Ui Briuin Family/Eoghan Ui Briuin

Eoghan Ui Briuin

Full Name: Eoghan Mac Art Ui Briuin (Pronounced Oh-in Mac Art oo-ee Bree-oo-in)

Age: 23

Class: Priest

Current Rank: Knight

Titles: Margrave of Leibo (formerly Count), The First Saoi, Saoi of Uthred the Unstoppable, Hero of the Imperium, Knight of Tota, Priest of the Path of the Paragons

Former Titles: Marshal of the Flames of Xavax, Knight of Xavax

Height: 5'9"

Build: Mesomorph

Hair Color: Reddish Blond, Red Beard

Eye Color: Bluish-Grey

Blood type: -O

Sign: Sagittarius

A Carefree Life

Eoghan was born the second son of a minor noble family whose plot of lands rested in the wooded hinterlands that bordered the provenances of Xavax and Enubec. Though technically of noble blood the Ui Briuin family had far more in common with the peasant class than those of higher society. The Ui Briuin did not attend any high functions, nor were they present beyond an official swearing of loyalty when the Imperium was founded. As such the youth of Eoghan and his brothers had little to do with what most noble children might have been accustomed to. As a child he was more often found with the local boys roaming the forests of his family land, or messing around with his bow than actual studies. Only on the occasion of a guest gracing the presence of Adare Hall did he even dress as befitting his station. In time this would change, as the boy grew older his interests began to shift more towards becoming the hero his grandparents were. His father also managed to hire a tutor to come when he was around the age of ten to try and educate his otherwise wild children. As such he proceeded into puberty with a little learning and lofty goals for his future. Day in and day out he would find himself either in his books or in the practice field honing his skills with his older brother. He discovered that he made for a remarkably average swordsman, but given the bow and there was not a hunter in the village that could best him. So it was that this was how the days of his youth passed, were it only to remain so. But time and fate move on grander scales and destiny would call Eoghan beyond the small world that he knew.

A Knight of the Black Swan

With the War of the Phoenix taking a turn against the Imperium the Xerarch sent out a call far and wide through her realms to bring forth the forces needed to combat the rising tide against Greater Xavax. As true patriots the Ui Briuin could not ignore the call of the Xerarch and so the current family head called his immediate family to meet. In the end it was Eoghan whose passion won out and he was sent forth with a portion of the family's guard and childhood friends to form the first iteration of his Sparrows to answer the Xerarch's call. Eoghan at the time was twenty and the fresh faced youth had been longing to step out of the shadow of his elder brother Caoimhín. So he served with great vigor in the first few engagements that the newly made Order of the Black Swan was called to. In the beginning the battles they fought were everything a young noble and warrior could have dreamed. To match under the Imperial standard, to take up his bow in defense of his land, and to show the world that a minor house from the hinterlands of Xavax would fight for their home. In the end those first few battles passed with only a few losses to Eoghan's own Sparrows, and yet each loss weighed heavily upon his heart as these were companions he had known most of his life. This also marked the first time in which Eoghan would take the arrows of his slain comrades to carve their names upon the shafts and retire the arrow. This tradition he would carry on throughout his entire military career, keeping with him the Quiver of the Fallen to carry his former soldiers with him always and to act as a memento mori.

After his second battle Eoghan had need to refill his ranks and for the first time true soldiers would march under his standards. This was also the first time in which Eoghan would come to meet his trusted Captain Roderic, although the gruff veteran had his misgivings about the young knight to begin with. Still they worked well together and with the fresh refit the army of the Phoenix of Xavax was ordered to march on Aeng to battle a bandit invasion pushing in towards the Imperium. This battle alone marked a major turning point in the life of the young noble for it was the battle of Aeng that taught him the true horrors of war. In the eve before the armies met messengers went out through the ranks of the army to deliver the arrangements for the army. While a few, including Eoghan, adjusted accordingly to the new battle formations many of the newer knights did not. What resulted from this was chaos on the field where a vast majority of the archer units were slaughtered to a man by the enemy cavalry. Eoghan watched in horror as people he had known his entire life were either struck down by arrows or decimated in the cavalry charge. Still he and his Captain tried to fight, to rally his Sparrows to his call so that the infantry might arrive. Alas both Roderic and Eoghan were struck down by arrows and had to be dragged off the field, they had been the only survivors of Eoghan's unit. What followed was a crushing defeat that left the Phoenix scattered to the winds, among them was the wounded Eoghan and his grievously wounded Captain. The young knight called upon all his knowledge from his youth to take the hidden paths among the woods and evade detection by the bandit forces. For two days he traveled while carrying his barely conscious Captain from Aeng, to Enubec, and finally to their home realm of Xavax. There Eoghan stayed for a night at the hall of his father while his Captain was tended to for his wounds. The Grizzled commander's life would be spared and as the dawn rose they made their way back to the Capital to refit and resurrect his Sparrows once more.

