Kaiser Ayreon V

Kaiser Ayreon V

雪生 Yukio Ayreon-Kalirion ibn al-Majeed al-Osman bin Sathrati of Waffel-Paine
Kaiser of Shireroth
Began	8.VI.1740 (2 AN years)
Predecessor	Salome
Steward	Naïs Szodarvs
Imperial Bloodline	Ayreon-Kalirion
Physical description
Gender	Male
Species	Human
Race	Mixed Sangunese–Elw—Babkhi–Jing
Hair color and style	Black
Eye color	Brown
Biographical information
Father	Prince Ichirō
Mother	Kaika bat Gyoku
Date of birth	13.I.1716 (aged 26 AN years)
Place of birth	Huyenkula, Hurmu

Kaiser Ayreon V

Former Senator of the Lakes
Tenure began	20.II.1737 AN (5 AN years
Tenure ended	8.VI.1740 AN (3 AN years
Senate(s)	XIII
Faction	United
Physical description
Biographical information

Kaiser Ayreon V is the present Kaiser of Shireroth (since 1740).

Background

He was Senator of the Lakes and Secretary of State for External Relations in Hurmu (1737–1740).

He is the first-born child and son of Prince Ichirō and Lady Kaika bat Gyoku. He was born on the first snowy day of the winter season, Huyenkula, on 13.I.1716, causing his father to give him the name 雪生, snow-born. Its Jingdaoese reading is Xuěshēng. The first character in the name also honours Yukio's late grandmother, Lady Yukiji. He was born in the private hospital for members of the Order of the Holy Lakes which is run by Kallisti Health Services Inc.

Upon the murder/accidental death of Yukio's father, Ichirō, on 35.XV.1730, his uncle Audon II inherited the senate seat as per Ichirō's will. Audon II thus became a member of the Senate, joined by his wife Lystasia, who took charge of her parents' seats as their proxy. When Yukio reached adulthood, Audon II offered to resign his senatorial seat in favour of Yukio, considering him the "true heir" of Ichirō. However, feeling he was far too inexperienced, Yukio politely declined the offer. Nevertheless, the two agreed that when the time was right, Audon would resign his seat in favour of Yukio. At the same time, Yukio was admitted to the Peace Academy as a cadet. He graduated with honours on 20.II.1737. The same day, his uncle Audon II resigned his senate seat in favour of Yukio.

Upon joining the Senate, he was also elected to Secretary of State for External Relations. He navigated the foreign relations of the Order of the Holy Lakes amid regional and global instability. He built important informal alliances and trade partnerships, helping Hurmu stay secure and stable, but also ensuring that Hurmu stayed out of the Shiro–Benacian war. His success in handling complex political situations showed his skill as a leader. Yukio's ability to work with powerful nations and maintain peace helped gain support for his rise to the Golden Mango Throne.

Rise to Kaisership

His noble lineage positioned Yukio within the imperial succession, although the line of inheritance had been complicated by historical decrees excluding and subsequently reinstating his grandfather Prince Kir's descendants. While officially fifth in line to the Kaisership, supporters of the legitimist cause regarded Yukio as the rightful heir, arguing against the legal validity of these decrees. This dynastic legitimacy became a critical foundation for his eventual rise to power, offering him a claim to the throne amidst widespread political instability.

Yukio's political career began in the context of family legacy and political patronage. Following the death of his father in 1730 AN, his uncle, Audon II, inherited the Senate seat allocated to their family. Recognizing Yukio as the "true heir" of Prince Ichirō, Audon II offered to resign the seat in Yukio's favour. However, Yukio, acknowledging his inexperience, initially declined the offer. Instead, he pursued formal education at the Peace Academy, from which he graduated with honours in 1737 AN.

Upon his graduation, Yukio assumed his father's former seat as Senator of the Lakes, a role that granted him entry into the upper echelons of Shirerithian politics. During his tenure (1737–1740 AN), he also served as Secretary of State for External Relations, providing him with critical administrative experience and exposure to the complexities of governance. His involvement in these roles laid the groundwork for his later ascendancy by increasing his visibility and political influence within the empire.

