Kaith Serrain

**Kaith Serrain** was the fifteenth Keeper of the Flame, serving from the years 903–936 YK. Keeper Serrain was a controversial zealot, who oversaw the church's takeover of Thrane as a theocracy.

## History

In the year 903 YK, the elderly and well-loved Keeper Jovor Daran passed away. After an unusual delay before the Silver Flame indicated its will, a controversial choice was proclaimed: Cardinal Kaith Serrain, an outspoken advocate of Thrane glory and greater church oversight, was named Keeper of the Flame on Nymm 16th, 903 YK. More than for his hard-line stands and provocative rhetoric, Keeper Serrain was an odd choice due to his age. At thirty-one, he was far older at ascension than any other Keeper in recent memory. Concerns about the direction of the Church of the Silver Flame soon quieted, however. The new Keeper followed the former Keeper’s general policies. Lulled by tempered proclamations, few noticed Keeper Serrain’s steadily accelerating personnel changes in the Diet of Cardinals. Thus was laid the groundwork for Thrane’s dark days.

In 914, after a reign of nearly thirty years, King Thalin of Thrane died of old age. Even before his death, the Diet of Cardinals, now dominated by Speaker Serrain and his supporters, had been vocal in its concerns about his weak son taking the throne. In eulogies and memorials after the king’s death, the church ﬁrst broke its silence about Thalin’s Vision, claiming the event was both legitimate and misunderstood. Keeper Serrain himself spoke of the vision, describing “the silver ﬂame that will reach from ocean to ocean, to build a kingdom of the righteous.” The Keeper’s conﬁrmation of the previously unsanctiﬁed prophecy spread throughout the land like a brushﬁre, and the results were cataclysmic. The faith of the Silver Flame was embraced everywhere as the highest ideal of the nation. Even the church was shocked by the fervor and zealotry unleashed by the Keeper’s announcement, as if the ﬁre in the hearts of the citizenry had been quenched for too long.

The people revolted openly against Prince Daslin ir’Wynarn, and tens of thousands barred his entry into Flamekeep for coronation at his ancestral palace. The mobs demanded that the Keeper lead them, and that the Diet of Cardinals ensure a pure life for Thrane citizenry by assuming legislative control. After stalling for a couple months “to explore options,” the church hierarchy accepted the people’s mandate. In truth, the church appeared paralyzed by the events, and it was several years before it acted in any meaningful or coordinated way. By 915, almost any stripe of radicalism and zealotry was accepted as normal. Calling a neighbor “impious” could lead to that person’s death sentence.

Toward the end of 936, Thrane lost its controversial ruler. After a lingering ailment during which the Keeper reportedly aged prematurely, Kaith Serrain died. In a relatively brief but extraordinarily momentous reign, the Keeper gave full voice to Thrane’s territorial ambitious, wrapping them in the mantle of religious mandate. In a last oddity, like so many that characterized his rule, it was months before the Flame spoke about ascension. Not until mid-937 was Keeper Lavira Tagor proclaimed.