Difference between revisions of "Lucia of Azor"

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'''Lucia of Azor''' (10th of Owyn’s Flame, 1848 - 21st of Sun's Smile, 1868), was a controversial figure within the last [[Holy Orenian Empire]] as wife to [[Peter Augustus, Prince of Providence]]. As the youngest child of the Duke of Azor, one of Oren’s most enterprising noble families, her ultimately tragic rise to the throne and subsequent demise at the end of the [[Brothers' War]] rendered her, according to some, the ‘Last Orenian Empress’.  
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'''Lucia of Azor''' (10th of Owyn’s Flame, 1848 - 21st of Sun's Smile, 1868), was a controversial figure within the last [[Holy Orenian Empire]] as wife to the disputed Emperor, [[Peter Augustus, Prince of Providence|Peter Augustus]]. As the youngest child of the Duke of Azor, one of Oren’s most enterprising noble families, her ultimately tragic rise to the throne and subsequent demise at the end of the [[Brothers' War]] rendered her, according to some, the ‘Last Orenian Empress’.  
  
 
She was Empress for only a meagher two months before her execution, and thus bore no children.
 
She was Empress for only a meagher two months before her execution, and thus bore no children.

Revision as of 18:52, 29 November 2022

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Lucia of Azor
Luciaofazor.jpg
Holy Orenian Empress
Tenure: 10 Tobias’ Bounty, 1868 - 21st of Sun's Smile, 1868
Predecessor: Anastasia I
Successor: Vivienne of Savoy (As Queen of the Orenians)
Born: 10th of Owyn’s Flame, 1848
Died: 21st of Sun's Smile, 1868
Spouse: Peter Augustus, Prince of Providence (m.1868)
House: d'Azor
Father: Joseph I, Duke of Azor
Mother: Philippa of Freeport

Lucia of Azor (10th of Owyn’s Flame, 1848 - 21st of Sun's Smile, 1868), was a controversial figure within the last Holy Orenian Empire as wife to the disputed Emperor, Peter Augustus. As the youngest child of the Duke of Azor, one of Oren’s most enterprising noble families, her ultimately tragic rise to the throne and subsequent demise at the end of the Brothers' War rendered her, according to some, the ‘Last Orenian Empress’.

She was Empress for only a meagher two months before her execution, and thus bore no children.

Family and Childhood

‘Lucia Annunziata d’Azor’ was born in the early hours of the 10th of Owyn’s Flame, 1868, as the last child of the Duke and Duchess of Azor. She was by far the youngest of the Azor family, being born nine years after the next eldest child, her sister Analiese. The Ducal pair were known to be struggling as a couple in the years prior to her birth, nearing on the brink of a divorce, however despite the circulating rumors surrounding the possibility of Lucia being an illegitimate child by way of Joseph’s mistress, Princess Amelia of Renzfeld, she was warmly accepted by both her parents as a true daughter of Azor.

Lucia’s upbringing, however, was largely shrouded in secrecy. It was well known that the Duke wished to leave his Freeport wife in favor of marrying the Princess Renzfeld, and thus the Duchess kept Lucia close to home and away from court. It was thought that Philippa hoped to use the youngest Azor daughter as some form of leverage in a bid to keep the family together - she was doted on by Joseph as one of his favorite children, but grew up so secluded from courtly interaction that she relied almost entirely upon Philippa’s guidance. Thus, the Duke was faced with a difficult choice; his daughter could not possibly bear to be away from her Mother, and therefore a divorce would create inherent issues. It is this fact, perhaps, that kept the dysfunctional couple together for so many years.

Regardless of the politics of her early care, Lucia grew to be a sharp-witted and intelligent young woman. Coming from no background of extreme wealth herself, Philippa instilled an iron-will within the young girl, providing her the strong conscience in which would later change the course of history. She was also known to be incredibly religious, embracing Canonism as an escape from her lonely days within the Azor estate.

Demands to the Consort’s Throne

In the month of Godfrey’s Triumph 1864, the youngest daughter of Azor made a shocking first entrance into Orenian society. In a royal court hosted by the Empress herself, Lucia stood before the dais and declared her intention to wed Prince of Providence, despite his already established engagement to the polarising Ioanna of Susa.

This claim was met with shock and outrage from the court, as never before had a woman so openly demanded the coveted marriage of the imperial heir. Shortly after her declaration, Lucia’s father (who was Archchancellor at the time) moved to her side, expressing his support for the girls endeavour, and his subsequent resignation from imperial government to prevent a conflict of interest. Chaos broke out in the throne room, and amidst voices of dissent the Azor pair were quickly dismissed and moved to safety.

