St. Carida Janis

Saint Carida
Saint Carida, of hallowed name and eye, Mother of Asgarnia.
Place of Birth	Northern Asgarnia
Date of Birth	Unrecorded. Late Fourth Age.
Race	Human (Purported to be half-icyene, though this claim is false)
Gender	Female
Height	5'9"
Weight	135lbs
Occupation	Chiefess, Paladin, Oracle
Religion
Alignment	Lawful Good
Patron Saint of	Asgarnia, Women, Destiny, Paladins, Seers and Divination

“	What begins, ends. What is born, dies. All that is made can be un-made. Dark has no meaning without light, and for all living things, there is the final silence.	”
–St. Carida on life, now a motto of her monastic order.

Saint Carida Janis (Kah-rye-duh Jan-is) is a sandbox character used in the Elysium role-play. She was born into the Janis, a Fourth Age tribe with long and ancient roots in Asgarnia, who were noted for their powerful seers. She led her tribe as the Matriarch and was responsible for the mass-conversion of the Janis, and consequently, the inter-tribal war which erupted over the traditional religion and the new one. Carida spearheaded the migration into cities and the establishment of them, becoming one of the founding members of Asgarnia who helped clear the land with the White Knights. After the insurrection of Asgarnia, Carida kept the delicate union from spliting up into civil war. When she died as a martyr for Saradominism she was canonized as a saint. Currently she had been resurrected by the icyene Arcadia and her icyenic unit. She is played by Kalitu III.

Appearance

Facial

Carida has always had the stereotypical 'holy' or 'icyene' look. Possessing blonde hair, blue eyes, and pale milky skin (all the favored colors of Saradomin) she appeared somewhat like something out of a monastic mural. Her features were soft and gentle, described as icyenic (or angelic) by contemporaries. Carida had a motherly face; serious and grave at times but mostly very benign and loving. When she converted to Saradominism, Carida was very elated with the appearance of herself, as she connected it with long lost icyene ancestors.

Physical

Coming soon.

Personality

Carida before her conversion was an untamed and bestial creature. She drew great pleasure from raiding the rival tribes and massacring people en mass, behaving very savagely. Torture and pain fuelled her uninhibited aggression, which she released upon every person not a member of her tribe. Carida's thirst for power resulted in the expansion of controlled land, allowing her to grow as a competent military leader and matriarch. But she favored large scale and heavy attacks over thought-out plans, giving her a more primitive ideology for war. She held herself in high esteem and always tried to give off the impression of auspiciousness.

After her conversion to Saradominism, she was much more restrained and docile. But the road to a more tranquil life was a long and bumpy one. In the beginning Carida was very much the same, only believing in a new god. She still favored brutality and fear-driven dominance over organized control. Carida did not care whether she was to be hated or loved, believing that in time the Janis would just simply endure her. In this stage of her life, she very much believed that whatever the means of her actions were, they were righteous and justified in the pursuit of a greater goal - executions for Saradomin was both upright and acceptable.

When Carida saw that her despotism would lead to a rebellion, she was forced to change her ways. She was not ardent on this and often struggled to be kind to the people she had formerly regarded as mere slaves. But as her dreams neared fruition and as she came into contact with other Saradominist leaders, her sadist barbarism was eroded away. By mimicking them, she became more like them until her natural leadership was able to take over. Benevolence and compassion began to take shape as she witnessed how her people struggled. When she took on the title of 'Mother' she resolved to become more motherly to her tribe and helped them in anyway she could - even given up her own food and going without so that they may eat, during the Great Asgarsi Famine. The inevitable reinforcement that resulted from this further spurred amity and humanity from Carida.

By the time of the rebellion, she was a kindhearted leader; stern and commanding when on the field of battle, but always selfless. It is this later attitude and personality that Carida is remembered for and which earned the acclaim of her allies, setting her down in history as a selfless hero, undaunted and unafraid of whatever stood in the way of order and stability. Her earlier efforts to make herself appear very august and auspicious were no longer needed; she was regarded by most as a living holy woman and prime example of what Saradominism is and should be.

