Light Bearer

Pictured: Argan, the Blazing, the brave Smokeless, Uniter of the West, and the greatest warrior of their era. A powerful warrior and influential political figure within the region of Spirix, Argan is remembered forever as the first Light Bearer, a tremendous figure whose flame burned so brightly the rank was named in their honor.
Art Credit: "Quivixia", found in the Pathfinder Pawns, Giantslayer Collection document, copyright Paizo Inc. 2015

Qualifications

Qualifying for such an important position is no small task. First, a candidate must have served Karusha for no less than eleven years, either in direct military participation or by holding political office. Alternatively, an active member of the community can be nominated for the position during caucuses that are held every four years. Secondly, a candidate must have received or be actively receiving martial training in one of Karusha's three ancient heirloom weapons: The Verslin, a war hammer from the days of antiquity, capable of channeling the fire of a Smokeless' very being; The Korutas, twin swords meant to teach stability and balance; or the Yeisla, a long range sling traditionally used for hunting and distracting large predators in the desert.
Finally, a candidate must have the endorsement of two other Smokeless  who meet the qualifications for Light Bearer or are themselves members of the Karushan government. This last qualification is intended to generate camaraderie and bipartisanship among Smokeless representatives, all to better the state despite the views of its individual politicians.

Requirements

The Light Bearer must be a Smokeless and they must be born in Karusha. In order to preserve their cultural identity and chart a course for their own people into the future, Smokeless have, both in the past and present, unanimously agreed that their highest office must be occupied only by a native son or daughter of sand and flame.

Appointment

The Iddhain is a sacred day in Karusha where a Light Bearer is appointed to preside over the kingdom and its people. During the Iddhain, the previous Light Bearer is either confirmed for another term, or their replacement succeeds them. All elected officials in the city, as well as a few ambassadors from Sharizdur, gather outside Karusha's largest building, Kiefmet, an old Ignan word that was used to refer to the north star, Razemel. 
There is space below the precipice of the Kiefmet for thousands of onlookers to also participate in the confirmation ceremony. During the confirmation, the Light Bearer removes a still burning portion of their Firemoss and adds it to Argan's Torch, a huge burning pyre that has been accumulating portions of Light Bearers for thousands of years. The torch was originally used as a call to action, visible from Sharizdur, Argan used it to mobilize their combined armies against Aldrané.
Firemoss normally becomes fire retardant when separated from its host body, but Argan's Torch maintains some magical, mythological energy that keeps the pieces burning even more brightly than before. It also keeps the Firemoss from depleting, so its flame can shin forever.

Grounds for Removal/Dismissal

A Light Bearer serves a long term, and it is common for them to face circumstances that are challenging and require hard decisions. Even knowing this, many who ascend to this position do so because of their moral character, and that character carries them through the hardest verdicts. It is vanishingly rare for a Light Bearer to be dismissed, though it has happened exactly once in Karusha's long history.
A man by the name of Bruvard Beserfold was confirmed as Light Bearer in E.Y. 642. During his term, he presided over two droughts and a famine that ravaged much of Karusha, Sharizdur, and Crixis. With no end in sight, during his fourth year in office, he called an emergency meeting of his cabinet and ordered them to prevent all food exports until the famine had passed. Though a few cabinet members initially sided with the protectionist policy, it quickly become clear that Beserfold's plan would cost Karusha more food than it would lose, as the stop to exports endangered the massive food imports they were getting from elsewhere in the region. Most upsetting of all was a provision that called for a complete embargo of trade with Sharizdur, the kingdom's oldest ally. Unable to be talked out of his position, Beserfold ordered a fourteen-week ban on all exports outside of Karusha, doubling the period to a twenty-eight-week ban of all exports and imports from Sharizdur. His cabinet members gathered in secret, coming up with a plan to circumvent the Light Bearer, publicly refusing to uphold the embargo. A protracted political battle between Beserfold and the leader of the resistance movement, Coriander Kyrine, took place over the next few months, where Beserfold and his allies eventually succeeded. The people of Karusha came together and formally discharged Besserfold of his rank and duties, electing Kyrine in his place.
Now his story is used as a cautionary tale for upstart Smokeless politicians.

History

Spirix's story of unification is long and, currently, unfinished. It has always been a land torn by brutal resource wars and disparate nations. So when Aldrané began amassing power in the 17 and 1600s E.Y., it began exerting its pressure on the nearby groups that were too small to resist its might. Those who failed to assimilate were cast out as nomads and forced to loot the rolling sands for a precious drop of water or morsel of meat. Native orc populations were most affected by this change in regime, losing more than half of their ancestral land in the years that Aldrané came to be the most powerful nation in the desert, perhaps even in Terisirae.
Forced back to their eastern lands, the remaining tribes of orcs began accepting nomadic refugees and slowly built the roots of what would become modern-day Sharizdur. When it was being built, Sharizdur was a thousand years younger than Karusha, the ancient homeland of The Smokeless. Despite the massive population of orcs gathering in the east, and the prehistoric home of Smokeless, neither posed a threat to Aldrané by themselves. Despite knowing their individual forces were not enough, neither settlement was willing to cooperate with the other for fear of subversion or an elvish plot. Much anxiety and strategic concern had to be overcome before either side was willing to acknowledge the other.
That was when Argan, the Blazing accepted an impossible quest, to journey 60 miles to Sharizdur through some of the most dangerous and densely predator-populated areas of Spirix. They battled for weeks until finally arriving in the orc capital, bloodied and tired and desperate to complete their goal of brokering an alliance, even if it would be temporary. They were nearly laughed away from Sharizdur, but their cause was rallied by an upstart half-orc who was quickly gaining a reputation in the area, a nomad from the far west named Koruk Greene. It had seemed like a lifetime ago when the two first met, when Argan and their family ventured to The Scar to pay respect to their ancestors and encountered a tribe of roaming orcs that had accepted the Greene family into their ranks. The two got along immediately, swearing a bond of fealty to each other before parting, destined to meet again.
Now much older, the two rekindled their friendship and campaigned together to unite Karusha and Sharizdur, successfully mounting a defensive to oppose Aldrané in E.Y. 986. The combined efforts of the two civilizations were able to drive the forces of Aldrané out by E.Y. 983, protecting their homeland from losing its culture and its people. For their efforts, Argan and Koruk were heralded as heroes, and new political structures were constructed around them so that their alliance would continue on forever. Karusha, in recognizing the furious fires that danced off Argan in battle and during diplomatic discussions, gave them the epithet The Blazing, and created a position atop their government for them and other charismatic, heroic, selfless Smokeless like themself: The Light Bearer.

Form of Address

Carrier of the Most Vibrant Glow

Equates to

The Light Bearer could be equated to President Villanova of Huvora, it is a position that oversees all the legal and logistical functions of Karusha. The Light Bearer is foremost a political office, but it is also a warrior's position. Those who step into the legacy of Argan, the Blazing are expected to lay their lives on the line in defense of their homeland as their ancestor once did.
Duties given to the Light Bearer include maintaining the peace in Karusha, attending regular meetings in Sharizudr's Hall of Victory, remaining steadfast and devout to the wellbeing of Spirix and its people, and participating in important religious holidays and holy days. The Light Bearer is held responsible for cultural cohesion and is personally charged with preserving the lifestyle of Smokeless all across Ec'algor.

Source of Authority

In gaining the recognition and respect of their peers, a Smokeless may gain the title of Light Bearer after years of public service

Length of Term

7 years

Related Locations

• Karusha
• Spirix, the Glowing Sands