An age before the arrival of off-worlders to Palurin a mighty empire spanned much of the world. The power and influence of Aranur reached the four corners of the globe, with hundreds of colonies and vassal states subject to the rule of the Senate of Aranur. Peace and prosperity reigned for many years, trade within the empire flourished, and order was maintained by the rule of law much more than it was by the sword.
Yet even so mighty an empire is not safe from its enemies within. Political unrest and unfettered ambition would tear the Aranur asunder. When the off-worlders come in force to Palurin they find a seemingly virgin land. The devastation of a savage and far-reaching civil war left little but isolated ruins, with almost all traces of Aranur lost. Now only Aquila remains...
-90BD Gaius Aquilus Tyrannus marries Drusilla Junus, daughter of the nobleman Consul Decimus Raeltonius.
House Tyrannus vies against the other noble houses of Aranur for power in the Senate. Marriages and pacts serve to align the Tyrannii to the other noble houses.
-74BD Aquilus Tyrannus elected Pro-Consul when electoral rivals (Decimus Raeltonius the most notable) are found dead, all under varying yet suspicious circumstances.
-69BD Aquilus repeals the ancient anti-slavery laws of Aranur with the support of senators loyal to him. The move is met with consternation by many and outraged plebeians riot in the streets.
-66BD House Tyrannus accused of murders of Senators Catannus and Metallus – two of the most outspoken opponents of Aquilus. Scandal and suspicion grips the noble houses of Aranur.
Rumours abound that House Tyrannus is a nest of occult worshippers and practitioners of dark sorceries.
-65BD The Eve of Blood. After Aquilus calls an emergency meeting of the Senate, members of House Tyrannus openly murder scores of unarmed Senators in the Assembly House. Surviving Senators and nobles flee the city.
The self-titled “True Senate” forms in exile in the Aranurian provinces, led by Titus Raeltonius, son of murdered Consul Decimus Raeltonius. They declare Gaius Aquilus Tyrannus an enemy of the state.
Aquilus declares himself Dictator and Custodian of Aranur.
-64BD Civil war fractures the empire of Aranur. Many provinces and vassal states are laid waste by war. The noble houses of Aranur on both sides of the conflict are decimated by the long years of war.
-61BD Battle of River Raynaan. Senator Longinus and his legions defect to ally themselves to the True Senate. In a swift surprise attack Longinus defeats and kills his brother-in-law Lupus Tyrannus, brother of Aquilus, and routs his army. Aquilus’ nephew Septimus Tyrannus is also killed.
-60BD Mistrustful after the betrayal of Longinus, Aquilus purges the army command and disbands the remaining legions. He raises legions of undead soldiers to march beneath the banners of House Tyrannus. The taint of necromancy in House Tyrannus is clear for all to see.
-59BD Battle of Branmeren Hills. Armies loyal to the True Senate clash with the undead legions in the thrall of House Tyrannus. Aquilus Tyrannus is killed in battle by True Senator Ogrissius.
In Aranur, Aquilus surviving son Lucius Dominus Tyrannus is declared Dictator and Custodian. He vows vengeance upon the “rebels”.
-57BD The Scouring of Palurin. Dominus pursues a scorched earth policy throughout the provinces of Aranur. Aided by his most powerful allies Dominus invokes a terrible rite of death that spreads a withering plague far and wide. The Empire is wracked by the ensuing famine. The armies of the True Senate starve while the undead legions of the Tyrannii remain unaffected. Indeed, they are bolstered by the catastrophic rising death toll.
-55BD The True Senate gather their armies and march on Aranur itself in an attempt to lay siege to the ancient city The armies of True Senator Corvus are intercepted en route and defeated. Senator Corvus is slain. Stragglers and survivors who escape the battle tell of terrible monsters fighting under the command of Dominus.
-53BD Battle of River Tiban. The combined armies of True Senator Raeltonius and True Senator Loydianus are defeated by newly-raised legions under the command of Dominus Tyrannus. By use of foul sorceries Dominus transforms himself into a horrific beast (earning him the moniker “Draconis”), whereupon he slaughters his enemies with abandon. The battle sees the destruction of the remaining Senatorial legions and brings the war to an end.
Dominus returns to Aranur in triumph. He is named Imperator. Nobles loyal to House Tyrannus form the New Senate, headed by Dominus as Dictator. The empire of Aranur, however, lies in ruin.
-52BD Dominus Draconis puts a proposal before the new Senate; the city of Aranur is to be renamed “Aquila” in honour of the fallen patriarch of House Tyrannus. The vote is unanimously in favour.
Aquilus is deified, along with other fallen family members and loyal supporters who died in the war. Statues of the old gods are torn down and replaced with the likenesses of the “heroes of Aquila”.
-50BD Dominus marries his cousin Cornelia Raeltonius, daughter of Titus, Granddaughter of Decimus, last surviving member of that noble house. He marries his sister Aquilina to Senator Quintus Vespix and thus secures House Tyrannus’ hegemony over the aristocracy of Aquila.
18PC The Skaven Infestation of Palurin sees the verminous tide sweep over the lands of Aquila. Dominus meets them in battle but is slain and his armies totally destroyed.
19PC Dominus’ son Claudius embarks on a campaign of conquest in the north, seeking to emulate the glorious conquests of his forebears.
24PC Claudius’ campaign meets with disaster as his legions are beset by Chaos raiders in the Cenebrae lowlands. Claudius never returns to Aquila. His cousin Glavius becomes Dictator of Aquila.
26PC-Present Glavius and his supproters have ruled Aquila for more than a century. Named Glavius the Decadent by his detractors, the Senate lapses into political lethargy. The ruling elite are weary of war (many of whom were lucky to survive the upheaval caused by the Skaven invasion). As waves of new foreign armies wash over Palurin, the ruling aristocrats sit by and indulge in idle pleasures and blood-soaked feeding orgies. Aquila's power and influence wanes.
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