Honoured, Blessed and Chosen

Honoured, Blessed and Chosen is a book uncovered through use of Study-related Inquiries.

## Description

Honoured, Blessed and Chosen was sought out by Rover Custard Augustine following his growing interest in the Truetouched, the name given those chosen by Tohmos during Aita's Second Gift. With a particular interest in the nations of Atralran and the Hollow Concord, Honoured, Blessed and Chosen instead hails from a time when the Hollow Concord was not yet in existence, formed between the Realms of Kingbourne, Codorne and the Giado Territories.

## Reading

### Completed by Rover Custard Augustine

#### Histories and Background

The trials and tribulations that reigned supreme during the time between Aita’s First and Second Gifts are heavily speculated, consigned to legend and tale, their details obfuscated and muddled by competing tales from performers and proclaimers each seeking to outdo the last - and thus much of the original facts have been lost with time. And yet, a few truths remain steadfast and clear even with the passage of the years, and the rise of the Principal Races. Those that now walk the Soil and Stone first laid down by the Lord in the Quiet Places did not do so during the wars before the Second Gift, for the Ahlusian Sixteen were served by those of celestial blood, the Malign those denizens now thankfully consigned to those amongst the Wandering Worlds that constitute the Lower Planes, and many other baleful servants besides to those that stood the side of the conflict, thriving in the chaos and conflict caused by the clash between the two sides. With the turning of the battle after the banishing of the Primordial Elemental Princes allowed the Sixteen to definitively turn their attention to the Malign, bringing about the transition into the Second Gift, in which the Principal Races truly came to be, for before this time they were little more than the Caihrnn’s own creations - that of the beasts of the lands, waves and sea. Throughout the years that followed the Gift, the Sixteen would bestow a number of boons onto the the Principal Races, gifting them strength and constitution to withstand the challenges of the world, the dexterity and intelligence with which to create and understand, and the wisdom and charisma with which to commune and collaborate.

No sooner had the Principal Races been raised up did the Malign seek to weave their own mortal servants to further their own injurious goals, and so the Sixteen saw there was a need for consolidation amongst the Principal Races to ensure they would stand strong and proud against threats - and so the Truetouched came to be, to serve as the guiding light to which civilisation could rally, could find shelter from the gloom and dark. Just as Gaityas worked to raise up a number of almighty cities in which the peoples could thrive, Tohmos sought out those to declare and gift with nobility, a genuine nobility assigned to them from upon high. Many have speculated to the parameters that the True sought out, what exactly was seen - or foreseen - that would deliver to an individual such a mighty boon, and while there are no doubt a number of individuals that seek these answers for purely egocentric purposes, it is an interesting matter to consider further. It is widely accepted by scholars that while Tohmos is ultimately given the credit for the act of granting nobility, Divinus is also oft cited as probably giving insight into matters of destiny. Such only furthers the enigma however, creating a self-fulfilling loop - the Three-Eyed Light sees the path of fate laid before an individual as a noble to be just and true, and so the Master of the Hammer grants them the blessing with which to fulfil it. It is notably claimed that by the Atral people that the Seven Virtues that define their understanding of chivalry are based on the principles sought out by Tohmos, and have thus used by the Golden Realm to elevate all manner of minor nobility since, albeit by mortal means, rather than by efforts divine. There are further speculations on the specifics of this outside the divine realities that defy mortal comprehension, which by nature serve little purpose in discussing further. Regardless, the results are likewise definitive, as sixteen individuals were chosen by the True from amongst the Principal Races, detailed below.

#### The Chosen Truetouched

Even at a passing glance of the histories, it is plainly clear the prevalence of humans within those selected by Tohmos, another fact that has stirred much debate amongst theologians and scholars alike. Some have posited that the gifts offered to the Truetouched are most notably transformative to those of human stock, and those most commonly noted in the histories, whereas others instead comment that it is testament to the fluidity and malleability of the race. The College of Anthropology in Halima has consistently confirmed throughout the years that amongst the Principal Races, as established by a number of surveys, censuses and extrapolative data that humans are by far the most numerous too, with somewhat flippant remarks relating to “*as numerous as the grains of sand from which they came*” common place. Supporters of this particular theory point to the prevalence and adaptability of humanity as all the evidence they need for this seemed favouritism - why wouldn’t the Master of the Hammer seek out that which could be shaped into all manner of forms with ease, just as any smith seeking to forge would do? From the forge spilled the Truetouched, finding the lands prepared for them to inhabit, and to them the burgeoning populations rallied, bolstered greatly as they were by the actions of Buwello and Theamera.

The House of Goldlor has long claimed that they were the first amongst the Truetouched to be selected, and it is certainly true that Atralran has since prospered extensively under the rule of the Goldlors, but it should be noted that all but the people of the Giado Territories, who looked to Aecan Khi to rule, have claimed the same of their rulers. By contrast, the Giadoese maintain that Aecan showed patience and resolve, waiting throughout the selection process with contentment and calm endurance of what was, by some admittedly asynchronous accounts, a long and arduous process.

