Welcome students. Look here – this is a golden bison, the symbol of the Institute. It stands for strength, resolve and perseverance. Most institutions have their own symbol – and so do some of the oldest families of Revenith. In most cases, they have long forgotten about it, but some still continue the tradition of using the family emblem on special occasions and for signing letters. One of them is the first imperial family. Their emblem is a snake – an unusual choice, as these animals are not related to any virtue. That is, however, not what the ancestor had in mind. We will now examine the story behind the choice. Listen carefully…
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Revenith, year 98 of Era II
General Carthen was never popular among the people of the Empire, and so he was only able to achieve power in the Capes, to which he led the first expedition himself. For Carthen’s oldest son, Dantar, this was not the case. When the man was only 27 years old, the news of the tragic end of Emperor Rayoh the Crazy spread through the East. He decided to overcome the bad reputation his father had earned and try his luck in claiming the greatest throne of the region.
Revenith lacked a strong leader – the two emperors had died, the old Naman did not even contemplate claiming any higher role than counsellor, and other commanders did not have enough authority to be the most important of all. When young Dantar arrived in Cerbane and presented his case, opinions were strongly divided. The fact that he was Carthen’s son was a guarantee he was confident, ambitious and well-educated in management and military expertise. At the same time, it could mean that he was as cruel and vengeful as his father, which would be a long-term harm for Revenith. The commanders of the imperial army decided to hold a meeting to discuss the proposal and decide on its fate.
The debate was long, and in the end lasted for over three days. On the fourth, once everyone had finished their speeches, they held a secret vote. By a small but sufficient margin, the proposal was accepted. A month later, Dantar was crowned Emperor of Humans in front of the palace in Cerbane.
Near Cerbane, year 104 of Era II
Let us now head to the topic of the class. The events that led to it occurred five years into Dantar’s reign. He was supposed to travel to northern provinces in order to assess administration and talk to the citizens. He departed from the capital on a summer morning, before most people in the city had left homes for work. The information about the journey was not shared with many people in order to avoid attracting attention – public announcements were to be made only after the ruler’s return. The first two days of travelling were not particularly interesting – the group passed through similar forest landscapes for hours. On the third day, however, this changed drastically.
The Emperor was ambushed by a group of bandits, who seemingly not only wanted to take his possessions, but also kill him, which indicates they had a political connection in addition to the criminal one. The ambushing group was large and well-organized, which means that they were aware of the ruler’s journey – the information was probably leaked a few days in advance by a member of the imperial court. The guards were defending Dantar skillfully, and killed many of the bandits. However, after a time, the emperor was separated from them, and started to run away. One bandit went after him, and soon managed to reach the ruler.
Dantar had nowhere to run, and was sure that a fight was imminent. At that moment, nature came to his rescue. The bandit, rushing carelessly at his target, stepped on a snake that was lying on the ground. The animal bit his partially uncovered ankle. He immediately felt the pain, stopped in place and fell to the ground. Lying in agony, he called for help. Instead, the emperor took out the sword and finished the bandit. After that, he cut off the snake’s head and took both parts with himself. With his help, the guards defeated the ambush, with only one casualty on their side.
Dantar kept the dead snake until the end of the journey, and asked his servants in Cerbane to prepare it and display it in one of the chambers. Moreover, he decided that a snake would be his personal emblem. His children, and everyone in the family after them decided to keep it in use despite its obscure origin.
Hopefully you now know everything about the royal emblem. That’s a good place to finish.
Aedilër 