The Great Conspiracy

The Great Conspiracy is an unproven conspiracy theory that states that Emperor Alexander Viromaro was assassinated by members of the Mariposa crime syndicate, working together with House Vinkhuys, in order to repeal the Rights of the Enslaved Act, prevent new laws protecting slaves, and ensure that Alcanzar's primary source of income would not be threatened. Although many, particularly high ranking members of Ardoragh's nobility, support this theory, no definitive proof has been provided, and no-one was ever convicted.

Origins

Emperor Alexander Viromaro was a vocal opponent to the institution of slavery as a whole. One of his first acts as emperor was freeing the slaves owned by House Viromaro, who were the second largest slave owning family after House Vinkhuys. Two years before his death he passed the Rights of the Enslaved Act, which gave slaves within the Kythiran Empire the right to a fair trial, prohibited unnecessary violence and ordered that they should be provided with adequate housing and healthcare. Furthermore, new slaves were no longer allowed to be captured, and newborns were automatically granted full citizenship as Kythirans.

Furthermore, he was trying to get support in the senate for a new act, the Universal Rights Act, which would have freed all slaves in the Empire, compensated their owners and would've made the institution once again illegal. Disagreements in the Imperial Senate about how high the compensation should be was however stalling this process.

In order to speed up this process, High-Lord Vinkhuys was invited to join the Emperor on the Imperial Hunt, where under the privacy of the Ardoraghi wilderness this delicate issue could be discussed and finalised. However, House Vinkhuys had no reason to want the end of slavery. Ever since the Massacre at Summerhal the High-Lords of Alcanzar had increased their brutal reigns, ensuring the obedience of their majority enslaved population. As long as slavery was in effect, Alcanzar and Ardoragh would be the largest, strongest and wealthiest provinces of the Empire, but if it were to fall, Alcanzar would fall far behind Ardoragh, tipping the regional balance in favour of the Rotersteiners.

During the hunt the Emperor died by falling off his horse. Officially this has always been reported as an accidental death. His oldest son, Prince Amantis, drowned when his ship sank near the Alcanzari coast on its way from Ardoragh to Helmira. Once the new Emperor, Louis Viromaro, was installed, he ordered the repeal of Rights of the Enslaved Act, and never touched the issue of slavery again throughout his entire reign.

According to believers of the conspiracy theory, High-Lord Vinkhuys had some members of his attending staff replaced with members of the Mariposa crime syndicate, who have long been accused by abolitionists of supporting House Vinkhuys in their efforts to maintain slavery in the Empire. These men allegedly used the cover of night to sabotage the Emperor's saddle and drug his horses, ensuring they would behave erratically and the saddle would break, killing the ageing Emperor.

The Duke of Kreonix, under whose formal protection the Emperor died, formally accused High-Lord Vinkhuys of the plot, filing a formal complaint to the Supreme Court. However, the subsequent Grand War interrupted this process, and no further investigation has taken place since.