Nirivel the Victorious

Nirivel III, otherwise known as Nirivel the Victorious, was the third emperor and Philosopher-vicar of the Nirivelian Empire who significantly increased the size and scope of the empire, greatly expanding the military and conquering neighboring city-states.

Nirivel III succeeded his father, Nirivel II, after 200 years on the throne. Nirivel II had successfully consolidated the Empire under his rule and reformed the Cult of Nirivel to serve his ambitions. The empire that Nirivel III inherited was experiencing a golden age, flush with wealth and great cultural works. His father's assassination, however, during the Revolt of the Downtrodden, put him in a difficult position upon his ascension to the throne.

Beyond Vimar, the capitol of the empire, the emperor's control over the other cities was limited. Non high-elves still had considerable wealth and power in the other cities and impeded the emperor's control of the region. The Revolt of the Downtrodden was a considerable wake-up call for the Empire, which believed it had quashed all resistance during Nirivel II's reign. Therefore, once Nirivel III took the throne, he instituted the Imperial Reformation, which sought to consolidate power further in the hands of the high elves and institute a pseudo-feudal order on society.

Nirivel III's reforms were highly authoritarian and faced considerable resistance, especially on the edges of the Empire. The wealth of the Empire, however, allowed Nirivel III to build an army unparalleled in size and scope. With the assistance of the Hand of Nirivel, non-high elves were stripped of their wealth and privileges by force. Nirivel III copied his father's policy of segregation of the high-elves from other species in the other cities of the Empire, effectively creating a class of elites closed off from the populace in each city.

After the Imperial Reformation was completed, however, the military held considerable power in the Imperial court and had come to dominate Nirivelian society. To ensure the devotion of the military to his rule, Nirivel III turned his gaze outwards to conquering other cities to keep the military occupied and flush with military spoils of war. The military conquered city after city surrounding the Empire, greatly expanding its borders. It was difficult, however, for Nirivel III to maintain high-elf superiority and the edicts of the Imperial Reformation in cities so far away from the capitol, so many of the conquered nations became vassals with limited autonomy.

Nirivel III was assassinated by his son, Nirivel IV, after 500 years of his reign in a blatant power-grab.