Marotai II

Marotai II, also called Marotai the Righteous, Marotai the Far-Seeing, and Marotai the Younger, was the eighth Tash-Teshivan of the Kirdan Empire and reigned from 1030 to 1072 CV. He came to the throne following his father, Marotai I or Marotai the Elder. He is notable not just for his long reign, but for ordering in 1044 CV that the empire's Suagir elite give up their traditional religious practices (worshipping Baaqu, XXXXX, XXXXXX, etc.) and instead convert to the cults of the Thaedonu-Vaati.

Marotai made this decree after witnessing a magical duel in which priests of the Thaedonu-Vaati challenged and defeated traditional Suagir shamans calling upon the ancestral gods of the steppe riders. According to the most widely accepted version of the story, he ordered that the duel be conducted on the advice of shamans in his own personal entourage, particularly one named Tyzokai, a votary of Baaqu and skilled practitioner of fire magic. Apparently the Tash-Teshivan had been troubled by disturbing dreams in which he saw his own warriors bringing offerings to the temples of the conquered Uremites. Marotai is said to have initially considered the destruction of all Vanir-Vaati temples throughout his lands and the extermination of all their priesthoods. However, Tyzokai suggested he soothe his anxieties by letting the Suagir shamans pit their powers against those of Utara-Vaati priests; certainly the former would prevail, proving the superiority of the traditional cults. The result was the opposite, and it is said that Tyzokai himself was killed in the magical duel, although some scholars question the truth of this.

Regardless, the effects of this decree were dramatic, setting into motion great changes across the empire and unleashing turmoil that would take many decades to fully subside. The official execration of old Suagir practices that accompanied the conversion outraged many among the traditional-minded aristocracy. Marotai was obliged to put down several rebellions, fueled by this resentment, in various parts of his empire. Later in his reign, he became increasingly frustrated by the refusal of some in the nobility to give up the old cults, and turned to draconian punishments for those who would not embrace Utara-Vaati (although these punishments were less widely applied than many of his critics allege).

On the other hand, Marotai's conversion won him intense adulation from the common Uremite people of the empire, whose cults had been denigrated for over a century by the Suagir overlords. It also won him the political allegiance of the Utara-Vaati priesthoods, which had been sidelined and suppressed since Torkai's conquests. The support of the commoners and the priesthoods was crucial for Marotai in defeating the rebellions of traditionalist Suagir elites and maintaining his rule throughout these decades of upheaval.

Despite all this, and despite clearly being convinced of the superiority of Utara-Vaati, Marotai himself was perhaps only an indifferent devotee on a personal level. He was persistent in suppressing the old Suagir cults, elevating the Vanir-Vaati, and pushing the warrior class to accept the new way. He dutifully performed the obeisances of a Vanir-Vaati ruler and followed priestly guidance in many matters. However, the depth of his piety has been questioned by many scholars. Some say he simply saw the stronger gods and pragmatically chose them for his empire and his people.

Upon his death, Marotai II was succeeded by his son and heir, Bazurai, who would earn the cognomen "the Clement" for relaxing his father's strict policies and restoring some properties and titles that had been confiscated from recalcitrant nobles. However, he continued the great project of conversion with more conciliatory methods. Despite his less forceful approach, he was a faithful devotee of Utara-Vaati in his own right, probably a much more personally devout one than his father had been.

After a seventeen year interval in which three of Bazurai's sons (Abazunai, Uzerind, and Sovunai) successively occupied the throne, it would then pass to Tembekai II, another son of Marotai II and the half-brother of Bazurai. Marotai II is thus the only Tash-Teshivan to have two of his sons inherit the imperial title non-consecutively.