OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Expand on Eldorai culture and lore. Codify a group referenced in roleplay and Codex submissions. This group operates within the framework of the Firemane Industries minor faction. This is a resubmission of a sub that was approved under the old Codex rules, utilising the new template.
Image Credit: Here. 'Saherim Melianne' by CorbinHunter.
Canon: N/A
Links: Church of Ashira, Eldorai, Kaeshana, Eldorai Exodus from Kaeshana, Tygara, Twin Exiles, Ashiranism, Shadow Knights, Blessed Guardians, Firemane.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Organization Name: The Faithful Community of Believers who Aspire to Ashira's Grace. Or the Aspirants for short, since the full name is clunky for anyone except the pedantic.
Classification: Religious Cult.
Affiliation: Eldorai, Sahome Tyral, Ashiranism.
Organization Symbol: The Aspirants use a rising sun as their symbol, for it represents the light of Ashira.
Description: The Aspirants are new Eldorai religious movement that has split off from the orthodox Church of Ashira. They are composed of those who believe that the true word of the Goddess has been forgotten and that the Church had traded it for mammon. Unlike some reactionary movements, the Aspirants take a more radical inclusive stance towards egalitarian religion. In what could be called a Reformation, they have abolished formal ecclesiastic ranks and returned to the teachings of the scriptures. In contrast to the orthodox Ashirans, they are strict monotheists. In contrast to the orthodox Ashiran Church, the Aspirants have a decentralised leadership.
GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Headquarters: Paragon of Faith, an Asur Class Worldship.
Domain: Nomad fleet. The Aspirants do not control permanent planetary holdings. The basis of their society is a nomad fleet. No permanent planetary domains. Preachers, congregations and cells can be found in several Eldorai colonies and arkships.
Notable Assets: The Aspirants do not have large assets. They have access to a number of of corvettes, frigates, carriers and cruisers. But they cannot field large war fleets. They also have gas collectors, mining, cargo and salvage vessels and some manufacturing ships.
SOCIAL INFORMATION
Hierarchy: The Aspirants believe that where the mainline Eldorai went wrong was 'surrounding Ashira with a collar of bureaucracy'. Hence they favour a decentralised structure. However, they reject the idea that every congregation should be fully independent. Instead each local church is governed by a body of elected elders, which is usually called the consistory. Groups of local congregations are governed by a higher assembly of prelates. The believers join together in an elected synod, in which each congregation is represented. It votes on important matters that concern the community as a whole. Because some form of managerial body is needed, the synod has a smaller working committee called the Quorum. It handles regular business in between sessions of the synod. The Aspirant nomad fleet has a Strategos, who acts as commander-in-chief but is otherwise a figurehead who defers to the council on political matters. She directs the forces of an alliance called the Covenant. Not all Aspirant groups are part of it. All Aspirants together form the priesthood. Thus there is no strict separation between clerics and laypeople. The local elder is a learned Aspirant who guides her fellow believers by setting an example.
The Aspirants use a conciliar method of church government, in other words leadership by council. Thus, the elders govern together as a group, and at all times the office is for the service of the congregation, to pray for them and to encourage them in the faith. Individual churches are still not fully independent, but answer to the wider church. Sahome Tyral refused the title of High Priestess of Ashira. Formally she is one elder among many, but she just happen to be more equal than others. Hence her word carries tremendous weight. This has less to do with a formal position and more to do with her charismatic authority. Indeed, she eschews formal titles or posts that would make her stand out. The less hierarchial structure makes it easier for Non-Force-Users to rise to positions of influence than in the orthodox Church of Ashira, though many of the top jobs are still in the hands of space mages.
Membership: In principle the Aspirants are open to all Eldorai who agree with their principles. Those who embrace the faith undergo an initiation ceremony where they pledge themselves to Ashira. Younglings go through a ritual akin to baptism. Members must not be associated with groups regarded as hostile to Eldorai interests. They must also pledge themselves to the Goddess and the defence of the freedom of the Eldorai people - within reason, obviously. Force-Sensitive priestesses tend to use empathic and healing powers in service of the Goddess. Some have even manifested farsight. Others are warrior clerics who smite enemies of the Eldorai with Ashira's flame. However, the scale of their abilities varies. The Aspirants do maintain a militia to protect their members. Believers are encouraged to do their part to protect the local Eldorai community or colony ship they happen to belong to.
