Temple Of The One: Saint Astrid The Tried

[Mortalitas Immortalis]

Saint Astrid The Tried
​

Every Prophet of Panedus is granted a vision of The Dawning, but the history of the Temple itself has always been left up to more traditional forms of record, both oral and written. Unfortunately, this tradition did little to prevent a loss of knowledge in the wake of The Irruption, with countless Temple historians and records alike going missing as the Tagmaton onslaught swept across Nave.

In recent days, scrolls containing a questionable tale of the Temple’s past and a political body known as The Grand Principality of Arerin were brought to me by way of an explorer who had pilfered them from what were likely the ruins of a city called Highcrest near the town of Kranesh. Other records confirming the existence of this Principality, its faith in Pandeus, some events, and many of the individuals mentioned therein have been uncovered.

These records have enabled the Temple to conclude with certainty that the individual Astrid Valkran is a fabrication, and that the story itself is little more than historical fiction or revisionism potentially created to reconcile the Temple’s mass migration to Sarducaa prior to The Irruption. In order to prevent the spread of falsehoods and to give proper context to the works, however, the Temple has chosen to rescribe and archive the contents of these scrolls with this preface.


The tale of Saint Astrid is a glorious tale, for by the grace of The One true god Pandeus, she held the cultists of the false idols at bay.

Twas’ a somber day in Meduli, yet an average day in the Empire. The Temple faithful went about their daily prayers to The One, eager to receive his blessing and press on through the day of work which lay ahead. Astrid Valkran was a girl of only twelve, and daughter of a Wessexian soldier whom had settled in Meduli after the end of his service to the Duchy.

Astrid lived like any normal girl in the town, playing in the sands of the beach and watching the Oathkeepers whom held vigil over the town moving about doing their daily works. Her father Rodrick—despite being a soldier that had served in past wars against the Oathkeepers—was largely left alone to live out his life. Her mother, however, had gambled with what little coin the family had and fell into debt with a sworn sword under Lord Kuthara while the girl was but the age of two.

It was during an attempt to collect this debt that her life was taken and the Tindremic officials did turn their eyes away from the crime. No one was ever punished for the murder, and Rodrick spun a tale for his daughter, as he could not bear with Astrid finding out the truth.

It was after The Duchy of Wessex had fallen that The Grand Principality of Arerin took its place in their lives. Governor-General Caldros disbanded the garrison and Rodrick found work in The Principality as a fisherman living in Meduli. Whilst The Principality and the Oathkeepers seemed stout allies after the Battle of Meduli when defending against the Love Cult, things would soon take a turn for the worse, and it was Rodrick and his little Astrid that would truly suffer.

The Oathkeepers had declared war on the Empire, and those citizens of the Principality who did not condemn the Empire were rounded up and systematically executed. They did not just stop with the town of Meduli, but extended their reach into the very streets of Tindrem. It is said that the slaughter of the Principality loyalists in Tindrem by The Oathkeepers was swift and without mercy; innocents and soldiers alike were raped, hanged, and otherwise massacred. Twas a day The Principality would never forget; a day forever whence known as The Great Purging.

Whilst the slaughter continued in Tindrem, Oathkeeper soldiers stormed Astrid's home. Her father hid her beneath the floorboards before the soldiers managed to force their entry. Through the cracks of the wood floor she watched as her father was beaten and dragged away in shackles. It was the last anyone ever saw of Rodrick Valkran; his service to the Duchy and The Principality alike forgotten, and his daughter left to fend for herself.

Astrid was no fool, and bided her time until most of the stationed Oathkeepers left to meet a Principality assault on the outskirts of town. She ran until her legs gave out on the top of a nearby hill; her breath fleeting and her eyes blinded by tears. It was there that she observed the battle: a handful of House Valen, House Drakan, and House Isen soldiers had initiated a desperate assault in response to the purge.

The battle was short lived; the Oathkeepers not only outnumbered the disheveled Principality remnants, but also had them quickly surrounded. If anything was to be said of the Oathkeepers on that day, it is that their resolve was absolute and their judgment final, for there was no mercy to be seen.

Astrid—truly alone—fled into the painted forest; she had become an exile, an outcast. Yet something would happen in those woods that one could only conclude was divine providence. Believing to have been forsaken by The One, she sat upon a stump in the center of the forest and allowed her sorrow and pain to pour out to any that would hear it:

"...why? Why God?! Why have you forsaken me?! I WANT MY PAPA! I WANT MY MAMA! Why have you left me here...don't you love me anymore? Don’t you love your children anymore!?"

