Confidential Intelligence Report: Lady Ophelia Valcrest

Compiled by the Seraphite Inquisition, High Tribunal of Aetheric Doctrine

Classification: Eyes of the Seraph Only

Unauthorized access punishable by purification

Overview

Lady Ophelia Valcrest is the most feared inquisitor of the Seraphite Empire, a high-ranking agent of the Aetheric Tribunal tasked with eliminating heresy, stabilizing imperial doctrine, and overseeing the purity of Aetherborn bloodlines. She is both a weapon and a whisper, serving as the Emperor’s personal hand in political purges, military suppression, and arcane control.

Known for her unwavering faith and brutal efficiency, Valcrest is feared by both nobles and mages alike. Where she walks, miracles and executions follow in equal measure.

Despite her high standing, she remains an enigma even within the Inquisition, her past obscured by imperial secrecy. Rumors persist that her connection to Aether is far deeper than she admits—that she has glimpsed something beyond faith, beyond doctrine, beyond even the gods themselves.

"To doubt the gods is to invite ruin. To doubt the Inquisition is to hasten it."

— Lady Ophelia Valcrest, addressing the Purification of High Minister Jorhan Malcus

Role in the Aetheric Inquisition

The Hand of the Emperor

• Lady Valcrest holds autonomous authority over inquisitorial matters, answering only to Emperor Zariel IX himself.
• She has presided over hundreds of purifications, trials, and “disappearances”, ensuring that imperial doctrine remains unchallenged.
• Intelligence suggests that she has been assigned to investigate recent reports of unnatural magic usage—particularly unexplained mass miracles that may indicate the presence of Conduits.

"Faith is not merely belief. It is the will to impose belief upon reality itself."

— Lady Ophelia Valcrest, during the Trial of the False Prophet Anselm Verran

Investigating the Forbidden: The Search for Conduits

• Though publicly dismissed as heresy, the Seraphite High Tribunal has quietly sanctioned an internal investigation into so-called "Conduits"—individuals who allegedly manifest divine miracles through synchronized belief and faith.
• Valcrest has been seen gathering theological scholars, war priests, and high-level Aetherborn researchers to conduct off-the-record inquiries into recorded “miracles” across the Empire.
• If such individuals exist, they pose a direct threat to the Empire's control of Aether, as miracles should only be the domain of the gods and their chosen clergy.
• If confirmed, Conduits would either be assimilated into the imperial faith… or destroyed to prevent theological destabilization

"She stood before the ruined chapel, her hands drenched in the light of the Aether. The villagers swore the plague had lifted by her will alone. But when I asked her what she had done, she merely looked through me and whispered: ‘It was not my will. It was theirs.’"

— Testimony from a Purified Witness, Record 17-Ω (CLASSIFIED)

Military and Political Influence

The Shadow of the Tribunal

• Unlike most inquisitors, Lady Valcrest does not merely conduct trials and purifications—she commands entire military campaigns against heretical regions.
• Her forces, the Aetheric Purifiers, are an elite sect of mage-executioners, warpriests, and flameborn inquisitors who burn entire city-states rather than allow impurity to spread.
• Under her command, more than six noble houses have been erased from imperial records for treason, blasphemy, or unsanctioned magical experimentation.

"A single spark can devour a library. A single doubt can consume a nation."

— Lady Valcrest, before the Cleansing of Lirendell

Conflicts with Other Powers

• Valcrest has recently turned her gaze beyond the Empire, investigating potential threats posed by independent scholars, rogue artificers, and industrial states.
• She has been seen in proximity to the Free Technocracy of Zyndell, leading to speculation that she may be monitoring Professor Aldous Merivain and his research into artificial intelligence and the synthetic mind.
• Unconfirmed reports indicate that Seraphite spies have been intercepting correspondence from the Kingdom of Searin, suggesting Valcrest is gathering intelligence on new weaponized golems and automatons.

INTERCEPTED TRANSMISSION: 9-THETA

Encrypted Inquiry Log: Unknown Private Channel

Decryption Level: Partial – Signal Distortion Detected

Intelligence Notes:

• Transmission originated from an encrypted inquisitorial channel but was not officially logged under any mission records.
• Linguistic structures match known phrasing used by Valcrest in prior sermons and theological debates.
• No evidence of heresy—but the Tribunal has noted that no record exists of whom Valcrest was speaking to or what event prompted this transmission.
• Action: Continued observation warranted, but direct inquiry is NOT advised at this time.

Recommended Actions

☑ Monitor inquisitorial deployments – Any unauthorized purges must be reported to imperial high command.
☑ Intercept theological investigations – The discovery of Conduits must be controlled to prevent destabilization.
☑ Surveillance on Valcrest herself – While loyal, her recent behavior warrants concern.

Final Assessment

Lady Ophelia Valcrest is one of the most powerful enforcers of the Empire, a force of unwavering doctrine and divine law. However, her recent actions suggest a deeper conflict brewing beneath the surface—a conflict that, if left unchecked, could unravel the very faith she was sworn to protect.

The Seraph's Wings advise that if she is permitted to continue down this path, the Lady Ophelia will defect from the Seraphite Empire.

The question is not whether she will succeed in her mission. The question is whether she will still believe in it when she does.

END OF REPORT

Compiled by the High Tribunal of Aetheric Doctrine, Seraphite Empire

Eyes of the Seraph Only – Unauthorized access punishable by purification