The tenth King of D'ni.
Biography[]
The son of King Solath and Jolatha, Me'erta was born in 1748 in a time of fragile religious culture. When he was born, Solath (who only had 2 daughters from his previous marriage) was extremely pleased, but many in the religious community were somewhat apprehensive.
He took the throne in 1779 at the young age of 31, and many leaders, especially from the Church, publicly feared that his appointment would cause great damage. Indeed Me'erta's reign was a turbulent one, and it was often stated that his mother (who was rumored to be a member of The Tree) ruled the throne.
Me'erta was the first King who supported anything other than the original beliefs of Ri'neref. That begun in 1817 when he proposed construction of the Temple of the Tree and suggested that the line of the Great Zero as chosen by Ri'neref was inaccurate. This was simply to question the old beliefs and to encourage the cults to build in a newer section of the D'ni city; the line itself did not change, as this would have grave implications upon construction, navigation, etc.
The Temple was built, with strong opposition from some, in 1843 on his recommended line of the Great Zero. This was followed by the Temple of Water (1876), and the Temple of the Sacred Stone (1902).
As the years passed, cults sprang up everywhere, wreaking havoc on the existing religious beliefs. The Temple of Yahvo was empty and its priests and prophets were small in number, as many had left to pursue other beliefs.
In 1975, Me'erta attempted to change the rules, restrictions and oath of the Guild of Writers as written by Ailesh. He was known to be unfaithful and lustful and had many lovers but admired Ramel from afar, a member of The Tree well known for her beauty. According to an account, his mother brought Ramel to his bedroom and tempted him asking a favor, but Me'erta was reluctant to hear her. This was repeated for every night until Me'erta started to be unsatisfied with his lovers and spiteful. Finally he gave in, and slept with Ramel. The next day Jolatha expressed her desire to change the Oath. Me'erta thought it would be ipossible, but Ramel was now his and followed Jolatha's instructions.[1] Me'erta advertised that the reformations he proposed would leave them more "flexible" in their writing and allow the D'ni "to do more". Grand Master Tremal adamantly opposed the King. As it turns out, the refusal cost Tremal his life, many say on order from Jolatha; once he was found dead, the Guild, as a whole, refused the proposed changes in support of their fallen comrade. Eventually, Jolatha, through Me'erta, gave up trying.
In 1999 he was convinced by his mother to break the seal on the Tomb of the Great King. The act was carried out in secret, in the dead of night, to cover this blasphemous and dangerous act. Jolatha died two days later, from an illness then unknown. It was said that Me'erta believed his mother had been cursed for her action, and he was petrified of it, or any mention of the Great King. He quietly ordered the Tomb sealed again, and much stronger. However it was too late, as these actions released Ahlsendar's Plague.
Me'erta died in 2015 at the age of 267 with one of his lovers. Guild of Healers's records indicated massive poisoning as the cause of his death. His murderer was never discovered although there were numerous suspects. He had many enemies but most agreed it was either his wife, or his oldest son Gan, who despised his father's weaknesses and lack of judgement. Ironically, it was Gan whom he left the throne to.