Jeppson Malort

"*You may think this wound unsightly, but to me it is a constant reminder of my dedication to the good deeds my goddess would have me do. It was a small price to pay to ensure the safety of those dear women.*"
―Jeppson lying about his facial scar
**Jeppson Malort** was a holy cardinal within the Guild of Light in Ryalis. He rose through the ranks due to his dedication with the following of Luxianna. He was born within the walls of the Guild of Light. During his birth, he was given to Grandmaster Ludwig who took him under his wing. Over the course of his lifetime under the tutelage of Grandmaster Ludwig, Jeppson was believed to be the vessel of light, a prodigy to bring back order and spread the divinations of Luxianna. Jeppson felt his time in the Guild was over, when he snuck into the Grand Archives and read a few pages talking about the True Enlightened failing their duty, and that they haven't appeared for nearly several thousand years. As days went by, a hooded individual asked Jeppson if he wanted to see the truth on what Luxianna, and the Enlightened as a whole bring to this world. Jeppson at first hesitated, but asked to know what the Goddess has actually done. Believing the Guild's ideologies were lies, he went on to secretly help the Heretic Empire by sacrificing Enlightened to end the Era of Light, and bring forth a new age.

For the next 3 years, Jeppson captured and sacrificed roughly fifty Enlightened just to make the goal come true. Jeppson managed to hide his crimes by using the outrage in Ryalis as a smoke screen, and as an excuse to hire mercenaries to guard his mansion along with killing Enlightened under his orders. He would later loot the deceased Enlightened for any valuables before burning them in his furnace. The loot gathered he would give to his guards before pooling them to amass his already large wealth he had. Jeppson was scratched in the right eye by an Enlightened he captured earlier on that day. Within haste, he murdered the Enlightened. On edge that he's slipping from his already "perfect" scheme. He stopped and cleaned up the mess before burning the deceased.

A few days go by, Jeppson noticed that the True Enlightened was amongst the crowd in the Guild of Light. He managed to pinpoint Katelynn from the crowd, and asked if it's true that she's the True Enlightened. With visual confirmation, Jeppson asked Katelynn if she was willing to come with him to his manor for dinner along with her friends. She agreed to come along. Within the manor, Katelynn already felt off as guards were stationed at nearly every corner of the manor. Jeppson told them that it's a precaution against the rioters, and told them that they'll be safe. Jeppson sat his guests at the dining room table before serving them beef wellington, wine, and grilled potatoes. Leona asks about the scar he has on his face, Jeppson replied with: "I was defending a caravan of nuns against a hoard of bandits a few weeks ago". Leona not buying the answer, kept asking more about it. Katelynn along with the rest of the party members were angry that Leona was insensitive about his wound.

Jeppson politely asked Damian to leave the room, and meet him at his study. Damian gets up to leave, before the guards within the dining hall close, and locks the doors. Before anyone could react, the party notice that they feel dizzy. Jeppson laughs before saying: "Sleep well, Enlightened. Soon I'll be putting you to sleep forever".

Jeppson and his guards managed to bring the party to the dungeon, before bringing Damian upstairs in the guest bedroom. As Damian wakes up, Jeppson was sitting on the foot of his bed waiting for him to rise. Jeppson asks if Damian as ever wondered why no one has ever heard of Luxianna's calls for generations. He explains that a hooded figure told him the truth that the Enlightened and Luxianna aren't the benevolent beings they say to be. Jeppson asks Damian to join him on his quest to rid the world of the filth. Damian pushed Jeppson aside, saying he's crazy. Jeppson smacks Damian across the face, and says that he was looking forward to bringing along a disciple to help him with ridding the world of the "glorified race".