House Arelius
House Arelius is a monarch faction who once ruled half of the Rosegold Continent before the death of their Monarch, Tiberian Arelius. After his death, House Arelius lost most of their territory and were reduced to a shadow of their former selves. Aside from the main branch on Rosegold, there exists a lesser branch on the Ashwind Continent in the Blackflame Empire who provide janitorial service. Contact between the two branches is possible due to a gateway portal that opens between the two continents every ten years (or maybe eight years?)
Bloodline Abilities
Certain members of the family inherit the famous Arelius bloodline ability, which was originally developed by the House Founder and First Patriarch, Ozmanthus Arelius. This bloodline ability is an invisible web of madra that surrounds the artist for a distance, gathering information — the greater the artist, the further the distance. Miles and miles even.
The trait manifests itself as enhanced awareness, giving the user the ability to sense sights, sounds and smells that they would not be able to with their normal senses. The strength varies from person to person with the most powerful inheritors using their enhanced senses to perceive so much information that they are able to predict action before it happens.
"People in a million fascinating variations swirled and eddied around him, and even with his mind fixed elsewhere, he felt them all...To his left, a ladder tilted fractionally; it would tip over in a moment, and the man balanced on it would have to use sacred arts to right himself. Eithan pressed one finger against it, pushing it back into balance." - Page 64 Soulsmith
Known Members
Ozmanthus Tiberian Merethian Arelius - The Founder and First Patriarch of House Arelius who created the bloodline ability. He rose to Monarch rank. He ascended and became an unofficial Abidan Judge called the Reaper Ozriel. Millennia later, he put on the Origin Shroud to veil himself and went into hiding on Cradle as Eithan Arelius.
Tiberian Arelius - The family's most recent Monarch. He lost his life to treacherous Reigan Shen.
Sage of a Thousand Eyes - Cladia Arelius, aka The Oracle. She manifested the Oracle Icon. When Reigan Shen killed Tiberian, she nearly died too, and was thought dead by some, but she appeared alive and well during the Uncrowned King Tournament. She lives in the Arelius homeland on Rosegold. Her home is scripted, secret, hidden underground, but the land has been destroyed by Shen, the countryside covered in ash. (see Wintersteel)
Veris Arelius - A competitor in the Uncrowned King Tournament who made it to the third round. Altavian Arelius - A competitor in the Uncrowned King Tournament who made it to the third round. At Eithan’s request, Veris and Altavian gave their tournament awards to Lindon (stronger Iron body) and Yerin (diamond veins). See book 8, Wintersteel
Cassias Arelius - A member of the Blackflame branch who was on track to become the branch's Patriarch, before resigning that position to Eithan in order to marry Naru Jing, a member of the Blackflame Empire's Imperial Clan.
Yerin Arelius - An Overlord Herald who was orginally adopted into the Blackflame branch as a Lowgold by Eithan Arelius, after the death of her master the Sword Sage.
Wei Shi Lindon Arelius - A Sage who was originally adopted into the Blackflame branch as an Iron by Eithan Arelius.
Birth of Penance
Lindon had never seen. His smile was long gone. The messenger
smiled at their reaction. “Long ago, the founder of House Arelius
created this weapon which he called Penance. It is a penance for
its target and, unbeknownst to most, its creation was an act of
penance by its creator.
-Uncrowned, chapter 20
Th arrow Penance, a heavenly weapon of certain destruction, was created here on Cradle by Ozmanthus, Founder of House Arelius / aka Judge Ozriel. It will kill anyone with just a word — including Monarchs and Dreadgods.
Bargain with Reigan Shen
Shen is at the Uncrowned Tournament, waiting to see who will win and hedging his bets. He is aware that the arrow Penance could be used to kill him, so he doesn’t want his enemies to win the tournament. In Wintersteel, Shen begins to fear that Eithan Arelius might win the Tournament, so he deals with him.
what you want, so that I may give it to you.”
Eithan stopped himself short of saying “Your head on a platter.”
Not only would it set the wrong tone, it wasn’t what he wanted.
If Reigan Shen didn’t die to a new generation of Monarchs
raised by Eithan, that would be the real tragedy.
-Wintersteel, ch 10
A bargain is struck: If Eithan will throw the match, Shen will send Rootfather Garrylondryth, a green dragon Herald who heals nature, to restore the war-torn Arelius homeland. He will also pay a billion scales to House Arelius and lend one year of protection from his own Herald, Yushi. He will also ensure evacuees from the Blackflame Empire are allowed safe passage when the Dreadgods attack. He will give Eithan his soul forge, kept in a void key. And new clothes. (Wintersteel ch 10)
