Arenicos Pethros was the last undisputed Emperor of the unified Calradic Empire and the former leader of clan Pethros. He was the husband of Empress Rhagaea of the Southern Empire and the father of Ira.
Background[]
His military exploits and careful stewardship slowed the Imperial decline that peaked during the Battle of Pendraic. Elected by the Senate to succeed the unpopular Drosios Neretzes soon after the disastrous battle against the Battanian and Sturgian coalition, Arenicos used the rift between the two tribes to end the war after a series of successful military campaigns as Emperor. Prior to ascending to the Imperial throne, he had a senatorial, competent and esteemed reputation — he served as one of Neretzes' most trusted subordinates and commanders. Viewed as the savior of the Empire, a cult had begun to worship him as a partly divine ruler. Arenicos was assassinated before naming his successor, which caused the Imperial fragmentation and civil war between Lucon Osticos, Garios Comnos, and his widowed wife Rhagaea.
Politics[]
Arenicos supposedly leaned traditionalist before his ascendancy as Emperor, and was a loyal subordinate of Emperor Neretzes, favoring the laws of the Senate while also climbing high within the military. It can be assumed that he was everything that the three Imperial factions separately stand for - beloved by the soldiers for saving them after the Battle of Pendraic, worshipped by the people and aristocracy for his competent and stable governance, and respected by the Senate for his conservative values and adherence to the law. Arenicos is broadly seen as the Empire's savior after Neretzes's folly-laden reign and was quickly nominated as his successor, ascending as Emperor with the full support of the Empire.
Legacy[]
Though he might have been a traditionalist before becoming Emperor, Arenicos's rule saw a drastic change in tone once ascending. He established an Imperial militia to serve as his personal bodyguard, an act which has the connotations of overstepping the Senate's authority. Further, when a people's cult began to worship him as the divine savior of the Empire, he turned a blind eye and permitted the cult to grow like wildfire — an action that likely frustrated aristocrats and senators alike. Nevertheless, he stabilized the Empire's foreign relations by securing an alliance in the east and marrying Rhagaea, daughter of a foreign king.
However, this happened when he wasnt yet Emperor. Their marriage lasted long enough to provide Arenicos one daughter, Ira, whom he began to educate himself. It is rumored that he was grooming Ira to replace him, and she was often present in imperial military campaigns learning the practice of war. Finally, near the end of his rule, the Emperor began to plan out how his successor would be determined. Before his decision could be made, he was found in his personal chambers mysteriously assassinated — causing an uproar that would lead all three factions of the Empire to launch their own bid to replace him: his wife Rhagaea with the aristocracy, Lucon with the backing of the Senate, and Garios with the support of the military. Thus, Emperor Arenicos is remembered as the last Emperor of a united Calradia, and his succession as the calamity that tore Calradia apart.
Possible Assassins[]
When Arenicos was found dead, the only ones in close proximity were the Vaegir Guard, which he himself had assembled. The Guard was expelled shortly afterwards and blamed for the murder. It is also possible that Arzagos, a former Bodyguard of Neretzes, assassinated Arenicos to destabilize the Empire. In Story Mode, when the Player is prompted to either reunite the Empire under their own banner, or give the reassembled Dragon Banner to one of the existing Empire factions, Arzagos will mount a conspiracy to topple any attempt of the Empire's return. This suggests that he would have had the resources and the motives to carry out the assassination.
- Rhagaea Pethros
Connecting some dots may lead us to believe it was Rhagaea's ambition that brought forth Arenicos' death. His death allowed her, a foreign princess, to ascend the imperial throne and strap the commonfolk to her cause, at the cost of alienating the Vaegir Guard. She blamed the guard and unified the masses behind her with the promise of avenging her husband's death. Taking into account the fact the southern clans are known for their ambitions to establish hereditary rule, contrary to Arenicos and Lucon's belief in senatorial elections. Taking Arenicos out of the picture allowed her to assume an active role in grooming her daughter Ira as a successor, not only to the Pethros clan, but to the empire as a whole. Since Ira is seen as too wild for her noble status, Rhagaea wants to change the path Arenicos set for her. Istiana also notes that Rhagaea is the cleverest of the Imperial leaders, which could be seen just as well as cunning. All these details can point towards Rhagaea's role behind her husband's assassination, being well within the realm of conspiracy but just as plausible as any other theory.
During the Battle of Pendraic, Penton's father Emperor Neretzes was killed by Olek the Old. By custom, the Emperor's son would normally succeed him after his death, but the Senate chose Arenicos instead; his army returning to the capital before Penton's ragtag forces of survivors. Most Emperors would then subtly cause their predecessor's son to disappear, but Arenicos made a gamble that Penton wouldn't make a move against him in the interest of Imperial unity. Perhaps that gamble didn't pay off. Perhaps, knowing that anyone claiming the title of Emperor after the previous Emperor's assassination would be suspect in their murder, Penton bent the knee to another Emperor who was sure to respect the Senate's traditions; thereby securing his own election all in due time.