Climate: Characterised by fervent faith in the Goddess Ashira, but also fierce struggles for position and the suspicion of outside agents. The calamities the Eldorai endured over the past two decades, such as the destruction of Kaeshana, have left their mark on the Aspirants and created a bit of a siege mentality. They see Eldorai society as on the brink and believe that only thrift, enterprise, strength, resilience and faith in Ashira can save them.
There are also plenty of theological debates that are immensely difficult for outsiders to grasp, but which many Aspirants consider to be extremely important. To them, it can be the difference between salvation and damnation. However, the group is not defined by obscure theological issues alone. Believers are expected to live frugal, goddess-fearing lives, work hard and do their duty. In contrast to say the Church of Ashira, society is less hierarchial and there is more room for bottom-up, grassroots initiatives. Some Aspirant communities have a strong populist element, while others are more oligarchic and dominated by a few 'wise women'. However, those who join the group must generally pass trials to prove their devotion. In contrast to say the Shadow Knights, the structure of the Aspirant nomad fleet is more democratic. Their more decentralised, less hierarchial structure leaves more room for bottom-up, grassroots initiatives. However, at the same time they are more bigoted. Every believer may be able to find their own way to Ashira, but they are expected to worship her. As a result, there is also a lot of indirect pressure to be as devout as possible. There are also laws against blasphemy.
The Aspirants encourage charitable works and almsgiving. Great efforts are made to preserve Eldorai lore and culture, including the recovery of lost artefacts and cultural heirlooms. Ostentatious displays of wealth are frowned upon, for they are seen as a sign of decadence. As an Aspirant priestess said, the Goddess did not want her children to grow greedy and worship gold. The Aspirants promote modest attire and disdain wasteful use of hard-earned money, which includes the purchase of luxuries. By working hard, a believer glorifies the Goddess. Those perceived as 'lazy' or unwilling to do their part are looked down upon. A believer is required to pursue a vocation with as much zeal as possible. Eldorai birth rates are low and so the Aspirants encourage their members to have several children. As discussed further below, they support traditional, matriarchal family structures.
Religious iconography is common among Aspirant combat formations. Warrior-priestesses often fight alongside regular troopers. Soldiers who die in the name of Ashira are considered martyrs and honoured in religious ceremonies. Their families receive pensions and other benefits. It is the law that all Force-Users (called Sciians) by the Eldorai must be trained how to control their powers. Those who display an aptitude for combat are conscripted by the military. Sciians who shirk this duty or practice their powers in secret without being sanctioned are considered lawbreakers. The Aspirants are rather suspicious of foreigners. They believe the old Church lost its way when it compromised with them, forsaking the teachings of the Goddess. They realise the necessity of adapting modern technology though.
Reputation: The royalist Eldorai see them as heretics at worst, misguided at best. To some extent the Shadow Knights see them as useful, but also as rivals for recruits. Firemane does not like them as much as they are very religious and outside of their control. While some Tygaran elves have joined the Aspirants, on the whole many of the other elves do not have that high of an opinion of the Aspirants as their message is pretty Eldorai-centric. To anyone who is not an elf they are probably just a group of exceptionally pious or plain weird space elves.
Curios: 'Book of Light' - the Ashiran holy book. Also copies of Sahome's 59 theses. Some senior leaders can be awarded a Sarix or carry a Force imbued blade, staff or similar.
Rules:
- Sacrosanct is the belief that Ashira is the creator goddess and that all angels and spirits are manifestations of Her grace, given form by Her divine will and part of Her eternal design. There is no Goddess but Ashira and the Eldorai are her children and were made in her image. Heresy, apostates, false prophets, demons and atheism are true aberrations to the truly faithful. Ashira is everywhere and Her Will are what guides all things. The Aspirants reject the idea that the Star Queen of the Eldorai is Ashira's governor and emissary in the mortal world.
- There are several texts, but the Book of Light is considered the key text. It contains the writings of Ashira, her disciples and later commentaries and epistles by holy males and females.
- Martyrs can achieve eternal favour by sacrifice for the faith and can be venerated but not worshipped. The most blessed will become angels.
- Justification by scripture alone. Priesthood of all believers.
- It is forbidden to make idols or representations of Ashira.
