Qerthéllnaval Alécia Riannan

Imperatrix of the Newcomers

Imperatrix of Qerthéllnaval

Qerthéllnaval Alécia Riannan will always be with us—her eternal spirit aching as she observes the ruins of the imperium. It is our sacred duty as the inheritors of her legacy to restore what was unjustly lost and rise from the ashes, renewed and unbroken.

— Méntav Aneste Eladré

Alécia Riannan of the House of Qerthéllnaval was the semi-legendary leader of the alchen, daughter of a goddess, and founder of the Imperium of Qerthéllnaval, who led her people's exodus from their old continent to the eastern shores of Lethea. Revered by some faithful of the Pantheon of the Dawn in her own right as a demi-god, Alécia's unnaturally long life and reign have had a profound impact on alchen history and society, even two thousand years after her death, as the imperium she forged stood proud as one of the greatest nations on the face of the world, its might rivaling even the great powers of today.

Saviour of the Alchen

Alécia Riannan was born into the world during a time of strive and hardship. Much of her homeland was suffering under rapidly deteriorating weather conditions as a great frost swept across the land, forcing thousands to seek refuge. Little else is known of the original homeland of the alchen in the far east save for the tales of Alécia—a child of Áliahia who emerged as the society around her crumbled apart. Her efforts to seize as many ships as possible and organise a grand exodus across the sea ensured the continual preservation of her people, saving them from whatever fate awaited those skeptical of Alécia's warnings.

Flag of Qerthéllnaval by Dhelian

Establishing the Imperium

When the alchen landed on the shores of Lethea, they proclaimed Alécia as the leader of their new imperium—a realm that united all that was left of their people. The Imperatrix founded the House of Qerthéllnaval and set her sights on securing a new homeland for her people. They soon discovered that the land that they had claimed was not as desolate as initially thought as the alcheni made first-contact with mankind. Both sides were deeply mistrustful of each other, believing the strangers to be a twisted form of their own kind—possibly the work of the aberati and their corruption.

Age of Expansion

Fearful that the existing human tribes and petty kingdoms that surrounded her people would eventually attack, Alécia Riannan decided to take advantage of the superior weapons and armour of her people and go on the offensive. The burden of keeping her entire species alive weighed heavily upon her, leading her to take decisive actions in order to secure their future. While she was curious about humanity and whether or not they were agents of the enemy, she ultimately believed that her people were too at risk of being driven back into the sea for long investigations into the hearts of men.
Tribe after tribe fell before the forces of the Imperium of Qerthéllnaval as the alcheni expanded rapidly across the continent, claiming vast amounts of land around the Great Saralian Lakes, the Stone Shore, and beyond.

Conciliator

As a result of her divine lineage, Imperatrix Alécia was blessed with an extraordinarily long lifespan, allowing her to reign and look over her people for centuries. The first few centuries had been filled with war and bloodshed as her forces claimed and conquered the lands around them. With news of Qerthéllnavali military might spreading among the humans, more and more of their desperate tribes and kingdoms sought to surrender and serve as they viewed resistance as futile.
The incorporation of human nations within the Imperium gave Alécia ample opportunities to learn more about humanity and their association with the aberati. Following years of extensive research, the alcheni came to the conclusion that humankind's hatred of the eternal enemy far exceeded that of the alcheni, swiping away the suspicion that those strange round-eared folk had ties with the aberati.

Pact of Brotherhood

The revelations from the investigation had caused a great deal of shame for Imperatrix Alécia, although she maintained a stoic stance in public, standing by her previous decisions and stating that the survival of the alcheni was of the utmost importance. To make up for the destruction of countless human tribes and the cleansing of various peoples from the core heartland of the Imperium, Alécia released a statement proclaiming mankind as equals to the alcheni and their brothers and sisters in the struggle against the aberati.
Emissaries were sent forth to various neighbouring human realms, including the Kingdom of Sarala, a prominent state that had emerged under the leadership of Tambet Käruli. Eventually Imperatrix Alécia Riannan met with the human king in Tälsi and the two of them formed a steadfast relationship which led to Sarala and Qerthéllnaval signing the Pact of Brotherhood, a treaty incorporated the kingdom into the imperium and introduced the alcheni to Haldjanism, the native faith of the Saralians.

Species

Alchen

Ethnicity

Qeréhi

Life

1266 BA 654 BA 612 years old

Family

House of Qerthéllnaval

Parents

Áliahia

Sex

Female

Eyes

Dark ruby red

Hair

Long, ashen blonde

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale white

Belief/Deity

Pantheon of the Dawn

Known Languages

Qeréhish

---