House Aurelius
When the name Aurelius is spoken, it is in that name that every Vatian that ever lived and will live will always remember for they are the ones who are bound to them by fate and will be long after their bloodline fades to ash. - From the book "History of the Vatian Empire"
Structure
The is always run by the eldest living member of the family wether it is a man or a woman and do what they must to keep the family alive.
Public Agenda
To preserve the Vatian Empire and remain in power.
Assets
As the leaders of the Vatian Empire they are able to have all of its resources under its control. Along with the Imperious Oculus , their own personal spie network that is solely loyal to them. Along with the Obumbratio Ortis , their own personal assassins to silence their enemies when the need arrives.
History
According to records that that are keep by the family, it is said that the house was created by Aurelius the Wise, a prominent military leader that rose in power in the city state of Vatia before the founding of the kingdom of Vatia. He would would be instrumental in its laying its foundations and its expansion into its neighboring lands. Even after his death his families influence would grow over time until his descendent, Marcus the Great would be named king in the newly formed kingdom and their they would rule for centuries. As time went on so did the ever growing power that was given to the bloodline of Aurelius with every conquest that they achieved successfully. Until finally see how great the lands that they controlled official created the Vatian Empire and creating a bloodline of Emperors and Empresses. But with such power that they had created many enemies both foreign and internal that would seen them destroyed. With is why they turned their simple spy ring into an intelligence network, only referred to as the Imperious Oculus and would always have all the current news from all over the land, giving a few moves ahead of everyone before they even realized. But from time and time again the blood of Aurelius has know to be much of a cursed bloodline as much as a blessed one. Tragedy and misfortune have been known to plague them as well. From betrayal to curses, it seems to never leave their side. While are given greatness other receive misfortune whether they were a emperor or not. It even influences the empire leading to uprisings, invasions and civil wars. Even the very emperors and empresses that sat on the throne were destroyed by their own ambitions and desires, and in doing so lead to the empire to ruin. But luckily that their have been more productive leaders of the family that live to the empire remain standing. As long as they are not killing each other for power, since family member are often given the highest offices in the empire to secure the power of their house. After all when playing politics in the empire one must be able to pull the right strings or your might end up strangling ones self if they are no too careful. Of course when their is a family feud going on between them it makes it look like a hurricane tore through the place.
Family Feuds
By being the most powerful family in all the empire, politics are at the center of daily life in the family. Which can lead make them their own worst enemy, especially when your trying to get in the good graces of the ruling monarch who you are related to. Which can often lead to infighting amongst one another. They will resort to any form murder to blackmail to be at the top of the food chain and those don't make the cut often leaving the house to start a new one. But these event only happen when there are too many family members that are in the capital. Which is why a smaller family is much more manageable than a large one.Politics
When in the political scene that is the capital, one must be able to learn fast in order to be ahead of everyone else that is trying to do the same. The Imperious Oculus is there for that reason, to keep an eye out for all the enemies that stand in their way. But when spies are not need, a persuasive mouth and knowing when to bluff can take you a long way in the imperial court. Its also the only way to keep themselves in power and not have anyone else have influence over them. Which is why family members hold public offices to keep appearances and have control over the situation.The Civil Wars
There have been only tree civil wars in total throughout the history of the Vatian Empire But all of them had one thing in common, the Imperial family was at the center of them all. Alexios Septimius Aurelius would be the first to cause the First Vatain Civil War with his umdiputed power that came as emperor at this point in time. But eventually it would lead to his down fall and would lead to a sudden drop in their influence for the next few decades. It would set empire back as well since the entire region was torn apart. Several centuries later the empire expanded greatly at this time after the Altri war end. But was leaderless with the death of the 49th emperor Tiberius the Holy from battle wounds he received after slaying Saladin the relentless in the battle of Tenar Plains. He never appointed a heir before passing. Leaving his three sons left to fight over the throne. Usually the senate would decide on who would be in power in case like this, but they were in a deadlock as well with each son favored by a third of the senate. No one knows exactly who struck the first blow that started the war but it would lead to twenty years of war. By the time the dust settled only one remained. The youngest of the brothers, Titus the lesser would reign a turbulent time for the next twenty years leading to a decrease in imperial influence during this time. The third civil war would happen another few centuries later, but it would only last a month. It all started with the crowning a Alexander, also known as the mage emperor. But due to the lack of understanding of magic and segregation of all those who were born with it, many quickly rebelled against him. It was right outside the capital were the first and final battle would take place. It was said that Alexander only face thousands of soldiers ready to strike him down a moments notice. But his magic showed to be far greater than the entire army before him. With a great show of his power, they quickly bowed down and swore loyalty to him. Surprisingly only one causality was reported from the entire battle. Its one of the senators who opposed him and he died from a heart attack that was said to have been caused by fright.The Golden Emperors
The golden emperors were some of the greatest emperors and empresses that were praised as fair and just rulers during their reigns.- Alexander the mage emperor: Known for creating the Imperial Academy and creating tolerance and understanding of magic
- Agrippa the wise: Known for is wisdom and used it to bring the empire through trade and scientific advancement
- Marcus the dauntless: Know of the courage and his many conquests to expand the empire and gain many riches as well
- Felex the Hammer: Known for fight of the enemies of the empire even though he was often outnumbered snd somehow surviving them all
- Attia the Beauty: known for her great beauty and her understand of politics and supporting the arts and bring forth a cultural revolution
- Amilia the Tempest: Known for her role as the first warrior woman of the empire and improved trade across the empire
- Octavia the Sliver Tongued: known as one of the greatest politician of the empire and helped reforms to better stabilize the empire
- Tiberius the Holy: known of his piousness and unified the faith of the The Spirit and Flame , along with saving the empire during the Aldri War.
