The Order of Thalion Zenith is a secret organization founded by Thalion Zenith to overthrow Malverand and preserve the course of history. Isaac directs its present network. Its members prepare forces against the surviving guardians while concealing the Order's wider plans.
Organization and leadership
Members swear lifelong loyalty and secrecy. They receive separate tasks and often know little about one another's missions or the Order's wider plans. Recruitment is selective: Isaac sought capable people who shared his aims, rather than admitting every mage willing to fight.
The Order combines military action with intelligence gathering, political influence and the destruction of historical records. Members have worked inside other institutions while keeping their allegiance concealed. These positions allow them to gather information, prepare allies and train people for work that may take decades or centuries.
Simon leads Haverloch's Axial Concord, while Lysander serves as the Order's eyes in Ulzathir. Zhang is also a member.
History
Founding at Rimvold
Thalion gathered the divine patriarchs and their allies at Rimvold's Great Hall. He gave those unwilling to join the chance to leave, then required everyone who remained to swear loyalty to the Order. Its mission was to free the world from those who sought to rule it and to guard its history.
Thalion appointed Benedict patriarch of Rimvold and charged Aelius and Sylvia with preparing the army. Scouts, including Rhyzmar and Thea, located enemy forces and reported on their movements. Rimvold and the newly independent Skarnheim provided a base for the war against the surviving guardians.
War against Malverand
The Order used a small force of powerful patriarchs rather than an army of ordinary soldiers. Its preparations were concealed from visitors to Rimvold, and its mages combined their abilities to attack the guardians' strongholds.
At Jazarel, Igor and the earth mages excavated the lakeshore while Benedict, Sylvia and other ice mages held back the water with an ice dam. Isandriel destroyed that dam, releasing the flood that overwhelmed the city's shields. Millions died across Jazarel and its surrounding lands. Isandriel then killed Uriandel and Jeremiah.
Isandriel took public responsibility for the flood, while Igor helped rebuild the devastated region. The Order prepared for opposition from Eremion and Raphael, including the possibility that the two guardians would ally.
Isaac's network
Isaac recruited Garrik and Astrid, ordering Garrik to gather an army, bring peace to Valrindor and defeat Eremion. Garrik's peacekeeping campaigns in western and central Valrindor are preparations for that confrontation.
Isaac planned for Simon to lead the Axial Concord. Simon recruited Lysander during a visit to Haverloch more than a century before the present. Garrik later brought Eira, Kaelion and Jin into the Order, assigning Eira to study the histories of Valrindor's cities as a loremaster.
The Order of Thalion Zenith is an organization bound by oaths of loyalty and secrecy, founded by Thalion Zenith to end the rule of Malverand and preserve the course of history. Its members fought the guardians, concealed the empire's past and prepared later generations to confront the restored rulers. Garrik now leads it, following Isaac's disappearance, and has begun using its name openly.
Organization and leadership
Members swear lifelong loyalty and secrecy. They receive separate tasks and often know little about one another's missions or the Order's wider plans. Recruitment is selective: Isaac sought capable people who shared his aims, rather than admitting every mage willing to fight.
The Order combines military action with intelligence gathering, political influence and the destruction of historical records. Members have worked inside other institutions while keeping their allegiance concealed. These positions allow them to gather information, prepare allies and train people for work that may take decades or centuries.
Simon leads Haverloch's Axial Concord, while Lysander serves as the Order's eyes in Ulzathir. Zhang is also a member.
History
Before the founding
Eira carried The Legacy of Thalion Zenith, written by Thalena, into Varnhallow. She recruited Michael / Eltaru into the Order before Thalion had formally founded it. The book described the future arrival of Thalion and the defeat of Malverand. Michael entrusted Benedict with passing that knowledge to Thalion and preparing him to erase the empire's history.
This knowledge guided the patriarchs when Thalion arrived. The Order's founding was therefore part of the history that its own later members had brought into the past.
Founding at Rimvold
Thalion gathered the divine patriarchs and their allies at Rimvold's Great Hall. He gave those unwilling to join the chance to leave, then required everyone who remained to swear loyalty to the Order. Its mission was to free the world from those who sought to rule it and to guard its history.
Thalion appointed Benedict patriarch of Rimvold and charged Aelius and Sylvia with preparing the army. Scouts, including Rhyzmar and Thea, located enemy forces and reported on their movements. Rimvold and the newly independent Skarnheim provided a base for the war against the surviving guardians.
War against Malverand
The Order used elite patriarchs, scouts and skyships against the guardians' strongholds. At Jazarel, Igor and the earth mages excavated the lakeshore while Benedict, Sylvia and other ice mages held back the water with an ice dam. Isandriel destroyed the dam, releasing a flood that overwhelmed the city's shields and killed millions across the region. He later killed Uriandel and Jeremiah and took public responsibility for the flood.