Whether or not she was a cruel dictator who destroyed the integrity of her own people or a savior of order and the creator of peace and harmony is up to the reader.

History

Background, the Janis tribe

The Janis were part a nomadic Fourth Age clan that were very shamanistic in religion. The clan was made up of several tribes, all of which dubbed themselves 'Janis'. To distinguish themselves from the other tribes of the clan they often mixed the name of the Janis with the geography of where they were located. For example, Carida's clan is called 'the Janis of Asgarsi'. All of the Janis were barbarian-like in culture, as they wore furs, raided the surrounding lands or tribes, and their mounts, horses, were a hallmark of their culture. It is worthy to note that the Janis were a matriarchal society; women presided over leading the tribe and men would fight for it. Most in the tribe were warriors or archers, as they believed magic was reserved for the "gods" who walked the realm. They were thought to have sent themselves down into the plane to be born again to protect the tribe against evil and guide it towards good fortune.

This meant that they were demigods - half god, half human, who for the time they lived, would live in the tribe with their godly powers until they died and were born again. In reality, these supposed demigods were actually Seers, born with inherent magical ability. Their powers of foretelling the future and their great magical competence made them powerful individuals who led the tribe without question.

As seerism is an inherited trait (in the Janis, a trait found only in women), an elite "god" hierarchy developed in the clan and a long line of seers born from a single chieftain would sometimes exist. The children of such a chiefess would often have to wait until the greater god died for them to assume her position. If there was ever more than one adult seer, the position of tribal chief was dissolved for a time and the governing body was made up of a "gods" council. This council was only ever dissolved when there was only one adult seer. Of course, there were times a member of the council would slyly kill off each member until only she remained or times when the chieftain would have younger sisters executed in order to firmly enroot her rule.

This brought a lifecycle to the Janis governance; a council member would kill off the others and establish an autocratic dynasty. The dynasty survived from decades to a few hundred years and was then broken off by the negligence of one of the later matriarchs. Other seers would live and mature, forcing the creation of a council which would also survive for only a few short decades or long centuries.

Birth and Adolescence

Carida was born into the Janis of Asgarsi, the daughter of a particularly powerful chieftain. Carida was the only child out of four others who had the ability of seerism and was thus raised from an early age to assume her mother's role. A long ways of tradition had been created over time about how to harness the power of a seer and hone it. It was a long and drawn out process, but her ability to divine the will of the spiritual gods would be more than enough to lead the tribe.

It started out with enchanted trinkets and miniature wands, which the young Carida learned to wield. With age, her ways of training expanded and grew. She moved on to Runestones, slamming them together to see the outcome. Crystal balls and puddles of water turned into scrying pools helped her abilities as a seer.

Carida progressed into her adolescence as a prodigy, whose abilities though unrefined, could be clearly sharpened to even greater than that of her mother's. She was remarked as a kind girl who fought hardly for anything she believed in and fought back just as hard for things she was against.

Leading the Tribe

The day came when Carida had to take the mantles of the tribe. Her mother was dying, growing more and more ill with a peculiar disease. She was stricken with abnormal nightmares, heavy flu-symptoms, nausea, and a complete loss of appetite. Eventually there was the presence of a black tar-like substance, secreted through the nose and eyes, progressing through the body until her blood was solidified. It was a violent death and taken as an omen by the Janis that Carida was to be a successor now, whether her training was finished or not. At the young age of seventeen, Carida became the chieftain of her tribe.

The young woman faced many problems, but loyalty was never an issue. Through rain and slick, the tribe followed each and every command she gave, in the belief she was a god. During this time, Carida tried to continue training herself in magic and in her powers of divination. The magic the Janis practiced was changed and altered through the generations, the original roots of the magic not even resembling the modern magic they cast. It focused heavily on combat spells, having no teleportation spells and only a few enchantments. As such, Carida trained her magic by unleashing it upon enemies. When tribes were raided, it was said she had the stolen survivors rounded up and executed them by way of a variety of magical means.

