Daraja (da.ra.d͡ʒa)

Daraja is the second most powerful noble remaining in the Kingdom of Gailo, surpassed only by her cousin Malanoa, the Tura of Gailo. Three years ago, when all animal life vanished from the island of Tubu, the kingdom was thrown into chaos. Most of the royal family - indeed, most of the nobility and the largest portion of the population - disappeared without a trace or explanation. Only those nobles who were away from Tubu at the time remained - and among them was Daraja, the Turalaya of the island of Sarua.

In the months that followed, she directed the initial investigations into the disappearances on Tubu while working to trace the whereabouts of surviving family members. Daraja determined that her cousin Malanoa - a ne'er-do-well who had been semi-exiled to Gamfene for his scandalous behavior - was heir to the throne and declared him the new Tura. She further noted that, as Malanoa had no legitimate children (and that any illegitimate ones had likely vanished with the rest of Tubu's population), she herself was therefore his heir, the Turanai of the Kingdom of Gailo.

Early Life

Daraja was born on Tubu into the royal family of Gailo. Both of her parents were cousins to the reigning Tura - and fourth cousins to each other. She was their eldest child, followed in quick succession by four younger siblings, all born before she turned six.

From an early age, Daraja displayed a formidable force of will. She carried a natural air of command, and her siblings leapt to obey her. Those who hesitated quickly learned to dread her withering glare, which could cow even adults. The few who still resisted found themselves excluded from her company without hesitation. As a child, only her parents could compel her to act against her wishes.

With age, Daraja extended this principle to those of higher rank, for she was a great believer in hierarchy. In Gailo, that meant fewer than twenty nobles stood above her. Everyone else either obeyed her - or found themselves barred from any gathering or place she chose to attend. A few tried to defy her mandate, but without the explicit patronage of the Tura, few dared to challenge her. Even the Tura himself disliked crossing her, though he could never quite explain why. Her ability to command any situation became legendary in the kingdom, and the Tura would sometimes request that she deliver an order or edict to a potentially recalcitrant recipient, confident that none would refuse or demur when it came from Daraja.

Turalaya of Sarua

While Daraja's gift for command was invaluable, it also carried danger. Some of the Tura's advisors warned that, should she choose, she could threaten the throne itself simply by demanding it. Though still obedient to the Tura, they feared that as she grew older and more capable, she might come to see herself as the worthier ruler - and act accordingly.

The Tura heeded their concerns and decided to remove Daraja from the capital. He appointed her Turalaya of Sarua, an important island just south of Tubu. This was among the most demanding posts in the kingdom: Sarua was the second-most populous island and dominated by nobles who maintained estates there. It was quietly understood that these estates served as retreats where the aristocracy indulged in pursuits frowned upon by polite society - or in some cases, openly criminal. The Tura tasked Daraja with enforcing order and decorum on the island - a duty she undertook with a measure of grim satisfaction.

As Turalaya, Daraja became a nightmare for those who used their Saruan estates as havens of debauchery or perversion. She soon uncovered that many nobles on the island were flirting with sedition - most of them urged on by dreams whispered from the imprisoned god Kaibulan, who promised power and glory to any who would set them free. To Daraja, the very notion of overthrowing the kingdom's order was abhorrent. Her devotion to hierarchy had by then become a core of her identity, and she regarded anyone who threatened it with contempt. For twenty-seven years she ruled Sarua with an iron gaze, and her reports to the Tura's court consigned more than one treacherous noble to an early grave.

The Tubu Incident

In 3982, every living creature on the island of Tubu - from the smallest insect to the Tura himself - vanished. There was no warning and no explanation: one day the island was full, and the next it was empty. The first ships to discover the calamity fled the ghostly shores and docked at nearby Loura on Sarua, bringing their tale to Daraja, then the highest authority still present in the kingdom.

At first, she refused to believe the reports. The idea was preposterous - entire islands do not simply depopulate overnight. But when more ships arrived with the same story, she resolved to lead an expedition herself. In the capital she found deserted streets, abandoned meals uneaten, and not even rats left to gnaw the bones. As word spread, unrest began to ripple across the kingdom's outlying islands. Daraja saw the order she cherished unraveling, and acted swiftly to contain the dissolution.

She declared herself acting Tura until the rightful heir could be identified, and immediately began constructing a new order for the kingdom. A comprehensive survey of Tubu was ordered, the kingdom's treasures secured, and notices sent to all other settlements announcing the revised hierarchy. Many credit her decisive actions in those first days with the survival of the Kingdom of Gailo. Though a few islands, like Vorda, broke away, the vast majority accepted the new order before they could move toward independence.

Within weeks, however, her scribes established that she was not the rightful heir. That claim belonged to her younger and disreputable cousin Malanoa, the Tura's fifth son. A little more than a year before the disaster, Malanoa had been sent into semi-exile as governor of distant Gamfene, punished for scandalous behavior in the capital. There he remained, safe from the catastrophe on Tubu, and by law the throne was his.

Daraja promptly notified Malanoa of his inheritance and instructed him to return to the capital to re-establish the throne. But Malanoa refused. He argued that since no cause for the disaster could be determined, there was no guarantee it would not happen again. He would not even return to the islands near Tubu, fearing they might be next. Instead, he declared that Gailolo on Gamfene would be the new capital, and established his court there.

Daraja detested this decision, seeing it as rank cowardice and a betrayal of Gailo's ancestral home. Nevertheless, she traveled to Gamfene, acknowledged Malanoa as Tura, and was confirmed as his heir until such time as he produced a child. Malanoa also reaffirmed her rule over Sarua - sending her back to govern far from him.

Now, while most of the remaining nobility have drawn close to the new court, Daraja continues to preside from Sarua. Around her a smaller court has coalesced, composed of those who seek to retake Tubu and restore the capital there. Yet the task has proven more difficult than expected. The disappearance of all animal life shattered the island's ecosystem, and strange fungal species now dominate the landscape. Visitors describe the island as oppressive and unwelcoming, while animals brought there wither and fail to thrive. Still, Daraja and her followers remain undaunted, continuing their efforts to reclaim the island fully.

A few within her circle have whispered that Malanoa's abandonment of Tubu amounts to abdication, and that Daraja should be crowned Tura in his stead. Only one noble has spoken the thought aloud to the Turanai herself. She had him sent to Gailolo to be judged for sedition, as she had done with others before him. Since then, none have dared to voice such treason in her presence - though some continue to pray for Malanoa's natural death, that the kingdom might at last be restored to its rightful course.