The Aspirants' beliefs are best understood in relation to those of the orthodox Ashirans. Traditionally, the Eldorai are polytheistic. However, all Gods and Goddesses are subordinate to the chief of the pantheon, Ashira the Great Goddess. Ashira is the creator of the Eldorai in their religion and is also the one who empowers each Star Queen with her authority. The Star Queen is not just a temporal ruler, but the High Priestess of Ashira, acting as her representative in the mortal world.
The Eldorai creation myth postulates that In the beginning, Ashira was created by the sun, the moon and the stars to create a chosen race which would one day inherit the universe. She in turn created the pantheon, infusing part of her knowledge into each, and then formed the Eldorai to be perfect creatures in her image. Thus Ashiran faith does not incorporate a concept akin to original sin. Aside from Ashira, Chief of the Gods, Goddess of Light, Fire and the Air, the pantheon consists of the following deities:
- Valora – Goddess of War and Honour.
- Tyth – Goddess of the Oceans and Water.
- Ardarvia – Goddess of Law, Order and Justice.
- Liorre – Goddess of Craft and Trade.
- Ferrano – God of Agriculture and Fertility.
- Kyran – God of Nature and Animals
- Illyria – Goddess of the Underworld and Death.
These deities are manifestations of Ashira's eternal will and part of her eternal design. However, Illyria grew envious of Ashira's place and rebelled against the forces of light. To mock Ashira, she spawned demonic creatures. Illyria and Ashira are believed to have fought in an epic battle, at the end of which Illyria managed to wound but not kill Ashira. As punishment, Illyria and her followers were banished into the abyss beneath the earth. Meanwhile, Ashira ascended to the heavens. One day she is expected to return and lead her people to glory. Since Illyria turned on the queen of heaven and spawned demonic creatures, she's an object of fear and revulsion instead of veneration.
Those who transgress go to hell and suffer horrible punishment. By contrast, heaven is seen as a paradise for the faithful. When an Eldorai passes from the mortal veil, she is judged by the Goddess. All deeds, both good and bad, are laid bare before the Goddess, all lies fall away to reveal whether she has been virtuous in life and done good. Those who pass this trial are welcomed in the realm of Ashira. Their mortal lives are regarded as a mere prelude to this noble calling, for they are now reunited with their ancestors and the Heavenly Mother. Those who fail the divine judgement are cast down to Illyria's realm, where Ashira's fallen daughter plots against her mother and aims to ever despose her. But the dark one always fails in her schemes. The other Eldorai deities have their own cults and temples, though veneration of Illyria is forbidden. The Ashirans acknowledge the other gods and goddesses, but regard them as subservienr to Ashira as they are manifestations of her will. Extremely devout Ashirans would probably switch to outright monotheism if they could. Ashira is regarded as supreme and is thus the goddess an Ashiran would pray to.
The Aspirants agree with the basics of the creation myth. Ashira was created as in the orthodox scriptures, made the Eldorai in her image, was betrayed by Illyria and ascended to heaven. Their views on the afterlife are also the same. However, the Aspirants reject the idea of a polytheistic pantheon. Valora, Ardarvia, Illyria etc. are not deities, but more comparable to angels. Thus Aspirants cannot venerate them. Being extremely devout Ashirans, they have embraced outright monotheism. Moreover, the Aspirants do not regard the Star Queen as Ashira's viceroy. Rather they postulate that every believer can find her own way to the Heavenly Mother, without requiring a Queen or a cleric to act as an intermediary. This makes the Queen a purely secular ruler. Justification by scripture alone is one of their pillars. Another is priesthood of all believers. According to Aspirants, the believers must cut down the flummery, opulence and trappings of the old Church. Priestesses are expected to set an example by living in austerity. Of course, the Aspirant clerics are just as fallible as sentient beings everywhere, but that is the ideal. Certain strands of the Aspirants believe in predestination. According to this concept, Ashira has a divine plan no mortal can know or change. Salvation can be achieved through faith alone. Jalthira Calvani is a strong proponent of it.
On the whole, the Aspirants are opposed to absolute monarchy. Several of them view monarchy as blasphemous, proclaiming that Ashira is the one true queen. However, being Eldorai, they are also sceptical of direct democracy. Their political views tend more towards some form of oligarchy. Some advocate a form of theodemocracy, or an elective queenship from among the various members of the council; others would be content with a separation of Crown and Church, though they would still expect society to be guided by Ashiran morality and the Queen to accept the 'advice' of a council of 'virtuous, godly women'. They strongly oppose the sale of indulgences. Indeed it was this practice that caused their spiritual founder, Sahome Tyral, to become an outspoken critic of the old Church. Her opposition culminated in her nailing 59 theses to the door of an Ashiran Cathedral.
