Daysikya

Daysikya, known as Empress Daysikya or Dramu Drikmatsba in some circles, namely Suzhya, was the ?th Emperor of Gemurtrak and the first female ruler of Gemurtrak, reigning from 1522 until her death in 1548. The last living child of the Kazha imperial family following a freak fire in the imperial palace, Daysikya and her mother, the former Empress Miki, became the centerpiece of attention for a confused and worried empire hoping for Miki, who was pregnant at the time, to bear a male heir. Otherwise risking the potential for an all out and violent power grab by members of the noble council. Upon the birth of Daysikya, a girl, the council imploded on itself and proceeded to throw the empire into a state of utter chaos leading to the conclusion of the reign of the Northern Empire.

Daysikya would remain out of imperial attention until the 1510’s whereupon she was used as a claim of legitimacy by Yazeku of Yorgerr, the head of the Merchant Republic Coalition who demanded her marriage to claim himself Emperor. An unpopular decision in the eyes of both Psabriki nobles and independent military generals, Daysikya made use of her connections to both parties and personally usurped the claim for herself under divine right during Yazeku’s coronation and slew him, joining with her supporters to dismantle the coalition and begin her assertion of power to restore the empire of Gemurtrak, an act she would complete partially by 1542, restoring the full borders of the Western empire but fail to restore control over the Eastern side of the former empire. She would die in 1548 at the battle of [conflict], one of the final battles of the Inheritance War where her army would subsequently win after rallying behind her son and future emperor Maguste III. A legendary strategist, warrior, and diplomat, Daysikya is often hailed as one of the greatest monarchs of Gemurtrak history and used popularly within feminist circles in Gemurtrak to represent the potential and capabilities of women within positions of power. Her story has been retold in various mediums across the centuries such as poems, books, television series and films as well as plays and songs.

Imperial palace fire of 1490
Before her birth, Daysikya was to be the 8th child of the current generation of the kazha family, the ruling imperial family during the latter half of the Kezik period. The family maintained a strong hold on the empire which had been growing in hostility considerably following the establishment of Ketra Yenka on the mainland. Contest for the position of the Imperial throne, better known as the First crown elect, was growing more fierce as the other noble houses grew weary of the Kazha family's power. In 1590, a massive fire broke out in the summer palace of the Kazha family, commonly believed to have been a purposeful attack by a member of the Imperial council. The fire resulted in the death of all noble members present at the premises including the emperor, his first son and heir, as well as multiple other sons and daughters and servants. The event was a national tragedy leading many high ranking nobility to fear for the stability of the empire, the result of which relied entirely on the shoulders of the last remaining member of the family; Empress Miki, whom was absent from the palace at the time due to performing rituals for her late term pregnancy. The birth of a female child, Daysikya, sealed the country’s fate and an inheritance crisis boiled over resulting in the Nyarami period, a time of constant war, beginning.

Early life and imperial activity
Records of Daysikya’s childhood are few and far between, many chroniclers were preoccupied with the events of the Inheritance war to record the goings-on of the few remnants of the Kazha family. What is known is that Daysikya was likely brought up in the traditional manners for a noblewoman, as displayed by temple records showing she had been ordained into the faith, and pieces of literature and art that she had created, all common actions performed by women in these positions.

By the mid 1510’s, Daysikya had reentered the interests of the numerous factions still vying for control in the war, seeing her as a tool to establish a form of legitimacy coming from her connection to the functionally extinct house of Kazha. Some wished to hold her and her mother as a form of implied legitimacy, such as the Raskur Clique, or forcing her into marriage and claim the legitimacy for themselves, an action that was seen by the larger, more independent factions. These attempts towards such claims commonly ended in a sudden outburst of conflict, followed by the acquisition of Daysikya by another faction. The constant momentum she experienced in this time allowed her to steadily develop connections with various members of higher authority, including the generals [Name1], [Name2], and [Name3]. Notably she would grow a considerable relationship with [Name1], who taught her rudimentary combat techniques in the event of any future kidnappings. Daysikya and her mother remained under the control of the Nyebi gakpow confederacy from 1516 – 1519. Before of which she was taken by other factions mainly within months before her acquisition by the Nyebi confederacy. She reportedly gained and maintained popular relations with many members of the confederate families, many of whom wanting her to bestow imperial right upon them. These attempts were regularly thwarted by other members of the confederacy who aimed for a council system akin to before the Kazha's assumption of the first crown elect.

Daysikya showed she was an effective diplomat among the confederate member, which she frequently mediated, mitigating the negative outcomes of these disagreements. Her efforts stabilized the confederacy and influenced some to support her as the inheritor of the Imperial crown, an opinion the more ambitious members of the confederacy were well against. This clash of ideals saw a slow growth of support towards Daysikya who continued to prove her skills resolving dissatisfaction and disagreements. In 1520 those against Daysikya, namely the [house] and [house] families eventually broke away from the confederacy, joining alongside the Merchant republic coalition and assaulting the confederacy, throwing It into crisis and leading to its dissolution. Daysikya would fight in the battle of [kingsrocks] and be captured after the call of retreat by [general 2]. She was imprisoned in the city of Yorgerr by Yazeku, the defacto leader of the coalition, and would remain so for almost six months. She was eventually freed after submitting to Yazeku's demand for marriage and the subsequent declaration of himself as the emperor of Gemurtrak.

Imperial claim
The marriage was constantly delayed by dissatisfied factions within the coalition, wary of Yazeku and his potential grabs at the economic heartland of Suzhya. Daysikya, still under heavy supervision, conversed with many members of these factions during their visits to Yorgerr and showed a handle of the political maelstrom significantly better than her betrothed, something he was very much aggravated by. Unknown to him, Daysikya began forming deals among members of the coalition to overrule the outcome of the eventual wedding, an event which was of major importance across the former empire. The schemes and plans surrounding the event were of an insurmountable size. The event, planned for on the 12th of April 1522 moved smoothly until the coronation. Daysikya, now recognized as the supreme head of the Owkugan faith, used her power to declare herself as Emperor, an entirely legal action she could perform, and proceeded to bludgeon her newly wed husband with the imperial crown. The wedding broke out into complete chaos as combat between attendees began and allegiances were confirmed. The subsequent war from the incident placed Daysikya at the helm where she would lead her loyalists personally in many major battles including the Battle of Yorgerr, the Battle of Ornpyat, and the Battle of Psabri. She would receive her nickname Dramu Drikmatsba during this time, killing her former husband along with 2 famous generals of the period [general], and [general]. Her early victories and quick grabs of power during the disruptive period placed her faction in a position of control she would continue to maintain across the rest of the Coalition war. Daysikya would emerge the dominant faction in the Suzhyan region after the decisive Battle of lake Dazuk in 1526 where she would cement herself as a key player, holding the innate influence of imperial legitimacy her coronation gave her.