The High Seraph

The Champion of Mankind

"Ten thousand years ago, The Sanguinor started this line. Today, it shall not go out, no matter how powerful our foes may be. As the heir to the late seraph, his majesty Axel Christiansen I, Lord Regent Shahpour Zahedan of the Imperium officially declare Hans Christian Danielsen as the Sanguine Seraph. May you reign long, and overcome every challenge our enemies throw at you"
Imperial Regent Shahpour proclaiming Hans Christian Danielsen as the emperor at his coronation ceremony

Axel, Descendant of Mathias by Gabrix 89

The Sanguine Imperium, one of the worlds dominant superpower is truly massive. Spanning multiple continents, even more microcontinents and subcontinents and numerous islands that could be continents in their own right, the Imperium has no lack of size. In terms of population too, they triumph above all else and have the highest population out of all the geopolitical entities on Elladia. Armies consisting of millions march to war for the cause of mankind, lead by one person
The High Seraph is the direct and unbroken descendant of Mathias Chirstiansen, better known as the Sanguinor. It was he who first united mankind under one banner, over the course of decades of warfare. It is he who heads the Imperium as its supreme sovereign and despite having numerous checks and balances to ensure that he does not violate the rights of his citizens, he still wields immense power. For him, the entirety of mankind is bound to stand and fight. To him, a billion men swear their allegiance. And most of all, a billion men are ready to die for him. For the Imperium. For the greater good of humanity
This is the duty of the High Seraph. To protect mankind from all that may harm it, sometimes from itself. They have to lead the Imperium from all aspects, politically, socially, mentally and even physically if need be. It is an enormous burden and even with so many others to help him, the load placed upon the emperor is immense, and he has to bear it without complaint
In these dark days, when the world is reeling under the corruption of the destroyer, the high seraph is a symbol of inspiration for many. The current emperor, Hans Christian Danielsen is especially held highly by the Imperiums citizens, as he managed to carry this burden at an extremely tender age, after being traumatized by the loss of his father. He may be young, but his head is wise and his body has the strength of youth. It is upto him that the people look forward to, to save them from these dark times when even the gods have abandoned mankind

Qualifications

Officially, there aren"t any qualifications that are needed to become the High Seraph. There has been an unwritten rule however that the future emperor should have at least a college level of education and preferably a degree in either political science or economics. The current emperor, being rather young is still very educated and has attended his university classes even whilst carrying out his duties. This is rather common for many emperors that rise to their position at a young age however, and many of them have attended educational institutes even when they were in office

Requirements

To become the high seraph, there are a few requirements, including but not limited to
1) Being in line to the succession of the throne
2) Being an adult or showing signs of maturity and being emancipable
3) Not being convicted of a serious criminal offence such as murder, rape, etc

Appointment

Hans, Emperor of Mankind by Ortheza

"On this day, i take upon the burden of mankind upon my back. I swear by the gods, and by the blood of my ancestors and humanity that i shall strive to the best of my abilities to protect mankind from all that may harm it, and lead them to victory and progress till the day i die"
Hans Christian Danielsen, swearing the Emperors oath during his coronation ceremony

The ceremony in which a high seraph is appointed is a beautiful sight, one that draws in visitors from all across the Imperium. It starts with the emperor elect being summoned to the palace where they take part in a huge feast organized right before their coronation
Once the coronation has started, the emperor elect has to first dive into a pool at the site where they will be appointed to their position. They have to reach the bottom, where Turalis, the ancestral sword of the house of Christiansen lays. This ceremony may be skipped if the weather is bad or if the emperor elect is in bad shape
Once they emerge from the depths of the pool, they kneel before the Imperial regent and give them their sword. The regent then places the sword upon their shoulders and makes them swear the oath that all emperors have to swear. They also have to remain shirtless during this time, due to a certain procedure that will follow the oath
Once they have taken the oath, the regent will carve the sigil of the Imperium on their left shoulder, or right shoulder if the elected is a woman. After that, they will be handed over their sword and officialy, ascend to the position of the High Seraph, ready to lead mankind against its enemies on all fronts

Duties

"You have a hard time ahead of you. The nobles are constantly plotting. You are younger than most emperors and worse, you have so few friends to help you"
"If that is so, so be it. I give not a single fuck if they plot my death. If they come to assassinate me, i will bite their throats out and make them an example of what happens when someone plots against me. I bear a heavy burden but i must bear it nonetheless. If required so, i am ready to bash a few skulls to achieve it as well"
Hans Christian Danielsen, talking to Imperial Regent Zahedan right before his coronation

