The Old Abyss Empire predates the rest of Creation as we know it. It was comprised a number of rocks of creation in the Abyss, some of which provided the foundations of the five Great Powers, while others have only recently been rediscovered. Of the various Rocks, there were 26 major ones which were brought together by Constantius the Consolidator to form the core of the Old Abyss Empire.
There were two key families in the Old Empire – that of Constantius, and that of Marcellenus.
Family of Constantius
Constantius married Annabelle Geib; Constantius had numerous natural children.
Crown Prince Diocletian married Marcellinus’ Sister – Marcella Faiella with whom he had 2 boys, 1 daughter – Constans Corvinus, Constatino Merrick, Constantina Featura Deirdre.
Bassus – married a proto-Amblerash daughter of the High Priest – attempted a coup to prevent a peace with Marcellinus in their father’s reign
Carinus – married his maternal cousin a Geib, and joined Bassus in the attempted coup.
- Diocletian’s marriage was not approved of by many other members of the family, even though Constantius wanted it as he was desperate to end the war with the Marcellines. Bassus and Carinus, among others, considered that their father and elder brother had arranged a “surrender” marriage, which Constantius forced the rest of the family to accept at “gunpoint” (meaning he was kind of going weird). Even the Church was whipped into obedience.
- Bassus and Carinus died some time later.
- In the end, Diocletian was killed before his father along with his whole family.
Numerianus married his paternal cousin.
Justin – later known as the Stern
Constana – married to the High Priest – proto Amblerash family
Justina – married to Numeranianus wife’s brother (paternal cousin)
Ultimately, Constantius and most of his family were murdered by Marcellines, with Constantius being left alive long enough to see Numerianus killed. The only survivor was Justin, who reluctantly accepted the throne as sole survivor. His proto-Amblerash nephews were his biggest supporters.
Succession
The Succession of the Old Abyss Empire followed in an unbroken line from Father to Son as follows:
Justin the Stern, who set up the succession and demanded sons be the successors only. He was the king that knocked the 26 Rocks Constantius ahd consolidated into an Empire.
his son,
Theodosius the Clever, who maintained the succession but allowed the succession of second generation sons through the female line like France instead of the Holy Roman Empire. Married to Nyx of the Abyss.
his son,
Valentinian the Conquerer, who was too busy conquering everything he could find to work on much else. He had a habit of throwing lavish triumphs. During his reign, the twenty-six large Rocks of Creation of the ‘Brownwater’ Empire were on verge of collapse, was he was looking at ‘Bluewater’ abyss conquests.
Valentinian had a younger brother named Valens, who he was fond of. It was no secret that Theodosius had no use for his eldest son and only allowed him to succeed him because Valentinian promised to make Valens his successor ahead of his own sons AND that he would keep Valens near him as his closest advisor. Valentinian claimed he broke his vow to his father and killed Valens, and that he avoided the terrible blood curses and paternal curses of Theodosius as a symbol of his power. Rumours from Valentinian’s son and grandson, the succeeding Emperors Cornelius claimed that Valens was kept with Valentinian as a prisoner instead.
his son,
Cornelius the Elder or Consolidator, who ended up too busy consolidating the twenty-six major Rocks, and tens of thousands of minor ones, to ensure that there was a government that had common elements while respecting local traditions and autonomy.
his son,
Cornelius the Younger (Cornelius the Great), began the transition to ‘solidify the abyss space’ between major rocks. Died with the work half-finished. Thirteen of the twenty-six rocks were incorporated into “Shadow”. He moved his capital to Thelbane, and separated the thrones of Thelbane and the Old Empire. The thirteen territories in the abyss were depopulated and subject to repeated calamity. Cornelius II’s sons were Swayville, Suhuy and Dworkin who abandoned their ‘Imperial names’ for yet undisclosed reasons.
his son,
Swayville the Great, who holds the twin titles of King of Thelbane and Emperor of the Black Zone; and titular Emperor of the Old Abyss Empire.