The 22nd King of D'ni
Biography[]
Born in 3998, he was the youngest child of King Lemashal's cousin, and his mother had been the younger sister of King Kedri.[1] He was also the grandson of Shama
As Lemashal's sons were not of pure D'ni blood, Ishek took the throne in 4083 at the age of 85.
Many viewed Ishek as a faithful student of history and, in particular, the Pento War. Given Ishek's apparent distrust of some within his own people more than those were not D'ni, he had been a strong supporter of the Relyimah. It was often said that he ran his throne almost exactly as Kedri, focused on the people, refusing to view himself at a higher level than those he served. Like Lemashal, he focused on the involvement of non-D'ni and their importance to the D'ni culture and expansion.
However in 4103, while he, his wife and their guards were touring a food facility run by natives on the Age of Yimas, according to the the City Guard records, they were ambushed by a party of natives who abducted his wife; the natives, using D'ni Linking Books linked away before anyone could react. Despite this event, Ishek insisted that not all outside cultures should be judged on a few radicals. The public however started to describe non-D'ni as "animals", "uncivilized", and "primitive" (a perception that has not been seen since the Pento War).
Word finally came. The Yimas, who felt the D'ni people ruled them, demanded three Worlds to rule themselves, with specific demands for their kind. Unless they were given them, Ishek's wife was to be executed. However as Grand Master Jaken of the Guild of Writers told to Ishek, the Yimas had no concept of The Art and the worlds they requested were impossible to exist.
Ishek, who was well-versed in history and believed in the integrity of the Yimas, came to believe that the abductors were controlled by a particular small faction of D'ni, of those who believed that D'ni should be completely sealed from the other cultures. One especially was using Ishek's tragedy to further their cause. Ishek directed the Relyimah to that group to uncover any information they could. Sources indicate it was the Light of D'ni, although Relyimah records indicate it was the Blood of Yahvo.
Three days later, Ishek sent out word that he had no intention of giving the Yimas the Worlds they had asked for. Hours later, Relyimah informants followed two cultists to an illegal Age where his wife was imprisoned. Plans were uncovered that the faction was to kill his wife no matter whether the Ages were given or not, to only prove further that outsiders could not be trusted.
Once the public received word that it had once again been their own people causing a crisis, they were greatly dismayed: the public was quickly learning that it was their own blood who could not be trusted. As a result, there was a great push for more strict guidelines for interaction with other Ages as well as rules for the Ages themselves.
Ishek passed away in 4291 at the age of 293 leaving the debates to his first-born son Loshemanesh.