Iter Laku Yrankau

Anything he wants to be

''No need to call me laku, no need for elevated ceremonies or blind subordination! For I am nothing more than a thinking person, just like you, just like anyone else. Thus, lausos, friend, er hi lausos!''

-I.L Yrankau

A king, a scholar, an eccentric and a schemer, Iter Laku Yrankau is the young and energetic hegemon of the islands of Ysinai, having managed to secure his hold on power against all odds and ruling according to his own beliefs and philosophy, often disregarding Ikaharin's traditions, which has given him quite the reputation.

About him

---

Personality

''Oh, stop it already! I will blush if you keep praising me like that!''

Despite choosing 'Our Lord the Best One' as his regal name, he is quite a humble and down-to-earth person, letting commoners and servants approach him as an equal and blushing whenever anyone talks about his qualities. Besides this, he is also warm and compassionate to those around him.
All of his kindness and benevolence, however, completely disappear when he is dealing with those who have wronged him, the tales of many dead and exiled nobles serving as a grim reminder of this.

Private life

Passions and hobbies

''Nowhere on Earth will you find

A king weirder than

Abbaion

Who feasts with dancers

And does fine calligraphy''

-Popular rhyme

From very 'elevated' activities, such as calligraphy, history and philosophy, to much more 'vulgar' ones, such as anything done at a banhan ceremony, listening to popular music and eating shellfish, the onan laku enjoys a very wide range of pastimes which many don't expect to be compatible with each other.
Another activity this lord enjoys greatly is going to the gardens, be it to look at the birds, have elevated conversations with any passersby or merely to rest and listen to the city's musicians and poets performing.
All of these passions can be seen in the design of the city he built from scratch and now uses as his capital, Dekaibi, as the site's name translates into 'thinking place', the are nine academical buildings (a number which rivals that of settlements that are 10 times larger) and a third of the walled area is classified as parkland, which he filled with many exotic songbirds from faraway regions.
Furthermore, he has made it his personal mission to make Dekaibi the banhan capital of Ikaharin, hosting some of the most lavish feasts ever recorded and inviting eccentrics from all over the region.

Family

''You see, friend? Despite what my kind always say, lineage and bloodline are completely irrelevant. For all I care, my dynasty begins with me!''

-I.L Yrankau

Iter Laku Yrankau's clan is very small, at least when the dozen or so relatives he exiled from the islands are taken out of the list, it being made up of his seven year old daughter (Illaderi) and his three consorts (Liohain, Aheri and Ihaneri).
Even if Liohain is the only one of the three he married not out of political necessity but love, she being the mother of his child, he respects his other partners and treats them like his equals. He is also a loving father, taking a very active role in Illaderi's rearing.

Kotai Lakuwal ky Ysinai

''Who cares if we are not related? You are my family regardless!''

-I.L Yrankau

Significantly larger than his biological family, Abbaion considers and often calls his eight closest friends and supporters as his 'family'. This rather unorthodox group of people formed gradually over the many years he spent in exile abroad and includes people from all genders and ranks, even if in Ysinai all are treated like high nobility.

Biography

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Abbaion

Not an ideal situation

''Not quite a person, not quite an animal, what are you, little monkey?''

-common proverb

As the future onan laku was born into one of the 'little monkey' families, aristocratic lineages that were barely richer than the commoners they ruled over, he lived a modest life for most of his early years, having only one servant, sleeping in a decrepit room and being looked down upon by the wealthier kids.

Intrigues in Ioma

''-I propose we give the kingship to that kid Abbaion, just think about all the benefits. As he is poor, his election would calm down the peasant rabble, but as he is a (rather unpopular) child he would be very easy to manipulate and influence so that he obeys us and us alone. Also I am fairly sure that his family would be forever loyal to our faction, since they would be elevated by this.
-He makes some very good points, all in favour of electing Abbaion?''

