Temal Kador

Temal Kador (23132 AD - YC105) was an Heir of the Kador Family during the later years of the reign of Heideran VII. She was the third cousin of Heideran, and the great-aunt of the current Heir, Uriam Kador. She competed for the throne after Heideran VII's death, but lost to Doriam Kor-Azor. Shortly after, she committed the ritual suicide Shathol'Syn.

Early Life

Temal was born in 23132 AD, the third child and first daughter of the then-current Kador Heir. From early on, it was evident that Temal was the favorite of the family. She was clever and expressed interest in leadership from an early age. In an incident which drew her father's praise, one of her personal slaves was being upbraided by a member of the manor staff for improperly following an order. Temal stepped in and stopped the beratement, informing the man that, as the slave did not belong to him, he had no right to criticize the slave. However, Temal then had the slave sent into the fields for failing at her tasks.

Temal's father began to groom her as his personal successor. He hired the best tutors from across the Empire to teach her and he took a personal interest in her life. He regularly brought her along on his meetings with his Holders, with the young girl often commenting freely on the foibles of her father's underlings. As she grew older, she accompanied him to meetings of the full Privy Council on occasion, though she always remained in the background.

Once she had gained enough experience, Temal was sent in her father's place in many of his common duties. She frequently acted on his behalf in negotiations with his Holders, took his seat on days of public court, and participated in religious rituals in his name. The two remained incredibly close, however, and there were whispers that her father doted too much and protected her from any criticism.

Sudden Heir

Temal's father died suddenly in 23185 AD following a brain injury related to a fall. Temal was suddenly thrust into the role of Heir. Even though she had been preparing for the role since she was young, she did not initially handle the sudden responsibilities well. She entered a long period of mourning for her father and left the handling of the majority of ruling to her father's councilors.

During her period of mourning, Temal dove into religious reading with fervor. Though she had always been knowledgeable of the Scriptures, she fully embraced them at this time. She became particularly enamored with St. Helion the Virtuous, an ancient Amarr prophet who spoke extensively about absolving sin and the afterlife.

As the year of mourning dragged on, rumors began to swirl that Temal was planning on renouncing her position and becoming a nun. Finally, at the urging of her mother and father's councilors, Temal finally emerged from seclusion to begin her rule. The damage was done, however, and Temal's position as Heir was flimsy.

Defending Against Challengers

Almost immediately, Temal came under fire from other members of the Kador Family who desired her position. Her older brothers, Damal and Torain, formed one alliance against her leadership, while a distant cousin, Umis, formed a second. Damal, the eldest brother, claimed he had rights to the position as the oldest sibling. Umis, meanwhile, was a direct descendant of Heideran VII. While neither of these things are normally issues in succession within the Empire, due to Temal's tenuous position, she had to fight against them.

Umis's claim fell apart fairly early, with many of the Holders supporting her aligning with Temal once Temal emerged from mourning. She pardoned those who quickly returned to her, while swearing to strip any who didn't of their ranks. Many of the remaining hold outs quickly sided with Temal, though she did reduce them in standing for refusing to support her until they were threatened. Those who remained loyal to Umis were made into commoners. Umis herself was banished and fled to the Khanid Kingdom, eventually fading from history.

Damal and Torain, however, proved to be more of a problem. While alone neither had the charisma, intelligence, or influence to challenge her, together they were quite capable of causing trouble. She spent several years in a political struggle with them. The two challenged her in private and sowed dissent among Holders. Because of their relation to her, Temal was unable to simply banish them out of a sense of duty to her father.

Temal finally dealt with them by promising to make Damal's son her Heir. Torain advocated continued fighting for position, but Damal was swayed by Temal's appeal to the memory of their father.

With Damal and Torain pacified, Temal had no further challenges to her rule, but was left with a reputation of being unable to control her domains.

Later Years

Temal continued to be highly religious and was an effective, if uninspired leader. She remained deeply committed to her father's memory and spent much time memorializing him. The economy and social progress of her region stagnated and she allowed her Holders to fight amongst themselves without sanction. In general, she only reacted to a situation when it was placed before her.

Many blamed her failings on her attachment to her father. Because he had always directed her and given her tasks to fulfill, she had not gained the necessary independence to act without direction. Additionally, the betrayal of her brothers left her constantly watching for traitors and potential usurpers. This hampered her ability to win influence throughout the Empire and left the region and family in tough straights.

In YC73, Temal sponsored a religious order dedicated to St. Helion to open a number of social clubs throughout her domains. The clubs were designed to spread St. Helion's teachings through the lower classes and were, for a time, very popular. However, the order proved to be less scrupulous than Temal demanded and she felt they were not managing the teachings properly. Temal sold her interest in the clubs and they slowly degenerated into working-class dive bars.

Amarr Succession

Heideran VII passed away in YC105. Temal was not one of the favorites, though her relationship to the Emperor and the Kador Family's reputation as the “Old Imperial Family” gave her some chance. However, Temal's lack of influence won her few eager champions and she failed in the trials. Doriam Kor-Azor won the throne and Temal committed suicide during his inauguration.

Prior to her death, her designated heir, Damal's son, died due to a genetic disease. Temal's last act as Heir was naming Uriam Kador, the son of Damal's son, as her heir.

See Also

• Amarr people
• Historical Royalty