Iltaran Family/Eternal Flames

The sun was setting over the mountain fastness of Vatrona, a hazy mix of orange and red that framed the peaks of the Jedinchel. Despite the hour, people thronged the main square of the city. A thin ring of grey-clad men-at-arms held them back, guardians from the Eagle Brotherhood bolstered for the occasion by members of the local garrison. Dominating the centre of the square was the funeral pyre, the logs stacked higher than the tallest man. Priests had successfully extorted the faithful for aid , but even with the mass of volunteers it had still taken the better part of three days to build. Atop it lay the mortal remains of Dominicus and Mikha Tyr-Sog, Silver Feather and Blood Feather of the Order of the Golden Feather, uncle and nephew. Whether to purify the bodies together or separately had been a matter of some debate within the Order, but it had been decided they would be delivered to the Golden Dragon together.

Some distance from the pyre stood a wooden platform, normally used by the local officials overseeing the market. Now it held a cluster of priests and two members of the Order’s Council of Elders. Askarn Iltaran, who had led the Order of the Golden Feather in the absence of Dominicus and Michael Turner, Blood Feather in the absence of Mikha. Torches burned all around them, illuminating the gathering.

“Brothers and sisters” Askarn shouted out to the crowd, silently offering a prayer to Lady Melian that his voice carried to the mass of the faithful. “We have a bittersweet task today, as we farewell not one, but two men who devoted their lives to the betterment of Humanity. Years past, Dominicus ruled here in Vatrona. It was here that Dominicus received his first vision from Lady Melian. It was here that he learned the secret of the salvation of humanity!” He raised his arms to quell the murmurs that broke out in the crowd.

“We are the children of the Dragon.! We carry the spark of His divine essence within us! We must strive to prove ourselves worth in the eyes of Him, to unlock the potential of our celestial heritage! These are the things that Dominicus taught mankind. “ A bead of sweat made its way down his cheek as Askarn paused for breath. “Without these truths we would be left blind. Doomed to oblivion instead of living on for all eternity with the Golden Dragon.”

“When the Golden Feather brought this knowledge to Dominicus, she gave him a sacred task. To bring enlightenment to all of humanity. For the rest of his life Dominicus worked tirelessly to bring that about. He cleansed our lands of the blasphemous and corrupt Estahsism, those who drove the Golden Feather from Beluaterra. He fought the daimon worshippers of the Blood Cult, arresting the northern spread of those traitors. When war threatened to tear the faithful apart, Dominicus stood firm to the virtues of the Golden Dragon and prevented a split in our Order.”

“Myriad though the Silverhawk’s achievements were, we should not allow those of Mikha to be forgotten. Selflessly, he took up the axe of the Bloodeagle and stepped forward to defend us against the scourge of heresy. Mikha’s task was dangerous, for it was he who stepped into the strongholds of our enemy and preached the truth. As the ranking Elder of the Order in Fronen he stood on the frontline against the Blood Cult. The heathens sought to silence him, but though he received many scars from deluded mobs, his spirit and fervour remained unbroken. Mikha knew the importance to all of humanity of what he did.”

“Now two of mankind’s greatest servants are gone from the mortal plane. Dominicus and Mikha have returned to the Golden Dragon. Do not lament the lose of our guides, for it is the destiny of all men to united with our creator. Instead look to their shining example. The task that Lady Melian set them remains for us to complete. Only by devoting ourselves to spreading the truth of the Golden Dragon and the Ascendant can we truly honour their memory.”

Falling silent, Askarn turned and descended from the platform, Michael and the lesser priests following him towards the great pyre. Silence fell over the square as an large torch, elaborately carved into the maw of a Dragon was handed to Michael, and reverentially lit. Together the two Elders of the Order approached alone. The torch was held out and Askarn took it and lowered the flame. After a moment the wood of the pyre burst into life and the pair continued around the perimeter, lighting it at each of the cardinal points; north, east, south and west. Smoke began to fill the air as flames grew ever higher, marking the death not only of two men, but of an era.

And the birth of another.