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 tread 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.

Religion

Despite common belief, the majority of Thranes are not zealots and tolerate other belief systems because most are aware that Tira Miron herself started as a paladin of Dol Arrah. The Thranish understand that The Silver Flame demands its followers only destroy evil incarnate in the forms of the undead, fiends and other abominations. If a paladin sensed the evil within a person they would council them back to the light and as a rule would not attempt to execute them. However on some extreme occasions this has been too hard a set of ideals to follow.

Architecture

Thranian architecture relies on round white columns, high towers and elongated black, pointy rooves above which are installed Continual Flames. Important buildings tend to have one or two floors, but extremely high ceilings covered in frescoes, with high stained-glass windows representing Keepers of the Flame.

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.

Art

Thranish art embraces and expresses the tenets of the Silver Flame. The most popular style of art in Thrane is Kree-Flamic, a stylized form of rendering that uses cubes and triangles to create all shapes and images. A counterculture has emerged within Thrane's art world known as Pre-Kingdom style and though still small it is growing.

Cuisine

Most foreigners tend to think that the theocracy stifles secular life in Thrane however, Thranish cuisine is surprisingly good. During a diplomatic visit Princess Wroya of Breland once said "It is like a breath of fire in the cold of a dark winter's night" after partaking in the Feast of the Silver Flame.

Thranish cuisine utilizes thrakel spices cooked in thick sauces. Thrane cuisine tends to be heavy, filling and spicy. Renowned Thranish dishes are thrakel-seared beef in red sauce, three-thrakel fish stew and silvered vegetable skewers. Desserts are also popular and are used to counteract the spicy nature of the main meal. The desserts are often sweet and served cold the most famous of which is silverfruit pie topped with beesh-berry sorbet.

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.

Geography

Thrane is located in central Khorvaire, sharing its western border with Aundair and its southern one by Breland. It also shares a small land border with The Mournland in the south-east, though it is largely separated from the Mournland by the Scions Sound, which forms nearly all of Thrane's east coast and also separates it from the nation of Karrnath. Thrane's long coastline on the Scion's Sound gives it close proximity to Thronehold. Thrane occupies a rich territory of fertile farmland and large forests. What is now northern Thrane was historically a core part of Aundair, most notably Thaliost, the former Aundairian capitol.

Structure

For the better part of a thousand years, the scions of King Galifar I—all members of the royal Wynarn bloodline—ruled Thrane. The children of Galifar’s ruling sovereign were always first in line to govern the Five Nations. Occasionally, as happens when there are fewer suitable heirs, governorship of Thrane fell to trusted regents drawn from other parts of the family.

As with the other Five Nations, Thrane was administered by the governor-princes as part of the Kingdom of Galifar from the founding of the kingdom until 894 YK. In that year, as the struggle for the crown that caused the Last War escalated, Thrane broke from the kingdom and declared itself an independent monarchy under the rule of King Thalin. Thalin, like many of the Thrane-based ir’Wynarns, was a devoted follower of the Silver Flame. He broke with tradition in order to exercise what he saw as his divine right to the Galifar crown. With the kingdom under his control, he could elevate the Silver Flame to its proper position as the one true religion of the land and the people. In many ways, it was Thalin’s zealous faith that led to the next stage in Thrane’s history.

Thrane remained a monarchy until 914 YK, when it became a theocracy governed by the Church of the Silver Flame. At that time, temporal and spiritual power fell to the Council of Cardinals and the Keeper of the Flame. Although the Wynarn line in Thrane continues to appoint blood regents (eldest scions of the royal family), these scions are merely figureheads without any temporal power.

Who should rule the country is probably the biggest political debate within thrane. The majority are content with the status quo however, many believe that the monarchy should be restored. To this day the scions of the Thranish monarchy are simply figureheads without any temporal power. Ruling Queen Diani ir'Wynarn supports the return of the monarchy and many Thranes, especially nobles support her return. A third proposition to this problem exists within Thranish politics, one held by Captain Otherro of the Knights of Thrane is that the monarchy should be restored to rule alongside the church rather than replace them.

Supporting the side of restoring the monarchy however, are a group of extremists known as The Galifar Loyalists or Throneholders colloquially. This group criticizes the events in which the church seized control of the nation casting doubt on its legitimacy.

Thrane is still rebuilding from the results of the Last War and its treasury is low on coins. It is in debt to many dragonmarked houses, particularly House Kundarak and in return its citizens are overtaxed. Unable to afford large scale repairs many cities show signs of destruction wrought by invaders.

History

While a few archbishops and cardinals crave personal power, most believe that the rule of the Flame is best for Thranes and for Khorvaire. This uncompromising zeal made it difficult for Thrane to form lasting alliances during the Last War, but the resolve of its clerics and paladins allowed the nation to hold on its own even when beset from all sides. The new Keeper of the Flame, Jaela Daran, does not believe that war within Khorvaire serves the goals of the Church. However, many knights and cardinals still yearn to see a new Galifar united under the Last War. And in the shadows of the court, the symbolic queen, Diani ir’Wynarn, looks back on the history of her family and dreams of returning her line to the throne.

