Thrane

Silver Flame, light the way Through war and darkness and despair; O Silver Flame, we shall not stray! Spirit of Thrane, hear our prayer. No foe can dim your argent glow No child can live beyond your light With swords in hand,Your soldiers stand, O Silver Flame, burn ever bright! —“Light the Way,” Thrane’s national anthem
One night in Olarune of 299 YK, the settlers and farmers of Thrane saw dark clouds gathering over the Tamor Hills. A ruddy glow rose from a fissure in the hills. Those who explored the chasm did not return. As months passed, fiends and bloodthirsty beasts crawled out of the fissure and threatened the land. The Year of Blood and Fire was a time of great terror, but it was also a time of inspiration. The holy warrior Tira Miron gathered priests and soldiers to fight against the darkness.
Armed with a singular vision, she ultimately confronted the evil forces within the Tamor Gap, binding their fiendish lord and transforming its dark flame to a font of silver light. Through her sacrifice, she became a spiritual vessel for the Silver Flame, a conduit through which it could touch the souls of others.
Many in Thrane see the Year of Blood and Fire as a turning point. Inspired by Tira’s sacrifice and guided by her spirit, Thrane destroyed or drove off the remaining fiends. The common folk turned to the new church in droves, and the citadel of Flamekeep was soon established. The Church of the Silver Flame spread across Khorvaire, but Thrane remained its heart. The good people of Thrane had seen the horror of unrestrained evil, and they were determined to stand against that darkness. At times, this missionary zeal spun out of control. Queen Joliana’s fervor for the Flame nearly shattered the kingdom of Galifar centuries before the death of Jarot. However, most of the followers of the Flame have shown tolerance toward those who pursue other faiths, saving their strength to battle inhuman and supernatural evil.
If the Year of Blood and Fire was the first major turning point in the history of Thrane, the second was surely the death of King Thalin. The Council of Cardinals had grown in power and influence, and Thalin’s heir, Prince Daslin, was seen as weak. Above all, the nation was at war. It took little effort on the part of the cardinals to convince the people to raise the church above the throne, and Daslin himself acceded to the demand without a struggle. In 914 YK, Thrane officially embraced the Church of the Silver Flame as its ruling body, becoming the first true theocracy in Khorvaire .
Life and Society Thrane is still rebuilding as a result of the Last War. It has few coins left in its treasury, it owes money to various dragonmarked houses (House Kundarak in particular), its citizens are overtaxed, and its cities still show signs of the carnage and destruction wrought by Aundairian, Brelish, Cyran, Karrnathi, and Darguun invaders. The dragonmarked houses have trouble acting within the tight strictures of the Church of the Silver Flame, and they must trod carefully around prickly, overbearing cardinals.
Although Thranes' hear news of rampant corruption in the cities of Aundair, Breland, and Karrnath, they are blind to the corruption within their own borders. Too many officials who learned to abandon their morals and ethics during the Last War remain in power, wearing their faith like a mask and cleverly hiding their personal agendas and thirst for power. Whether the theocracy can survive the machinations of these tainted few remains to be seen.
The People The overwhelming majority of Thranes are honest, proud, and passionate people who believe in the Church of the Silver Flame. Equally devoted to family and work, Thranes do nothing halfway. If a citizen of Thrane undertakes a task or agrees to serve a cause, he gives it his all. That said, few Thranes are mindless zealots. Most followers of the Flame tolerate other belief systems. After all, Tira Miron herself began as a paladin of Dol Arrah.
The Sliver Flame demands only that its followers fight evil, whether it’s evil incarnate—fiends, undead, and other abominations—or the evil that plagues the human soul. If a paladin of the Sliver Flame senses evil in an innkeeper, he should try to find a way to bring that soul back to the light, not strike down the innkeeper or destroy his business. However, this is a hard road to follow, and try as they might, many Thranes do not measure up to these high ideals.
In general, Thranes lead ascetic lives. Gambling, carousing, and similar activities are frowned upon in the land of the Sliver Flame. Religious observances are very important. However, not all Thranes see eye to eye. Many are divided on the importance of the monarchy, for example. Most citizens pledge their greatest loyalty to the Church, but a small faction holds to Queen Diani ir’Wynarn and the line of Galifar. Some of these loyalists reject the power of the Church entirely, while others (such as Captain Otherro of the Knights of Thrane) believe that both have their place in the kingdom, and that it was a mistake to upset the balance between the two.
The Role of Magic Thranes have never shied away from arcane science. While arcane magic has its place in postwar Thrane, citizens these days concentrate their energy on spiritual devotion. Thrane’s lack of arcane sophistication is countered by the widespread use of divine magic. While arcane magic is not seen as evil, most Thranes regard excessive devotion to arcane studies as a distraction from the light of the Silver Flame. Likewise, most followers of the Flame are tolerant of those who worship The Sovereign Host, but they judge other religions more harshly. The Blood of Vol is seen as an abomination, and the Thranes have never forgiven Karrnath for embracing this darkness.