Xarion

Xarion Morvayne is the high arbiter of Teryndal and a close companion of Cassian. A divine and lightning mage, he leads through public persuasion, political planning, and enchantments that strengthen the people fighting beside him. His government helped organize Xalmyrra's response to Aurion and the reconstruction that followed.

Appearance

Xarion has golden hair and teal eyes.

Personality

Xarion is an eloquent speaker and a careful strategist. He gathers people around a common purpose, studies possible enemy responses, and assigns tasks according to his companions' strengths. He also teases and embraces his friends with an ease that contrasts with the authority he exercises in public.

He values Cassian's loyalty and fears losing his place in his life. The deaths in the war against Aurion burdened him with guilt, despite his father's reassurance that he did not bear the responsibility alone. He visited bereaved families and remained involved in rebuilding.

Magic

Xarion possesses divine and lightning magic. Divine enchantments strengthen his body, increase his speed, reinforce his defenses, and empower people fighting beside him. He can heal injuries and amplify his voice to address a crowd. His close combat combines enchanted strength with shields and concentrated strikes.

History

Teryndal and Cassian

Xarion is the son of Xandor, a senior member of Teryndal's Assembly who supported his government.

Xarion met Cassian after a devastating battle in Velundra, when Cassian was in his early twenties. He introduced himself with the ambition of becoming high arbiter and asked Cassian to join him. They became close companions. Xarion rallied people and developed plans, while Cassian's healing and strength put those plans into practice. Xarion eventually became high arbiter, with Cassian beside him.

Xarion is married, but his closeness to Cassian remains central to his life. When Cassian's attention returned to Eira, Xarion feared losing his loyalty and wanted to persuade him that he needed Xarion alone.

In the Celestial Games, Xarion competed as Lightning Spear. His enchanted speed and strength carried him into combat with Kaelric, who defeated him and broke his staff.

After the cataclysm, Xarion blamed Aurion and organized the survivors and their defense. He demanded that Aurion be removed from power and helped assemble the coalition that marched against him. After diplomacy failed, he ordered the coalition to subdue the king. Eira destroyed the armies blocking their advance, and Cassian protected Xarion during the fighting.

Xarion enchanted allied fighters as they confronted Aurion and Astheron. Aurion protected him from a descending meteor, and he also strengthened Aurion and Astheron against a shadowed attacker after the battle. Rhyzmar and Renneth helped rescue the survivors. In the aftermath, Xarion worked with Xandor on governing, investigating old records, and negotiating cooperation among Xalmyrra's nations.

Relationships

• Cassian: Xarion's closest friend and longtime companion. Cassian's strength supported his rise in Teryndal, but Xarion's attachment was also personal and possessive. He feared being displaced by Cassian's other relationships and missed him when they were separated.
• Xandor: His father and a senior Assembly member. He supported Xarion's government, reassured him after the war, and handled its paperwork during his absence.
• Sarine and Maric: Trusted colleagues who helped care for Teryndal's people while he traveled with Xandor.

Xarion Morvayne is the high arbiter of Teryndal and a close companion of Cassian. A divine and lightning mage, he leads through public persuasion, political planning, and enchantments that strengthen the people fighting beside him. His government helped organize Xalmyrra's response to Aurion and the reconstruction that followed.

Appearance

Xarion has golden hair and teal eyes.

Personality

Xarion is an eloquent speaker and a careful strategist. He gathers people around a common purpose, studies possible enemy responses, and assigns tasks according to his companions' strengths. He also teases and embraces his friends with an ease that contrasts with the authority he exercises in public.

He values Cassian's loyalty and fears losing his place in his life. The deaths in the war against Aurion burdened him with guilt, despite his father's reassurance that he did not bear the responsibility alone. He visited bereaved families and remained involved in rebuilding.

Magic

Xarion possesses divine and lightning magic. Divine enchantments strengthen his body, increase his speed, reinforce his defenses, and empower people fighting beside him. He can heal injuries and amplify his voice to address a crowd. His close combat combines enchanted strength with shields and concentrated strikes.

History

Teryndal and Cassian

Xarion is the son of Xandor, a senior member of Teryndal's Assembly who supported his government.

