Well, this is something I haven’t done in a while. Been looking to get back into this kind of thing with school wrapping up soon, and with Season of Opulence and a return to the leviathan coming up, I thought it might be a good idea to do this. A recap of Calus’ story. So who is Calus. This is [b]His[/b] description of himself from the [i]Contender’s ghost shell[/i]: [quote] You know now that I am Calus, the last and greatest emperor of the Cabal. You know that I am Chief Gift-Giver, the Good Host with the Generous Banquet, the Prince of Mirth, and the Lord of Laughter. My plans are always bounteous, my orders delightful to obey. And though the seats at my table are prized beyond measure, the bold and passionate will never fail to earn a place in my hall. And when I tell you of the role I have set aside for you in the great luxuriant expanse of my designs, you will know that the wonders I have shown you are only the beginning. [/quote] From this extract alone we learn so much about Calus, but mainly that he comes across as quite bold and very self centred. He clearly takes pride in what he made, but also what he can shape in the future. So. Where is he from? Calus (and all cabal) come from the cabal home world but took residence in the capital city Torobatl. So. Now the brief intro is out of the way, let’s actually understand who Calus is. Calus was at first the leader of a rebellion against a group called the Praetorate. They were a militant focussed group (similarly to the current cabal) but they passed acts and laws that benefited them. Calus led a revolution against them, backed by large members of the populace. At his side Shayotet. His old friend and personal bodyguard. He overthrew them and declared himself emperor. It was also here in which he committed his first decree as emperor: An [i]inaugural address[/i] [quote] I wanted a desert of pure white sand to stage my celebration. It took them three days to clear the wasteland of any stone or plant of offending color, but when they were done, it was a perfect canvas for the violet pavilion. We recreated my court in nearly every detail beneath the glinting sun. The first act of my coronation was to have the Consul kneel at my feet. He was a pathetic figure, stripped of title, rank, and clothing. He would never wield power again, and would beget no heir. I made sure of that personally. I had only a single word for him: "Run." [/quote] He then elected a new form of rule. One that favoured the people, was more laid back and focused less on military expansion but just expansion on its own. Needless to say the military was still there; just underused as before. The Aedile Moli Imoli threw celebrations for the new emperor. He ruled for many centuries. He became “beloved” by his people as he’ll explain during the leviathan raid. He loved the coliseum. Which was a large part of the cabal given it’s military past. This is where he met an Albino Cabal. Ghaul. [i]Ghost primus[/i]: [quote] Ghaul was an unexpected gift to my coliseum—a disfigured albino from the outer wastes who defeated opponents three times his weight. How could I resist such a unique creature? He fought with terrible discipline and patience. Most gladiators wanted to stand in the center of the arena and trade blows until the weaker one died. Not Ghaul. He never attacked from the front, never stood in one place. Frustrated and exhausted, his opponent would make a mistake. I used to play a game with those puffed-up aristocrats that would gamble at my arena. I bet on Ghaul, and anyone who had displeased me had to bet against him. It was fun for a time, but his talent was too valuable to risk in the coliseum. I appointed him Primus of the Red Legion and instead, set him loose upon my enemies. [/quote] He also saw what was the OXA machine. A marvel, sacred to the psion race. Built by a psion. Otzot. Calus admires this machine and elected Otzot to his supreme council declaring her the Imperial Dreamer. He elected Umun’Arath to evocate general; but he had many concerns over her fixated view that the cabal have become less militant. This transpired into Caiatl, The princess imperial who had a good teacher/student relationship with the general. The stage was set. [i]Conspirator[/i] [quote]Ghaul spent too much time in too close communion with those I had humbled. No good would come of those hushed tones and sidelong glances. Did he think I would not notice? I dispatched a spy to follow him. To think that I felt guilt in that moment; one should never doubt their gut when it comes to trust in another. I realize now what I should have realized then. As I am like no other, then no other is alone as I. What a curse it is to be a god that loves![/quote] Ghaul began a coup. The midnight coup. Ghaul, the Consul and 5 of The emperor’s closest confidants hatched a plan to overthrow Calus. The Consul swore of revenge since being outcast. Ghaul was his weapon. Raised by the Consul he grew to kill his “father’s” enemies. Moli Imoli had to sworn of revenge. As a devout believer of the praetorate he killed hundred in Calus’ revolution. And since the day he swore an oathe of peace he had conspired against Calus ever since. Otzot feared the psion’s growing power in the cabal empire. If given full rights, she may be overturned of her position. Shayotet feared for his friend. He believed greed had corrupted Calus and that he needed to be stopped. Umun’Arath and Caiatl despised Calus’ rule. The fact he had reduced the military to an underused group had angered them both. Iska’al was a trusted friend of the emperor. The reasons for his betrayal are to rooted in greed. For once Calus was outcast, this merchant became wealthy beyond compare. [i]The midnight coup[/i] [quote]The conspirators came late in the night, skulking into my court while we caroused. Ghaul himself led the coup, and it was by his own Red Legion that we were arrested. Imagine my surprise to see the Consul stride into my court so puffed up with pride. He took cheap pleasure hurling spittle in my face. We were frog marched to the Leviathan under cover of darkness. There was to be no execution; Ghaul and the Consul feared the mob. They knew how tenuous their grip on power would be, and how the people adored their god-emperor. Ghaul dared not look me in the eye. What was the emotion on his face? Was it shame? How could he bear such hate for one who had been as a father to him? We were sealed inside the Leviathan and ejected into the furthest reaches of space, left to the same fate I had determined for the Consul so long ago. We were left to die.[/quote] [i] it stared back[/i] [quote]The Leviathan came to a halt before a wall of infinite void. It could go no further, as the navigation system had suffered a cataclysmic failure. The course that the conspirators had set crossed a space that simply didn't exist. I don't know how long we traveled. Years? Millennia? Time had ceased to have meaning as I wallowed in the despair of my exile. But this event shook me out of my stupor. At the edge of the universe, we had found something. No—we had found a nothing. From the seat of my observation chamber, I stared into the perfect void. Only I, a god, could understand what I witnessed. It was a thing greater than myself. And if such a thing exists, then I, too, can become more [/quote] This is where he revenge began. He made his shadows. A phalanx named Nohr A psion name Feltoc An Eliksni name Sekris A Klipse names Rull A Sindu name Jaris And the Arcborn. They waged war on Calus’ enemies. Killing those he despised. Shayotet, Moli and Iska’al all fell at their feet. Drowned, stabbed and killed. They led an assault on Ghaul‘ warship outside Sol; they were brutally slaughtered. But this turned Calus’ eyes to us. With the death of Ghaul at our hands, he rests his Leviathan just outside Nessus’ orbit. Draining he planet of its resources to make the royal splendours he has come to enjoy. We have proven our might in the leviathan trials. Cleared the blockage within the Leviathan’s throat; destroying Argos, Nessus planetary core. And dispatched to the royal observatory to reduce Val Ca’our and his fleet to ashes. Now he calls upon us once more. The season of Opulence is upon us. The treasures of Calus’ vaults are open to us. Let us grow fat from strength.