Rhagaea Pethros is the empress of the Southern Empire, leader of the Pethros clan, and a claimant to the imperial diadem of the Calradic Empire.
Before the events of Bannerlord, Rhagaea was the wife of the late Emperor Arenicos, who was suspiciously murdered. As his widow and mother to his daughter Ira, who is now heir-apparent, Rhagaea claims it is the right of the Emperor's family to inherit the Empire, and some Imperial citizens have also chosen to support her in the belief a hereditary monarchy may provide the nation greater stability.
Lucon Osticos and Garios Comnos each contested this claim, leading to the three-way Calradian civil war.
She is one of the nobles who can provide information about the Battle of Pendraic for the quest Investigate 'Neretzes' Folly'.
Official Description[]
| “ | The southern third of the Empire is ruled by Rhagaea, widow of the murdered Emperor. For her, politics is personal: all men want their families to inherit what they have, and if you loved Arenicos then you will support the right of his heirs. Arenicos was indeed loved, and also there are some Calradians who believe that the endless squabbling and civil wars can only be overcome by a king, or, if necessary, by a queen. | ” |
Politics[]
An elderly Rhagaea, aged 67.
Rhagaea favors a hereditary monarchy over the Imperial title, with a more feudal system of absolute governance under the Emperor. Rhagaea believes politics and history is defined by the law of succession — hereditary claims and dynasties that define right from wrong, and believes that the civil war is a result of this fundamental law being broken to prevent her and her daugher Ira from succeeding the popular Emperor Arenicos.
Claim[]
Rhagaea's claim to unify Calradia as Empress is purely feudal, and the matter of contention that sparked the Calradian civil war. As Emperor Arenicos was assassinated before he could select his heir (or whether there would be an heir at all, as the Senate traditionally appointed Emperors) Rhagaea asserts that, as his wife and the mother of Ira whom he might have been grooming for rule, she is the rightful Empress and the only claimant whose succession is not a matter of ambition but purely civic duty.
Istiana, former spymaster of Emperor Neretzes, considers Rhagaea the "cleverest ruler" out of the three claimants to the Empire.
Quotes[]
| “ | Well. Let me put things this way...
We are the family of the martyred Emperor. Every man wishes to leave what he has to his children, be it a tiny patch of land or the imperial throne. Everyone in Calradia, rich or poor, grasps this. The universal principle of inheritance, not the obscure laws of the Senate, is what makes an Emperor in the eyes of the people. I will strive to be a good Empress. I'll do my best. But I know well that whoever wins this civil war, landlords will still cheat tenants, city guards will still demand bribes, warriors will still kill men to steal their cattle, drunken husbands will beat wives. The plague and the labor of childbirth will take more lives than all the evils of man put together. Still, men are willing to fight for me, though it gains them nothing, for no other reason that the throne is my right. I will not betray these men. If I win, in centuries to come, people will think back on my victory and think, 'Heavens smile on those who fight for their rights.' That is all one can do. |
” |
| — on Politics | ||
| “ | Of course, I did not witness the battle, but my husband Arenicos spoke frequently of it.
He was one of the emperor's trusted commanders. He could not stop Neretzes from marching to defeat, but he managed to salvage something from the disaster. When the Sturgians came over our barricades, he managed to lead a group of Neretzes' guardsmen out the back. My husband's small force held together, and were joined by stragglers and fugitives. He described the march back - no food, little water, marching day and night to keep ahead of the enemy's outriders. But they survived - the only organized imperial force to do so. The city was in a state of panic after hearing rumors of what happened. Arenicos kept things from descending into chaos. When it came time for the Senate to choose the next Emperor, there was no question that it should be him. I loved him before as a man, but that day learned to love him as something more: what a gift he was to the people of Calradia! |
” |
| — on the Battle of Pendraic | ||
| Southern Calradic Empire | |
|---|---|
| Monarch: | Claimant: |
| Empress Rhagaea | Unknown |
| Vassals: | |
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