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When the Phoenix and the Dragon were at war at the edge of the world a farm struggled to flourish, A farm belonging to the small family of Lionis. Here on this farm lived a man named Oros along with his wife Misha, along with their Seven sons Syros a strong warrior that longed for justice, Elbert a kind hearted soul that wished for peace, Gavin a man with a boys heart, Moseh who dreamt of far of places, Marius a wicked soul whom enjoyed games, James a stead fast farmer just like his father and Ivirth...the seventh son of the seventh son whos destiny was far greater then the life he was born into.

It would all start the day he met Kamla. It would be a day like any other, the boys working in the field the first few days of the cold season, while the great elder god Vramera started to stretch her icy wings across the land as she woke. As Ivirth struck the ground with his hoe it would hit something with a dull click, followed by cracking and the softest of breaths. The firsts words he would hear would be in his head "help me, its so dark" and Ivirth would know what he must do as he started to dig into the ground with his hands, uncovering a large box made of crystal. He would open this box to find a thousand more crystals inside and it was as if he felt he knew what he was supposed to do.

For a month he would labor away as piece by piece he would put together the broken crystals until he slowly slid the last crystal into place and light erupted though the farm, the crystal would start to vanish and in its place a woman of flesh and blood lay and she would tell Ivirth that the land finally has hope, the years of death and suffering where almost at an end, for it would be he who would lead them.

It would take years, but her words would soon come to ring true as the land would rise up at his call and a ring of peace would call within every mind, telling them that at long last the war was to end, that a king had been born and had come to age to lead them. Ivirth would address the land with Kamla...and the rest you know as history. Ivirth would take Kamla as his wife and together they would unify the land of Epsilon into an Empire that would span generations, and from them the line of Lionis was born.

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Beauty was never a rare thing to find within the Lionis court, everywhere you look you will find a maiden bedecked in jewels being courted or a wealthy widow in just the same circumstance. Wealth and beauty were interchangeable in the court until the day the Starlit Maiden appeared in Vesper. At first everyone questioned as to if they had seen the beauty, thinking that maybe she had been an illusion from the light, but when she appeared the next night and the next more and more visible. The Crown Prince at the time, Jared, would call out that the first man to find the woman and get her name would get his weight in gold... For Seven years this woman evaded everyone until she would finally show herself to the Crown Prince, but she would say nothing as she put her finger to her lips and vanished, a thin little bird in her place. That night the Crown Prince would dream of how to catch the stranger and that morning he would go out to the courtyard and whistle a dancing tune befitting of any and behind him would appear the woman, to which he bowed and asked for her hand, and she would agree.

Together this strange woman and the crown prince would have a single son, and on the day her child would be born the old king Syros I would pass away making way for Jared to take the throne. This mystery woman became the queen, and became known as the Starlit maiden as she seemed as radiant as the stars, she also became known as the Silent Maiden for she never spoke, never a sound. One day while Prince Syros II was walking the gardens he would hear a beautiful song and find that it came from the beautiful mystery woman. he would catch the last words of the song. He would then leave with the womans voice in his mind and it would drive him mad. So mad that he would start to mutter to himself and attack anyone whom got to close to him.

One night Emperor Jared would wake in the middle of the night to see his wife walking out of the royal chambers, he would follow her only to find her singing to Syros II...from that day on Emperor Jared would never be the same again, that morning he would be found dead upon the throne, three arrows in his chest...the murdurer was never found and Syros would become emperor and take his brothers widow, the Queen, as his wife. From then on it seemed as if Emperor Syros II became less deranged, on occasion singing could be heard from his chambers late at night and anyone who went to hear the next day would wind up going insane within a few days and attempt death...the only survivor, the Queen's Son Ivirth II, would give the only insight as to why they would try such a thing he would say

"I heard a voice and went toward it and before I knew it the entire world was gone and replaced by only the voice, a singing so loud with so many voices that they all sounded like one but that I could not make out. It was so beautiful and terrible, it was as if I was being told the meaning of why we where all here and I couldn't understand and I tried to hear what the voices where saying, what the song was singing, but the more I tried to understand the less I could tell"

The King, Syros II would pass away first in his sleep, and two days later after Ivirth II was crowned the strange Starlit Queen would vanish as well.

Empress Petra would be the first Empress to sit upon the throne of Lionis, and she would be the last Empress to sit upon the throne for 10 Emperors to follow. She was the granddaughter of Augusta Starling, the Starlit Maiden, and the daughter of the Ivirth II also known as "The Silent King".

Petra would grow up the eldest daughter of Ivirth II and with no male cousins she would be destine to claim the throne, and so ever since she was born she was groomed to become the next Ruler.

