Empress Askila I
Empress Askila I Tarisidan (a.k.a. The Dragon)
There a very few Emperors or Empresses that can claim to understand the impact of their decisions on the life of peasants as much as I do.Empress Askila I was the 24th ruler of The Vosti Empire, reigning from 319 to 289 BC. Her ascension to the throne, and marriage to Count Odevin of Harkad, definitively ended to War of Vosti Succession which had raged for 70 years.
Early Life, and the War of Succession
Unlike her fellow claimants to the throne, Askila was not born into nobility, despite her imperial descent. Rather, she was born as a commoner in the north west of Abravost, after her mother Taris had her peerage stripped. Things got worse when Taris died in 349 BC, shortly after the birth of her son Reon, leaving the two orphaned. Askila and her brother were taken in by allies of the family, but deliberately raised as commoners so as to not raise the suspicions of the Empress as the time, Sumi II. In private, Askila received as good an education as they could manage, teaching her military tactics and history. On multiple occasions the children had to be relocated to prevent their discovery by imperial forces, only narrowly escaping each time. Empress Sumi II died when Askila was 18, with the war restarting in earnest to take advantage of her less competent cousin, Woln II. When he died only four years later, Askila openly revealed herself to the empire at large as a claimant for the throne, even though it fell to the hands of Woln's son, Iden IV. Her unique position within the war attracted a great deal of support, and her forces were even briefly able to capture Iden, though he was able to escape. Before they could try again, Iden was captured and executed by Odevin III, who said that Iden had changed the rules of succession to male-only, giving himself the crown. This declaration angered both Askila's forces and those belonging to Iden, who joined forces to wreak havoc upon Odevin's armies. This alliance fell through shortly thereafter, as Iden's daughter Sumi refused to give Askila the throne or any kind of title as a form of payment for her work. Askila was ultimately the commander to defeat Odevin, though his death in the siege was unintentional. Before she could claim his place, Sumi ascended as Sumi III. By now thoroughly sick of the mess of war, Askila negotiated a sturdy alliance with the kids of Odevin III, herself marrying his son. With their marriage, they effectively united their two claims to the throne, creating a more united front. Sumi III did not last long on the throne, dying under somewhat dubious circumstances. Askila, ever gracious, accepted the now vacant throne as the most senior imperial, acting as a sort of co-monarch with her husband. Despite the nature of their arrangement, it was clear to all that Askila was in charge.Her Reign
Aside from lingering opposition to her rule by other nobles, the largest issue that Askila faced early into her reign was the state of western Abravost, which had been ignored by her predecessors. This had left the area rife with independence movements aiming to separate from the Empire, which would not do. She was able to quash many such rebellions, but saw the need for the throne to reconnect with all corners of its holdings. To this end, she commissioned the great city of Fovenis in 304 BC, which was more centrally located within the Empire and would be 'neutral' as a capital where the city of Shonyul was not. She also set about improving the lives of her poorer citizens, having experienced how they got by during her childhood. She funded many programs to provide employment and increase food production, and encouraged the improvement of long overland routes to make it easier for individuals to relocate for work. Personal tragedy came in the latter half of her reign, with the death of her son Prince Odevin in 297. This briefly sparked some conflict with the House of Harkad, whose allies had only supported Askila due to her son, who was a direct male-line descendant of Emperor Iden III. This was somewhat solved by Askila reminding them that there was no way for there to be a male-line heir from that House due to her husband's age, and that if the Empire were to adopt male-only succession, the throne would go to someone so far removed from the current imperial as to be laughable. Just to be safe, she did arrange a few strategic marriages for her allies and her nephew Ferean. It was this nephew who would reign when she passed away in 289 BC, as her younger brother and her husband had both predeceased her. She left an empire slowly coming together after decades of conflict, and one which mourned her deeply.
Imperial Claim
The Empire had been in turmoil for many decades. It had been passed back and forth between the House of Shonyul and the House of Harkad numerous times, owing to their varying interpretations of how Vosti Succession functioned. Askila's ancestral house, the House of Vunis, had initially remained neutral due to a lack of strong claim, until her great-grandmother Taris I defeated Odevin II in battle to seize the throne for her family. This went poorly, as Taris I was old and frail, and died soon into her reign. Her son Reon III was a far worse ruler than her, and was executed by Sumi II less than a year into his reign. His daughter Taris fled, without her peerage.
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