Ilya VII Shiroko
Emperor Ilya VII Shiroko
Born in 813, Ilya VII was the son of Zora III Shiroko and Ilya VI Shiroko. He suffered from cycling bouts of mania and depression throughout his life. However, he is most famous for his initiation of the collection of all literary works in the empire into a single national library.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Ilya VII was born in 813, the third child of Zora IV Shiroko and Ilya VI Shiroko. His birth came one year after his mother stepped down from the position of baejan (emperor/empress), handing the title to her brother/husband, Ilya VI. The two continued to try for more children after their oldest, Krystana, was born in 808. The two grew up together and initially, she was given the lessons of a future baejan, including military history, strategy, international politics, and the inner workings of the twelve departments. However, during her Attunement Test in 816, it was found that she did not possess the magic necessary to create the Ilyannoi.
After this, Ilya VII was named as the tajanji (high prince/princess), a position that was solidified when his own Test showed he had abilities as a lu-esh. His father devoted all of his attention to Ilya VII, leaving Krystana to be educated by other members of the family. In anger over her displacement as heir, she bullied her younger brother mercilessly and Ilya VII spent a great deal of his childhood hiding from her and attempting to please his strict father. He was decent with magic and his rapid improvement earned him much praise from the family around him. However, he still felt that he was not good enough for the throne. If he had been meant to have it, why was he born second? In Eoin culture, birth order was very important. The priests of the Bolugama temple explained this as merely a ripple in the flow of magic, something that happened from time to time. With his designation as the tajanji, it would be set right.
In his mid-teens, Ilya VII began experiencing abrupt and sudden changes in mood. He would be extremely energetic and social, the opposite of his behavior as a bullied child, and then in only a few hours, he was morose. One mood could last for days until it changed and the sporadic nature made it difficult for him to focus on his work. His thoughts raced often, spiraling into a rush of ideas or thoughts of hurting himself depending on the state of his mood at the time. For a year, he tried to hide what was happening from his father and sister, lest either of them find a reason to fault him. Despite his efforts, his aunts and uncles discovered it and the symptoms were brought to the attention if Ilya VI.
His father decided that a longer mentoring period was necessary before Ilya VII would take the throne. In the meantime, he and Krystana were married by order of their father. The relationship was incredibly strained due to their terrible childhood relationship and the erratic moods Ilya VII went through. Even so, they were instructed to begin producing heirs. Much to Krystana's annoyance. However, they did have four children: Katarin I (837), Niloko and Olha (840), and Svante (842). All of their children were born before Ilya VII ascended to the role of baejan in 857.
His late ascension was due to his own insecurities surrounding his ability to rule and his father's fear that his son's instability would lead to the same issues as Zora IV. However, Ilya VII did not hear voices and his mood swings were not dangerous to others. Ilya VI instructed Krystana to watch over her younger brother. By this point, the two had become cordial with one another and could hold a conversation without bringing up bad memories of the past. Upon Ilya VI's retirement, Ilya VII took power during one of his manic episodes.
Immediately, he began several projects and the courtiers were worried that they were going to see a repeat of Zora IV. Krystana pulled him back and forced him to focus on only one thing at a time. In this way, the first year of his reign was rocky, but manageable. The back and forth between the couple forced them to speak more often and assisted in them growing closer to one another. However, as their children grew older, Krystana focused on them as their father had done during their mother's early reign. She also kept them away from Ilya VII during his depressive moods in which he became convinced that his own children were going to eat one another.
Left on his own, Ilya VII became obsessed with books during one of his manic phases. During his depressed episodes, he had already found that reading helped him cope with the unwanted thoughts toward self harm and he quickly went through every book on hand. His desperation for more reading material translated toward his other moods and he began a plan to collect more books. This led to his discussions with the Department of Historic Preservation. He decided that a national library was necessary in order to preserve the literary arts of the empire. Over the next six years of his reign, he worked with them and the Department of Architecture to create a place where the books could be stored while allowing for the collection to grow over time.
The project was one that Krystana agreed with and she was able to keep him on track with it and other duties. Unfortunately, the unwanted thoughts continued to grow worse and his mood swings more frequent. To combat this, he started experimenting with different herbs. He found that small doses of Celestial had a depressing effect on his manic state, but the nature of the drug caused him to fall into addiction and for his own health, he stepped away from ruling the empire in 864, only seven years after his ascension, leaving Eoion in the hands of his oldest daughter, Katarin I.
Krystana spent the rest of her life traveling the empire whereas Ilya VII stayed in the Gandenye, working through his addiction to Celestial. The upheaval of Katarin's reign forced him to flee the Gandenye after Katarin murdered her youngest brother and her young children in 865. Along with Olha I and Niloko, the three moved to Parishi until Olha I and Niloko were able to kill her. With his worst fears come to live, Ilya VII returned to the Gandenye after much convincing from Olha I and lived out his days there. His most constant light was his grandson, Vasyl III in 862. He cared for his subsequent grandchildren as well and assisted Olha I in her rule when called upon.
He died in 896 and was buried in the family mausoleum on the grounds of the Gandenye.
Life
813
896
83 years old
Birthplace
Place of Death
Children
Eyes
small, pale violet
Hair
white, braided, half loose
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
pale
Height
6'0"
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