Emperor Conrad II

Conrad II, later called Conrad the Conqueror, was an emperor of The Empire. He led the Imperial legions into the underdark and was the first emperor to fall in battle. He is still considered the greatest emperor of recent ages after Vaden I.¹

The Conqueror

Throughout history dark elven raiders had come out of tunnels under the earth to strike when and where they were least expected, and in the year before the campaign their raids multiplied. In 151 AVD Conrad II resolved to lead his legions into the underdark through the known tunnels wide enough to take them. With Archon wizards, longbeard dwarf miners, adventurers used to life underground and witch hunters of the Inquisition at their side, the Imperial forces struck swiftly at the drow cities closest to the surface. The emperor drew heavily on the experience and strength of the dwarves in this endeavour.²

The campaign, known as the Dauntless Crusade, wiped out the noble drow houses behind the raids and destroyed three drow cities. Its prisoners of war were brought to the surface and sold as slaves; among them was the family of the drow Sazz’rast Saveer.²³

During the campaign against the dark elves the secretive Sun Monks emerged onto the stage of history as an unexpected ally, wielding the power of the sun.⁴

Death at Dwarf Gate

A period of peace followed the successes in the underdark. In 158 AVD the powerful wizard Gelts made an attempt on the Emperor's life in the Marble Palace, which failed, but the attack was seen as a sign of great weakness, and some nobles openly rebelled.²

The loyal forces crushed the small rebellion. Afterwards Conrad II advanced with a small guard towards Dwarf Gate, where he found himself facing a formidable force hidden in mists by Gelts' magic. Believing that flight would have political consequences after so much chaos, he chose to stand and fight. His disciplined elite troops, soon joined by dwarven reinforcements, were close to victory when Conrad II was struck down by three cursed black arrows shot from afar.⁵

In Mürekkep ve Çelik

The campaign Mürekkep ve Çelik ("Ink and Steel") opens in Conrad's reign. He is a loved and powerful emperor, but the advance of technology and the growing wealth of nobles and merchants have weakened his hold over the nobility. Rising drow raids on the surface had led him to proclaim the first holy crusade, the first time the Empire struck beyond its own borders at the drow cities below; the campaign's heroes Castor and Leonard are veterans of that war.^{6 7}

On a journey to meet the elves the emperor stayed at the castle of a lord, where he practised swordplay with Leonard and gave him a suit of plate armour in the imperial colours. A lover of chess, he also played Castor and was checkmated, and Castor received important gifts from that game. His archmage was Loren Opsus.^{8 9}

When an explosion tore two towers from the palace in White City, rumour in the inns said that the emperor was dead. The church announced that neither the emperor nor his family had died, though it blamed wizards for the attack; a priest later said that a single unknown wizard had attacked the emperor and been stopped by his guards, and that the crown prince had also been attacked.^{10 11 12 13}

Later Castor warned his teacher Nocklin that an attempt would be made on the emperor's life at sunrise at the Dwarf Gate. An old teleportation circle at the Archon opened onto the great stone gate of Gazat Fortress, where the imperial forces were under attack, and the Archon's masters and senior students poured through to defend the emperor.^{14 15 16}

Spoiler: The emperor's last battleGösterAçık ettiği: Mürekkep ve Çelik #11; Mürekkep ve Çelik #15 · Ne okuduğunuzu söyleyin

Conrad watched from a rise with his sword drawn, and when the Golden Lion, his spymaster, said the line could hold no longer, he went down to the foot of the legion himself, saying that the soldiers would hold if they were protecting their emperor. Castor gave him his own spellbook to carry over his heart. When dozens of arrows hidden by illusion flew at the emperor, Castor threw himself in their path; one dark arrow struck Castor, but others reached Conrad, and he died. He was the first emperor in history to die on the battlefield, and no emperor has ever been raised from the dead. The Golden Lion fell beside him.^{17 18 19 20 21 22 23}

Years later, asked by the new emperor whether his father had fought to the end, Castor named three possible failings: the Golden Lion standing too far from the emperor, his own failure to act quickly enough, and Conrad's own choice to stand in the front line despite his worth.^{24 25}

Legacy

After the death of Conrad the Conqueror, the Archon Academy created construct guardians, tireless, unyielding and ever vigilant. The dragonborn of the Throneguard clan, close protectors of the emperors throughout history, are nonetheless still known as honourable protectors of the royal blood.²⁶