The duties of the high seraph are immense. They have the obligations to lead mankind in all aspects, be it political, social or in martial matters. They have to give the people what they want and ensure that none of them are deprived of their basic rights.
Moreover, the seraph must also make sure that he can defend mankind well and fight in the battlefields themselves if need be. Many high seraphs have fought valiantly in the battlefield, and some have even fallen so that mankind could live to see one more day. They inspire everyone on the battlefield with their courage and aura of valour, being almost like the gods themselves. They have to remain brave and solve the problems that the people have.
This may seem like an easy duty for some but the main problem lies in fulfiling the wishes of a billion people, many of whom are in conflict with each other. It is thus also upto them to maintain the unity of the Imperium and mankind and fulfil all of their wishes to the best of their ability. The task is incredibly daunting and is not for the faint of heart, but the emperor must fulfill them nevertheless.

Responsibilities

"The cultists? They are at it again? Fine then. We will increase the ban and apply a death sentence to anyone caught aiding or joining the cult. Perhaps that will stop them or make them slow enough for us to come up with a more permanent solution"
Emperor Hans, in a meeting with his ministers and advisers on how to combat a growing death cult threat

In terms of day to day tasks, the emperor has to chair meetings between the other important officials of the government. During these meetings, the emperor has to come to a decision on how to best solve the problem they are facing. The emperors decision is final and unless countered by a very large majority, it will be official.
The emperor also has the ability to make laws without getting any support from others. However, the laws must be at first checked by the Imperial parliament and also the supreme court to ensure that they do not violate human and civil rights. If the law passes these two tests, it becomes official. Of course, the parliament can also make their own laws as well but they must secure the support of a large majority and prove that it is not discriminatory against any people as well.

Benefits

"Everyone thinks that being the emperor is rather bad and tiring. I say otherwise, because i wouldn't have met the amount of friends i have met today had i not been the emperor"
Hans Christian Danielsen, talking to his brother Casper Christiansen

Accoutrements & Equipment

"He strides down in armour made of fire giant hammer and metal from the core of the world. In his hands, he wields a sword that was bestowed upon him by the gods themselves. To match him in battle, i think not that any mortal creature can do it"
An Old man, telling his grandchildren a tale about the High Seraph

The Emperor and his Steed by Jaron Zheng

As the highest leader amongst mankind, the high seraph is always supplied with the best of equipment. His armour, being able to withstand the strikes of fire giant is yet nimble enough to make him dodge like an assassin does. Most high seraphs have so far worn plate armour in battle and prefered protection over speed but some, like empress Nasharia have been known to eschew heaviour armor for more nimble attire. Nasharia also used daggers and glaives unlike many of her forbearers
One weapon has always been present amongst the high seraphs, and that is Turalis, the gigantic greatsword wielded by the first high seraph during his quest to unify mankind. The sword was crafted together by a fire giant and a frost giant, and it was made into its true form by Mathias reportedly going down to the very core of Elladia and plunging it there.
Besides Turalis, the high seraph can request any weapon he likes, and many have wielded Unorthodox secondary weapons too. Hans Christian Danielsen for example uses a Greataxe known as Fortharan as his secondary weapon, whilst his father Axel used a giant halberd called Taragon to slice his enemies in half
All the weapons and equipment used by the high seraph are magically enchanted to increase their effectiveness. Besides the built in enchantments, the high seraph can request to fit in more enchantments that they want, from the very finest enchanters of the Imperium. The equipment are also tuned to make it such that they increase the magical prowess of their wearer, which turns the high seraph into a true killing machine fuelled by the twin flames of martial and physical strength and magical prowess

Type

Nobility, Hereditary

Form of Address

His Majesty, Din Majestet

Equates to

The position of the High Seraph is equal to the rank of the "Montakar Vanura", the emperor of the Aegean Empire. Both lead their respective races, and are the heads of the two superpowers in the world. They are both idolized by their people but the Montakar is idolized perhaps even more so, being held as a literal manifestation of their god. The Seraph on the other hand, is seen as a human, one that has been anointed by the gods themselves but still a human.

Source of Authority

The High Seraph is authorized by the will of the gods themselves, as the people say. He is bound to obey a number of laws and has to swear an oath that is recited out to him by the Lord Regent of the Imperium.

Length of Term

The Seraph is usually elected for a life term, unless impeached or killed

First Holder

Mathias Christiansen

Current Holders

• Hans Christian Danielsen

Related Organizations

• The Sanguine Imperium