It was with those final words that a ray of light shone itself through the thick forest canopy and illuminated her mind and body alike. The light was neither hot nor harmful to the sight; it was warm and inviting, and filled Astrid with joy and hope. This light granted her a vision of the only true God her father and her people had always spoken of: Pandeus. No words were spoken—nor was there any need—for she was to prepare for and lead a divine crusade against a horde of heretics who would pillage and enslave the land of Sarducca.

Astrid could not believe what she had seen, but her heart would not allow her to refute the visions granted to her by The One. She stood up from the stump with a newfound sense of purpose in her heart, and headed northeast toward the lawless city of Fabernum.

 

[Mortalitas Immortalis]

Weeks passed and she had found a teacher, Diphrael, a cunning yet wise magus with a reputation to match. He taught her everything he knew, and her raw potential was quickly realized as she surpassed even his abilities in but a few weeks. This girl of only twelve surpassed a man who had studied and practiced the arcane arts for over a decade. With nothing left to learn, she sallied onward to the darkened city of Gaul’kor.

She spent several months in Gaul'Kor, surviving on her own, hunting the scarce edible wildlife that the desolate and fire scorched land called home. The native Thursar believed in the false idol known as Hodor, and she saw it as her divine duty to bring forth the word of Pandeus. They were at first hard to sway; their belief of the false idol as unyielding as their chants of “HODOR!”.

Astrid began to preach the teachings of Pandeus, reciting scriptures and texts as if The One whispered in her ear. Of the sacred texts she read was The Tome Of Awakening, a sacred tome written by the First Prophet and held in the Temple city of Myrmopolis that few servants of the clergy were permitted to see. She had not seen the cover of the book, never mind its contents, yet she spoke its words as though she had done so a thousand times prior.

Despite only spending three months living in Gaul’kor, she had converted more than half of the population from their worship of false idols such as Hodor and led them to salvation. Ever seeking to hone her skills, Astrid was destined to meet with the few remaining members of a once great order who worshiped a numina they called Umbra. She quickly learned two things: the first—aligning with the ferocity of their techniques— their swordsmanship was unmatched, and the second, that their faith in the false idol wavered.

Lord Rulant, a warrior of some renown throughout Myrland, offered to train her in the ways of this old order. For another three months Astrid learned the way of the blade, excelling in her training and surpassing yet another scion. Having completed her training and converted the remnants of the old order to the true faith, she gathered an army of now-faithful Thursar tribesmen and traveled south.

On the way south towards Morin Khur, a host of ordinators from the Temple intercepted the ragtag army. The Prophet had received a vision of Astrid and her calling, and in turn sent what warriors he could to her aid despite the ongoing war in the south. This war was just one of many that found The Empire Of The Rising Sun, The Imperial Dreamers, and The Grand Principality of Arerin against a clan or murderers which had for centuries plagued the South.

Many were left homeless in wake of the endless sieges and strife, yet Astrid gathered up these broken individuals and gave them a renewed purpose. The light of Pandeus had yet again shone upon Astrid and her actions, as she now held a host of five thousand warriors. It was not long after that the Principality would fall and most of its remnants did find salvation at the side of the temple and Astrid.

Great ships were prepared in the ports of Tindrem, paid for by the Temple. These holy warships would ferry the crusaders onward to Sarducca to bring the righteous retribution of Pandeus and his Temple to the heathens and their false gods.

Before the crusaders had embarked on the final leg of their journey, The Maidens Of The Broken Sword had cast their lot in with Astrid. The Maidens were a ferocious sect of the Temple Ordination that had devoted their entire lives to the word of Pandeus. These women were clad in glistening platemail blessed by the Prophet himself. Their order is oft spoken of in legend, for it was said their order could be traced back to the ages of ancient Shinaria, before The Sundering tore apart the land and wiped their civilization off the face of Nave.

With the pledge of the Maidens and the blessing of the Temple, Astrid was named as and became the first to share the title of Grand Crusader with another. All faithful under her command were filled with the same warmth she had felt in that sacred grove so long ago, as roars of approval and endless cheer marked their departure.

The passage across the sea was a treacherous one, for the sea itself seemed to challenge the resolve of the crusaders. Of the thousand ships launched from Myrland, only a few hundred made it to the beaches of Sarducca. Their landing was as unforgiving as the voyage, for the crusaders would be met by the army of Caliph Al-Raqieum.

