Ziaurus

JBZ Ziaurus Auksifaskruvaklaiv Azarakiv, more commonly known simply as Ziaurus, was a Tsis gerasgrafas of Azarac and the first Daritha Valdiastsisiv of the Tsis Worlds. A legendary conqueror, he was the first Tsis gerasgrafas to subjugate and unite the largely autonomous and independent world-kingdoms of the early Tsis civilization. He revamped the loose confederation-style government of the Tsis Worlds, instituting a number of changes including the establishment of the Qabbrat and the codification of a system of common law that was equally applicable to all Tsis citizens. He died around the age of two hundred s in public single combat with the subsequent second daritha of the Tsis, Maras of Lune.

Early life
Ziaurus Auksifaskruvaklaiv Azarakiv was born a member of the Auksifaskruvakla ( translated as "Golden Mountain Clan" ), a poor Tsis tribe on the planet Azarac whose members resided in the planet's mountainous northern hemisphere. A powerful Force user, he established himself as a member of the Azarac karanolirbajoral (catchall term for the Force-sensitive ruling classes in which membership was merit-based, literally "nobility and royalty" ) from the earliest days of his youth, acquiring first the titles of bajoras and geras by his fiftieth year. His rule as geras over the Azarac nation of Siaure Tausokas ("the North Preserve" ) turned that country into one of Azarac's economic powerhouses. After fifteen years of successful rule, Ziaurus challenged the gerasgrafas of Azarac, Nailijas, to a duel for his throne. In keeping with Tsis tradition, Ziaurus inherited his predecessor's throne and royal title with his successful defeat of the king in single combat.

Emperor of the Tsis Worlds
He reigned as king of Azarac for five years before turning his attention to the collective Tsis worlds. His appetite for power unsated, he sought an expanded domain of his own that encompassed more than a single world. A successful if controversial campaign against Maras, the weak gerasgrafas of Azarac's moon Lune, won him an increased realm, but earned the ire of the Tsis clergy, who believed his actions were not in keeping with the Tsis cultural belief that rulers view their power as a responsibilty rather than a tool of self-aggrandizement. Emboldened by his victory, Ziaurus paid no mind to such protests and spent the next half century launching campaigns against the gerasgrafasi of the Tsis worlds. His successful subjugation of these kings made him the first emperor of the Tsis, an event that was marked by his creation of the imperial title Daritha Valdiastsisiv.

In his attempts to consolidate his hold over his nascent empire, Ziaurus instituted a number of reforms to the Tsis Worlds government. At the time little more than a loose of autonomous world-kingdoms, the government Ziaurus built had more in common with a , codifying the relationships between the various noble and royal peerage ranks and establishing a system of common law that applied to all Tsis citizens regardless of planet of origin. In an effort to placate his subjugated potential rivals, Ziaurus created the Qabbrat, an advisory council on which all gerasgrafasi sat that took on the duties of a legislative body.

Death and legacy
Despite his successful revamp of the Tsis Worlds government and long subsequent reign as daritha, not all Tsis were pleased with his actions. The Tsis clergy, who had long protested the unilateral and often controversial actions Ziaurus had taken to build his regime, were the architects of a plot to remove Ziaurus from power. They intended to replace him with the gerasgrafas of Lune, Maras, who as Ziaurus' first subjugated vassal had long lusted for revenge. With the clergy's backing, Maras challenged Ziaurus to single combat for the imperial throne. According to contemporary accounts of the duel, which was held in the Sferastotazisiv arena before a crowd of thousands, Ziaurus' wine was allegedly poisoned by agents of the clergy prior to his entrance into the arena. Maras' was coated with a similar poison. The daritha was rendered significantly weaker as a result of this meddling and was handily defeated by his opponent, who ascended to the imperial throne as its second monarch. Though Maras retained many of Ziaurus' improvements to the Tsis Worlds governmental structure, the membership of the Qabbrat was expanded to include high ranking priests of the clergy, who moderated all legislative discussion and oversaw proceedings.

As the first Daritha Valdiastsisiv, Ziaurus occupied an exulted place in the pantheon of the Tsis. Long after his death, statues of his likeness could be found throughout the Tsis Worlds, and many cities were named in his honor. The governmental structure he built persisted for millennia after his death, largely unchanged by subsequent darithas even as outsiders began to exert more influence over matters of law and public policy.

Behind the scenes
Ziaurus' death by poisoned wine and sword blade in a single combat duel to the death was inspired by the ending scene of 's , in which the titular protagonist is killed by his opponent's poisoned sword.