Yaner
Ras Gafhi Yaner
The son of the previous Ras Gafhi Kaleb and the grandson of the one before that, Yaner is the third Ras of a Gafhi without Agbith, and the first to have been born after the Fall of the Thaner. As Ras Gafhi, Yaner rules over Agbithan Gafhi and the Agbithan Crusade, though his true reach is far shorter than the borders of crusader land. The captains of the Exile Companies often do not take his orders, and the revolt of the Howudra 10 years ago was never truly subdued.
Social
Reign
"What is Yaner but the third generation of failure? Better men than he have died in that post, and come no closer to Agbith. Dreams may bring the Thaner here, but they won't follow him. He's got no leadership, no vision that has not been shown empty year after year. The Serafi is the only thing that matters. He has nothing else."
Ruling since 493, Yaner ascended to the post of Ras Gafhi with the death of his father Kaleb. His reign has been marked by the steady retreat of the Ras' office, as the Howudra coalition in the northeastern valley is practically independent and the exile companies and mercenaries are less keen to listen to him than they were to his late father. During Yaner's reign, the Gafhi Serafi has only once moved past Sholos, and has equally been aimed at tamping down on internal strife as at servants of Inkrimane.
Many view Yaner as an uninventive tyrant, holding his ground in the rotting edifice of Agbithan Gafhi, the authority of the Ras to lead the crusaders already spent. Thus, he has increasingly leaned on the Gafhi Serafi to prop up his rule, allowing them to finish swallowing up the civil institutions of the province. With the blunt instrument of the serafi the one remaining tool he has left, he uses it to remain in power in Harhoun.
Equally, the Gafhi cannot go five years without an assault by the dragonthralls, and the exile companies and mercenaries are a fickle force largely reliant on Makuubi support to operate. Eager to spend themselves on vainglorious assaults against Inkrimane, at times these forces have been absent when the dragon threat has been its most severe. In those times, Yaner and the Gafhi Serafi have held. It is often said that Yaner may protect his people from the dragon, but not from his own army.
Yaner's core policy is best summed up as "maintain the brigade, maintain Agbith". A phrase uttered often in Harhoun's court, Yaner's first priority is to preserve the Gafhi Serafi as a fighting force. The unintentended consequences of this policy can most clearly be seen in Hagus' Revolt, where Yaner's refusal to compromise on the Gafhi Serafi's readiness led to a widespread Gafhi revolt that has practically severed the northeastern valley from central control.
Contacts & Relations
Before becoming Ras, Yaner spent over a decade in the Gafhi Serafi, and many of his closest confidantes and advisors are former or current military figures. To this day, he is most comfortable as military commander, something that is apparent in his reign. The most notable non-military advisor he has is Yenenesh, a venerable lorechantress whose stature is such that she cannot be ignored in Thaner circles.
Apart from the army, Yaner has few places to source support. He has some friends in Guede, but those are far away. The Gafhi chiefs range from reluctanly supportive to actively hostile in the case of the northeastern Howudra. The Exile Company captains are sometimes cooperative, but often operate as independent warlords.
Family Ties
Both of Yaner's parents are dead, his father having died from a war wound in 493 and his mother of illness seven years later. He has a younger brother, Tariku, who is a commander in the Gafhi Serafi. He has been married since 492 to Admas, a Thaner woman about 10 years his junior, descended from minor nobility in the old capital. In olden times, the match might have been considered inappropriate, but today it passes without remark.
He has one daughter, Simret, born in the december of 492.
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