Darute fan Mardelli Relesárizi

Darute fan Mardelli Relesárizi (1864 - 1902), commonly relesár Darute, was an emperor of the Asatic Empire from his uncle's suicide in 1896 until his own death in 1902. Darute was the seventh monarch descendant from the line of Luidare fan Relesári

Darute married twice. His first wife was the Arazi noble Vibino fan Felizi, married in 1881. Vibino died in childbirth in late 1882; the child was stillborn. Darute remarried soon after with Sildhe na Borrud, a Coeric noble, who bore him two children - a son in 1884 and a daughter in 1885.

Darute was the eldest son of Meliàr Ironfist and ascended to the throne after the suicide of his uncle, Emperor Ratsa III fan Mardelli.

Reign
Darute's reign was the last in a series of relatively peaceful eras. The slowly stagnating economy of the empire was still strong enough to carry on; the border disputes and raids by neighbouring states were easily manageable and did not pose a threat to the political integrity of the Empire; the growing popularity of the religion Obenism forced even the ruling elites to accept its presence, if not downright convert.

Darute converted to Obenism in his teen years; during his reign he constructed several shrines and temples all throughout the empire and raised his children in accordance to the teachings of Oben Uvenna.

Death
Darute died in 1902. In contrast to his father, uncle and cousin, all of whom died dramatic and mysterious deaths (stricken by lightning twice, slow withering over two years with no discernible cause and suicide following years of depression and alcoholism), Darute died a spectacularly trivial death by choking on a grape.

Darute's death rather understandably sparked rumours that either the throne of the Empire or the ruling dynasty itself have been cursed.