Carida in her early years was a brutal leader, possessing no empathy or mercy for the people she fought against. They were lesser beings and she was a god - a god demonstrating her will by laying waste to their settlements and purging them from her world. She was manifested in this mortal form to protect and strengthen her true children, and so went many lengths to secure power for the tribe.

As mankind was beginning to re-settle in small permanent villages and tiny towns, Carida watched with uncontrolled rage. The world, her world, was being scarred by their activity. Her forests were chopped down and decimated, her streams were irrigated to farms to feed the wicked who's unholy acts did this. Many times Carida and her tribe rode in on their horses, sweeping into the villages and towns and sacking them. As Carida had commanded, the inhabitants were ushered into the long-hall or town center where the Janis would set fire to it, burning the people inside.

All the raids conducted were successful; using her powers as a seer, Carida knew when and where to attack to get the most rewards. The Janis slipped into legend and lore as raiders who never missed or never failed, a reputation Carida strived to upkeep.

Conversion to Saradominism

“	My brethren, we must protect our city from the sea of darkness which heaves itself against our walls. We must stand strong in the coming dark as we die. The flood of darkness will burst through our gates and it will consume all our light and hope. It will forever extinguish them. But the hordes which march toward us will never extinguish the light which exists in our hearts. Our Lord of Light is present - he is in us all, and with our strength we will fight those demons until the last bleeding gasp of life escapes our broken bodies.	”
–An unknown icyene general, giving his dwindling forces a speech for their last stand.

Her hagiography claims that her conversion to Saradominism came from Saradomin himself. While raiding a church hundreds of years old, Carida came into contact with and touched an ancient and very holy relic. The relic originated from the Icyenic Home Realm, was brought over to Hallowvale by the icyene in the Second Age and then travelled to the Third Age city of Saranthium. Appearing to her in a vision, the god of order materialized and spoke to her, giving her a prophecy that she would found a new kingdom, more powerful than Saranthium and Hallowvale combined (during that time, neither city had faded completely from memory, being very alive in legends and lore which portrayed them both as peaceful capitals of Saradominism). It then went on to mention that he blessed her and made her already powerful seer abilities exceedingly powerful.

Like the religion of the Janis, this was another unfortunate misinterpretation. It is true that Carida did find and touch a holy relic from which travelled across realms and holy sites. However, Saradomin never appeared before her. Instead Carida saw a vision of the past from Saranthium, viewing it at its height in the Third Age. She only touched it for seconds, but the vision felt like hours. During it she saw the fabled icyene of Saradomin flying over the city and defending it undaunted against the hordes of Zamorakian demons and monsters, watching as the city finally fell. An epiphany overcame her. The realization of the true potential of cities and civilization, the fact that her current society being nomadic because of the fall of these great cities was too much. Carida fell in a month long slumber, during which she experienced more visions.

A Paladin-Matriarch, the Sister-Seer Seraphia

During her sleep she had a dream in which she saw more of the Third Age. Carida viewed many things, including the destructive battles which waged on for years until one side was completely obliterated. After one month on the day of Bennath 10th, Carida awoke from her suspended animation. She was a changed woman with a new ideology and religion. She was now a Saradominist, converted because of these extraordinary visions.

Now that she was awake, Carida looked around her new surroundings. The Janis were back in their camp and she found herself in her tent. She soon learned that her only surviving sister, Seraphia, had taken command of the tribe. It was extremely rare when the Janis were led by a non-seer, occuring only a handful of times in their history. Seraphia was made leader because she was Carida's favorite sister, so it was supposed that Carida would have wanted her to lead. Though Seraphia's intentions had originally been good, she had grown comfortable in her position has leader - even if it was only temporary. Seraphia loved leading the tribe and her newfound power. With Carida's return, she knew she would be reduced to her position as one of Carida's handmaids. Something had to be done.