Al-Raqieum held a minor Caliphate under the Sultinate Of Sahrim which had dominated the eastern half of Sarducca, a vast empire that idolized a numina known as Seth. It was as the Crusaders attempted to disembark their vessels that they were cut down in droves by the Caliphate’s archers.

After three days of unforgiving battle, the Crusaders finally managed to take the beach. Though the forces of the Caliph were forced to retreat, Astrid’s army had suffered considerable losses, at least two thousand during the first day alone. In the eyes of all who survived she saw the remaining hope dwindle, though she knew better than anyone how hard it was to stomp out its embers…

Astrid rallied her warriors, gathered her knights, and called forth the priests; it was time to bring the word of Pandeus and temple law to the heathen Caliphate. The trek through the desert seemed to never end; if the enemy ambushes did not defeat the crusaders, surely dehydration would. Astrid desperately wanted for a sign, some divine message to lift the spirits of the faltering crusade. She would soon have her prayers answered, however, for a meteor had fallen from the night sky and crashed onto the outskirts of the crusader encampment.

Upon investigation it was revealed that the fallen rock glowed with a divine light which radiated such beauty that words could not hope to describe. None dared touch the stone, save for Astrid who ordered the smiths to create a weapon from the divine alloy. All watched as for five days straight the smiths refined the ore and hammered the metal into an ornate warhammer that shone with the very light of Pandeus.

 

[Mortalitas Immortalis]

Astrid held aloft the holy weapon, and from its light the fragile hope in the heart of every crusader’s heart burned brighter than ever. After this fateful event the crusaders were granted victory after victory over the Sultanate. For months the crusaders marched, cutting a great swath through the desert and directly into the capital of Nal-Raqqia.

On the vast desert plane before the city the army of the Sultan and the crusaders of stared each other down, waiting for the call to engage. When the horn of battle blew, the two armies met with a powerful clash. It was in the middle of the slaughter that Sultan Faerum and Saint Astrid met in mortal combat. Desert warriors and paladins alike ceased their fighting to observe the two as they locked blades, shouting cheers and prayers alike.

The Holy Hammer of Astrid was a vigil of light in a sea of crimson; its head covered in the blood of the fallen, yet the heavenly light still shone bright. The Sultan fought like a feral minotaur, striking madly and with great power. The wind blew and toiled around the two as they fought, Astrid’s silken hair flowed through the dusty air as her strikes met Faerum’s blow for blow. What the two created was a glorious display of sparks and holy flairs which could be seen from the length of the battlefield.

Faerum’s strength proved true as he broke through Astrid’s guard and his blade slid through her side. Before Faerum could finish the wounded saint, a gauntleted fist emerged from the surrounding crowd and sent him spiraling into the ground. Lord Rulant helped Astrid to her feet as the sultan’s royal retinue jumped into the fray. With his shield having been corrupted by a mystic in a previous engagement, he had only his cronite blade Tearshatter with which to fight.

Rulant alone held back the Sultan’s entire retinue including five elite mamluks, yet he was only one man, and eventually a retainer struck him in the spine, leaving him paralyzed. Astrid cried out as he fell upon the battlefield, and—rather than embolden them—the divine hatred in his eyes filled the remaining forces of the Sultanate with a primal fear. Astrid rose to her feet with a vicious battle cry, her hammer glowing even brighter than ever before as she tore through the mamluks. To her divine armament, their hide was naught but a sheet of papyrus, and she charged straight for the Sultan.

Faerum lifted his head only but a inch to see the head of the mighty hammer make contact with his skull, and like that it was over. The sultan’s head was shorn from his body as the Saint thrust her hammer in a blood curdling rage that shook the very foundations of Nave.

With the death of the Sultan, the fighting quickly came to an end and the caliphs of the fallen sultan surrendered to Saint Astrid and her crusaders. The crusaders tore down the monuments and statues to Seth, purging all examples of his worship, and Astrid saw personally to the destruction of Seth’s blasphemous temples and altars.

With the crusade complete, the crusaders did allow the sands of Sarducca to bury the rest. Many whom had participated returned home to Myrland; a land that had suffered a war of its own whilst the crusade was waged in Sarducca.

It is said that after completing her divine duty, Astrid remained in Sarducca for the remainder of her days. With a small order of paladins she hunted the servants of Seth and spread the word of Pandeus before finally falling to become One.