Untred V. Uncertain
Untred V succeeded after the death of his father Untred IV. as the third consecutive emperor of the same name and the fifth Untred in the history of the empire. Originally, he almost did not count on the government because his younger brother Tukolon was close to adulthood, but did not reach the age in time. The beginning of his reign brought a successful eastern campaign against disease-weakened nomads and the first territorial gain in almost a thousand years. However, he also had to deal with the news about the Lich at the northern gate, the disappearance of twenty chosen mages and knights, and the definitive suppression of the last Ariers. His reign is ongoing and the future of the empire remains open.
Dynastic Information
Unexpected heir to the third Untred
Untred V succeeded on the death of his father and became the third emperor of the same name in succession. At the same time, he almost did not count on his own rule, because his younger brother Tukolon was approaching the age that, according to the older succession system, could open the way for him to the throne. However, Tukolon did not arrive in time. Untred thus took over the empire at a time when his father had left behind a ready-made eastern foray and a more stable administrative and economic system. Therefore, the first steps of the new government were not improvisation, but the completion of the plans of the previous generation.
Eastern campaign and the first gain in centuries
The raid to the east proved to be the easiest of the tasks that the new emperor had to deal with. The nomadic forces were decimated by a disease unleashed during the reign of Untred IV. and the empire was thus able to gain new territories under its rule. It was a great success. After almost a thousand years, when the empire was rather losing or just defending itself, it finally expanded its borders again. This result boosted the prestige of Untred V and showed that the Late Empire need not just be the custodian of the old legacy.
The Lich and the Disappearance of the Twenty Chosen
Soon, however, a threat of an entirely different kind arrived. The dwarves brought alarmed news that the northern gate was no longer safe and that the leader of the dead, a being called the Lich, had appeared. They asked the emperor to send the best magicians to stop this threat. Untred heard their plea and sent against the Lich ten brave mages and ten of the best knights who volunteered. However, the ground collapsed about this twenty. Their disappearance has become one of the most disturbing mysteries of the current empire.
The Last Ariers
Meanwhile, Untred also dealt with noble problems within the empire. The last remnants of the former house of Ariers tried to raise a rebellion against the houses in the southern part of the empire. The Emperor reacted extremely harshly and decided that the Ariers were no longer welcome in the empire. He had them all crucified, ending the last visible trace of the former ruling family. The move shows that Untred V may act as a reforming heir to a stable administration, but is capable of extreme harshness in matters of threat to the throne.
A future open to war
Untred V is still relatively young and may have many years of reign ahead of him. There are whispers in the empire that he is planning another great expedition outside his own territory and wants to follow up on the success of the eastern campaign. Thanks to his father's reforms, the economy is stabilizing and the populace is relatively happy at the moment, which could create an opportune moment for war from the monarch's point of view. However, the future is uncertain. Goblins, kobolds and the mysterious Lich can change the entire power balance of Ulvenor. Untred V thus stands on the threshold of a time that may bring a new age of expansion, or a new crisis for which the Empire is not yet ready.