Ariollo

Written by Marty McMarn

Ariollo was the third son of a Wool Merchant born on the slopes of Thanagil on the very edges of Limar. With too many mouths to feed his father encouraged the adolescent boy to join the church. He was different from the majority of the other priests especially his superiors in the higher ranks of the convocation and for that they hated him. He was not in the Church for himself, nor interested in the associated power or prestige and would have probably seen out his days as a simple priest happily helping the unfortunate and destitute if a sequence of events had not occurred that saw him catapulted into the limelight. The Limari Crown Prince during one of his frequent drunken escapades came across Ariollo preaching in his own earnest and sincere way to a group of the downtrodden peasants. His passion and oratory managed to lift the fug on his highnesses drug and drink addled mind long enough that he approached and insisted that Ariollo become his personal priest.

With a well connected royal patron, Ariollo suddenly was someone that needed to be taken notice of and he was promoted within the church, those that envied him tried to sideline him but his pious intent and the fact that he was more than happy to be doing gods work in the less powerful or rich dioceses across Lohadalar meant that he could not be faulted. The Church under Cavion X was a political cesspit and it takes a wily operator to climb the ranks under such leadership. Some of the more corrupt Cardinals felt that he could be manoeuvred as a pawn in their machinations for power and that they could harness his respect amongst the not inconsiderable following he had garnered amongst the lesser priests if they were to make him one of their number.

Ariollo took the reins of power after the schism that nearly broke the church due to the actions of Cavion X. He was elected by a quorum of their peers which is astonishing since he came from such humble beginnings. In keeping with his reputation of being a pious and devout god-fearing man he a forsook all titles with the exception of Magistratus Basileus. His first acts were to sign into holy law that this was to also apply to his successors in perpetuity. He also bequeathed many of the remaining riches of the Church to the common folk of each kingdom and this combined with championing justice, advocating peace and the rule of law for all men has seen his popularity and consequently that of the Church skyrocket.