Rophalin Imperitor

Rophalin Imperitor is a god in the Noon-Sun Court, best known as having founded the Atarlie Empire and being a forebearer of the royal lineages of the Atarlie race of elves. He is known by the epithet The God-Emperor or Prince of Princes and counts royals, senators, state officials (military and civil), and historians among his followers, as he is said to be the Primogenitor of the Gens Imperator. His sacred symbol is a wreath of laurels and his favoured weapon is the longsword, while mountain lions are his sacred animal. He is known for having created the Rophalin Calendar, used commonly throughout all of Wisteria.

For those playing with the Dungeons and Dragons ruleset, Rophalin Imperator is a Lawful Good Diety whose clerics and other domain-using spellcasters gained access to the Glory, Law, Nobility, and Protection domains.

History

Rophalin was created first among all the elves by Pyria Valeptor, who gifted him with divine ability and knowledge from the outset of his existence, and sent to live among and rule over the elves for the first several generations of what would become the Atarlie Empire. In each Springtime of the Gods, he leads the elves from Elysium to Ahren and re-establishes them, before departing at the start of the Age of the Summer of Mortals. It is said that come the Age of Wisterian Autumn he will return again to lead the elves back to Elysium and so keep the flame of civilization alive through another Vergence.

Relationships

Rophalin is a son of a kind to Pyria Valeptor, and the father of Merellien Chaebalar through a dalliance with Feno Ilirel. As the First Emperor, he is fond of the elves in general and so opposes Shalaevar Shamaris and Hycis Uriris. He has been seen, as have most of his pantheon, to court Immarra Hyacinth, though he is too staid and practical for either of them to tolerate the other for long.

He and his twin Lysanthir Lugolor get along decently, though as brothers are wont to do they often attempt to thwart or prank each other for no reason apart from this petty mood or that. Rophalin extends only the "rule of politeness" to non-elvish visitors in his realm, which is unusual, as it was said to be his own law that allows non-Elves to become citizens of the empire.

Appearance

Rophalin stands head and shoulders above the mortal elves he once ruled, but otherwise appears to be a member of their kind, with a head of long, golden hair, and wise eyes that make him seem older than he otherwise looks. He usually appears dressed in the purple or armour of a ruling emperor, and speaks with a voice that is said to command elf and beast alike.

Realm

Rophalin is part of the elvish divine family, and so has a portion of the realm of The Cradle of the Wise, a fortified city in the plane of the Elysium.

Providence

Rophalin is well-known for appearing in the dreams of his followers and providing them with guidance. It is said that he never creates true oracles, preferring plain speech and clear instructions.

Servants

Rophalin is said to have an entire Elysian legion of warriors with the bodies of elves and heads of mountain lions known as the Inevitable at his command and has used them as a ruler would any other kind of army in numerous legends of his interactions with both other members of the Noon-Sun Court and in some accounts with alien divinities as well.

Unique Servants

Triandal Yinsatra

Appearing as an aged elven woman in golden armour, Triandal is a Paladin in the service of Rophalin during his time as emperor who was granted immortality when he returned to Elysium, becoming his Herald. He has been known to joke in her company when visiting Elysium that Triandal is also the voice of his conscience, occasionally reminding him of the need for benevolence to overrule the code of law. She is also known as the "First Consort" and is Captain-General of his divine army, not to be confused with a rank of the Legio Rophalin.

Church

For most Elves, worship of Rophalin Imperitor is an extension of the general spiritual life of the Atarlie Empire. His temples also serve as great archives for the empire as a whole and his more devout followers occasionally become clerks of these archives. Observances toward Rophalin are made at times of formal government proceedings such as trials or congresses of the senate. His observance is the only one that enjoys the same ubiquity as Pyria Valeptor, Mother of Mothers.

Worshippers

Known to all Atarlie, those who worship Rophalin in particular are usually aspiring rulers, government officials, career bureaucrats, or military officials who wish to both follow and lead in the example of the First Emperor. Citizens of the Imperial Province, and those with ambitions to ingratiate themselves among Gens Imperator, round out the ranks of his followers.

Clergy

Formal clergy of the First Emperor wear robes of a deep wine red, the closest to purple a non-emperor can publicly wear. Most, in addition to their sacred duties, are clerks, scribes, and bureaucrats within the church's own hierarchy or in service to various government offices. Many are also clerics, paladins, or fighters in dedicated service to Rophalin's mission to be the bulwark and protector of the Atarlie people.

Such consecrated combatants often wear the wine-red colours of their clerical companions as well as the pelts of Mountain Lions, especially if they are members of the Legio Rophalin.

Temples & Shrines

Second in commonality only to temples to Pyria Valeptor, Rophalin's temples are usually impressive stonework fora crafted from magically-shaped native rock, in keeping with the idea that he was the rock on which Pyria founded Elven supremacy and the Atarlie Empire. Such temples are beautifully decorated and supported by outer grounds of palatial terraces and gardens. Within the temples themselves are usually several subterranian floors of archives. In addition to religious observances, the forum at the heart of each temple is often opened to the public of non-senatorial classes to debate public matters. Observed by the clergy, these debates often help to inform senate opinion.

Homes which have a God Closet will usually include icons to Rophalin. Curiously, it is not customary that he should be the subject of any wayside shrines except along the Meridian Road, where they are always positioned such that his extended right arm points the way toward the Imperial City.

Holy Texts

In some sense, every archived work in the collective archives of his church is treated as a holy text, but The Histories of Rophalin are a contemporary record of his time spent on Ahren as the First Emperor, written by the ancient scholar Vestele Iliwynn. The core edition can fit in a single volume, but commentated editions exist that are upwards of a dozen total volumes in length.

Church History

The history of the church of Rophalin is the history of the empire itself; it is one of the oldest cults within the Empire and has never been out of influence.

Holidays

The Festival of the Turning Wheel nominally takes place on the anniversary of Rophalin's birth and is the holiest of his holy days, observed throughout the empire and its protectorates. This New Year celebration is also observed in other territories, but rarely in his honour directly.

Favoured Animals

Mountain lions are considered sacred to Rophalin.