The Imperium
Matrod Ral – founder of the imperium and a Spectral Mage
Years mentioned here are in YI (Year of the Imperium) and BI (Before the Imperium)
The First Imperator
The Icarthian Imperium was founded by a man named Matrod Ral in the year 1 YI, when he was just twenty‑two years old. Imperial scholars recorded that four years earlier, in 4 BI, he appeared as if from nowhere—dressed in rags, with nothing to his name. He quickly inserted himself into local politics in the city‑state of Icarthya and rose to power within months, causing a seismic shift in the city’s political landscape. Some saw him as an outsider, others as dangerous, and still others whispered that he was Plagueborn, one of the undead. By this time, three major plagues had ravaged Adalalcas, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Several attempts were made on his life, but each time the assassins failed and mysteriously disappeared. He soon made a name for himself among the other city‑states, who were at war with Icarthya, and he had the audacity to insert himself into their political arenas as well. By then he was already infamous, and not well liked, particularly by the patrician class.
Through sheer will and force of character, Matrod forged the Imperium from the fractious city‑states that dotted Adalalcas.
For centuries, as those city‑states grew in number and their territories and resources dwindled, wars had wracked Adalalcas. Not since the infamous conflicts with the Nephilim—the first of which occurred in 6452 BI—had so much war been visited upon the early Icarthians. Despite the odds, Matrod Ral arrived in the midst of these conflicts at the age of eighteen and, instead of conquering, persuaded the warring states to join his cause. A united Imperium took shape. It took him four years until the final treaty was signed in 10 BI, but he achieved the impossible.
Magical Abilities
It was not until years later, during his rule as the first Imperator, that his magical abilities became widely known. Several times he was forced to use his powers to defend his fledgling Imperium. By then he had gathered several viral mages into his retinue, which instilled fear in his enemies. However, they soon learned it was Matrod himself they needed to fear most.
Though he reportedly always sought the path of peace, there were always those who wanted war. In 5 BI, Matrod Ral was forced to defend his people from attack—one of many assaults that would devastate the young Imperium. Negotiations had failed with the southern kingdom of Paldan. The rogue kingdom rose up against its prospective imperial master, and Matrod marched his legions to war. It was the moment he became a conqueror in truth, and it was said that in the days following, he wept in private. Many scholars dismiss these reports as propaganda spread by his enemies.
The Paldanars proved deadly, and the final battle was nearly lost when the young Imperator revealed his secret: Matrod Ral was a spectral mage. Leaving his viral mages behind, he marched alone to face the Paldanar force. He intended to send a message to all who would bring war to Icarthya. Lightning decimated the desert warriors, and whirlwinds hurled ranks of bowmen and spearmen into the air as Matrod strode ahead of his wounded forces. A greenish actinic light was said to have covered him from head to toe as he unleashed his wrath. The Paldanars eventually surrendered, and ancient scholars reported that Matrod forgave them, exacting no punishment. The Imperium marched on, though many more wars and several rebellions would follow before they finally waned.
Who Was He?
Matrod’s true identity, which he later revealed to imperial historians, was Ralan Nalrost, son of the infamous Rasnal Nalrost and Astra Dar. Ralan had died alongside his mother in 79 BI, but due to the spell wrought by his father, he was reborn in the year 22 BI. Historical reports mention another side to him—a darker side—glimpsed only by those closest to him. It was said he was tormented, and that something foul inhabited his soul. Despite his efforts to convince the scholars of the time of who he truly was, his claims were dismissed as madness and never recorded in the official imperial histories.
However, one historian, Gazboh Warnot from the southern deserts of the Imperium—possibly Ancyra—did believe him and recorded his words. This document was unearthed from the lost archives by Aiyana Todralan centuries later, though it would be several decades before it became widely known. His time as Matrod Ral was his first rebirth; his second would not occur for another 717 years, when he was reborn as Taver Wyn. It would be decades more before he reclaimed the name Ralan.
Determined to restore the Icarthian people and undo the damage his father had done, Ralan—though better known as Matrod Ral in that era—formed the first Icarthian empire, which would become known as the Imperium.
Black Palace
Formerly known as the White Palace, the new seat of the first Imperator was renamed the Black Palace due to the terrible death and destruction that occurred during Ralan’s first life. He set about reconstructing both people and empire, rebuilding relationships damaged throughout the world, for Nalrost’s spell had spared no one.
During the early years of the Imperium, the plagues were constant, and the undead were born in great numbers. This inevitably led to conflict with the living, and Matrod was forced to fight to hold the Imperium together. The first imperial mages served under him, the most notable being Beezer and Lyrin, whose names would echo through history.
Though trust slowly developed between the undead and the living within the Imperium, there were always those who sought to undermine it. One such figure was Rogan Felps, a Zalanthian renegade from the north who had settled in the new Imperium. The Zalanthians had largely vanished two centuries earlier, becoming the inhabitants of the infamous island of Atlantis. However, a few remained loyal to their old customs and homeland. One such “custom,” though calling it that is generous, was their hatred for Icarthians. The Icarthians had attacked northern Adalalcas in the distant past, killing and enslaving hundreds of thousands. Twice in the previous two hundred years, the Icarthians had invaded the north. Some Zalanthian holdouts refused to relinquish old hatreds, and Felps was one of them. He was also a zorast, an acolyte of the unholy Grim.
Assassination
In the year 17 YC, during an attempt to seize control of the Black Palace—believing he could then use the Imperium and its mages to restore the Grim to the world—Rogan Felps killed Matrod Ral. Where others had failed, Felps succeeded by becoming a trusted member of the imperial guard along with six others. However, he failed in his bid to take the throne due to the efforts of Beezer, and he later fled Icarthya. Years later, the Imperator’s son, Todral Ral, hunted down and killed Felps in retribution.
By this time, Todral was the second Imperator, ruling well into his old age. He founded the Conclave in honour of what his father had envisioned for the Imperium, and he began the long tradition of appointing Darkens after the manner of his father’s death.
The Purges
It would not be until the year 702 YC—roughly seven hundred years later—that the Purges began and the Imperium waged war against the viral undead. This marked the beginning of a false history perpetuated by the fanatical Exemplars, as the Icarthians gradually forgot their past. Matrod Ral, the first Imperator, was remembered, but his true name and identity remained forgotten until his return.
