Uriah Hiedlande

== Overview ==
Uriah Hiedlande was a prominent male Opian scholar, hailing from House Hiedlande. Regarded as an eccentric, Uriah was known for his forensic critiques and arguments surrounding central themes in his scholary works - most notably the theme of the necessity of social and political unity with a centralised power as the most effective means to promote prosperity and harmony between all. He attended the Capital University of Oparo after migrating there from Halloran Island, and by 301 AG was the figurehead of a perceived pro-House Grenthyx persuasion within the Scholars' Collective.
== Appearance ==
Uriah sported a balding head with grey hair, and had blue eyes lain onto a stern face. He stood at six feet one inch tall, affording the Opian scholar an authoritative presence. 
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
==== Meeting Serlé in University and separation ====
Throughout his University, he had grown fond of Serlé, a Truvenscian woman. The two would marry when they were both 19 - in 243 AG. However, their initial fondness for each-other waned through the coming years, until such a point was reached where the marriage was largely devoid of intimacy. Complications in their marriage mounted, such as the revelation that Serlé was sterile, to result in their eventual separation in 254 AG. Over the coming years Uriah saw many women but chose not to marry. 
=== Involvement in the Scholars' Collective ===
In his early days of writing, Uriah found himself ostracised from mainstream scholarly circles. However, on reviewing his work, "Creed across Culture", the Scholars' Collective elected to grant Uriah membership in 256 AG. Over the following years, Uriah's influence began to seed into the other members through his eventual domination of the agenda at the annual gatherings of all of the collective. During this time, he was able to develop his ideas, centred around his arguments for concentrating power and the importance of religious authority. 
Uriah met his eventual second wife, Helene Hiedlande, upon her admittance into the collective in 272 AG AG, whereupon the pair became acquainted and discovered a fondness for each-other's ideas. An important ally, the two eventually married in 276 AG. 
In 279 AG, Uriah was involved in orchestrating the forgery of late rival, Forkoux Fyth's documents as previous head of the Collective who should succeed him. As such, he oversaw Geroldin Seeder's installation into the position the Helmontan Patriarch once held, to Uriah being a useful idiot to buy him and his following in the Collective time to plan their intellectual dominance by growing their numbers and, eventually, inserting a head of the Collective who was one of their own. These plans faltered when, in 280 AG, Geroldin died. Uriah's father figure in the Collective, Cherva Blumoor was nominated leader at Uriah's suggestion to Geroldin shortly before his passing, thereby buying them further time. In 283 AG, with their plans almost complete, and keen ally Gheff III Tersaut poised to become the next leader, Cherva died suddenly, coinciding with sworn enemy Verhelm Fairmid's uncovery of evidence proving his exploitation of the Collective. Verhelm was annointed leader, as per Forkoux's actual request before forgery. Though Verhelm was keenly opposed to Uriah and his following, they held a significant amount of leverage by the time he had risen to power, having being able to grow their following amongst members significantly; effectively rendering Verhelm a hostage within his own institution. 
This was concertised by his publishing of "The Borrosian Problem" in 296 AG, a work which laid a forensically devastating analysis of The Borrows and its history, with its primary focus being their tendency to incur House Grenthyx with rebellion. These perceived to be folly attempts at usurpation fed into Uriah's wider thesis that centralised order through exercised power would promote prosperity, as the Borrows was employed as a case study for a contrast between it and the Grenthyx Dynasty. The Dynasty's rule was, as Uriah argued, superior- "With regard to every facet in the multifaceted equation of power. The correct combination of force and mercy solves the puzzle of peace in such a way that all of the populous can bear witness to."His disdain for the Borrows as a means to promote the power distribution of the Grenthyx Dynasty had prompted a broad scholarly agreement by 301 AG, mostly attributed to Uriah's critiques. This outcome however was not Uriah's intention, as his purpose in critiquing the Borrows was to construct a positive case for the reintroduction of a centralised power. This eventually materialised in 310 AG in the form of the Second Grenthyx Dynasty. When this came to be, Uriah was a keen supporter of Jaekob Grenthyx and his new order. 
=== Affinity with the Opialands ===
Uriah had a great affinity with Opian culture, its landscapes and people. In 269 AG, Uriah had an illustrious mountain hunting retreat constructed, informally known as Scholar's Nest. formally known as Fort Apogee of the Scholar's Transcendental Vision, Revealer of Ecstatic, Unbound Truth. Uriah considered it insulting to not use the home's formal name in his presence or in correspondence with him, feeling anything but the exactly correct words detracted from the sheer majesty of its setting. It was located in the south-east of the Opialands, on the flanks of the mountain of Treppenwitz. 
== Family ==
== Notable Works ==
=== Scrolls ===
* Structured Centralisation (245 AG)
* Hierarchy Held (245 AG)
* Wisdom of the Sage (249 AG)
* Creed across Culture (255 AG)
* The Cradle (256 AG)
* The Borrosian Problem (296 AG)
* Treatise on Freedom (299 AG)
=== Stories ===
* A Traveller's Tale: from the Borrows to Tcha-Pala (appendix to Hierarchy Held, 245 AG)
* Loot on the Oppidan (appendix to Wisdom of the Sage, 249 AG)
* Dated Dance at the Tribunal (258 AG)
* The Codex of Prophetic Glory (275 AG)
Category:Characters
Category:Opialands Character
Category:Scholars