Reference:DRC research notebooks/King Ishek
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| Location | Hall of Kings, Ae'gura |
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Ishek - Took the throne in 4083 at the age of 85. His grandmother had been Shama, and of Ishek it was often said that he ran his throne almost exactly as his Uncle Kedri had.
He was another of the peoples' Kings and refused to separate himself from his people or view himself at a higher level than those he served. It seems a King with such an attitude was hard to not like and his popularity was close to that of Kedri's.
Like Lemashal, he focused on the involvement of non-D'ni and their importance to the D'ni culture and expansion. His powerful words of equality between the D'ni and non-D'ni were truly put to the test in 4103.
Ishek and his wife had been touring a food facility run by natives on the Age of Yimas. As it turns out, the party was ambushed and Ishek's wife was taken by a group of natives who managed, using D'ni Linking Books, to easily escape before Ishek or his guards could react[a].
As word leaked out of the event, the words "animals", "uncivilized", and "primitive" were used to describe those of the other worlds in a way that had not been used since the Pento War. Ishek fought the people's new perception and argued that not all outside cultures should be judged on a few radicals. His words, however, were seen as empty by much of the public as he waited for word on his wife.
Word finally came. The Yimas wanted their own Worlds to rule, as they felt the D'ni ruled them. They had specific demands for the kind of Worlds, many of which were impossible, as they had no concept of The Art of Writing[b]. Unless they were given the three Worlds they demanded, Ishek's wife was to be executed.
Many viewed Ishek as a faithful study of history and, in particular, the Pento War. Because of his knowledge of history and his belief in the integrity of the Yimas, he was fairly convinced that it was not the Yimas who wanted the Books but some small faction of D'ni who was directing them. Rumors say that he was even fairly convinced of the particular faction that was doing it.
As was the case with the Pento War, it had not been the Pento who were to blame, but The Judges who had wrongly sought power. Given Ishek's apparent distrust of some within his own people more than those were not D'ni, he had been a strong supporter of the Relyimah. As it turned out, it was their information that saved him.
There were a number of groups who felt as though D'ni should be completely sealed from the other cultures. One in particular[c], had been especially vocal in their opinions, especially while Ishek's wife had been held captive, using the tragedy to further their own cause. It was to this group, Ishek apparently directed the Relyimah, ordering them to uncover any information they could.
Three days later, Ishek sent out word that he had no intention of giving the Yimas the Worlds they had asked for. Hours later, Relyimah informants followed two members of the faction Ishek had suspected, to an Illegal Age where his wife was imprisoned.
Once the public received word that it had once again been their own people directing the operation, records indicate that they were greatly dismayed. Plans were uncovered that indicated the faction was to kill his wife no matter whether the Ages were given or not, to only prove further that outsiders could not be trusted. In fact, it seems as though the public was quickly learning that it was their own blood who could not be trusted. As Ri'neref and the Great King had often said, it was a great power they had been entrusted with and "...it is our own hearts that must be watched...a temptation too great to be resisted without strict rules or willing hearts..."[d].
As a result, there was a great push for more strict guidelines for interaction with other Ages as well as rules for the Ages themselves. "They sought the rules not because the other cultures were savages, but because our own culture could not be trusted to deal with them honorably."[e]
Ishek passed away in 4291 at the age of 293, leaving the debates to his first-born son.
Footnotes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Taken from City Guard records
- ↑ Taken from transcripts of Grand Master Jaken's, of the Guild of Writers, speech to Ishek
- ↑ Depending on sources, two different groups are credited with the kidnapping although Relyimah records indicate that it was a group known as Blood of Yahvo. Other records indicate it was a group known as Light of D'ni.
- ↑ Taken from the Book One of the Great King
- ↑ From "How They Came; A Detailed Look at what started the Mee-Dis War" by Jamen. Written in 7201
