Aran Tau or known as Emperor Aran is a character for Antares. He is the emperor of the Antares Imperium from 1927 to 1961 and expanded his realm to encompass all of Centaura. Aran Tau is part of the House of Tau which rules over Antares. In Centaura he helped succeed his father, Kalvin Tau's vision for Antares to be hegemon of Centaura in the Centauran Wars. He would later lead Antares into the Forman War.
Lore
Early Life
Aran Tau was born somewhere in 1885, being 8 years older than his sibling Andrew Tau.
In 1905, he would be paired with Anna Khorin, improving the relations between Corvus and Antares. In 1906, Aran and his consort, Anna gave birth to Kaden Tau in 1908. Aran did not see much fighting in the Southern Corvus War which may have morphed his attitude during his rule.
Reign
Aran would become emperor after his father's passing at in 1927, at the age of 42, setting course through the Centauran Wars. Understanding his father's vision in a rather distorted way, he would continue to set Antares' goal to be unification of Centaura, even accelerating it with more aggressive offensive.
Aran took the title of emperor, Andrew was assigned to be his advisor through the Supreme Council. Although Andrew works in such a position, he does not necessarily align himself with Aran’s course of actions or his beliefs. In fact, Andrew says whatever he thinks might make Aran happy, largely because Andrew fears being labeled as a traitor and imprisoned/executed. This move effectively establish a royal dictatorship with the nullification of any constitutional power pose by the Supreme Council, allowing Aran to gain full control.
As part of antarean imperial tradition, the children of the sovereign are to serve in military service to strengthen the Armada’s loyalty to himself. Aran would coerce his younger son, Kaden to serve in the military as a lieutenant II. Kaden would serve in the imperial army, a decision he will despise further in the future.
Centauran Wars
During his reign, the old warrior ways of the Antareans slowly returned. The military became more aggressive under Aran’s rule, and consequently civilians became increasingly endangered.
Many of the older soldiers who had served under Kalvin continued obeying his order, while newer recruits who came in under Aran’s rule were mostly unaware of Kalvin’s order. Aran had not enforced his father’s order either, and so superior officers of the military began to slack off.
Occupied territories taken before Aran came to power were spared from the army’s brutality, but not so much for newer territories. Riaan civilians were subjected to the most attacks from the Antarean army.
Forman War
Anxious with the growing power of Orion, Aran would conspire with Ursa, a revanchist state to pacify the hydran powers as a precaution. Continued Orionite agitations against his conquests would build up distrust between both nations.
In October 1947, an incident occurred in the Libratum International Zone, known as the SIC Incident. This confirms the fears of Aran that the Hydran powers would oppose him, thus he decides to strike first. Aran would conspire with Federation of Ursa, a revanchist state to pacify the hydran powers, eventually initiating a war, which would transpire into the events of DEAD AHEAD.
In 1956, when Antares lost the war at sea and Orion began landing on the east Tucanese coasts, Kaden fought with his new company. Three years later, Orion and its allies had pushed the Antareans to their original borders. The arrival of compact forces would collapse the warlord system of Skorpii Riaa, causing absolute anarchy. One of the commanders in the region was Kaden, who decided to surrender with the men he commanded. Kaden having lost all trust to his father, hates his father's regime and actively sought to replace it. Soon, other Antarean army units began surrendering after learning what Kaden had done. The deserters were allowed to fight alongside the Orion army as they continued pushing south.
Death
After fierce fighting in the capital of Skorpius, Aran Tau would be captured in 1961. Kaden would meet his father for the last time before he was executed. Aran would face the gallows. Kaden was put in charge of the new Antarean state by the Orion generals, a position that he was not prepared for.
Personality
Aran Tau is brown hair, sports red eyes, a characteristic shared with the Tau Family. Detached from his father's original concept of rule.