Qarezh became a staging ground for the campaign. Its rulers offered shelter in exchange for the Order's help improving the city. Benedict organized construction, and the patriarchs concealed a fleet of more than a hundred skyships underground. The ships carried powerful beam weapons and were divided into forces for the attacks on the remaining guardians.
Abraxas's attacks hurled Thalion into Qarezh, and the following void rays destroyed the city. Benedict evacuated survivors, including former enemies, to Rimvold.
At Maraveth, Ignatius and John fought Raphael amid the collision of plasma and his freezing magic, leaving the city in blackened ruins. Much of the fleet was destroyed, and many patriarchs retreated to Rimvold. At Morindel, Kallion and Zero defeated Eremion with a black hole and a summoned sun, destroying the city and its surroundings.
The guardians' bodies were destroyed, but their Malverand hearts survived. Eliona restored Raphael centuries later, and Astrid accidentally revived Eremion from the heart she had acquired in Morindel. Their return renewed the threat to the Order's work.
Concealing the past
Before leaving, Thalion placed Isandriel in charge of keeping the Order alive and destroying the remaining traces of Malverand. Helena received the task of erasing its history in the east and in Thalassai. This erasure was intended to preserve the course of history that led to their own world. Members who stayed behind continued those missions independently.
After Qarezh's destruction, Benedict offered help rebuilding it on the condition that its inhabitants conceal the true history. The people of Ereshval rebuilt Qarezh with aid from Nahm and Haverloch, while Benedict oversaw Jazarel's reconstruction. Sylvia negotiated with Haverloch and arranged supplies for Skarnheim. Rhyzmar and Thea continued scouting.
Many skyships were dismantled; others were hidden beneath Rimvold to prevent access to their weapons or their replication. Sylvia planned to let the Order fade from public knowledge in Skarnheim, while its members continued their work elsewhere.
Isaac's network
As Isaac, Isandriel continued recruiting and training selected mages across Valrindor. He recruited Garrik and Astrid, ordering Garrik to gather an army, bring peace to Valrindor and defeat Eremion. Garrik's peacekeeping campaigns in western and central Valrindor prepared the forces needed for that confrontation.
Isaac planned for Simon to lead the Axial Concord. Simon recruited Lysander during a visit to Haverloch more than a century before the present. Garrik later brought Eira, Kaelion and Jin into the Order and assigned Eira to study the histories of Valrindor's cities as a loremaster.
The Order also participated in the invasion of Thalassai through Isaac. Thalena had baited it into the attack using him.
Thalena later defeated Eremion in battle. Red lines destroyed his body, and she recovered his surviving heart. Garrik drove back the Blackcrag army, pursuing and capturing its retreating forces.
Return to open action
After Isaac disappeared, Garrik took leadership of the Order under his instructions. Many members were dead or stranded, leaving Garrik to fight with the forces still available. He began using the Order's name openly in the war against Raphael's coalition.
Lysander and the vault expeditions worked to recover the people preserved in the Malverand vault. Haverloch cooperated in the military preparations, though cooperation with the Order did not make all of Haverloch's forces its members.
The Order of Thalion Zenith is an organization bound by oaths of loyalty and secrecy, founded by Thalion Zenith to end the rule of Malverand and preserve the course of history. Its members fought the guardians, concealed the empire's past and prepared later generations to confront the restored rulers. The Order now operates openly under Eira, with its headquarters in Melandor.
Organization and leadership
Members swear lifelong loyalty and secrecy. They receive separate tasks and often know little about one another's missions or the Order's wider plans. Recruitment is selective: Isaac sought capable people who shared his aims, rather than admitting every mage willing to fight.
The Order combines military action with intelligence gathering, political influence and the destruction of historical records. Members have worked inside other institutions while keeping their allegiance concealed. These positions allow them to gather information, prepare allies and train people for work that may take decades or centuries.
Garrik handles military command. Simon leads Haverloch's Axial Concord, giving the Order a connection to its army and political network. Lysander has served as its eyes in Ulzathir and as a loremaster.
History
Before the founding
Eira carried The Legacy of Thalion Zenith, written by Thalena, into Varnhallow. She recruited Michael / Eltaru into the Order before Thalion had formally founded it. The book described the future arrival of Thalion and the defeat of Malverand. Michael entrusted Benedict with passing that knowledge to Thalion and preparing him to erase the empire's history.
This knowledge guided the patriarchs when Thalion arrived. The Order's founding was therefore part of the history that its own later members had brought into the past.
Founding at Rimvold
Thalion gathered the divine patriarchs and their allies at Rimvold's Great Hall. He gave those unwilling to join the chance to leave, then required everyone who remained to swear loyalty to the Order. Its mission was to free the world from those who sought to rule it and to guard its history.
Thalion appointed Benedict patriarch of Rimvold and charged Aelius and Sylvia with preparing the army. Scouts, including Rhyzmar and Thea, located enemy forces and reported on their movements. Rimvold and the newly independent Skarnheim provided a base for the war against the surviving guardians.
