Overview
Simon Calesso leads Haverloch's Axial Concord. He governs from the Hall of Reflections in Axanaxa, works under Nahm's authority, and handles Haverloch diplomacy, intelligence, and military planning.
Simon is also a member of the Order of Thalion Zenith. Isaac trained him from childhood and planned for him to rise inside the Axial Concord. When Simon's Order membership becomes public, Nahm accepts it because Simon has never betrayed Haverloch's ways.
Appearance and Manner
Simon is an elder Haverloch mage who wears dark, perfectly symmetrical robes. His public manner follows Haverloch's ideal of ordered symmetry: he adjusts hair and clothing into balance, uses precise mirrored gestures, and responds most warmly to people who fit Haverloch's standards of presentation.
Magic and Command
Simon is a cosmic and lightning mage. He uses lightning for rapid movement, battlefield attacks, and travel, and he summons lightning-wreathed meteors over Cyndarel, Zhurakûn, and the attack toward Ishtanur. His cosmic magic includes barriers and layered shielding, which he uses beside Virel during the invasion of Thalassai and again during the strike on Zain's Ulzathir.
Simon is also a senior commander. He directs Haverloch mages and skyships, sends envoys such as Felix, assigns pilots and negotiators, and shares field plans with allied leaders. In combat he fights Zephyra, kills an enemy mage after Varnhallow's collapse, and has defeated Soria.
History
Isaac trains Simon from childhood as his intended future leader of the Axial Concord. Simon travels with Isaac, spars evenly with Garrik during Isaac's lessons, joins the Order, and later takes the top position in Haverloch as Isaac intended.
As Axial Concord leader, Simon receives Eira, Jin, and Kaelion in the Hall of Reflections. He warns them that Ulzathir is unstable under Zain; speaking against the Thalassai invasion would have brought him under suspicion, and he could not go against Nahm or the Axial Concord. He gives the visitors access to Haverloch's records and supplies essence cores for their journey onward.
Simon later receives Thalena when she returns to Haverloch and invokes her old Axial Concord membership. After she passes the symmetry trials, he welcomes her back into the Concord, agrees to travel and trade talks with Thalassai, accepts her intelligence about Ulzathir, and joins her in keeping dangerous Malverand knowledge contained.
During the Varnhallow aftermath, Simon investigates missing boats and Ulzathir, and leads a fast Haverloch response with Remus and Celia. Enemy forces defeat Simon, Remus, and Celia near Arcanis Village; Simon is critically injured and survives because Ilyra arrives in time to save him.
Afterward, Simon takes part in the Hall of Reflections meeting where Haverloch and its allies share information about Varnhallow, Raphael, the guardians, and future diplomacy. He sends messages to Garrik, assigns skyship pilots, opens talks with Thalassai and Xalmyrra, and thanks Ilyra for saving him.
During the Attack on Ishtanur, Simon commands Haverloch forces against Zain's armies. He joins Aelius, Vianna, Kren, Lysander, and Splin in the strike toward Ishtanur, rains meteors over the battlefield, halts the advance when the defense hardens, and negotiates with Zhulkar at the shield line. When Zhulkar calls him an Order puppet, Simon answers that they are all the Order and that the Order will exist as long as the guardians remain.
Relationships
- Nahm rules Haverloch and accepts Simon's Order membership because Simon remains loyal to Haverloch.
- Isaac trained Simon and placed him inside Haverloch's leadership.
- Virel leads Haverloch military planning beside Simon, Remus brings visitors before him in the Hall of Reflections, Celia joins the Concord's field response after Varnhallow's collapse, and Simon sends Felix on diplomatic missions.
- Lysander became an Order agent inside Ulzathir after Simon recruited him more than a century before the Varnhallow collapse.
- Simon opposes Zain, Raphael, Eliona, Azarion, Zephyra, Zhulkar, and guardian-aligned threats.