Pan-Eldorai nationalism is another one of their pillars. The Aspirants are deeply opposed to forces they consider inimical to Eldorai. These include the First Order due to its occupation of Kaeshana, Sith and slavers. While not directly hostile, they have a rather negative opinion of Jedi, viewing their beliefs as incompatible with Eldorai traditions. The Aspirants believe that all those of Eldorai blood should unite and thus they welcome the Vashyada, Xioquo and Qadiri into their community, regarding them as fellow Asurans. However, they are more than a little patronising about it, as several of their leaders still believe the Eldorai have a 'civilisational mission' when it comes to their 'cousins'. Like the mother church, the Aspirants are not pacifists. Nor do they subscribe to the idea that a priestess may not shed blood. Ashira may be the creator, but she is also the martial goddess of fire and a just war is seen as righteous. Those who die fighting for the Goddess are regarded as martyrs.
Regarding the topic of male rights, the Aspirants have conservative views, espousing the traditional, matriarchal family structure. While they acknowledge that certain pragmatic concessions must be made in times of need, such as war, overall they believe that men should stay at home. According to one of their preachers, the Goddess' plan for a man is homemaking. There is no higher goal a man may desire and no nobler calling for him in this world. It his duty to be a helpmate for his wife, look after the children and take care of the domestic sphere. They believe that family structures are crumbling and view this with concern.
From the very beginning, the Goddess created men to be fathers and homemakers. She created the family unit, with clear roles and guidance for each person in it. A man must love his wife, love his children, be discreet, be virtuous, a good homemaker and obedient to his wife, so that the word of the Goddess is not blasphemed. Within his goddess-appointed realm, a man is a king, outside of it he is in trouble. It is a vital part of how a man can bring the Goddess' glory in his daily life. He must raise his wife's children to be good, hard-working and virtuous. Strong churches and strong communities cannot be built without strong homes, which requires both genders to fulfil their divinely-ordained duties. One might note that the Aspirants make no distinction between adopted and biological children. This is in keeping with common Eldorai views. A child is yours if you acknowledge it as such and take care of it.
The Church is also still somewhat xenophobic concerning non-Eldorai. They should be treated well, but not as well as Eldorai. The Aspirants stress that the Eldorai must take pride in themselves and their own culture, instead of following foreign fads. Outsiders may have superior technology, but Eldorai have souls created by the Goddess. However, this does not translate into rejection of foreign know-how. Instead the Aspirants stress that Eldorai should learn to master foreign technology so that they can develop it on their own and use it for the benefit of their people, without abandoning their values. They encourage traditional Eldorai attire, food and music. Likewise, they are opposed to marriages between Eldorai and non-Eldorai. They are still rather racist towards Kar'zun. Unsurprisingly for Eldorai, the Aspirants have very uncompromising views on slavery, viewing it as a great evil and those who promote or profit from it as the lowest of scum. Consequently their methods for punishing slavers are extremely harsh. This is probably one of the few things virtually every Eldorai group agrees on.
Goals: To uphold and propagate the true faith, free oppressed Eldorai, offer them shelter, protection and salvation. Build a new home for their people.
MEMBERS
Sahome Tyral is the founder of the Aspirant movement. Once a loyal Ashiran cleric, she became a renegade when she denounced corruption in the Church. Persecuted by Church and State, she was driven into exile, where she further developed her radical beliefs and created a network of followers. While far from the first preacher of this nature, she has had a profound impact. Sahome is an inspirational leader who can sway a crowd with her words and religious fervour, but also wrestles with guilt about having further split the children of Ashira. Calamities such as the Netherworld Event and the destruction of Kaeshana haunt her. She believes that Eldorai society has degenerated over the centuries and that the true message of the Goddess was lost in an age of materialism. Disdaining titles, Sahome holds no formal post. Officially she is just a servant of Ashira among many. However, her word carries tremendous weight in the council of the Aspirants. Nonetheless, she does not possess absolute power. The decentralised nature of the Aspirant movement makes it difficult for anyone to be an autocrat.
