Emperor Vaer’karesh stands as the legendary founder of the Geban Empire. During the Era of Early Dominion, he united the five warring nations of the continent into a single, organized imperial state. His rule enforced the Geban language and identity across all conquered peoples, using conquest as the primary tool for unification.

Notably, Vaer’karesh was not a large man, nor did he descend from any recognized family or bloodline of status. It remains unclear how he first gained the resources or backing needed to unify the continent—his rise is an enduring mystery even to imperial historians.

He survived multiple assassination attempts during the earliest years of his reign, demonstrating an almost ruthless will to survive. Vaer’karesh participated in—and won—every unarmed duel issued against him, some by methods so controversial they would forever alter the social foundations of Geba.

Under his leadership, the first standing armies were formed—shifting the world from chaotic, warlord-led skirmishes to disciplined, centralized military rule. Vaer’karesh’s consolidation brought an end to endemic tribal warfare, creating the groundwork for centuries of imperial stability.

Attempts to explore or establish contact with Thazvaar or map their eastern seas were abandoned under his reign, as those lands proved hyper-defensive and inaccessible to early expeditions.

Vaer’karesh also commissioned the first imperial relay systems beyond the origin continent, with the initial lines established in Ngorrhal. During his rule, the empire intervened in the infamous Ngorrhal mountain civil war, siding with the people of the Western and Northern Passes against the Northeastern line. This led to the full assimilation of the Ngorrhali people, who became the second most populous group in the Geban capital.

Through conquest, language, decisive intervention, and uncompromising will, Vaer’karesh set the imperial standard: absolute rule, enforced assimilation, and the creation of a unified Geban identity that would endure for millennia.

Defining Acts

• United the five nations of the continent by conquest, creating the first Geban Empire
• Enforced a singular Geban language and identity across all conquered peoples
• Formed the first standing imperial armies and ended warlord-based warfare
• Survived several assassination attempts and remained undefeated in all unarmed duels, reshaping Geban social order
• Notably not a large man and not of known noble blood—origins remain mysterious
• Commissioned early relay systems, establishing the first lines in Ngorrhal
• Intervened in the Ngorrhal civil war, securing the Western and Northern Passes and assimilating the Ngorrhali as “Frost Sentinels”
• Ceased all contact with Thazvaar, marking its lands as impenetrable to early Empire reach

Source Notes

• “Vaer’karesh unites the first empire, enforcing the Geban language and identity through conquest.”
• “The first standing armies emerge, transitioning from warlord-led skirmishes to organized imperial rule.”
• “All attempts to establish contact with Thazvaar or map their seas are ceased due to their hyper defensiveness.”
• “Early relay systems are established in Ngorrhal, the first outside of the origin continent.”
• “The people of Ngorrhal fully assimilate into the empire in exchange for their survival, becoming the second most populous people in the Geban capital.”
• “He survived more than one attempt on his life, and never lost a duel. Some say the manner of his victories forever changed the meaning of honor.”
• “He was not of great size, nor known lineage—his rise to power remains the subject of speculation and legend.”