Finally returned to fighting form the armies of the Phoenix were called to action to assist their only ally in the war, Fallangard, in retaking territory lost to them by the forces of Vix Tiramora. So it was that the allies marched northward and had a minor string of victories over their gathered foes. The combined might of the Imperium of Greater Xavax and the Kingdom of Fallangard were able to defeat the forces at Abadan, and following the advantage the Phoenix marched on Moyale to guard their allies in their take over attempt. Alas the defense would not be able to hold as the forces of the Phoenix were running low on provisions and their equipment was damaged, and the armies of Fallangard were slow in their takeover of Abadan. Meanwhile the armies of the Vix were fresh and refit from their defeats and came at the Xavax forces with all they had. The battle of Moyale was one for the history books and both sides suffered heavily, but the Vix forces won the day and the defeated Xavax army retreated to Abadan where their allies waited. Weakened from their loss the combined armies met the Vix once more but in spite of their valiant defense, including a strong showing by Eoghan and his Sparrows, they were once again defeated. The Sparrows were one of the last units to keep fighting in spite of the retreating forces. Reliving their stalwart defense of the wounded and retreating from Moyale not three days before in Abadan now. Of the near fifty to march north only four would leave on their feet, and twelve in total survived the doomed campaign.

The Rise of the Flames

The defeat of their northern campaign acted as a sign of the rising tide against the Imperium during Eoghan's time of service. Already they had some major setbacks and tensions were rising beyond the eye of anyone in the Imperium. So it came to a surprise to everyone when Fallangard denounced Greater Xavax as warmongers and abandoned them to face the armies of the Vix, Perlone, and the two bandit armies alone. Within hours it was made clear what had happened when the Vix released documents showing that the King of Fallangard made a deal with their enemies to betray Greater Xavax for the land they couldn't claim for themselves. Eoghan and most of the Imperium felt the betrayal hard and the young knight swore vengeance for all the lives of his friends that were lost in Moyale and Abadan. It finally seemed like all the world was going against the Imperium when the announcement of a wedding with the Xerarch Selenia and the newly elected King of Perdan Caspian the "Far-Sighted" was announced. It seemed as if finally there was a moment of good news and with Perdan withdrawing from the conflict and a potential alliance in the works the Imperium unleashed their fury upon their former allies of Fallangard. Eoghan and the army took one of Fallangard's territory and the Vix had captured another one to leave them with one last territory to call home. Fallangard was on the ropes and it seemed finally that Perdan would side with the Imperium until fate turned once more and King Caspian the "Far-Sighted" disappeared from the East Continent and the potential alliance was left in tatters.

It was at this point that Perdan held a quick election and a new King would ascend the throne. This King was none other than the former traitor of Greater Xavax, Kellen Dodger, whom incited a civil war within the Imperium and fled upon losing. With his ascension to the kingship it was all but certain that Perdan would reenter the war once more. So it came to pass and five armies arrayed themselves against the Imperium once more. Eoghan took the news especially hard as he had spent the better part of a year fighting in the War of the Phoenix, and just as it seemed they would get a reprieve it was snatched away. He racked his brain trying to find a way out of the situation they had been brought to, and when he finally had one he sent a message to the Xerarch at once. It was not to be though as his proposal was rejected outright, and likely for the best. Instead he was tasked to use his position as a minor noble of the hinterlands to gather up friends and warriors to fight for the Imperium as he had done. Without hesitation Eoghan began put out his own call to any former friend who might answer. In time a few trickled in, then a few more, and before the First Great Battle of Leibo he had gathered five to his cause and formed a small cadre of knights known as Eoghan's Own a day before the battle. When the forces of the allied nations against the Imperium met with the army of the Phoenix the clash was devastating to both sides. With greater numbers the Imperium won the day, and even managed to wound both the Lord Vixer Jeames and the Bandit King Robb. But the loss of the heroic Phoenix Lord Uthred Mormont was an equally crushing blow to the whole of Greater Xavax. Eoghan had been there in his final moments, and he bore witness to the birth of the legend of Uthred the Unstoppable with his own eyes. Driven to a fury at the death of the great hero Eoghan and all those who remained on the field fought with renewed vigor. Their tactics ultimately allowed them to out maneuver the Vix and Bandit armies, and Eoghan and his Sparrows rained hell upon them with every arrow the could manage until the enemy lines broke. When the battle was over Eoghan volunteered as a pall barer to take Uthred's body back to their camp. He even gave a brief speech at the hero's body before turning his anguish upon the lingering enemies within the realm. Ultimately though this would all be for naught as the peasants spurred on by a priest of Vix Tiramora ousted the Imperium from the realm. A result that none within Greater Xavax could abide by. So the forces broke and moved to refit and recruit their armies once again. All the while more answered Eoghan's call until finally he hit the desired ten that he swore to Selenia he would bring. With his end upheld the Xerarch herself sponsored the formation of the second army within the Imperium's history, the Flames of Xavax, and named Eoghan its Marshal as reward for his service.

