Altered Lore

Ayxas

4 min read

Ayxas

Overview

Ayxas was the third High King (Kuningas) of Asgartha, reigning from 70-86 AC. Initially beloved as Asgartha’s favorite son, he descended into tyranny during The Torment, establishing an autocratic dictatorship before being overthrown and exiled in 86 AC.

Early Life and Rise to Power

Protégé of Cwaith

Ayxas was the protégé of Cwaith, the second Kuningatar. Together, they developed their strategy: she prepared society and the population, while he was tasked with further expanding the nation’s sphere of influence.

Ayxas was beloved by the people. Handsome and charismatic, he consistently showed compassion and kindness, earning him the reputation as Asgartha’s favorite son. When Cwaith relinquished her crown, the elections were a mere formality, and Ayxas ascended to the title of Kuningas without any real competition.

Early Reign (70-74 AC)

Initial Accomplishments

His reign began under the best circumstances:

  • He funded the research of Jian Lam, a physicist studying the properties of Aerolith
  • He began planning a strategy to populate the Anthea peninsula, frequently exchanging information with the Lyra caravans
  • He helped the Yzmir, the Bravos, and the Ordis to organize themselves, providing logistical and material support

Descent into Tyranny (74-86 AC)

The Turning Point (74 AC)

No one truly knows how The Torment began. In 74 AC, Ayxas secluded himself for several months in his Elysian quarters, where he received numerous dignitaries, advisors, and analysts. Hidden away in his palace, he devised a plan.

Creation of Loyalist Organizations

He founded two organizations loyal only to him:

  • The Castigar - An Alteration Faction affiliated with political power
  • The Magan - A military academy dedicated to the arts of war

Political Genius

Ayxas was a political genius, a talented orator, with magnetic charm and natural authority. For five years (74-79 AC), he passed laws and decrees, patiently restructuring the state apparatus to give himself more freedom of action. He built a circle of loyalists by promoting certain individuals to key positions and winning over others with words, attention, or substantial gifts.

Declaration of Dictatorship (79 AC)

Things changed abruptly in 79 AC when Ayxas presented a motion of no confidence against the Factions to the Privy Council. Unilaterally:

  • The Bravos and the Ordis were declared illegal and ordered to dissolve by royal decree
  • The Yzmir were instructed to submit to The Castigar and hand over all their esoteric research
  • All independent military groups were required to disarm and submit to The Magan

Suppression of Warrior Brotherhoods

In 74 AC, Ayxas issued royal decree outlawing independent warrior brotherhoods including Ugetsu Fenshen school. When Walela, Grandmaster of Ugetsu-Fenshen, refused decree, Magan contingent attacked monastery. Flames consumed dwellings, monks fought but resistance crumbled. Suddran, Nadra, and many others were killed. Gericht vaan-Bracht survived, left for dead, later joined rebellion against Ayxas.

Reign of Terror

Historians are unsure whether Ayxas had been hiding his true intentions from the start or if external circumstances had radically shifted his political vision. The despot became obsessed with suppressing all dissent, resorting to violence if necessary.

Alterers who refused to join The Castigar were hunted, imprisoned, or eliminated. One by one, the militant orders were dissolved, often violently. Asgartha lived in fear, under the tyranny of its ruler’s whims. Leaflets circulated condemning his abuses and excesses, which clearly displayed paranoid tendencies and even psychotic episodes of extreme violence.

Overthrow and Exile (86 AC)

The Uprising

In 86 AC, insurgents stormed the Elysium with the help of certain royal guards. The conscripted forces of The Magan and The Castigar opposed the rioters but were eventually overthrown by the coalition of rebel forces.

Final Confrontation

When the mutineers entered the throne room, Ayxas was there waiting for them, pale and horrified. He harshly rebuked them, arguing that their rebellion would spell humanity’s doom. He claimed to know the dangers lurking beyond, the horrors lying at the edge of reason. He tried to convince them that everything he had done was necessary for humanity’s survival.

Sentence and Fate

Ayxas was judged by a people’s court and sentenced to exile, the harshest punishment in Asgarthan law. Witnesses to the event saw his frail figure fade into the distance, that of a man devoured and consumed by madness, whom The Tumult would claim.

Legacy

After Ayxas’s overthrow, The Castigar and The Magan were dismantled. Order was restored in the administrative and political institutions, and Akash was crowned the next Kuningas of Asgartha.

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