Zakaria Fidalgo

Zakaria Fidalgo was a very popular Gonarundun King, as the nation was dealing with financial hardships caused by the Plague of the 5th Century and Hurricane Max a decade earlier. He would later bring the nation to a prosperous state and is labeled by historians as one of the ‘Good Kings’.

## Early Life

Zakaria Fidalgo was born in Deamber 11 **493PR** to King Heydar II and Queen Samira in the capital city of Ralom.

It was in his early life that Zakaria, or nicknamed Zaka by his peers, began to fall in love with his nation. He would spend most of his days outside of the noble district and with the people, disguising himself at points or sticking with his guards in an informal setting at others.

Zaka was known as a wonderful swimmer in his youth as well, spending a lot of time at the Golden Pools and getting a large pool installed at Lofty Castle so he could practice whenever he wanted.

When he was of age he began his schooling at the Carreiro College, later moving to the Octavian Institute to study Law and History. In **509PR** with the addition of new departments, Zaka would include Agriculture, Language/International Studies and Philosophy in his education.

At the age of 20 he graduated with high marks and a Degree in all the fields he chose.

After school, he would spend some time in the Padron’s Sword adventuring guild, completing some low-level quests in disguise to gain a better understanding of his nation while helping others at the same time. The council that led Gonarundu at the time protested but didn’t get far, Zaka already gaining a steady amount of influence.

### Assassination Attempt

*See: Assassination Attempt on Prince Zakaria*

In **515PR** a group of assassins hired by some unknown employer made an attempt at Zaka’s life. He was able to escape the would-be assassins and seek refuge with one of the families nearby.

After a few days he was able to escape the assassins with the help of his friends at the Padron’s Sword and hirelings from the Lucent guild.

Investigations were later launched by multiple parties about the incident, specifically looking for the employer, but none were substantial.

## Reign

### Taking the Throne

In **518PR**, King Heydar II fell ill, perishing soon after. As his only heir, Zaka was in the best position for the throne, staking his claim publicly after announcing the death of his father. While he had the peoples support, the council was different, believing him to be dangerous and a perfect opportunity to grab power for themselves.

With his claim publicised and believing he had no opposition, Zaka began the lengthy process of organising his coronation, wanting the people to be involved. When the council tried to intervene, he realised that his opponents were more internal.

A few days later, the council took the castle, using the Royal guards to block the way. Stuck inside still trying to plan his coronation, Zaka had to sneak out of Lofty and retreat back into the city, knowing the nobles wouldn’t help.

In the city he began to gather a group of supporters to help him take his claim, coming rather easily due to his own influence and bad reputation of a group of nobles running the nation. Despite guilds usually sticking out of political affairs, Padron’s Sword was willing to offer their support, risking everything if Zaka lost.

The next week, rallying his troops, Zaka and the supporters stormed Lofty castle, overwhelming the guards and breaking into the council room. Surprised, many of the counsellors had no option but to surrender, taken out of their homes and exiled from the city. As a reward for his supporters, Zaka seized the properties of the former Gonarunduns, spreading their wealth out and keeping a hefty amount for himself.

This of course angered many of the nobles, but with the threat of the mob, they kept silent. To later appease the other nobles, Zaka would sell the houses back to them for a cheaper cost, keeping the money for himself (of course everything was stripped by this point).

Zakaria was officially crowned in a ceremony at Lofty castle on Septim 27 **518PR**.

### Marriage

After his coronation, Zaka married Princess Helen Carto, daughter of Emperor Alkis Carto, leader of the Carto Empire. The two discussed at length about the marriage, believing it would do well to restore the relationship between the two nations and allow them to be seen in unity against the threat of Ilaka.

The wedding was held at Mytaron, a mid-way point between the capitals of Ralom and Helicules on Asunak 14 **519PR**. The Queen Mother Samira attended the wedding, her first public appearance since the death of Heydar a year prior. Many of Zaka’s supporters made the trip, cheering for the unison and their new alliance with the Carto Empire, who most Gonarunduns still saw as cousins.