- Gaia the Just: known for being just ruler and insured that all laws of the empire reached everyone no matter their status
The Black Emperors
The worst of the worst that ever sat on the throne, they only cared about their own ambitions and desires than care about the empire and its people.- Alexios the Bloody: known for his tyrannical rule and his ruthlessness
- Sextus the Mad: known for his madness and his sadistic attitude they lead the empire into a dark age
- Clementius the Cruel: known for murdering and torturing his enemies, along with anyone else who threatened his rule.
- Brutus the Shadow: known for worshiping the Forsaken gods and the creation of the Obumbratio Ortis
- Hector the Cursed: known for being a Vampire and lead a vampire revolt in the capital
- Helena the Viper: known for poisoning her husband and using her powers as empress to corrupt the goverment
- Lidea the Devil: known for being obsessed with staying young and beautiful and was known for disfiguring women that were prettier than her
- Lucretia the thoughtless: known for her lack of understanding of the world around her. Often had constant affairs and spent outrageous amounts of money
Current Family Members
Tiberius : the current emperor of the Vatian Empire. He was once a great man during his youth but with time he slowly left the political scene and has become isolated from all those around him. Leading to weakened state of the house as those who call them friend take advantage of their weakened state. Leonidas: The oldest son of Tiberius and the crown prince of the empire. He his often believed by the people to be the next great emperor of his time since he is a charismatic leader and a great warrior that often is seen on the frontlines with his men in the thick of battle. But his lust for glory has often lead him in the most difficult of situations and might get him killed one of theses days. Argos: the second son of Tiberius and sadistic sociopath to boot. Argos is a spoiled and sadistic child that views the world as his play ground and considers people besides himself as inferior. He had to be escorted out of the capital just stop the scandals from piling up. Jessara: The only daughter of Tiberius and the youngest of the family. She is said to be the most beautiful woman in all the empire, but what most people don't see is that see rather alienated in her family. Along with being isolated from people around her since she has very few people to interact with. She has little understanding of what goes on around her as well, since she has not been properly taught the ways of politics and workings of the empire.Distant Relatives
According to marriage certificates their a few house in the empire that share their blood and have a distant claim to the throne. These houses were created by siblings the broke away from family to start their own houses and from women that were married off for political reasons. But many of theses houses are extinct and very few of them remain.
Carpe Diem (Seize the day)
This crest was adapted when they became royalty during the kingdom and the empire. Like most imperial standards a falcon is at the center of the crest. It has a crown over its head to show that they were chosen to govern, along with a sword and torch in its talons. The sword is to vanquish its enemies and the torch is to guide the people no matter how grim the situation they are in is. As for the shield on its chest it represents protection to all those mean them harm. The cross is a commonly used symbol for imperial authority. The reason why the falcon has two heads instead of one is because it represents the duality of their family for they can bring good into the world as much as wicked things as well. The purple represents royalty and the yellow represents loyalty. The laurel represents glory for past achievements.
This was their family crest during the time before they became royalty. With the keys representing the unity between them and the state and that they need one another to protect the nation from all threats. The yellow means loyalty and the green means safety.
Founding Date
1634BCA
Type
Political, Family
Alternative Names
The Imperial Family
Demonym
Aurelius
Family Leader
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Related Professions
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
Very nice article!! Did you make the flags yourself? They're very pretty :D