Sanctum Cyrod: a Fragmentary List of the Saints of the Imperial Heartland

###Sanctum Cyrod: a Fragmentary List of the Saints of the Imperial Heartland

Dedicated to His Celestial Majesty, the Glorious Emperor Tiber Septim
Aegis of Peace and Beloved of the Eight
In the 10th year of His Glorious Reign

Serve and obey your Emperor. Study the Covenants. Worship the Eight, do your duty, and heed the commands of the saints and priests: the Commandment of Akatosh

Introduction: When His Celestial Majesty Emperor Tiber Septim, in commemoration of his tenth years of glorious reign, commissioned us to compile a list of the holiest Saints in Cyrodiil’s history, it raised questions that lay at the very heart of Imperial religion: what is Sainthood? What defines a Saint, and what separates them from characters of folktale and myth? To answer this, the Council of Primates looked to the first Saint, Alessia, for inspiration. Upon careful study of her life experiences, this Council has formed a concise definition of Sainthood, which is: a person who forms a personal relationship with one or more of the Divines, who performs at least one miracle or receive a vision from the Divines or their Saints, thereby serving as a vessel for Divinity. To add further validity to this list, it will only include those Saints whose holiness has been formally Acclaimed by a Dragonborn Emperor or a duly appointed Primate.

On the Fragmentary Nature of This Work: Much of our nation’s written history has been lost. The rise and fall of many glorious Empires, the scheming of devious Elder Councilman, and the senescent nature of Time have all played their part in the destruction of untold hordes of historical tomes and scrolls. Conversely, new chapters of our history are constantly being revealed. Various organizations of well repute devote themselves in whole or part to the rediscovery of ancient history, much of which has been hidden away by the foresighted historians of yore.

Note on the Sanctity of Emperors: By definition, each of our anointed Emperors have and are Saints: they have a special relationship with Akatosh by virtue of their dragon blood, and perform the miracle of the Rekindling of the Dragonfires upon their coronation. For the sake of breviloquence, the work has omitted those Saints, for history leaves ample record of their lives and deeds.

Saint Alessia, the Slave Queen: Founder of the Imperial Cult of the Divines, Saint Alessia was a Nedic slave in the days of Ayleid rule. She prayed to the Divines by their elven names, and was answered with visions that ultimately lead her to rally her fellow slaves to rebellion. Aided by the Saints Morihaus and Pelin-El, she and her slave army defeated the Ayleids, conquered White-Gold Tower and united man under one ruler. She structured and codified the Imperial Religion based on her enlightened understanding of the Divines. On her death-bed, the great Covenant was forged between her and the chief Divine, Akatosh. Her Sainthood requires no Acclimation.

Saint Morihaus, the Breath of Kyne: Son of Kyne and consort to the Slave Queen, the winged man-bull aided Alessia’s slave rebellion. He is credited with the taking of the White-Gold Tower after Pelin-El’s fall, as well as cultivating Nedic culture. He introduced writing and mathematics to the Nedes. His Sainthood was Acclaimed by Saint Alessia.

Saint Pelin-El, the Star-Made Knight: The Divines-sent champion of Alessia during the slave rebellion, Pelin-El slaughtered untold numbers of Ayleids on the path to Nedic liberation. He famously dueled and defeated a number of Ayleid kings, including their greatest king, Umaril the Unfeathered, keeper of the White-Gold Tower. This victory was paramount to the taking of the Tower and the ultimate victory of the slave rebellion. His Sainthood was Acclaimed by Saint Alessia.

Saint Agdistra, the Lifter: An obscure historical figure, Agdistra was a Nedic slave at the time of Alessia’s Slave Rebellion. When word of this western Rebellion reached the east, Agdistra received a vision of Saint Alessia which led her to rally a rebellion of her own, destroying the Ayleid city of Malada and leading the newly liberated Nedes to join Alessia’s great army. There are many competing stories of the miraculous destruction of Malada, further obscuring the historical record. Her Sainthood was Acclaimed by Saint Alessia.

Saint Hadestrus, the Bull-Paladin: When a group of Ayleid daedrophiles were found to be hiding in a sealed ruin on the southron shores of Rumare, Adestrus the minotaur led a force of his greatest warriors to destroy them. When he approached the sealed fortress, he prayed to his ancestor Saint Morihaus for aide. He was answered with the blessing of Kyne, which gave him a thunderclap that would blast the ruins open, and the killing light of the Whitestrake filled each minotaur’s horns with the memory of his glory. He was acclaimed by Emperor Belharza.

Saint Kaladas, the Architect: When Kaladas the Pilgrim arrived at the Wayshrine of the Crusader’s Mace, Zenithar granted him visions of the dire misfortunes and territorial disputes that would befall Leyawiin in the future, and bade him to build a shrine that could truly guard the mace. Legend tells that Zenithar blessed Kaladas with incredible architectural knowledge and skill, and sustained his life throughout the building process. When the new cathedral, complete with Kaladas’ self-designed tomb, was finished, and the mace hidden away, Zenithar appeared before the entire village to lift Kaladas up to the heavens. His Sainthood was Acclaimed by the Primate of Zenithar.

Saint Marukh, the Seer: An Imga prophet who rose to power and influence in the court of Emperor Amiel. A controversial figure in history, Marukh’s vision of a quasi-monotheistic religion became the dominant belief of the Heartland for many years. He claimed to receive insight from the spirit of Saint Alessia in visions. His anti-Elven sentiments, also supposedly inspired by the spirit, are well-documented. His Sainthood was acclaimed by both the Emperor Amiel and the Primate of Akatosh.

Saint Andraste, the Lightworker: When Empress Hestra led her army west to depose the Vampire King of Verkarth, she faced an army of bat-men and wolf-men the likes of which hadn’t been seen in centuries. At the forefront of her army was Andraste, a warrior-cleric determined to help her Empress rid the land of evil. In the thick of battle she prayed to the Divines for the power to slow the spread of the army’s corrupting curses, protecting the soldiers and enabling them to destroy King Styriche and end his foul army. She was further empowered by the Divines to cleanse any of Hestra’s soldiers who had been corrupted by Styriche’s taint. Her Sainthood was acclaimed by Empress Hestra.

Saint Reman, the Worldly: Founder of the Second Empire, the life of Reman I is shrouded in mystery and myth. He famously united the forces of Colovia and Nibenay into a mighty army to repel the Akaviri Invasion, eventually conscripting the very invaders to his banner. Tales of his many miraculous deeds abound, the most spectacular being his direct interactions with both Aedric and Daedric beings. His Sainthood requires no Acclimation.

Saint Jahn, the Purger: Jahn was the alchemist to a little-known Colovian warlord during the violent days of the Interregnum. When assassins managed to slip a mighty poison into the lord’s food, Jahn tried everything within his power to save him, but he could not cleanse the poison, only delay it. Being a pious man, Jahn prayed to the Nine, who granted him a vision of a yellow, flowering weed, wortflower, common around the Colovian Highlands. Potions brewed with this herb saved the warlord’s life, who renamed the plant in his honor. His Sainthood was Acclaimed by the Primate of Akatosh.

Saint Osla, the Healer: During His Celestial Majesty’s reclamation of Sancre Tor, Osla the Healer played a key role in maintaining the defensive line, allowing the then General Talos to lead his secondary force to victory through subterfuge. During the battle, Osla received visions of encouragement from Saint Alessia, which sustained her magicka well beyond her own capabilities. After the battle, she returned to her home in Chorrol and dedicated her life to training Restoration at the Great Chapel. Her Sainthood was Acclaimed by Emperor Tiber Septim.