Varenechibel IV

**Varenechibel IV**, Varenechibel Zhas, the 208th Emperor of the Elflands, born as **Nemera Drazhar**, was the son of Varevesena, brother of Ebreneän Clunetharan, and husband, in sequence, of Arbelan Drazharan, Leshan Drazharan, Pazhiro Drazharan, Chenelo Drazharan, Csoru Drazharan, as well as the father of Nemolis Drazhar, Nemriän Imaran, Nazhira Drazhar, Ciris Drazhar, Vedero Drazhin and Maia Drazhar, the latter of whom succeeded him on the throne after Varenechibel IV was killed in the crash of the *Wisdom of Choharo*.

## Appearance

Maia recalled his father as tall "and distant, with glacial eyes and a face as white and cold as marble. He remembered the white robes stiff with embroidery, the moonstones on his father’s hands, braided into his hair, hanging from his ears. He remembered the black bands, the only token of mourning the emperor had deigned to wear for his fourth wife, like smears of ink across the whiteness of his person. He remembered his father’s bitter mouth, and his smooth silken voice".

## Personality

Arbelan described Varenechibel as "a killing frost."

Setheris Nelar noted that Varenechibel IV was at least not "personally corrupt". He wanted a compromise with the powerful Tethimada, who led "the faction of the eastern lords who [were] most opposed to the expansion of industry in the west." He was liable to relegate people he disliked, and sent many away from the Untheileneise Court.

Nemolis said that, "Varenechibel hated to make mistakes, and hated to be seen to have made mistakes", which was supposedly why Arbelan, Chenelo, and Maia were relegated.

Varenechibel IV disregarded daughters and granddaughters. Gossip stated that in public, Varenechibel IV said "that the Barizheisei were degenerate, given to inbreeding. In private" he supposedly said that Chenelo was mad and Maia had inherited her madness.

Varenechibel IV was not religiously minded.

## Life

Nemera was one of at least two children of the Emperor Varevesena. He succeeded his father to the throne, and took the name Varenechibel IV, returning to the naming convention of his paternal grandfather, Varenechibel III, in part as a signal that he would not follow the corrupt policies of Varevesena.

His first wife was Arbelan, of the Ceredada. She was barren, and after over 10 years of marriage, miscarried a child for him, which she never told him about. He put her aside, relegating her to Cethoree, which was not met well by the Court, as many liked Arbelan. Arbelan's brother traded heavily on being brother to the Empress, and Varenechibel IV did not like him at all, so the Cerededa became nearly bankrupt.

Varenechibel IV exiled Thilmerezh to Tanvero for some unknown slight, around 40 years prior to the events of *The Witness for the Dead.*

Varenechibel IV supposedly made efforts to achieve peace in the Evressai Steppes, but the Nazhmorhathveras refused.

Varenechibel IV married Leshan. She bore him Nemolis, his first heir, and Nemriän, but passed away before turning 30.

Varenechibel IV married Pazhiro, the most beloved of his wives. They had love and affection together. She bore him Nezhira, Ciris, and Vedero, and then died in childbirth with a fourth, stillborn child. She also did not reach her 30th birthday.

Five years after Pazhiro's death, while Varenechibel IV was still in mourning, the Corazhas, particularly the Witness for Foreigners, convinced Varenechibel IV to remarry, particularly outside of the many Houses of the Ethuveraz that the Drazhada had already married into, and to gain better access to Barizhan. Varenechibel IV married Chenelo, then-16-years-old, and second daughter of Maru Sevraseched, the Great Avar of Barizhan. The consummation of their marriage led to the birth of Maia, which made Varenechibel IV's disdain of Chenelo turn to hatred, as he felt she and Maia were attempting to replace Pazhiro and her dead child. Varenechibel IV relegated them to Isvaroë.

When Maia was two years old, the Witness for Foreigners “had been caught taking bribes from Pencharneise merchants. Varenechibel had sent Chenelo a gruesomely explicit engraving of the execution.”

The negotiation for the marriage of Nemriän to the Marquess Imel was so full of furor that Varenechibel IV refused to have discussion of marriage negotiations for Vedero until the marriage contract signing.

Varenechibel IV's first grandchild - Idra Drazhar - was born to Nemolis and Sheveän Drazharan around four years after Varenechibel IV relegated Chenelo and Maia.

Chenelo and Maia remained at Isvaroë until Chenelo's death in the spring before Maia turned nine years old, and when Chenelo had not reached 30. Maia returned to the Untheileneise Court for Chenelo's funeral. A few months prior to this, Setheris seemingly attempted to turn Varenechibel IV against Uleris Chavar, and Varenechibel IV had Setheris imprisoned in the Esthoramire for 3-4 months. Varenechibel IV met briefly with Maia after Chenelo's funeral, spoke briefly and harshly about his appearance, and then relegated him with Setheris as his caretaker to Edonomee.

Varenechibel IV married Csoru Drazharan, and doted on her to some extent.

Lord Pashavar advised Varenechibel IV to bring Maia to reside permanently in the Untheileneise Court multiple times, including when Chenelo died, again when Maia turned 13, and again at age 16. Varenechibel IV refused to listen to him. Around Maia's 16th year, Varenechibel IV's sister, Ebreneän, died.

Varenechibel IV entered negotiations with the Tethimada for the marriage of Vedero and Eshevis Tethimar. Eshevis, his father, Duke Tethimel, and a number of sympathetic nobles, as well as some Curneisei, banded together in the Tethimadeise Conspiracy, which involved the marriage of Eshevis to Vedero, and then the placing of a bomb on an airship carrying Varenechibel IV and his eldest three sons (Maia being forgotten or ignored), leaving the regency to Eshevis.