War against Malverand
The Order used elite patriarchs, scouts and skyships against the guardians' strongholds. At Jazarel, Igor and the earth mages excavated the lakeshore while Benedict, Sylvia and other ice mages held back the water with an ice dam. Isandriel destroyed the dam, releasing a flood that overwhelmed the city's shields and killed millions across the region. He later killed Uriandel and Jeremiah and took public responsibility for the flood.
Qarezh became a staging ground for the campaign. Its rulers offered shelter in exchange for the Order's help improving the city. Benedict organized construction, and the patriarchs concealed a fleet of more than a hundred skyships underground. The ships carried powerful beam weapons and were divided into forces for the attacks on the remaining guardians.
Abraxas's attacks hurled Thalion into Qarezh, and the following void rays destroyed the city. Benedict evacuated survivors, including former enemies, to Rimvold.
At Maraveth, Ignatius and John fought Raphael amid the collision of plasma and his freezing magic, leaving the city in blackened ruins. Much of the fleet was destroyed, and many patriarchs retreated to Rimvold. At Morindel, Kallion and Zero defeated Eremion with a black hole and a summoned sun, destroying the city and its surroundings.
The guardians' bodies were destroyed, but their Malverand hearts survived. Eliona restored Raphael centuries later, and Astrid accidentally revived Eremion from the heart she had acquired in Morindel. Their return renewed the threat to the Order's work.
Concealing the past
Before leaving, Thalion placed Isandriel in charge of keeping the Order alive and destroying the remaining traces of Malverand. Helena received the task of erasing its history in the east and in Thalassai. This erasure was intended to preserve the course of history that led to their own world. Members who stayed behind continued those missions independently.
After Qarezh's destruction, Benedict offered help rebuilding it on the condition that its inhabitants conceal the true history. The people of Ereshval rebuilt Qarezh with aid from Nahm and Haverloch, while Benedict oversaw Jazarel's reconstruction. Sylvia negotiated with Haverloch and arranged supplies for Skarnheim. Rhyzmar and Thea continued scouting.
Many skyships were dismantled; others were hidden beneath Rimvold to prevent access to their weapons or their replication. Sylvia planned to let the Order fade from public knowledge in Skarnheim, while its members continued their work elsewhere.
Isaac's network
As Isaac, Isandriel continued recruiting and training selected mages across Valrindor. He recruited Garrik and Astrid, ordering Garrik to gather an army, bring peace to Valrindor and defeat Eremion. Garrik's peacekeeping campaigns in western and central Valrindor prepared the forces needed for that confrontation.
Isaac planned for Simon to lead the Axial Concord. Simon recruited Lysander during a visit to Haverloch more than a century before the present. Garrik later brought Eira, Kaelion and Jin into the Order and assigned Eira to study the histories of Valrindor's cities as a loremaster.
The Order also participated in the invasion of Thalassai through Isaac. Thalena had baited it into the attack using him.
Thalena later defeated Eremion in battle. Red lines destroyed his body, and she recovered his surviving heart. Garrik drove back the Blackcrag army, pursuing and capturing its retreating forces.
Return to open action
After Isaac disappeared, Garrik took leadership under his instructions and began using the Order's name openly against Raphael's coalition. Lysander and the vault expeditions helped recover the people preserved in the Malverand vault. Those brought out of stasis had been trapped for more than three millennia and returned too weak to fight immediately.
Eira took over leadership so Garrik could concentrate on the front line. The recovered mages rested in Garrik's settlement while their bodies and powers recovered. With returning members and allied forces, the Order renewed its struggle against Raphael, Gabriel and their supporters.
Raphael used the Order's destruction of Malverand's cities and concealment of history to rally opposition. He also told Eliona that the Order had created the source beneath Zarephon, leading her to assume it would oppose closure. Eira had enlarged the ancient rift, but she agreed to close it. She negotiated with Eliona and Azarion for help against Raphael and an end to the fighting, on the condition that Eliona surrender her shard.
At Cyndarel, the Order and its allies fought Raphael's forces. Alistair detonated a device during Aldar's fight with Raphael, killing Zhang and Khoradyn. The explosion also destroyed Raphael's body; Alistair took his surviving heart. In the final struggle against Gabriel, Cassian, Garrik and Eira attempted to unmake the god while Kaelion countered his cold. Azarion brought Gabriel's manifestation to an end, and the surviving forces turned from war toward peace.
Headquarters at Melandor
Eira tasked Xarion with establishing a common Valrindor Council in Melandor, a neutral city-state. He built the Order's headquarters across the street from the council building, keeping the two institutions close while seeking peace with their former opponents.
The Order continues openly from that headquarters. Xarion invited Seralyth to consider forming a regiment against darkness creatures, but she reserved her answer until after the council meeting.