Timof I Shiroko
Emperor Timof I Shiroko
Timof I was the son of Ilya II Shiroko, but was raised by his uncle, Vasyl I Shiroko, after Ilya II died from illness. He grew under the strict control of his uncle and his mother imprisoned. After the Second Great War, he assisted in rebuilding the empire's treasury. However, his most famous and lasting achievements were the development of the mining industry and the destruction of the cultures of the former kingdoms that had been conquered to build the empire.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born in 390, Timof was the first and only child of Ilya II Shiroko. Two years after his birth, his father became deathly ill and died in 392. This led to a feud between his mother and his uncle, Vasyl I Shiroko, who became baejan after Ilya II's death. His uncle married his mother and she was imprisoned. Timof grew up while primarily raised by Vasyl, kept away from his mother due to his uncle suspicion that she had poisoned Ilya II. Timof himself was torn between the two and tried to keep peace between them.
Through his early years, he watched his uncle's paranoia, particularly around food and Timof's own safety, grow with each passing year. The two even slept in the same bed for most of Timof's childhood so that his uncle could ensure he was safe. His lack of bonding time with his mother caused their relationship to become strained, even though he attempted to see her often. The only times they were allowed to speak was on Timof's birthday and even then, they were under the constant watch of both Vasyl and the Wenutsuekul Gandayan Zitsoeii.
Vasyl taught Timof how to create the Ilyannoi after his Attunement Test revealed that the child was an aliq-esh capable of both heat and void magic. His mother asked him questions about the Stitching magic often, which he found odd and he was instructed by Vasyl to never tell anyone. However, he spoke a bit about the process to her. This would later lead to the former Farenese royal family attempting to recreate it and Timof's son, Timof II, instituting the inbreeding that would become a staple of the Shiroko Dynasty.
At 18, the Second Great War began under the direction of Vasyl. Timof was left in the Gandenye to deal with the internal issues of the empire. His main problem was the debt that had started under Sava Shiroko due to the construction of the Gandenye, and grown due to the ongoing war. He kept the empire running as much as he could and began searching for ways to not only ensure its economic prosperity, but also a unity within the country as the former kingdoms still had some of their previous national pride.
His attention turned to his father's most favored industry, mining. With the western mountains of the former kingdom of Ulena still producing well, Timof sought to use the less precious, but more abundant metals, to increase the country's wealth. As such, while his uncle was gone, he began working with miners' guilds, artisans, and merchants, laying the groundwork for a strong iron and copper based industry.
When his uncle was defeated, Timof was thrust into peace negotiations. In the end, Vasyl was removed from his position as head of the Eoin military and power was given to Timof. In order to further assist in the reconstruction of the empire's treasury, Timof instituted the first sales tax within the empire. The tax was 1% of the total sale value, to be split between the merchant and the customer. This caused a downturn in the Eoin economy as merchants retaliated against the new tax. However, Timof used his new control over the military to empower tax collectors and after several months, he saw the economy begin to stabilize. He also began pushing the country's new copper exports: armor, jewelry, and utilitarian inventions that became increasingly in demand in Yzel and among the Eoin people.
During this time, he also began investigating the death of his father, determined to find out if Ilya II's death had been poisoning or not. Through notes from the doctors and accounts from those who had been present during that time, he concluded that the illness was nothing more than an unfortunate sickness and not foul play. However, Vasyl refused to believe him and the argument caused a rift between the two that lasted several years.
In 425, after the retirement of Vasyl I, Timof created a tsirin and ascended the throne of Eoion. Through his reign, he continued to make advances in the mining industry, pouring newly gained wealth back into the country. His incentives garnered support from merchants and miners, leading to increased productivity while he worked on a second avenue to fill the treasury.
He increased the taxes on the wealthy through a small bit of manipulation. The aristocracy became angry over the higher taxes and instead of lowering them, he gave each one a slightly higher title along with a small parcel of land. The titles were almost meaningless, but the increase in land gave them more power within their own regions. However, the new wealth also meant there was more for Timof to tax and thus the treasury increased and the nobles were placated.
In order to further solidify the empire, he turned to his mother and uncle's relationship. This strain and distrust, he reasoned, came because Vasyl still thought of his mother as Farenese rather than as an Eoin citizen. As such, Timof ordered that all schools in the empire only conduct their curriculum in Eoin and not teach the ancestral languages. He did not forbid that they be spoken, only that school not give instruction on them. Timof also opened schools in Niuus to noble children and encouraged the aristocracy to send them there for 'royal' education. In the schools, the children learned Eoin, along with learning the history of the empire from only the perspective of the conquering family. He also collected all historical manuscripts of the former countries and kept them in the Gandenye library, away from the public. These reforms led to the gradual phasing out of the previous cultures over the next several decades and a single dominant Eoin culture to replace them.
Instead of a formerly foreign bride, he took a wife from the Uenemet house, an old Eoin family and close ally of the Shiroko. He gave her minimal instructions in the creation of the Ilyannoi, but, like his mother, did not reveal the full details. In his mind, these secrets were for the family only, a lesson he passed onto his children. In 410, he had his first son, Timof II Shiroko, and over the next six years, he and his wife had four other children: Sava, Kariin, Krystana and Daniila.
In 435, after the death of Vasyl, he began teaching all of his children to create the Ilyannoi and started educating Timof II in the ways of ruling the empire. As for the rest, he instilled in them the importance of using their talents for the enrichment of the empire. In 438, Daniila died in a racing accident, which led to Timof spending the last two years of his reign in mourning, withdrawing from the rest of his family. In 440, he retired from active rule and spent his remaining days cultivating the Statue Garden in Niuus. Thankfully, he was able to open himself back up to his family and in his final days, he became highly involved in his younger children's lives and supportive of them. At his death, he had grown close once more to his family.
Relationships
History
Vasyl was highly overprotective of Timof through his early life due to his theory that his older brother Ilya II Shiroko had been poisoned. He taught Timof the magic of the family and how to rule an empire. After the Second Great War, Timof took control of the military branch of the empire, a decision which began the rift between them. This became worse when Timof concluded that his father had not been poisoned. However, before Vasyl's death, the two were able to mend their relationship. Ultimately, they became close to one another again.
Life
390
462
72 years old
Circumstances of Death
old age
Birthplace
Place of Death
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Gender
male
Eyes
bright violet
Hair
tailbone length, white
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
pale, pink undertone
Height
5'8"
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