The Ascended King

His Eternal Majesty, Sigurd the Ascended King, Sovereign Monarch of the Firstborn Empire and Overlord of the Seven Princedoms

Sigurd began his existence as a nameless angel—an astral being bound to serve the Gods of the Astral Sea, selflessly rotating his service from deity to deity as all angels do as per the Compact of Heaven. Like his immortal brethren, he was the embodiment of a god’s nature and authority, a clinical tool devoid of personal passions and wants.

Until he came under the service of Chronos, the God of Time. His tenure there changed him profoundly. He assumed passions, feelings, and claimed an identity—the name Sigurd. He completely devoted himself to Chronos, ignoring the other gods. He was now an implement of the King of Time and not a part of the Compact of Heaven and his faith was rewarded as Sigurd ascended to the rank of Exarch.

But Chronos had an important mission, and only Sigurd could handle it. He ordered his servant to assume a body of flesh and blood and sent him on the world of Kjeldorn. Thus Sigurd descended on the realm of mortals as a deva.

After countless incarnations, Sigurd gathered the tribes of humans he called the Firstborn and founded a mighty empire. In time he came to be known as the Ascended King.

The empire flourished and prospered until it was swept away by the Triad—the alliance of Blackbloods, dwarves, an elves—and he was killed.

But as all deva are truly immortal, that was not the end of the Ascended King. Sigurd incarnated a little over a hundred years ago, and aided by a mighty group of adventurers known as the Heralds, he restored the Firstborn Empire and liberated mankind.

But this last incarnation rekindled in his mind terrible memories of past lifetimes and the mission he was assigned by Chronos. Because of that, the Ascended King is consumed by terrible thoughts and spends his time studying the streams of time for a way to prevent a future catastrophe. The current version of the Firstborn Empire is heavily geared towards this unspecified plan, though few realize this.

The Ascended King rules in a totalitarian manner putting security above freedom. His, is an oppressive regime but rarely unfair and fueled by a benign will (or so he believes). There is no such thing as free speech and, if anything, the social education he promotes is geared towards producing obedient soldiers rather than free-thinking individuals. Despite that he is loved by his subjects and revered as the hero who saved and liberated them, as well as an agent of the divine.

The Ascended King has cultivated a cult of personality surrounding his existence, with statues and symbols of him scattered all across the empire and propaganda exalting his actions. As a result the adoration he receives is very much near the level of a god.

The Order of Chronomancy was created on his orders.

Coat of Arms of the Ascended King