Dafyd Malor
Saint Dafyd Malor
Would Hom condone that we made Him an Emperor? Or would he condemn us for locking him inside a palace, away from his people?Known as Saint Dafyd, Emperor Consort Dafyd, and even Emperor Dafyd I by those who rallied strongly behind him, Dafyd Malor is an incredibly well-known figure in Olivia, responsible for the creation of the Dafydist Churches in Olivia and the strength of The Valyean Empire at its peak, and even in death is marked as responsible for the empire's later collapse. While he is written about in many texts, there is very little in the way of factual information and first-hand accounts, most of it stricken from records or destroyed to contribute to his rise to sainthood.
Artifacts
Dayfd had four devices of his own creation that have since lost their function or no longer work as intended. It was said they could only be worked by Dafyd himself and attempts to relieve him of them have ended with them not working at all. These items are:
- Dafyd's Instrument of Music - currently located in the Monastery of Royn Bell
- Dafyd's Instrument of Calculus - currently missing and considered lost
- Dafyd's Instrument of Time - located in the Monastery of Numerology
- Dafyd's Instrument of the Written Word - located in the Monastery of the Spoken Word
Holy Books & Codes
The Book of Dafyd, also known as Words of a Common Man or Words of Dafyd (colloquially the Words) is the main text attributed to Dafyd Malor, yet it was written by the Monastery of Elmarie in the years between 301 and 315 RB as a posthumous collective of Dafyd's teachings and travels.
The book is widely printed, with some amendments by various monasteries, and used for teachings. The book is special in that it is written in the common tongues of F'yorish and Mercian, making it different to the original texts of Hom in that they could be digested by the everyman. The Book of Hom and later Letters from Hom were scriptures that were sacred, only to be read or spoken aloud by a monk or pastor of the religion.
There are many fables in the Words that are used in sermons and rituals performed by Dafydists, often attributing ways the Dafyd acted to how they too should act.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
The sigil of House Malor was that of a white raven, and this has taken on meaning with Dafydists, due to Dafyd often wearing it as a sign of family.
The Monastery of Elmarie pictured Swans on their scriptures, and so a swan is often used as well to represent Dafydists.
Another common representation is the four-pointed star, to symbols the mythical instruments used by Dafyd, and used by the Valyean Empire in depicted the stars seen by Emperor Mikhael I to prophesise the Empire.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The best and most accurate account of Dafyd Malor's early life was that he was born to the House Malor, a small house located around the city of Elmarie in Norther F'yore. He was a fourth son, not in line for any lands or noble titles, and attempts to have the boy trained to become a knight were not fruitful. The boy much preferred reading and found an interested in the arts of science and magic.
The boy eventually joined the monastery of Elmarie, the best and most suitable location for him. The Monasteries of Hommism were the most well-read and academical institutions in F'yore and it is said Dafyd read and studied a great deal into magics.
At sixteen years old, the boy was performing magic at an above-average level. His dedication to the art brought respect from the other monks. It was remarked on multiple times by the most senior monks that the boy 'would become a fine preacher'. They made room for him to set up a workshop in the monastery to perfect the arts that he'd been practising, encouraging his attempts to improve on his healing and water magics.
At eighteen, this culminated in one of the first miracles performed. By use of a constructed device, Dafyd managed to replay music note for note after hearing it only once, and by use of nothing other than magics. This was astounding, and whilst could only be considered a minor miracle, it was used regularly in services in the monastery to assist in sermons.
The devices grew to four; he constructed a device that could accurately tell the time of day and predict the weather over a twenty-four hour period; a device that could calculate complex mathematical equations; and finally a device that allowed him to speak long distances with another.
With the book of Hom, the monastery believed that Dafyd could spread a message of Hom greater and wider than any could have. He was allowed the privilege to travel between monasteries, with word granted to the other secular establishments in F'yore of his achievements. At nineteen, Dafyd began to travel around F'yore, spreading the word of Hom using his gifts.
Records grow difficult to track after this point - many settlements claim that Dafyd visited them, performing miracles far beyond what was recorded at the Monastery of Elmarie. It's likely many wish to purport a sense of status. The most believable accounts say that crowds gathered in markets and in squares to listen to Dafyd speak, and see his magics/miracles performed. He was liked by bards, who sang songs of his visits, liked by merchants, who he assisted in keeping books, liked by the commonfolk, who asked to send messages far and wide to rarely visited family, and very few could say they disliked the man.
Because of his spread of faith, the Valyean Empire began to lose control of the F'yorish settlements, regarding Valyea as a 'sinful regime'. To appease the people, Dafyd was sought out by Emperor Roja I to marry to his second daughter in the hopes of establishing Hommism as the Empire's religion. This ended up with Dafyd becoming Emperor Consort when Roja died three years later. This turned the people of F'yore into fully believing in the empire, many calling Dafyd the true Emperor.
Dafyd's time at the Royal Court is often exaggerated to give him a sense of perfection. Only a few accounts made by lower staff actually tell the truth of Dafyd's royal presence; he often felt trapped and enjoyed spending most of his time amongst the commonfolk and in the forests. His guardsmen were more his disciples and friends than soldiers, often forgetting their duties to guard him.
In the later conflicts, where Dafyd was used as a figurehead, claiming the wars were fought on behalf of Hom, Dafyd was often seen sitting in his lodgings depressed, uttering that 'we should act in peace'. Many conversations and parleys with the oppositions were filled with Dafyd appealing to the oppositions better nature. When the time came for military action, records attempt to paint Dafyd as a strategist and intelligent man, but rarer accounts describe that Dafyd rarely met with the commanders. On only a couple of occasions did he advise if he had no choice. The general sense of these accounts was Dafyd was a man imprisoned by his title, carted from location to location for the benefit of the Valyeans and not himself.
And yet his amiability with the commonfolk was never lost - even as he aged, his joy and faith remained with him, and he was constantly recognised as a 'man of the people'. As he grew old and tired, he often disappeared from the royal palace to provide aid to the poor. It is said that is how he succumbed to his death; by interacting with the sickly, it quickened his own demise.
Since his death, swathes of texts have appeared, attempting to tell the life of Dafyd and summarise his teachings. The Valyean Empire pushed the Dafydist branch of Hommism as the true Imperial religion, and funded the raising of many churches. The devices used by Dafyd have since been taken in as relics by monasteries across Olviai; the Monastery of Numerology holds the mythical timepiece, now long since derelict; the Monastery of the Spoken Word hold the mythical messenger that speaks no more; the Monastery of Royn Bell holds the mythical bardic horn, silent for years; and the Monastery of Jaunport originally held the mythical abacus, but the monastery burnt down in 312 and the item has been lost, likely held by a rich merchant or noble family.
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