Her 59 theses are required reading for Aspirants, and she has written several pamphlets outlining her ideas, such as 'To the Ashiran Nobility' and 'On the Freedom of an Ashiran Woman'. Sahome is a Force-User who focuses on pyromancy, healing and protective powers. Her primary role is that of inspiration and leadership not combat, though she is not afraid to take her place among the warriors and fight at their side if needed. If she is present on a battlefield, she is best in a support role, buffing, shielding and healing allies while blasting enemies with her elemental fire abilities.
Lilandra Taeyr is one of Sahome's spiritual followers and a warrior of Ashira trying to atone for atrocities she committed while in the service of Tirathana VI. She was one of Sahome's Angelii guards during the latter's trial for heresy. Moved by the priestess' sincerity and religious fervour, she helped Sahome escape from prison and followed her into exile. Lilandra considers herself a warrior of the Goddess and the Eldorai people. Brave and passionate, she has to wrestle with guilt about her past sins. She is a strong cryomancer and skilled in the use of heavy weapons, making her very potent at range. While honest and forthright, she is somewhat patronising towards Tygaran natives.
Mylaela Liawyn is a senior member of the Blessed Guardians, a unit of Force-Sensitive defensive specialists. They were founded in the honour of Sister Haela, who gave her life to shield an Eldorai village from an Archangel air strike. Mylaeala was an inhabitant of the village. She came from a low class family and was one of the Forsaken who had been left behind on Kaeshana during the Exodus. Having experienced Kaeshana's desolation and lost family, she'd denounced Ashira. Haela's sacrifice rekindled her faith and inspired her to join the movement. She is a Force-User with a focus on protective abilities, physical augmentation and melee combat.
One of the senior leaders of the Aspirant movement - and a rival to Sahome - is Jalthira Calvani, an Ashiran theologian, elder and reformer. She is a tireless polemic and apologetic writer who has generated much controversy. Calvani teaches that if a ruler rises up against the Goddess, she loses her divine right and must be deposed. With regard to trade and the financial world she is more liberal than Sahome. Like other reformers she understands work as a means through which the believers glorify the Goddess and as a service to their neighbours. From her perspective, everyone is obliged to work; loafing and begging is rejected. She also espouses the controversial idea that economic success is a visible sign of the Goddess' grace, though she disdains materialism. She urges believers to be producers rather than consumers and to invest their profits to create more jobs for industrious workers who are thereby enabled to 'contribute to a productive society and a vital, expansive church'. She counsels Aspirants to seek sufficient comfort and economic self-sufficiency but to avoid the pursuit of luxuries or the accumulation of material wealth for its own sake. She was involved in the burning of the Eldorai theologian Micaela Servetia, whom she'd believed deserved death on account of what she termed her 'execrable blasphemies'. She is a strong proponent of the doctrine of predestination.
Solanis Kalth serves as Strategos of the Covenant, making her general-in-chief. She is both pious and very ambitious; the type of religious general who is motivated by Goddess, gold and glory in equal measure. She is a skilled battlefield commander. Deeply religious, she desires her soldiers to comport themselves as an Ashiran army. To this end, she enforces stern punishments against looting and other violations. She keeps her troops together through a combination of discipline, skill and personal charisma. However, while her piousness is beyond any doubt, she also pursues her own personal agenda. Solanis is a Non-Force-User, which gives her even more reason to show her worth. She is very mindful of her image as a champion of the Aspirant cause. She is known to Aspirant soldiers as the Cylix of the Void. Paelana Thama acts as her second in command and is a major asset to the cause. Unlike Solanis, she is a Force-User. Her specialisation lies in mental abilities, including battle meditation. She also has an affinity for air and lightning.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The history of the Aspirants is tied closely to that of Sahome Tyral, their founder and spiritual guide. It was Sahome whose fomented the split in the Ashiran Church that ultimately led to the creation of the breakway movement. Ironically, this was far from her intention, for she wanted to reform the Church, not found a counter-church. Then again it can be argued that the schism was a long time coming. Sahome was born in the town of Nadana, Kaeshana, a bit away from the capital city Santaissa. Her mother was a copper miner, who eventually became a town councillor. Sahome studied law, but eventually became a cleric after her sister died in a pirate raid. She quickly rose through the ranks of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, making a name for herself for her fiery orator, incorruptibility and ascetic life style.
