Kertavus Magnus

"Never since the days of Neronikus has there been a man like Kertavus. In a sea of stars, he was one of the moons."

Kertoff of Ikonox, more commonly known as Kertavus Magnus (the Great) was a kaesaton pisilis agori who brought down the Taiunon Hegemony and was the founder of the Glatorianate of the Skrall River Valley. Under his rule, the Nealite Caste System was dismantled as well as some other 'outdated barbarisms'. To replace these, liberal thought and ideas of his design and that of his council, as well as many to promote peace, order, trade and freedom, were issued under a series of laws and edicts, collectively known as the Codex Kertavus. Only those things that stood in the way of his vision of an Enlightened Reform were changed, everything else was left the way it was to ensure a policy of acceptance to most local laws and traditions and all religious and spiritual beliefs that did not cross him. It took time for people to adjust to most of these reformations, but the only real push back was by the Taiunons in the Resurgent Crisis that occurred after the death of Kertavus. His establishment of the Glatorianate is seen as the end of the Age of Anarchy in Neateir that had lasted since the Shattering, and the beginning of the so dubbed Age of Heroes.

The reign of Kertavus Magnus lasted about 100 years, beginning when he was 89 years old. After attaining the throne of Atero by marriage ties, Kertavus reformed Atero to fit his idealistic vision with legal reformations that mirrored his later Codex Kertavus. After doing so, he instigated war with Taiunopolis to pursue his idealistic vision for the world. For 9 years his revolution raged, which he called the "War To End All Wars" and modern historians dub the "Rise of Kertavus" or "Kertavus Rising", culminating in the strategic victory of the Battle of Fotius Hills and the proceeding Fall of Taiunopolis. Vulkanus, who remained neutral during the entirety of the war, sent envoys to Kertavus as soon its ruler heard that of his sound victory to swear allegiance to him. Around the same time his homeland of Ikonox sent their own messengers swearing to join his new order as well, effectively bringing the White Quartz Mountains into the Nealite sphere of influence. Roxtus to the east expressed interest but declined because the barbarian Bone Hunters between Atero and Roxtus would be too costly to combat.

Kertavus declared his realm to be called the Glatorianate, and it not being a centralized empire under his direct management but a unified confederation of city-states with a unified economy and shared ideals. Peace and order was to reign supreme next to the enforcement of agori rights. To prevent the outbreak of warfare, each capital city-state was to only have 200-500 guards, with a captain of the guard to serve as the general. Next, the economy was to be run on bets placed by city-states based on the outcome of arena fights. These fights would be fought by the best warriors each capital city-state called Glatorioi, or Glatorian for singular: a Prime Glatorian and a Secondary Glatorian. Any city-state breaking its ties with the others or breaking the Kertavus Codex will be seen as breakers of the peace and be dealt with be harsh punishment either by not being allowed to participate in the arena fights and thus not attain needed resources (even food or water); a unified army was never needed until the Skrall War. Kertavus, having been a gladiator slave for Bone Hunters for a number of years, saw how the crowd reacted and their bidding on the fights, and had the idea of a political entity run off of such things to fuel its economy, temper the best warriors, and keep the commoners entertained. He detested such unhonorless deaths, however, and so death matches were forbidden in the Glatorianate.

Some more radical modern thinkers cite Kertavus as not being a true revolutionary, seeing how he simply switched the titles of monarchs from Rex to Doux and imposed limits of power to these monarchs that, by not having a unified government, could not enforce it aside from the banning of that capital city-state from arena fights until the problem was fixed. Such radicals call for ideas based on democracy and republicanism, but other philosophers respond by how they think democracies will devolve to anarchy and republics would devolve to decadent oligarchies, and so say the Glatorianate and its heir the United Kingdom of Neala are the best way to go so far.

Rise
At the time of his ascension, he was the head of the bodyguard for King Haresh of Atero (Atheradat) and married to his daughter Akatop, and with his only son slain by Bone Hunters, the succession fell to said daughter. When Haresh died, many did not like the idea of Akatop in rule, and so Kertavus essentially took over with his marital ties to Haresh being his validation to the throne. He had many plans for the world, but even as the new ruler he found he could not do much so long as Taiunopolis dominated. As providence would have it, King Veltyros of Taiunopolis wanted to bring distant Roxtus into his sphere of influence and so sent his armies the cross Ruunika lands to force Roxtus to submit or be sacked, but he underestimated the bloodthirsty Ruunic khagans, and so in the crossing the mighty army was reduced to almost nothing and the corpses picked like vultures and burnt at the sacrificial pillars of Galytgel.

barred the retreating army of King Veltyros of Taiunopolis, whose army was ruined by Bone Hunter raiders during his march to Roxtus. Disrespecting his authority was a sign of war, but before Veltyros could reach Taiunopolis to properly prepare punishment for Atero he was assassinated. Almost as if planned, Kertavus then sent a formal declaration of war to the new ruler of the Sapphire City, young Prince Ian Taiunus. His vizier scrambled for resources, the experienced king and most of his veteran army now dead. Seen as a liberator from centuries of harsh oppression, a few villages near Atero joined in his revolution, but it wasn't until the city of Tesara defected that many joined Kertavus and Taiunopolis saw that there was a chance for defeat. The ancient power was assured of an fighting chance with the knowledge than an equal amount of villages and minor settlements stayed loyal out of fear. Across Greater Neatier many battles would had, won and lost, but it wasn't until the Second Battle of Fotius Hills that Tauinopolis suffered a crippling defeat. Using this moment to his advantage, Kertavus marched to brine coast, crossed the Gate of Thal and besieged Tauinopolis. When the city was stormed, complete with moving towers and engines of war, the colossus statue of Taiunus Magnus was toppled (but later mostly repaired by the natives) and the remaining soldiers either surrendered or killed. The citizens and their homes were spared of sacking, but the palace was given to the soldiers to loot by orders of Kertavus.

Trivia
Kertavus is the more Hellenized variant of Certavus, which is pronounced differently than LEGO's canon. Ker-TAHV-us instead of Sir-TAHV-us.