A Marshal, A Lord, A Hero

With the Flames of Xavax now formed Eoghan's band of fresh knights would be put to the test as orders were given for the reconquering of the realm of Leibo from the enemies of the Imperium. This, as a man who bore witness to the death of Uthred the Unstoppable, was an assault very dear to the newly made commander. He roused his knights to rally in Isadril and from there the newly formed Flames marched with the main army to Leibo once more to reclaim the land from the overthrow of the peasants which had been by the Vixan priest. Their work was quick enough that the land was reclaimed once more for the Imperium, and they were able to hold it for longer than three days which acted as a second boon. For it was in that time that Eoghan was given the great honor of ascending to Lordship and taking up the vacant seat that the great hero of Xavax, Uthred the Unstoppable, had left. This was in part a reward for his service in drawing the knights which now made up the Flames of Xavax to fight for the Imperium, and it was also in recognition for his deeds since he took up arms but two years prior. For in that time Eoghan was ever the stalwart soldier, never once missing a campaign, and in nearly every battle it was his Sparrows that would be some of the last to leave the field. So it was proclaimed by both the Xerarch and the Dutchess Beck Mozzoni that the title of Count of Leibo and all its lands would be given to Eoghan Ui Briuin as the second Phoenix Lord of the land. Eoghan's first act as the new Lord was the redistribution of the lands and the construction of new manors account for some of the landless knights of the Imperium. Eoghan himself elected to take one of the smallest of the new demesnes, Westcourt Hall, for himself as he wished to give any knight that would swear him fealty as much as resources as they needed in the times of war. This would be one of the few acts that Eoghan would be able to take prior to the return of the northern invaders into Leibo once again.

Just as with the First Great Battle of Leibo, the Second would find them on the defensive once more and just as with the First the Imperium managed to pull out a victory at a terrible cost. More so than before Eoghan felt the weight of the deaths that stained the field's of his land red with the blood of the fallen. He walked over torn and soaked fields as the cries of the wounded and the silence of the dead clamored about him and his Sparrows. It was there that he swore not to his Xerarch, not to the courts, or to any authority, but to the land itself that he would do all he could to see it rise to prosperity once more. The solemn event was witnessed by few and only further served to add to his growing fame. Rumors soon began to rise, and from them came stories, and with the stories came the calls for the young Marshal among the pro-Xavax factions of the people in Leibo for their heroic Lord. His deeds were recounted from the letter of his father, to the harrowing escape from the disaster of Aeng, to the fury and skill shown with his bow in both the First and Second Great Battles of Leibo. They hailed Eoghan with the title of Hero of the Imperium and when the word reached him Eoghan was humbled by the call. He understood full well how much the citizen's were hurting, how they needed a force to rally behind, and so once again Eoghan acted to rise to the occasion. He was twenty two years old, and had risen from a minor noble house of up jumped hunters to a Marshal of an Army, A Phoenix Lord of the Imperium, and a Hero to the people. Eoghan remained the Count of Leibo for another five days after taking up the role of a hero before the pro-Vix faction overthrew the region with the armies of Xavax away.

