On the Collapse, an Alexian Account
This historical record was generously provided by Arvedur
Written by Varon Estarch, Professor at the Imperial Institute of Alexia
Although the Morosian Empire seemed on death's doorstep by the 8th century AR, its last chance for salvation came when the Vekon dynasty ascended to the Imperial Throne in 720 AR. By all accounts, even from those who despised them the most, the Vekons ruled diligently. Under the Vekons many vital reforms were enacted. Tiberius IV thoroughly reformed Morosia's armies into a heavily defensive force while Valon V would later finally finish the long overdue diminishment of kingly senatorial power from its greedy landowners. The Senate of Kings became only a place for those who wanted to feel important.
When the Daakhen Dresnids invaded the whole of Barakon, Valon V tried his very best to stop them. Due to several factors, he failed. To preserve the honour of the Imperial Mandate he decided to resign himself to self-imposed exile. Although many amongst the Dominion clergy say his resignation was purely religiously motivated. It has remained a rumour though, lacking much basis in fact. Without the Vekons, problems soon turned from bitter to catastrophic. In lieu of an empty throne, the bumbling senate tried to hold everything together. Due to monetary issues, they made the unwise decision to disband many of the northern legions. The imperial regions of Ismia at the time were a relatively peaceful and undisturbed region of the Empire so to the nearsighted senators, it seemed to be the correct decision, says Arovus the Younger.
According to Arovus the Younger, when these legions were disbanded chaos engulfed the north. The consequentially low security and weakened northern defenses allowed the Ailesian Horde, who routinely raided the Empire, to intensify their incursions. By 780 AR the Ailesians had started fracturing the northern frontier and many local governors began to declare independence.
The Ailesians were on the brink of causing total Imperial collapse in the north until Kaesus Anerchon, a local frontier commander, briefly stayed its collapse. In 782 AR, Kaesus Anerchon rallied the routing legions who had just been battered at the Battle of the Bloodied Ears. He ordered them all to paint a starry symbol on their shields, upon which Ecclesial Canon Diarchos claimed to have been the star of Denai. The reformed Morosian legions marched back towards the revelling Ailesian army and inflicted a crushing defeat upon them at Stellaver Hill. Unfortunately, Kaesus Anerchon lost his life in the battle. Unfortunately for Morosia, the glorious last stand was fleeting as the legions broke again as fast as they’d been rallied. At that point, the northern provinces which had remained Morosian soon declared independence one after the other. The final remnants of Morosia in the North died by 790 AR.
Meanwhile, the Thyzanti Empire sealed the fates of Morosia's southern provinces. If the situation wasn't dire enough in the wake of the Daakhen scourge, the Thyzanti Empire invaded the remaining southern provinces to reclaim their ancestral lands - so say many historians. In the East, the Aetian provinces and their governors popularly elected Valon V to restore him to the Imperial Throne. Valon reluctantly accepted, but when he heard about the chaos which consumed every corner of the empire, he decided to take up power from Alexia. In the ancient city of Alexia, straddling the Zenos Straits, Valon formed the Morosian government-in-exile with several influential nobles and governors - known to us today as the Alexian Empire.
On Moros, a senatorial regency was proclaimed in 792 AR in anticipation of Velon V’s arrival which never materialised. In 820 AR the entirety of Moros became enveloped in brutal civil war from different factions seeking to displace the Senatorial Regency with their own Imperial Candidate. It is said that by the year 843 AR the senators faced a losing war and realized Valon V would never return. Many senators along with their wives and children boarded transport ships with the majority of their possessions and sailed for Alexia. A storm of fate decided to have none of it and of the 60 ships that set out only 1 arrived in the Alexian harbour. The surviving senators handed the Imperial Regalia over to Velon V. In 845 AR the end of Morosia was in sight and although there was a legitimate government in Alexia, the senators who remained on Moros decided to sign a treaty called “The coalition of free Morosian states” which recognised the sovereignty of the squabbling factions and relinquished any claim to Extra-Morosian territories. The treaty was not signed by the Emperor in Alexia though and is considered by many in Alexia to be illegitimate.
Medium
Papyrus
Authoring Date
870 AR
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