| Emperor Jarethan IV | ||||||||||||||
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Eldarion was born of the wealthy and powerful Meristar Dynasty, a rich and influential clan of High Elves, now Blood Elves that despite their commoner status held considerable sway over the nobility of Silvermoon during the reign of Anasterian Sunstrider. However with the fall of the kingdom of Quel'Thalas, much of the Meristar influence was also lost. The inheritor to their family legacy, Eldarion Meristar sought to bring his family's power to its prime and beyond and thus with the advent of Prince Kael'thas' ascension to leadership he saw his opportunity. The Prince was in need of many new officials who were capable and thus Eldarion proved his worth to the Prince and many others who would become prominent in the Empire such as Minister Melataren, Emperor Metachronos and even the current Emperor Jarethan.
Eldarion was always ambitious and had a firm line on what was acceptable and what was not. If he saw something was completely unacceptable to his standards of anything, it was going to be removed and he would go to firm measures to do so. This near fanatical sense of logic and rules was one of the qualities that made him a fit military commander. Obeying orders was what soldiers did and when he issued orders he expected them to be followed, thus all the military regiments under Eldarion's command were some of the most efficient in the Empire. Eldarion however was not as willing to listen to advise as his compatriots who were more bureaucratic than he was. Soon however he learned the value of advice and that he could and did sometimes make mistakes though he would never admit it.
Rise
Eldarion formed what was the first steps towards the Blood Guard, at first a small contingent of soldiers who wore the now standard red and black crimson armor. Reflecting their changing lifestyle to Blood Elves, the Blood Guard symbolically were the fiercest defenders of this change, and followed Eldarion's leadership. To many, the presence of the Blood Guard was considered a potential threat against the Emperor, and upon the advice of Emperor Metachronos, Emperor Jarethan formed the Imperial Guard, a far more powerful, and prestigious ranking of soldiers, also given the privileged and honor of protecting the Emperor.
Eldarion, seeing this established Imperial Guard as a personal check on him by Emperor Metachronos saw the secondary Emperor as a threat to his influence. Therefore from that moment, there was a constant rivalry between Emperor Metachronos and Eldarion, who was now a High Councilor in the Empire.
During his tenure as a High Councilor, Eldarion spearheaded the re-integration of many of the Blood Elven forces such as the Scryers, the Falcon Watch and the Farstriders back into the Emperor's sway. Though the Emperor's own influence in these matters was considerable, Eldarion also assisted in the negotiations with the Sha'tar and the Shattered Sun Offensive to bring Druids and Shamans into the Empire.
He later became Emperor Jarethan IV, succeeding in the line of Imperial Emperors.
Imperial Advisor
Unlike some of the others in the Empire, Eldarion was never a Chancellor, instead he superseded them with his rise into the inner circle of the Empire alongside others such as Grand Master Yimo.
Eldarion's ambitious attitude constantly made him see the others in the inner circle as rivals to be defeated, not as co-workers working for mutual benefit or a greater purpose. Eldarion did fight for the sake of the Empire, as long as the Empire rewarded him.
When Emperor Jarethan mysteriously retreated to Sunwell Palace and was not seen for a long time, it was said that the Emperor bestowed the title of Grand Regent to Eldarion, making him effective ruler of the Empire in the Emperor's absence. This decision was controversial to say the least, but Grand Regent Eldarion did have 2 items that showed some evidence to this appointment, he possessed the Sunstar Flamestrike and the Flamestar Band, two symbols of Imperial authority.
Imperial Transition
The Silvermoon Empire's change to becoming the Empire took place without much visible interference from the secretive Imperial Advisors. Eldarion was included in this. He still held the position of Grand Regent though it was very much irrelevant during the last days of the Silvermoon Empire. However with the appointment of Lord Shakrenaar as the Prime Minister, Eldarion went into quiet retirement. As more and more imperial authority went to Grand Master Yimo and Prime Minister Shakrenaar, some of the long time Advisors such as Metachronos, Eldarion and Meletaren were left out of the runnings of government as Emperor Jarethan II, formerly Kiratanos, sought to make the runnings of the Empire more public.
When Shakrenaar took the position of Prime Minister into a more private bureaucratic position, the Emperor was pursuaded by Eldarion to reinstitute the position of Grand Regent, with the added power of Royal authority, effectively making it Co-Emperor in all but name. Jarethan II agreed and when Prime Minister Shakrenaar retired, the position of Grand Regent became relevant again.
Emperor
The greatly ineffective leadership of the short reigned Emperor Veleran I resulted in a palace coup, the only remaining Imperial Advisor of significant influence was Eldarion. Eldarion took the opportunity and seized power. The Imperial Masters, lead by Grand Master Kobili pledged their support, as did General Besnell of the Imperial Guard. It was clear that Eldarion had firm control over the Empire. He declared himself Emperor Jarethan IV after the palace coup and confiscated the Sunstar Flamestrike as well as the Imperial Phoenix Crown.
Foreign Policy
The Emperor's claims over the Eastern and Western Plaguelands went challenged by the Alliance and even the Horde. With the Imperial Forces having de facto control over the regions surrounding Andorhal during the cataclysm, the Emperor decided to create a new state, the Republic of Lordaeron which would become a successor state to the Kingdom of Lordaeron for the humans living in the area that did not want to subject to Imperial, Alliance or Horde authority. However due to its heavy reliance on trade with The Empire and dependence on Imperial Recognition, the Republic seemed more like a province of the Empire than an independent nation.
The Republic's first president, President Arthur was a frequent guest of the Emperor. The two leaders often saw eye to eye on many issues, considering the Empire was a huge source of trade for the new born Republic.
Internal Policy
As Grand Regent, Eldarion had firm control over the Empire's government during his tenure as head of state of the Silvermoon Empire, and thus he had already a firm grasp on what to do as a head of state. He had a firm policy of the construction of new towns and settlements for his people in the new areas of the Empire, the former Plaguelands. The Scarlet Enclave, which was under loose control of the Knights of the Ebon Blade was a key location for a new port for the Empire. The lands that were formerly occupied by the Scarlet Crusaders would link the Republic of Lordaeron with the Empire. It was this location that was prime settlement for Imperial settlers.
| Preceded by: Emperor Veleran I of the The Empire |
Imperial Emperor of The Empire Emperor Jarethan IV |
Succeeded by: Incumbant |