Cepheus

A Red Priest in the service of the Red Faith, Cepheus is a man of great conviction and power, serving the Red God through preaching and combat whenever necessary.

## Appearance and Character

Cepheus is a taller man and is built like a warrior. He is almost never without his black and red armor and the red cloak and robes that he also carries with him. His sword is always by his side, never leaving him even when he sleeps.

He was found many years ago by Soot in the Qairan Deserts in the arms of a long charred skeleton or so it seemed. Soot took the baby in his arms and took it to the grand Red Temple in Iarran and presented the child to the flames. The flames didn't react for quite a while and Soot thought that potentially his god simply did not care for the child, right before he was going to put the child down the fire lashed out marking the babies face with glowing red marks as the gods voice spoke in Soots head 'Cepheus' and as such he was named that. While he was a warrior, he knew that he could never join the Fiery Hand in Iarran. By his teenage years he was one of the most accomplished swordsman in the city, though he refused to the thin blade of many of his fellow companions, instead adopting a Saeriali-style bastard sword. One his six and tenth birthday, he was sent with the priest Perseus on a mission into the eastern reaches of the Foreign Isles to search the ruins.

Perseus was one of the temple's most accomplished proselytizers and had claimed that he had seen the young Cepheus in the flames with him converting the damned in the Black City of Vakar away from their star god. And so the two set off first to the east, where the cities did not welcome them but did not hinder them either. The two spoke for days in the marketplaces, converting some but there were already so few in the city that followed the Red God that the new additions did little more than fill some more of the empty space of the small hall that they used for their ceremonies.

Next, the two sailed downwards, meeting with many of their brothers and sisters before heading down the Roads towards the Isle of Qoh. As they rode, Perseus taught the young Cepheus in the ways of flames. Cepheus had seen a few visions in the flames before, but nothing unlike what he had seen with him. For three days the two men stared into a fire alongside the road, both experiencing the same vision of a city in flames, women and children screaming, and a maddening cackle echoing through empty halls. The two men emerged shaken and confused from the ordeal and would ponder their meanings together on their journey. The two become obsessed with the vision, looking into the flames for many more nights only to see the same thing over and over again. They reached Qoh and set about their work , the vision still haunting their dreams. While they were there, the city erupted into a riot after some worshipers of the Starry Rites had been angered by one of the Red Priests of the city and many would die. The two men hid as many people as they could in the small Red Temple in the city while the riot raged, defending the entrance as best they could along with the other faithful. After the riot, they walked through the city and aided the wounded and helped to deal with the dead. The few worshipers of the Red God that died were all given their proper ceremonies. This was when Cepheus first formally gave the Last Kiss to a dead believer, passing the flames from his mouth to the dead man, so that he would always carry the light of The Master of Fire with him. The two men would remain in Qoh for the next two years, expanding their knowledge of their firesight with the help of the faithful in the city. The City of Sorcerers, Perseus would say, was more than useful for aiding their abilities to serve their God.

Thus, after returning to Iarran to speak with the High Priestess of The Red God. They told Ash all of their ventures and there she sat listening intently with a half smile on her face. She clapped for them and told them both to consult in the Library and afterwards Cepheus is to head to Saerial and start missionary work in the Deserts.

The two went to the library as instructed and discussed the higher magics of the Red God, consulting the few texts on the subject. All the while, more visions began to plague the priest. Another city in flames, but this time there was a dragon. A silver haired man stood haughtily atop a great black beast on an island surrounded by miscreants and sinners. These visions persisted as the two men sought the higher mysteries. After nearly a moon of prayer, reflection, and study, they tried it once more in their small alcove of the temple. Cepheus's sword sprung alive with flames once again, this time igniting nearly as soon as his blood wet the blade.

Taking the sword to the High Priestess, the two demonstrated the event once again as Cepheus lit the sword once more with his blood. The High Priestess was impressed but seemed to already know of this work that the two had done behind his back and ordered Cepheus to leave Iarran to the Deserts at once as his training was complete.

In Saerial, Cepheus would continue his mission of preaching the message of his god, though now he could appeal to others with the use of his sword, calling for all those who can take up the sword to fight the darkness of the worlds end. His visions do not stop, only growing clearer as the island in his vision continues to sear into his eyes.