At the onset of the Mango Anarchy, Yukio Ayreon-Kalirion was serving as Senator of the Lakes and Secretary of State for External Relations. Despite his high-ranking roles, Yukio initially refrained from directly engaging in the revolutionary conflicts, adopting a cautious and observant approach to the unfolding crisis. This restraint allowed him to avoid entanglement with any single faction, preserving his political flexibility.

As the empire fractured, factions aligned along ideological and strategic divides. Imperial loyalists sought to preserve the monarchy but lacked cohesion, moderate Kalirionists advocated for constitutional reforms, and radical groups such as the Society of the Friends of the Revolution (Sakuragists) and the Sathrati Resistance Army pushed for the complete dismantling of the monarchy. The Revolutionary Committee of Shirekeep, under the leadership of Erasmo Laegel, ended imperial authority by stripping Kaiseress Salome of her remaining powers. Salome's eventual capture and detention in Hurmu left Shireroth leaderless and politically adrift. This absence of leadership created both a power vacuum and an opportunity for Yukio to assert his claim without direct conflict. Salome remained, however, de jure kaiseress but without any legal power.

The tide began to turn in Yukio's favour with the increasing military successes of Kalirionist supporters, notably Tribune Karsten Koryandar's victory at the Battle of Sabatini. This victory shifted the balance of power in Shirekeep and reignited calls for the restoration of the Golden Mango Throne. In response to the deepening crisis, the Lichwood Conclave of 1740 was convened to resolve the imperial succession. Organized by the Xinshi Heavenly Light, with the support of Steward Naïs Szodarvs and Cassian Wythe, the conclave aimed to select a new Kaiser and restore political stability. Its assembly included religious leaders, cult representatives, and political figures from Shireroth and beyond, highlighting the intersection of religious authority and political necessity in imperial governance.

Within the conclave, three primary factions vied for influence. Prince Yukio's faction was supported by hardline Kalirionists, Jingdaoese nobility, and Humanist-aligned clergy. Despite previous exclusions from the line of succession, Yukio's supporters viewed him as the rightful heir to the throne. Crown Princess Kian's faction, composed of moderates and reformists, favoured a more constitutional monarchy, believing Kian, who had retreated from political life, would be more malleable to their reforms. Prince Atreyu's faction represented those who adhered strictly to legalistic interpretations of succession but lacked the broad support necessary to assert dominance. Yukio's faction skilfully built a coalition that appealed to both traditionalists seeking stability and moderates wary of radical change.

A controversial yet strategic decision during the conclave was the inclusion of representatives from the Benacian Union's United Ecclesiastical Corporation. This inclusion, proposed by the Xinshi Heavenly Light, aimed to promote broader Cedrist unity despite the ongoing war. While divisive among hardline Shirerithians, it symbolized a willingness to engage diplomatically and fostered an environment conducive to consensus-building. Yukio's ability to navigate these complex dynamics further solidified his position as a viable candidate for the Kaisership. This also symbolised Yukio as the candidate who would bring peace between Shireroth and the Benacian Union.

The conclave ultimately declared Yukio their nominee for the kaisership and their recommendation that Salome would be removed from the kaisership. This decision was not only a political victory but also a religious and cultural affirmation of Yukio's legitimacy. The conclave's endorsement unified disparate factions under his rule, ending the leadership vacuum that had plagued Shireroth during the Mango Anarchy. This led to the Imperial Judex ruling that he was the rightful heir to the throne on 20.V.1740.

Immediately, thereafter, Steward Naïs Szodarvs introduced a resolution to the Legislature to remove Kaiseress Salome from the throne. After a few weeks of deliberations and committee meetings and general politicking, the Landsraad, Folksraad, and Adelsraad passed the resolution concurrently on the same day, 8.VI.1740. Yukio was thus proclaimed kaiser with immediate effect. He took on regnal name Kaiser Ayreon V.

