Empress Miera

Vardania's Iron Lady

Let them call me traitor or harlot all they want. Those without power tend to scream the loudest after all. Why should I waste my time dealing with ants? I have an empire to rule.

There is no shortage of powerful or influential women in Vardanian history. Be they idols worshipped by all or monsters cursed to oblivion, the three millennia following the First Dawn, have seen many a female ruler enter the annals of history. Miera Valerian is perhaps the most difficult to define. Iron willed Empress that kept a world-spanning empire together for over a decade? Or treacherous harlot that brought down one of the greatest nations the world had ever seen? To this day, Vardanians fight over which image is the true one.

History

by Oskars Dzenis

Of Rhovarin descent, Miera Valerian, born Hegaris, came into the world on the 2nd of Febris 2180 DA. While her future husband was busy consolidating his rule over the Hegemony, Miera experienced a rather uneventful youth in the Northern Reach. A member of the lower nobility, she followed many of her peers by joining the empire's civil service. Through a mixture of brilliance, dedication and intrigue she rose through the ranks, becoming general inspector of the northern Reach by the turn of the century. While removing corrupt officials, she took care to redirect some of their confiscated wealth toward her own family. Dutiful she may have been, but family always came first.

by Martin Deschambault

She met Eugeron when he visited the province in early 2203. Three months later, she was sitting at his side as Empress of the Hegemony. True to her ambitious nature, it didn't take long before she began to assert her authority. Tensions rose, particular between Miera and Eugeron's oldest son Gordian. An increasingly hostile feud developed that only intensified with the surprising birth of Metachares in 2208.
When Eugeron died on the last day of 2209, Miera wasted no time. Within hours her son was proclaimed Emperor Metachares I. and she made Imperial Regent. This act is commonly seen as the cause of the War of the Seven Princes as both Gordian and his younger brother Eugenius would rise against her. The war would see her use the realms various warlords like puppets, pitting them against her enemies and each other, removing those she deemed a threat to her reign. Absolute ruler in all but name, Miera took great care to steer her "allies" in the directions she wanted. There were, however, occasions when even she was played. Crushing usurper after usurper into dust, she would eventually find her end at the hands of Seron the Red. On the first day of the year 2221 Vardania's Iron Lady died, blood and life streaming from her cut throat.

Characteristics

Physical Appearance

Considering the myriad of writings on the Late Valerians even the most eloquent of authors will struggle to find a word the Empress hasn't been described with. The descriptions paint her as anything from a vicious harpy to a mesmerizing angel with the truth probably lying closer to the angel side. Even her greatest detractors cannot deny her a certain beauty, even if they try and explain it as the result of magic or alkemy. Tall with a curvaceous body, a round face whose centre were two piercing pink eyes, it all topped by a mane of silvery-grey hair that flowed down her back like a curtain, it is easy to imagine that in the right light she must have looked akin to a goddess made manifest.

Personality

Her personality could be considered less pleasant. Miera was not known to be someone that wore their heart on their sleeve. Emotionless features hard like steel, the very picture of a Vardanian. At best there would be glimpses of emotion in the vastness of her eyes and slight movements of her lips, be they in annoyance or some form of vicious happiness. Behind it worked a mind that, while not truly brilliant, was definitely ahead of the curve. Problems and more often than not "enemies" would be tackled methodically and with utter ruthlessness. Mercy was not really a word the Empress liked to use, at least if circumstances permitted it. While she was a schemer at heart, she was not known to lie. If you found yourself at the other end of one of her schemes and "betrayed" she most likely told you your eventual fate already, just with words that could be interpreted one way or another.
While she did care deeply about her family, it would be a mistake to assume her overly emotional when in private. Caring, but not overly soft-hearted. Loving, but not overly affectionate. And while her marriage to Eugeron was without a doubt a political move, the way she wrote about him in her personal accounts does indicate that she did care about him to some extent. Lastly and perhaps the only trait that matched her ambition and ruthlessness was her protectiveness when it concerned family. No one doubted that she was ready to go to the ends of the earth to protect those she loved. A most infamous example of this being the Princes War as the Empress fought not only to consolidate her reign but to preserve the Hegemony for her son.

I am not fighting this war for myself. To win this war means to secure my family wealth and glory for generations. My son is the rightful Emperor. No matter what that bullheaded fool and his rat of a brother have to say about it.

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Imperial Regent
Imperial Guardian
Empress of the Hegemony

Life

2180 DA 2221 DA 41 years old

Circumstances of Death

Killed by Seron Valerian

Legacy of the Rhovarin
As a member of the Rhovarin, one of Vardanias oldest surviving tribes, Miera could trace her ancestry back over several centuries. Although their kingdom was destroyed during the Feran Invasions of the 9th century DA, the Rhovarin did manage to endure and grow in Vardanias rugged north.
The name Rhovarin or Rhovarii, as they are known in old rhomeian, translates to Silver Men. It is easy to see where this name came from, seeing how silver is a common hair colour among them. Although often grouped together with other tribes under the umbrella term Vardanians, but have managed to preserve their own cultural identity.

I am not that hard a queen to please. Follow my orders and all is well. Defy me...and you will wish for one of Leechany's children to take you.

Damnatio Memoriae
The erasure of memory. Following the collapse of the 2nd Hegemony and the Great Interregnum, many historians wished to wipe the infamous Empress from history. A conflict within the academic world ensued that would take over a decade to resolve and at some points even require the intervention of the Third Hegemony's leaders.

by Viswanath Sundaram