My fellow citizens of Kiŗaun, heads of all the tribes of Kaushan, distinguished guests, and my children and grandchildren, I speak to you today as your queen, on the one year anniversary of my husband's death. Badnīl was a charismatic, compassionate visionary, a bold leader, and a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He took each of these roles seriously and thouroughly, even unto the moment of his death. For that he will always be remembered and loved.
Decades ago, when my husband formed this Kingdom through honest agreements with the heads of each tribe of Kaushan, he was ideallistic, believing he would likely live forever, be king forever. For although he was a brilliant leader, he was also a youthful man. Like most young men before and since, he believed is was invulnerable. I sincerely believe that was his thought until the very moment he left this realm of existence. But being young and youthful and believing in your invulnerability does not help you to live forever.
Badnīl neglected just one thing. He never named an heir to the throne he built. For the past year I have been in consultation with the leaders of each of the tribes, all of whom had agreed to follow my husband's rule while he was alive. I have consulted with all of his trusted advisors, including my brother
Nautīr, trusted by our king to be his Vizier. I have consulted with all my living sons and grandsons. We have collectively come to a conclusion.
My husband united us all into one great Kingdom. But each region of that kingdom now has it's own needs and desires. And while the individual tribes agreed to work with one another, that's not been an easy thing. No one of us can be the uniting force that Badnīl was. To that end, I will be jointly signing a declaration with all the tribal leaders disolving the Kingdom of Kiŗaun and forming what we are tentatively calling the Eastern Principalities. These eight independant nations will have borders that most logically fit their desires and needs. Each will have one of Badnīl's male descendents placed as ruler, Prince in title, the soverign of that new nation. The first action of each Prince will be to have drawn up governing rules as fits with the leaders and people of the contained regions.
This is an enormous change for our peoples. But I do not believe that I or any of my descendants if fully qualified to lead a single unified kingdom. However, I have agreed to remain as a sort of ambassador among each of the Principalities and to the kingdoms and nations outside our borders, preserving
Īyonī as a neutral meeting place, independant of all the Principalities. The Princes and the tribal leaders, and indeed any Kaushan, will be welcome here if their purposes are peaceful. We will provide arbitration among the various tribes, nations, and leaders in order to keep us all a unified people who recognize we also have differences that should be respected.
It is my hope, and the hope of all who worked to form this agreement, that each Principality and Prince, as well as Īyonī and those who work with me, will remain loyal to the best interests of the Kaushan people as a whole.
This has been a difficult decision. It is one that not all will be in favor of, but I believe it is the best path forward for our people. And I believe Badnīl would support it.
Thank you, all, my brothers and sisters. May the spirit of Badnīl and, indeed,
Dīnauvai himself, look upon us all with favor as we begin this new era.
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