Jamyl Sarum: Another Khanid?

Speculation is running high that Jamyl Sarum, head of the militant Sarum house, will not commit ritual suicide at the time of the Succession ritual of Doriam Kor-Azor. It is thought that Jamyl may follow in the footsteps of Khanid II and break away from the Amarr Empire, effectively seceding and forming an independent state comprised of current Sarum holdings. If this were to happen, many analysts consider it a precursor to a Sarum family war against the Minmatar Republic, elements of the extant Amarr Empire, or both.

“You will remember reports of unusually high activity among the space lanes of the Amarr Empire following Heideran VII’s death,” said Elgad Bettild, a political analyst for Republic Fleet. “Sarum family warships and freighters were the most numerous and frequent of those sighted. There were rumors even then of a possible split, of course. Had Kador, Tash-Murkon, or Ardishapur been named the next Emperor, perhaps the other Heirs would have fallen in line. But Kor-Azor represents one extreme of the current Amarr political spectrum, and a refusal of ritual suicide isn’t unthinkable, especially by Jamyl Sarum.”

Another split, like that of Khanid II in response to his own impending ritual suicide, could be disastrous for an Empire already fading from its former glory. “If Sarum refuses to perform the ritual suicide required of her, the three remaining heirs would have justification to refuse it as well,” Bettild went on to say. The ritual suicide is intended to prevent conflict and intrigue between the five royal houses and solidify support for the emperor, but a failure by any one of the four houses could topple that unity.

“Ardishapur would probably perform it because of his staunch traditionalist beliefs,” Bettild said, “but in light of a refusal by Jamyl Sarum to end her own life, the other families could all justify non-compliance. Instead of a strong Amarr Empire, you would essentially have anywhere from three to possibly six factions operating independently.”

Jamyl Sarum has not been seen since the Imperial Succession Committee verified the results of the Champion Tourney, and she alone among the royals has been silent, but the other royal families have been reserved in their brief and infrequent statements.

“A certain amount of solemnity is to be expected,” said Ashtan Vekkan, an Amarr citizen of Ni Kunni heritage acting as an advisor to a Gallentean firm of industrialists (Vekkan requested that his client remain anonymous in connection with this story). “The Kor-Azor Succession is, after all, a death sentence for the other four heirs. However, there have been subtly worded statements—omissions of statement, really—that would indicate some hesitancy. It is for instance customary for the non-succeeding families to congratulate and acknowledge the family of the next emperor, and in some cases only congratulations have been sent—not acknowledgments.”

At the time of this writing, there are unconfirmed reports of Kador, Tash-Murkon, and Sarum representatives convening in semi-secret meetings in the Throne Worlds constellation of Amarr space. Though possibly just rumor, such a meeting could be interpreted as trouble for the house of Kor-Azor, the next intended Amarr Emperor. “It is strange and terrible to think that we have seen the last true emperor,” Vekkan said when questioned about these alleged meetings. “But it is a strange and terrible time in many ways. All things come to an end—even empires.”