Neron

Iovana Neron Canwyl'y

Iovana Neron was the first ruler of Ivendarea. His title "the unifier" is still proudly carried by the nyr rulers of the modern Kingdom of Ivendarea Ivendarea.
He was born in the year 586 prior to the Era of Englightment. The year zero of said era marks the founding of Ivendarea and Neron assuming the throne and position of leadership as the first Iovana.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Neron was the firstborn child of the chief of his clan, he also had two younger sisters. His clan belonged to the larger group of the wylaai, a group of nyr roaming predominantly the northeastern tundra of the Ivendarean Mainland. At the time the wylaai consisted mainly of about half a dozen large family clusters who pursued a nomadic livestyle as hunters and gatherers and lived off what the land provided.

Desperate Assault on the Gideya

After a series of particularly harsh winters and the death of the chief, it was up to Neron to lead his clan. It was a trying time, food was scarce and spirits low. The gods didn't seem to answer their prayers for mild weather, and so Neron decided to venture beyond the Skyreach Mountains and seek support from the clans of the nathras and sylai. This decision was met with a lot of criticism by other wylaai clans, as they were proud of their way of life and didn't want to deal with outsiders. Neron quickly found this mentality to also apply to the nathras and sylai. The nathras, predominantly fishers settled on the norhtwestern shores of Ivendarea turned him away out of fear of his clan taking away from their own scarce food resources. The sylai, a mountain tribe, lived so secluded and high up on the Skyreach Mountains that Neron could only reach them with great difficulty, leaving his clan in the hands of his sisters while he was gone.
The sylai didn't turn him away immediately but in the end also couldn't offer help, as their food supplies were low as well due to the harsh winter. They greatly envied the large clans of the gideya roaming the green valleys in the west below, as they seemed to have an abundance of food and did not struggle as much with the cold as the northern and mountain tribes.
A plan was hatched to assault the gideya and steal their supplies - alone, the sylai feared, they would stand no chance against the much larger clans of the gideya. But with the support of Neron's clan and further allies from the north it should be a manageable task. The spoils would of course be evenly distributed, and the upcoming winter would be less of a threat. Out of despair Neron agreed to the plan and for the first time ever clans of different territories came together for a common goal; even though a dark and violent one.
The gideya did in fact stand no chance when the warriors of sylai, wylaai, and nathras invaded their lands, as they themselves were mostly farmers and not conquerers. So, despite larger numbers, they were in the disadvantage. When Neron saw their helplessness, great doubt started to rise in him. This didn't seem right nor just. Yet the assault was completed and deemed a success as the victors shared the spoils, enabling their clans to survive another winter. After all, so was their reasoning, the ends justify the means.
Yet the sight of the gideya, who unexpectedly called to the same gods as their attackers, who had families they needed to feed, who roamed these lands freely and in peaceful seclusion very much like them was burned into Neron's memory forever.

Prevention of a Massacre

In the following year it was chief Randra of the sylai to approach Neron - again a harsh winter had been prophecied, and again he proposed to assault the gideya to steal their supplies. Neron hesitated and proposed a different approach: ask them to become allies instead and trade. If clans of wylaai, sylai, and nathras could be allies in war, why not in peace, and why not together with the rest of the nyr of Ivendarea as well? Neron of course had a point, but Randra wasn't convinced of the idea. Why would the gideya now, that they had assaulted them with such force, agree to such an agreement of peace and trade? In the end Randra left disappointed that Neron didn't want to join him. Still, he decided to go through with his plan with the help of the nathras. And Neron then decided to warn the gideya of the attack, in an attempt to clear his conscience.
As anticipated the gideya were hostile towards Neron and his warriors approaching. They willingly let themselves be captured to speak with the council of the gideya chiefs of the valley. The warning of the impeding attack was first considered a trick, but Neron insisted that he wanted to save lives, not take them, after what he had witnessed the last time. Reluctantly the gideya agreed to listen to his plans on how to fortify their villages and protect themselves against the invaders already on their way.
The invasion could not be prevented, but at least the gideya were prepared this time and fought back with great force - chief Randra was slain in the fight, and soon after his death the sylai and nathras withdrew to rethink their strategy. The council of the gideya didn't want to follow the people's call of revenge, striking the invaders back now that they were at their lowest; instead they agreed to listen to Neron one more time who spoke of an alliance between the four tribes. If they had decided otherwise and just attacked, or if the nathras and sylai had had more men like Randra among them, the conflicts might have continued on forever, with one side always seeking revenge of the other for their deeds.
Over the course of a year a peace treaty was arranged between the gideya, nathras, sylai, and wylaai. The situation was immensely tense in the beginning, but very quickly, now that they actually talked to each other, the groups noticed many parallels between their ways of lives and values. For some reason each group prayed to the same gods, despite no deeper previous interaction or connection between them. They shared visions and dreams of past events, and of prophecies for the future. Despite different strategies of survial and social structures, different technical and magical knowledge, it seemed that in some way all nyr were connected to each other.
It would take centuries until an explanation was found for this phenomenon of shared memories, namely rebirth, but just the hint at a supernatural, deeper connection between them all was crucial for Neron's decision to also reach out to the clans of the veerali in the southeast as well as the distant gaanar on the island in the west.

