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Many in the past have believed themselves invincible. Against Vasuband, against the Imperium, against the Empire. They're nothing but dust now. As shall it be with the Republic.

- Admiral Irenwen

Irenwen, called the Butcher of Hosniaal, was a Basileus female officer of the Imperial Navy, who served as the admiral of the 65th Fleet from her command ship, the Mandator II-class Star Dreadnought Absolution. Cruel and fanatically loyal to the Empire, Irenwen was a forceful believer in the supremacy of the Basileus over all life in the Cyrannus Galaxy, though in contrast to forebears such as Tyranus and Tyermaillin, she recognised the folly of attempting to bring about Basileusi rule over the galaxy through force, and instead promoted political maneuvering and backroom court politics.

Irenwen's family were killed in a Republic attack during the First Great War, imbuing in the young Basileus a burning hatred for its successor, the New Cyrannian Republic. As such, while she aspired toward Basileus dominion over the Empire, she put such ambitions aside in the war against the Republic. During the Second Great Cyrannus War, Irenwen rose to infamy in the aftermath of the Battle of Hosniaal, during which she devastated the planet's surface after it formally surrendered to the Empire. Impressed by her brutality, Grand Mandator Deoclet Caesarius promoted her to the rank of Admiral.

After a campaign against the colonies of the Delpha Coalition of Planets, Irenwen was tasked to attack Capricaerón in the aftermath of the Liberation of the Twelve Worlds, and while she successfully destroyed the capital Capricaepolis, she was killed in the swift Republic counterattack which followed.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Born on Vasuband, Irenwen hailed from a noble family in Basilban, whose scions included more than one influential justiciar in the Imperium. During the First Great War, Irenwen's clan were staunch supporters of the New Basileus Empire, and during the battle to break the Blockade of the Perliama Run, she lost her mother, father and five siblings to a Republic broadside. Swearing vengeance, Irenwen enlisted in the Basileus navy, and subsequently began working her way up the ranks of the Imperial Navy, once it was formed at the close of the war.

Second Great War[]

By the time the Second Great Cyrannus War erupted across known space, Irenwen had risen to the rank of Vice Admiral—testament to her loyalty in spite of Basileus rebellions against the Empire led by both Tyranus and Tyermaillin. By the close of 16 NE, she gained command of the experimental Mandator II-class Dreadnought Absolution, under Grand Admiral Deoclet Caesarius. During the Battle of Hosniaal, during the Empire's siege of the Capricorn Sector, Irenwen brought the planet to its knees, forcing its surrender. However, she subsequently opened fire on the defenceless planet using the Absolution's orbital displacement cannons, devastating the planet and earning her a promotion to Admiral, as well as a personal sobriquet—the Butcher of Hosniaal.

SGCW Battle of Cyranduas

Admiral Quarantar's armada ambushes Irenwen in orbit over Cyranduas.

After her promotion, Irenwen continued to carve a bloody swath through the Capricorn Sector, feeling a sense of pride for being the Basileus assigned to oversee what she considered to be the deconstruction of the Libertus heartlands. However, she was outplayed by the Republic Admiral Quarantar, who utilised her brutality against her to ambush her armada during the opening stages of the Battle of Cyranduas. Losing much of her fleet in the process, an enraged Irenwen fled the battle aboard the Absolution, only to return days later with a far larger fleet, forcing the Republic defenders into a bitter ground war for control over Cyranduas.

Coordinating closely with Grand General Kasandra, the two Imperials sent wave after wave of war machines against Republic forces commanded by the Aldárae master Tyandas, and while the defenders were ultimately killed, they had inflicted such heavy causalities that the Empire was logistically unable to hold the planet. With a massive planetary shield protecting the planet, Irenwen was prevented from simply razing the planet, and fled into hyperspace.

VectorsOfLightandDark03

The Absolution fires on Capricaerón.

In 19 NE, Irenwen was tasked to work with Admiral Anten Rh'vaurek to oust the Delpha Coalition of Planets from their Cyrannian colonies. There, she contended with a mysterious Luminary who sought to liberate the people of the DCP from the clutches of the Imperial occupiers.

Death[]

By the following year, Irenwen was outraged to learn that the Empire had suffered a humiliating defeat during the Liberation of the Twelve Worlds. Sneaking behind Republic defences, she began a vicious bombardment of Capricaepolis, and almost succeeded in killing President Apollo. Unleashing the power of the Absolution's ventral cannons, she obliterated Capricaepolis but was prevented from escaping with the arrival of a Republic task force. In the short battle which followed, the Absolution buckled under the Republic bombardment, finally spelling an end for the devious Butcher of Hosniaal.

Personality and Traits[]

Irenwen represented many of the worst stereotypes often thrown at Basileus. She was caustically sarcastic, xenophobic and quite willing to utter destroy those foolish enough to stand in the Empire. As a result of the death of her family during the First Great War, Irenwen had a largely irrational hatred for the institutions of the Republic, and often dreamed about the horrible fate awaiting jumped-up Libertus "children" such as Apollo. As such, she gained great pleasure by destroying the Libertus capital Capricaepolis in 20 NE.

Nevertheless, her xenophobia was largely hidden behind a facade of sophistication, for while Irenwen was capable of dispensing unspeakable acts of brutality upon her foes, she regarded the destruction of her enemies, and the inevitable Basileus conquest of the Gigaquadrant, coldly, and with chilling and precise calculation.

Starships[]

Acquaintances[]

Liked[]

Blue faceOh, it's you. How delightful. How wonderful.

Disliked[]

Orange faceYour life, your family and all you hold dear are now forfeit.

  • Apollo: "I will see you die screaming."
  • Mar-Júun: "A filthy abomination. You dilute your superior blood with demonic muck."

Quotes[]

Have a care, Irenwen. Only under the Empire is our supremacy assured.

- Grand Admiral Carandial

"Butcher"? You know not the true meaning of terror, Imperial vermin.

- Mar-Júun

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

Appearances[]

Further Reading[]

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