Xylathas

***“**These laws were designed to protect innocents from robber barons and petty tyrants. If you consider that an 'annoyance' what does that say about you?**”***
— Xylathas

**Xylathas**, born **Khloriss Freeman**, is the Champion of Anir and the first ever Champion in the history of Enselonde, receiving her powers nearly a century before the Withdrawal. Xylathas is simultaneously loved and hated depending on who one asks, finding adoration amongst Humans yet being despised by some non-Humans.

Xylathas became famous near the end of the Divine War, as she represented the defeated Kingdom of Humanity at the peace negotiations. When Anir went into Withdrawal, she became the highest arbiter of law in Enselonde and the leader of the Order of Lawbringers. Her popularity increased exponentially, ultimately leading to the formation of the Cult of Xylathas who worship her as the true Goddess of Order over Anir. The Divine Order of Enselonde treats her as a Demigoddess instead of a Champion.

## Name

Xylathas is not her original name. She was originally called Khloriss Freeman and went by that name until the end of the Divine War. During the negotiations, one Hyllidan general present referred to her as Xylathas, literally translating to "Annoyance". Instead of refuting the statement, she chastised the warlord and instead began going by the name Xylathas as a mark of pride.

Nowadays, Old Hyllidan is as good as a dead language, so very few mortals are aware of Xylathas' true meaning.

## Biography

### Early Life

Xylathas' birthplace is unknown, though it was somewhere in present-day Llendus. She arrived in Old Sallant in 103 BW, where she was noticed by the ruling class. She was subsequently tutored, later becoming a minor bureaucrat.

During the Second Human Rebellion, there was a major flood of pro-Human propaganda originating from Old Sallant, to which Xylathas was a major contributor. Her arguments were more compelling than those of others and she became a major political figure. Eventually, she was also noticed in the North by the God of Order, Anir, who found her arguments interesting.

What followed was a bizarre series of events where Xylathas became Anir's de-facto pen pals and the pair went back and forth in heated letters. Anir was a staunch supporter of the established order under the Freeholds, whereas Xylathas was a supporter of Humanity and the ongoing wave of slave revolts against the Freeholds. Ultimately, in 97 BW, Xylathas was invited over to Morkolaer, the then-largest city in the world, by Anir to have a discussion in person.

Xylathas accepted, arriving in shortly after. The pair went back and forth for months before the Third Human Rebellion broke out in 96 BW. Xylathas was subsequently attacked by the city guard of Morkolaer, only to have her life saved by Anir himself, who granted the Human a portion of his power. Xylathas had become the first Champion in the history of Enselonde, as she had grown on Anir.

### The Divine War

Anir's decision to "elevate" a mortal, and a Human at that, was met by extreme outrage throughout the North. While it broke the established order, the God of Order stood by his choice, as he praised Xylathas for her strong moral compass and righteous values. He did not keep her on a leash, either, and ultimately allowed her to return to the recently established Kingdom of Humanity.

Once Xylathas returned to Old Sallant, she was met with suspicion and fear, as many suspected her of being influenced by Anir. She still had some favours left that she called in before leaving the city. Together with a small band of followers – mostly scholars and bureaucrats – Xylathas travelled to Llendus. She founded a small scholarly community and began drafting a series of documents, theses, and laws that ultimately became the Code of Khloriss, later known as the Code of Xylathas.

While her exit from Old Sallant had been less than graceful, the Code of Khloriss eventually reached Old Sallant and, after some debate, was adopted as the official set of laws for the Kingdom of Humanity. When King Yanhi asked her to return to the capital, Xylathas refused plainly. She spent most of the Third Human Rebellion and Divine War idle, writing a seemingly endless collection of scrolls and tomes as her scholarly settlement grew and grew in size.

It wasn't until the Starslaughter that Xylathas began truly involving herself in the Divine War, though in a defensive role. One of Cossyxia's offspring, Adrysis, targeted her like she was any other Divine Offspring. He demanded she surrendered and ceased her fighting. When Xylathas informed Adrysis that she wasn't directly involved in the conflict, he attack her anyway. However, Adrysis severely underestimated the amount of power she was given by Anir, and Xylathas killed him on the spot.

In the wake of the Starslaughter, the Divine War came to a close. The Kingdom of Humanity had collapsed in the wake of the Nytalyrian Invasion under Lyxis the Blind. Cossyxia forced both sides to cease their fighting to prevent any more abuse of powers by the Divines. What followed were a series of negotiations that would ultimately result in Cossyxia's Dream, a policy that promoted peace between mortals and divines alike. At the negotiations, Xylathas came forth to represent Humanity's interests alongside dozens of other diplomats.