Reign (1740– )

When the Prætor of the Landsraad, Tinker Sprocket, proclaimed that the Landsraad had removed Kaiseress Salome from the throne, and that the throne had now passed to Yukio, Yukio immediately left Huyenkula by the Hurmu Gate to Maltenstein, where he was received by Steward Naïs Szodarvs. Taking on the regnal name of Kaiser Ayreon V (a gesture to other men in his dynasty that was met with some opposition from the government), the new kaiser set up reforming the order of succession (to ensure that changing the order of people included in it is impossible, and making the pool of potential kaisers slightly larger).

He also took on the case of Jaap van Pijpervale. Hitherto, the kaiser had only known of Jaap through leaked reports in media. As kaiser, he wished to check how true the reports were. In the end, it seemed the reports were shockingly accurate. Enslaved to his empathy, the kaiser immediately ordered the release of Jaap. However, it quickly became evident that his great grandfather's catamite's mind and body were broken beyond repair from sixty-nine years in restrained stimuli-deprived confinement. The Kaiser tried to converse with Jaap, but Jaap simply pled to be allowed to die. After a few weeks of thinking about it, and seeing no improvement in the state of Jaap, he allowed Jaap to undergo euthanasia. After Jaap died, the Kaiser ordered the remains to be interred in an ante-chamber of the tomb of Kaiser Ayreon V in the Valley of Mors. When the Government and Imperial Advisory Council discussed the interment of a catamite in such a hallowed place, the Steward reportedly said, "Let the imperial Gay do as the Imperial Gay wants". As such, the matter was closed, and Jaap's remained placed as instructed.

Meanwhile, the imperial government sought to make peace with the Benacian Union.

His coronation is planned for 13.I.1744 (his 28th birthday). As the War and budget restrains made holding an expensive ceremony too costly, it was decided to wait till the centennial of the Ayreon-Kalirion dynasty, to showcase the old lineage of the Kaiser and the return of Shireroth as a stable great power to the international scene.

Style, Titles and Arms

As Kaiser, Ayreon V proclaimed his titles as follows: Kaiser of Shireroth, Duke of Brookshire, Viscount Audon of Varmland, Sardar of Talenore, Lord in Jorvik, Progeny of the Once-Living God, Knight of the Holy Lakes, Scion of the King of Kings, Thane of the Shirelands, Keeper of the Apollo Legacy, Grand Master of the Orders of the Dragon, Griffin, Phoenix, and Chimera, Sovereign of the Golden Mango Throne.

The titles notably avoided his hypothetically irredentist claims to the Principality of Whales and the Kingdom of Ransenar.

He is first in line to inherit the title of Prince among the Lakes (Hurmu) and Raja of Tas Neemia (Eastern Natopia; after his aunt Salome). According to Ayreonist legitimists in Whales, he is also the Prince of Whales. These legitimists believe that Prince Kir's last will of testament written only a day before he died, in which Daniyal ibn Daniyal inherited the throne, was forged.

His predecessor on the throne, Salome, continued to claim the position Queen of Ransenar from her actual deposition in 1711. Ayreon elected not to use that title in an effort to build peace with the Benacian Union. Similarly, he avoided the title Sovereign of all Laqs, due to not having actually been given that title personally by them.