The Last War

When King Jarot died in 894 YK, Thalin ir'Wyrnan was the governor of Thrane and a devout follower of the Silver Flame. Seeing the chaos following Jarot's death, Thalin broke with tradition and declared Thrane independent with himself as its King, believing himself to have divine right to rule, helping to spark the Last War. After Thalin's death in 914 YK, Thrane rejected his son Prince Daslin as too weak for the throne, and instead became the first theocracy in the Five Nations.

Thrane fought zealously despite being surrounded on all sides by enemies during the Last War. But while it ended the war owning territory from Aundair and Breland, including the former Aundairian capital of Thaliost, many lives were lost and coffers drained in the process.

Postwar Thrane

The Last War brought pain and loss to every family in Thrane. Dead brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters are remembered in daily prayer. Cardinal Yisek, who spoke out against the war, proclaimed that “the Last War was about who gets to sit on that old chair in Thronehold.” The sad irony is that after Thalin’s death, Thrane forsook the royal bloodline altogether. When the nation transformed into a theocracy, Thranes stopped fighting for their king and instead began fighting for land and for the greater glory of the Silver Flame. It’s no wonder that many Thranes today feel detached from the rest of the Five Nations.

Imagine being surrounded on all sides by angry, resentful neighbors, and you can begin to understand how the common Thrane feels. Thrane shares borders with all four of its longtime enemies, and Thrane alone abandoned the royal bloodline of Galifar in favor of a theocracy. Moreover, Thrane seized parcels of land from Aundair and Breland—territory that Queen Aurala and King Boranel would like returned. Thrane has also been duly chastised for its cruelty. It demonstrated a startling lack of compassion when it denied Cyran refugees a new home after the destruction of their homeland, and vengeful Karrns resent Thrane for the ruthless bombardment of their capital—an audacious attack that left the imperious Karrnathi citizens feeling vulnerable and defenseless. Surrounded by such resentment, Thranes can ill afford to lead carefree lives. However, they take great comfort in the Silver Flame, for it has never broken their trust or led them astray.

Cities and Settlements

Aelyndar - Angwar Keep - Arolangard - Aruldusk - Arythawn Keep - Athandra - Auxylgard - Avaroth - Castle Rhonewatch - Danthaven - Daskaran - Flamekeep - Fort Light - Harrowgard - Lessyk - Morningcrest - Nathyrr - Olath - Rellekor - Sentinel Keep - Shadukar - Sharavacion - Sigilstar - Silvercliff Castle - Siyar - Tellyn - Thaliost - Traelyn - Valiron

"Glory to the Silver Flame!"

Founder
Thalin ir'Wynarn, second scion of King Jarot

Founding Date

32 YK

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Flamekeep

Demonym

Thranes

Head of State

Jaela Daran

Government System

Theocracy

Major Exports

Fine crafts, wool, textiles, missionaries, fruit, livestock

Official State Religion

Silver Flame

Parent Organization

Silver Flame

Location

Khorvaire

Official Languages

• Common

Neighboring Nations

• Aundair
• Breland
• Karrnath

Royals of Thrane In 894 YK, when the Kingdom of Galifar collapsed and each scion declared his or her nation to be a sovereign and independent country, Thalin, second scion of Jarot, was declared king of Thrane.

Years	Monarch
894 - 914 YK	Thalin
914 - 945 YK	Daslin
945 - 988 YK	Erivon
988 - Present	Diani

Keepers of the Flame

#	Years	Keeper
1st	300 - 320 YK	Maliah Sharavaci
2nd	320 - 389 YK	Traelyn Ghelios
3rd	389 - 461 YK	Darmin Avaroth
4th	461 - 524 YK	Kyra Danth
5th	524 - 525 YK	Bec Avaroth
6th	525 - 578 YK	Valiron Silverthorn
7th	578 - 610 YK	Torah Ariadu
8th	610 - 698 YK	Saren Rellek
9th	698 - 768 YK	Jareen Imistil
10th	768 - 825 YK	Aelyndari Valystar
11th	825 - 860 YK	Jolan Sol
12th	860 - 863 YK	Tzandra Corus
13th	863 - 903 YK	Jovor Daran
14th	903 - 936 YK	Kaith Serrain
15th	937 - 993 YK	Lavira Tagor
16th	993 YK - Present	Jaela Daran

Five Edicts of the Church
1.) Trust in the Silver Flame. The Voice of the Silver Flame never lies. It will light your way to glory and salvation.
2.) Heed the words of the Keeper. The Keeper of the Flame is your emissary. Through the Keeper, the Silver Flame speaks.
3.) Fight evil in all its forms. Not everyone can have the strength or conviction of a paladin, but there are many ways to fight evil that don’t require one to draw a sword. We must also remain vigilant, for the one thing evil does well is hide in plain sight.
4.) Lead a noble life, and encourage others to do the same. Temptations abound, but the wisest of us can recognize and avoid them. If you die with a pure spirit, you will be forever bound with the Silver Flame.
5.) Share the faith. The Silver Flame can purify the darkest spirit. Share the power of the Flame with those who have not yet embraced it.