The Midnight Raid that Wasn't

The overthrow of Leibo was the beginning of a back and forward that would go on for a few months time, although the knights of the Imperium were not wholly aware of it at the time. So rallying their forces the Phoenix and the Flames marched for Leibo once again, and once again they would be forced to take Leibo back into the fold. The methods were surgical in their precision as the knights of the Imperium targeted dissenters and those who rose up to overthrow the land. It was at this time that Eoghan had been contacted by, and planned a meeting with, Sir Barahir Ridder in relation to the stories of Count Uthred the Unstoppable appearing sporadically throughout the Second Great Battle of Leibo to assist the soldiers of the Imperium. Eoghan had found them to be odd rumors at first, and almost dismissed them out of hand as phantom images brought on during the chaos of the four hour battle. Were it not for the sheer number of reports he might never have given it much thought, but as more came in the young Marshal began to have the tales recorded. Soon it appeared as a pattern revealing itself before his very eyes, and as if by providence the missive from Sir Barahir reached Eoghan as the first eye witness account from a landed noble of repute. So it was that a time was set where they might meet and discuss, and while the peasant revolt stopped them from gathering at Westcourt Hall the two did manage to meet at Sir Barahir's camp while retaking Leibo for the third time. Unfortunately the meeting was cut short as no sooner had Eoghan sat down to begin the discussion would a rider baring the Imperial banner ask to see him. As it turned out the rider initially missed Eoghan by but a few minutes when he left his own camp for Sir Barahir's. With him was an important message, a secret call to the Heroes of the Imperium to gather at Westcourt and attend the Xerarch herself. With such a call Eoghan could not delay, and so he bid his host farewell and rode for his home where he would be the third to arrive because of the delay in getting the message. Already attending the Xerarch was the Countess Gia Dragonfyre and her direwolves, as well as the bardic knight Liam. When their last compatriot arrived the Xerarch would begin the meeting by informing them all of the defection and subsequent capture of the former knight Gilth Gildre of Vix Tiramora. This would not stand by any account as Gilth had submitted himself to the Xerarch to be judged before seeing if he were worthy to become a Knight of the Imperium, and she would not be denied the opportunity.

Their time was limited as the news was getting older by the hour, and if Sir Gilth was taken beyond Abadan then all hopes of recovering him would likely be lost barring diplomatic intervention. So the Three Heroes, the Countess, and her direwolves rode and ran with all haste across the river and into the land of Abadan once more. Eoghan found himself acting as a guide through the back country due in part to his history, and in part because he had made use of the back country to sneak out of Abadan after the doomed campaign to assist the traitorous Fallangard a year before. Under the cover of a waxing moon the small strike force made their way ever closer to the camp of the Vix forces. Through guile, stealth, and in rare cases violence they managed to deal with the increasing patrols they came across. Until finally they managed to make it to the outskirts of the encampment. Each member of their band would split up in hopes of causing the most confusion so that one of their number might sneak in and free Sir Gilth. Eoghan, dressed in leathers and a dark hood and cloak, covered the bottom half of his face to hide his breath before drawing back his bow to start the raid. Yet before he could fire a commotion sprang up in the camp, aided by an unknown ally who had secretly joined the group without their knowledge. Seeing in this the moment to strike he let his arrows loose upon any commander or level headed Vixan soldier he could see as the cry of the direwolves filled the night's air. Any who might have restored order fell to his arrows, and as the chaos fed upon itself Sir Gilth managed to make his escape. For the heroes, they would linger for a time, keeping up the attack to buy time for Knight to get free of the camp. By the time any semblance of order was restored the band was already long gone and making their way back to the Leibo, the land freshly taken for the Imperium, and a special assembly of the court. Eoghan barely managed a few hours rest before the gathering took place, and there when asked who would speak for Sir Gilth to join the Imperium he was one of the many who stepped forward and spoke for the Knight. Recounting his valor on the field, personally attesting to his devotion while not explaining how, and offering him residence within Leibo should he ever wish to take up a position as a knight of the land.

It was, in the end, Sir Liam who spoke more candidly of the raid before being silenced by the Xerarch's stare. Thus the rumors began to spread of the Heroes' Raid that Wasn't.

