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SEPHIS I
Official name of the First Emperor of the Corianth Empire, he was born as Sephas, but changed his name at his coronation as Emperor, allegedly due to mistake made by an Eptemian stone mason, though the change had particularly significant linguistic associations. He shaped the empire according to his Constitution of Sephis, and masterly dealt with its administrative needs.
His first big test of rule began in 11 LC, when civil war broke among the Thos tribes-people, splintering into two main opposing factions over the issue of support for Sephis I as he spread his dominion over their lands. The opposition rallied behind one Storm Anaulf, who was defeated in battle that same year, although he was to continue a guerrilla campaign for another four years before being killed. With that accomplished, Emperor Sephis I was free to expand, which he did vigorously so towards the north and east, his rule and protection generally benevolent, and doubters more often converted to the cause of empire by the riches and employment opportunities the spreading imperial administration brought with them.
Although Sephis I had been a convert of the Church of Omicron, which he later refounded for the Corianth Empire as the Order of Omicron, he allowed free expression of pagan worships, particularly due to his constant gratitude for Thos support in his earlier campaigns against both King Minan of the Ithrayans, and King Emeris when he turned traitor from Eiom.
However, a definitely acute problem that developed over his reign was one of language. As the Corianth Empire spread, it assimilated a number of differing languages and a whole spread of dialects, that caused the rapid evolution of the original Eiomite tongue. In trade and administration this could cause appreciable concerns, but it caused particular and significant problems when applied to the doctrine of the Order of Omicron, resulting in a number of doctrinal shifts and splits, that eventually led to Polithos instituting his own strict and fanatical orthodoxy in later years.
Sephis I, also known as the Great, ruled the Corianth Empire until he was 75. He had suffered from increasing senility for some years, but eventually succumbed to a brain tumour. His time on the throne is always written of in glowing terms, which although partly propagandist, is also a reflection of the relatively few and seemingly minor tribulations he faced as Emperor. |