-debate on royal succession

Little Abbaion would have probably spent the rest of his days as a little monkey, holding a minor post in the administration while desperately trying to avoid poverty and gain his peers' acceptance, were it not because of the famously chaotic nature of Ysinai's politics.
In 686, the state of Ioma entered a period of turmoil known as 'the Burning of the Towers', in which the island's commoners revolted against their overlords. Unlike other peasant uprisings that had happened in the past, this one was fairly successful and wasn't crushed after a few weeks.
As the niuonnau were beaten back and the government lost control over the vast majority of the island, the ruling elites, a faction known as the Nine Lords of the Southern Isles, realized brute force wouldn't work and started looking for ways to calm down the rebels.

''Oh, woe is me! The king fell from his balcony and is now dead! Those things need to be made safer...''

Thus, after the previous king suffered a tragic accident, the Nine Lords elected a new laku which they thought would be both easy to work with and 'agreeable to the peasants'. Not wanting to allow a barely civilized hillbilly to even look at the throne, they decided to elect the closest thing they could agree with without fainting, a little monkey.

''Awww, how cute! He wants to be called 'Our Lord the Best One'! Isn't he adorable?''

And thus in 689 they crowned him without much pomp.

Iter Laku Sokiaksau

More schemes

''-Damned brat! We wanted a puppet but got... that! This can't go on for any longer, I hope you see where I'm going...
-Yeah, we won't let a beardless wannabe noble end eighty years of rule''.

-aristocratic debate

Even if everything went as planned for a while, with peace (mostly) returning to Ioma and the onan laku being fully obedient to his backers, things eventually took a turn for the worse, as iter laku entered his teenage years and developed an attitude, wanting to rule his country without having to pay attention to the Nine Lords.
This culminated when fourteen year old Abbaion's parents, who were very loyal to the ruling clique, caught him meeting with... hostile elements and denounced their son to them. Fearing he was planning a coup, the aristocrats decided it was time for him to go to Akaina and for a new puppet to be elected.

''I still remember that day, it was a cool and quiet summer night and I was resting in the garden, thinking about nothing and everything, as one often does. This silence, however, was broken when a servant approached me.
The news he gave, oh, those news, I can still remember everything. I can still remember how his voice trembled when he told me his wife had overheard her master talking about how I would be killed in a few days''.

-I.L Yrankau

Luckily for the laku, the kindness he showed towards those below him meant that he was informed about the plot to kill him, allowing him to run away and save his life.

A helping lord

''Thankfully nobody cared enough about generic peasant boy #239 to really examine him or ask why he was crossing the gate''.

-I.L Yrankau

Not having much time and having to keep a low profile, Abbaion left the palace carrying very little, dressed in rags and wrapping his regalia on a blanket (so he could prove who he was in exile). He was then able to abandon Ioma for good before anyone who might snitch on him realized he was gone.
Fortunately, the onan laku knew where to go, as the neighboring island of Ilokai was ruled by a king who had a personal vendetta against a very prominent member of the Nine Lords and would surely help him out. After not much effort, he managed to convince some fishermen to ferry him across the 3 kilometer strait and into his ally's holdings.

''Oh, so that's where you were! I kinda expected it to happen, won't lie''.

-I.L Sairau IV

After receiving the news, the local laku, Iter Laku Sairau IV, discreetly welcomed him in his citadel. As much as he would have loved to send his army to seize Ioma, kill his rival and restore Abbaion to power, his domain was tiny, poor and he only had 7 soldiers, so that was out of the question.
All wasn't lost, however, as the lord had some contacts in the city of Suwan, far across the sea in Ikaharin's mainland, and thus arranged for him to go live there.

Eccentric extraordinair

''I didn't have much, and much of what I had was borrowed, but I felt good''.

-I.L Yrankau

He spent the years between 692 and 698 in exile, living mostly in Suwan but also visiting other major cities, all of this under the tutelage of Iter Dekainau Icanesar, the keeper of the city's archive and a very wise man.
In Suwan Abbaion saw endless opportunities, which was to be expected as the city had more people than many of Ysinai's islands combined and everyone saw him as an exotic king from far away with a tragic yet fascinating backstory, which made him rather popular.

