Emperor Nerovan the Mad
Overview
Emperor Nerovan the Mad was one of the most destructive rulers in the history of the Orethan Dominion, reigning approximately Year 595 Before Present. According to A History of Rislandia, he systematically dismantled every major institution of the empire — the Guild Council, the Senate, and the Church of the Great One — before declaring himself both emperor and spiritual father of the empire. His reign ended in mob violence approximately Year 589 Before Present, following a complete psychological collapse in the wake of the Great Sundering.
Background and Early Life
According to A History of Rislandia, Nerovan was the grandson of Emperor Aurelius. His father, the rightful heir to the throne, died under suspicious circumstances when Nerovan was twelve years old, likely by poisoning. From an early age, Nerovan was groomed and tutored by Sethran Corvus, a figure who would come to exert total influence over him. By the time Nerovan ascended the throne at age twenty-three, the sourcebook records that he was "already paranoid, power-hungry, and utterly in Sethran's thrall." His first act upon taking power was to appoint Sethran Corvus as his First Advisor.
Reign
Dismantling the Institutions
Nerovan's consolidation of power proceeded rapidly across the early years of his reign. According to A History of Rislandia:
- Year 1: He dissolved the Guild Council and arrested several guild masters on fabricated charges of treason.
- Year 2: He stripped the Senate of the Orethan Dominion of its legislative power and imprisoned senators who objected.
- Year 3: He demanded that the Church of the Great One swear absolute loyalty to the throne. When High Priest Gregorius refused, Nerovan declared him a heretic, had him arrested, and Gregorius subsequently died in prison.
- Year 4: Nerovan appointed a puppet High Priest in Gregorius's place, closed churches that preached against him, and confiscated Church lands and wealth.
- Year 5: He declared himself "Emperor and Spiritual Father of the Empire," required all citizens to worship him alongside the Great One, and ordered temples built in his own honor.
At some point during his reign, Nerovan also issued the decree disbanding the Crystal Guilds on the night of the autumn equinox.
The Great Sundering and Final Madness
Following the Great Sundering, A History of Rislandia records that Nerovan went fully insane. He ordered mass executions, demanded human sacrifices in an attempt to restore magic, and sent soldiers to "purify" the capital city by burning it. The Church of the Great One was further destabilized during this period; Bishop Marcus the Faithful is recorded as having refused to serve Nerovan's puppet High Priest, reflecting the broader ecclesiastical resistance to Nerovan's religious impositions.
Death
Approximately Year 589 Before Present, a mob stormed the imperial palace. Nerovan was dragged into the streets and torn apart by the crowd, ending his reign of roughly six years.
Legacy
Nerovan's reign is recorded in A History of Rislandia as a period of catastrophic institutional collapse for the Orethan Dominion. The dissolution of the Guild Council, the neutering of the Senate, the persecution of the Church of the Great One, and the disbanding of the Crystal Guilds together contributed to the conditions that would define the Shattered Empire era. The role of Sethran Corvus as the power behind the throne remains a subject of particular note in the sourcebook's account of this period.