Ich Dynasty

Overview

The Ich Dynasty is the current ruling family of the New Sammichian Empire, along with being the ruling family of the former Old Sammichian Empire and the Kingdom of Fulfwotz. It has produced over 200 various emperors, empresses, kings, queens, lords, and ladies during the span of nearly 7,000 years, among the most notable being the current Emperor Sammich the Magnificent. The family is commonly criticized by the public for their extreme methods of ruling and mental instability, as bipolar disorder and insanity seem to run within the family bloodline. However, there have been a large number of benign and just rulers, making the Ich Dynasty one of the most tumultuous and dynamic in the Shire. They are Sammichian, of the narwhal subrace.

History

While history at that time wasn't as fully documented as it is now, many historians believe that the first Ich monarch rose around the year 5,850 PRY, in the ancient city of Ceriumuse, established in 6,041 PRY. For the 191 years in between the establishment and when the Ich family came into power, the city was ruled by the Impe Family, the greatest house in Ceriumuse and a sworn enemy of the Ich Family. Under Impe rule, the Ichs were disgraced and humiliated, and were taxed heavier than half the city combined. They soon became the most hated Sammichian family at the time, even though most of the beautiful masonry and statues and gardens in Ceriumuse were paid for with taxes collected from the family alone.

Finally, in 5,880, the Impe Family had gone too far. During Homage Week, when Sammichians travel to the ancestral home of their gods, Quartzium, the Impe Family sent only a minor envoy instead of traveling themselves. Yet, the entire Ich Family had left the city. With their mansion uninhabited, the Impe Family ignited the decaying home, the scorched remains greeting the Ichs when they returned. Outraged, the Ich Family demanded retribution from Highlord Ceriam Impe, who merely laughed and beheaded the Ich Lord and Lady. He made the mistake of letting their daughter, Melia Ich, leave unharmed. Later in her life, still venomous and seeking revenge, she posed as the beautiful daughter of a different family and seduced the handsome Prince Valiam, Ceriam's favorite son and heir. She lured him into the woods, where she murdered Valiam and chopped his body up into hundreds of pieces.

On the night of December 10th, 5,849, Melia and a large group of men and women loyal to the Ich Family snuck into the Citadel, where they murdered Highlady Nemera Impe and showered the Highlord in his diced-up son. They proceeded to force-feed Valiam to his sobbing father, and released him where he died a slow and painful death from the raw and rotten meat of his son. Melia's coup was finished once she sat on the throne, the new ruler of Ceriumuse, and the first Ich monarch. It is a commonly-used example of the Sammichians' inherent lust for vengeance and power, and has been adapted into numerous frightening folktales.finising later