The Nytalyrians pushed for harsh terms, edging on the occupation of most of the South. Some of the more extremist non-Human factions called for the total enslavement of Humanity. In the end, Xylathas put a stop to it with the approval of Anir, also present at the negotiations. While Anir sided with the Freeholds on most issues, he and Xylathas were in sync during the negotiations. When it became clear that the Humans would continue to rule over most of the South independently – albeit in smaller kingdoms – one of the Hyllidan generals present gave her her current name: "Xylathas", Old Hyllidan for "Annoyance". It was a title she accepted as a mark of pride.

### Rise to Godhood

After the Divine War, the idea of a Withdrawal began being floated around. The Divines, many of which had spent their power, would plan to withdraw themselves, leaving Enselonde to the mortals who inhabited it. Anir was a supporter of the Withdrawal and began to look for a place of his own. Ultimately, he settled on the site of Xylathas' scholarly settlement, where he built the Halls of Justice.

Anir was perhaps one of the more extreme believers in the Withdrawal and Withdrew himself totally. His only contact with the outside world was through Xylathas, who subsequently became the acting ruler of the Halls of Justice in his stead. Only the most important matters were relayed to Anir, though his Champion always acted in his stead. To help her with the growing amount of requests for arbitration, Xylathas founded the Order of Lawbringers.

Unsurprisingly, Xylathas became the face of justice, as Anir began to slowly but surely fade from the public memory. Many regarded him as a distant and vague god, whereas Xylathas had a more common touch. This ultimately led to the rise of the Cult of Xylathas in the fourth century. These cultists worshipped Xylathas as the true Goddess of Justice and considered Anir a Dead God in all but name. The Cult of Xylathas troubled the Champion greatly, and she relayed her concerns to Anir. To her surprise, Anir was not opposed to the Cult, as Xylathas acted as an extension of him, and the Cult held the same principles merely under a different deity. The Cult of Xylathas spread mostly through the South, yet was considered a heretical sect by many non-Humans. It caused much controversy when the cult was included in the Faith of All Gods, leading to some priests rebelling against the Divine Order of Enselonde.

The Divine Order would ultimately raise Xylathas' status to that of a Demigod, equalling that of a Divine Offspring.

### The People's Guard

In 841 AW, Onir returned from his Withdrawal. His Divine Seal was unknown, yet he had disappeared shortly after the Divine War. When news reached the Halls of Justice, Anir immediately broke his own Withdrawal and began chasing after his brother. Throughout Enselonde, chaos spread. Random explosions, increased violence, banditry, outbreaks of disease, and more.

The Sapphire Empire was not spared of Onir's chaos. Notably, the Province of Llendus saw a large increase in banditry, with its mountains making for ideal hideouts for local outlaws. Small villages were increasingly targeted and were sometimes entirely destroyed with their populations being cast into slavery. In response to these vile deeds in her home region, Xylathas formed the People's Guard. The People's Guard were loosely styled after the Hexad Lotus in the Gemstone Islands: powerful warriors charged with protecting the common people.

While not enhanced with Divine Artifacts like the Lotus, the People's Guard were rigorously trained at the Halls of Justice, becoming skilled fighters in their own right. Once their training was completed, they were released into the wild to serve the people. The People's Guard does not charge money for their services, only asking for a bed and a warm meal. The People's Guard spread from Llendus to the rest of the Sapphire Empire, later spreading to almost every corner of Enselonde.

Xylathas became the official leader of the People's Guard, which she remains to this day. In practice, members of the People's Guard often act on their own and do not take orders. There have been a handful of isolated cases of abuse from the People's Guard by members charging ludicrous protection fees or becoming criminals themselves. These rogues usually find themselves the target of bounties, with other members of the People's Guard going after them. There have even been some cases of Xylathas herself travelling to and dealing with these kinds of outlaws. As a result, the People's Guard has a splendid reputation to this day, often travelling to wartorn countries to protect against criminals and soldiers abusing their power.

### Present Day

Xylathas has adopted the same stance as the Kingdom of Llendus in the Great War: total neutrality. While all major factions have sought her approval, she has refrained from so much as a comment on who was right and who was wrong in the conflict. Even as the Great War devolves into the Epilogue Wars, she maintains her silence on the issues.

That said, she did not sit idle either. Xylathas and the People's Guard have been busy protecting people as countries fall and regimes change, trying to minimise civilian harm. Those guilty of particularly vile deeds have also found themselves arrested and brought to the Halls of Justice to face the Order of Lawbringers.

## Personality

Those who follow the Cult of Xylathas believe that she is a kind and caring person. Those who meet her often leave disappointed in this regard. Xylathas is distant and cold, to the point of almost being considered callous. This stems from her own moral philosophy that getting attached to anyone, no matter how little, will taint her judgement. While she will hear people out and side with them if she finds their arguments compelling, any attempts to persuade, bribe, or threaten her will always backfire.

## Relationships

Xylathas distances herself from everyone, as justice must be blind. No exceptions. Even Anir himself.