Unity

Neron travelled Ivendarea for months to just find and contact each and every single clan of Ivendarea: from the eastern Skyreach Mountains and the shore of the Amber Ocean to the southern swamps and eventually even Maan Garth. While his sisters completely over the duties as leaders of his own clan at home, he was always accompanied by friends of various clans that he had made over the course of the years. Not everywhere was he welcomed immediately, but as a charismatic speaker and driving force he managed to eventually convince all chiefs of the fact that something bigger united them all, and that they should use this connection to grow closer together and start an exchange of knowledge, culture, and resources. His efforts didn't go unnoticed and already during his travels as well as in the years after he rose not only to fame but also gained the respect of the chiefs. Soon he was known as Iovana, the "uniter". While his critics used this title mockingly they remained a minority; soon more and more chiefs followed Neron's call.
Turbulent and exciting times followed, because not everything went smoothly of course. Trade was not regulated in any way, there were no shared laws, not to mention the lack of infrastructure. There wasn't even a common language and writing system. The most influential chiefs, including Neron, decided to come together in a great meeting, to tackle all these obstacles and find solutions for the problems they were facing for this alliance and cultural exchange. As the meeting point the homelands of Neron's clan were chosen, as he was still the main driving force behind this endeavor.
There was also a decent amount of resistance from the clansmen of a variety of backgrounds, who didn't believe that something connected them with their enemies, or who thought all this was just an elaborate trap laid out by Neron and his supporters to steal land and resources from others. The meetings of the chiefs continued though, and soon enough a small settlement was started in their favoured meeting place. Not by the wylaai themselves alone, as most still preferred a nomadic way of life, and despite this being their land. It was a joined effort of the chiefs and their clansmen who had accompanied them to the north. Over the course of decades this settlement was where the chiefs met, talked, and worked on laws to pass on to their clans at home. Plans were made for the future, agreements were set up, and eventually even a small temple was built in the town that was named after the location it is situated in: Canwyl, the "deep wellspring".
Neron, still considered the one that took the first necessary steps to make all of this possible, was chosen by the council to be its leader, as he had proven himself to be a worthy one. It was a responsibility he didn't beg for, but he still gladly complied to lead this newborn nation into its future. Canwyl, not Ivendarea's first settlement, but instead a symbol of the clans' unity and breaking down of borders, was announced as the capital. The town quickly grew and is today the oldest Ivendarean city, and until Zerenda 's invasion it had remained the seat of the rulers and their families.

Family Life

After being announced the head of the nation, carrying the title "Iovana" with pride, and after things had begun to calm down around him, Neron finally found the time to settle down with his family. During his travels he had met his later partner Caru of the gideya, with whom he had two children. The older, Carhana, would later succeed him on the throne, the younger, Ravana set out to eventually help found the city of Beldran south of Canwyl as the nation's capital of knowledge and research.