Carida immediately called a tribal meeting that night. In the camp center, she shared what she had experienced in her slumber, telling tales of ancient battles and long dead soldiers. Carida announced that they were going to unite with the other tribes in the area and eradicate the ogres, goblins, and other beasts in the land. She had communed with a powerful god, the god of the heathens, Saradomin. He was now no longer to be scorned or cursed, because Saradomin was more powerful than every Janis seer combined. In fact, the Janis were His children - descendents of the winged people known as icyene.

This caused an uproar. The Janis were silent, but a storm of fury brewed within. They dare not argue or fight back against Carida. But what she was saying went against generations of knowledge and sense. Carida knew that her words would anger the tribe and prepared for this. Taking out some runes, she performed an ancient Sarothic spell, blasting a bright blue energy beam into the sky. This sort of magic had not ever been seen by the Janis and it mystified them, stunning and shocking the tribals into wide-eyed silence. From her visions, Carida knew that one of her most powerful fighters would betray and try to kill her. She believed this to be a warning from Saradomin and used the vision to her advantage. Carida charged another spell in front of the amazed warrior, Paossil, and shot the beam of light at him which blasted him into oblivion. His armor, flesh, and skeleton were vaporized into nothingness. Carida then warned her tribe that anybody who failed to conform to the new ways of the tribe shall share a similar fate.

The Clan Confederacy

“	A change shall be wrought. The world will be molded as it was by the Ancient Ones and forever will this change stand permanent. Life itself will be altered and all will know this change which shall grow to encompass the entire realm. Those who fail to evolve will be cast from the land and dwell in the wilds until time swallows them into archaic void.	”
–Carida, speaking about the necessity of rooted civilization.

Carida summoned messengers and sent them to all the Janis tribes, urging them to convene for a very important

The traditional longhall of the Janis clan, before it was burned down in Carida's cultural genocide.

meeting; she declared that the fate of the clan was at stake. Being seers, the chiefesses knew that they were being summoned and had already prepared, but sending a messenger was a formal tradition. The matriarchs and their tribes were spread out across the land, but within a week they all managed to arrive. In the council chamber, Carida called to order the summit of seers. They had heard about the chiefess who had fallen into a coma and all of them knew this meeting was about her visions and this was going to change the fabric of the entire clan.

She told the group of about her visions and related to them the history of the Sarothic world. For nine hours a day for four days, Carida recited this sparing not a single detail. At the end of her long oration the matriarchs were converted and convinced to help but they sensed that there would be trouble ahead.

To try to ease this trouble that lay ahead and to make the transition to a Saradominist clan, the chiefesses all worked together under Carida's orders, as it appeared she was choosen by Saradomin to lead.

Converting the Janis; Cultural Genocide

“	I shall find a way or make one.	”
–Carida, on uniting the Janis clan

The women knew that making such a colossal change would be almost impossible for the clan. Since time immemorial, the clan had kept to and upheld their religion with fierce zealousness. Carida decided that in order to make a new flourishing culture, the current one had to be erased. A sort of cultural revolution broke out, where ancient texts and artifacts relating to the traditional religion were destroyed. Very few texts about the traditional Janis escaped the fires and artifacts selected to be saved were only saved because they could be 'linked' to an ancient 'righteous follower of Saradomin'.

The chiefesses compiled a new religious text in their alphabet and spread the Sarothic religion through their ranks. At the same time, they began burning their old religious texts. Constant preaching and sermons drilled into their heads the religion. They forced the tribe to adopt new fashions. The tribespeople were in agony - they dare not oppose their godly leaders, but these changes were insufferable. Had this been perpetuated by a rival tribe, they would have executed every member of it until they had been wiped from the earth.

