Shalim
Prophet
"Having no hope now for myself, I offer this hope to you."
~Last words of Shalim
No single person's influence has outlived the Empire in so significant a way as the Prophet Shalim. The Empire's propaganda never had the opportunity to respond to the Dragon Madness, but it is hard to imagine it standing up to the hard truths that poured from Shalim's lips as the Empire crumbled. Shalim's words opened our eyes to the facade we had believed. Without that truth, we could never have endured this darkening world.
~Last words of Shalim
No single person's influence has outlived the Empire in so significant a way as the Prophet Shalim. The Empire's propaganda never had the opportunity to respond to the Dragon Madness, but it is hard to imagine it standing up to the hard truths that poured from Shalim's lips as the Empire crumbled. Shalim's words opened our eyes to the facade we had believed. Without that truth, we could never have endured this darkening world.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
No record has survived of Shalim's origins, and many stories circulate among the faithful. At Emberhold, you will hear that she was poor, born among the slums of Istragos itself, and that she saw first hand the suffering caused by the decadence and corruption of the Empire. Other tales say she was a high ranking priest in the Church of Eternal Dawn. Still others that she was from outside the Empire altogether. Some say her family were killed in a dragon attack during one of the Empire's wars, others that her dearest companion was a young drake, and tell of Shalim's heartbreak when her companion went mad.
What can be said with certainty is that she became a priest at some point and held that role when the Madness struck, and that she was not at Istragos when it burned. It is an article of faith for Shalimism that she was forewarned by a vision and that her superiors ignored her warnings, but there is no record of Shalim claiming actual foresight. While the Empire crumbled around her, she gathered a group of the Church's faithful and led to safety in the mines that would become Emberhold. In the Faith, this event is remembered as a holy pilgrimage, and every year the faithful of Emberhold process down into the lower levels of the ancient mines. A more cynical mind would say that Shalim saw that the Empire was doomed and fled to the deepest hole she could find.
Whatever led her to the mines, there are countless tales and legends about the early years there, and the beginning of the mission on which she set her followers. Those with martial skills were sent out to find others and guide them to the refuge - the first Knights Mendicant. Others under Shalim's guidance began the great project of preserving Civilization against the coming darkness. Artifacts and documents were gathered wherever the Knights went, and Shalim set scribes to recording the songs and tales of those who came to the refuge.
Shalim did not live to see Emberhold. One of the few clear events that have come down to us from the early days of the Madness is that Shalim the Prophet died in the 6th winter after the fall. Children at Emberhold know the story well of the illness that spread through the refuge that winter with food running short. A common image in shalimic art is Shalim going from bed to bed and sitting through the nights by lamplight reading salvaged medical texts, and in the end succumbing to the illness, but of course not before discovering the cure, handing the scroll to the man who would become the first Steward of Emberhold in her last moments.
What can be said with certainty is that she became a priest at some point and held that role when the Madness struck, and that she was not at Istragos when it burned. It is an article of faith for Shalimism that she was forewarned by a vision and that her superiors ignored her warnings, but there is no record of Shalim claiming actual foresight. While the Empire crumbled around her, she gathered a group of the Church's faithful and led to safety in the mines that would become Emberhold. In the Faith, this event is remembered as a holy pilgrimage, and every year the faithful of Emberhold process down into the lower levels of the ancient mines. A more cynical mind would say that Shalim saw that the Empire was doomed and fled to the deepest hole she could find.
Whatever led her to the mines, there are countless tales and legends about the early years there, and the beginning of the mission on which she set her followers. Those with martial skills were sent out to find others and guide them to the refuge - the first Knights Mendicant. Others under Shalim's guidance began the great project of preserving Civilization against the coming darkness. Artifacts and documents were gathered wherever the Knights went, and Shalim set scribes to recording the songs and tales of those who came to the refuge.
Shalim did not live to see Emberhold. One of the few clear events that have come down to us from the early days of the Madness is that Shalim the Prophet died in the 6th winter after the fall. Children at Emberhold know the story well of the illness that spread through the refuge that winter with food running short. A common image in shalimic art is Shalim going from bed to bed and sitting through the nights by lamplight reading salvaged medical texts, and in the end succumbing to the illness, but of course not before discovering the cure, handing the scroll to the man who would become the first Steward of Emberhold in her last moments.
Education
While no record remains of her education, it is clear that Shalim was educated and held some rank within the Church of Eternal Dawn. She was able to absorb information very quickly, reportedly reading vast tomes at a voracious pace, and she wrote well and quickly, personally penning many of the early documents of Emberhold.
Morality & Philosophy
"We are not fundamentally our own. Nor do we owe all to others. What we owe to others is the best we can offer, whether they be strangers on the road, or generations yet unborn."
Shalim held that the first responsibility of a person is not to themselves but to their community. Shalim's words make clear that she never imagined that many of them would survive. Indeed it seems that she took a rather dim view of the prospects of the refuge. Rather she imagined that the refuge would eventually fall, and that the sealed vaults deep inside would be rediscovered and used by future generations. Yet this future-focused view did not blind her to the needs of the now. Even before the refuge had an archive, it had an infirmary, and warriors went out to guide refugees along the road before any scribe set to copying old scientific treatises.
Shalim held that the first responsibility of a person is not to themselves but to their community. Shalim's words make clear that she never imagined that many of them would survive. Indeed it seems that she took a rather dim view of the prospects of the refuge. Rather she imagined that the refuge would eventually fall, and that the sealed vaults deep inside would be rediscovered and used by future generations. Yet this future-focused view did not blind her to the needs of the now. Even before the refuge had an archive, it had an infirmary, and warriors went out to guide refugees along the road before any scribe set to copying old scientific treatises.
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