Yahya Ayers

Yahya Ayers, also known as the Unforgiving Yahya, was the King of the Riverlands from 267 - 300 SM. He abdicated the title of king to become the Lord Protector of the Riverlands from 300 - 324 SM. Yahya was known for being unforgiving as his nickname held and also for his hoard of children known as the Garden. The Garden ultimately caused the Ayers Civil War that lasted from 324 - 335 SM.

Yahya became King of the Riverlands in 267 SM, after his older brother, Safiri Ayers was assassinated, paid for by House Delta. After the Safiri’s assassination, Yahya immediately took the throne and arrested House Delta, who had planned the massacre. A fortnight later, Yahya executed everyone in House Delta, guilty or not. After receiving additional information from the Dykon about the other highborn houses, Yahya invited one member of each household to Waterbrook to swear allegiance.

### The Council of the Riverlands Restructure

On the Long Day, a Grasslandi holiday celebrating when the sun is out the longest, Yahya hosted a dinner for the twelve highborn representatives. At the feast, he declared that the Long Day would become a Riverlands holiday and waited for people to speak out. When no one responded to his declaration, he questioned those discontent with how the Riverlands were being ruled. After promising no retaliation for speaking their mind, several highborn explained their grievances. It was agreed amongst the older highborn houses that they did not appreciate outsiders, refused to accept a socially mixed Council, and questioned if Yahya was even a member of House Ayers because of his darker skin. Yahya’s allies, newer highborn houses who didn’t care about legacy, demanded that those who spoke out be punished, but Yahya refused, citing his promise of no retaliation.

Yahya explained to the highborn that he was the son of Queen Caethyri Ayers, the same as Safiri - which meant he was a member of House Ayers, regardless of who his father was. He then told the highborn that he didn’t care if they didn’t like outsiders. If they wanted the Riverlands to grow and become wealthy, they would have to work with those who did not live in the Riverlands. Finally, he waved off the concerns of the socially mixed Council, telling the highborn that if they wanted, they could request a seat in the Council to gain more control. Seven of the twelve house representatives demanded Yahya give their House a seat on the Council and change the numbers to having more highborn and fewer commoners. When Yahya refused, violence ensued, and Yahya’s allies struck down the seven representatives.

The next day, Yahya expanded the Council to fifteen members and made the remaining representatives Council of the Riverlands members, naming them the High Members. He contacted a prominent Riverlands merchant named Chalinus and requested that he choose another merchant and join the Council as the Funding Members, which Chalinus accepted. Yahya chose three Dykon to be part of the Funding Members and requested that they pretend to be merchants. He then had the High Members decide on three commoners and two peasants to be part of the General Members.

The first meeting was held on the tenth day of the New Moon in 268 SM, commemorating the day to his brother, Safiri, and the other slain council members.

### Decapitating the Three-Headed Snake

Yahya’s other three siblings, Pitipiti, Wisesa, and Eyodora, quickly became upset with how Yahya ruled, feeling wholly left out of Riverlands politics. By autumn 268, Yahya had grown tired of his siblings complaining and banished them to a small coastal town called Augwin. The banished siblings went from upset to livid, declaring Augwin a sovereign kingdom.

When the news of this betrayal reached Yahya in 270, he began to plan retaliation. However, his new wife, Crysta Moors, became heavily pregnant, forcing him to delay any responses to his siblings. During the later moons of 270 SM, Yahya marched a small army to Augwin and sacked the growing city, slaying everyone. Yahya then took the heads of his siblings and returned to Waterbrook. He placed the heads on pikes at the city gates to warn of what would happen if anyone went against Yahya. This earned Yahya the title of the Unforgiving, which Yahya embraced.

### The Reappearance of the Ebony Clan

In 295, the Dykons informed Yahya that they had finally located the Ebony Clan. At first, Yahya was uninterested in the clan and decided to do nothing. In 296 SM, the Dykons warned Yahya that the Ebony Clan had been seen near Waterbrook. Again, Yahya was uninterested, claiming that the clan would never attack such an enormous city.

During the early moons of 297, Crysta received word that her father, Lord Syzmear Moors, was dying. Crysta immediately left Waterbook with her three children to say goodbye to her father, leaving Yahya in Waterbrook to continue ruling. By the end of the year, Yahya had yet to hear from Crysta. Growing worried, he contacted House Moors, asking if everything was okay. When he did not receive any communication, Yahya had the Dykon investigate.

When the Dykon arrived in Westmire, they witnessed a gruesome scene - everyone in House Moors was dead, including Crysta and the children. The Dykon investigated and concluded that the Ebony Clan was to blame for the massacre. The news threw Yahya into a rage, and he blamed himself daily for failing to protect his family.

In 298 SM, Yahya marched his army to the Quag, searching for the Ebony Clan. When the Dykon found the clan’s settlement hidden in the swamps, Yahya immediately attacked. He had his army slay everyone in the territory regardless of age or gender. When the settlement's destruction was complete, Yahya took the head of the chieftain as a prize, believing that he had entirely eradicated the Ebony Clan.

### The Lord Protector and His Many Children

Yahya returned to Waterbook in 299 SM, a broken man. Several scholars noted King Yahya Ayers’ personality change, believing the slaughter of his family had deeply affected him. No longer wanting to be king, he accepted the invitation to meet with the other Mystosi kingdoms in Lismure in 300 SM. He aligned the Riverlands with the other four domains, creating the Five Great Lands. He gave up his kingship and became Yahya Ayers, Lord Protector of the Riverlands.

By the end of 300 SM, Yahya was still solemn, but he knew with the new alliance, he needed an heir. Knowing that he was the last Ayers, Yahya voiced his concerns about the future of the Riverlands to his Council. He criticized his rash decision to murder his siblings and took responsibility for his actions, promising to have an heir before he died. To do this, Yahya believed following King Ruben’s footsteps and recreating the Drownded would be the best choice.

In 301 SM, at age 66, Yahya bought cocoettes from around the world and brought them to Waterbrook. Unlike Ruben Ayers’ concubines, who had one child and disappeared, Yahya had multiple children with multiple cocoettes. By 320 SM, thirty children had been fathered by Yahya, and these children were known as the Garden.

Yahya Ayers died in 324 SM at age 89. A fortnight before his passing, he declared that Maten, his first son, would become the next Lord Protector. The other children in the Garden did not like Maten and called him the Second Ruben behind his back, although Maten never showed signs of insanity. The night before Yahya died, the Garden, excluding Maten, met and decided how to proceed. By morning, when the news of Yahya’s death broke, the Garden had concluded that they would take Waterbrook from Maten.