King-Emperor Trelu of Inba Iro

Trelu by Zhu Bajie

Trelu, known in Iromijan as Purushen (or "Devoted"), is the -great-great-grandson of Magdor and fifth Chomachto ruler of the Empire of Inba Iro. He inherited the Solar Throne of the First City while still a boy, with his mother Akatla and Hirano Chokan, the Great Royal Minister of the Right Side, acting as his regents. Trelu chafed under their guidance, which he saw as a repudiation of the policies of his father, Mabru, whose memory he revered. He also suspected that Hirano coveted the throne, if not for himself, then for an ambitious Ironian ally.

Shortly after his formal accession, Trelu executed Hirano and exiled his mother to Ha'avya, where she died not long thereafter, a victim of the White Plague, it is said. He then began a bloody purge of any who had attempted to stymie his father's reforms of the court and the priesthoods. Within two years, Trelu was in firm control of both the First City and the Empire. Not even the normally restive kings of Eshkom and Miyajal dared oppose him.

So secure did Trelu believe his position to be that he devoted the first decade of his reign to the completion of his father's dream: a new capital for the Empire at Tamas Tzora. Once finished, he moved the court and scribes there. This unprecedented action did not sit well with the priesthoods, who reminded Trelu that he was emperor of the Twenty Cities only because he was king of da-Imer – and that required his physical presence within the First City. By upending tradition in this fashion, he was inviting calamity upon himself and his people. As he had before, Trelu responded harshly, stripping his critics of positions and privileges while elevating those who supported his efforts.

In the years since, the king-emperor has given himself over almost entirely to strengthening the reforms begun under his father and expanded by himself. This has earned Trelu many enemies, particularly among the ancient Ironian dynasties, some of whom have never really accepted the Chomachto as the rightful rulers of Inba Iro. Cabals against him grow and there are whispers of conspiracies to depose and replace him with a ruler more amenable to the old ways. Only the eternal gods know what the future holds.