The Assassination of Emperor Dyrrachius
Hall of the Mundane | Section on History | History of MeroneiumDuring the 2352nd year of the Age of Iron, the reigning emperor of the great empire of Meroneium was killed by the 17 year old Absolom, who had been captured prior in the recent conquering of the La'aite kingdom of Lev Vechik to the east. The emperor, Dyrrachius Meronaeus, was considered by most later Meronean historians and scholars to be the last true emperor of Meroneium and the last emperor to be the vessel of the spirit of their patron god, Meronaeus. The impact of the assassination is speculated to be the precursor to the fourth and last civil war of Meroneium nearly 50 years later, which would result in the empire eventually collapsing and losing its presence as a power in Braand.
Many details of the event are obscured by conflicting information throughout several sources, retellings, and records on the subject. Despite this, there are some elements that remain the same among most. It's generally agreed upon that Absolom had a sister, Kelilah, who suffered from the Meronean invasions, and was brutally maimed by the dying emperor during his death throes. It is not clear if Absolom survived or escaped afterwards, but it has been made a point several times that the emperor's praetorian guard initially hesitated before making chase for the assassin. Some records described this as the nature of Meronean society where might makes right, but most claim that it was simply out of shock of seeing an emperor of Meronaeus be struck down before them.
The most important detail according to many, however, was the weapon used by Absolom: a sword so unimpressive, that no one believed it could be used to kill even the weak and unarmed. There are multiple records that quote members of the praetorian guard who claimed to have tried slitting Absolom's throat with his own weapon only to burst into laughter when it was too dull to even break his skin. This, given with Absolom's unimpressive sature compared to the exceptionally large emperor, is believed to be reason why Absolom was even allowed to share a room with the emperor despite being armed.
Persons of Interest
Absolom
Little is known about the assassin, Absolom, but he was generally believed to be 17 at the time of the killing, making him born on either the 2335th or 2334th year AoI. Even at his young age, he was described as being shorter than his peers and with a mild demeanor, preferring to share the quiet company of sheep as a shepherd than attend hunts or patrols. During the Meronean invasions of his home, he was primarily tasked as lookout or a scout by the older men of his village and was not expected to actually fight. He lived with his father and elder sister, Kelilah, the latter of which was believed to be the head of the household.
When the Meronean forces eventually made it to Absolom's home, it is likely that the soldiers enslaved any survivors as is was typical treatment of conquered settlements. Kelilah has been alluded to suffering especially from the invasion, but details on how are only speculative. Most believe she had died, as she nor their father are brought up again in many records from the time.
Absolom's acquisition of his sword was sudden and confusing. Most sources indicate that he came across the sword between the initial invasion of his village and his eventual capture, leaving a very small timeframe for when this could have happened. Despite this, both the praetorians who received him and the soldiers who captured have confirmed that he had the sword on his person at the time prior to knowing the outcome of events. Additionally, swords were exceptionally rare in villages of the same size as Absolom's. Absolom has also been described by contemporaries as preferring the sling and carrying a spear, both of which are far more standard among typical infantry of Lev Vechik, and never a sword. The sword described also does not match the designs commonly issued throughout Meroneium at the time, was often commented on by how old and poorly maintained it was, and never claimed by the Meroneans to be of their making. This makes it unlikely that the sword was taken from the body of a fallen Meronean soldier, which furthers this notion as very few Meroneans were slain during the invasion.
After the killing of Dyrrachius, most sources believe that he was able to make a brief escape. This was not done without injury, however, as the towering emperor was able to badly wound Absolom before he died. Despite not drawing a weapon himself, Dyrrachius either managed to either break Absolom's hand or arm or outright remove his hand or some of his fingers. More extreme claims will even go as far as to say that Dyrrachius managed to tear off his entire arm. Regardless, Absolom made his escape afterwards while the praetorians were processing the situation. Meronean sources claim that Absolom would eventually be caught and tortured, likely for weeks to months. In contrast, La'aite retellings of events make little to no mention of Absolom after the assassination with no comment on either his safety or whereabouts. Because of the latter's lack of closure, the former is the primarily accepted scenario.
Records
The following are some of the works by individuals recording or retelling the event of Dyrrachius' assassination.
Atronius, 2356 AoI
Meronean historian Secundus Atronius Muncius has made an article on the assassination, primarily by collecting works by other Meronean witnesses and scribes on the same event in his attempt to document what actually took place. Per Atronius:
"The defiance of the La'ites of Lev Vechik has naturally lead to the will of Meronaeus being imposed upon them, and, just as naturally, did our soldiers prevail by quashing the soft men that built their kingdom. They believed that despite their weak nature, the distance between Meroneium and Lev Vechik would be enough to allow them to shirk their duties as warriors to instead seek a means to fill their purses with silver. To underestimate one's enemy is folly enough, but to do so when your enemy is the giant that is the Meronean army is insolence. It was then, understandably, that the declaration was made stating any slaves taken shall be treated in equal measure. Unfortunately, it would be a most fitting decision made as no one foresaw what events were to come.