The Ashes of Xavax

The Third Great Battle of Leibo came and went without any ground breaking clash like the first two had. It would go down in history as a hard fought battle, and one that Xavax barely managed to squeeze out a victory in. But the fight was one to reclaim the land lost once more to the Vix, this time by a take over of the realm properly and not a peasant revolt. Order was to eventually be restored and Eoghan would once more take up his role as the Count of Leibo. All in all his time as the ruler seemed sporadic at best, for the constant fighting over the fertile realm deprived both sides of the Phoenix Wars time and time again. It was ultimately the people of Leibo, Eoghan's people, who suffered the most during this time. With the armies frequent intervention from both sides it was hard to gain any stability. Any civil work that the Imperium tried to do to repair the damage was swept away before the projects could really go anywhere. Still Eoghan, remembering the vow he made to the land earlier that year, did his all to try and restore the people to this land. At the same time he also worked to expand his knowledge of tactics and of religion during this reprieve. Expanding his mind far more than he ever truly tried as a child, and finding especially in the religious texts so many questions that needed answering based off of what now he and many others within the Imperium experienced. The young Count would travel with his texts as he carried out the Talon's commands that sent him and his knights from one battlefield to the next. Eoghan was also at this time helping to mentor another rising star by the name of Sir Solomon Steele in being a Marshal. For it was this youth of seventeen who seemed to be walking the path he had blazed to gaining a third army for the Imperium.

In spite of the chaos of the war things were honestly seeming to settle for Eoghan in the bizarre rhythm that had been developing. In retrospect he should have seen the signs, that nothing ever remained constant in times of war. It seemed like any other day during the normalized routine of give and take that the war had taken on, and yet it would be one that would live on in the history of the Imperium. Eoghan and his army had been camping out in the region of Igno while their enemies of Vix Tiramora and Perdan looted and sacked their way across Leibo. The forces of the Flames and some of the Phoenix were not yet enough to contend with the strength the northern invaders brought upon his people. So it was that he was held while awaiting reinforcements from Xavax itself and fuming with every new report of the allied forces upon his people. Storehouses were raided of food in a recovering land, fields and homes were burned without discrimination, and there he stood helpless with his Sparrows just a few hours ride away from his lands. Then a new set of reports began to flood in, the bandit realms had made a deep incursion into the Imperium and sacked the Capital. At first it seemed almost too ridiculous to believe, but the field reports came one after another until the fated letter announcing the death of the Xerarch reached him. Eoghan for his part was stunned into a silence he almost could not recover from, and he viewed the letter as one might a cursed object. Yet there it was, the truth right before the hero's eyes, his ruler...his Xerarch had been slain. What managed to break him of the silence was a new report, hand delivered by his Captain of a Perdan Knight who commanded his men to rape and pillage a township within Leibo. It was just too much to handle and the fury within Eoghan burned hotter than ever before, in that moment he swore that should he get his hands upon the knight who committed such atrocious acts upon his people he would them their innards piece by piece until they choked on the bile. His anger raged hotter than it ever had before and were it not for his Captain to calm him Eoghan might have done far more damage than burying his knife into his table. With only some semblance of control regained Eoghan to pen a letter to the Arbiter of the realm swearing his loyalty to the Xerarch Selenia's heir, and in likely the wisest move he could make he acted against his impulses to await the Talon's orders instead of sending his men off in a crusade of vengeance.

What followed though was perhaps beyond miraculous as the reports of the Xerarch's death quickly became overturned by new reports that she had risen once more from the dead. Rumors swirled about and stories clashed within the Imperium, and more so abroad, but there was one undeniable truth to all upon the East Continent and that was Xerarch Selenia Jevondair was alive once more. For Eoghan this was but another sign of the guiding hands of something greater was acting in favor of the Imperium though he was not sure as to what. It was only with the release of the Xerarch's memoirs The Ashes of Xavax that the young Hero of the Imperium was given further proof to his musings from earlier in the year. In the following days Eoghan became consumed with his research and stretched himself thin between his books on the divine, planning the movements of his army, and fighting in the field. Yet his youthful vigor and burning passion kept him going and the first inklings of a new faith began to show themselves.

The Meeting of the Royals

As the months passed the war was once again begining to reach a sort of deadlock. With the Imperium pushing at the allied forces, and in turn being pushed back. The constant struggle was still fierce but little was changing the dynamics of the two opposed forces at this time. Meanwhile Eoghan was progressing further with his works, and after obtaining the records from his new found friend Sir Barahir the base form of The Path of the Paragons had taken shape. Ecstatic about his discovery Eoghan was all to happy to begin subtly interjecting some of the key concepts in his interactions with his fellow nobles. He wanted to shape the narrative so that when the time was right and he could officially reform the religion his fellow nobles would be ready to accept it.

