Aeganar IV Dragomárus

Aeganar IV Dragomárus
Succession
Title	14th King of Andoras High Lord of Dragonspire and the Kingsland
Time as incumbent	28 years, 3 months, 9 days (July 23, 320 - November 1, 348 AC)
Predecessor	Aeramor I Dragomárus
Successor	None, Title abolished
General Information
Title(s)	Kingdom of Andoras High Lordship of Dragonspire High Lordship of the Kingsland
Aliases	The Mad Dragon
Status	Deceased
Religion	The Five Paragons
Allegiance	House Dragomárus
Nationality	Drakonian
Personal Information
Age	46 years old at death
Date of birth	March 28th, 302 AC
Date of death	November 1st, 348 AC
Cause of death	Slain during the Second Siege of Dragonspire
Occupation	King of Andoras
Birthplace	Dragonspire City, Kingsland
Dynastic Information
Father	Aeramor I Dragomárus
Mother	Eraenya Velgyr
Siblings	Brother(s) Arion Dragomárus Sister(s) Vysela Dragomárus
Spouse	Hylaera Aentykleia
Children	Son(s) Taeronys Dragomárus Raegorys Dragomárus Daughter(s) Alyss Dragomárus Aerela Dragomárus Daemera Dragomárus
Historical Information
Era	Eighth Era
Most known for	His tyranny, following his unexplainable insanity which arose in his later years of reign. It ultimately lead to the downfall of House Dragomárus and his death.
Resting Place	Dragonspire Catacombs

Aeganar IV Dragomárus (302 - 348 AC) was a member of the Drakonian House Dragomárus, and the 14th and final King of Andoras. The title in question was dissolved with his death in 348 AC, following a bloody civil war that saw him and his family executed and ousted from power. He was renowned for his cruel demeanor and iron fist, and treated few, if any, with compassion. He began his rule quite well, but further into his reign he began to succumb to a strange madness and cruel authoritarianism, leading to two wars to depose Aeganar, the latter of which -- the 346 AC rebellion -- resulted in his death.

Aeganar IV's surviving children, Taeronys, Raegorys and Alyss Dragomárus sailed to Doras Edrossi, with Taeronys intent on reclaiming his birthright. Aeganar IV was styled formally as Aeganar of House Dragomárus, the Fourth of His Namesake, Blood of Drakonia, King of Andoras and High Lord of the Eight Kingdoms.

Biography

Background

King Aeganar IV Dragomárus was the last member of House Dragomárus to sit on the Throne of Embers. He is remembered as a good man who'd gone mad. During the later years of his reign, he became much more cruel, iron-fisted and abusive. He'd revoke titles, feed men to his dragon Vhalax and other cruel acts to secure his position on his throne.

He wasn't always considered to be "mad" however. During his childhood, he was known as a bright young lad, excelling at mathematics and literature. He did not exactly get along with his siblings, often getting into disagreement with one another. He had especially disliked his older brother Arion as he seemed to receive all the attention and glory. Aeganar had a distant relationship with his parents, which lead him to be quiet and keep to himself in his quarters most of his past time.

He was noted to be clever and strategic, but did not have a martial interest. He was taught mostly by the Spymaster of Dragonspire during his education, which made him learn more about intrigue and diplomacy. Apparently he had gotten his siblings in trouble several times in his childhood because of his newfound knowledge.

Around 320 AC, the corrupt officials in charge of Andoras's trade with Thysia had forced Aeganar's father Aeramor to begin a war with the city-state known as the Thysian Conflict. His ships were attacked for unknown reasons, but it was later discovered that there was deceit in the mercantile representatives of the kingdom, forcing Thysia to be extorted for trading its cash crop euralaya. He launched his offensive and left a regent in his stead. During this time, Aeganar found himself more distant from everyone in Dragonspire, and seldom came out of his quarters. Some weeks later, word reached the kingdom of Aeramor's death during battle, and in his rage, Aeganar mounted up on his dragon Vhalax and flew to where the Thysian fleet was in port, torching the entire armada without a care. Despite his thirst for vengeance being quenched, Aeramor's death still lead to Aeganar's coronation not long afterward, something he felt guilty for -- he tried to carry on his father's wishes as best as he could. Despite being firstborn to Aeramor, Arion was unable to succeed his father as he was no longer present in Andoras.