As is any successful triumph, the spoils would be presented to our glorious Emperor. And while many of the slaves were beautiful and talented, some soldiers had found a warrior so weak it was to the point of entertainment. It was believed this boy, barely even a man, would bring the Emperor laughing to tears in his attempts to get revenge for his people. Of course there was no way this could happen, as even besides the point that our Emperor stood heads over the average soldier in the Meronean army, let alone a malnourished shepherd from Lev Vechik, the boy held a sword that was less than useless. He slashed at both legionaries and praetorians, and both times the blade failed to draw blood. It wasn't even fit to cut one's own hair, as one of the Emperor's guard put it. Surely, this boy and his toy weapon were no threat to the Emperor.
And so, he was presented to the late Dyrrachius Meronaeus. He was so weak, he was thrown at the feet of the throne without chains or shackles. Of course Dyrrachius was amused, as he knew why they had brought the boy from him to witness. His loyal praetorian would join Him in laughter, as the boy immediately went to tackle Dyrrachius only for Him to stand firmly in place. It was crude and reckless, and it had only made the Meroneans in the courtyard laugh harder. Dyrrachius at this point was contemplating, likely of a means of how he should play with His food. It was at this point, according to the guards, that they seen the boy draw the lame sword. The praetorians who already knew began to cheer in jest, expecting the broken sword to fail as it has before. But Dyrrachius almost seemed frozen, and in hindsight, many of His guard would later recognize the look of knowing over His face as His eyes watched the blade. Dyrrachius, in this moment, decided to act first for the first time during this spectacle and charged at the boy.
By sheer luck, the boy had raised the sword as Dyrrachius was just out of distance. The guards could not believe their eyes as they saw the Emperor now impaled by this knife that failed to even shave the hairs off their arms days before.
The sound of blood dribbling on the tile beneath them filled the courtyard, but only a moment before the squeals of pain came from the deceitful boy. Once again, the people of Lev Vechik have underestimated the might of Meroneium and was now suffering the godly strength of our Emperor as He gripped his arm. His fingers dug into flesh of the boy and the guards could hear the sound of bones breaking. It was unclear just how much time has past but surely the boy would die. Eventually, however, the Emperor would slump over before the boy could push him off and run. The praetorian stood in shock, as they had just witnessed the first, and only, time an emperor of Meroneum would bleed.
The boy, like a snake, would quickly slither through the palace ducking through the confused crowd as if it was tall grass. It was regretable how long it took to capture him, but eventually he would be found hiding in plain sight. No longer would the Meronean people suffer his trickery, and a mob of legionaries holding him tight as they carried him to his prison. Of course now he would finally speak up only to make cowardly pleas for mercy, but at this point the soldiers were all too aware of his serpentine nature. Not within recent Meronean history has one faced such a wrath, facing the judgement and torture fitting for one who dares uses trickery not only to unfairly uplift the weak, but to do so the kill the Emperor. He was kept alive for as long as it was possible and made sure to be awake at all hours, breaking his bones and spirits. But, unfortunately, he would succumb to the eventuality we all do, and died.
The worst would be to come, however. After Dyrrachius, the high priests of Meroneium struggled to find a proper successor. For as long as we had practiced, we had relied on the selection ceremony in which we may find who Meronaeus has chosen to rule. But as of late, for whatever the reason, the high priests struggle to find a suitable successor. Most seem unconfident in their choices while others choose weak, frail men who bribe them. There have since been talking of finding a new means of succession, possibly executing the entire priesthood if Meronaeus has decided that they are of no use. These are confusing times, and the boy responsible is no longer alive for us to inflict vengeance upon. But strength prevails, and to fail now would only prove that we have grown weak. And to grow weak is to outgrow your place on this star. Meronaeus, be just in your decision whether it means our sons will see another day or that we should be weeded out so that stronger sons may take their place."
Musetaquila, circa 2353 AoI
Sometime after Dyrrachius' assassination, people outside of Meroneium would eventually learn of his death. With Meroneium's reputation and hyperaggressive foreign policy, it should not be surprising that there were those with a great distaste for both Meroneium and Meronaeus. This was especially true with La'aite communities after the recent conquering of Lev Vechik.
It is unknown who the original author was or when it was first created, but graffiti began to show up across many cities controlled by Meroneium that became a symbol of defying the empire (specifically the killing of Dyrrachius) and, much later on, a popular symbol for worshippers of La'a in general.
The symbol depicts a mouse, the favored animal of La'a, biting at the neck of an eagle, the favored animal of Meronaeus, and presumably killing it. Both animals have their anteriors facing one another, with the mouse on the bottom. Eventually, the symbol would become known as the Musetaquila
The oldest recovered depiction of the musetaquila is from the year after the assassination, but possibly could have become used earlier than that.