Oorestoo

Dygis Oorestoo was Gysandrian emperor from March 15728 to October 15730. She overthrew the emperor Gyrandis, thus ending the Polsis Dynasty and beginning the chaotic final period of the Gysandrian Empire known as the Rapid Interregnum.

Born into a lower-middle class family of little distinction, Oorestoo rose quickly through the Gysandrian military due to her reputation for cruelty and dogged pursuit of the enemy, drawing the attention of the Polsis Dynasty until she was forcibly disbanded in 15726, out of fear that she was outshining the emperor Gyrandis. However, Oorestoo and other senior military officials soon planned a coup, resulting in the imprisonment and execution of Gyrandis in February 15728.

Oorestoo was then officially proclaimed emperor by the Congress and High Priest, immediately being put in charge of the empire's war against the Gulti, which the Gysandrians had been losing in recent years. Oorestoo did manage to secure several immediate victories for Gysandria, however after her loss at the Battle of Bakal in September 15730 she fell victim to a military coup herself, being assassinated by her Pine General Neranso the following month. Her attempt to instill a successor, her young son Chitit, was unsuccseful, and the boy was exiled following her assassination. Despite her brief reign, Oorestoo attempted to enact several improvements to the empire following its decline under Gyrandis, including limiting the powers of the Sinquine Troops and the banker Foreen, whose influence had grown considerably under Gyrandis and following.

## Early Life

The Dygis clan had been avid followers of the Distant Peoples during their rule in the 15000s, and had been one of the few families to maintain that following well into the 15600s, Oorestoo's name being an homage to that culture. Oorestoo's mother, Stereeti, had been a soldier in the Gysandrian army, meeting Oorestoo's father, Cantis Arento, while he was working as a military supplier. Arento took Stereeti's family name and also adopted her exultation for the Distant Peoples, believing, as all followers did, that the Distant Peoples would return in their lifetimes to restore their dynasty and end the turmoil within the empire. Oorestoo was born on May 15, 15688 in Miketa, being raised in the faith and leading a solitary life until school began. Though she was apparently unskilled in most school activities, she excelled in physical exertions and, later, in military training. Oorestoo joined the army in 9769, being only fifteen and lying about her age so that she might be allowed in sooner.

## Military Career

Little is known of Oorestoo's early military career, as Gysandria was at relative peace in the early 15700s; Derion's Rebellion afforded the young soldier greater opportunity, as she chose to remain loyal to the then-new emperor Gyrandis, fighting in many of the decisive battles that would assure his victory. Oorestoo earned distinction for repelling an attempted takeover of Torio Mantuo by the Gulti in the final year of Brontii's reign (15707), and so was made a full general by Gyrandis in the following year, as tensions between Gyrandis and his brother Derion began to rise. Oorestoo further proved herself early in that year at the Battle of Mantu, the first altercation between the rebel forces of Derion and the contested emperor Gyrandis. Oorestoo managed to lose only ten of her troops while decimating the rebel forces, nearly ending Derion's uprising before it had even begun. Following this, Oorestoo led her troops to victory at Boshka, Wilna, and Sinquo, quickly gaining a reputation for her ruthless tactics and her propensity for violence and slaughter. In 15709, Oorestoo was one of the leading generals who secured victory at the Battle of K'tharto, successfully capturing Derion and ending the rebellion. His regime now secure, the emperor Gyrandis awarded Oorestoo the Silver Bow, as well as promoting her to the rank of Riverguard, second only to the Pine General.

At the outbreak of renewed conflict with the Gulti - now known as the Neo-Gulti Empire - Oorestoo yet again showed a propensity for impressing the elite, winning many frontier battles in the north as well as in the northwest, including the Razing of Mikechua. In 15717 Oorestoo was at last asked to serve as Pine General, holding the office for three consecutive years, a rarity for the later empire. In 15721, following a shocking victory at the Seige of Quitzintis, Oorestoo was promoted to the role of Military Advisor to the emperor; this position had existed in some capacity previously, but never under such an official title. Oorestoo now wielded considerable influence over Gyrandis, alongside -and often competing with- the banker Foreen, who had been a close advisor to Gyrandis for a decade previous, and remained the emperor's right hand.

