Solaris of Era

Solaris is an archbishop of the Church of Light, sent to Era to monitor the situation following the Temporal Storm and report on any disturbances that may be indicative of another tragedy yet to come. While most people assume he is either a Lumancer or Solmancer, Solaris is actually an Auroramancer and harbors darkness deep within his soul. He can feel the warmth of the sun on his skin and he dutifully acts in an amicable way in accord with his holy teachings, but he is naturally a sociopath and his heart remains frozen.

## History

Solaris was born in the city of Capri on the 6th of Radiance, 1900 AE, known then by the name of Grant Brand. Grant suffered from a rather unfortunate family life; his mother, Amber Brand, was a notorious Pyromancer and arson working for the Sunset Orange Bandit Gang and would regularly abuse him and scarred his arms with burns from her Sunshine Cigarettes. Young Grant, himself a budding Pyromancer, took out his frustration on local pets, practicing his powers by singeing the whiskers off kittens and melding the ears of dogs shut. Eventually, the local authorities took notice and documented his crimes, but did not move in to make any arrest due to his association with the Sunset Orange Bandits. However, Imperial Authorities, then following the protocols of Operation Ichabod, reviewed the case profile the Capri Leos had built on Grant and selected him as a prime candidate for their program. Ignoring any potential upsets they may cause in the local organized crime scene, they abducted young Grant and he was initiated into an intensified training program to help with the Conquest War effort.

### The Imperial Inferno

Grant was already well accustomed to severe physical and psychological abuse thanks to the actions of his mother, so the brutal conditions of Operation Ichabod did not truly strike him as anything out of the ordinary. While a fair number of his peers were reaching their breaking point, the unfazed and ever-resolute Grant served as an inspiration for many of them. Under the guidance of their instructors and the supervision of Ichabod's creator, General Ammit himself, Grant and his Squadron, Afreon's Fury, were disciplined into proper soldiers that were willing to go to any extreme for the sake of their comrades and their country.

Like most Operation Ichabod Squads, Afreon's Fury was initially kept in reserve and only played a minor supporting role in smaller engagements to see how its members would fair in the crucible of war, and so much of their initial deployment involved working as part of the Mage Enhanced Artillery Division (MEAD), launching storms of fireballs upon their foes from afar. While such tactics were effective in more traditional warfare, the fierce guerilla fighting of the later Conquest War had scant few opportunities for the proper use of MEA, and so Afreon's Fury was soon given a new, "covert operations" mission. They were given orders to infiltrate enemy territory and launch a series of "scorched earth" strikes in which they were to raze as much Newerld infrastructure as they could to the ground. For better or for worse, their performance exceeded expectations as they burned their way through the country side, instantly incinerating all those who approached them. The operation was dubbed the Hell March, and even as Afreon's Fury came across the Stronghold City of Ostalior, nothing could extinguish the Squad's roaring flames and soon the city was no more. Unfortunately, the very next day, every headline of all the world's newspapers read "Ostalior in Ashes," and the political backlash was severe both at home and abroad. The Emperor himself ordered for the Hell March be called off and for General Ammit be demoted from his position of leadership citing that "If men such as Ammit have their way, there will be no Newerld left for us to conquer," and the leaders of the Seven Alliances used the tragedy as propaganda to further radicalize their people's opposition to The Empire and bolster support for their wavering troops.

Afreon's Fury went back to supporting the MEAD, but it was not long before they became the targets of assassins in the form of the guerilla group, the Ostalior Avengers, the precursor to the later Newerld Avengers. One by one, the members of Afreon's Fury were picked off by coordinated strikes by the Avengers, and Grant could feel a Darkness growing inside him. He felt betrayed by the military command who did not offer additional support to his squad despite their demonstrable status as high priority targets, and by The Emperor who would allow their increasingly futile traditional war effort to continue due to his greedy desire to salvage uncharred spoils of war. Even so, Grant persisted and continued the fight until he alone was the only surviving member of his Squad. It did not come as much surprise to him then that he found himself then a master of his inner Darkness, and from that point onward, he was no longer a Pyromancer, but rather an Infernomancer.

...

Following the conclusion of the war, Grant was indicted by a court order signed by all Seven Supreme Justices. He was seized by a Squadron of thirteen Judges and was to be transported back to Emperus to face "judicial review" of his actions during the war. The Eyes, foreseeing that this would likely lead to a civil war between the factions of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice, staged a Newerld Vindicator terror attack on the Judicial transport vessel and made it appear to the public that Grant had been killed and that he body was lost to the sea.

## Preferred Powers

Solaris is capable of casting a great many spells, but there are a few that he greatly prefers to use over others.

### Solar Judgement

Solar Judgement is a spell that calls down a massive ray of Solar Energy from the Sun, smiting away everything down to the bare earth.

### Cast Into the Light

Cast Into the Light is a forbidden spell that converts its target into pure Light Mana, obliterating their body and soul in the process. Solaris prefers this spell as it ensures that the souls of the wicked will not go on to become the fodder of Demons in the Abyss and that the entire essence of those that are good will become one with Holith's Holy Light. When he casts the spell, he will place his hand on his target's shoulder. They will feel a warm glow as they rapidly lose control over their body and their vision begins to blur into hazy white light. Soon, their entire body will glow as if their flesh were made of shimmering sunstone, and Solaris will bring them closer into his embrace. They will not suffer but instead experience a sense of rapture, warmth, comfort, and fulfillment that most mortals never can know in life. Then, as Solaris continues to hold them, they disappear in a flash of light, leaving only their clothes behind in Solaris's arms.