### Restoration of the Council

By the end of **519PR**, Zaka began extensively re-working the government, understanding that while it was insatiable to have so much power, the nation required more than he could offer. The council would each have their respective roles, allowing them to specialise and be better suited for what they were doing. The roles he introduced were: the Treasurer, International Relations, Defence, Health, Education, Science, Agriculture, Religion, Magic and Settlement Management. As King, he would get the final vote on all decisions.

The council was officially implemented on Janu 10 **520PR**.

### Economic Prosperity

The council took some time to fully implement most of their policies and procedures but after 5 years it was beginning to show its effectiveness. The nation was quickly becoming richer and more prosperous, allowing them to lower some of the taxes on the populace to make it easier for them and keep the general public happy.

Using some of the surplus, Zaka heavily invested into the educational system, hiring teachers from all round to come in and improve the rating of the common folk. This led to the invention of different schools, including heavy improvements to Carreiro College, allowing it to reach the standard of the Octavian Institute in some aspects.

On the side of agriculture, things improved immensely. The government coming in and buying up any unused land and selling it to either the poor for a lower cost, or farming it (while hiring poor) themselves. This dramatically reduced unemployment and created a very loyal base to the King.

### Relations with Novus

After economically restructuring the nation and allowing it to become prosperous again, Zaka would give something for them to worship. While he was personally devout with De Vin, he knew the populace was devout to Novus. So, despite his own beliefs, he made the official religion of Gonarundu to Novus in **528PR**, which made people very happy.

With the proclamation, all Novus churches were now maintained by the government instead of the city. The circle of priests running the churches would later join, were given a representative in the council.

### Security

With the rising influence of Hashin, Zakaria decided to make a deal with Emperor Arima Itami, ceding all lands South of the Sunai River to the nation by **532PR**. In Ralom this was met with some criticism but he managed to calm things down, setting up a series of fortresses protecting the border from any threats.

The people that were now under Hashino rule didn’t care very much, already assimilated into their culture due to the close influence. Any of the citizens that were angry eventually crossed the river and moved to Gonarundu.

To deal with the Northern threat, Zaka sent a large detachment of soldiers to defeat any tribes that refused to bow. At one point Zaka personally led the forces, increasing his reputation and defeating some of the more powerful tribes.

### Late Reign

By his 40s Zaka was beginning to get plagued with different illnesses, forcing him off campaign and out of public life for some time. In **533PR** he was only seen once, welcoming back the generals and soldiers that had conquered land in the North.

Rumours began to mount by the end of the year that he had died, requiring him to come back to public life for a short time and quell any desires to take the throne.

By **535PR** he was back to his strength, returning to his original positions and even holding a ceremony in one of the Novus churches. He would regularly stay with the people, and upon hearing that the docks were a sorry sight, spent most of his remaining time extensively repairing them, helping keep Gonarundus prosperity through trade.

## Death

In **538PR** Zakaria fell suddenly ill again, making him bedridden for the next few days. Upon hearing the diagnosis that he would die within weeks, he decided to make one last speech to his people, ensuring them that the foundation he made would help Gonarundu in the coming decades and that he personally believed his son would be as good.

On Jika 12 **538PR** King Zakaria Fidalgo was dead.

## Succession

Realising his life was coming to an end with frequent illnesses, Zaka began placing his son, Miguel, in positions where he could gain experience. By the time of his death he had formally announced Miguel as his heir, giving him most of his wealth in his will.

## Legacy

Zakaria is seen as one of the few ‘Good Kings’ of Gonarundu. He was able to lead the nation in the aftermath of the worst years in history, bringing them back to a strong power both financially and militarily. Despite only claiming small chunks of land, the framework he built would keep Gonarundu healthy for the next few decades.

He has a statue in Ralom, and paintings in various inns, seen as the ‘People’s King’.