It was also roughly at this time that a delegation from the mighty kingdom of Caligus had been invited to meet with the Xerarch in Isadril, and as a Marshal of the Flames, The Margrave of Leibo, and a Hero of the Imperium Eoghan was called to attend the meeting. Of course this was to be done in true Xavaxian fashion and so what was to be meeting of the Great Rulers of two realms turned into a party. The grand affair was held at The Black Swan Inn, and as with most Xavaxian parties it was to be a masquerade. Eoghan went in attendance as a woodpecker, and through the laws and customs of the Imperium he met and aided the High King Zinar in finding his Xerarch without telling where she actually was. For Xerarch Selenia had donned the Golden Masque and while wearing it she was not officially present until it was removed. This would mark the first time Eoghan would come to meet a foreign ruler, but certainly not the last. In time the evening would draw to a close and Eoghan and his Sparrows would be called away to aid in the war effort. But he carried with him the memory of the night, which would eventually come to be known as The Masquerade of the Monarchs, in which Caligus pledged their support to the Imperium in the coming days of the war.

The First Saoi

Eoghan turned twenty-three in a campaign in the south against the Bandits of the Black City where the Imperium would come to take control of Enubec, Aeng, Itor Boss, and Noritor. During this campaign he pushed to spread word of the unofficial religion, The Path of the Paragons, to the people during cultural exchanges. It was also in this time that he convinced his long time friend and Vice-Marshal Edward Ulric to run for the Lordship of Enubec. Although Eoghan was a silent supporter for his bid, it turned out Edward needed little help in the running for the other nobles of the Imperium to vote him into the Lordship. The celebration during this time was short lived though, as military affairs took precedence and a clash with the allied armies would eventually halt the advances of the Imperium in the south. Noritor would come to be lost, but that proved to be all that the bandits could take on their own. Meanwhile the Vix, with the help of Perdan would claim Oc Lu Pesh and Betholm for their own as the Imperium withdrew.

As they passed through Enubec word reached the armies of the Imperium that another foreign dignitary was coming to visit their capital city. These were the Queens of Eponllyn in the north and they were passing through Isadril by the time word reached them. Taking the initiative Eoghan sent out a letter to his fellow nobles calling for an Honor Guard to escort the Queens through their lands. He then rode off at full pace to arrive in Tota and arrange his Sparrows with little time to spare. Others followed suit and with the Honor Guard formed Eoghan and his comrades would lead the Queens safely into the Capital where they could rest from their travels. With the new guests came another party, this one a grand banquet held in the Queens honor where many of the single men of the Imperium competed for the Queen's favor. Eoghan greeted and spoke with them both for a time, but the night's festivities were interrupted with a call to march. So it was that Eoghan rallied his men and his army and marched to a pitched battle with the enemy forces. Sadly, due to some miscommunication not all the forces of the Imperium marched, and so the close fought fight ended in a loss to the Imperium. The bloody battle had sapped the invaders of the strength, and yet the loss of life for the Imperium was great as well. So it was that this would be the last campaign Eoghan would fight with bow and blade and with his Sparrows.

The Reformation of a Religion

Fresh from the fighting Eoghan received a letter from his Xerarch with but a few words instruction. To visit a bank and take all the gold he could carry with him to Leibo, and that it was time. Eoghan did as he was bid knowing that his months of labor were about to pay off and so he moved from realm to realm until arriving in Isadril. There he prepared his speech in the morning and set off for his realm once more. By the friendly terms set up by his Xerarch the new High King of Caligus returned the realm of Leibo to the Imperium, and once more Eoghan was made its Lord. Eoghan, setting up his camp in the former Imperial campsite where Uthred the Unstoppable's body was taken to after his death, prepared for the evening's ritual. That night he walked the path, and before Queen Kira of Eponllyn, and his Xerarch he announced the formation of The Path of the Paragons. Forswearing his offices and his command to take up the life of a priest.

Eoghan's eyes glanced out over those whom had gathered following the summons of the Xerarch for this event. His two words to the gathered crowd had just barely left his lips to fill the air as he cast a glance to the somber mask that his Xerarch wore upon her features. To her side stood the radiant Queen of Eponllyn whose attention, at least for the moment, had been held by the Margrave Eoghan as he made the ceremonial path to the shrine of Uthred. Two Queens of two great nations that drew their origins in the south. Two heroines that lead their people with dignified grace and bold action. There were undoubtedly many similarities between the two and Eoghan in his heart of hearts hoped that as their alliance bore fruit there might be more chances to learn of one another. The very idea of strengthening the bonds between their two nations filled him with vigor and gave his bluish-grey eyes a familiar gleam, to at least the Xerarch.

