Færrin was wholly unprepared for magic when it finally came to their sphere. Something in the world shattered -- some external force pierced a heretofore unknown partition, the firmament, around the planet, and magic came flooding in.
Chaos broke loose: newfound destructive power led to the rise of warlords and extreme magic phenomena brought low once-great cities. A dark wave of unrest spread across the land, and society collapsed for a long, tumultuous time.
The saving grace for the planet was that initial sliver that allowed magic to flow in the first place. Over time, it widened and spread until one day, a voice could be heard from the other side. The listener was a peasant of Calaria, and the speaker was a God.
Enlightenment
The peasant, Aurelia, was the first person on Færrin to hear the words of the outer gods. The being on the other side of the firmament (now known as the Iridescent Host) instructed Aurelia on how she could further chip away at the sliver and let more divinity filter through. After much hardship, she pried the crack until it was larger than a person. Then she passed through to meet the Host beyond.
The day Aurelia met the Host marked the literal dawn of a new age for Færrin. Through the crack came the radiance of the Godhome, forming a second sun in the day's sky. Aurelia became known as a Hierophant: one who has passed into the Godhome and met the Gods. Out of the second sun came blessings of not just the Host but the other Outer Gods that, until then, could only watch the proceedings of Færrin but not intervene.
The Gods' blessings provided a way for the powerless to defend against the tyrants that ruled them and precipitated rapid upheaval as near-everyone flocked to the Outer Gods and their guidance. Old regimes fell, and new, more stable governments took their place, consolidating around religious institutions that followed the deities. Calaria announced a new calendar, marking Aurelia's gift as the first day, and in reverence, it was quickly adopted across the planet.
Soothsayers use decks of cards with the likenesses of the hierophants throughout history as a medium for their future-telling. Each card is associated with an image and personality, and for those far removed from the centers of their belief, the hierophants are known more by their card than their name.
Aurelia I is, as her title would imply, the Hierophant card. She may have been the first to commune with a God, but she wasn't the only one. Today, there are four known hierophants:
IX The Lamp :: Silfane, the Provost of Belvedere, is the card of the Lamp. When the Lamp is pulled, one can expect insight into the unknown or misunderstood.
- XI Justice
- Farrow Cross, the High Arbiter of The Scale, is the card of Justice. Finding Justice in the deck means the truth will be revealed, for better or worse.
- XVI The Tower
- The hierophant who has communed with the Heir of the Plague is the Tower. While it's known that they exist, there's been no confirmation of their identity. The Tower card implies rapid upheaval or disaster, depending on the interpretation.
- XVII The Star
- Alaster Fayn was the head of the Raelic Church and hierophant of The Compelled. His card implies hope and faith, but Alaster was lost on the Night of the Midnight Sun and his replacement has yet to surface.
- XX The Æon
- Aurelia VII, the current Pontifex of the Iridescent Church, is the card of the Æon. Pulling her from an oracle deck portends an awakening or reckoning, depending on the context.
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