Emperor Reius Vespasian

Reius Vespasian was a second cousin of the last Emperor Memnon Nemalian, and part of the extended entourage that accompanied the Emperor on his fateful tour of Aksum. Prior to the catastrophe at Aksum, Vespasian was a trusted adviser to Memnon, assisting the young Emperor in the administration of the vast territory he had inherited. He was widely believed to be one of the most intelligent bureaucratic minds in the administration, but he was little known outside of the Imperial court.

When Aksum was destroyed, Vespasian was saved due to the quick thinking of a nearby sorcerer and the sacrifice of his bodyguards. Incapacitated by injuries that resisted magical healing, and without any proof of his bloodline, Vespasian remained unconscious and convalescent so long that travel back to the Imperial capitol was untenable, and communication with the hastily assembled Council of Regents difficult.

When communication became possible with the Council, assassins were their only response. Following the advice of the Order of Illumination, Vespasian decided to go into hiding until the end of the Scourge, when a claim on the Imperial throne would be easier to assert. He fled to Ap'Lei, where he was placed into a magical sleep to wait out the coming storm.

The Scourge, however, lasted longer than anyone expected, and when Vespasian was finally awaken by loyal followers from the frontier city of Anglesey, he had been largely forgotten. Still, bearing proof of his bloodline in the form of the magical Imperial Scepter that is the traditional symbol of office of the Emperor, he has chosen to pursue his claim to the throne from a temporary seat at Anglesey.