Kuni Garu

Kuni Garu's journey from a street rogue in Zudi to the emperor of Dara unfolds throughout the first book of the Dandelion Dynasty.

Kuni's life changed upon witnessing the mortality of Emperor Mapidéré, and he was inspired by the brilliant Jia Matiza to seek a more respectable life.[TGOK-1][TGOK-4]Forced into outlawry after his corvée prisoners deserted, he became a bandit leader, learning pragmatism after an early, bloody failure.[TGOK-8]His natural leadership flourished during the rebellion. He liberated his hometown, forged a sworn brotherhood with the warrior Mata Zyndu, and gained the allegiance of the strategist Luan Zya.[TGOK-14][TGOK-19]His greatest military triumph was the surprise capture of the Imperial capital, Pan, using cruben-riders, which effectively ended the Xana Dynasty.[TGOK-30]

After Mata Zyndu burned Pan and declared himself Hegemon, a bitter civil war erupted. Kuni was exiled to the remote island of Dasu, where, with the help of Marshal Gin Mazoti and his wives, he built an innovative new state founded on meritocracy.[TGOK-33][TGOK-36]Launching a counter-attack through abandoned undersea tunnels, Kuni waged a brutal war against Mata. The conflict ended with Mata's defeat and suicide, leaving Kuni the undisputed ruler of the islands.[TGOK-43][TGOK-50]He was crowned Emperor Ragin, the first Dandelion Emperor of a unified Dara, reaffirming his identity as an emperor of the common people.[TGOK-51]

As Emperor Ragin, Kuni's reign is tested by internal court politics and the arrival of a devastating foreign invasion.

Kuni's reign was focused on peace, but his court was fractured by political infighting between the 'swords' and the 'abacus' factions. He secretly planned to bypass his sons and name the brilliant Princess Théra as his heir to avert a future civil war.[TWOS-8][TWOS-18]The arrival of the Lyucu invasion force shattered this peace. Heartbroken by the betrayal of his son, Prince Timu, who became a puppet emperor for the invaders, and weakened by illness, Kuni was captured.[TWOS-56][TWOS-58]Chained to the mast of the Lyucu flagship at the Battle of Zathin Gulf, he delivered a final, rousing speech to his army, named Théra his successor, and took his own life to free his soldiers from having to protect him.[TWOS-58]