Context.
Sometime before 816, the Empire of Panarine under the Jirair X Safa crushed the city of Caza during the last major attempt to re-establish Zekiaghara on the Seleccan peninsula. A half-century prior, under the rule of the Jirair VIII Zaida, the Kingdom of Orod was annexed into the Imperial Governorate of Gesena, in retaliation for the Sudenec dynasty’s collusion in Roscarth during the Harbor Revolts of 759. However, a permissive treaty left the Sudenec dynasty with limited power under the Imperial Governorate, and the region retained the title of kingdom.
Throughout the 9th century, Orod and the Sudenec dynasty held strong against increasing pressure to intermarry with Sasinthene nobility under the Tanthene Diaconate, as opposed to the native Oronar Diaconate, which was likely to favor a Talenic consort. The Tanthene Diaconate favored a policy of marrying Sasinthenes into subject houses to expand cultural hegemony, which provided a pretext for the Oronar Diaconate’s schism from the Grand Temple in Tanthis in 805.
After the schism, radicalized Oronar were responsible for much of the political strife in the early 9th century, primarily acts of terrorism within Gesena and against military targets. These acts included the 816 detonation of a semi-arcane explosive in Gesedec, killing Atanas Marassa with innumerable collateral casualties. Following the succession of Jirair XI Danech III, these attacks were quelled by a policy of appeasement, including a restoration of communion with the Oronar Diaconate. For the next century, Orod was pacified. Effective use of the Imperial Palace to suppress insurgent movements and sentiment resulted in a publicly cooperative Orod, and the aforementioned policy of hegemonic marriage was excepted in the Sudenecs’ case.
As a result, three generations of Oronar heirs were born to and married to Sasinthene consorts. Due to the Talenic cultural precepts of cousinship, numerous Sasinthene noblemen thus enjoyed the lofty positions of father-in-law and grandfather, who were traditionally preferenced as regents of the Kingdom of Orod. In the fall of 866, the prince-elect of Orod was the firstborn son of King Vlorin Sejdenec, the 16-year-old Prince Sterei Sejdenec. The spring prior, S. Sejdenec had become infatuated with the youngest sister of the Duke Kolossec of Voradena, in Cazia. As the doctrine of Hegemonic Intermarriage was largely unconcerned with those not in the line of succession, the 19-year-old Julina Kolossec had already married a Talenic second son and been widowed by the time of their meeting.
Prince Sejdenec traveled to Voradena with an Oronar deacon under the semblance of an excursion to the Igiantine School, long a mainstay of tutelage for Oronar heirs apparent. Upon arrival to Duke Kolossec’s lands, he ordered the deacon to have him married to J. Kolossec, and returned to Orod with his princess. The marriage was kept secret except to a slowly-growing circle of confidants, including his elder sister and several of her nursemaids. Upon the birth of his first child nine months later, a son, named Karas Sejdenec, he revealed the elopement to his family and the Empire at large.
A conclave was called within the Tanthene Diaconate to address the possibility of dissolving the marriage and declaring Karas a bastard. As the marriage had been consummated, annulment was not an option. While the Tanthene and Oronar Diaconates were mutually out of communication, the conclave determined with a narrow majority that the marriage had been performed honestly and in the sight of the God, and therefore, it was legitimate and could not be dissolved without the will of either spouse. As they could not dissolve the marriage, the Imperial Throne began to pressure Oronar nobles to elect a new prince. Due to King Vlorin’s remaining pro-Talenic unity sensibilities and a failed attempt on the part of the Imperial Palace at his incapacitation, efforts to alter the choice of prince-elect were stymied by the fact that King Vlorin had already ratified Sterei as heir-apparent.
Outcome.
Ties between the kingdoms of Orod and Cazia strengthen, even with the secession of the Western Kingdoms from under Imperial rule. Due to Jirair XI Daneche III’s policy of appeasement, Panarine is unable to exert enough political capital to enforce the doctrine of Hegemonic Intermarriage. Due to the conclave opinion that marriages executed under Oronar deacons are legitimate, Panarine passes several dowry standards, including a dowry tax, to punish high-profile marriages executed under the Oronar Diaconate.