## Disbandment and Coup

In 15723, at Foreen's instigation, Gyrandis officially devalued the Gysandrian currency, cutting the silver purity from 80% to roughly 60% in an attempt to help the empire's ailing fortunes, a dramatic change which resulted in massive inflation. From 15723 to 15725, the cost of basic goods rose by nearly 200%, as merchants and vendors attempted to extort the crisis. This, paired with the continued war against the Neo-Gulti, plummeted Gyrandis's already-shaky public image, raising the danger of a revolt or a coup. In 15725, following Oorestoo's victory in reclaiming Torio Mantuo, Gyrandis was told by a priest that he was to be betrayed by one closest to him; this and various other omens sent the emperor into a spiral of paranoia, holding few meetings and relying on prayers and potions to protect himself. It was amidst these tense conditions that Oorestoo was abruptly ordered to disband at the close of 15726, the emperor believing that Gyrandis had become too powerful and would surely betray him. Though she had remained loyal to the Polsis Dynasty for her entire military career, Oorestoo now made the bold decision to refuse the disbandment, maintaining her imperial insignia and, most importantly, the 100,000 troops under her command as Military Advisor. Oorestoo then quietly reached out to her fellow senior military officials, including the then-current Pine General Neranso, who would maintain their post during Oorestoo's reign.

By July 15727, Gyrandis had sealed himself within the Golden Keep of Amber Retreat, refusing any visitors. Foreen had left Gysandria for Boshko early in the year, and it is beleiveed that the banker was privy to Oorestoo's plot, and decided to maintain a distant support for Oorestoo's efforts. The vast majority of the troops in Gysandria remained loyal to Oorestoo, and so in November 15727, Oorestoo was proclaimed "true emperor" by the army, choosing to ignore the still-living Gyrandis and instead focusing upon the war in the northeast against the Gulti. She won a victory at Umerio in December 15727 that strengthened her fledgling regime, and by the new year Foreen had thrown his full support behind the new emperor, claiming that Gyrandis had threatened him with execution if he spoke publicly against his regime. In January 15728, Gyrandis was lured from the Golden Keep with promises of a truce, and the former emperor was then captured by Neranso and brought to the capital, first being made to walk through the Central Square amidst the derision of the Gysandrian crowds. Gyrandis was then imprisoned in the Zanthian Quarter, being stripped of his royal insignia and titles. In february 15728, Gyrandis was publicly executed in the Central Square, having been tried in a "private trial" and found guilty of "abandonment of his post". Oorestoo held a small funeral for her predecessor, and allowed his body to be buried in the swamp bed of Amber Retreat, a move which was viewed simultaneously as reverent and mocking of the former emperor. Gyrandis had no spouse or children, and had killed off several of his relatives, including all of his cousins, in the final years of his reign. The young man's aunt, Horanti, was too old to attempt to rally any sort of support, and was exiled following the execution. With this, the Polsis Dynasty was brought to a violent end, no family members remaining to dispute the throne.

## Emperor

Oorestoo chose to count this juncture, March 11, 15728, as the official start of her reign, attempting to avoid the matter of the Polsis Dynasty whenever possible. Siulioti even reports that the killing of Gyrandis haunted the new emperor, and that she spent the remainder of her life repenting for what she had done, seeing her eventual overthrow as an inevitable divine result of her actions. However, her reign began smoothly, with the reinvigorated armies winning battles against the Gulti at Ferihk, Bakal, and Sinthino. In February of 15729, she managed to secure a surrender from Neo-Gulti forces occupying the northwest, ceasing hostilities in Baripto, Minoro, and Naredi. In the spring of 15729, a Victory March was held to celebrate the northwestern surrender, and it was at this time that Oorestoo began to make serious efforts to restore the inflated Gysandrian currency, raising the silver purity to 75% over the next two years. In spring of 15729 the Congress celebrated Oorestoo's birthday and Oorestoo's son, Chitit, now began to be seen as a possible future successor to the emperor.

However, by the end of 15729 matters had begun to take a turn against the recent emperor. In October 15729 Oorestoo attempted to expel the Sinquine Troops from within the walls of the capital, citing logistical issues with newly-planned civilian buildings. The Sinquine Troops, who had remained loyal to Oochoonoo through her disbandment and coup, now wavered in their allegiance, threatening to abandon the new regime. In addition, in November Oorestoo neglected to grant Foreen the title of Military Advisor, a position the banker had long desired. Though Oorestoo had needed Foreen's support to take the throne, she became increasingly suspicious of his machinations, fearing that if given too much power he would undermine her authority. These events cost Oorestoo considerable support and put her regime in jeopardy after a year of stability. Hoping to gain public support, Oorestoo herself led the armies of Gysandria against Neo-Gulti forces which had begun to amass at the border of Bakal. Though victory had seemed assured, the Gysandrians were brutally defeated, with Oorestoo herself receiving a severe injury to her right arm and narrowly evading capture. The Battle of Bakal would prove to be the Gysandrians' worst defeat since the expulsion of the Grand Emperors at the start of the century, and would prove to be Oorestoo's greatest misstep as emperor. Bakal was taken by Gulti forces and Oorestoo was forced to return to the capital in disgrace.