor.1
Elven sources tell a different story: according to them, power did not pass from the Priest-Kings to the Red Eagle peacefully, but through the might of Rolus's great legions.1
The new order
Powerful generals of Rolus were appointed to govern the four other great cities outside Marble City, and these newly founded noble houses were given powers befitting kings, since there was no other way to govern the Empire's vast lands. To prevent a tie among the four counts who would choose a new emperor should one die without an heir, a vote was given to the High Church.1
The line of the Red Eagle
No emperor has yet died without an heir, and the line of the Red Eagle remains unbroken; the throne passes by inheritance.2 In Imperial belief the gods granted the right to rule to the Red Eagle, and no human can take it back.3
Notes
Sources
This article draws on:
- SSGLands of Exile: Starter Setting Guide(Bad Badger Games, 2024), pp. 11, 33, 34
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