Xarion met Cassian after a devastating battle in Velundra, when Cassian was in his early twenties. He introduced himself with the ambition of becoming high arbiter and asked Cassian to join him. They became close companions. Xarion rallied people and developed plans, while Cassian's healing and strength put those plans into practice. Xarion eventually became high arbiter, with Cassian beside him.

He married Xelora, and they had a daughter, Xirane. He delighted in Xirane's early divine spellwork and hoped to spare her the burden of governing a nation. His closeness to Cassian remained central to his life. When Cassian's attention returned to Eira, Xarion feared losing his loyalty and wanted to persuade him that he needed Xarion alone.

In the Celestial Games, Xarion competed as Lightning Spear. His enchanted speed and strength carried him into combat with Kaelric, who defeated him and broke his staff.

After the cataclysm, Xarion blamed Aurion and organized the survivors and their defense. He demanded that Aurion be removed from power and helped assemble the coalition that marched against him. After diplomacy failed, he ordered the coalition to subdue the king. Eira destroyed the armies blocking their advance, and Cassian protected Xarion during the fighting.

Xarion enchanted allied fighters as they confronted Aurion and Astheron. Aurion protected him from a descending meteor, and he also strengthened Aurion and Astheron against a shadowed attacker after the battle. Rhyzmar and Renneth helped rescue the survivors. In the aftermath, Xarion worked with Xandor on governing, investigating old records, and negotiating cooperation among Xalmyrra's nations.

The northern expeditions

As Teryndal recovered, Xarion worked with Sarine to settle laws and distribute resources. He left Xandor and Sarine to govern during his absence and traveled with Maric to explore beneath Lythenmere. Divine enchantments helped him force open the metal doors of the old facility, where they found and freed Ilyra. Their discoveries raised questions about Xalmyrra's repeating history.

He attended Aurion and Renneth’s unsuccessful attempt to open the gate beneath Irrathis and later joined Thalvian’s preparations for another attempt. He continued to organize support for the expeditions while trying to keep Teryndal stable.

Relationships

• Cassian: Xarion's closest friend and longtime companion. Cassian's strength supported his rise in Teryndal, but Xarion's attachment was also personal and possessive. He feared being displaced by Cassian's other relationships and missed him when they were separated.
• Xelora and Xirane: His wife and daughter. His work as high arbiter and his journeys took him away from them.
• Xandor: His father and a senior Assembly member. He supported Xarion's government, reassured him after the war, and handled its paperwork during his absence.
• Sarine and Maric: Trusted colleagues who helped care for Teryndal's people. Xarion delegated governing responsibilities to Sarine and traveled with Maric on the expedition beneath Lythenmere.

Xarion Morvayne is the high arbiter of Teryndal and a close companion of Cassian. A divine and lightning mage, he leads through public persuasion, political planning, and enchantments that strengthen the people fighting beside him. His government helped organize Xalmyrra's response to Aurion and the reconstruction that followed.

Appearance

Xarion has golden hair and teal eyes.

Personality

Xarion is an eloquent speaker and a careful strategist. He gathers people around a common purpose, studies possible enemy responses, and assigns tasks according to his companions' strengths. He also teases and embraces his friends with an ease that contrasts with the authority he exercises in public.

He values Cassian's loyalty and fears losing his place in his life. The deaths in the war against Aurion burdened him with guilt, despite his father's reassurance that he did not bear the responsibility alone. He visited bereaved families and remained involved in rebuilding.

Magic

Xarion possesses divine and lightning magic. Divine enchantments strengthen his body, increase his speed, reinforce his defenses, and empower people fighting beside him. He can heal injuries and amplify his voice to address a crowd. His close combat combines enchanted strength with shields and concentrated strikes.

History

Teryndal and Cassian

Xarion is the son of Xandor, a senior member of Teryndal's Assembly who supported his government.

Xarion met Cassian after a devastating battle in Velundra, when Cassian was in his early twenties. He introduced himself with the ambition of becoming high arbiter and asked Cassian to join him. They became close companions. Xarion rallied people and developed plans, while Cassian's healing and strength put those plans into practice. Xarion eventually became high arbiter, with Cassian beside him.

He married Xelora, and they had a daughter, Xirane. His closeness to Cassian remained central to his life. When Cassian's attention returned to Eira, Xarion feared losing his loyalty and wanted to persuade him that he needed Xarion alone.