"Tonight we have gathered here at this most sacred of sites to honor our fallen from our past and to realize a new future. This future is one that is not just for our peoples but for all peoples the world over; for tonight will be one that forever goes down in the annuls of history as a new chapter for the Imperium and for Eponllyn. It is here now, in this place, on this hallowed ground upon which we stand that we make our declaration to the very heavens that we shall not fall to the vile and wicked. We declare to the world that our nations shall never break before those who would cast aside their own souls to depravity and villainy, and to those who taint their enech before the eyes of man and the Gods by aiding these beasts in men's skin! Here upon this ground, where so many fought and died...where a Paragon among men fell and rose again we declare a new dawn! The first and greatest lesson of the Paragon Uthred Mormont, is that one must always rise and rise again, even when the weight of the world bares down upon you. By doing so you show not only your enemies by the world and the heavens your resolve and cultivate an enech, a presence, that will stand the test of time and carry you...carry us all beyond the maelstrom that we all come to face upon our deaths. For it is upon our earthly demise that the spark of creation that resides within us all and makes up our souls returns to the very Font of Creation that all things were originally drawn from by the Gods' will!

I will not lie, nor deceive any of you in that such a journey back to the very source of creation is not something that any normal person can bare. With just a sliver of it we living beings can make life and experience life in all its wonders. But the absolute source of all creation is something only the Gods might touch upon without being overwhelmed in its sheer power. It is as a maelstrom to the living soul, one that tears at all you are so that it might make you one with creation once more. It is possible to survive this though, to maintain yourself in the well of all power. We know this to be true for we have already seen many times over the messengers of the Gods come to mankind time and time again. In an act of arrogance beyond measure we mistook the messengers as Gods themselves for they were in our own image. But what are we to something beings that made our very world, our cosmos, and the infinite worlds beyond our comprehension? We who can not even withstand the power of creation itself without assistance. In their eyes we must be like a lone ant wandering upon the floor, something beyond notice for beings with so large a scope. Yet much like we might occasionally view the lone ant if it remains long enough, so to might the Gods themselves notice our souls within the Font if we can survive. Those that they notice they take into their power and give them new life to serve at their sides as Exhalted. They make them messengers and intermediaries to us mortals for their divine will, Paragons, and send them to our world once more with their power to act on their behalf. The elves of Sirion have the Paragons of Iniarbel, the Tree of Beginning, we know them to be Aerosa, Nohl, Izula, Revanok, Astal, Tydalin, Vehestia, Ghev Loa, and Ebella. The Trinitists have mistaken the Paragons Ánradh, Treoraí, and Caissa as Gods, but they to were once humans long ago and through their legend they came to serve some unnamed God. Now here, in the Imperium a new Paragon was born on this very spot the day that Uthred Mormont fell. He was a man whose deeds are well known across the continents, a man who cultivated his enech with each act of bravery and heroism so that an entire nation's people would remember him. It was through that power of remembrance, of presence in our world that he lived on in the next until a God chose him to act as its intermediary in our world. He who rose again, just as he had done in life, to aid the people of Xavax during the Second Great Battle of Leibo, and to deliver to us by the will of the Gods our Xerarch when she had been taken from her people. Not as some monstrous undead as some would have the world believe, but as a human being once more to fight and to live for her nation. By the Will of the Paragons.

So it is by this will that I officially announce the formation of a new faith here at his shrine so that he might hear our intentions and carry them to the Gods themselves! In the spirit of the Paragon Uthred the Unstoppable, we shall not turn away from the truths that he has shown. But instead we shall embrace them fully and from this day we shall walk the path he has laid out. The Path of the Paragons!" As Eoghan spoke one could almost feel the fire building up within him as each word said aloud carried with it a greater and greater thrill. As he finally finished his last word resounded with a thunderous passion that filled the air with is call. No sooner had he finished though would his declaration be answered as the flames of each and every marker for the fallen Shieldwall suddenly erupted in a glorious blaze. Shooting out a jet of flame all at once and fading after a moment, while to those who were of the Imperium could almost feel the very presence of the man whose shrine they had gathered at lingering in the air.

– Eoghan Ui Briuin the First Saoi of The Path of the Paragons

((more to come))