Within the chaos, two armed assassins made an attempt on the Prince of Providence’s life, wherein his betrothed Ioanna hastily tried to step in front of the oncoming attack. Though no party was grievously injured, Ioanna’s willingness to put her life on the line for the prince earned her considerable respect from the court; and furthermore Lucia’s absence in the affair was criticised heavily.

The events in which led up to such a dramatic demand of the crown are largely contested. Some historians believe that the entire plot was conjured by the Duke of Azor in order to secure his influence in an unbreakable fashion, and Lucia was simply the easiest pawn to do so due to her ignorance of the court dynamics. Others deem the plot an inside job of the Imperial administration aimed to remove the strong-willed and heavily disliked Ioanna, fearing that she may exert too much influence over the much more quiet-tempered Prince Peter.

The biggest case for the theory of a planned affair falls to the character of the two contenders for Peter’s hand. Ioanna Basrid, being a fierce and intelligent woman, had quickly assumed a significant influence within Orenian society. From the moment of her introduction she had captured the support of many important figures in Oren, and thus she had begun a slow progression to considerable power. Equally, however, she had many enemies - dividing the court into equal parts supporter and dissenter of the soon to be empress.

Lucia, on the other hand, had up until then been an irrelevant figure of the court. She knew nothing of how it functioned, and therefore would have been unable to establish herself with any true leverage over the imperial crown. It is believed that this malleable quality, wherein the administration could mould her into whatever empress they desired, was precisely the reason she was chosen as opposed to her stronger-willed contender. Lucia was seen to be meek, submissive and perfectly simple minded: as such, reason continues to be had that the entire affair was an insider plot.

However, whilst speculations will always be made, no official evidence stands that can prove any definite theory. All that is known is on that particular day, Lucia d’Azor’s actions changed the course of history.

Becoming the Empress

In the months following the debacle within the courtroom, it became clear that Lucia was emerging as the favoured candidate to the imperial consort’s throne. No official word came from the crown, however the Prince of Providence slowly began to arrange more visits to the Azor estate, eventually offering the woman a permanent residence within the palace. Ioanna, on the other hand, saw very little of Peter from this point onward.

For 2 years the pair were quietly set upon the course of engagement. However even despite her clear rise in social rank within the court, Lucia continued to remain largely reclusive, attending very little social events and staying far from palace administration. This was perhaps one of the most detrimental choices of her time at the palace, as she failed to make crucial friendships between herself and other notable figures.

Regardless, Peter and Lucia entered into an official engagement in 1866, supposedly confirmed in private by the Emperor himself. The crown’s decision to support the bold demands of an otherwise irrelevant courtier continued to puzzle many, only further supporting the notion that it was in fact a planned affair from the beginning.

The Brother’s War

In 1868, both the Emperor and Empress passed away very suddenly. Following Philip III’s demise, on her deathbed Empress Anastasia I declared that the empire, declared now to be the Kingdom of Oren, would fall to her youngest son, Frederick, as opposed to the Prince of Providence who had up until then been the undisputed imperial heir.

This decision threw Oren into chaos. Noble families flocked to support either brother in their pursuit for the throne, fracturing the empire into two factions: Royalist and Imperialist. Immediately Frederick’s supporters amassed to sieze the Capital city, storming the palace grounds in search for the Prince of Providence.

Lucia, ignorant to the political crisis due to her engagement in a three-day long religious seclusion of fasting and prayer, therein found herself in considerable strife. As tensions built prior to Frederick’s official proclamation of rule, Peter Augustus’ uncle Prince John Casimir had him smuggled from the palace in the dead of night, fearing for his safety. Prince Joh followed suit by arranging the retrieval of Lucia from Providence to the Imperialist holding in Vuillermoz, knowing that she too would face the violent wrath of the Royalist forces by no fault of her own - merely her association to the self-proclaimed Emperor Peter.

It was in these moments that Lucia’s irrelevancy to the court served her well. Knowing very little of her habits, Frederick’s supporters struggled to locate the Lady Azor, Allowing her to remain hidden in the Palace chapel for two days undiscovered. Finally, under the guise of moonlight and dressed as a common woman, Lucia was able to be recovered from Providence and brought to her fiancee. It is alleged that she wept the entire journey - refusing to eat or sleep and instead engaging in constant prayer for the fate of the fragmented Orenian people.

Days later, on the 11th of the First Seed, 1868, Lucia d’Azor was wed to Emperor Peter IV. It was a small and hastily prepared ceremony within the Vuillermoz cathedral, attended only by trusted supporters and allies of the Imperialist faction. Lucia’s father the Duke of Azor had initially sworn fealty to the Emperor, however just prior to the wedding he had pulled his daughter aside in order to ensure her understanding of the grave situation ahead. The Duke warned Lucia of the dangers she would undoubtedly face once formally wed to Peter, and offered her a simple choice: if she had any reservations, the pair would escape to their family estate and declare neutrality in the conflict. Emboldened by her religious fervour, Lucia refused her fathers offer, citing St Julia’s devotion to Horen in the face of Iblees, and how she too had committed herself upon a path in which only God could determine the outcome. Unbeknownst to either of them, this would be their final conversation.