In the Celestial Games, Xarion competed as Lightning Spear. His enchanted speed and strength carried him into combat with Kaelric, who defeated him and broke his staff.

After the cataclysm, Xarion blamed Aurion and organized the survivors and their defense. He demanded that Aurion be removed from power and helped assemble the coalition that marched against him. After diplomacy failed, he ordered the coalition to subdue the king. Eira destroyed the armies blocking their advance, and Cassian protected Xarion during the fighting.

Xarion enchanted allied fighters as they confronted Aurion and Astheron. Aurion protected him from a descending meteor, and he also strengthened Aurion and Astheron against a shadowed attacker after the battle. Rhyzmar and Renneth helped rescue the survivors. In the aftermath, Xarion worked with Xandor on governing, investigating old records, and negotiating cooperation among Xalmyrra's nations.

The northern expeditions

As Teryndal recovered, Xarion worked with Sarine to settle laws and distribute resources. He left Xandor and Sarine to govern during his absence and traveled with Maric to explore beneath Lythenmere. Divine enchantments helped him force open the metal doors of the old facility, where they found and freed Ilyra. Their discoveries raised questions about Xalmyrra's repeating history.

He attended Aurion and Renneth’s unsuccessful attempt to open the gate beneath Irrathis and later joined Thalvian’s preparations for another attempt. He continued to organize support for the expeditions while trying to keep Teryndal stable.

When he met Thalena, he asked after Cassian and welcomed someone who cared for his friend. He promised to visit them in Chronasis once his responsibilities in Teryndal allowed it.

As rebuilding continued, he sent Sarine to help Daryas in Soltheris, authorized quests paid for by Teryndal, and accepted Thalena's invitation to visit Cassian. Xandor remained to handle the government's paperwork.

Relationships

• Cassian: Xarion's closest friend and longtime companion. Cassian's strength supported his rise in Teryndal, but Xarion's attachment was also personal and possessive. He feared being displaced by Cassian's other relationships and missed him when they were separated.
• Xelora and Xirane: His wife and daughter. His work as high arbiter and his journeys took him away from them.
• Xandor: His father and a senior Assembly member. He supported Xarion's government, reassured him after the war, and handled its paperwork during his absence.
• Sarine and Maric: Trusted colleagues who helped care for Teryndal's people. Xarion delegated governing responsibilities to Sarine and traveled with Maric on the expedition beneath Lythenmere.
• Thalena: He welcomed her love for Cassian and hoped to visit them in Chronasis once Teryndal's affairs allowed it.

Xarion Morvayne, also known as Thalion Zenith, is the founder of the Order of Thalion Zenith. He served as high arbiter of Teryndal before a timerift carried him into ancient Valrindor. There, he renamed Astralem as Rimvold, fought the guardians of Malverand, and directed the destruction of their surviving history to preserve the future of his family and companions.

Appearance

Xarion has golden hair and blue eyes. His eyes were formerly teal, and his pact with Tianlei rejuvenated him. Although he was over sixty when he met the young Helena, he appeared much younger.

Personality

Xarion is an eloquent speaker and a careful strategist. He gathers people around a common purpose, studies possible enemy responses, and assigns tasks according to his companions' strengths. His ease with speeches also appears in affectionate teasing, public duels, and the embraces he gives his friends.

He is deeply attached to Cassian, his family, and the people he came to know as Thalion. Protecting their future drove him to accept civilian deaths, erase history, threaten those who disclosed the Order's secrets, and use Helena's abyss to repeat battles. He struggled with the knowledge that preserving the lives he loved meant taking lives and futures from others.

The repeated deaths at Jazarel left him exhausted by memories of failed rescues. Even after victory, he struggled to accept the loss of his companions.

Magic

Xarion possesses divine and lightning magic. Both preceded his temporary pact with Tianlei, whose power strengthened him and helped him combine the two.

Divine enchantments strengthen his body, increase his speed, reinforce his defenses, and empower people fighting beside him. He can heal injuries and amplify his voice to address a crowd. His close combat combines enchanted strength with shields and concentrated strikes.

With Tianlei, he developed golden lightning. He can strike individual opponents or gather a storm large enough to destroy an army. These attacks can exhaust his reserves, requiring allies to protect him while he casts.

History

Teryndal and Cassian

Xarion is the son of Xandor, a senior member of Teryndal's Assembly who supported his government.