#### Reign of the Chosen

The chosen sixteen soon set to claiming lands of their own, drawing the others of the Principal Races to them beneath their leadership, and in doing so forged the Realms of Ahlus that have since come to define the geopolitical and social landscape to this day. Guided to the hill known as Orchard Crest by a magpie, Gilbert Goldlor founded the Kingdom of Atralran in the south, forging a dynasty that has persisted through his sons and their sons to this day. They were bordered to the west by the lands chosen by the halfling Tarsire Bramblebrace, whose passing in 346AG brought about the formal division of the lands of Lachlen into its five Earldoms, having married off his children to his most loyal of servants, Alarie, Camile, Harthain, Lang, Lussier, le Tonnelier and Telcorth, continuing his bloodline subsequently. The Lachosi have maintained a rivalry with the Sunar, the people of Sunstone, the Kingdom founded on the southwestern corner of the continent by Camil Faris, who ruled from the city of Halima to watch and guide the major settlements of Astaz, Mahdambra, Conda and Sathar, and countless minor ones, all amongst the first to be bathed in the morning light with each arriving day.

Further north along the western coastline of the continent, where the Cobalt Sea meets that of the Brumal Deep, no less than six of the chosen Truetouched founded settlements and civilisations likewise. The gnome Vorple Remferren guided his subjects from strength to strength, becoming a formidable military might in the west, and taking the title of Emperor, where so many of his contemporaries instead styled themselves as Kings and Queens. Subsequent generations of Remferrens have since held the same title, and continue to do so to this day. It is with their neighbours that the Codornians have subsequently quarrelled, particularly over ownership of Westdell, one of the few cities personally created by Gaityas themselves, but within those neighbours quarries have likewise been levied at each other. Astrydd Sagefond, Dulmus Volusath, Maicen Shinegulley and Torsten Breamand, were the so-called River Kings. a misnomer given that two of the four Truetouched that created their line were in truth Queens, though given that Maicen ruled as a King nonetheless, an understandable one, quarrelled extensively over dominion of the lands that would be known as Kingbourne, though likewise extensively cross-linked their families with marriages and alliances. Through their children and grandchildren, who were each given lands and fiefs too, there was at one point in excess of three-dozen "River Kings", before all save but one - Lykrin Breamand, who would subsequently found the Realm of Galykr - coming together to found the Council of Westdell and forging the Realm of Kingbourne formally in 99AG. Finally, as previously mentioned, the Giado Territories were founded by the firbolg Aecan Khi, who, after aiding his people to find their self-sufficiency and contentment, was said to have waded out into the waters of the largest river within the domain, henceforth known as the River Khi, never to be seen again. The river, rich in fish, shellfish and waterbirds has sustained the Giadoese ever since, which is considered a continued blessing.

Contrast can be found between the actions of Byron Tawnbert, the Truetouched that founded Gawylthlan on the banks of the Lan, and that of Ronik Tynnian, who named the Tyndian headlands, and the Duchies that would come to reside upon it. While Byron was the first in a long line of Kings of the same name, Ronik would ultimately be crested with the title of Grand Duke, taking another of the Truetouched to wife, Otelien Silverward, and would see their sixteen children as another blessing and gift, subsequently dedicated each to a god from amongst the Ahlusian Pantheon. Each would go onto found a Duchy themselves, before marrying both within their borders and beyond, founding the numerous Duchies of the region, each under a different name, but all tracing back to Ronik and Otelien themselves. The current rulers of Evonlock, considered the capital of the Realm, still bear her name. Nearby, but deep within the mountains, Akraham Grithammer established the colony of Mol Boramm, the City of the Sprawling Reach, and would go onto be responsible for the creation of the crowns of the monarchy of Atralran, Gawylthlan and Sunstone, as well his own.

Akraham would live long enough to see one of the dignitaries to his Realm become the Emperor of the Empire of Raq, but it was Ariistuun, the Prime, that is the only true Truetouched amongst their rulers. Unlike many of the other Truetouched, Ariistuun's bloodline, while fruitful, did not succeed him as rulers, for instead the Qalraq choose their ruler from those considered the most leal servants of the Realm, something that has stirred a great deal of theological debate, with many arguing that surely by selecting that bloodline, and encouraging it to continue, Tohmos declares them fit to rule. Nonetheless, the Qalraq maintain the faith of the Principal Sixteen just as reverently as most upon the continent, and given that it was Ariistuun himself that decreed the system so, it is beyond my place to pass judgement.

Both Armand Allaire and Priscila Lamorral travelled far to the east of the continent in search of lands to claim for their own, and yet fell upon the lands on either side of the lake now known as Old Loch near simultaneously, the cities of Brient and Terollo respectively. In truth, Lienia would only formally come to be many years later, for the Realm of Tulis dominated the eastern stretches of the continent for a time. When the lands of the Penance Peninsula definitively broke away after years of loosening control, it would ultimately do so without the bloodline of Lamorral, who had, and continue to be, the stewards of the House of Allaire in Tulis, the ruling family.

