Emperor Farrion III
Emperor Farrion III was the reigning monarch of the Empire of Directionland during the War of the Empires. He ascended to the Imperial Throne at age 20 following the death of his father, Emperor Alexander XV, and is chiefly remembered for his leadership during Directionland’s first major existential war as a unified empire, including the development of new siege technology in St. Niam, the fall and liberation of Gandry, and the unresolved disappearance of Crown Prince Calin.
| Emperor Farrion III | |
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 Emperor Farrion III, wearing his war uniform during the War of the Empires.
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| Title | Emperor of Directionland |
| Reign | ascended aged 20; reigned during the War of the Empires |
| Coronation | Aged 20 |
| Predecessor | Emperor Alexander XIV |
| Successor | Emperor Roddard |
| Spouse | Empress Elina |
| Issue | Crown Prince Calin Prince Roddard (later Emperor Roddard) Princess Alice Princess Astrid |
| House | House Durias |
 Coat of Arms of House Durias
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| Father | Emperor Alexander XIV |
| Mother | Empress Agatha |
| Age at death | 91 |
| Known for | War leadership; refusal to annex SFK territory; disappearance of Crown Prince Calin |
Early life and accession
Farrion was the eldest son of Emperor Alexander XIV. His father died unexpectedly at age 34 after a short illness. Contemporary rumor attributed the death to poisoning by agents of the Southern Federation of Kingdoms (SFK), though no definitive proof was publicly established.
Farrion acceded at age 20 amid worsening relations with the SFK, whose ruler, Emperor Larsi, rejected Directionland’s diplomatic overtures and asserted claims over the empire, referring to it as “the Northern Provinces”.
Marriage and children
At age 21, Farrion married Empress Elina. The marriage produced four children:
- Crown Prince Calin
- Prince Roddard (later Emperor Roddard)
- Princess Alice
- Princess Astrid
Deterioration of foreign relations
Early in his reign, Farrion attempted to preserve peace through repeated diplomatic initiatives, but these efforts were consistently rejected by the SFK court. He also maintained personal ties with Ruulran through his father’s long-standing friendship with King Theodren. As the crisis escalated, Theodren ceased responding to Farrion’s letters, a silence later interpreted as a sign of Ruulran’s intent to remain neutral.
War of the Empires
Outbreak
War began on a cold autumn day when reports reached the imperial chambers that fighting had erupted across the realm. In later retellings, the first proof of invasion was said to be the sound of cannonfire and steel before warning sirens sounded in Kingsvalley.
Conduct and leadership
Though young, Farrion was widely described as composed and resolute. He was frequently present with frontline units during major pushes, earning personal loyalty from many soldiers and officers.
Fall of Gandry
The capture of Gandry marked a turning point in Farrion’s reign. Reports of mass civilian deaths, the burning of the Grand Sanctum of Alessa, and the extermination of Gandry’s former royal household devastated the imperial court. Farrion’s private grief reportedly hardened into open fury, and his public rhetoric shifted toward survival at any cost.
“Like Niam Before”
During the war, the battle hymn "Like Niam Before" spread among Directionland’s ranks. Soldiers sang it while marching, invoking Saint Niam and pledging their lives in service to the empire and the Crown.
Disappearance of Crown Prince Calin
One of the war’s most dramatic and unresolved incidents was the disappearance of Farrion’s heir.
Calin vanished from his bed during the conflict at age 15. An immediate search was ordered and continued for weeks without success. Early assumptions that the prince had fled or become lost were challenged when a sedative vial bearing an SFK symbol was reportedly discovered beneath his bed. The Crown concluded that kidnapping was the most likely explanation, but no reliable trace of Calin was ever recovered.
The disappearance became a defining wound of Farrion’s reign. Accounts claim that, even after the war, he continued searching personally, walking at night with a lantern through forests and hills, refusing to accept finality.
Escalation and technology
Late-war reports alleged that SFK weaponry began exhibiting signs of Nether experimentation, including purple Dark Energy effects on certain impacts. Facing an enemy army described as vastly larger, the Crown increased funding to St. Niam’s engineering programs to pursue countermeasures.
The resulting breakthrough is traditionally associated with the first deployment of the TNT trebuchet, which helped halt SFK advances and shift momentum back to Directionland.
End of the war and the treaty at Yaxton
The war ended after Directionland forces pressed into the SFK heartland and stormed the imperial palace at Yaxton. Tradition holds that Farrion personally led the breach into Larsi’s war room and forced an end to hostilities.
In the most common retelling, Farrion demanded immediate signature of a peace treaty under threat of summary execution. Larsi signed, abdicated without naming a successor, and the SFK dissolved soon after. Cities not destroyed during the final phase of fighting re-emerged as independent polities, while a large wave of refugees was accepted into Directionland.
Notably, Farrion ordered that Directionland would not annex SFK territory. Imperial Parliament and Senate supported the decision, framing conquest as incompatible with Directian political identity.
Later reign and death
After the war, Farrion was celebrated publicly as a hero, though he is consistently described as rejecting personal glorification. Instead, he emphasized the endurance of ordinary citizens under occupation and the sacrifices of the dead.
He maintained a long-standing practice of visiting the St. Stylinson Grand Sanctum graveyard weekly to pay respects to fallen soldiers, continuing the ritual until late in life.
Farrion III died at age 91, peacefully in bed, surrounded by his family. The disappearance of Crown Prince Calin remained unresolved at the time of his death.
Legacy
Farrion III is remembered as a symbol of Directian resilience and wartime resolve: a young sovereign who inherited an empire at the edge of collapse and presided over its survival without turning Directionland into a conquering power. His reign is also inseparable from the enduring mystery of Crown Prince Calin, a loss that shaped both his personal life and the mythology of the war.