''Iter Laku Soksau was truly a great man, though I feel he screwed everything up when he decided to become an emperor. As godlike as one may be, it is simply impossible to make sure the whole world follows your enlightened visions''.

-I.L Yrankau

As his tutor was an intellectual, he often brought others like him to his house to discuss about elevated topics or practice calligraphy and recite poetry. Although he didn't participate for a while, merely listening to whatever they were saying, eventually he started to get involved in those meetings, the guests being quite impressed by his abilities and knowledge, which were quite rare for someone as young as him.
Thus he soon started to be regarded as a very bright youth and invited to other scholars' social events, some of which were held far from Suwan.

''I believe me, Abbe, there is no person in this world that knows the good ways and how to host a feast better that Andrin. So, believe when I tell you this is not something you would want to miss, not in a million years''.

-Friend inviting Abbaion to a feast

Parallel to his intellectual pursuits, he also started to dabble in Banhan Culture and such hedonistic activities, quickly earning a reputation as a lunatic for his tendency to pull some very odd antics, a reputation that gave him invitations to all the important feasts, even attending the legendary Banhan Duion of 696.

A joyous scandal

''I will trample on the bones of your ancestors, Yran! How dare you seduce her, which surely you did through means of dark magic, for I am better than you at everything I try''.

-Nandaeyr's First Obelisk

It was also during the sweet years of his exile that he met and wed his main wife Liohain, and subsequently gained his greatest rival, Nandaeyr, the (not at that time) great king of the Aineci, as the girl chose him over the Aineci noble, who became so angry he ordered the creation of a 5 meter tall obelisk telling and depicting in exquisite detail what he would do to the islander for this most great crime.

''And then, when he showed me his monument I said: Oh thanks! I didn't know somebody cared about me enough to raise a stela in my honour. Me and my dearest Liohain will surely enjoy passing by it on our strolls, though, please answer me this question, who is that 'her' you mention in every other sentence?
I just can't think of who she might be. Meh, guess I'll ask Liohain to see if she knows''.

-I.L Yrankau talking to his friends

This whole affair, and especially how Nandaeyr reacted to it all, made all the characters involved quite famous, everyone in Suwan and beyond knowing their tale.

Iter Laku Naukurau

It couldn't last forever

''Those damned paranoids didn't even realize I didn't want the throne''.

-I.L Yrankau

His sweet years in exile would end, however, as in 697 the laku was almost assassinated. Luckily for him, though, the plot failed and, after ruling out Nandaeyr thanks to some 'creative interrogation', he discovered he had been hired by the Nine Lords. The onan laku was then overtaken by the urge to take revenge on them and bring forth their downfall, and thus started to pull from all his many strings, fame and connections.

Revenge

''-Oh, woe is me! The judge is dead! Truly a mystery how his body managed to accidentally impale itself on that spear... Well, let this be a reminder to all that life is full of dangers and everyone needs to be careful with what they do.
-Yeah, right, accidentally. As if one could accidentally die that way days after a heated argument with his antagonist''.

-argument between nobles

It didn't take long for the news to reach some... shady individuals, who were more than happy to help him out and whose work was made easier by the fact that cracks were starting to form in Ioma's politics once again, many nobles having well known grudges and rivalries.
Finally, when news that Ioma's elites were tearing themselves apart reached him, he smiled and celebrated, thinking he could go back to his life of leisure and scholarship. However, he was eventually convinced to go claim the throne by one of his closest friends, who, rather bluntly, said:

''Why do you insist on calling yourself Iter Laku Yrankau if you don't even want to rule your country''.

Master of Bones

''Necromancy has never hurt anyone, at least not anyone I didn't want to...''

-the Master of Bones

To help in his return, another of his close friends, a great necromancer known as 'the Master of Bones', went to Ioma before him to spread panic among the populace with his dark rites and prophecies of an incoming lord who would emerge from the waves to bring a new era, mission at which he succeeded, with everyone who feared the divine entering a state of unrest and hate for the elites that lead them down the wrong path.

Return

''I still vividly remember the faces of the people who saw me rise from the waves dressed in full regalia. Oh, how could I forget?''