Varenechibel IV supported building a bridge over the Istandaärtha, as he 'felt that if a way was not found to bring the east and the west together, the Ethuveraz would split apart again', and that the Istandaärtha would always be a weakness unless a way was found to bridge it.

Varenechibel IV oversaw the engagement of Ciris to Stano Bazhevin. Uleris noted that Varenechibel IV wanted an alliance with the Bazhevada.

At some point afterward, Varenechibel IV attended the marriage of Prince Orchenis Clunethar, his kinsman, and Uleviän Clunetharan. He started a return trip from Amalo to the Untheileneise Court via the airship the *Wisdom of Choharo*, along with Nemolis, Nazhira, and Ciris. The Curneisei changed their plan, not wanting Eshevis to take power, and placed the bomb on the *Wisdom of Choharo*, destroying it and killing all of its passengers.

Varenechibel IV was succeeded by his only living son, 18-year-old Maia. Maia took the name Edrehasivar VII, to denote a change in ideology from his father and the rest of the isolationist Varedeise dynasty, with their hostility to Barizhan, "their favoring of the wealthy eastern landowners, and their apparent inability to see anything wrong with bribery, nepotism, and corruption."

Varenechibel IV's tomb was with the Drazhada in the Othasmeire of the Untheileneise Court, and it would be built of marble from a quarry in the Chadevan Sea. His four nohecharei were cremated, and their remains set in holders at the four corners of his coffin.

## Relationships

#### Arbelan Drazharan

Arbelan had a cold view of her former husband. She miscarried a child for him, and said nothing of it.

#### Chenelo Drazharan

Chenelo had a loveless marriage with Varenechibel IV. He considered her "ugly, boring" and "unappealing", and was otherwise disintered in her, but grew to hate her after she bore him a healthy son, because he felt she was trying to replace Pazhiro. Chenelo did not regret her marriage, though, because it brought her Maia.

#### Csoru Drazharan

Varenechibel IV treated Csoru "like a doll. She got her way with tears and tantrums, and when those palled, as they would on a man who was tired and old and had buried three wives, she turned to illnesses—fainting spells, dizziness, nervous prostration. She wished for power, but he was too wise to give her any.”

#### Idra Drazhar

Varenechibel IV was kind to Idra, but Idra was frustrated that Varenechibel IV had no care for Idra's sisters, as they were girls.

#### Maia Drazhar

Maia greatly disliked his father, particularly for his treatment of Chenelo, and has no wish to continue any of Varenechibel IV's bad policies, particularly that of the relegation of mass numbers of Varenechibel IV's enemies. After Maia became emperor, he noted that he did not hate his father, for he knew him too little to hate him. Varenechibel IV seemed to have a low opinion of Maia, if not outright hatred.

#### Pazhiro Drazharan

Varenechibel IV deeply cared for Pazhiro, and mourned her even five years after her death.

#### Setheris Nelar

Setheris overstepped the boundaries of their relationship by pressuring Varenechibel IV to turn on Uleris, resulting in Setheris' imprisonment. Varenechibel IV believed that Hesero Nelaran drove or at least schemed with Setheris, and so would not allow her to accompany him into exile, to avoid them scheming together.

#### Uleris Chavar

Uleris was loyal to Varenechibel IV's memory, and used this to support his coup against Maia. Varenechibel IV did not turn against him on the urging of Setheris.

#### Verer Orthema

Verer was seemingly close with Varenechibel IV, and did not often or seemingly ever speak criticism of him in public.

## Quotations

* "That damned whelp looks just like his mother."

## Trivia

* No “emperor had accepted a dinner invitation from a foreign ambassador since the first Varenechibel took the throne,” including Varenechibel IV, until Maia took the throne.
* Lord Deshehar proposed that the Wisdom Bridge be named the Varenechibel Bridge, in honor Varenechibel IV. Maia vehemently opposed the idea, but outwardly suggested "Wisdom Bridge" instead.
* Varenechibel reigned for around 40 years or more, given he exiled Thilmerezh around 40 years prior to *The Witness for the Dead.*
* It's unclear which Varenechibel did so, but it's possible Varenechibel IV was responsible for banning photography from the Untheileneise Court.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Addison, Katherine. “2. The Radiance of Cairado.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Addison, Katherine. “18. Varenechibel's Legacies.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Addison, Katherine. “3. The Alcethmeret.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
4. ↑ Addison, Katherine. “5. The Emperor's Household.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 Addison, Katherine. “23. The Opposition of the Court.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Addison, Katherine. “6. The Widow Empress.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Addison, Katherine. “8. The Coronation of Edrehasivar VII.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Addison, Katherine. “17. Dinner with the Goblin Ambassador.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Addison, Katherine. *The Witness for the Dead*, First ed., Tor, 2021.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Addison, Katherine. “7. The Tomb of the Empress Chenelo.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Addison, Katherine. “4. The Funeral at the Ulimeire.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
12. ↑ Addison, Katherine. “16. News from Barizhan.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Addison, Katherine. “31. A Conspiracy Unearthed.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
14. ↑ Addison, Katherine. “15. The Problem of Setheris.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Addison, Katherine. “1. News Comes to Edonomee.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
16. ↑ Addison, Katherine. “10. The Witness for the Dead.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
17. ↑ Addison, Katherine. “35. “The Bridge over the Istandaärtha.” *The Goblin Emperor*, English 1st ed., Tim Doherty Associates, New York, NY, 2014.
18. ↑ Addison, Katherine. *The Grief of Stones*, First ed., Tor, 2022.