Xarion met Cassian after a devastating battle in Velundra, when Cassian was in his early twenties. He introduced himself with the ambition of becoming high arbiter and asked Cassian to join him. They became close companions. Xarion rallied people and developed plans, while Cassian's healing and strength put those plans into practice. Xarion eventually became high arbiter, with Cassian beside him.

He married Xelora, and they had a daughter, Xirane. His closeness to Cassian remained central to his life. When Cassian's attention returned to Eira, Xarion feared losing his loyalty and wanted to persuade him that he needed Xarion alone.

In the Celestial Games, Xarion competed as Lightning Spear. His enchanted speed and strength carried him into combat with Kaelric, who defeated him and broke his staff.

After the cataclysm, Xarion blamed Aurion and organized the survivors and their defense. He demanded that Aurion be removed from power and helped assemble the coalition that marched against him. After diplomacy failed, he ordered the coalition to subdue the king. Eira destroyed the armies blocking their advance, and Cassian protected Xarion during the fighting.

Xarion enchanted allied fighters as they confronted Aurion and Astheron. Aurion protected him from a descending meteor, and he also strengthened Aurion and Astheron against a shadowed attacker after the battle. Rhyzmar and Renneth helped rescue the survivors. In the aftermath, Xarion worked with Xandor on governing, investigating old records, and negotiating cooperation among Xalmyrra's nations.

The northern expeditions

As Teryndal recovered, Xarion worked with Sarine to settle laws and distribute resources. He left Xandor and Sarine to govern during his absence and traveled with Maric to explore beneath Lythenmere. Divine enchantments helped him force open the metal doors of the old facility, where they found and freed Ilyra. Their discoveries raised questions about Xalmyrra's repeating history.

He attended Aurion and Renneth’s unsuccessful attempt to open the gate beneath Irrathis and later joined Thalvian’s preparations for another attempt. He continued to organize support for the expeditions while trying to keep Teryndal stable.

When he met Thalena, he asked after Cassian and welcomed someone who cared for his friend. He promised to visit them in Chronasis once his responsibilities in Teryndal allowed it.

Tianlei and the displacement

A timerift carried Xarion and several companions into ancient Valrindor. There, Tianlei offered him a temporary pact. The god recognized that Xarion already possessed divine and lightning magic, and they began training to combine it. Xarion's eyes changed to blue and his body became younger.

In Varnhallow, Xarion and Aelius tried to use the divine patriarchs' authority to secure influence and gather allies. After securing Wilfred’s endorsement as patriarch, Xarion and Aelius ambushed him on the road. Xarion hesitated to attack the man who had supported him. Aelius released white fire; Wilfred overloaded before the attack struck him. His death devastated Xarion, who had promised himself after the cataclysm that he would stop killing.

Xarion took the name Thalion as he built a new position among the patriarchs. At Varnhallow's arena, he wore Eltaru's mask, defeated Kren and Svanhild, and persuaded Aurelia and Zayren to join their escape. When the city's barrier trapped them, Eltaru drained civilians and his own life to break it. Xarion gave him time, rescued unconscious competitors, and ordered the others aboard their ship. They waited for Zayren to bring Dorian and Rowenna before leaving.

The escape cost many lives. Xarion mourned the deaths while insisting that his companions call him Thalion in this period. Although Aurelia sought him romantically, he refused her, remembering his wife and daughter.

Rimvold and the Order

The fugitives reached the homeland recognized by Isandriel and Svanhild. Xarion renamed Astralem as Rimvold and declared Skarnheim independent of Malverand. He appointed Benedict as a patriarch, placed Aelius and Svanhild in charge of the army, and began the Order of Thalion Zenith. Its members were to influence rulers, guard their shared history, and protect the future that had brought Xarion and his companions there.

Knowing that Dorian and Rowenna were Cassian's parents made their safety important to him. He arranged for Vianna to take them away from the fighting and protect them.

When Rimvold faced an army, Xarion summoned an immense storm of golden lightning. Frederick shielded him while he cast, and Aelius, Zayren, and Aurelia made their own attacks. The battle left few losses among their forces and established Rimvold's ability to resist its enemies.

