Diana Lunaria the Martyr

Paragon of the Empyreal Order

Diana was born into a cult named the Empyreal Order, which was a small secretive group based out of Korvosa. The group was founded by an offset of knights from the Order of the Nail who fanatically believed in the upholding of law and order. These men pledged themselves to the Empyreal Lord Vildeis the Cardinal Martyr and her ways. They began small scale operations in the city shorty after founding. This included assassination and replacement of corrupt officials, slaying the numorious Imps that could be found in the city, and expeditions outside the city limits to slay even fouler evil creatures. Over time the order grew as the group found more people that shared their ideals. They eventually established a small keep funded by some of the now wealthy officials within their organization and used this as their base of operations. Most citizens of the city know this group by now, however few know their true goals or name. They are mostly thought of as a small religious organization that helps keep the order of the city and help those in need. Often donating large amounts of money and manpower to the needy. The group is organized into a structure similar to a church that is composed of Followers - Paladins - Deacons - Bishops - Archbishops - Cardinals - Paragon. Each role has power over those below it and the higher rank a member holds the more closely they must follow the tenets of the order. Diana was a child planned by and for the group. She was born during a sacred ceremony to honor the Cardinal Martyr, in which all the followers bled their sins out and cleansed the soul of this new child. The paragon of the Empyreal Order and emissary of Vildeis, Diana Lunaria named after the flower of honesty. Diana was raised under extremely strict and cold circumstances, made to follow the words of Vildeis without deviation. She would engage in rituals and be made to scar her own body as soon as she could hold a dagger. As she grew into a toddler she began training with the knights and paladins of the order, quickly growing into a capable warrior who utilized her speed and dexterity to best the larger, stronger fighters of the order. It wasn’t all bad for Diana growing up though, she was regularly praised and showered with gifts for being a representative of the orders deity. She was often asked to speak to the members and her words were interpreted as being directly from Vildies herself. Although she was toted as the paragon of the Empyreal Order she held little power and was more of a symbol. Even she does not know the true goals or intentions of the group. When Diana reached 13 years old, she was deemed ready for her first crusade. The group had been following the movements of evil in the surrounding regions and even had intel regarding the possible appearance of an emissary from hell. Following large movements of slaves Diana was sent to the city of Wyvernsting to investigate the evil there and destroy it.

The Empyreal Order

Cult of Veldeis

Beginnings

The Empyreal Order was founded by Merek Gray in 4743. Merek was previously a high ranking member of the Order of the Nail. However, after disagreements with Lictor Severs DiViri. The leader of the Order of the Nail. Merek left with a small group of followers who believed in his ideals. The main disagreement was over the general ambitions of the order. Severs operates the Order of the Nail as mainly a peacekeeping for hire unit. More focused on generating money to fuel Hellknight activities such as exploring the Emerald Spire. The Order of the Nail was often paid by the city of Korvosa to act as a military force. Despite saving the city on a few occasions the order was generally still treated coldly by the population and government of Korvosa. Merek hated this public image and apparent lack of respect, thus he sought to form his own order dedicated to his deity Vildeis

Ambitions

Merek wanted to use the power of his order to actively cleanse all the lawless wilds and claim them for what he viewed as lawful society. Merek envisioned a large nation ruled by staunch and rigid order. From there they could gather strength and run out the evils of the world. To this end, the order decided they needed a champion. Someone born pure of sin who could strike out into the world and gather fame, spreading the word of the order across the lands. Eventually, as most adventurers do, the hero would die as a martyr and fuel the cause for many years.

Diana and Korvosa

Through fate or fortune a member of the order was found to be pregnant. Giving the perfect chance for the making of the orders champion. A ritual was researched and prepared that would assure the child be born pure of heart and soul, completely without sin. During the birth members of the order practiced ritual bloodletting, sacrifice, and prayer to their deity Vildeis. Diana’s parents fully believed in the cause and gave their complete body and soul in exchange for blessings on their child Diana. With their champion born the order began working on the rest of their plans, the first step of which is gaining control of Korvosa.

Epilogue

After the The Oathbearers defeat Asmodeus, Diana passes and her spirit is judged by the angels of Heaven. They determine her use of devil powers is a punishable offense and is sent into limbo. There her spirit roams for decades until being drawn towards a tower in the distance.

Author: KazutoDM

Level: Unknown
Mythic Tier: Unknown