Wars of Succession

With the death of a king some 500 years after the founding of Seleucar came a period of division and strife within the Empire that would be known to historians as the Wars of Succession.

See also: The Seleucarian Empire, Part 2: The Wars of Succession

The First War of Succession

The children of Valerias, Mycale and Catarin deSangre both were poised to inherit the Empire of Seleucar when their father died, without specifying an heir. Though Catarin was by far the more qualified of the two, the tradition of male kings was deeply ingrained within the citizenry and many were reluctant to see a woman rule.

Mycale had on his side Lucius Errikale, Duke of Seleucar and the highest of the Lords, as well as Castomira Brangwin, a duchess who held little political power but was influential nonetheless. Suppporting Catarin was Orin Grandier, Prime Minister of the Empire, and a man called Lucaine Pyramides, who had originally been hired as an assassin by Castomira but had fallen in love with his target, Catarin, and joined her cause.

The first war was entirely contained within the city of Seleucar, the fighting lasting approximately four weeks with the separate factions at a relative standstill. The Church, while holding no official political position within the Empire, was hesitant to back either successor, until a vision revealed that the true monarch would be the one to find the Staff of Nicator, thought lost hundreds of years earlier during the Black Wave.

This news prompted questors throughout Sapience to search for the staff on behalf of each successor, but for a long week there was no luck. But Catarin too had received a vision, and with Pyramides' help she made the perilous cross-city flight to the Kings' Tomb to continue her search. As Pyramides defended the entrance from Mycalian soldiers, Catarin searched for the staff, until finally, at the last moment, as Pyramides began to fear he would be overcome by the enemy, Catarin emerged from the tomb, the golden staff held aloft, the true Queen of Seleucar.

The Second War of Succession

Despite her clear victory in Seleucar, Catarin did not immediately ascend the throne. The death of her brother in the aftermath of the battles led her to declare a year of mourning, after which she would formally assume the duties of state. Had she known what lay ahead, she might have acted more expediently.

Castomira Brangwin had escaped the city unscathed, and went into hiding, pregnant with Mycale's son and with plans of reclaiming the throne. After the birth of her child, Parni, Castomira advanced upon Seleucar with her assassins, murdering many of Catarin's supporters as well as her beloved champion, Lucaine Pyramides. Catarin fled the city, and division again spread throughout the Empire.

While Castomira occupied Imperial Seleucar, Catarin began to gather support from across Sapience. A pivotal point was in Ashtan, where Castomira had gained influence over the king. In the city's annual Tournament of the Blades, however, Catarin surprised the city-state by personally winning the tournament, having spent the previous months in intense training with the Sentaari monks. Her success won the city, and soon after she found Shallam eager to join her cause.

Heading the armies of Ashtan and Shallam, Catarin prepared to make her final stand against Castomira. The power of the Staff of Nicator enabled her to create a great portal through which the armies could be transported instantly, and with this she was able to advance upon Seleucar with more speed than Castomira expected, taking her completely by surprise.

In a final, climactic duel between Catarin and Castomira, Three Moons, the broken sword of Lucaine Pyramides, came into one final play, as Castomira attempted to use the Staff of Nicator to defeat Catarin. The Tsol'teth evil that lay within Castomira's blood unleashed itself, battling against the will of Sarapis embodied by the Staff. A great chasm opened in the earth, spewing forth hot magma, distracting Castomira and enabling Catarin to make her charge, using the sword of Pyramides to take off Castomira's head.

Aftermath

With the death of Castomira, Catarin's place as monarch was ensured, and she ruled the Empire in a renewed era of peace, sometimes referred to as the Catarine Dominion. Parni was raised as part of the royal family, though in mysterious circumstances many years later he disappeared while his companions were brutally slain on a hunting expedition.

The Staff of Nicator was said to have been lost in battle, but in truth Catarin dropped it into the hole it had created, for in dying Castomira gave one final prophecy: that were the staff to fall into Parni's hands, therein would be the destruction of the Empire. But what came of that, and the later fall of the Seleucarian Empire, have been, at this point, lost to history.

Other notable figures in the Wars of Succession:

• Norij Gaston
• King Dalles VI