Xarion then began a mission toward Jazarel under Uriandel's colors. He also ordered the removal of Malverand's records and threatened death for disclosing the history the Order concealed. He wanted to preserve the future of his family and companions, even while recognizing what that choice cost the people of ancient Valrindor. Aelius offered to carry out the violence he found difficult to bear.

Xarion recruited Helena when she was seventeen. His test of obedience asked whether she would kill innocents if he ordered it. She accepted, and he brought her into the Order. He gave her food, rest, care, and companionship after the abuse of her childhood. Their relationship became romantic. He knew she would become Thalena, but she did not share his knowledge of her future.

Jazarel

Xarion pretended to serve Uriandel while working against the guardians. He deliberately allowed Jeremiah to escape an earlier confrontation, maintaining the deception. Isandriel, a former guardian, became his close friend.

To break the armies at Jazarel, he helped arrange the release of a vast lake. Igor and earth mages reshaped its shore, while Benedict, Sylvia, and ice mages held back the water. Isandriel unmade the glacier that restrained it, and Xarion carried him clear. The flood destroyed the city and armies below. Xarion accepted the destruction to protect the future he knew.

Helena's abyss repeatedly reversed the ensuing battle. Xarion and Tianlei remembered successive attempts, watching allies die and changing their plans to save them. Xarion coordinated the defense, sent Ignatius to the fleet, and brought Isandriel to oppose Thamrielle's volcano. Repeated attempts to rescue Helena failed until Mia sacrificed herself to save her. Mia's death did not bring another reversal.

In his anger, Xarion brutally attacked Thamrielle. Isandriel stopped him from killing her, insisting that she was needed alive. Thamrielle was restrained, while Isandriel executed Uriandel and Jeremiah. Eremion and Raphael escaped. Xarion collapsed in grief despite the victory and apologized to Theia for Mia's death.

He recognized Jarin as the man who would become Jareth. Knowing their future hostility, he nevertheless asked him to watch over Helena.

With Sephara, Xarion later brought a storm to relieve a drought in eastern Thundermarch. He introduced Tianlei as the Stormbringer and told the god that this was where he would be born. Their actions helped establish the worship that would sustain Tianlei.

Thalena later kept his memory in The Legacy of Thalion Zenith. In Chronasis, she told Cassian that Thalion had been her first love and that she had taken her name to keep him from being forgotten. She reversed their conversation with the abyss to honor her promise that the Order's history would remain secret.

Relationships

• Cassian: Xarion's closest friend and longtime companion. Cassian's strength supported his rise in Teryndal, but Xarion's attachment was also personal and possessive. He feared being displaced by Cassian's other relationships. During his separation in ancient Valrindor, he hoped to see him again.
• Xelora and Xirane: His wife and daughter. Remembering them led him to refuse Aurelia's advances. Protecting their future helped drive his decisions in the Order.
• Xandor: His father and a senior Assembly member. He supported Xarion's government and cared for his family during his absence.
• Thalena: His lover, known to him as the young Helena in ancient Valrindor. He cared for her after her childhood abuse and commanded her in the Order. She became attached to him and remembered him as her first love. Her name and private records preserved his memory and her promise to conceal the Order.
• Tianlei: His temporary divine partner and teacher in golden lightning. They came to rely on each other through the reversals at Jazarel. Xarion brought him to ancient Thundermarch and helped establish his worship there.
• Aelius, Isandriel, and the Order: Aelius helped found the Order and offered to carry out the violence Xarion struggled to accept. Isandriel became a trusted friend and opposed his killing of Thamrielle. Xarion offered its members protection and belonging while requiring obedience and secrecy.

Xarion Morvayne, also known as Thalion Zenith, is the founder of the Order of Thalion Zenith. He served as high arbiter of Teryndal before a timerift carried him into ancient Valrindor. There, he renamed Astralem as Rimvold, fought the guardians of Malverand, and directed the destruction of their surviving history to preserve the future of his family and companions.

Appearance

Xarion has golden hair and blue eyes. His eyes were formerly teal, and his pact with Tianlei rejuvenated him. Although he was over sixty when he met the young Helena, he appeared much younger.

Personality

Xarion is an eloquent speaker and a careful strategist. He gathers people around a common purpose, studies possible enemy responses, and assigns tasks according to his companions' strengths. His ease with speeches also appears in affectionate teasing, public duels, and the embraces he gives his friends.

