Epinu Khorbaraš

**Epinu Khorbaraš** (546-597 AGV) was a high-ranking public servant during the rule of Kharan II. Ambitious and talented, with the emperors death he became the main political ally of empress-widow Inara Gorasili in her fight against the Rakhonid party. After a healthy heir was born he turned upon the empress-mother who had him murdered in exchange for his disloyalty.

## Early life

Khorbaraš was born in an unremarkable township of the Freelands as a third son, fifth child of eight siblings in total. His father was a carpenter, modest but industrious while her mother led their household. As a later son he had few hopes of inheriting the family business so his interest quickly turned towards mischief. Once he has stolen a book from the local suffet whose guardmen caught him red-handed.

Instead turning him over to justice or giving him back to his father for punishment the old magistrate decided to educate the young boy in whom he found something remarkable. Khorbaraš has learnt reading in a mere month and proved himself to be fond of numbers. At the age of twelve he was sent with his fathers blessing to a public school in a larger city, where he received formal training for public service. At the age of eightteen he was already associated with a suffet receiving first-hand experience in administrative matters.

Marrying at the age of 30 he took an artisans daughter as wife whom he fathered five children during the years. The marriage was reportedly devoid of emotions, more a business-like agreement where the man cared for all financial needs while the woman produced offsprings to carry the name. The family never really settled as Khorbaraš was several times relocated from the Freelands to Ahargan, from there to the Westernlands, to Egiten, to Hadašham proper before receiving an appoinment as tax officer in Kartam. After 589 Khorbaraš rarely left the vincinity of Kartam where he led a properous life.

## Rise to prominence

Khorbaraš belonged to a clique favored by empress mother, as such he had an easy way to be a chief financial officer in 592, just months before a debate led to the dowagers retirement. This was a prime position to become a first suffet what he did after his predecessor died in 594. Two years later Khorbaraš was engulfed in the succession crysis after Kharan II slipped from the saddle at smashed his head against the cobblestones in the stable court. Despite immediate medical assistance, the emperor died some hours later. Khorbaraš reportedly said after seeing the sorry state of the ruler with his own eyes:

> He is as done as a cut of beef left in the hot oven overnight.
>
>

The first suffet acted quickly and inposed a gag order in the palace to prevent widespread panic. Only trusted servants knew that the emperor is dead for some days. The pregnant empress was informed in small bits presenting the case as if his husband would have died in a long process. During the funeral a week later most people appeared shaken, only Khorbaraš seemed to be confident among the mourners.

To topple the troubles some politicans appeared and favoured a new king instead of seven months of interregnum. Their candidate, prince Rakho the orhana kulum was an uncle to the late emperor, who rescinded his right to the throne after an incident. While the legality of the declaration was debated among the scholars, Khorbaraš has chosen another approach and threatened, bullied, humiliated the opposition into obscurity. When the empress-widow gave birth to her healthy son, Khorbaraš was already the most powerful man of the empire. At least, he thought so.

## Fall

Khorbaraš has written a brief in the name of the empress-mother, which would have given himself sweeping powers making him into a shadow emperor behind the throne. He handed over the demands-in-disguise personally to the empress who was bed-ridden that time. She read the paper to a point but excused herself as being too tired to understand and offered an audience for the next morning. Before Khorbaraš could have said anything, Inara turned to the side feigning sleep. The first suffet wanted to wake her up, but the wet nurse intervened blocking the way with her own body. Khorbaraš left with a smile on his face, burning in the inside. He stormed out of the palace, before returning to scheme for some hours in his quarters.

In the meantime the empress mother did not waste a single second. She penned a brief in haste and handed it alongside Khorbaraš' demands to a servant girl, as the maid was the least likely to be considered suspicious. She was sent to the šurghan host with the notice that only a commander is permitted to read either of the briefs. Although the guards of the Soldier City were skeptical at first, she was escorted to an erinmešar who ordered immediate battle readyness after reading the message. Inara was wise to put her faith into the military. Kharan II was a warrior emperor and his memory was kept in high regard in the armed forces, so they rushed to the empress-widows help without question.

Khorbaraš has left the palace and was en route home, as šurghan scouts have reported. Four hundred elite soldiers of the First Erinmeš were mustered and rode with haste to chase down the traitor. The night was cold, even some snow fell from the sky, the streets were crowded with people celebrating the new emperors birth. Both groups were caught in several traffic jam, before the šurghans could surround the first suffets retinue. Before Khorbaraš could have asked anything he received a lance in the throat. He was beaten, cut, mutilated, disemboweled and beheaded in death as most of his followers stared in shock. Some tried to avenge him, but they were no match to the šurghans and they were butchered to the last man.

## Legacy

Khorbaraš has had five children and a wife at the time of his death. The empress-regent ordered their execution, and the soldiers were eager to abide. His immense wealth amassed was expropiated by the imperial treasury to the last silver. The high suffets ambition has sown a deep distrust towards civil servants in the empress-mothers soul, what led to a militarised rule during her tenure. No suffet was able to amass even a comparable power afterwards, although the captain-generals, products of an increasingly militarised rule, became even mightier tearing the empire apart in effect.