High Empyror

The High Empyror is the ruler of the Tuaparang Empire, introduced by this title in conversation in.

Very little is known about this individual other than that he is male and the leader of the Tuaparang. All else that is more-or-less known comes in the form of scattered rumors across the populace of Weyard. Sveta states that the High Empyror pursues military power above all else, and therefore Tuaparang is a country that devotes all its resources to science and military power over the needs of its own citizens, making it closer to a massive army than a nation. Either part of his country or closely affiliated with it is the Umbra Clan, a tribe of Adepts with unusual powers that that allow them to be called Dark Adepts. A duo of Dark Adept warriors, Blados and Chalis, serve the High Empyror as field commanders. Within the thirty-year timeframe between and Dark Dawn, Alex is somehow able to induct himself into the High Empyror's circle, and he obtains a position as part of Blados and Chalis' unit under the alias "Arcanus".

Dark Dawn - The Power of Apollo
The goal of the High Empyror, at least over the course of Dark Dawn, is to take control of the Light-based apparatus called the Apollo Lens, which is hidden and sealed in a sanctum on the highest peak of the Khiren Mountain Range that divides Angara into northern and southern halves. He has a plan for the Lens of some sort, and the Lens itself is a superweapon of potentially massive destruction because it is a cannon that shoots out a beam of light amplified many times over, and allegedly it can be aimed at a target. The High Empyror tasks Arcanus, Blados, and Chalis to go on a campaign to find and control the Lens.

The Apollo Lens is deeply sealed, and the methods of opening it up, powering it, and employing it are complex and numerous. It is not known whether the High Empyror and/or the Tuaparang knew of these methods from the beginning, whether "Arcanus" and his two peers only found this out for themselves over the course of their campaign, or somewhere in between: There are three ancient Alchemy Machines located in Angara. Two of them are south of the Khiren Mountains, the Alchemy Forge and Alchemy Well, and these will end up working in unison when both powered up - and provide power to the Lens itself. A third, more forbidden machine within ruins north of the mountains, the Alchemy Dynamo, keeps sealed a subterranean structure named Eclipse Tower, and once unsealed and elevated to the surface the tower will cause a cataclysmic event called the Grave Eclipse, where a giant eclipse cast down on northern Angara will cause shadowy monsters to manifest en masse. A folk legend holds that the Apollo Lens will only open up once a Grave Eclipse is active, and it is certain that the Apollo Lens was originally constructed to stop a Grave Eclipse. Finally, there are a set of three Colored Orbs that function as keys needed both to physically reach Apollo Sanctum and get the Lens itself set up and operational. The secrets to many of these elements are hidden within various ancient dungeons located throughout Angara, and they all contain riddles and hints presented in an indecipherable glyph language - knowledge of the language of glyphs can be obtained in the Konpa Ruins in southwest Angara in particular.

Dark Dawn begins when a party of young Adepts, led by the Venus Adept Matthew, begin on their own journey across Angara. Along the way, Matthew and his companions enter Konpa Ruins and gain the ability to read the ancient glyphs, and they cross paths with Blados, Chalis, and Arcanus; the High Empyror himself somehow learns of Matthew's quest immediately and orders his three subordinates that Matthew should be the one to activate the Apollo Lens, and specifically allows them to use their own methods toward this end, so long as Matthew is kept from being critically harmed. The trio proceed to manipulate Matthew's group into activating all three Alchemy Machines, the first two of which power the Apollo Lens and the last of which triggers the Grave Eclipse. Subsequently, Arcanus and the Dark Adepts leave the Colored Orbs in Matthew's possession and subtly urge him and his companions towards Apollo Sanctum, and Matthew comes to set up the Apollo Lens intending to use it to stop the Grave Eclipse.

Whether by this point or since beforehand, the High Empyror seems to distrust his two Umbra Clan commanders, and he personally trusts Arcanus to make sure the Apollo Lens is used according to his plan. Arcanus and the Dark Adepts fly to Apollo Sanctum on a flying airship along with a detachment of Umbra Clan Adepts so that the Lens may be secured for themselves and Matthew's group may be silenced. Alex proceeds to provoke the Dark Adepts into attacking him - he first reveals how the High Empyror doesn't trust the two, and then reveals to Matthew the sensitive secrets of the Umbra Clan and hints at the ulterior motive Blados and Chalis have for the weapon - and instruct Matthew's group to throw the switch on the Apollo Lens and end the Grave Eclipse with it. Ultimately, Matthew and his group's own efforts are sufficient enough to defeat Blados and Chalis in battle and fire the Apollo Lens, ending the Grave Eclipse.

Little is known about what happens after this. Matthew's group leaves Apollo Sanctum, but it is not known if the Lens is left in an inactive state so that there is no longer any risk of the High Empyror and his country utilizing it. It is also unknown whether Alex remains affiliated with the High Empyror or the Tuaparang in general, because what the High Empyror had intended for the Lens is not known - therefore, it cannot be determined at present whether Alex letting the Lens be shot at Eclipse Tower is what the High Empyror wanted or not. Furthermore, Alex did technically end up ensuring that the two traitorous Dark Adepts not use the Lens against Tuaparang itself. Whatever the case, the High Empyror and his country remain at large.