Sahome dedicated herself to the Church, devoting herself to fasting, long hours in prayer, pilgrimage and frequent confession. Her drive to be a good Ashiran seemed obsessive. Later on she described this period of her life as one of spiritual despair, noting that she lost touch with Ashira the Merciful and had instead turned her into a jailer of her soul. Her superior turned her mind away from constant reflection on her sins towards the merits of the Goddess. She was soon ordained and began to teach theology at a local university.
She visited Santaissa on behalf of her order and was appalled by the corruption she found there. Her journeys to various backwater settlements had exposed her to the poverty many ordinary Eldorai lived in, yet many of the high clerics were corrupt and debauched. At first, Sahome seemed like an orthodox cleric with a bright future ahead of her. Orthodox thinkers praised her when she published a rebuttal of the theories of the heretic Charae Dawai, who had been imprisoned for claiming that humans and Eldorai shared a common origin. When Star Queen Tirathana VI banished an entire commune of Illyria worshippers, Sahome wrote an article praising the sovereign for removing demon worshippers from Kaeshana. The authorities took notice and expected great things of her. Eventually she was made an Abbess. However, she became increasingly angry about the clergy selling indulgences. These promised remission from sin and were supposed to work in a dead soul's favour when it was being judged in the afterlife. Sahome regarded this as hypocritical, for scripture said that it was the Goddess and her court who deliberated upon whether an Eldorai's good deeds outweighed her bad ones. Those judged as good-hearted were granted entrance into heaven, while the wicked were cast into Illyria's hellish pit. The Goddess' favour could not be bought.
A believer could aspire to Ashira's grace by faith alone. She became enraged when the Ashiran Church sent a cleric called Johaena Teatzel to her home province to sell indulgences to raise money in order to build a grand temple in Santaissa. Both clerics clashed in public. Sahome is said to have burned the commissioner's indulgence papers. Eventually things came to head when Sahome nailed her 59 theses on the door of the local cathedral. At this stage she was still a moderate, believing she could reform the Church from within. She was also a strong supporter of the Monarchy. To her, the Star Queen was still Ashira's viceroy. Rebellion against her was not just treason, but heresy. Indeed, Sahome seemed convinced that the Queen herself was righteous, but misled by bad advisers. However, this rosy view of the Queen would not last. She wrote a series of pamphlets outlining her ideas, such as 'To the Ashiran Nobility' and 'On the Freedom of an Ashiran Woman'.
However, her actions attracted the attention of the Temple of Ardarvia. Arvardia was the Eldorai Goddess of Law, Order and Justice and her clerics acted as inquisitors, charged with ensuring that all believers remained true to orthodoy and did not stray. During a sermon, Sahome was arrested and informed that the Star Queen had excommunicated her. She was then brought to Santaissa, where she was put on trial by a religious court. What worked in Sahome's favour was that some nobles felt sympathy for her cause - or at least saw her as a useful pawn in the game of thrones.
This may have prevented her from having an accident on the way. Or just being sent to the Island of Fallen Angels. After being interrogated by the inquisitors, she was put on trial. There Sahome was given copies of her writing and asked if the books were hers, and whether she stood by their contents. Sahome confirmed that she was the author, but refused to recant. The Ardarvian cleric presiding over the tribunal declared her a Dark Eldorai and heretic. This made it a crime for anyone to give her food or shelter. Anyone who aided her would be declared an enemy of the Crown and the Faith. It also permitted anyone to kill her without legal consequences. Her family was put under pressure to disavow her. However, her allies managed to break her out of prison, posing as guards. Otherwise she would have probably been executed.
Forced to flee Kaeshana, she acquired a following among the Eldorai exiles. A pretender to the Eldorai throne called Taenarys Evora tried to gain the religious leader's support. Taenarys' family had been deposed and forced into exile by Tirathana VI. However, the Evoras had not forgotten that they possessed a better claim to the throne and schemed to reclaim what they regarded as their rightful inheritance, rallying mercenaries and fellow exiles to their cause. Someone like Sahome seemed like a useful asset to them. The priestess was hesitant, but accepted an audience with Taenarys Evora. Tasayia called herself the 'rightful Star Queen of the Eldorai' and had awarded herself a host of other titles, such as Breaker of Chains, the Queen Across the Stars and She Who Was Promised. She offered Sahome a position in her 'shadow court' as Grand Chaplain if she and her followers submitted her.
