Part 1: The Murder of Saint Nikolas

Of the tumultuous past of the Kingdoms, one period stands out as the most violent, chaotic and, eventually, the most defining: the Red Years. The culmination of over two centuries of struggles, oppression, infighting and political tension between the Nobles, the Orders and the Theist Church, few escaped the decade of violence that reigned over the Kingdoms’ basin, be they noble, soldier or commoner. The only ones who did not care for the events and riots of the Red Years, were those suffering the Nord invasion of Svarthgalm, who, supported by the chaos, reached the Heartlands.

To understand the Red Years, one must understand, even if superficially, the status quo of the Kingdoms’ basin in the middle of the third century Post Ruinam. The Orders were struggling to maintain some semblance of control over the rapidly increasing population and kingdoms. While the Order of the Sealed Temple remained the single most powerful financial power, their near absolute control over precious metals had long been lost, as new mines had been founded and trade routes to the City States were shyly being established. With the golden touch losing its weight, the threat of steel force was adopted once more; an often-hollow threat, as the Orders were rapidly losing the numbers game when it came to martial might. The Nobility, loathing the constant pressure applied by the Orders, had turned to Divine Right as their source of power, with the rising Theist Church capitalizing on its symbiotic relation as often as they could, ever trying to push for more influence and control over the political scene. And, in the meantime, the population under these giants, was expected to work, fight and die, on the whim of their masters, with no say or influence and struggling to make ends meet. Peace, where it existed, was being kept by a single string – and the tension ever rose, as the weight of its load ever increased.

But no matter the political and societal background, which readily provided a fertile ground, waiting to be watered in crimson, the heart of the Red Years beat along the heart of a single man: Saint Nikolas.

Even as the Theist Church constantly expanded its influence, especially among the nobility, there were those among its numbers that had not forgotten the practices of the Apostles of old. Roaming from village to village, such preachers would become a sight less and less frequent the more the Church became an established powerhouse. And yet, it was through those few preachers that the Theist Church managed to re-approach the lay people, and none did more in that regard than Nikolas, an orphan of Argem raised by the nuns of a local monastery.

For the greatest part of his life, Nikolas would remain at the lowest echelons of the Theist clergy, indifferent to the political power plays of his peers. Penniless and supported solely by the charity of parishes, Nikolas’ preaching would nevertheless prove more effective than any sermon delivered in a Cathedral. If the “Vitae Sanctorum” of the Theist Church was to be believed, Nikolas visited over four hundred cities and villages, preaching, attending to the sick and even performing small miracles to the benefit of the people. Even among Deists, he would come to be viewed potentially as an Aspect, for some of the Wanderer, for others of the Father or, later, of the Victim.

In 256 P.R. he finally settled in Braws at the invitation of the aged Arch-Bishop Victus. There he was offered his own chapel to preach, while the Arch-Bishop himself would often allow him to deliver the Sondum sermon in the city’s cathedral in his stead. In 261 P.R., he was ordained as a Bishop, a station he kept for less than three years, for after the passing of Victus in 264 P.R., Nikolas was unanimously elected to replace him – some said, at the behest of King Angus of Braws himself. Such rumors may well have held merit, for eight months after that, King Angus himself passed away without an heir of age. Rather than see the Orders assume de facto control of his city, Angus named Nikolas as his kingdom’s regent; a man who the King knew enjoyed the love of his people and one the Orders would have difficulty controlling or replacing. In a sense, he was wrong. The Order of the Sealed Temple reacted immediately, approaching Nikolas before the ceremony of his regency coronation and demanding he stepped down, as a man of the cloth should not be involved in the politics of a Kingdom. His response was as adamant as his preaching. In his speech during the ceremony, Nikolas spoke of power hungry, scheming organizations, whose obscure beliefs and heretical rituals offered demonic powers to mere mortals, threatening with excommunication all those who performed such practices. In a mockery of a trial, the Sealed Temple tried and executed the Arch-Bishop for assuming regency while a member of the clergy. But while Angus had been proven wrong about how the Orders could not remove Nikolas from his regency, he was absolutely right about the love of the people he had enjoyed.

To this day, every person, from the most powerful King to the simplest farmer in the furthest corner of the Kingdoms, knows all there is to know about the Murder of Saint Nikolas. Afraid of his teachings and the loss of their influence, the Order of the Sealed Temple tried and executed the good Bishop Nikolas, regent of Braws. But did they?

Few today know the events of that day as they truly happened, although this is neither a conspiracy nor some well-hidden secret and the core truth remains the same. It is a simple misunderstanding of events that both the Church and the Sealed Temple have allowed to continue unfettered until history, by and large, simply forgot the semantics of the truth. Yes, the Templars did arrest Regent Nikolas, even though they were neither a recognized authority nor an accepted influence in Braws at the time. Yes, they did put him on trial; by themselves, these two actions were far beyond their station, and they could have eventually spiraled into riots and perhaps another version of the Red Years. But their blades never claimed the Bishop’s life. In a public trial, surrounded by Brothers Militant of the Sealed Temple, it was a handful of members of the Order of Saint Lazarus that burst into the scene, walked purposefully to the Bishop and claimed his life, ignoring the proceedings, the outburst of the audience and even their brothers from the Sealed Temple.

The “why?” of the crime has never been confirmed; the Lazarenes are not the most open and talkative of the Orders, much less so apologetic about their actions, while their motives are obscure at best. Usually, however, the targets of their wrath are cruel individuals, be they nobles, clergy or even criminals, that plague on the weak and discarded. While some Order supporters are ready to dispute that, their accusations seem to be based solely on the act itself. The Lazarenes would not kill a man, lest he was such a man. But the known facts challenge that dogmatic approach. Bishop Nikolas did not fit the description of the Lazarenes’ usual enemies, period. But, some claim, many of his backers did. Using the good preacher as a veil to hide their misdeeds, many were those that capitalized on the man’s virtue to open doors of power, influence and wealth. Rip that veil and their nature is exposed, while a very definite ultimatum is delivered: if their unwitting protector can be murdered, what fate would await them? If that were truly the case behind their motives, then the good bishop’s only crime was naïve innocence.

Regardless of the Lazarenes’ motive, however, the fact remains that the Templars did nothing to prevent them from killing the Bishop and, in fact, escorted them out of Braws, shielding them from the enraged population; even if some claim that they were, in fact, shielding the enraged population from them.

In the end, it matters little. Whether by action or inaction, the Templars shared part of the burden of the Bishop’s murder and the distinctions between Orders did not (and often do not) register in the eyes of the population. The people – and History – would forever attribute this crime to the Order of the Sealed Temple. Hours after the execution, an enraged mob would assault the Sealed Temple priory of Braws, calling them murderers while they attempted to set fire to the building. The violent response of the Order would ignite riots throughout the city, as individual knights and brothers of the Order were chased out of Braws at best, lynched at worst.

The first spark had been lit.