Liberators of the Flame of Averium

Alignment: Chaotic

Headquarters: Veyshan

Leaders: None. Liberators tend to be led locally by strong personalities and influences.

Structure: Structure is the shackles of oppression

Scope: Global

Resources: Varies

Organizational History

From the chronicles of Bidas Torstal, Chronicler of the Willful Flame, 870-877...

For ages uncounted has the Holy Flame burned bright in the heart of men--but there was a time in the Age of Eternity, a time when the Gods waged war against each other, that this was not so. Indeed, the battle of Gods raged in our world as Maugrim brought forth his armies and sought to control the fate of all the world and its souls according to his own designs, to take away the freedom of man--and ever did his consort spin her webs, snaring and trapping mortals in decisions that were no decisions at all. His brother Daeus and the armies of Light opposed him, and the battle looked to age eons, with a great toll upon the earth.

It was then that Elhim, angered by the war and by the depredations of Maugrim and Taara sought to remind his wayward children of the rule of mortal free will in this world. It was then that he cast upon the land a Great and Holy Flame that would forever shelter mortals from the design of the Gods. So long as the Flame burned, so too would a God like Maugrim be unable to force a mortal to obey.

Maugrim, furious with this, sought to destroy the Flame, but his rage was cooled by Taara, who had her own plans. She sought out Rada, Lord of the Seas, and under her council, he came to see the Flame not as a reminder of the will of Elhim, but as an affront to the seas. Taara suggested that he first drown the lands, so that the flame might be extinguished. The great seas bent to the commands of their Lord and rose and pounded the lands upon which the flame was set. Sure that his work was completed, and his anger spent, Rada returned to the depths of the ocean

And yet, when the waters receded, the Holy Flame still burned in the heart of the land, devastated as it was. No force can undo what the Source has done.

Further incensed by this intrusion, the Tyrant God then sought out Gunakhar, and together, they raised a great storm of earth and sand, seeking to bury the flame and forever extinguish it. Again, the land was ravaged by the fury of not one God, but two. And when the storm ended, again, the flame still burned, for not even the Tyrant, in all his might, can undo what the Source has done--but the great desert of our world was born with the Flame at its center, burning brightly as a testament to the enduring vitality of its mortal races and of the rights of all men to be free. In time, the peoples of the world would come to the Flame, and many would forget its purpose, but to those that understand its significant, ever will it burn the brightest in their hearts.

*scribbled on the margins in a different, angry hand*

"This is ridiculous. First of all, while this so called 'Keeper' (who appointed this incompetent anyways? It wasn't any of us), can claim all the divine inspiration he wants, none of us were there! This is just one story of many, and others bear repeating more. For example, several of us believe that Tarien is responsible for the flame, that he tricked all the other Gods into investing some of their power into a torch, and then he set it upon the world to remind the Gods that even they are not above manipulations of others! Thus, whenever they look upon the world, they see the flame and are reminded that mortals must be given choice, or else soon even they will have none! And we already have a very large, very angry population of Veyshanites that blame the Flame for the desert itself. And you want to go and make them RIGHT? Gods, man. Divine inspiration. Please. It's more li-," the pen trails off here and there appears to be a small, dried blood stain at the bottom of the page.

Averium is the name given for the 'Flame of Freedom' that burns in the heart of the Desert. Its servants and those who seek to defend its purpose are its Liberators. The Liberators themselves are a disorganized group, who stay true to the spirit of independence and freedom. As broad as these concepts are, they cannot agree on much of anything except that freedom is a good thing. Exactly what shape that freedom is, or what it means, varies from Liberator to Liberator, and from Chapter of Liberators to Chapter, if they may even be said to have chapters (usually composed of a strong personality with a few followers). In a given area, their beliefs tend wind up patterned after the most dominant personalities of the order of the age. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes this is a bad thing, and tends to make their policies, and outlook, unpredictable.

The largest Chapter exists in Veyshan, gathered at the Holy Flame in the center of the desert itself--their keep built to shelter the Flame and its followers. It is said that embers of the flame carry magical properties and break magical bonds and enchantments, but the only time one is ever guaranteed to be seen in use outside of Veyshan is upon the opening of a new Liberator chapter, where a torch is lit in the honor of the Holy Flame with one of those embers, more often than not.

Liberators tend to appear in areas under oppression. At this time, they are your best friend. After that, they can range from useful allies, to staggeringly annoying fundamentalists. Mileage varies. If they're anything, they're deeply individualistic, and no two encounters with a Liberator are alike.

For Characters

The Liberators have a PrC available through Emblem of Ea. A person does not have to take the PrC to be considered a Liberator, but it helps. Rogues also are drawn to the group, as well as fighters.

Associated Members

Liberators of Averium