He is deeply attached to Cassian, his family, and the people he came to know as Thalion. Protecting their future drove him to accept civilian deaths, erase history, threaten those who disclosed the Order's secrets, and use Helena's abyss to repeat battles. He struggled with the knowledge that preserving the lives he loved meant taking lives and futures from others.

The repeated deaths at Jazarel left him exhausted by memories of failed rescues. Even after victory, he struggled to accept the loss of his companions.

Magic

Xarion possesses divine, lightning, aether, and cosmic magic. His divine and lightning abilities preceded his pact with Tianlei. Ozaith later granted him aether and cosmic magic.

Divine enchantments strengthen his body, increase his speed, reinforce his defenses, and empower people fighting beside him. He can heal injuries and amplify his voice to address a crowd. His close combat combines enchanted strength with shields and concentrated strikes.

With Tianlei, he developed golden lightning by combining divine and lightning magic. He could strike individual opponents or gather a storm large enough to destroy an army. These attacks could exhaust his reserves, requiring allies to protect him while he cast. Ending the pact did not remove his own golden lightning.

His aether magic lets him manipulate gravity, propel himself through the air and space, move other people, and tear openings through the veil. He uses cosmic barriers and beams alongside this movement. Even with Ozaith's power, traveling through space required a supply of air.

History

Teryndal and Cassian

Xarion was born to Xandor and a lightning mage from Keldara. His mother died fighting darkness, a loss that drove Xandor to seek the high-arbiter position. Xandor was an accomplished divine enchanter and later served in Teryndal's Assembly. He was distinct from the ancient founder of Teryndal.

Xarion met Cassian after a devastating battle in Velundra, when Cassian was in his early twenties. He introduced himself with the ambition of becoming high arbiter and asked Cassian to join him. They became close companions. Xarion rallied people and developed plans, while Cassian's healing and strength put those plans into practice. Xarion eventually became high arbiter, with Cassian beside him.

He married Xelora, and they had a daughter, Xirane. His closeness to Cassian remained central to his life. When Cassian's attention returned to Eira, Xarion feared losing his loyalty and wanted to persuade him that he needed Xarion alone.

In the Celestial Games, Xarion competed as Lightning Spear. His enchanted speed and strength carried him into combat with Kaelric, who defeated him and broke his staff.

After the cataclysm, Xarion blamed Aurion and organized the survivors and their defense. He demanded that Aurion be removed from power and helped assemble the coalition that marched against him. After diplomacy failed, he ordered the coalition to subdue the king. Eira destroyed the armies blocking their advance, and Cassian protected Xarion during the fighting.

Xarion enchanted allied fighters as they confronted Aurion and Astheron. Aurion protected him from a descending meteor, and he also strengthened Aurion and Astheron against a shadowed attacker after the battle. Rhyzmar and Renneth helped rescue the survivors. In the aftermath, Xarion worked with Xandor on governing, investigating old records, and negotiating cooperation among Xalmyrra's nations.

The northern expeditions

As Teryndal recovered, Xarion worked with Sarine to settle laws and distribute resources. He left Xandor and Sarine to govern during his absence and traveled with Maric to explore beneath Lythenmere. Divine enchantments helped him force open the metal doors of the old facility, where they found and freed Ilyra. Their discoveries raised questions about Xalmyrra's repeating history.

He attended Aurion and Renneth’s unsuccessful attempt to open the gate beneath Irrathis and later joined Thalvian’s preparations for another attempt. He continued to organize support for the expeditions while trying to keep Teryndal stable.

When he met Thalena, he asked after Cassian and welcomed someone who cared for his friend. He promised to visit them in Chronasis once his responsibilities in Teryndal allowed it.

Tianlei and the displacement

A timerift carried Xarion and several companions into ancient Valrindor. There, Tianlei offered him a temporary pact. The god recognized that Xarion already possessed divine and lightning magic, and they began training to combine it. Xarion's eyes changed to blue and his body became younger.

In Varnhallow, Xarion and Aelius tried to use the divine patriarchs' authority to secure influence and gather allies. After securing Wilfred’s endorsement as patriarch, Xarion and Aelius ambushed him on the road. Xarion hesitated to attack the man who had supported him. Aelius released white fire; Wilfred overloaded before the attack struck him. His death devastated Xarion, who had promised himself after the cataclysm that he would stop killing.

