Krystanya I Shiroko

Empress Krystanya I Shiroko

Krystanya I was the first daughter of Vasyl II Shiroko and ascended to the throne of Eoion in 730. She is most remembered for expanding the worship of the imperial family. Prior to her, only the founder of the dynasty, Ilya Shiroko as worshiped. Under her leadership, the revernce toward the Shiroko family increased significantly and has continued in fluctuating forms since. 

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Born in 698, Krysanya was the oldest child of Vasyl II Shiroko. She spent her childhood close to her father in order to learn everything she needed in order to become the baejan (empress) someday. As a child, she watched him reorganize the government for more efficiency, although when very young, she did not understand why this was happening. Vasyl II explained it more in detail as she grew older and she was also instructed in military strategy, history, international politics, leadership, and multiple other skills that were necessary for her future place as ruler of Eoion.
During her Attunement Test, it was found that she was a pyr-esh and immediately began her study of Stitching magic and the creation of the Ilyannoi. This education led her to spending a great deal of time in both the Bolugama temple created by Liviu the Pious and the Shiroko family mansion in Parishi where she learned more about not only magic, but her family's deep connection to it.
Through the centuries, the dynasty had begun to have many more magic users born than would be seen in the general population. They were also more powerful and had a great affinity for light or heat magic. Being descended from a Dea was also highly important. Krystanya began to believe that the family itself had been blessed by the Bolu. Their ability to create life as the only people on the continent to use stitching magic also suggested this idea and she began searching for more evidence. The Doctrine of Dea-an Heritage, which placed the royals above the social taboo surrounding incest helped to solidify her theory that the family itself was more than human.
She chose to place this investigation on hold when her father ordered that she and younger her brother, Ilya, be married before his retirement in order begin producing heirs. This was not uncommon for the tajanji (high princess/high prince), particularly when the current baejan was from a generation of few children. Unfortunately, the two had a great deal of trouble conceiving and only one child was born to them, Lyrasa I in 724.
Upon the retirement of her father in 730, Krystanya ascended to the throne of Eoion. For a few years, Vasyl II stayed on as an advisor at Krystanya's request. The new departments he had created were still very new and she wanted some assistance in smoothing them out. However, within a year, she dismissed her father and ruled with other advisors instead. This was not done out of animosity, it was simply that she did not think she needed his input any further. He was not the baejan anymore and both agreed that it was better for her own authority if he stepped awya completely. Instead, Krystanya decided that he would assist in teaching Lyrasa magic as they were both pyr-esh and Krystanya herself was busy running the empire so could not devote all of her time to magical teachings. This had been the same in her childhood with her mother and father working together to teach her magic, along with the Bolugama priests.
Krystanya turned her attention to continuing solidification of the dynasty's rule. Since the reign of Timof III Shiroko, there had not been a rebellion in the empire. However, she wanted to ensure that it never happened. Her childhood research into the dynasty's history and its connection to the Bolu pushed her toward the idea that the family was blessed and should therefore be worshipped as a whole, rather than only the founder, Ilya Shiroko.
She ordered the first temple to the family be built on the grounds of the Gandenye, a building that would eventually become attached to the main temple and the whole complex dedicated to both the founder and the family. She decreed that all temples to have a statue of the founder would also have one depicting the crest of the family. This was meant to represent the royal dynasty a a whole. Working with the Bolugama priests, she expanded the Doctrine of Dea-an Heritage and eventually created a new document that detailed the specifics of the family's blessing.

1. The Shiroko Dynasty are descended from a dea
2. The dynasty is able to create life because of the founder's knowledge and the blessing of the Bolu
3. As a blessed people, the dynasty has received magic far greater than the populace
4. Due to their position, the dynasty is closer to the Bolu than all living people
5. The dynasty is to be prayed to along with the founder

These new rules were sent to every temple in the empire. Initially, the idea of worshiping a living person was considered strange. However, with the founder already a dea and the dynasty already set apart due to the previous doctrine, this was merely an add on. Even so, the worship of the imperial family did not become as strong as Krystanya would have wanted, particularly in the outer areas of the empire. Instead, it became much more concentrated in the capital as those who were inclined to worship the royals flocked there to be near them.
Through the rest of her reign, Krystanya worked to continue the peace of the empire in order to prove the dynasty was to be revered. She also dove into the creation of more Ilyannoi, expanding the species that already existed and working to have them be a greater part of ordinary life. This expansion led to more Eoin people having some experience or at least seeing the creatures often, which led to the royal family being kept in their minds and the power of the dynasty reinforced over and over.
By the end of Krystanya's twenty-nine year reign, approximately half of the empire had fully accepted the imperial sect, even if they were not as devout in their beliefs as she had hoped. The other half simply left those alone. Upon her retirement in 759, Krystanya handed the empire to her daughter, Lyrasa I. Her remaining time was initially spent in the Gandenye helping the new baejan, just as her father had done for her. Once Lyrasa was able to rule alone, Krystanya moved back to the family manor in Parishi where she took to painting. She died in 774 and was buried under the Gandenye temple in the family mausoleum.

Life

698 774 76 years old

Birthplace

Gandenye

Place of Death

Parishi

Parents

Vasyl II Shiroko

Children

• Lyrasa I Shiroko

Gender

female

Eyes

wide, pale violet

Hair

long, braided, white

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

pale, yellow undertone

Height

5'6"