Varelay

Category	Fallen Empires
World	Bal-Kriav
Region	Dhark Bolg, Ma'Ohari
Government	Dictatorship
Capital	Orias Vual
Population	(180,000+ at peak)
Races	Tragaran 30% Turkûn 24% Yuan-ti 20% Cambion 10% Gol'hakh 5% Demon 1% other 10%
Deities	Aperoq, Coeus
Enemies	Tilnangau, various tribes
Founder	Aperoq
Reign	684 LE - 2620 LE
Maps	Aerruxa Tiyaphis Anutoth Tha'lith

In the Demon Spawn War (89 GE - 269 GE), seeing defeat in the vale of Imrabêl, a demon commander named Aperoq took his Vauquix regiment into hiding. A reconnaissance unit, they concealed themselves in the deepest subterranean reaches, evading detection and capture. In 590 LE, reports of Aperoq and his Vauquix were reaching the surface, followed by raiding and enslaving across Ma'Ohari and into the abyssal depths below. In 684 LE, eighteen years after the founding of Orias Vual, Aperoq established the empire of Varelay; named after a beloved succubus, tragically killed in a moment of fury.

Three centuries following the empire's inception, Varelay commanded predominant authority over the entirety of Ma'Ohari and the expansive territory below. Tilnangau and the majority of other substantial possessions across the region had become either vassal states or domains with demon overlords.

During Aperoq's lengthy reign ( 684 LE - 984 LE ) , he and his succubus consorts created numerous magical items and some novel spells. On the first day of his 300th year as ruler, he received a gift from his succubus wizards. They presented him with a crown, a scepter, and an orb - artifacts of immense magical power. These items became known as the Regalia of Evil . When Aperoq mysteriously vanished on the night of 1 War March 984 LE, the Regalia of Evil were left behind, then lost amidst the turmoil that followed Aperoq's Ascension.

In the year 2608 LE, the empire began to crumble. The abrupt eruption of two volcanoes marked the commencement of the Varelay Upheaval, which spanned the period from 2608 LE to 16 HE , ultimately bringing an end to the empire's two-millennium reign.