Saxavis I

Üüstra Saxavis I Tilauvügodh of Ozäxa-Lavüdh

There's hardly a major event during her reign that she was not present for. If only one diarch was present, it would be her. Most of her citizens had met her at least once, and had her undivided attention for a moment. She was everywhere, and everything.

— Ozäxa-Lavüdhayo scholar

Saxavis I, rarely referred to as Saxavis VIII of Lavüdh, was one of the first diarchs of Ozäxa-Lavüdh alongside her wife, Därra I. Due to her significant role in bringing the country into union, she is considered to be the founder of Ozäxa-Lavüdh.

History

Saxavis was the second child of the monarchs of Lavüdh, and not meant for its throne. As such, many efforts were made when she was young to get her engaged to foreign heirs to secure alliances, none of which eventuated. While partly due to Saxavis' 'exuberant personality' frustrating her potential suitors, far more important was the sudden death of her older brother Naike in 31 Conquest, catapulting Saxavis into the role of heir and future monarch.
This was poor timing, as the Nyikkishep empire south of Lavüdh shortly thereafter barred all Lavüdhayo ships from accessing the sea via the River Tsädh, which they had been doing for centuries. Suspicions that Naike had been poisoned by the Nyikkishep ran rampant, by some measure ruining Lavüdhayo efforts to reverse the ban.
Lavüdh soon reached out to its long time rival, Ozäxa, in hopes that together they could have the ban lifted. Saxavis and the Ozäxa heir, Därra, were proposed as potential wives for high-ranking Nyikkishep officials, though apparently these offers were made without Saxavis' knowledge and she rejected them outright. Rather, over the course of years of discussion between Lavüdh and Ozäxa as to whether and how they should more formally unite, she courted and proposed to Därra. With some discussion with their parents, the decision was made to unite their kingdoms through their marriage, which occurred in 34 Conquest.
While the new united domain of Ozäxa-Lavüdh failed to convince the empire to change its mind, the resources and alliance shared between the once-rivals helped protect it from the adverse effects of decision. Of the two diarchs, Saxavis handled any of the foreign affairs and alliance negotiations, succeeding in garnering the support of many kingdoms further up the Tsädh and securing overland trade routes.
Despite some flaring of tensions along the southern border, Saxavis' reign was peaceful and hinted at greater things for come for Ozäxa-Lavüdh. Her domain only suffered during an intense outbreak of the plague, attributed to traders from the Empire. Aside from the thousands of civilian deaths, the royal family was struck especially hard. Saxavis' and Därra's consorts, Vaiken and Riyim, died early in the third year after the outbreak, and Saxavis' youngest daughter Yinaan died a month later. Worst of all, Saxavis herself contracted the plague, dying in the middle of that year to the deep mourning of the country. Her older daughter Chörri ascended to the throne in her place, and helped oversee the final months of contagion.

Legacy

There are few historians and scholars who would suggest Saxavis was an ineffective or poor diarch. On the contrary, she was not only incredibly popular with the people, but incredibly active. Up until a few days before her death, the number of letters and declarations that exited the palace without her signature upon them could be counted on one hand, and she made multiple appearances in foreign countries as Ozäxa-Lavüdh's primary representative. Considering the security the union and her reign brought for many eras, to call Saxavis unimportant would be false.
She and her wife, Därra I, are considered to nearly be saints amongst the Ozäxa-Lavüdhayo, for their roles in uniting their warring countries. In this role, they are both likened to the Divinity of Balance who is made of two aspects - Structure, and Change. Saxavis is typically associated with Change as opposed to her less disruptive wife, who is associated with Structure.

Diarch of Ozäxa-Lavüdh

Reigned
34 Conquest - 3 Plague

Sovereign Partner

Därra I (34 Conquest - 3 Plague)

Successor

Chörri I

Life

14 Conquest - 3 Plague (53 Years)

Consort

Riyim Ruugudyibal (36 Conquest - 3 Plague)

Species

Human

Ethnicity

Tsädhayo

Tomb Secrets

Saxavis and Därra were buried together in the crypts of the church where they were married, on the shores of the Tsädh. Over the years, security had to be increased significantly to prevent damage to their tomb by vandals or fanatics. Alas, the security failed to account for the divine, and The Collision over 600 years after Saxavis' death collapsed the church and sunk it under at least a meter of raging river water.
It took a few years for the tomb to recovered and brought to dry land, where it was checked to ensure the contents had not been damaged. On the contrary, the tomb had remained securely watertight despite the chaos, allowing many small artefacts to be recovered. While the discovery of Därra's personal diary stole the show, another very special item was found - a letter from Saxavis to Därra, presumed to have been written in her final days.
No copy of this letter has been made available, with the royals citing its intensely personal nature. The fact that Därra's personal diary has been made public, despite the same being true, has many convinced her final letter would be damning to the diarchy in some way. All efforts to steal the letter from the royal vaults have failed.

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