Trained in the art of the sword she was given over to Blackstone Academy, A School on Ethe known for the grooming of noble and royal children. She would prove great in her studies and when she returned to Lionis to take the throne after her fathers death she would become the youngest ruler to take the throne at the mere age of 12.

Despite her young age she would refuse council and advise, those whom thought it best to challenge her would find themselves in a duel where if they won they would become her husband if a man, or chief advisor if a woman but if they lost they would give up their titles and lands. When she was 18 an older man by the name of Lord Adrian would come to her from Zalto, he was a minor lord with no chance to become king anywhere, whos wife had passed away long ago. He was a kind and caring man whom was highly effected by Empress Petra's taxes on foreign product, having to give up 3/4th of his draw from the mine he owned. He suggested a tax break on goods to which Petra challenged him to a duel like all others before him, however this time she would fail. Again Adrian requested a tax break, not wanting to marry Petra... his request was granted, but his refusal of her hand had Petra confused and questioning, which would bring her to Zalto dozens of times to court Lord Adrian and eventually he relented.

Lord Adrian would become Emperor and within 15 years of marriage to the Empress Petra they would have 13 children, but that was when things in Zalto would turn dark at the rule of Sellux Abdaxor. Petra would take up the banner of Lionis and lead her army to Zalto with her eldest son, 15 at the time, at her side. Petra would fight Sellux and his army for several years but in the end she would be captured. In an attempt to keep Sellux from having any control over Lionis though her she abdicated her crown to her eldest son... sadly that was a mistake as her son would be killed on the spot. Sellux would send word to Lionis that if they wanted Petra to remain alive and well, Petra's second son would marry Melaia, Sellux's sister. Despite Petra's pleading her son would marry Melaia Abdaxor in an attempt to keep her safe... however Petra would be publicly executed two days after her second son's marriage to Melaia, but she would go down swinging, managing to grab the executioners ax and stick it into Sellux's shoulder, nearly cleaving his left arm off before he came up and executed her himself. To this day Petra's body has not been found however and rumor as to what may have happened to it circulate, from Sellux feeding it to his dogs, to the body being in an unmarked grave, But according to record when Igerna became Queen of Zalto she had Petra's body sent back to Lionis, but the body never arrived, leaving many historians to believe that the caravan transporting it was attacked and the sarcophagus lost.

Emperor Syros III
Broken Promises, Atonement, and Loyalty

Queen Igerna of Zalto would have probably been more angry about Emperor Syros marrying Casandra Jasper if it hadn't been planned by her. Casandra Jasper was born Peral L'enclos, she was the fourth cousin of Queen Igerna as Pearl could trace her heritage back to Isba Llewellyn, however as Pearl was born the fourth child and third daughter out of a group of fourteen children, Pearl chose the life of a Courtesan instead.

Queen Igerna still blamed Lionis for her Kingdoms suffering and she belived that the more Llewellyn blood that was on the throne of Lionis the better, and so she hired her cousin, Pearl L'enclos, to seduce Syros III. Pearl adopted the name Casandra Jasper and was placed in front of Syros III, he took an instant likeing to her. Eventually Casandra and Syros really did fall in love, and Casandra would go on to become the wife of Syros III, and upon Ivirth IV's death she became Empress. Soon after the marriage Casandra would have two daughters, twin girls, one of which would go on to become the Emperor Ivirth V.

Syros III wasn't a bad Emperor, the slums that had just began to grow in his fathers reign where brought under control and jobs where created. He created reforms and imposed more taxes on trade in order to lessen the taxes on the people, however this didn't bode well with Zalto and Igerna wanted Casandra to find a way to get Syros to lower the taxes, but no matter how often Casandra asked about it Syros refused to lower the taxes, and so in the end Igerna ordered Casandra to kill Syros III or Igerna would reveal Casandra's low status.

Fear that Syros III would no longer love her if he knew about her true bloodline, she would kill him in his sleep, Syros III ruled for twelve years, his crown passing to Ivirth V.

Emperor Desmond was the only child of Ivirth V, He was born to Ivirth V and one of the Emperors guards However he would be raised by Ivirth V and Artimis Llewellyn, he would grow in Wisdom and culture, but like his biological father Desmond would grow to have a love for swords, His wisdom combined with his Sword Technique making him a near perfect man for the role of Emperor as he was proficient in both words and battle.

His wisdom would bring about a curiosity to know more about his world, about not just Lionis but about the far north and east, West and even the South and the Badlands. During his youth he would travel all across Epsilon, fighting both men and beasts, those whom travelled with him would come back singing praises of his prowess. One day he would return from his travels with a bride, Morgan Ashe.

