Followers of the Falling Fire

The Followers of the Falling Fire are a breakaway sect of the Sacred Flame who believe the meteor signaled a celestial prophecy. They believe delerium are sacred stones that will prepare the faithful to meet a greater darkness yet to come. The prescient augur Lucretia Mathias has inspired masses of devout common-folk to embark on a dangerous pilgrimage to the crater’s edge in Drakkenheim, where they might take their place in a divine plan. Although their faith is based in the teachings of the Sacred Flame, they have been branded mad heretics by the mainstream clergy for their blasphemous worship of delerium.

The annihilation of Drakkenheim set off a serious religious schism within the faith of the Sacred Flame. A new sect has emerged known as the Followers of the Falling Fire, led by the charismatic words of Lucretia Mathias. The beliefs and practices of the Followers of the Falling Fire are described in the Gods and Religion section above.

Most of the Followers of the Falling Fire are devout commonfolk distraught by the state of the world, fearful of the magic and monsters haunting their lands, and disillusioned by what they perceive as gross hypocrisies within the mainstream clergy of the Sacred Flame. Others are pilgrims from distant lands whose hearts have been stirred by the writings of Lucretia Mathias. Many among them see the Divine Matriarch not as the spiritual figurehead of their shared faith, but a foreign ruler trying to seize control of their nation by manipulating the tenets of the Sacred Flame.

Lucretia Mathias’s hopeful and resolute message has given them a sacred purpose: Through humble actions and unwavering faith, one can find redemption and even change the world. It is a message that speaks to the despair and uncertainty of their times; that the smallest light burns brightly against the deepest darkness. Now, they travel the roads of Westemär towards Drakkenheim to take part in the Sacrament of the Falling Fire.

Several prominent Flamekeepers in Westemär have joined the cause as well, and argue convincingly about the finer theological matters proposed by Lucretia Mathias with their congregations and fellow clergy. A few minor nobles have relinquished their domains to take the pilgrimage, but most higher-ranking nobles have avoided taking sides on the issue thus far.

Demonstrations led by the Followers of the Falling Fire are held in city squares and outside chapels, and have led to violent alterca tions with mainline devotees of the Sacred Flame. The Followers of the Falling Fire often come into outright conflict with traveling Knights of the Silver Order dispatched from Elyria. Nevertheless, the Followers of the Falling Fire are determined, and their numbers are quickly swelling. Many more devout faithful will need to dis cover their fate in Drakkenheim to meet the coming darkness.

(See The Falling Fire for more information)