Upon the conclusion of their marriage vows, Lucia d’Azor was presented before Peter’s supporters as the Empress of Oren. Onward from her marriage, she donned a heavy cloak and veil for the remainder of her life, refusing to allow her face to be displayed to any of the public. Whilst she did take care to aid the refugees whom flocked to Vuillermoz across those few weeks of the war, her temperence remained ever guarded and quiet - assuming the role of a silent, yet resolute Empress.

To aid her husband’s cause, Lucia then arranged a meeting between herself and the Lord Palatine of Haense, hoping to secure support for the Emperor from a foreign force. In the afternoon of the 20th of the First Seed, 1868, Lucia was escorted to the Palatine’s ducal residence by a small armed retinue, posing a simple plea to the Duke. The Imperialists had little to offer Haense beyond a promise of peace between their two nations, should Peter assume the throne, and yet Lucia contended that it was the duty of a fellow canonist nation to aid in the proper rite of succession. Unsurprisingly, Haense refused to ally with either Orenian faction, and the Empress was rushed back to Vuillermoz when word reached her retinue that the royalists knew of her whereabouts and intended to stage a battle for her capture.

Shortly following this time, the Duke of Azor was captured by Frederick’s forces en route to his family estate, forcing him to declare neutrality in exchange for his life. Ridden with guilt for his abandonment of his youngest daughter, an arguably selfish act in the protection of his own life, Joseph fled to Aeldin alongside his wife and several other Azor children - leaving Lucia to navigate her political position in the conflict alone.

Death

On the 14th of the Sun’s Smile, 1868, Peter IV was captured by Royalist forces in a raid upon the newly constructed capital of the Duchy of Reutov, a firm Imperialist vassal. Prince John quickly amassed the remaining men loyal to the Emperor in order to stage a rescue - resulting in the final battle of the Brother’s War, known retrospectively as the St Ari’s Day Massacre. Donning the armour of her fellow orenians, Lucia followed her people into the final battle - ignoring the pleas of her ladies to remain far from the conflict.

Despite hours of formidable fighting, the Imperialist army was eventually overcome by the much larger Royalist forces. Lucia, still alive and hiding amidst the corpses of her people, remained undiscovered - her heavy veil across her face making it difficult for the royalists to identify her in the carnage. She watched as Peter IV was dragged in chains across the city square and towards the palace, muttering prayers to herself as she quietly followed her ailing husband as he was led to his execution.

The Empress followed Frederick’s retinue to the Orenian throne room, only there removing her armour and veil and thus allowing herself to be discovered by the royalists. Boldly, Lucia asserted her desire to die by her husband’s side, refusing to acknowledge his pleas to the King of Oren to spare his wife. Frederick ordered the Empress’ death by the hand of no other than Ioanna of Susa - thwn casting Lucia aside as Peter was read his last rites.

As dusk fell upon the city of Providence, Ioanna silently aimed a loaded crossbow at the Empress of Oren, releasing the bolt square into Lucia’s temple. She died standing, unrestrained and without an ounce of visible fear. At twenty years old, Lucia d’Azor was executed on the floor of the Imperial throne room.

Legacy

It is an unfortunate case of history that since the time of Lorena of Augustin, the first Empress of the Eighth Empire, orenian consorts have faced poor lives and even poorer fates. Though short and almost entirely inconsequential, Lucia’s time as Empress embodies this tragic narrative - only serving to further indicate the crippling problems of the ailing Empire. As a naive and quiet girl, she was utilised as a political pawn by both those inside of the Imperial administration and those beyond it; quite similarly so were other women manipulated by the politics of the Empire - Irene of Metterden, Wilhelmina of Cathalon, Amadea of Pompourelia, Charlotte of Aldersberg and Ioanna of Susa herself to name a few.

Though perhaps only a Rosemoorist revisionary would take such great note of the wrongs done to influential women of the Eighth Empire, the mistreatment of Orenian consorts served time and time again as a catalyst for periods of great strife within Oren itself. Lucia of Azor’s fate, murdered at the hand of perhaps her greatest political rival, the ‘woman she never knew’ (as Ioanna herself later reflected), acts as a tragically poetic metaphor for the failures of the administration to unite the court and dispel dissent.

Lucia’s tale, devastating in and of itself, is one of an inconsequential woman who did very little and yet suffered very greatly. Thus it is not her actions or character that allow her the title of the ‘Last Orenian Empress’, but rather it is her story’s encapsulation of the tragic history of those many figures that stood before her.