Ilya VIII Shiroko
Emperor Ilya VIII Shiroko
Ilya VIII was born in 961 to Krystanya II Shiroko. He became obsessed with the land lost during the Third Great War and was determined to reclaim it. To this end, he began the Fourth Great War which lasted from 1015 to 1032. At the age of seventy-one, he died from wounds sustained in battle.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born in 961, Ilya VIII was the son of Krystanya II Shiroko. He grew up around his mother's instability, but she rarely let that show in front of her oldest son. It was not until his teen years that he learned what was going on and even then, it came more from his younger brother, Dmirtri, who shared their mother's condition. For most of his childhood, he spent time between his mother and father, learning everything necessary for his eventual role as the baejan (emperor/empress). These lessons included military strategy, history, internal and international politics, and the running of the twelve departments. In particular, he found a large fascination with military history and strategy. Eoion's loss in the Third Great War troubled him, especially the loss of lucrative mines in the western portion of the empire.
During his Attunement Test, he was found to be a lu-esh, which had not been seen since his great-grandfather, Vasyl III Shiroko. This was different than both his mother and grandmother so he found it difficult to learn how to create the Ilyannoi. His specialty became large, flying creatures, similar to what had been made by Natalay I Shiroko.
His obsession with the lands 'stolen' during the Third Great War became greater as the years went on and he became fixated on reclaiming them. In 983, he and his younger sister, Kariin, had a daughter, Inna Shiroko, although they were not yet married. When the marriage went through a few years later, Ilya VIII made Inna his official heir, despite the fact that she was technically born a bastard. He loved her, but found her more peaceful personality to be a liability rather than something helpful.
He and Kariin had a total of four children through their reign: Inna (983), Fedir (984), Yelah (992), and Kyarlo (994). At this time, his reign was peaceful and he continued the decreased restrictions on former slaves set by his mother. Only in international affairs was he aggressive and most in the court tended to see him as a fair arbiter and administrator.
In 1015, Ilya VIII began the Fourth Great War, using his battle ready Ilyannoi to invade the norther border of Yzel. This was done instead of retiring as baejan normally did when the heir reached their early to mid twenties. At the time of the start of the war, Inna was thirty-two. He refused to allow her to rule, believing that she was still too weak for the throne. While he was away, he learned of her attempts to contact the Yzelian royal family. This led to an explosive argument between the two and he nearly had her killed for treason. Kariin, his spouse, and his oldest son, Fedir, convinced him to allow her to be imprisoned instead.
While he was at war, Kariin wrote to him, asking him to allow Inna and Fedir to be married. He agreed only if Inna was to stay in prison. Meanwhile, his attacks on Yzel were becoming increasingly more of a stalemate. He was able to capture some of the land, but as the war dragged on, both sides became exhausted. Another issue was the attacks by the Daji at other areas of the border. Rather than fighting with the rest of the Yzelian army, they went east, forcing Ilya to spread his troops thinner, although he was able to deal significant damage to the splinter military.
By 1032, he had become so enmeshed in the war that he had not been home in five years. He communicated with his family via letters only, authorizing Inna and Fedir's wedding and congratulating them on the births of their children. However, his oldest granddaughter, Olha II Shiroko, was the only one of them he ever met.
The war took a toll on him both physically and mentally. At seventy-one, he could not fight as well as he could when the war began. His creatures tried to protect him, but they were unsuccessful. In 1032, he entered into battle as he had done for over a decade. However, his frail body could no longer sustain constant combat and he was shot by a series of arrows. Ilya VIII was quickly removed from the battlefield by his tsirin. There, he was treated by the field doctors. However, given the state of his body, he died in his tent.
New of his death was secretly transported back to the Gandenye and Inna was named as the new baejan. She quickly ended the war and had her father's body returned to the capital. He was hailed as a hero who continued to fight for the expansion and best interests of Eoion. After the state funeral, he was buried in the family mausoleum in the temple on the Gandenye grounds.
Relationships
Life
961
1032
71 years old
Birthplace
Place of Death
military camp on southern border
Spouses
Kariin Shiroko
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Gender
male
Eyes
narrow, dark violet
Hair
dull white, long, 3/4 braided
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
pale white
Height
6'1"
Comments