Morgan was a daughter of the Ashe tribe of Phobos, and when Desmond showed his strength in defeating every man sent to fight him the Chief offered his daughter Morgan (the Ashe tribe pronounced it M'orjean, but the Lionis say Morgan). But despite his marriage Desmond didn't seem to want to stay in Lionis long, and as he was still just a prince he had no need to.

It was on his last trip that his wanderlust would be sated. Travelling deep within the Kingdom of Bellris he heard beautiful singing and followed the voices to one of the thousand rivers where he found a group of Nesters. He had never come across Nesters before and chose to partake in their dancing and singing, and when night came he fell asleep amongst them only to be woken by a dark haired nester that dragged him away from the group...just in time it seemed, as horrifying screaming began to sound from behind them.

Desmond would bring this Nester back to Lionis, taking this woman- Elizabeth as his official Mistress in an attempt to prove that Nester's wearnt mindless beasts.

Desmond would be named Emperor when he was in his Late thirtys, his mothers passing away peacefully. He would rule without an Empress as after having two children by Desmond Morgan would return to the Badlands without warning. Desmond would not remarry however as he seemed happiest with Elizabeth. Desmond would have three children, two by Morgan and one by Elizabeth.

Elizabeth would have the child as all Nesters do. He would be born as an egg. Because of this it made Nester children very vulnerable and Desmond's older children, Charlotte and Vieri would attempt on several occasions to destroy it...It got so bad that Desmond would eventually have to lock the two up...to which his guards found out the worst offence, that Charlotte and Vieri where also lovers. Desmond would be forced to do something he did not want to do and he banished his two elder children....

When the Egg hatched Desmond and Elizabeth had a son, a future Emperor, it was difficult for Elizabeth almost all Nester children where Female, and Male Nesters where always killed....but Elizabeth tried. She would fight her instincts for the next two years, and when Desmond's two older children would return in an attempt to assassinate the boy Elizabeth would give her life to protect her son, proving that Nesters where not mindless.

In doing so Elizabeth would save her son from Charlotte and Vieri, alas Elizabeth would die in the process. Desmond would be unable to save his elder two children from judgement and using the Lionis Ancestral Ax "Justice" which had a diamond upon its handle blessed by the gods to cloud over if the ax was placed upon a persons neck when guilty of their crimes.... Desmond would publicly execute his two older children for regicide, attempted regicide, and incest. When the diamond clouded over his executed them and ordered their bodies to be thrown over the side of the world saying that "If one without noble or royal blood had attempted the same they would be executed and thrown over the side of the world without burial, My children tried to kill their younger brother and in doing so killed his mother- my official mistress who as part of my household is a princess by law. No one, not even royalty is excused from the justice that is the gods will, and so for such a crime even my children are not excused from the law"

Emperor Desmond would manage to live another ten years, teaching his son as best he could how to rule well. He would never take another wife or mistress and he would pass away after thirteen years of a peaceful rule, found passed away in his sleep.

At Emperor Cesare's untimely death Ivirth VI was left without a father and for the most part was raised by his young mother and dozens of governesses and servants. His mother didn't know how to act as Empress while her son grew up and she and her councilmen made dozens of very bad decisions that would lead to an unstable empire.

When Ivirth VI reached his majority and thusly was crowned Emperor he knew he was stepping into some trouble. Crime was at an all time high, homelessness and poverty where growing faster then it could be counteracted. The Slums became a growing concern and the underground was becoming more and more popular.

In an attempt to understand the peoples plight Ivirth VI would go amongst them for days and months on end, coming back to the castle and writing down what he saw in a journal. Due to these outings he would begin to slowly made a dent in the damage that was done, however it would be continue to be a struggle though his entire reign.

On one of these outings he would meet his future Empress, Vivian, a peasant girl living in the underground and working as a barmaid at the Blind Witch. Ivirth VI would mistake her for a prostitute and they would begin hating eachother, but over the next four years a friendship grew...and after ten years Vivian and Ivirth VI married.

The people where ecstatic but the nobility where more annoyed with Ivirth VI then ever before, most thinking that a Peasants blood mixing with that of Royalty was a sin and against the rule of the gods. But Ivirth VI would pay them no mind. Together they would work to restore Lionis to its former glory, but no matter how hard they tried they would be met with resistance as the growing slums grew faster then Vivian and Ivirth VI could help. In the end Ivirth VI and Vivian would manage to stall the growth of the Slums, but it was all they could do...as they knew that it would become a problem for future generations, but the could do no more, as after several decades of fighting Ivirth VI would pass away from unknown circumstances, and soon after so would Vivian, many believing that they where poisoned by angry nobility, but it has never been proven.