Mansa Savrias Lohrian
Mansa Savrias Kith-Born Lohrian (a.k.a. The Golden Lion)
In setting the world upon broad shoulders, one risks a devastating tip. No men are gods. Not yet.
Savrias Kith-born was raised among the human kin of Elvenkind in the western Old Wilds. Back then, he was unremarkable - a child torn between many potential kiths for future studies. With the spirit for war and a mind for magic, the sages and the soldiers both trained and courted him, leaving him somewhat lacking in both categories. In the end, he couldn't come to a final decision and instead volunteered to go to the Ramparts as part of a summer tour against the enroaching Orcish Horde. Here, surely, he would find whether his arcane studies or his martial mindset would win out. And so he did.
Savrias, known merely as 'The Kid' back then, served three tours on the Wall, remaining in the Ramparts between seasons. In the end, his focus favored magical advancement, but all of his magical will turned towards defense and social support. In the Ramparts, he found a community of varied background with common purpose and few constraints on how one chose to express their support to the greater good. Savrias never returned to the Wilds as Kin, instead turning to the Galasteri capital with recommendations to attend the prestigious Tower of Art's magical school, under Mansa Sarenna herself.
It's as a student that Savrias started to distinguish himself as a brilliant organizer of people and a capable mage. All of his intellect, whether truly considerable or simply determined to a goal, was set to bringing honor to the school, improving its students, and improving his own growth. There isn't a student there at the time without a story of Savrias' aid or intervention, and he went from student to teacher in short order. Even the Mansa found herself impressed by his ambition, as he worked to bring the Dream-spanning and often competitive students of the Tower into a common assembly. It is the formation of this Gathering of Sages that pushed Sarenna towards choosing Savrias as her successor. That he'd already met and was on good terms with her daughter Samira was surely a bonus, but neither expected to be wed by the Mansa's decree.
As a young Mansa, Savrias's first order of business was to expand on his natural inclination towards alliance-building. A series of inter-marriages with Elvenkind was set forward in hopes of averting conflict at their borders. Among these meetings, he was shocked to learn of a former love's passing and a remaining child, Kovraza. She was welcomed into the royal house with Samira's eventually-eager approval. As such, this period is considered a high point of his reign.
His diplomacy to the west and south were met with more resistance. After nearly coming to war with the Blooded Houses of the Scarlet Coast and their lingering orcish influence, Savrias came to accept, respect, and even support the Houses in their campaign to stabilize the region by force. Adopting one of their imperial magistrates, Thelwen, his family grew and the state of half-orcs in Galastaire improved considerably, if not completely. But even as he gained allies in the south, he chose to abandon existing allies of the Empire in the Steppes. Savrias found them corrupt, self-serving, and petty, but these qualities were not the only ones they possessed. As soon as Savrias turned his back, the Draconic Clutches invaded and seized much of the territory. While more honorable than the old families, the Clutches have no interest in peace with Galastaire.
Most accounts place the beginning of the end for Savrias with the death of his wife and best friend Samira. After a lifelong struggle with melancholy, depression, and a sense of inadequacy, her endurance gave out in sudden tragedy. Utterly thrown by his partner taking her own life, Savrias is said to have turned inward for the source of the problem. The great uniter needed a scapegoat, and found one in his own limitations. Thus, a great project was enacted through the Gathering of Sages and his many allies across the Dream - the constuction of a new Throne, a focal point for arcane power. From this central point, Savrias could keep a watchful eye and impose his benevolent will wherever he was needed. That such a plan amounted to total conquest did not slow him, and led to both civil and external war to stop him.
Savrias's failure and fall are well-known, marked on many horizons by the cataclysm at Lion's Fall. Even before the end, he managed to turn his children against each other, defy the council of his youngest and likely heir, and bring about a rebellion of Masked Knights who had lost faith in the imperial promise as a whole. In the end, his fall will likely be remembered for far longer than his successes - his loyal support of the Ramparts, delaying conflict with Elvenkind, bringing order to the Scarlet Coast, and advancing the study of the arts across the Empire. And perhaps the fall is more important. Savrias Lohrian had set out to change the world.
And to the world's horror? In that regard, he succeeded.
Mental characteristics
Gender Identity
Sexuality
Accomplishments & Achievements
- Veteran and lifetime patron of the Ramparts.
- Expanded common arcane education as part of the imperial education system.
- Delayed conflict with Elvenkind through a still-complex series of alliances and inter-marriages.
- United the Blooded Houses of the Scarlet Coast as his staunch supporters.
Failures & Embarrassments
- Never received adult recognition from Elvenkind.
- Abandoned imperial allies in the Steppes as 'unworthy', dooming the region to draconic occupation.
- Brought about the great cataclysm known as Lion's Fall, which continues to mar a vast area of the dream.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
- Ideal. There is no problem that cannot be defeated by a sufficient assembly of aligned minds.
- Bond. Savrias was loyal to those who earned his respect, and dismissive of those who had not.
- Flaw. Savrias didn't believe in compromises or partial solutions, aiming instead for grander victories.
- Traits. Savrias preferred to listen first, before then making unilateral decisions; he also retained some insecurities about never having 'come of age' in the traditions of the Kind.
Social
Religious Views
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