However, Sahome had learned her lesson. She'd believed in Tirathana's righteousness and been disappointed. The audience was a bit awkward, as Taenarys expected the preacher to bend the knee and support her claim to the throne. From her perspective, Sahome would be a good propagandist. However, the exiled cleric refused to become a pawn. Instead she questioned the pretender on matters of the faith, on how she intended to cleanse the church of corruption and improve the lives of the common people. Despite her defiance of the church, Sahome was still quite conservative.
So she took offence at the presence of foreigners at the Taenarys' shadow court. She was disgusted when she heard rumours about the pretender sharing her bed with a foreign sellsword. It did not take long for the 'rightful Queen' to grow irritated, especially after Sahome said "pride and pretentions are the idle hands by which Illyria corrupts the works of Ashira". To make an example of her, Taenarys sentenced her to death by immolation. However, Sahome managed to quell the fires, showing that she was divinely protected. As a result, several of Taenarys' followers turned on her. Motivated solely by credit, the foreign mercenaries still stood with the pretender. This left the situation a stalemate, but Sahome took control.
Refusing to spill blood, she called on her supporters to leave this den of iniquity with her, though not before making some ominous predictions about Taenarys' fate. Frustrated and angered, the claimant vowed to 'take back what is mine' and punish those who defied her. Shortly thereafter, the Evora pretender launched an attack on Santaissa. Since her support among the Eldorai exiles had diminished many of her soldiers were sellswords. Thus the attack went poorly. A cabal of mercenaries betrayed her at a crucial moment and sold her out to the authorities, expecting to be rewarded. However, Tirathana had her warriors execute the mercenaries anway because they'd sided with a traitor. Taenerys shared their fate. The executions were extremely grisly, for Tirathana had her minions pour molten gold over the head of her 'dear cousin'. The Queen created a mould of Taenarys' head in gold and kept the grisly trophy in her chamber. When Sahome learned of this, she was saddened, but found herself validated.
As the Aspirants' numbers soared, it became clear that they needed some formal organisation. Sahome refused the position of High Priestess, regarding it as blasphemous, though she consented to chairing the synod. Meanwhile, changes were taking place on Kaeshana. Queen Tirathana VII, daughter of the queen who had branded Sahome a heretic, abolished religious persecution and proclaimed freedom of conscience. She also tried to reduce the influence of the nobility and ecclesiastical hierarchy and create opportunities for lowborn Eldorai. However, foreign ideas were also finding their way into Eldorai society, many of which Sahome disapproved of. She was also critical of the influence Firemane Industries had in the Eldorai Matriarchy.
Troubled by visions of a coming doom, Sahome decided to take advantage of a royal amnesty and return to Kaeshana. This was controversial among the Aspirants and caused some of them to break off and form their own sect. Sahome exerted a calming influence during the Netherworld Event, when many Eldorai believed the end of days was at hand. She directed her followers to help the needy and stepped in to end riots. However, Aspirants and conservative Ashirans also clashed violently. During this time Sahome got to know a young Angelii called Vaena Askari, who was assigned to the priestess as a guard - and to keep an eye on her. They grew closer when Vaena protected her from an assassination attempt.
Once the crisis had passed, Sahome believed the great doom had been averted. This was an error. The story of the Exodus has been told many times. Suffice to say a massive asteroid collided with Kaeshana. Some religious fanatics saw it as Ashira's punishment for straying from the old ways and consorting with foreign devils. Having been forewarned, the Eldorai and Firemane made a colossal effort to save as many Eldorai as possible. More than three billion could be saved and evacuated to Tygara. Firemane's warships were able to drastically reduce the asteroid in size. This mitigated the destruction caused by it. However, some Eldorai had to be left behind. They were forced to eke out an existence in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and cursed those who had gotten away. They called themselves the Forsaken. Menaced by slavers and corsairs, the Forsaken vied amongst themselves over the scarce resources. Rather than save herself, Sahome chose to stay behind on Kaeshana. Some of her disciples were sent offworld to make sure her message stayed alive. Others remained on the doomed planet, either out of choice or because they had been unable to get a space on one of the exodus ships.
