Cleregy of Tyr (Bishops of Tyr)

The Bishops of Tyr were the secret upper echelon of the Church of the Holy Light for hundreds of years since It's foundation following the Troll Wars. They acted in secret, picking the next Archbishops of the Church as well as preserving the ancient secrets of the first human prophets.

## History

### Origin

Following the Troll War, Mereldar would come to unite the priests, and form the Church of the Holy Light. She became It's first Archbishop, but eventually had to retire. In retirement, she was still widely respected and well known, deciding to go on a long pilgramage to better understand the Light.

It is at this time, Her and her priests came across an artifact of immense power. On the shores of Tirisfal Glades, the Light guided them to a rather perculiar stone. Peering into the stone, or rather, Orb. The Priests were granted great foresight. They saw a great battle, The battle between Tyr and the Cthraxi so long ago.

The Orb had actually been a piece of Tyr's being, flung from him during his battle or death. The Priests speculated it must have been an important piece of what they saw, as a great holy warrior or even god. Believing it may be the warrior's heart or his soul.

Mereldar and her bishops took the artifact back to their Abbey in what is today modern day Tyr's Hand. Mereldar decided the artifact was too powerful to be allowed in the wrong hands, and decided to found a sub-branch of the Church which would defend the artifact, along with all the secrets it would come to reveal about the Light, including *immortality.*

### The Dance of Light and Death

Using the Artifact, it granted Mereldar and her priests an intense ability of sight. They were able to not only see distant futures, foreign worlds and strange and powerful entities. But they also glanced into the land of Death itself, the Shadowlands. The Bishops soon found themselves discovered by the spirit Virgil, who reacted with anger towards their intrusion.

Virgil sought to destroy the bishops and their artifact. He made dark deals with assassins and dark magi, even  manipulate and blackmail human nobles. His plots were largely successful, many of the Bishops were killed, the Church started losing popularity. Chapels were being ransacked. Virgil even spread plagues, and made rumors that the priests had turned dark and had caused the plagues themselves.

Mereldar's popularity and reputation was not enough to stem tide of anger, hate, and death directed at her and her bishops. She spoke to the Archbishop at the time, Archbishop Aeron, and they came up with a plan to end the chaos. Mereldar challenged Virgil to a duel, *In the Shadowlands.*Virgil's victory would be guarenteed, so he agreed. There, she made a pact with Virgil. If she won, Virgil would stop his onslaught. If she lost, Virgil would take her, and all her bishops, and the Artifact. Virgil agreed, as he was unable to destroy the artifact himself as it existed in the physical world.

During the fight, Mereldar's strong connection to the Light made her a difficult opponent, even for Virgil in his land. He would slowly gain the advantage however, and began to push Mereldar to the brink of defeat.  Before he could win, Mereldar would unviel her plan. Pretending to flee back into reality, knowing Virgil would follow, as to lead Virgil right to the Artifact, where Archbishop Aeron and many other priests lied in waiting.

Mereldar decided she would put an end to Virgil and his dark presence once and for all. So, using the same spellwork Titan Keeper Tyr had used to sacrifice himself and kill the Cthraxi, Mereldar gave up her own life, allowing it to be absorbed into the Artifact. The Light works most powerfully through an act of sacrifice, and this act, honed through the Artifact, would be her best chance.

The priests did not know what had happened to Virgil, or if the spell had been successful. However, using the artifact to again peer into the Shadowlands, they discovered they could not see him anymore. Presuming the spirit dead, the priests thanked the Light.

In the Aftermath, the Bishops decided to fake their demise. Archbishop Aeron put an end to the chaos, announcing to the people that the corrupted Priests had been purged from the Church. That Mereldar was dead, and that the Church would now lead a more respectable path.

Aeron would reform the Order of Bishops, protecting the Artifact and the secrets of the Church. Manipulating events of the Church from behind the scenes for hundreds of years, He and his followers, kept alive through the power of the Artifact.

### The Third War

Upon the onset of the Scourge, Virgil was keen to enact his vengeance on the Bishops. The Scourge set out to wipe Tyr's Hand out completely, but was prevented when the Order of Fenris arrived. The Knight's intervention saved the City and the Bishops.

By this time, the Bishops of Tyr were a forgotten entitiy even by the denizens of the City, who saw the Bishops of the Abbey as a mysterious group of crazed monks. Attempts to remove them from the City were always mysteriously ended.  Aeron, still guarding the Artifact, and using it's power of foresight, knew Virgil was responsible for the Scourge, and pledged to stop him again.

### Araxamas and the Scarlet Crusade

Aeron knew very few things in the world could ever hope to stop Virgil. Exposing the Artifact again was not an option , and he knew Virgil would not be fooled again.

Instead, Aeron watched Virgil's campaign with the Knightlord, Araxamas Terimidias. Both in reality and in the Shadowlands. Aeron began to lay the pieces of his plan, begining with manipulating and causing Araxamas's escape and his arrival to Tyr's Hand. Aeron knew the Scourge was preparing for a new offensive campaign, and he knew the Scarlet Crusade was only a hinderance to Virgil.

### Fall of the Clerics

As part of a secret deal, Balnazzar (Dathrohan) raided the Abbey of Tyr with the backing of his Crimson Legion. Many Bishops died in the resulting battle with those few who survived going into hiding.

It is not known what bargain, if any, was struck between the Dreardlord and Virgil, or if the attack had simply been in Balnazzar's self interest. Wiping out a rebellious faction within his core city.

Aeron would survive the attack and, during the Knight's Fair, setup a stall, which he used as a front to sell off the Abbey's remaining artifacts as to spread them among the populace and protect them, but to also hand down The Artifact to Abbie Carlyle for safekeeping.

In response, Virgil revived Louisea Terimidias, and after establishing a pact with her, dispatched her to recover the Artifact in his name. By the time Louisea arrived however, Virgil had already tricked Abbie into giving up the Artifact to him, which nullified her pact with him.

Aeron, distraught at the loss of the Artifact, would meet with an old aquaintance and travel to the Shadowlands himself. He met a spirit by the name of Ali, who lead him to discover the Artifact discarded in the Shadowlands dust.

Virgil had sensed the Artifact being used, and dispatched his riders. Aeron chose to hold off the Riders, while Ali escaped with the Artifact deep into the Shadowlands....

It is not known what Aeron's fate is.

## Background Information

### Colours and Dress

The Bishops wore an unusual Gold and Blue robe, perhaps to reflect their elevated connection with the Light (Gold) and Shadowlands (Blue), or simply chose the colours as a matter of aethetics.

### Immortality

The Bishops, while in possession of the Artifact, were granted immortality, appearing not to age whatsoever. This process appears different from other forms of Light Immortality such as Lightforged, as the Bishops required the Artifact to maintain the effect, and did not possess glowing eyes. They were however capable of wielding the Light at a far greater magnitude which is the result of their elevated experience, and the power of the Artifact.