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- "You are in the presence of His Imperial Grace, Emperor Norokin of House Blackgard, First of His Name. Rightful Emperor of Essos and Lord of Volantis. Do not mourn this day, but rejoice! You will be part of a greater realm, guided by the Black Hand of your great Emperor!"
- ―Lester Greyhall addressing the conquered peoples of Braavos
Emperor Norokin I (Wastelandic:
Norok-in "Fierce-Master"), born Emeric Blackgard, is the eldest son of the Black King Althurin and Lady Meryanne Heartley. He is the current Black Emperor of the Wastelandic Empire, which is made up of the former free cities of Volantis, Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys. After his conquest, Norokin is considered to be one of the youngest and most accomplished rulers in history.
Born the secret son of Steffon Blackgard and Meryanne Heartley, Emeric spent his early childhood in Darkheart Hall before his father came and took him back to Blackgard - much to his mother's protests. He was groomed to eventually succeed his father as the Black King of Ebonheart, although during Daenerys Targaryen's invasion of Westeros, Emeric's father gave him to Queen Daenerys as a ward to broker a truce between the two houses.
After the Great Council of 305 AC, King Brandon I Stark allowed Emeric to take half of House Blackgard's forces to form his own house. Emeric does so, sailing east with his intention to conquer the Free Cities. Like his father before him, Emeric takes on a regal name to replace his birth name. Norokin also took a personal shield - just like his father. His is a black hand on a white field, in reference to his Black Council - which is often called "Emeric's Black Hand."
Biography
Background
Emperor Norokin was born as Emeric Blackgard late in the evening at around 294 AC at Blackgard to Steffon Blackgard and his secret lover, Meryanne Heartley. After his birth, Steffon sent Emeric away with his mother to Darkheart Hall, claiming to be uninterested with the child. This action caused a rift between Meryanne and him.
Up until his sixth nameday, Emeric was fostered at Darkheart Hall. He was named Emeric Heartley although legally, he was called Emeric Blackgard. Shortly after his sixth nameday, Steffon arrived at Darkheart Hall and demanded Emeric to come with him. Meryanne protested, pervasively calling him a monster. Steffon simply took the boy with him, and the two former lovers were never seen in each other's presence again.
Despite him being back with his father, Steffon kept Emeric's existence a secret. Steffon later claimed that he had "large dreams" for the boy, stating frequently that he received dreams in which he saw his son conquering the Andals. Emeric was tutored in secret by an unnamed Braavosi scholar, who noticed the boy's exceptional intellect.
Season 6
While observing the statues in the Hall of Lords, Eddin Blackgard meets Emeric for the first time, initially believing the boy to be a servant in the castle. It is only after Emeric tells Eddin that his father, Steffon, does not wish him strolling in the halls, Eddin shockingly learns of Steffon's secret son. Afterwards, he tells his aunt, Sofina Blackgard, about the boy, a piece of information that she will utilize later on.
Season 7
After the Black Day, Emeric's existence is revealed to the public as Steffon, now renamed King Althurin, reveals the child to his vassals as "Prince Emeric of Blackgard", proclaiming him his heir.
Althurin's handmaiden, a fifteen-year old girl named Nathaleya, is assigned as Emeric's new handmaiden. In truth, Nathaleya is a spy of House Blackgard of Sunhold, tasked with sabotaging Althurin's inner circle from within. Nathaleya may also most likely not be her real name.
Season 8
When the dead of House Blackgard rise at the Blackgard Ancestral Tomb, the bordermen are thus far able to hold them at bay whilst the White Walkers are still further north. Jon Snow eventually learns of this and suggests that Daenerys heads south to meet with Eddin, still believing him to be alive since all contact with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms was severed following Althurin's ascension as Black King of Ebonheart.
Daenerys, Missandei, Tyrion, and the rest of her army wait a few miles outside Blackgard when a host of Bordermen warriors, a few thousand strong, come marching towards them. They are surprised when Eddin is not at the bulk of the army. Althurin and Daenerys meet personally and when she inquires about Eddin's whereabouts, Althurin reveals that he has killed him for her. Daenerys mockingly questions this kind of devotion, where Althurin replies that he did it to spite her. He truthfully acknowledges that his people are afraid of her and her dragons, stating that they do not wish for a second Mad King. Daenerys declares that she is not like her father, to which Althurin comments that maybe she is not, but her children might be, hinting at Drogon and Rhaegal. Insulted, Daenerys declares that she came to offer her help to the bordermen to battle the Army of the Dead. Tyrion steps in, suggesting that Althurin bend the knee. He refuses, claiming that him killing half of his family was to not bend the knee. However, he offers a compromise. His and Daenerys' armies will merge to battle the dead together. When the Walkers are defeated, Althurin will continue to rule as king of the bordermen for as long as he lives, his successors will do with the kingdom as they wish. Daenerys remains skeptical, but accepts when Althurin offers his son, Emeric, as a ward to House Targaryen, much to the shock of Missandei and Tyrion. Emeric protests, but Althurin slaps him across the face and Daenerys forcibly takes him with her. They ride off on Drogon together back to Dragonstone.
Personality
Even as a child, Prince Emeric was shown to be a competent, effective, and intelligent, in sharp contrast to the psychopathic Joffrey, timid Tommen, and developmentally challenged Robin Arryn. Like Lyanna Mormont, Prince Emeric emanated self-confidence, and was fiercely independent, something his father, King Althurin, greatly respected. Emeric behaved in a stern, no-nonsense manner, and some noted his eerily likeness to the late Lord Trevyr Blackgard, Emeric's great-grandfather, to the point that some believe that Emeric was actually Trevyr Blackgard reborn.
As an adult, the Emperor is a shrewd, accomplished, highly intelligent strategist and diplomat. His conquest of the Free Cities in a relatively quick succession has earned him the renown of many military generals and noblemen. Something that is seen as relatively rare in ambitious conquerors - the Emperor has also shown that he is adept at not only winning wars, but also effectively ruling the conquered territories. He quickly abolished slavery in Volantis and introduced new agricultural projects meant to support an economy without heavy reliance on the slave trade. This also earned him the scorn of many native Volantene noblemen - who see the Emperor's new policies as destructive to the Volantene way of life. As a response, the Emperor has also shown that he is charismatic and diplomatic, mediating inner conflicts and gaining respect from his new subjects - although not yet their admiration.
Despite his strengths, the Emperor is also ambitious to a fault. He considers it his duty to conquer and unite the World - a view perhaps given to him by his father, who also longed for the same ideals. He is also inherently distrustful and has trouble developing relationships - as his own father committed kinslaying and sent his own son as a hostage to Daenerys Targaryen to further his own personal goals. Despite this - the Emperor is capable at forming alliances, though he has no trouble discarding them if they have outlived their usefulness. This also makes him less noble than the traditional Blackgard ideal would have him, as the Emperor would not hesitate betraying anyone to get what he wants.