She was ministering to the Forsaken in an underground shelter when the asteroid impacted. She was among those who tried to wrest some order from the chaos. This forced the Aspirants to make some rather unorthodox alliances. Initial contact with the Shadow Knights was hostile. Sahome, who was still somewhat wedded to the idea that the cataclysm might have been a divine punishment, thought poorly of them, since many of their members were secularists. It did not help that some members of the Shadows were genuinely hostile to her sect. They also made deals with some warlords, whom she considered to be inimical. Both groups competed for resources and launched raids against each other. Sahome had a crusader mentality and encouraged her followers to oppose the Shadows. However, this was disadvantageous, as it helped split the Eldorai, weakening them.
Unexpectedly, both groups were forced into an alliance against foreign raiders and Archangel, which some of the warlords to gain processing materiel, sending agents to infiltrate their ranks. Shadow Knight history likes to portray their own actions as selfless, citing an event where they came to the aid of a beleaguered Aspirant congregation. In actual fact it was strongly motivated by pragmatism. After a very heated debate, the Aspirants' synod decided to agree to a truce. This created an alliance of necessity.
The Aspirants acquired a martyr when Sister Haela, a Sciian and devout member of the group, gave her life to shield Eldorai civilians - many of them orphans - from an Archangel air strike on a village. Her example inspired some of her sisters in the faith and they joined her, letting their strength flow into her. The strain was great, but she refused to falter. She held back the bombardment, allowing civilians to get to safety. However, she gave her own life in the process. Those among her comrades who survived made sure that her story was not forgotten. Sahome proclaimed her a martyr and a saint. The Blessed Guardians were founded in her honour. They had no body to cremate. Some claim that Haela was incinerated in the bombardment, others that her body vanished into thin air, leaving only her tattered robes and staff. The Guardians preserved both, treating them as sacred relics. From their perspective, Haela had entered Ashira's realm and become an angel.
Supplies and resources were scarce, Kaeshana was facing a new ice age and a lot of Eldorai blood had been spilt over the past few months. The network the Aspirants had built among Eldorai exiles and exodites gathered donations for the Forsaken, which helped them survive the Long Night. However, tensions remained strong. Indeed the Aspirants and the Illyrians among the Shadows were close to open warfare, when the GA, Firemane and the Tygaran Eldorai Matriarchy launched a humanitarian mission to help the Forsaken. The First Order also took an interest in Kaeshana, seeking to annex it. Conflict ensued, leading to the Kaeshana Rebellion. Followers of the Aspirants took part in the conflict alongside the Shadows and other Eldorai rebels that had allied with the Alliance. However, the Shadows were forced to retreat after the Alliance's forces withdrew from the planet. With Kaeshana lost, the exiles formed a nomad fleet.
The Aspirants' accord with the Shadow Knights proved to be a problematic one. Dogmatic and political reasons motivated Sahome Tyral to form her own nomad fleet, though not all Aspirants joined it. The decentralised nature of their faith means that Aspirants can be found in a variety of Eldorai groups or settlements. Relations with the Old Church continue to be problematic. By now the orthodox Church had abolished the sale of indulgences, but both groups were still divided by a deep gulf. Indeed, more than a few Aspirants believed that the Eldorai would not have suffered such calamities if they had remained loyal to the, as they saw it, true teachings of the Goddess. A few conclaves were held. In the best tradition of conclaves, they produced little of substance beyond general declarations. Both sides were hesitant of going too far, lest their constituents see them as selling out.
When they heard rumours that Kaeshana had been swallowed by the warp and moved light years across the Galaxy, various Eldorai exodite groups sent search parties to ascertain the truth. The Aspirants were among them. Unwilling to delegate this task, Sahome travelled to Kaeshana herself. She had received visions that hinted at the planet's doom and was more inclined to believe the rumours. However, her dreams could not prepare her for what she witnessed once she set foot on the planet. The priestess was distraught when she discovered that the rumours were true. Kaeshana had been turned into a wasteland by the asteroid collision years ago, but now it was a lifeless, tainted husk. Ghosts haunted her step as she walked upon the desolate wasteland. But she forced herself to act as the leader of their people, searching for survivors and see what heirlooms they could recover. She went on a pilgrimage to an Ashiran holy site. Confronted by spirits, she used her powers to help them find rest. Kaeshana was lost to the Eldorai, but they could still build a future elsewhere. The Aspirants held a solemn ceremony, departing the broken planet. Sahome's present goals are to gather the faithful, establish the Aspirants as a group that provides protection, shelter and guidance to Eldorai and finally to find a new home for her people.