Jaela Daran, Keeper of the Flame
The spiritual leader of the Church of the Silver Flame has always been a person—usually a human— gifted with visions. The Council of Cardinals receives reports of visionaries throughout the land, choosing one to act as the intermediary between the Voice of the Silver Flame and the people of Thrane. A committee sifts through the charlatans and false seers to find the “chosen one,” although more often than not, fate finds a way for this spiritual leader to reveal himself or herself to Flamekeep’s ruling body. For the moment, the spiritual leader of Thrane is also its temporal leader—a precarious predicament for the government of Thrane. Should the current Keeper of the Flame perish, a replacement would need to be found quickly.
Eleven-year-old Jaela Daran came from humble origins, the daughter of a craftsman working in Flamekeep. At age four, she manifested an uncanny ability to predict catastrophic events before they occurred. So compelling and accurate were her dreams and nightmares that her father contacted Cardinal Hagaci, who brought her to the Church of the Silver Flame for testing. When Jaela was brought before the Silver Flame, it warned her of a Lords of Dust cabal operating secretly within Flamekeep’s walls. Armed with this information, the Knights of Thrane located and eradicated the cabalists. The Council of Cardinals dutifully accepted their new leader, and Jaela’s predecessor stepped down.
Jaela Daran has survived assassination plots by rival nations determined to destabilize Thrane’s government. She receives extensive theological instruction within the walls of the Church of the Silver Flame and regularly communes with the Voice, often gaining divinatory warnings of impending trials facing Thrane. On the rare occasions that she must leave the Cathedral, precautions for her protection are elaborate. Current political rhetoric favors the idea of another religious leader being chosen in the unfortunate event of her demise, and thus, many suspect that Flamekeep’s council would appoint High Cardinal Krozen as an interim leader. Others have suggested that the Church should find another visionary, in case anything untoward should happen to Jaela.
Jaela herself seems rather humble, modest, and meek for a young girl whose pronouncements alter the history of a nation. She often calls cardinals and councilors before her to carry out what the Voice has planned. Barring revelations from the Silver Flame, the Council of Cardinals is granted enough autonomy to enforce the law as it sees fit. At any time, a pronouncement from the Voice, through Jaela, can nullify or circumvent the cardinals’ authority. Jaela usually dresses in simple gray or black clothes, walking barefoot on the marble steps of the Cathedral. She has gray eyes, short-cropped dark hair, and a chocolate-colored complexion. Within the Cathedral, she is rarely seen without her fearsome pet, Skaravojen.
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