The Histories say that a thousand years ago, Courae Veidoukan united the fractious, chaotic factions of the Core and Fringe Currents, founding the new Dawn Empire. The Empire stood for nigh a millennium, surviving multiple rebellions and even a full-on invasion from strange barbarians. After many shifts in political power and royal houses over the centuries, by the time the thousand-year mark approached, House Veidoukan had once again attained the seat of Royal power, and had held onto it for several generations. Great celebrations were arranged by the Veidoukans to celebrate both the glory of their great house, and the dawn of a new millennium for the Empire. As a special kick to memorialize the domain's longevity, the Emperor planned to rename it the "Undying Empire."
However, not all was good in the Empire, and there were many factions which wished to change the long-standing right and rule of the aristocracy. This dissension was not uncommon throughout the history, but past rebellions and conspiracies had always failed, either from within their own ranks or through forceful putdown. In the last year of the Dawn Empire's millennial countdown, another such uprising occurred, this time backed by the Conjoined Guilds, a collection of mercantile interests with growing political power. Despite mutual assertions from the Emperor's best advisors that this would all blow over, by the last months of the year the Cure Currents were engulfed entirely by a war which quickly became known as the Dusk Revolution. As had happened time and time before, the majority of the battles were won by the Imperial forces, and everyone expected the Emperor to once again stand victorious.
However, less than a week before the Great Millennium Day, a series of unexpected coordinated strikes simultaneously assaulted a multitude of Imperial holdings. Emperor Obai, his wife, their children, and their entire extended family were murdered in these surprise attacks, and within the span of an hour the leaders of the major allied Houses had all been assassinated as well. By the Dawn of the following day, the Empire had fallen, and the night of murder would be known as the Dynastic Purge. Battles would continue for another month, but the symbolic effect of the Emperor's death was effective beyond all of the Revolution's initial hopes. When the Great Millennium Day arrived, the victors celebrated the true dawn of a brand new era.
There are many questions about the specifics of the events of the Dusk Revolution, and the plethora of inconsistencies with reports of the Dynastic Purge only serve to intensify the confusion. Why did the timeless Majan Order, the self-titled protectors of the spiritual balances of the Skies, refuse to support either side of the conflict? Why did the Castiroyan sect of that Order disobey the Majan elders and side with the Emperor? Where did the Castoroyans vanish to after the dust from the Purge had settled? The Skies on the night of the Purge had been the clearest in weeks, with many karou pacts having been arranged to keep them clear for the week of the Millennial celebrations. Yet how did the attacks that night, which each consisted of multiple enemy vessels in full offensive assault, catch the defenders so entirely off guard? And what happened to Emperor Obai's newborn grandson, Piter, or the famous young combatant Lady Roua Marthulian, Emperor's Proxy, the "Deadliest Jewel," the most well-known and beloved face of the modern Empire?