They did not know what to do and had to follow these orders, though they did so with much grumbling and silent resentment. Many wept as they watched sacred texts go up in flames and the ancient relics of the old tribe elders. The fact that they were burning their own culture pushed many to the edge. As the whole population had to participate, they were all effectively as innocent or guilty as the other. At this time, very few actually converted. The matriarchs knew this and tried to find new ways to spread the religion without a civil war, as they could tell these changes strained the tribe.

By now, any Saradominist slave captured through war had been emancipated and the seeresses gathered the carpenters and masons among them. They were ordered to tear down the wooden longhall and rebuild it with stone in Saradominist architecture. This was heartbreaking for them, as it was their only 'permanent' structure. It had stood for time out of mind and only kept as a permanent structure because of its sacred holyness. Now the longhall was reduced to ash and cinders, just like their culture.

One of the many holy sites of the original Janis religion that were ordered to be destroyed by Carida. The shrine originates to the First Age, where it was built by Guthixians. It endured the God Wars and was restored at the end of the God Wars by the new druids who resumed worship of the recently woken Guthix. It now lies in ruin.

The resistance to Saradominism remained strong for several months. During this time Carida assembled the other matriarchs and taught them the ancient holy magic had learned. They threw themselves into this well of power and wisdom, absorbing as much as they could. Carida decided to hold demonstrations of their power to force the dissidents into submission. Those who were daring enough to curse the name of the matriarchs and verbally resist were publically executed by their powerful magic. Many died under Carida, the god-incarnate, whose sole duty was to protect the tribe and ensure it survives. The fact that this omnipotent and omniscient being was eradicating her own followers and fellow people was unthinkable. The show of power struck fear into her people beyond comprehension.

“	Now is not the time for cruelty. We must win their minds and hearts - only then will they willingly serve Him.	”
–Carida, speaking to the Matriarchs in a secret meeting

Carida suddenly took a change of heart and called to a halt the savage force which she had imposed. She had experienced a vision in her sleep and learned that kindness would be the best way to convert her people. Pushing on in this way for much longer would lead to a coup against her and in the long run, an inter-tribal war. Being kind and docile was difficult for her as she herself had not been fully cleansed of her tribal backround. She was a reckless, fiery, and action-seeking woman. It was within her nature to attack and force her people into submission, and now she herself had to adhere to the new culture she was trying to create. Treating her tribe as humans and not as her slaves was hard for her. It was a complete and total change for her.

But Carida was devoted entirely to Saradomin and embraced this new way of thinking as best as she could. She hoped that establishing a new settlement - a permanent settlement for civilization and its many perks would draw in their faith. The old fur tents and the semi-permanent wooden structures that the Janis would migrate to in the winter were torn down. The land, including a small portion of the once revered forest, was cleared for settlement. This drew ire and depression from the Janis. In one fell swoop, places that had been holy and spiritual since the tribes creation were obliterated. Not even the enemy tribes would have done something like this - its heartlessness was inconceivable.

Craftsmen from the towns which they had once razed and from the tribes they once warred, were brought in on her command. Most of the craftsmen had doubts and worry about what would happen to them, but they knew that Carida's conversion was real enough and that this was not a trap. They built new structures, all in Saradominist architecture. Houses, stables, and other buildings were constructed for the tribe. A magnificent church was built in the center of this new town. This was a symbol of rebirth and reinvention for Carida, but for the Janis it was a symbol of their torment.

The Janis tribespeople were wary of

The Janis during the transition period as they are reinvented. Some Janis continue to live in fur tents despite the growing buildings which will soon swallow the land.

taking residence in the newly constructed buildings, as this had gone against everything the tribe stood for. Some, taking advantage of Cardia's new mercy, out-right refused to sleep inside the homes and slept instead on the grass outside it. The gatherers who once sought out berries and herbs were called to the new communal farm. Only the few who actually converted plowed the land and sew the seeds. They worked immensely hard to provide and because of this, were rewarded by Carida. To help get the farm moving, peasants from the towns were paid by her (in the form of gold and silver gem-studded jewellry which had no place in this new society) to assist the converted Janis and teach them agriculture.