-I.L Yrankau

And thus in 698 he and many of his friends and retainers sailed for Ioma, him having to jump into the ocean clad in full ceremonial attire many meters before reaching the beach in order to fulfill the prophecy.
Soaked but ecstatic he landed, news of the prophecy's fulfillment spreading like wildfire and causing a great mob to form around him, eager to follow the Natural law and fight for him. This caused what remained of the Nine Lords and their rule to completely collapse, as everyone either switched sides, was overwhelmed by the rioters or fled into the hills for safety.
Ioma's gates were wide open by the moment he reached them, and, finding the palace deserted, he sat on the throne and made a proclamation:

''May justice and fairness flow from my seat as rivers from a mountain, and may all enjoy them''.

Iter Laku Yrankau

May it flow

''They don't belong here''.

-I.L Yrankau

Iter Laku Yrankau's first order was fairly simple, to exile any nobles who were even remotely related to the Nine Lords, including his parents, and to slay anyone who refused to leave. As most commoners saw him as having a divine mandate, they obeyed and swiftly deported or executed four dozen people.
After that, greatly inspired by Iter Laku Soksau, he abandoned Ioma, moved the capital to a city he started from scratch and started enacting reforms, which assured everyone that he was the harbinger of a new era.
He also gave his friends and retainers most of the titles that had conveniently been left vacant, made marriage alliances with the lords of the isles and made an active effort to let the commoners interact with him, even allowing them to meet him in his black marble throne.

A daughter

''I knew banhan didn't make you sterile!''

-I.L Yrankau

Shortly after moving to Dekaibi, his wife Liohain came to him with joyous news, as she was pregnant. As the months passed and his ability to wait reduced, to Ysinai came a mission from the great king Nandaeyr, carrying with them another stela with detailed information on his feelings about the subject.
After the daughter (who would eventually be named Illaderi)'s birth, the parents were overwhelmed by joy, the ruling couple touring the island in person to present their newborn to the people.

Currently

''No, sweetie, don't cry because you can't memorize all the characters! Your father has never even heard of someone wise enough to know them all, and Yran has talked to many scholars''.

-Abbaion teaching his daughter

As of 708, the onan laku has much to celebrate, as Dekaibi's citadel is finally complete and he has ruled properly for ten years, presiding over a prospering realm. He is also trying to teach his daughter to read and write and making preparations for the grandest feast ever recorded.
Politically speaking, he and his faction have not encountered much opposition, the lords of the other islands acknowledge him as his hegemon and pay him tribute and he is involved in a series of raids and counter-raids against Nandaeyr (who now sends him a stela every two years), as both of them are interested in the same region.

Mental characteristics

Gender Identity

Man

Sexuality

Heterosexual

by Ynarkael

Iter Laku Yrankau's personal banner

Honorary & Occupational Titles

• Onan laku of Ysinai
• Laku of Dekaibi
• Laku of Ioma (title abolished)
• Protector of Kobbahal

Date of Birth

Marhai 12th of Handrin

Year of Birth

678 RoI 30 Years old

Birthplace

Ioma

Current Residence

Dekaibi

Gender

Male

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Dark auburn, styled in the traditional style of Ikaharin

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale

Height

1,82 meters

Known Languages

Shiuihikane, Adawai'i, Dana

Names:

This character is from Ikaharin, a region where it is customary for people to gather names as they grow old and preform various deeds. Some of his names include:

• Abbaion: This is his childhood name, although most people shouldn't use it or even know it, the laku lets anyone call him Abbaion.
• Iter Laku Yrankau: Literally 'Our Lord the Best One' this is his regal name, the one that appears on all inscriptions.
• Yran/Abbe: These are nicknames derived from Iter Laku Yrankau and Abbaion respectively.
• Iter Laku Sokiaksau: Literally 'Our Lord the Exiled One', this is a nickname he doesn't hear too often these days.
• Iter Laku Naukurau: Translating as 'Our Lord Who Returned', this is a name by which he is widely known.