The first five years of his reign were known to be his best. He hosted frequent feasts and kept his vassals pleased, sometimes giving them gifts or donating fiefs. As the kingdom began to prosper, he was able to lower taxes and as a result, the overall price of goods began to lower as well; Andoras was becoming a trader's paradise. It seemed Aeganar was nothing short of the legacy the Dragomárus kings before him had upheld, and by most accounts he enjoyed the period of time known as Aeganar's First Five. However, as he aged, he began to grow cold and spiteful to many, and it seemed he was cursed with a strange madness.

He had five children, Taeronys being his first born. Even with his iron-fisted demeanor, he was quite involved with his children's lives, teaching Taeronys how to read personally. The madness he was notorious for only seemed to manifest when he dealt with others who were not of his kin, but even this exception was broken when Aeganar was living his final days.

It wasn't until he began revoking titles and performing cruel acts of torture did he receive opposition during his rule. Something seemed to grasp at Aeganar's sanity, that only grew worse with the coming years. Events such as the 326 AC Rebellion was sparked by his sudden descent into failure, and the victory ensured that it would only further his cruel ways. The Farrowhalt Freehold, a democratic government founded in Thyllanor and holding de facto power there while in existence, was established just immediately prior to the rebellion and lasted all throughout, with the war ending by the executions of the Freehold's leaders, Veddel Markwell and Michael Avleston, and the Highlord of Thyllanor and primary war participant, Dalan I Karthmere, who died at the hands of Daemalor Celtheon. Although at times the war was close to stalemate, for most of the war the Freehold was fighting a losing battle. The war, although a victory, was not without its drawbacks. Thyllanor refused to join the Kingdom of Andoras again and had to be occupied as if it were a military territory, until it rejoined in 332 AC with the onset of Dalan II Karthmere, a young six year old boy, becoming Highlord.

Directly after the end of the war, during the 330s and mid 340s AC -- the period of rebuilding that occurred in the decades between the wars usually referred to as the Tentative Years, Aeganar passed several mandates and laws, basically limiting the merchant middle-class and the peasantry even further, some into even extreme poverty. These laws and acts also affected the nobility, forcing them to become poorer than they had ever become under Dragomárus reign. Finally, and perhaps the final straw for many in Andoras, Aeganar passed the Lehald Mandate in 340 AC, forcing all weapons or things able to cause harm to be taken from the general populace and the bodyguards of the general populace to be forced to resort to nonviolent methods to restrain and detain would-be crime-committers. This mandate famously led to the Mandrom Heist in 341 AC, in which three thieves got away with nearly 500,000 dragons worth of coin, and because of the lack of weapons, they were unable to be stopped. House Mandrom, the victims in question, were devastated by the heist (of which they are still recovering) and took up arms in the war against House Dragomárus purely out of spite for this. Public and noble outcry alike began wearing down the infrastructure of Aeganar's authoritarian government, and at this point a second rebellion seemed guaranteed.

Finally the rebellion to depose him in 346 AC ended all of the strife and pent-up hate for him, culminating ultimately in his death. Even from the beginning of the war, the rebels, which numbered nearly tenfold from the 326 AC rebellion, seemed to be winning, and as such the war was over in just two years. The primary conflicts in the war such as the Battle of Corcivaetas, the First Siege of Dragonspire, and the Second Siege of Dragonspire, in which the walls of Dragonspire City were finally breached and the Dragomári killed, all resulted in major irreparable losses for the Crown.

He fought briefly in the siege and was allegedly slain in the Siege of Dragonspire in personal combat by Dalan II Karthmere himself, whom he had fought valiantly. His Dragon Vhalax was downed by several regiments of archers, and finished off once it crashed into the ground. His wife and two of his daughters were also killed during the siege, probably during the bombardment of the Dragonspire. His son Taeronys remains the only vestige of his legacy, alongside his siblings Raegorys and Alyss.

Personal Life during his reign

During his reign, he was subject to many assassination attempts, most notably during the 326 AC Rebellion. All of them, he had escaped with his life, having his King's Shield either slay the assassins on the spot, or feeding them to his dragon after imprisoning them.

After death and the status of his family

Three of his children managed to escape with their lives, Taeronys, Raegorys and Alyss. Taeronys had stolen a boat and sailed to Villa Dragomárus with his siblings, villa stronghold built on an ancient island near the Drakonian Peninsula that never officially left the hands of House Dragomárus. From there, he'd plan his next move against those who had drove him away, although no one on Andoras even knows if Taeronys is alive.

Aeganar's body was burned and his ashes were put among other Dragomárus Kings in the Dragonspire catacombs, a controversial move since many claimed he did not deserve a proper burial or a memorial.