Diarchs of Death

The Central War wasn't good to anyone, but in terms of public perception, it hurt Ozäxa-Lavüdh most. Something went rotten in their royal palace, and the result was 3 dead diarchs and a 46 year shitshow. That stink has taken hundreds of years to wear off, and it makes people wonder - what caused this?

— Ozäxa-Lavüdhayo historian

In the history of Ozäxa-Lavüdh, most of its diarchs have died natural deaths, or died in such a way that there was no suspicion of foul play. Unfortunately, there are exceptions, and they capture the imaginations of many. Their deaths, as well as a few other suspicious royal deaths in southern Thurásin during the era of Plenty and War, are occasionally brought together into a grand conspiracy theory of greed and revenge.

Greed

In the year 17 Plenty, the birthday celebration for Prince Külvisko of Zdärrözadh went horrifically awry. A grand ship, carrying himself and significant portions of the royal family, capsized just off the coast, killing all aboard except for three of the crew. With its sinking the royal succession of the kingdom was thrown into chaos, with the nearest relative to the elderly king being Lady Jii-en, Külvisko's fourth cousin once removed.
As Jii-en had never expected to inherit the throne, she had married quite a royal catch - Naike IV, one of the diarchs of Ozäxa-Lavüdh, and they had only one child together. But now she was to be queen, and with only minimal warning, as the king died the next year. Jii-en and Naike's daughter Dhözii was now heir to two countries, and it's this fact that serves as crux for conspiracies.
In 21 Plenty, the doubly-royal family were attacked while staying in the Zdärrözadhayo capital of Üniyodh, and Naike was killed. Dhözii was now diarch, but rumours abounded that this was not the plan. Rather, the assassins had been trying to kill Jii-en, and were sent by Ozäxa-Lavüdh in order to place Dhözii on Zdärrözadh throne. The lady accused of orchestrating this was Aiyütsä IV, Naike's co-diarch. By extension, the sinking of Külvisko's birthday boat is conspiratorially blamed on her, though even this accusation is seen as a bridge too far by some.
Aiyütsä's "greed" is also blamed for causing the Central War, which was fought "on Dhözii's behalf" to "protect her claim" to the throne of Zdärrözadh. Even among people who don't believe she tied to kill Jii-en in 21 Plenty, its accepted as near fact that protecting that royal claim was a shallow pretense. To support this, Aiyütsä is further accused of causing Jii-en's death 11 years into the war, though whether that was true or just spin from Jii-en's successor isn't known.

Revenge

In these conspiracy theories, some go beyond accusing Aiyütsä caused all the chaos of Plenty and War, and accuse Dhözii of seeking revenge on her for those actions. Aiyütsä's official cause of death was listed as a heart attack, but the lack of a family history made many suspicious that something was at play. Another person accused of orchestrating her death was Xauvis, who had been declared Jii-en's heir in Zdärrözadh shortly before her death.
Xauvis and Dhözii are both accused of causing the death of Chörri III as well, as she died even younger than her mother and with the same official cause - a heart attack. Her aggressive position during the Central War is believed to give both a clear motive, though any accusations aimed at Xauvis have to contend with his lack of access to the diarchal families.
This causes confusion when confronting the deaths of Chörri sons Naike and Skrängen in a "freak" accident. Officially, the two boys were climbing a tree on the royal estate, when a harsh gust of wind sent the tree crashing down. Even beyond the questions of how someone could have orchestated that accident, the motive is less clear, and some believe it may have genuinely been an accident.

Result

The result of these suspicious deaths, and of how the Central War proceeded, was that international opinion of Ozäxa-Lavüdh plummeted. Not all condemnation occured at the time, however, with any theories involving Dhözii's actions taking decades after her death to emerge. Aiyütsä's actions were decried at the time, even though she denied all involvement in the deaths of her rivals or co-diarch.

Suspicious Deaths

Prince Külvisko - 17 Plenty 42 Years Old
Naike IV - 21 Plenty 29 Years Old
Queen Jii-en - 11 War 45 Years Old
Aiyütsä IV - 19 War 51 Years Old
Princes Naike and Skrängen - 27 War 16 Years Old
Chörri III - 35 War 43 Years Old

Related Ethnicities

• Tsädhayo

Related Organizations

• Ozäxa-Lavüdh
• Zdärrözadh

Truth

The unfortunate fact is that all the suspicious deaths in Ozäxa-Lavüdh and Zdärrözadh have never been solved. Naike not being the target in 21 Plenty is widely accepted, but concretely pinning the attempt on Aiyütsä is far harder. Neither is there any evidence of Dhözii or Xauvis's involvement in the deaths of the other members of the diarchal family.
One fact cited as absolving Xauvis of involvement is that no harm ever came to Dhözii, despite her being his rival to the throne of Zdärrözadh. While killing Aiyütsä could have been cathartic for him, not removing his greatest threat to the throne seems ill-judged.

Bloodied Sword by Free-Photos

Secrets

A major issue in the search for the truth is the lack of notes belonging to the major players. Despite there being a long-standing tradition of the Ozäxa-Lavüdhayo diarchs providing their private journals to the royal archives as historical documents, Dhözii and Aiyütsä did not do so.
Jii-en's documents, which likely contained personal correspondance between her and her daughter, are believed to have been burnt upon her death at her orders. It isn't clear if she had anything to hide, and she is rarely thought of as having any role in the deaths of Külvisko or her own husband.

Burning Book by Movidagrafica