#### The Sea of Nobility

While no further beyond the original sixteen were chosen, the blood of the Truetouched has spread far and wide in the centuries since. To the descendants of the Chosen the same boons were granted in time, serving as a strong through line between generations and families. However, just as a striking shade of iris hue may be lost with time, it seemed that the mixing of the Truetouched blood with that of the Principal Races generally would dilute its potency in time, prompting a few amongst them to start more insular efforts to maintain it - seeking out other Truetouched families to make matches, as found extensively between the Atral House of Goldlor and the Gawylthlian House of Tawnbert, or the Tyndian Duchies.

Further confusing matters was the widespread rise of mortal made and defined nobility. The Atrals, through the Trial of Spirit, counted numerous minor nobles by the turn of the first century after Aita's Second Gift, some amongst them bearing titles of Régysseur, Baronnet, Baron and Marquis. Considered amongst the nobility, these individuals were not Truetouched, save those very few that perhaps had crossed bloodlines by means of alliance or elsewise, but still treated within the same courts, maintained rulership and control over fiefs, and in doing so muddied the waters further for those commonfolk acting as their subjects. To the farmhand, is there truly that much difference between the Marquis and a King? Both command authority, wield wealth, power and allegiance through times of peace and war alike, and surround themselves with peers and kin. The splendour and distinction was not lost entirely, but the peak started to be lost amongst the sea of nobility that arose around it.

Throughout the continent too, others came to positions of rulership that traced no lineage to that of the Chosen Truetouched, nor some to the Ahlusian Sixteen at all. Most infamously are surely that of the Dustlords of Anorcor, who behind walls of sand capable of stripping flesh from bone in a matter of minutes, are said to have been empowered to ascendency by the gifts of a wrathful being known as the Storm of Rust and the Everstretching Tempest. With command over minds, might and magic, the trio surely rule with cruelty in their hearts, a far cry from the ideals of the True. Elsewhere, the tribes of Lylcairn and Courrakey generally do not accept the Ahlusian Pantheon as their faith, instead maintaining paganistic beliefs founded in animism, and have origin stories in their legends that seem to support these claims. This is most clearly seen in the few tales said of the enigmatic Ger, one of the three main Courrak tribes. They instead maintain that they first came to after a great eagle scattered the blood of a titan by tearing out its eye and burrowed into the soft flesh beneath. From the spillage of gore the Ger sprung to be, and most carry a pendant of deep crimson - traditionally made through freezing any blood shed by their mother during their birth by arcane means - at their throat in recognition to this.

Ultimately, while as long as the lines of Truetouched are maintained, dynasties that have stood the test of time for centuries, the actions of Tohmos during Aita's Second Gift will persist, gone are the days when nobility was by the design of the divine alone.

#### The Gifts of the Gifted

The Chosen Truetouched, and those with sufficient purity in their heritage, became more than simply blessed by the Master of the Hammer to place a crown upon their brow. The boon of the True instead runs deep, far deeper, bolstering Aita's creation in the races further still, elevating them. With it, came a myriad of manners in which the Truetouched stood astride from their peers. While tales report that the blood of those of sufficient purity and pedigree runs blue when spilt, this is undeniably a bard's fancy, most likely resulting from the veins of blue found upon the bronze gauntlet displayed by Tohmos' faithful.

First and foremost, the lifespan of the individual found itself extended, typically somewhere in the measure of half again beyond that typical, with a few cases of near double. Shaped to lead and govern, the mental faculties in all its facets are likewise said to have been at least somewhat greater than the typical member of their race by the gift, though not to the point of infallibility or extensive sagacity, simply rather above average, with a natural aptitude for learning. Acknowledging that there would be those that would rise to challenge them in time, corrupted, manipulated or otherwise tarnished by the plots of the Malign, the Truetouched and their direct progeny were made more capable than most at withstanding the bursts of intense energy created by divine magic that threaten to overload the spirit, as well as contemptuous magics that which would wither matter and being alike. Further still, should the embrace of the Stonequeen draw close, the Truetouched also seem to possess an uncanny sense of favour in what might be their final moments, which has proven to foil many an assassination attempt and plot.

However, the Truetouched are still fundamentally mortal, and thus while may stand with echoes of the divine servants of the Principal Sixteen during the times before Aita's Second Gift, can find mortal fates in all manner of places. Numerous Atral, Gawylthlian, Sunar and Tulisan Monarchs died long before the scope of their lifespan, many in violent ways - for it is said that the denizens and servants of the Malign are driven mad by the scent of their blood. This has served as a justification for some families of Truetouched heritage to attenuate the gift, fearful that their children would be stolen away, butchered or hounded by cultists, monsters and other baleful ilk. To this effect, it is believed that Tohmos has subsequently altered the gift given, as first discovered by Maxence II Goldlor upon the birth of his firstborn son Irving. Irving possessed none of the traits of the Truetouched, despite a refined genealogy, though upon his coronation in 229AG spontaneously developed them. It has been speculated since the definitive precipitating incident necessary to achieve as such, with suggestions ranging from a simple and genuine declaration of desire to the True to shoulder such a mantle, to an act befitting of true nobility, such as the crown being placed upon Irving I's golden haired brow, or as was also reported in the self-sacrifice of the second son of King Aubin II Allaire, Valter Allaire to slay the Blue Dragon Vulstrilknis, although the arrival of the boons proved too late to save the Prince.