Empress Eteni
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Appearance
Empress Eteni was a Kadyn elf born in Kanawalen, a remote city in the northern region of Felarya. She is represented as a beautiful and slender woman, with pale blond hair, slightly tanned skin, and attentive big grey eyes, wearing short silver robes, and a carrying a tall bow.
Background
Little of Eteni's past is known in the current day. She was born in a family of hunters and quickly displayed excellent abilities with a bow, a sharp mind, and a talent with words. The earliest mention of her name in Majuras historical records occurs in 5760 BU, when she was appointed to negotiate with a local pantaur pack that was preying on Kanawalen's inhabitants . She succeeded not only in stopping their attacks, but also in befriending the leader of the pack as well. Eteni herself became leader of the city shortly after. Under her rule, Kanawalen thrived, protected by its Pantaur allies. Eteni firmly believed that every tribe of elves should put their differences aside and unite, in order to form a strong nation and defend themselves against the countless threats of Felarya. However, her relation with the Pantaur pack convinced her that giant predators are people like everyone else, beings who can be reasoned with. Eteni established various treaties with other tribes and succeeded in significantly improving relations among the elves of the North, and the region became more prosperous as a result.
The death of King Jurasim and his son Tanith in 5690 BU, slain by a swam of Bloodclaw Apes, caused shock and left an intense power vacuum that threatened to engulf the region in to conflict. General Mytalon tried to seize power, but his rivals derailed his attempt and, as is often the case among elves, a great bow contest was organized. To the stupor of many, a little known contestant named Eteni won it. Mytalon did not accept defeat though, presumably because Kadyns were seen by the southern elven nobility as backward and lacking in sophistication.
Rise to power
Nonetheless, Empress Eteni's reign began in 5695 BU and she proclaimed herself empress of all elves. However, the newly crowned Empress quickly found it difficult to adapt to the expectations and restrictions of court life and its complex games of power. Many among the elven nobility started to believe that Empress Eteni would reveal herself to be a weak ruler, easy to manipulate and take advantage of. And thus, Eteni's reign started poorly. She expelled several loyal councilors on the recommendations of others, not realizing that she was merely playing in to their hands, and she also made controversial proclamations. A dramatic turn of events occurred in 5534 BU though, when the prosperous city of Restalen was raided by a group of giant Dridders. Their rampage laid chaos and destruction across the city, and many from the Elven nobility were eaten. Empress Eteni herself was caught and swallowed by a dridder named Modanthe. Trapped in the stomach of her captor, Eteni was rescued by her guards before being digested. Still alive, Modanthe was neutralized, captured, and taken away.
Ironically, the attack shook Eteni's apathy, gave a new purpose to her reign, and rid her of some troublesome figures of the court. Taking advantage of the general shock caused by the attack, Eteni discreetly recalled several friends from the north and put them in key posts, and began to take matters in to her own hands, tightening her grip on power. Calls for vengeance were mounting among elves, with many calling for war with the Dridders and the razing of nearby settlements in retaliation. They also wanted to see Modanthe executed. Eteni opposed that however, and made a long and impassioned speech that remains famous to this day, calling for the necessity for elves to understand others races and interact with them instead of simply ignoring them like they usually do, which can only lead to tragedy. This speech struck her audience and she finished it to a roaring ovation. Eteni started to secretly visit Modanthe in her prison and, progressively, a strange friendship developed between the two, the dridder being impressed by the courage and steely determination of this elf, who did not hesitate to stand within the reach of the giant predator, without any kind of escort.
Tensions rose and General Mytalon started to challenge Eteni's rule more and more openly, especially after her refusal to put Modanthe to death. Finally, a new bow contest was called. The competition was fierce, but Eteni won it admirably, totally crushing her competition and some elves started to see in her an incarnation of the goddess Temolian. This time, General Mytalon flatly recognized his defeat, apologized publicly and offered his unconditional loyalty to the empress. From this point on, very few subjects questioned her rule, even when, to the stupor of many, she decided to forgive and free Modanthe. The proud dridder took a very public oath and swore loyalty to her empress and friend Eteni. Modanthe became the Empress' personal bodyguard, carrying her across the Empire and protecting her. Over the years, the bond between the two strengthened and became very solid and their confidence in each other became absolute.
Restalen was rebuilt, and the empire started to prosper under Eteni's wise and enlightened rule. Disparate groups and tribes of elves came together, overcoming their differences and enmities, and started to thrive, forming the biggest empire Felarya had seen. The Empire established various trade links with other races, and the Elven army became a powerful and organized force, comprised of well trained giant elves. Life inside the Empire's borders was relatively safe, or at least much more safer than at any moment before in the history of Felarya, and the various paths were kept under watchful patrols, ensuring that people stood a good chance of not being eaten when strolling through the jungle from one city to another, while also leaving the forest essentially intact. Education is also widely seen as one of the biggest achievements of Empress Eteni at the time, developing an inclusive and solid learning system, that produced many smart and skilled planers. Empress Eteni married Tamuin, the brother of General Mytalon and gave birth to a son: Prince Tibon
War with the Dridders
Eteni's reign was marked with a war with the Dridders Kingdom, ruling over a region of what is now known as the Dridder forest. Under the cruel rule of the Dridder Queen Taxshillia it had turned into a very harsh place, with many dridders fleeing further to the north, forming small raiding bands and posing a growing threat to elves. It was also Modanthe's birth place and she became distressed at what it had become. Eteni offered help from her army to overthrow the Queen and Modanthe worked to have dridders secede from the Kingdom and join the Empire. It's arguably the most controversial move of Eteni's reign, and some voices criticized it as being more of a favor to a friend rather than being truly for the good of the empire.
A civil war broke out among dridders, finally ending in the Queen's defeat, slain in duel by Modanthe. The royal family hastily fled into exile, and all resistance crumbled. Modanthe refused to become the new Queen though, in order to remain at the service of her friend; instead she became an ambassador. Trouble was brewing though, and a few years later the resistance organized itself, leading to a long, exhausting and hard-fought guerrilla war, with quick but deadly skirmishes. One day, a messenger came to Eteni bearing grim news: Modanthe had been slain in combat. This caused immense sadness to Eteni who mourned for months the loss of her friend. She took revenge and saw personally that the Dridder royalists were completely crushed and their forces annihilated. She took no pleasure in the deed though, and the victory tasted very bitter indeed. Eteni became distant and prone to bouts of melancholy and depression.
Death and Legacy
Empress Eteni died In 4533 BU, eaten by a mermaid during a cruise on the Jadong lake. The mermaid's long, sticky tongue took the guards completely by surprise and snatched the unfortunate elf as she stood on the boat deck. The giant elves guards immediately tried their best to capture the mermaid, even attempting to seal the lake in desperation, but the mermaid simply vanished, with the empress trapped in her stomach. Centuries of rule came to an abrupt end. From this day on, Empress Eteni would widely be remembered as the greatest ruler in the elven history.
A few month later, her son, Tibon took the throne of a radiant and powerful empire, but his rule would prove to be much less peaceful.
