Coat of arms of the Imperial House Devaneaux. | |
| Status: | Imperial House |
| Motto: | Acta virum probant
(Latin: The doing proves the man) |
| Patriarch: | Emperor Kieran II |
| Established: | 2296 |
| Sphere of Control: | Deadwood Valley (before 2376); the Empire (after 2376) |
| Influence: | Strong |
| Reputation: | Excellent |
The House of Devaneaux is the current Imperial House of the Reydovan Empire. Led by Emperor Kieran II, the House of Devaneaux is the most powerful in the Empire.
History[]
House Devaneaux was established in 2296 with the crowning of Emperor Kiran Joshmaul I, the third of the First Three Families of the Empire (the first two being Joshmaul's and Joshua Underwood's). Under the leadership of its first patriarch, the Devaneaux became very noticable in the fact that it was the only family with no noble or military titles in Imperial service.
Patriarchs[]
The Devaneaux family has been led by five men in the last century.
Aurelian Ignatius Devaneaux (2251-2338)[]
Aurelian Devaneaux was the first leader of the family, born on Earth in 2251. He was the father of Lucian Devaneaux and patriarch of the family from the Empire's founding in 2296 until his death in 2338. His most noted achievement was the construction of what would become Castle Devaneaux in the Deadwood Valley, originally built as a library and private sanctum for the Emperor. It was given to Aurelian in 2324, and he ruled the family here until his death.
It was revealed that before he died, he realized that his son Lucian was a Separatist, but died before he could remove Lucian from the succession; ironically, he had intended to name Lucian's son as his direct successor.
Lucian Aurelius Devaneaux (2275-2377)[]
See main article: Lucian Devaneaux
Lucian Devaneaux succeeded his father Aurelian as leader of House Devaneaux, from Aurelian's death in 2338 until he was exiled in 2371. Lucian is best known as the father of the evil Defiler of Worlds, Artimus Devaneaux. As a general in the Imperial Marine Corps, Lucian succeeded Grand Duke Vladimir Tscholivosky as Governor-General of Reydovan Prime, but was not a politically experienced general and was impeached a year later. He resigned his Imperial commission shortly thereafter, and lived in retirement until 2371.
It was then that Lucian revealed his Separatist inclinations to Emperor Joshmaul, which so surprised the monarch that he decided to spare Lucian's life. However, the Emperor ordered that he, and his likeminded Separatists repenting their crimes, were to be exiled under pain of death. Lucian and his comrades left Reydovan Prime for Angosia III, where they lived for five years. After Artimus' death in 2376, Lucian returned to his old family home on Earth, in the plains of western Canada. He has become an informal advisor to Federation President Talus of Vulcan in dealing with Artimus' past schemes, including the rise of this so-called "Demon" on the volcanic planet of Defileron. He died shortly after Demon-Kieran was defeated.
Artimus Lucanus Devaneaux (2328-2376)[]
See main article: Artimus Devaneaux
Artimus Devaneaux was by far the most evil traitor and warlord that has plagued the Empire in recent years. Born on Reydovan Prime, Artimus was born with a penchant for cruelty and self-centeredness. After Lucian was exiled, he became the family patriarch from 2371 until he was supposedly executed in 2375. His evil skill at killing - his enemies and (unbeknownst to the Imperial commanders) his critics - gained him a foothold in the Imperial Marine Corps; he left the battlefields of the Sha'kurian War 2349-2350 as a four-star general. He temporarily succeeded Daniel Longstreet as commander of the Imperial Marine Corps from 2372 until he was forced to go on the run in December 2374, for killing the Minister of State, Lucius Tyrael. He was captured and supposedly executed in March 2375.
Artimus returned in September 2375 and began to tear the Empire apart. He conquered Reydovan Prime twice, the second time being far more brutal. At first the Federation, led by President Victor Manchester, did nothing to stop him. With Mikhail Britanov's rise to the Presidency in December, Artimus was briefly toppled, but returned to power in February 2376. The following month, Artimus' 21-year-old son Kieran was named to the Emperor's throne while in exile, and under his rule the Empire and the Federation united against the Defiler. On March 16, 2376, during the Ides of March campaign, Kiran Joshmaul and Joshua Underwood accompanied the Emperor into Artimus' inner sanctum and, while the battle between the Imperial-Federation coalition and Artimus' zealots raged on the grounds of Castle Devaneaux, Kieran struck the blow that ended Artimus' reign of blood.
Kieran Elias Devaneaux (2355-2406)[]
See main article: Kieran Devaneaux
Kieran was the second official Emperor of the Reydovan Empire, and the patriarch of the House of Devaneaux from March 2375 until his death in August 2406. The son of Artimus, Defiler of Worlds, and Anastasia Britanov, daughter of Mikhail, Kieran has gained a reputation both as a vicious fighter and as a respected, compassionate leader. He is called the White Hunter, because of his white hair and his deadly skill at hunting down enemies of the Empire. He became the Empire's youngest officer at 16, and the youngest flag officer at 20 with the rank of Grand Admiral. He was appointed Warmaster of the Reydovan Military Body in August 2375. His wife, Celest, was a captain in Starfleet until her death in 2402. While in exile with Joshua Underwood on Earth, Kieran became Joshmaul's official successor as Emperor on March 4, 2376. Less than two weeks later, he ended Artimus' reign of terror over the Empire.
In his three decades on the Emperor's throne, Kieran dealt with the legacy Artimus left behind - including his clone "brother", Demon-Kieran, the warlord who took up Artimus' mantle as leader of the Separatists. On December 24, 2376, Kieran killed the Demon personally, ending Artimus' evil once and for all. The Emperor's authority was absolute, with even the Chancellor being answerable to his command. While he was a compassionate monarch, Kieran did not tolerate any rebellion, disrespect, or opposition to the Empire's alliance with the Federation. However, emotionalism tore the Emperor apart - after his son Travis renounced him, Kieran committed suicide. He was succeeded by his son, Emperor Kieran II.
Kieran Elias Devaneaux, Jr. (2376-)[]
See main article: Kieran Devaneaux II
The newly crowned Emperor of the Reydovans, Kieran II was five weeks old when his father was crowned Emperor. Raised by his father and tutored by both Governor-General Alexander Ross of Reydovan Prime and - when Ross became Chancellor - the Emperor's chief advisor, Joshua Underwood, Kieran was destined to succeed his father on the throne. However, he had anticipated his father living a long life before he would ever see the Reydovan throne. Kieran's suicide on August 25, 2406, ended that thought quickly. With the aid of Underwood and Count Jeremiah Neill of Easthaven, his defense minister, his reign seems to have begun on good footing.