Empress Ila

Empress Ila Reoni of Vost

I am not given to alternative historical speculation, but I do dare say that, had Empress Ila not been lost to the elves in the Separation, the civil war would not have occurred. Certainly not as it did, at that time. She was one of the rare rulers of the Vost who sought peace, not war.

— Lani Koshidan, Telziado Royal Historian

Empress Ila Reoni was the Empress of the Vosti Empire from 313 AC to 326. Despite the relative brevity of her reign, her status as the final Vosti Empress prior to the Separation, and the fact she was lost during this event, has afforded her extensive historical interest and speculation on how history may have changed had her reign continued.

History

Ila Reoni was born during the reign of her grandmother Empress Reoni, and raised in the opulence and comfort of later-era Vosti imperials. From a young age she showed an aptitude for magic and spellcraft, but was forbidden from pursuing the field too extensively due to her position as a future empress. Despite this, in her time she was considered one of the foremost minds in theoretical magic, with notebooks full of potential new applications for spells and other similar inventions.
When her grandmother died in 309, her sickly father ascended at King Daleon IV. Ila was swiftly married to Lord Yola, youngest son of the Marquis of Emaldo, so that she might secure a lineage for the family. Despite the hasty political nature of the match, the two were reportedly on good terms, supported by the fact they would have 6 children together.
As expected, she would become empress on 4 short years after her father, becoming the first of her name. With the position she inherited the many geopolitical struggles of her empire, most important of which were the 'debate' over their south-eastern border with the republic of Waal Zaimyatl, and the continued trade disputes with the republic of Skarhu.
Ila approached both matters with great interest, reaching out to her democratic counterparts over the course of the following decades in the hopes of resolving each peacefully. While a resolution to the dispute with Skarhu was eventually reached with the aid of her ambassadors and diplomats, tensions with Waal Zaimyatl threatened to flair.
To that end, the three nations agreed to a summit, hosted through the portals in the neutral nation of Zumtáshom, in which the Zumtáshom and Skarhan delegations would act as mediators in pursuit of peace. To demonstrate her personal dedication to the cause, Ila brought large swaths of the Vosti imperial family with her in addition to her diplomatic attache, even telling her aides that she intended for her 13 year old daughter Wolnia to attend at least one of the meetings so that she might learn more about diplomacy.
The Empress would never return from the summit, as the portals which linked the empire to Zumtáshom destroyed themselves in an event later known as the Separation. No attempts to reopen them were successful within her assumed life time, and for succession purposes she is considered functionally deceased from 326 AC.

Empress of the Vosti

Reign
313-326 AC

Preceeded By

Emperor Daleon IV

Succeeded By

Empress Askila III

Species

Human

Ethnicity

Vosti

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Empress of the Vosti, Princess of Fovenis

Life

290 AC 326 AC 36 years old

Circumstances of Death

Lost to the other side of a portal during the Separation

Birthplace

Shonyul

Place of Death

Tiyu Noha

Fireworks by davidgarry

Legacy

Though no great acts were committed during Ila's reign, the fact she was committed to peaceful resolution won her the hearts of many abroad. She is considered particularly beloved in Skarhu, of all places, due to her actions regarding the assasination of President Parhi Jianghal on Vosti soil in 314 AC.
Despite the potential risks, Ila personally attended to their damaged carriage in the immediate aftermath, and saw that Parhi received the best medical care the Empire could offer. Her efforts to track down the assassins and obtain justice for Parhi, regardless of the republic's thoughts on their President, were endearing enough that they likely helped with later trade discussions.