Until 1740

• Style: His Serenity (in Shireroth), Imperial Highness (Hurmu, Mondosphere, Natopia)
• Titles: Prince of Shireroth, Viscount Audon of Varmland, Lord in Jorvik, Progeny of the Once-Living God, Knight of the Holy Lakes, Scion of the King of Kings

Coats of arms

Period	Picture	Right	Comment
1740–present		As Duke of Brookshire
1740–present		As Kaiser of Shireroth	See coat of arms of Shireroth
1730–present		As Viscount Audon of Varmland	See coat of arms of Varmland
1716–1730		As a member House and Imperial Bloodline of Ayreon-Kalirion with no personal arms	See coat of arms of Ayreon-Kalirion

Ancestry

Genealogy

Family

Ayreon's family name Ayreon-Kalirion ibn al-Majeed al-Osman bin Sathrati of Waffel-Paine consists of a number of components; Ayreon-Kalirion is his bloodline, ibn al-Majeed ("descendant of Majeed") refers to the founder of the Simrani family Simran ibn al-Majeed, al-Osman refers to his belonging to the House of Osman, bin Sathrati means that he is a descendant of the first Emir of Sathrati, Rashid Arsalani (Kaiser Ayreon), and Waffel-Paine is his dynastic house from his father's grandfather Nathan Waffel-Paine. From his mother side, he belongs also to the House of Gyoku.

Kaiser Ayreon V is unmarried. He has two younger siblings; a brother, Sechigu (born 1719), and a sister, Sehoshi (born 1722).

Imperial Bloodlines

While Kaiser Ayreon V is listed to belong to the Imperial Bloodline of Ayreon-Kalirion, he could by virtue of his descent also claim membership in the bloodlines of Kalir, Octavius, Steffki, and Raynor. In terms of imperial genealogy, the kaiser is regarded to be descended from Raynor through the hypothetical lines of Ayreon-Kalirion-Steffki-Octavius and Sora.

Kaisers

Among the known ancestors of Kaiser Ayreon V are found several kaisers. In the direct line of descent from the first kaiser of Shireroth are found: Kaiser Raynor I (44–169, reigned 79–169), Kaiser Raynor II (165–266; reigned 226–266), Kaiser Raynor III (282–338; reigned 316–338), Kaiser Raynor IV (629–745; reigned 660–745), Kaiser Raynor V (885–972; reigned 906–972), Kaiser Raynor VI (1164–1239; reigned 1186–1239), Kaiser Raynor VII (1210–1269; reigned 1239–1269), Kaiser Raynor VIII (1291–1337; reigned 1324–1337), Kaiser Raynor IX (1340–1375; reigned 1357–1375; DB 1355–1375), Kaiser Ayreon I (1450–1544; reigned 1542-1544), Kaiseress Noor (1604–1650; reigned 1644–1650), and Kaiser Ayreon IV (1645–1671; reigned 1650–1671).

He is also descended from Kaiser Ayreon II by adoption.

Descent from Heavenly Light

The mother of Kaiser Ayreon V is Kaika bat Gyoku. Her father Duan ben Gyoku was the son of Hon ben Gyoku , former Emperor of Hondon. Hon's mother was Yuling bat Gyoku who reigned as the Meiyo Emperor 1657 - 1659. She in turn was the daughter of the Xianfa Emperor, who was son of the Mingshi Emperor, who was the son of the Sheng Emperor.

Other famous ancestors

Among his other more immediate ancestors of note, we find four Babkhan shahanshahs (Ardashir, Tahmaseb, Rashid, Osman), and two Natopian emperors (Nathan, Nathaniel), as well as rulers from Elwynn (6), Brookshire (2), and Goldshire (2).

The earliest recorded ancestor of Kaiser Ayreon V is Helipov Agdam, Duke of Brookshire between the years 11–25 AN. Helipov was the great grandfather of Kaiser Raynor I through his mother Fola Helipov. His birth year is unknown, but he died in the year 25 AN.

Images

As a 3 year old, in a Shirerithian imperial uniform.

Preceded by: Salome	Kaiser of Shireroth 1740–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by: Salome	Duke of Brookshire 1740–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by: Ichirō	Viscount Audon of Varmland 1730–present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by: Muhammad Furkorn Mat Jeen (acting)	Secretary of State for External Relations Order of the Holy Lakes 1737–1740	Succeeded by Ingrid Djupvik
Preceded by: Audon II	Senator of the Lakes Permanent 1737–1740	Succeeded by Sehoshi