Katarin I Shiroko

Empress Katarin I Shiroko

Born in 837, Katarin I became extremely paranoid about her family turning on her due to her father, Ilya VII Shiroko's, depressives state declarations. She grew so paranoid that she killed her infant twins and drove the rest of the family from the Gandenye. Her younger sister, Olha I, poisoned her to bring an end to the violence. This led to the doctrine of Induced Regency.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Katarin I was born in 837 to Ilya VII Shiroko and his sister/wife, Krystana. Her parents' strained relationship caused her to feel neglected and afraid. She often tried to show both of them how much she cared as a way to fix their relationship. Along with this, she was also terrified of not being able to perform essence magic, just like her mother, which had led to Krystana being deposed as the tajanji (high prince/princess). This fear led her to doing everything she could to develop magic even though there was no way to induce it and she had yet to take her Attunement Test.
On the day, she was found to be a pyr-esh and those fears abated. However, she felt guilty about not being like her mother and from then on, often avoided her. Instead, like all heirs before her, she spent most of her time with the baejan (emperor/empress), her father, Ilya VII. He taught her history, military strategy, politics, international relations, and many other subjects necessary for the future baejan. Her younger brother, Niloko, was slated to be her future husband and both he and his twin sister, Olha, were taught the same subjects so they would be useful supports to Katarin. Along with these subject, the three were also taught stitching magic, necessary for the creation of the Ilyannoi.
Unfortunately, so much time with her father exposed Katarin to his depressive moods. When he was fine or even hyperactive, Ilya VII was a fine teacher and loving father. However, during his depressive episodes, he became melancholic and often lamented that the family would end up destroying one another. Katarin took this sad paranoia to heart and became suspicious of her siblings and wider family. As she entered her teen years, the paranoia became almost all pervasive and she began to only trust her father. She told him of her thoughts and while he was stable, he dissuaded them, saying that what he said when down was a warped view of reality. Still, he continued to speak of the same things when depressed. The mixed signals were difficult for Katarin to deal with and in her fracturing mental state, settled into paranoia.
Upon ascending the throne in 864, after Ilya VII's retirement. Her father remained on the Gandenye grounds, working through an addiction to Celestial while Katarin became increasingly paranoid. She refused to marry Niloko, seeing him as a threat, but did have a pair of twins with him: Sava and Galyna. While the children were infants, she spent no time with them, leaving their care to Niloko and various wet nurses while she set up barriers around herself to keep the family from coming close to her. Olha and Niloko tried to get their father to speak to her, but withdrawal symptoms had left him in no condition to assist.
Over the next few months, Katarin grew more and more paranoid until one night, she made her way to the Imperial Children's House and killed her infant twins in front of Niloko, who happened to be visiting at the time. She then turned on him and he was forced to take Olha, Ilya VII, and any other family he could find and flee to the old Shiroko manor in Parishi.
After her family ran, Katarin took her paranoia into the court and began a series of treason trials, searching for any nobility who were conspiring with her family to get rid of her. She found only rumors and in just a month, the court had descended into finger pointing while the nobles attempted to stay alive.
Without her family around, Katarin's paranoia had no target except the aristocracy and servants, having expanded past only the family. Her Tsirin was the only one not to be caught up in her delusions. This lasted until 865, just over a year after she took the throne.
While she was wandering the grounds of the Gandenye for a night walk, Olha snuck into the Imperial Residence and poisoned Katarin's milk, the drinking of which was a nighttime ritual that she had engaged in since childhood. When she returned from her walk, she drank and died in her sleep from the poison.
News of her death was sent to Parishi and the family returned. Despite the objections of the court, it was decided that, to hide the extent of her madness from the public and avoid speculation that she had lost control of the Ilyannoi like Kariim I Shiroko, she would be buried in the family mausoleum in the Gandenye temple. Without heirs, the title of baejan passed to Olha, the older of the twins, and she and Niloko were quickly married
The events surrounding her life and death led directly to the doctrine of Induced Regency so no member of the Shiroko Dynasty would need to murder a baejan again.

Life

837 865 28 years old

Birthplace

Gandenye

Place of Death

Gandenye

Parents

Ilya VII Shiroko

Gender

female

Eyes

large, bright violet

Hair

past tailbone, white, braided

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

pale, yellow undertone

Height

5'5"