During its long reign, the Teccan Empire was ruled by military geniuses, magical masterminds, madmen, and some who the office was thrust upon by chance. Despite its outward opulence, it was a heavy laurel wreath to wear.
Order of Succession
The emperorship nominally passed from the ruler to their children, with male primogeniture. For childless monarchs (or those who did not wish to see their biological children on the throne), adoption was commonly used to designate an heir.
However, power lies where people believe it lies, and the emperorship was usurped several times, most notably by Victor Marius.
Emperors and Empresses
The first span of years denotes their life, the second span (marked with denotes their reign). Rulers marked with are venerated in the Teccan religion, to various degrees.
Lucian dynasty
Lucius Corillon
LN, 118-192, 151-192
The first Emperor of Tec. As a teenager, he became king of Tec. Then it was only a budding town. After his conquest of Arevapis and Amnora, he proclaimed the Teccan Empire.
- Aulex I (ruled 192-211): Adopted son of Lucius.
- Thimonos (ruled 211-228)
- Cosconius (ruled 228-230): Only ruled for two years before suddenly dying.
Victor Marius
LG, 230-251
Brother of Cosconius. Probably had his brother assassinated.
- Juniax (ruled 251-262)
- Lucius II (ruled 262-284)
Sacellan dynasty
Sacella the Blessed
Aasimar, LG, 230-582, 284-379
The first Empress of Tec, a powerful divine sorcerer who is said to have been the daughter of Helianna. During her almost 200-year reign, Tec entered into a period of unprecedented prosperity that later became known as the Age of the Three Great Empresses, after Sacella and her two successors, Chloe and Licinia.
Together with Lucius Corillon, Sacella is venerated as a semi-divine progenitor couple that protects Tec and its citizens from outside harm.
Chloe
NG, 479-513
Served as high priestess during the last 30 years of Sacella's reign, and was adopted as her heir.
Licinia
LG, 513-555
Daughter of Chloe, and the last of the "three great empresses", who ruled over an almost 300-year stretch of prosperity.
- Thimonos II: Grandson of Licinia who was never meant for the throne, until his uncle and father both perished at sea.
Cosconian dynasty
Cosconius II
LE, 580-603
Died in battle during a rebellion in Arevapis. His troops rallied around his banner and defeated the rebellion, executing all prisoners to avenge their fallen Emperor.
- (5 emperors)
- Thimonos III
- (4 emperors)
Anterax
LE, 788-811
Military genius who reformed the legions into the system that would endure until the fall of the Empire. Through Anterax' conquests, the Empire reached its greatest territorial extent under his rule.
Garva
CG, 811-828
Garva was very much the opposite of his father. He cared not for conquest, but focused on consolidating his father's gains. He was a great patron of the arts, especially the theatre.
- (1 emperor)
Tiberion I
CN, 836-841
Abdicated after the Senate rejected his marriage to an elven woman. Lived out his remaining life in exile with his wife.
Belleron
LN, 841-854
Brother of Tiberion. His assassination incited the Regulan Wars, a series of civil wars that would weaken the Empire over the next seventy years.
- Regulus I
- Regulus II
- Octianus
- Metietta
- Magrippa
- Regulus III: The last of the Reguli, three Emperors who shared a name.
Cassian dynasty
Cassius the Golden
NG, 918-933
Regulus III's top general and secret lover. Stabilized the empire after the Regulan Wars by reforming the Teccan constitution.
- (3 emperors)
Aemilus
TN, 988-994
A weak emperor, who never had the mind for politics. He was a pawn in the game of power, and the Senate took advantage of him.
Tiberion III
NE, 994-997
Born Gaius Foror Florentius, he bribed the Praetorian Guard to make himself Emperor when the Aemilus died. Through a falsified adoption record and by quickly marrying his granddaughter, he was proclaimed emperor. Only three years into his reign did his misdeeds come to light, and he was forced to abdicate the throne and go into exile.
Junicia
LN, 997-1015
Granddaughter of Aemilus, and Empress Consort under Tiberion III. When her husband was exiled, she was suddenly first in line to the throne. Many believed she would be a weak ruler, like her grandfather. However, she became one of the most venerated rulers of her era, capable of both compromise and assertiveness. Her speech to the Imperial Senate detailing her husband's crimes while asserting her own innocence was a masterpiece of oration that is still taught to budding politicians.
Janus
LE, 1015-1031
Abdicated in favor of his son when he became ill. When he recovered from his illness, he tried to get his throne back, unsuccessfully.
Valentian
NG, 1031-1040
Spent most of his rule fending off the legal challenges of his father and predecessor. Died of mysterious causes a few years before his father. Valentian never married, but adopted one of his illegitimate sons as an heir after he showed great valor as an adventurer.
Tullus Victor
LN, 1040-1055
Great fighter who personally led his Legions during the Corcaster Rebellion. Almost died in 1049 at the Battle of the Midnight Sun, but survived due to a heroic sacrifice by Aemilus, his son and heir. This left Mercuriex to inherit the emperorship, and gave rise to the phrase Aemilian sacrifice, where what was sacrificed turns out to be more important than what was saved.
After the rebellion, the Empire was almost bankrupt. In order to pay the Pilgrim Knight army, they were granted sovereignty over Vanadis in the Imperial Decree of 1051 AUC.
Mercuriex
CE, 1055-1059
While he was never the brightest candle, Mercuriex went mad soon after he became emperor and quickly deteriorated into bouts of psychosis. When he ordered all his Legion commanders to fight in the arena until only one remained, he was deposed by the Senate. This was the only time the Senate unseated an emperor.
Philion
CN, 1059-1072
Famous for having had six different wives (and countless affairs) during his lifetime. His three divorces while he was Emperor were major scandals. Despite all this, he only managed to produce a single heir.
Lucius IV
LG, 1042-1090, 1072-1090
Lucius IV was always a renegade. He was an accomplished bard, and it is said he would go into the city alone and play his lyre on the streets and in taverns. His wife, who would later succeed him after a sudden illness claimed his life, was always the true power behind the throne.
Herminian dynasty
Herminia Casta
LN, 1051-1133, 1090-1133
Wife of Lucius IV. Herminia Casta was the last Empress of Tec and a powerful wizard. Her reign is often considered the final golden era of the Teccan Empire.
- (5 emperors)
- Thimonos IV
- Regulus V: Weak emperor troubled by bad health and scheming advisors.
Thimonos V
LE, 1131-1195, 1176-1189
The last Emperor of Tec. When the Northern Islands broke free, several other provinces of the Empire started agitating for independence, and Thimonos was unable to stop the Empire dissolving. His final act before leaving the city on his luxury barge was to activate the Protocols of Finality, which desolated Tec for centuries through a magical cataclysm.
Activating the Protocols and killing tens of thousands of his own subjects made Thimonos V a pariah. He lived out the remaining years of his life in dishonor aboard his luxury barge, surrounded by a small cadre of loyalists. Upon his death, the barge was abandoned and sunk in shallow waters in a bay close to Haportus.