A season later, the long row of berry bushes were ready for picking. It was an astounding sight for the Janis, because in a relatively short time they now had a large bounty of berries. On the day of the harvest, Carida delivered a sermon thanking Saradomin for the gift of agriculture. She spoke for a time, going on about how the way of orderly civilization would usher in a golden age of life and love. For the first time, she implored the Janis to take residence in the houses. And for the first time, some did so. The show of the new holy magic and bounty of food convinced some of them to take to the new ways Carida had created. But mostly, it was because they knew they could not turn back to the old ways and sooner or later, these changes were going to be forced upon them more violently than before. The spirit of the Janis had finally been broken, ironically by the woman created to uphold it.

To reinforce the conversions, Carida preached daily and continued with providing the amenities of civilization. Wells that had been dug when the town was established were finally put to use now that there might not be so much resentment. They silently complied and took from the well. This relieved the Janis of the huge, ardous, task of fetching water daily. She brought up the tribespeople who took residence in the homes and asked them to share their experience in buildings. They all praised the construction of the houses, no longer having to deal with the chilly winds of the night or the small insects and animals. They slept warmly and restfully. Of couse, these had been the willful converts and they posessed Carida's full backing.

Gradually, more and more Janis were taking to the new ways. They did not have a choice and the passive-resistance could not continue forever. They could not deny the improvements which now painfully struck them in the face. It was not long before half the clan had taken to the new ways and shortly after that, the expansion came faster. Very soon, the Janis clinging to the old ways were a small minority. They also began to worship Saradomin; Carida's plan succeeded. The cultural genocide was nearing completion.

The Founding of Asgarnia

“	It is important to make your commands appear as the wishes of the people.	”
–A quote from Carida, appearing in a analect written shortly after her death and available today only to top members of her order.

As Carida sat in the unfinished throne room of what would one day be her castle, she received a messenger from an allied Saradominist clan, the White Knuits. Their metallurgy and combat prowess was known throughout the land of Asgarsi, which made them particularly suitable allies for Carida. They had helped immensely with building the new civilization of the Janis, earning her gratitude.

A White Knuit stronghold. The Black Knuits later copied the lay-out and style of this building for their own fortress.

The messenger who came delivered to Carida a scroll which outlined the uniting of Asgarsi under the Chieftain Raddallin. They were banding together with the other clans to clear the land for towns and to wipe out the primitive races such as ogres and goblins, who stood in the way. As it appeared, her wish for a orderly civilization was actually a vision of the future and finally within grasp. She agreed to this union so readily she did so without consulting the other matriarchs, whom she called to session in a meeting after the messenger left. Carida was excercising great power over the clan and placed pressure on them to name herself Matriarch of the Janis. This meant instead of ruling a single tribe, she effectively ruled the clan confederacy. The lower matriarchs were not angered at Carida for agreeing to this offer; they would have agreed to it themselves. She was slowly but surely making it clear to everyone that even though they were de jure rulers, she herself was the de facto leader. Carida was the only one to attend the grand meeting Chieftain Raddallin was to hold.

At this meeting, Carida sat in thoughtful silence around the colossal round-table. Chief Raddallin spoke about the state of the tribes and the need to stop trivial war. As humans, they needed to band together and take the foothold which they have not yet grasped; the taking of the entirety of Asgarsi for themselves. The only thing which stopped them from becoming great like the land of Misthalinos were the useless creatures who existed only for bloodlust. At the end of an hour long speech, the whole chamber erupted in thunderous applause. They did not realize that working with eachother, sometimes with old enemies, would be more difficult than they can imagine.

