History of Fortuna: Difference between revisions

To succeed Verenzio III was his son, Faro V, who attempted to take a more peaceful approach by pulling out of the war and conceding the Telga Isles to Ambravia. This led to immense outrage within the imperial court as many saw Faro V's action as a sign of weakness and a bad look for the empire. One of the most outspoken opponents of the end of conflict with Ambravia was Princess Ausiliatrice, the second eldest child of Verenzio III and half-brother to Faro V. Concluding the actions of her half-brother would lead to the eventual collapse of the Fortunan Empire, Ausiliatrice plotted to forcefully remove Faro V from the position of emperor. With the assistance of the Commander of the Imperial Guard, the two of them assassinated Faro V in his sleep. The very same night, important members of the imperial court and the clergy were assembled in the throne room where Ausiliatrice was named Empress of the Fortunan Empire on the 16th of April, 1204. To establish her position, she first had the family of Faro V and potential successors either imprisoned or exiled. The next step in Ausiliatrice's reign was to prepare for immediate conflict with Ambravia, rebuilding Fortuna's fleet and army. Once ready, war was declared with the Kingdom of Ambravia once more in 1206 with Fortunan forces defeating the main Ambravian fleet and landing troops on the island of Eridani Theta. By 1214, Fortunan troops were successful in gaining control of over half of the island, specifically the western part, along with the reconquering of the Telga Isles. To the dismay of Ausiliatrice, the offensive had to come to a near halt as the peace treaty with Greldonia was beginning to falter, forcing her to turn her focus to the west. The rest of her reign consisted of holding back the remnant of the Kingdom of Ambravia and dealing with military skirmishes with Greldonia. Ausiliatrice would later pass away in 1232, handing the throne to her son, Antonello II.

 

 

The final years of the Rocaillic Dynasty nearly saw the lost of the many triumphs and conquests by the Fortunan Empire. With the death of Antonello II, his son, Valence V, would succeed him as emperor the same year. Valence V only reigned for less than two years which during this period saw numerous of natural disasters hit the isles. Entering into the summer season of 1269, a high record number of typhoons slammed into the islands, bringing heavy wind and rainstorms. This caused heavy damage and casualties to the Fortunan Archipelago and led to the lost of hundreds of maritime vessels, crippling the Fortunan Empire economically and militarily. Disaster would continue when an extremely strong earthquake shook the isles in the early months of 1270, followed by a tsunami that submerged much of the archipelago's coastline. The abnormal amount of catastrophes in such a short period of time alarmed many Fortunans with a small number fearing that something unknown brought bad luck to the archipelago. One such individual was Fridericus I, Valence's eldest son, who believed that the act of his father reigning as emperor was the cause of the disasters. Based off surviving accounts from the time, it is also assumed that Fridericus was a member of the Cult of Fortuna, a small sect of Clarityism that practiced the worship of the religious being Fortuna above all. Seeing it as his duty to save the empire, Fridericus conspired with high level nobles in the imperial court and assassinated Valence V during a feast. Fridericus would then become the next emperor, coming to power in 1270.