( nonso anozie, cis-male, he/him, 37 ) ** ♔ announcing IYASU SEYON TESFAVE, the KING OF ETHIOPIA ! in a recent portrait they seem to resemble NONSO ANOZIE. it is a miracle that HE survived the last five years and for that reason, they are AGAINST the kingdoms working together. reflecting on them now, they remind me of CAREFULLY COUNTED COINS, A FIST WRAPPED TIGHT AROUND A STRING OF PEARLS, HUNTING TROPHIES DISPLAYED WITH PRIDE, CRUEL EYES ABOVE A PLEASANT SMILE. (snail, they/she, 27, gmt) **
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BASICS
Full Name: Iyasu Seyon Tesfave
Name Ruling By: Seyon Sagad
Age: 37
Birthday: 2nd December
Gender: Cis Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Languages: Amharic, Oromo, Somali, Ge’ez (for religious purposes only), Persian/Farsi, English, French, Ottoman Turkish
Religion: Ethiopian Orthodox Christian
BIOGRAPHY
The dry season in Ethiopia was uncommonly wet the year that Iyasu was born, keeping trees lush and rivers flowing. It had been a full year since his parents had married, and as a healthy and large boy, was a clear signifier of a successful marriage. His mother was exhausted after the birth, but his father was ecstatic with energy. He had an heir to his throne, and another descendant of Solomon had been born.
From the time Iyasu started speaking he had been unable to stop. A babbler by nature, he received tutelage from the moment he could sit up, perfecting not only a number of languages and dialects, but also the ability to orate, to convince and beguile through word alone. A charismatic and intelligent child, he seemed a perfect fit for his place as the heir to the throne. Not only was he well loved and well-lovable, he also was a boy who delighted in learning the trappings of his office, in exploring all of the knowledge set before him. From oratory, then to theology, then history, and geography, astrology, arithmetic, strategy. He soaked up knowledge like the sands did water, welling with knowledge under the careful watch of his tutors and parents.
But knowledge was not the only thing which Iyasu devoured. He had always harboured a fondness for life’s pleasures. It began with suckling, and then developed into a love of food, of drink, of clothing and jewellery, or art and books and travel. Iyasu sampled all of the world’s offerings, devoured the best of them, and kept them close to his chest. He was fondly called “magpie” for his hoarding tendencies, though the word did come with a bite of bitterness from those who had had their belongings taken to pad out Iyasu’s collections. No more was this common than in the mouths of his siblings, who knew from young that their eldest brother would be quick to borrow an item and never give it back.
Despite his heightened interest in worldly belongings, it was clear to all those who knew him that Iyasu was a charming and promising king-to-be. It was therefore no surprise when Ethiopia’s allies Persia sought to tie their ruling families closer together through marriage, and Iyasu and Atossa were promised to one another.
For Iyasu, it was infatuation at first sight. A great appreciator of beauty, he could not ignore the perfection of Atossa’s features. Then, once he and Atossa actually spoke, he was in love. Despite their age gap of almost ten years, Atossa was clearly able to match him in wit and intelligence. Iyasu quickly set about learning Farsi, and showering Atossa in every gift he possibly could. He treated her as if she were made of the precious metals he adored, dedicated to wooing her, to knowing and memorising every part of her. As if she were a book of secrets, and he were its keeper. If it would have made her smile, Iyasu would have plucked the very stars from the heavens to give to her.
A few years on and Iyasu and Atossa’s marriage had not yet borne fruit, but Iyasu had no intentions of rushing his bride to bear him a child. He believed they had plenty of time to create heirs, and he would rather have his wife’s heart before her womb. But then his father unexpectedly passed, and Iyasu was quickly crowned King.
The first year or so of his rule was comparatively easy. Though there were new duties for Iyasu to juggle, there was nothing that he had not expected. He moved the capital of Ethiopia to Gondar, to a castle he’d had designed and built, showcasing his wealth, intelligence, and a love of luxury. Iyasu was ready for Ethiopia to flourish under his rule, to enter into a Golden Age so brilliant that his name would be spoken for the same length of time as his ancestor Solomon.
And then there was a dry season that lasted too long, and a wet season that was too wet. Crops failed, and in the countryside their rations spoiled or were eaten. Famine came, and famine led to death. Floods carried bodies and pestilence in the water, and that led to plagues. The bath house at Gondar, which had at first been so resplendent, quickly became a source of ire. The plague reached the capital.
For the golden boy of the Ethiopian Empire, who had had all he desired handed to him on a golden platter, the chaos proved to be too much. The first hurdle he had ever experienced was a large one, and, frightened he did what little boys in the bodies of men do; he ran away. Turning inwards, Iyasu hoarded the food in the area, sending out guards to commandeer half the produce remaining in all farms and homes and store it within Gondar Castle.
If the plague had been short lived, this move might have been considered a smart one; kept in the dry castle cellars, the food would not rot and rations could be fairly partitioned once the disaster was over. But the sicknesses, ill weather, and famines seemed unending. Iyasu’s Golden Age, the one which he so desperately wanted, was turning bark and dim before his very eyes.
Isolation does strange things to anyone, but to a relatively new king, feeling the pressure of his people’s demise, the frustration of his family and wife, and fearing the wrath of god, isolation was torturous. By the time several months had passed, mainly spent inside or wading through the water-logged castle gardens, Iyasu began to become paranoid. He was sure that there were thieves within the castle, who sought to take the rations he had taken. That, or they wished to steal the treasures of his family and forebears. He became irritable, frequently checking upon his hoards to make sure they were intact.
Though he was sure food had been stolen multiple times, no one was ever caught in the act of stealing, and Atossa, who seemed to be one of the few people able to break through Iyasu’s paranoid rants, would always end up calming him.
After almost a year of disasters, supplies arrived with a convoy from Persia; a gift from the Safavid dynasty, from Atossa’s concerned parents. Though in the past Iyasu had always been one to dote on his wife’s every whim, to give her anything she pleased, in this case he showed his true colours. Iyasu took the supplies and added them to his guarded stockpile, denying Atossa even the sight of the few personal items which had been sent to her. They quarrelled, and their relationship was severely damaged. Iyasu knows that what he did was cruel, and with hindsight he even knows that it was unnecessary, but he is a proud man who finds it hard to admit fault, and thus has never apologised.
Time passed, and measures were put in place. The palace gardens were drained of floodwaters and expanded to allow for greater freedoms within the walls. An assassination attempt on Iyasu’s life failed. Slowly, slowly, crop yields grew back to their normal numbers, sicknesses became less frequent, and trade began once more. Iyasu’s relationship with his people has been horribly damaged, but he longs to repair it. Healthier in mind, now, but still too proud to show regret, Iyasu came to the summit reluctantly to try and dispel the black reputation that preceded him. He is not looking to form alliances to improve Ethiopia, but he worries that war could be on his borders from kingdoms seeking his land’s resources unless he does his best to impart a good and strong impression on the other rulers.
KEY POINTS:
He does actually love his family and Atossa. He wants to endear himself to them once more, but is struggling to do so.
He is very smart, and often underestimated by those who do not know of his reputation (e.g., nations far from Ethiopia). He knows this, and is not above using it to his advantage.
He has decided that the best way to protect his country is through forming close alliances with other countries. Seeing as Persia had sent supplies due to Atossa being in Ethiopia, Iyasu is seriously considering marriage-alliances.