“	When peace is brought, the forces of Light and Dark shall clash. Their lands will be thrown into a great upheaval and the waters will be red with blood. Trees shall have vanished and the ground will be blackened with ash and cinders. The heavens shall be orange with flame and consumed by smoke. Embers of hate blown by the wind will feed the unending and forever fueled fire. Ally and adversary shall flee as all sense of self-preservation is lost. Their war will continue to the end of days and all involved will perish.	”
–Carida, the factions of this vision remain ambiguous. It is concluded to either prophesize the inter-tribal Janis war or the war between the White and Black knights. It is also possible that this pertains to different factions entirely.

Carida spoke to Chieftain Raddallin after the assembly and had her own conclave with him. He was neither Saradominist nor Zamorakian, which placed him as an unbiased leader. And even though he was impartial, she tried to persuade him to make sure the meeting would be more beneficial to Saradominists. She managed to convince him to make sure the Saradominists would be well established in the capital through coercion. After the private meeting she went to the Chieftain of the White Knuits and informed him of her success. The White Knuits and the Janis were growing to be powerful allies. Their close relations made it hard for Carida to decline their offer to band together against the splintered enemy of the White Knuits, the Black Knuits. She did indeed wish to destroy the Zamorakian influence over this new union, but a vision made sure that open combat against them would not happen. It was because of this lack of leverage that the White Knuits did not throw the union into pandemonium by combating the Kinshranatos, keeping the united tribes together. Carida instead kept her attention on her own people, continuing with her conversions and cultural change. Her first priority was the Sarasmation of the Janis.

But Carida was also committed to keeping the banded tribes together. With her power as a seer, she saw what all were planning and informed the whole of the council during meetings. At these meetings she kept her fanaticism cloaked, instead moving for a neutral middle-ground as Chieftain Raddalin had done. Carida found that moderation was the key to control. With the support of both sides, she could secretly manipulate things to how she willed them all the while appearing as a unbiased leader. And the end product, civilization, was becoming a more possible invention day by day.

It was Carida who orchestrated the first offensive against the other races. As she had done in genesis of her matriarchy, she used her powers as a seer to her advantage. Carida laid out the plains and orders and they were followed exactly as instructed. Raddallin was originally against her proposing such things, but seeing that she had seemingly calmed down and because of her reputation as a flawless strategist he allowed it. He knew that they were after the same goal and let her continue for this period of time, but he still saw her as a threat to future stability.

Zamorakians, Saradominists, and Druidic peoples fought together against lumbering ogres and fierce goblins. But casualties were very few for the united tribes. Riding upon her white unicorn, Carida charged into battle with Janis she held faith in and brought slaughter to anything not human that lay in her path. The Janis lived up to their reputation unbeatable raiders and many remarked later how lucky they were that the Janis were on their side. Carida herself used her cache of runestones to annihilate the larger foes on the battlefield. After the battle, in Janis tradition, the survivors were rounded up and ushered into a building which Carida burned to the ground.

The tribespeople of the Janis were delighted to be able to get out their frustrations and anger. For them, it felt almost like old times as they killed without mercy.

The rebellion of Karas & Seraphia

Coming soon.

Seraphia and Karas meeting in private to plan their rebellion while the construction of a Janis fort was halted. Seraphia's dark hair is an extremely rare trait in the Janis, which helped her gain support.

Seraphia, in the Saradominist clothing style forced upon the Janis by Carida.

Seraphia is seen here casting a powerful Janis spell. A spell such as this forms as an orb and then can be either thrown or shaped into a beam.

Seraphia in the traditional magic armor of the Janis. Notice how it is a striking contrast to the robes modern day wizards wear. The light clothing was designed for quick movement and ease, similar to something an archer might wear.

Seraphia wearing ceremonial armor of the Janis. This would normally be reserved to a matriarch, but during her rebellion she donned it and proclaimed herself the true matriarch.

Seraphia praying in the final battle and duel of the inter-tribal Janis war. The scene of the battle echoes a prophecy of destruction Carida divined.

The Martyr

Coming soon.

Death and Sainthood

Coming soon.

