Arkadios
The Allfather Tree. Sunbringer. Bane of Goblins. Liberator of the Dryads. Prophet of Coronnus. Creator of the Seraphs. Betrayed by Iscario and forced to create mankind after the Seraph rebellion. Splintered and spread across the skies after the Scream.
Arkadios was a god in the sense that he was a creator and shaper of life, and an architect of natural wonders. But even as Arkadios delivered commandments to his adherents, he always made sure never to claim supremacy above Coronnus, the greater god that he professed to serve. Arkadios was wise and his power was far beyond the imagination of mankind, but the great old oak was also flawed. At times he was stubborn in his thinking, other times he acted vengefully, while later coming around to show contrition and mercy. While Coronnus rarely ever speaks directly in Apostlery texts, Arkadios was utterly prolific with commandments, admonishments, and tests of virtue.
Arkadios created the Seraphs, each an individual masterpiece. He instructed them in the proper ways to worship the sun god and protect the sources of all life on Gahla. But while the Seraphs embraced their faith with zeal, they would eventually come to discover thet they had also been deceived by their creator. By tempting them into unearthing a trove of forbidden knowledge, the dragons of Gahla revealed to the Seraphs that their forms were incomplete, that they had been altered by Arkadios at their creation, and robbed of their ability to procreate.
With the help of the dragons, the Seraphs rebelled and succeeded in subduing Arkadios. Surrounded by furious Seraphs wielding axes and torches, Arkadios was forced to bargain. Despite his many warnings, the Seraphs demanded that Arkadios recreate humanity in its original form - as Coronnus had meant for them to be.
This was how humanity was born, created by a reluctant demigod who was so upset with his children for forcing him to do it that he cast them out of paradise. In exchange for but a handful of human babes, Arkadios ordered the Seraphs out of the Arkwood, never to return. He created the Veil to ensure it. After exiling his treasonous seraphs from the cradle gardens, Arkadios would fall in love with the dryads of Gahla, and go on to create new life north of the Veil.
Spurned by their creator, and with only of handful of humanity's first children in their custody, the Seraphs helped mankind survive, develop, and eventually spread far across the south. Devoted protectors and caregivers, the Seraphs still play a crucial role in guiding the spiritual development of modern folk, though there are always fewer in number every year. Some even whisper that the last of the true Seraphs have already perished. The Apostlery's relationship with Arkadios remains complicated. The Allfather Tree is cast as an imperfect god, a foil against which to compare Coronnus, whose supremacy and benevolent nature is never to be questioned. Centuries after the Scream, when the ash had settled long enough for the sun to shine again, the Dawnlight Council invited representatives from each of the major races to develop a Testament of Unification, in an attempt to appeal to the better natures of all beings before war ignited once more. They got their peace for a time, but failed to write the Testatement when theological discourse soured into outraged bickering. Talks broke down when it came time to speak of the role of the seraphs themselves, of their intention to break the Pact of Veil, and to restore the Allfather Tree to life. The modern Apostlery centers their faith around a prophecy that says Arkadios will rise and tower over the Ash Continent once more. They say a hero chosen by the Sun Triumphant, and honored among the Apostles, shall carry the Seed of Lumina through the Veil, to the cradle garden where the Seraphs were first created. Deep in lost Erubia, where the earth is riven, the Apostle shall release the tree from the demon that binds it. A grateful Arkadios will dissolve the Veil, and the Champion will be reborn as the first of the new Seraphs, sworn to spend the rest of their days guarding the risen god, as order and beauty are restored to Gahla.
After Exodus
Spurned by their creator, and with only of handful of humanity's first children in their custody, the Seraphs helped mankind survive, develop, and eventually spread far across the south. Devoted protectors and caregivers, the Seraphs still play a crucial role in guiding the spiritual development of modern folk, though there are always fewer in number every year. Some even whisper that the last of the true Seraphs have already perished. The Apostlery's relationship with Arkadios remains complicated. The Allfather Tree is cast as an imperfect god, a foil against which to compare Coronnus, whose supremacy and benevolent nature is never to be questioned. Centuries after the Scream, when the ash had settled long enough for the sun to shine again, the Dawnlight Council invited representatives from each of the major races to develop a Testament of Unification, in an attempt to appeal to the better natures of all beings before war ignited once more. They got their peace for a time, but failed to write the Testatement when theological discourse soured into outraged bickering. Talks broke down when it came time to speak of the role of the seraphs themselves, of their intention to break the Pact of Veil, and to restore the Allfather Tree to life. The modern Apostlery centers their faith around a prophecy that says Arkadios will rise and tower over the Ash Continent once more. They say a hero chosen by the Sun Triumphant, and honored among the Apostles, shall carry the Seed of Lumina through the Veil, to the cradle garden where the Seraphs were first created. Deep in lost Erubia, where the earth is riven, the Apostle shall release the tree from the demon that binds it. A grateful Arkadios will dissolve the Veil, and the Champion will be reborn as the first of the new Seraphs, sworn to spend the rest of their days guarding the risen god, as order and beauty are restored to Gahla.