Askre'she Ni'etu
Early Life
Ni'etu was raised by his paternal grandmother, an Ingan princess. As the eldest of the legitimate sons, he was his grandmother's favorite. Under her influence, Ni'etu became sympathetic to the Ingan Empire, shaping his political views to favor diplomacy over belligerence.
When he was twelve, his father Askre'nro Keloh died, and his uncle Ketapa succeeded the 'nro title to become Askre'nro Ketapa. By the succession rules of the title of Tokgok 'nro, Ni'etu was the next successor, and this was the identity and expectation he grew into.
As traditional for noble Tokgok boys, at twelve he began training and at sixteen joined the military, serving mostly near the eastern border of the state. At 22, after earning the title of 'she, he returned to the capital in Uheran Valley.
Ni'etu was a master of the politics of the capital. Where his cousin Askre'she Nilu was charismatic with the common people, Ni'etu knew how to deal with nobles, the more influential the better. He was able to establish relationships with multiple noble clans, balancing and maintaining all of them through deals and promises leveraging their individual desires and motivations. However, his sympathy for the Ingan Empire limited his network, outcasting him from some circles. In particular, despite his best efforts, he was isolated from the reigning 'nro, Ketapa. Under his rule, it was likely raids against the empire would cease, and some sort of pact or alliance formed. His political enemies feared the spread of Ingan culture, and their worst fear that the banner would be completely vassalized.
Civil War
The reigning Tokgok 'nro of the time, Askre'nro Ketapa, did not accept Ni'etu as the heir, releasing the 'Nro Decree on the Successor of Ketapa on his deathbed. With Ketapa's death, civil war broke out between Ni'etu and Nilu, who Ketapa had tried to name heir instead. This civil war would come to be called the Fall of the Flying Eagle Banner.
During the war, Ni'etu's quiet preparations were deployed in force. The three major noble clans, the Shuste, Yepi, and Muhta, all provided Ni'etu with political and military support. He also had a small scale intelligence network and secret connections, which the public only got a glimpse of through fragments of a secret letter addressed to "Moonstone" that Nilu's faction happened to seize in the aftermath of a battle. Most importantly, during his time in the east, he had made secret contacts with the Ingan Empire.
When it became clear that the tides of war were against him and Nilu was likely to win the war, Ni'etu decided he would rather be a vassal controlling the Flying Eagle Banner under the dominion of the Ingan Empire, than an executed war trophy. He successfully negotiated for the Ingan Empire to intervene on his behalf. However, although the Ingan Empire came to his aid and took back the Plains of the Pass and title of 'nro, Ni'etu himself died in an epidemic during the war. The Flying Eagle Banner became a vassal state under the Ingan Empire, ruled first by his younger brother Nichu, and later by his son Yunu.Social
Family Ties
Relationships
History
Ketapa was close to his brother Kedou, but not particularly close with his half-brother Keloh, and thus made no particular effort to be involved with Keloh's children. After Keloh's death, it was normal for a close male relative or friend to adopt, or take responsibility for, any children not yet of age. As the only surviving brother, Ketapa did this perfunctorily, but this identity of "adopted father and son" was never important for either of them, and is footnote in most discussions of their relationship. Thus, their relationship only began to be defined when Ni'etu returned to the capital at age 22. Ni'etu sought to establish a closer relationship with Ketapa to secure his own power and position as successor. However, as Ketapa aged, he became more paranoid and narrow-minded, and was unable to accept a successor with Ingan influence. Ni'etu was unable to access Ketapa at all once Ketapa's health began to decline, and the 'Nro Decree on the Successor of Ketapa sealed their divide.
Nicknames & Petnames
There were two possible ways for Ni'etu to address Ketapa – either "my 'nro" as all subjects of the Flying Eagle Banner did, or as "Asu", or uncle. Ni'etu decided that the family angle was not going to work on Ketapa, and stuck to "my 'nro" as a way to convey deference and respect. This implied that he did not want to overstep any boundaries Ketapa set, and would work within the limitations given to him, in his effort to curry favor from Ketapa.
Relationship Reasoning
With the 'Nro Decree on the Successor of Ketapa, Ni'etu crystallized a hate for Ketapa, who was denying him his birthright. However, publicly he expressed respect for Ketapa as the previous 'nro and his elder, blaming the decree on mental confusion on his deathbed, as well as unspecified influences that he claimed manipulated Ketapa in his later age. Ketapa, meanwhile, disliked Ni'etu, although tolerating him to some degree for at least being his blood-related nephew.
History
Although they were cousins of roughly the same age and both legally wards of Askre'nro Ketapa, Ni'etu and Nilu did not interact much in childhood. Ni'etu was raised primarily by his paternal grandmother, Ingan'askre Kerli, who was not related to Nilu. In adulthood, Ni'etu was trained in the east while Nilu was trained in the west. While Ni'etu returned to the capital at age 22, Nilu remained based in the west, continuing to serve as an officer and only occasionally returning to the capital. Thus, they did not have a concrete relationship, seeing each other only in passing or in official functions.
Nicknames & Petnames
As cousins of the same paternal line, they may refer to each other as brothers, or "Ahing." They only did so occasionally at official functions to convey the impression of solidarity within the Askre Clan, but rarely do so privately.
Relationship Reasoning
As competitors for the throne and opponents in a full-out civil war, they dislike each other as a matter of natural politics, but not in a particularly personal or passionate way. Publicly, both must villainize the other to rally support for themselves as war propaganda.
History
Previously betrothed as a match made in heaven between the 'nro successor and the daughter of the most influential noble Tokgok clan, both sides chose to set it aside. The Shuste Clan backed off their support for Ni'etu in the middle of the war, and accordingly severed the plans for a marriage alliance. Ni'etu, for his part, easily set aside his existing betrothal to accept the marriage bestowed by the Ingan Empire to cement their alliance.
Relationship Reasoning
Ni'etu was satisfied with this betrothal, considering it suitably prestigious for his rank, and he leveraged it publicly to maintain the support of the Shuste Clan.
History
Tinja, from the minor noble Gohni clan and married into the Muhta clan, was the young, third legitimate wife of Muhta'she Lumok. She fell in love with a version of Ni'etu that he made for her to fall in love with, although Ni'etu did care for her more than he cared for his then fiancée, Shuste Yuruk. Their relationship began soon after Ni'etu arrived in the capital at age 22, and Tinja was instrumental in swaying the Muhta clan to Ni'etu's cause. The parentage of Tinja's first two children is ambiguous, but Lumok never discovered his wife's affair.
Nicknames & Petnames
As a codename, Tinja sometimes referred to Ni'etu as Midnight – firstly because the "etu" in his name meant moon, and midnight was the time when the moon was at its peak, and secondly because that was the usual time they could visit each other. Ni'etu called her Tintin.
Shared Secrets
Midnight– It hurts to see the moon. New moons are the only nights I have peace now. Midnight, I see you in my son's eyes. I've named him Takan – for his eyes. You should see how brightly they reflect on a full moon's night.Journal entry of Gohni'muhta Tinja
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