Resurrection: Zenith

Coming soon.

The Monastic Order of the Janis

The Janis survive today as a monastic order devoted to Saint Carida. The order is exclusive to female seers of pure Janis heritage, as the Janis are trying to maintain the purity of the icyene blood supposedly contained within them. To do this, the Janis men from the monastery a few miles down (the male counter-part to this all-female order) go to the abbey once a year to breed children. The women keep the girls and the men the boys. It should be noted that the men function only as a paladin order - they do not possess any seerism. The women in the order are warriors-nuns - effectively paladins in terms of structure and deed. The ranks within this order go as follows;

• Initiate - A woman just accepted into the order. Women who take this rank are those who have either just became old enough and therefore eligible or those who were not eligible before.
• Proselyte - This is a woman who has spent a few years as an initiate and deemed worthy enough to claim the title of 'Sister'.
• Acolyte - An acolyte is a more devout sister who's power as a seer is stronger and more potent. They mostly try to train their powers of divination and in combat.
• Partisan - A Janis who has mastered her abilities as a seer and has become a very adept combatant.
• Seneschal - There are only a handful of seneschals at any one time. They are the highest ranked below the Matriarch and function as the Matriarch's advisors, as well as a sort of council. When the Matriarch dies, they vote who shall succeed her.
• Matriarch - This is a continuation of Carida's rule. A lifelong term is served and the Matriarch is the leader of the entirety of the Janis. Matriarchs past and present are held in reverence and they strive to be as great as Carida.

The Abbey of St. Carida the Oracle

Once Carida's throne and center of power, her stronghold has endured and serves today as an abbey for her order.

The castle of Carida was turned into a temple and shrine after her death, upheld by the remaining matriarchs. It began as another Sarothic sect among the many Saradominists who existed at the time, the only difference being they worshipped this martyred saint. The priestesses which the castle contained hunted the rival Janis and continued their tribal war after her death. After a few decades, rival Janis were scarce because they had either been stamped out or went into hiding. Because of this they took on a new role. They became guardians to the castle and continued Carida's legacy of holy wars.

As the duties of the priestesses altered and shifted, they became nuns rather than priestesses and shortly after becoming a monastic abbey, it was officially recognized by the Sarothic Church. Today the abbey survives and remains a fortified stronghold. The Janis became a paladin order and the building has continued to be used in a militant fashion, though some of the interior has been renovated to become more monastic.

Gallery

The Asgarnian flag at the time of its founding. The ten rays on the sun symbolize the ten tribes who united to form the kingdom.

The modern flag of Asgarnia. There are only eight rays, symbolizing the eight tribes who endured and survived the founding.

The emblem of Old Asgarnia, now a symbol of Carida's monastic order.

A version of the emblem with a more superimposed background.

Carida, in front of St. Zilyana's Basilica. The basilica was continuously expanded over time, becoming an "ancient wonder of the world", in a similar fashion to the original Wizard's Tower.

The walled city of the Janis. St. Zilyana's Basilica, later renamed St. Carida's Basilica, is the largest building in the city.

One of the many sea fortresses built by the Asgarsi alliance, as seen today. The rounded bay provided the union with a perfect staging ground for a storming of the southern shores of Asgarsi.

Trivia

• Carida is an anagram for Cardia, meaning heart.
• The motto of St. Carida's order is actually a poem called Life's Memories.
• Her saying of "I shall find a way or make one" was originally said by Hannibal.
• Her efforts to completely erase her culture and re-write history led to her demise. Ironically, her efforts to cast the Janis down into history as a half-icyenic tribe were successful.
• The name of her tribe, Janis, comes from the Roman god Janus who is said to be able to see past and future.
  • This is a reference to the seerism in the tribe and Carida's power as a prophet.
• The symbols and emblems of Old Asgarnia are actually symbols of the Kuomintang.
• Carida is not the patron saint of divination in the sense of the in-game skill. Divination mentioned here refers to divining the future.