Reign and later life

Neron had always been a dedicated leader, and this didn't change after the nation of Ivendarea had been founded. Similarly he was a loving husband and father to his children, whom he encouraged to walk their own paths and made sure they learned as much as they could about this nation and its people and cultures. Neron was also involved in many projects regarding the planning and building of settlements and infrastructure and the establishment of temples and schools. Even though not a great mage or engineer himself, he was fascinated by both as well.
Late in his life, when the first Ivendarean ship set sail to explore the oceans, Neron was almost torn apart by his eagerness to go with them. About two centuries after the nation had officially been founded and things started to stabilize, a wave of curiosity of what lies behind the oceans had washed through the lands. Were there more clans of nyr far behind the seas that they could connect with as well? Or were they the only ones? Similarly, first expeditions northward through the insurmountable cold desert were started, but remained without success. The icy winds were truly deadly and not even magic at the time offered enough protection against the elements. When all this took place though, Neron's own urges to explore remained unfulfilled.
He wasn't in good health in the last century of his life, experiencing a variety of health issues. Caru stayed at his side until the very end, assissting him when he started to forget where he had put things or didn't remember appointments or other events. He felt that his end was coming, and so he willingly stepped down from his position as head of the nation. People were scared what would happen now, so he proposed that his daughter Carhana would continue his work. She had proven to be worthy and capable of the task, as she had been a member of his council for many years. And most importantly, she shared his views, believes, and many personal qualities. The council agreed on this decision, and Carhana was unanimously accepted as her father's successor. The title Neron had carried for so long was also passed down to her in the ceremony of her inauguration. "Iovana" was not simply an honorific anymore, it had officially become a purpose: to keep the nation united against all odds, because in the nyr's unity lays their strength. The Iovana had to be a voice of reason as well as the one to decide in the best interest of their people, to lead them into the future, and Carhana was ready to do this.
Neron saw his daugther rule and he was filled with pride and the certainty that she would be doing well, even when he wasn't here anymore. About 40 years into her rule, after battling with his illness of body and mind for a long time, Neron finally lost the fight and passed away after suffering a series of strokes.

Legacy and Rebirth

Neron is considered the founding father of the modern Ivendarea before Zerenda 's conquest. His government created the basis for all laws that are, in one shape or another, still in use today. Ivendarea's currency, Neril, is even named after him, and a large mosaic in Canwyl's Emerald Palace's gardens commemorates his and his council's achievements.
Despite his tragic death people knew that even though he was gone, Neron would never be lost forever, as the scholars at the time had already come up with first well-founded theories on rebirth. Some were even trying to calculate the date when he would be reborn again, and others tried to figure out where the event would take place. Only much, much later through Aman themself the existence of a cycle of rebirths was finally confirmed - and also that it sadly was no exact science that could be predicted.
While it is not confirmed in their diaries, there are theories that Aman actually is Neron reborn. Both shared a lot of similarities in their early lives and personality, and since Neron never got to travel beyond Ivendarea's boundaries it would explain Aman's immense urge to travel everywhere they could in search for answers to their own dilemmas. Furthermore they shared a lot of personal qualities and values, neither of them saw themself as a leader but still carried the burden of leadership with grace. Both were strong defenders of the idea to walk one's own path despite the struggle it could be, as it was the only way to true happiness and peace of mind.
In general it is not too far-fetched to believe that Neron has been reborn a variety of times already at this point, although potentially before the Vath'eran became common practise, so it can never be fully confirmed. There certainly were people who claimed to have been Neron reborn in the past, some known to be pahtological liars, and the more trustworthy ones having no proof apart from telling stories that were common knowledge. Potentially Neron was also reborn into the body of a non-believer or an animal, again there is no way to prove either theory. Or, as many believe today, he truly resides in the The Silent Waters as Aman with the rest of the gods - at least until proven otherwise.

Social

Family Ties

Partner: Caru
Children: Carhana and Ravana

Species

Nyr

Ethnicity

Wylaai

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Iovana

Life

9038 EE 8141 EE 897 years old

Circumstances of Death

With age Neron became forgetful and his health deteriorated. He passed away after suffering a series of strokes.

Eyes

Bright Red

Hair

Black