Lady Mbisheba, the Ofòkù of Soyofàn, was going over the expenses of her realm in her manor in Kawòna when a herald opened the door to her room and interrupted her.

"Excuse me, my lady." The herald said, bowing his head 90 degrees. "I come bearing word from Lady Dochàso, my mistress, the Ofòkù of the Delta."

"That woman? What could she have to say, herald? Tell me, herald, if war is declared. You know I'll have your head if that's the case." Mbisheba said, recalling past conflicts with Dochàso. That lady was arguably the most influential leader among all the Obibo after Mbisheba. Both of them controlled the largest swathes of land, although all that really meant was that they had the greatest number of of sagwo, sháná and other uyó listening to them. Loyalties could change in a day, the past decades had been proof of that.

"She wishes to know why you rejected the invitation to Hùnèwo, sent by Katazu Ekàn herself to all the Ofòkù of Tozàn. There is no war on the horizon, my mistress hopes."

"I have not received such an invitation." Mbisheba said and she called for her chancellor. "Amìnje, get over here!"

Amìnje came hurriedly.

"What is it, my lady?" She asked.

"This herald told me I had an invitation from the Katazu. Did I get one?"

"My lady, I am afraid you had the bearer of that message executed a month ago." Amìnje said after a moment of thought.

Mbisheba turned to the herald, who gulped and tried not to look afraid.

"My mistake. What was the invitation about?"

"The Katazu - and my mistress, Lady Dochàso - wants to convene with all the ofòkù in Hùnèwo, just west of Uwára. Tozàn is on the verge of falling apart, but as long as you call yourself ofòkù and not oba, you recognise that there is one alááshu with one alááfin. If you are Ofòkù Mbisheba and not Oba Mbisheba, the Katazu - and my mistress - implores you to come."

"Very well. You may leave. Amìnje, I am going to Hùnèwo, wherever it is."

Ofòkù Mbisheba undertook the journey to Hùnèwo as quickly as possible, realising that she was already a month later than everyone else. She arrived at a large camp constructed outside a small town where all the ofòkù and their retinues had gathered. When the news of her arrival came, the Katazu called for a meeting at noon on the next day. Before her were gathered seven ofòkù and two orògò, who valued their independence and did not want to fall to a conspiracy of more powerful ofòkù.

"Thank you for coming today." Katazu Ekàn said. "You who call yourself not by the title of a queen but by that of a servant of the Alááfin, you must stop fighting amongst yourselves. The faith is stagnant, war is commonplace, Tozàn is open to invasion and you would not dare help eachother. You are driven by your own needs, not loyalty and duty to the Alááfin and to Kaya. Today, we will reforge Tozàn."

"And give up everything I worked for?" Lady Tu, the Ofòkù of Diwewe asked. "I don't think so."

"If we go back to the way it was, implying that we can, the Alááfin will simply fail again in her own vain attempts at glory. What right has she to rule, how can she be a daughter of Kaya, if she does nothing while we are left to bring back order to this land?" Ofòkù Iguna added.

"Your insolence is detestable." Lord Gowonì said. "Both of you. I am prepared to relinquish the control of my land to the Alááfin as soon as I see her."

"As if she'd have the guts." Tu replied.

"If I may have your attention again." The Katazu said. "I did not come with a demand for things to go back to the way they were. You insult me by suggesting that, because I know you would never agree. It is impossible to unseat you all in favour of Uwára's government, but Tozàn needs to be one in more than just name."

"I agree with the Katazu." Ofòkù Dochàso said. "Let her speak about her suggestions."

"I am not interested." Iguna said.

"Me neither." Tu added.

The rest seemed on the fence when the Katazu nudged and the door to their hall opened. Alááfin Káyugwá, back from hiding, was there.

"It was not my idea." The Katazu said.

"But mine." Káyugwá said. "Would everyone here who is not my subject please declare their treason and rebellion now, before we get ahead of ourselves?"

Tu was silent. Iguna held her mouth shut.

"I have not done nothing during the crisis. However, countless attempts on my life, some, I assume, because of you, have held me back. I have spent my years supporting my loyal servants however I could and I have spent my years fighting to get Uwára back. Two months ago, the Katazu, the Hellenes and I reached an agreement. Peace has returned to the City of Too Many Walls. What have you done?"

Alááfin Káyugwá smiled confidently.

"I have no army but the Orange Banner. Outside Uwára, you would tear me apart in the field of battle. I know that if I were to kill you here today, your daughters would take revenge and rebel, it is not my intention to force you to give up your title. I have to be realistic.

Some of you have proven good and effective." She looked at Dochàso.

"Others have proven failures." She turned to Tu.

"But you can work together. You have a common enemy and weakness: the sagwo, the sháná and eachother. Only bonds of friendship and family hold you together, and while nice, those are no basis for an empire. I can offer you legitimacy. I can enshrine into law which of your subjects follows who, so you can reign in peace without worrying as much about your future and about poison in your palm wine."

"That sounds great, your majesty." Lady Mbisheba said. "But tell us: what's it going to cost?"

"Very good." The Alááfin winked at Mbisheba. She was much older than the ofòkù.

"You will form an Eyíbómì. A confederacy of nobles. You will have to choose a gànà amongst yourselves. A commander to whom you have to listen. A commander of your own kind, in charge of my adminstration. The Ministry of Yams and Wheat will return to your lands, get these famines dealt with, we have enough to feed every peasant, every slave. The gànà decides over matters of war and if you don't like her, you can choose a new one every year in Uwára, with me. You will not fight eachother, your subjects won't either, and you will owe a number of soldiers to the gànà when we go to war. Each ofòkù gets a single vote, the orògù get half. That makes eight in total, so I will break ties. This is my proposal. Not because I want power, I detest running around commanding an army, but because I will not be the last Alááfin of Tozàn."

Dochàso immediately clapped.

"Yes! I agree."

"As am I." Gowonì added almost immediately.

Soon, everyone was in agreement. Even, begrudgingly, Lady Tu.

"Then you may now choose the Gànà."

"I would support Ofòkù Dochàso. She seems wise." Mbisheba said.

"Ofòkù Dochàso." Said Gowonì, Sènèdi, Majia'ele, Amusa and Iguna. Ebwì supported Amusa, Tu supported herself and Dochàso simply bowed her head, knowing her own vote was unnecessary.

"May the Alááfin reign a thousand years." Dochàso said.

"Zùle ìbon Tozàn." The rest added.

Map of top level rulers of Tozàn after the Eyíbómì

Legend:

• Dark green: Lady Mbisheba, Ofòkù fa Soyofàn
• Light green: Lady Sènèdi, Orògò fa Mankourou
• Dark yellow: Lady Majia'ele, Ofòkù fa Nijaay
• Light yellow: The Alááfin
• Dark red: Lady Amusa, Ofòkù fa Tazaraga
• Light red: Lady Tu, Ofòkù fa Diwewe
• Dark blue: Lady Iguna, Ofòkù fa Olòyà
• Light blue: Lady Ebwì, Ofòkù fa Lesife
• Brown: Lord Gowonì, Orògò fa Birgatanga
• Purple: Lady Dochàso, Ofòkù fa Ewo-Ife