Xarion took the name Thalion as he built a new position among the patriarchs. At Varnhallow's arena, he wore Eltaru's mask, defeated Kren and Svanhild, and persuaded Aurelia and Zayren to join their escape. When the city's barrier trapped them, Eltaru drained civilians and his own life to break it. Xarion gave him time, rescued unconscious competitors, and ordered the others aboard their ship. They waited for Zayren to bring Dorian and Rowenna before leaving.

The escape cost many lives. Xarion mourned the deaths while insisting that his companions call him Thalion in this period. Although Aurelia sought him romantically, he refused her, remembering his wife and daughter.

Rimvold and the Order

The fugitives reached the homeland recognized by Isandriel and Svanhild. Xarion renamed Astralem as Rimvold and declared Skarnheim independent of Malverand. He appointed Benedict as a patriarch, placed Aelius and Svanhild in charge of the army, and began the Order of Thalion Zenith. Its members were to influence rulers, guard their shared history, and protect the future that had brought Xarion and his companions there.

Knowing that Dorian and Rowenna were Cassian's parents made their safety important to him. He arranged for Vianna to take them away from the fighting and protect them.

When Rimvold faced an army, Xarion summoned an immense storm of golden lightning. Frederick shielded him while he cast, and Aelius, Zayren, and Aurelia made their own attacks. The battle left few losses among their forces and established Rimvold's ability to resist its enemies.

Xarion then began a mission toward Jazarel under Uriandel's colors. He also ordered the removal of Malverand's records and threatened death for disclosing the history the Order concealed. He wanted to preserve the future of his family and companions, even while recognizing what that choice cost the people of ancient Valrindor. Aelius offered to carry out the violence he found difficult to bear.

Xarion recruited Helena when she was seventeen. His test of obedience asked whether she would kill innocents if he ordered it. She accepted, and he brought her into the Order. He gave her food, rest, care, and companionship after the abuse of her childhood. Their relationship became romantic. He knew she would become Thalena, but she did not share his knowledge of her future.

Jazarel

Xarion pretended to serve Uriandel while working against the guardians. He deliberately allowed Jeremiah to escape an earlier confrontation, maintaining the deception. Isandriel, a former guardian, became his close friend.

To break the armies at Jazarel, he helped arrange the release of a vast lake. Igor and earth mages reshaped its shore, while Benedict, Sylvia, and ice mages held back the water. Isandriel unmade the glacier that restrained it, and Xarion carried him clear. The flood destroyed the city and armies below. Xarion accepted the destruction to protect the future he knew.

Helena's abyss repeatedly reversed the ensuing battle. Xarion and Tianlei remembered successive attempts, watching allies die and changing their plans to save them. Xarion coordinated the defense, sent Ignatius to the fleet, and brought Isandriel to oppose Thamrielle's volcano. Repeated attempts to rescue Helena failed until Mia sacrificed herself to save her. Mia's death did not bring another reversal.

In his anger, Xarion brutally attacked Thamrielle. Isandriel stopped him from killing her, insisting that she was needed alive. Thamrielle was restrained, while Isandriel executed Uriandel and Jeremiah. Eremion and Raphael escaped. Xarion collapsed in grief despite the victory and apologized to Theia for Mia's death.

He recognized Jarin as the man who would become Jareth. Knowing their future hostility, he nevertheless asked him to watch over Helena.

With Sephara, Xarion later brought a storm to relieve a drought in eastern Thundermarch. He introduced Tianlei as the Stormbringer and told the god that this was where he would be born. Their actions helped establish the worship that would sustain Tianlei.

Helena and the patriarchs

His affection for Helena became entwined with his command over her and his reliance on her power. He recognized that he was exploiting her vulnerability and need for him, even as he loved her and feared losing her.

He also helped Theia after Mia's death, offering her the Order as a family. On visiting Dorian and Rowenna in Morozkaya, he found them dead and attended their funeral with Zero's support. Ignatius joined Pyrathalor in their cremation.

Later, he deliberately let John defeat him in a duel, believing John needed Tianlei more. He ended his pact, and the god formed a new bond with John. Xarion kept his own golden lightning and continued speaking with Tianlei during their later meetings.

The war against the guardians

Xarion made Sylvia ruler of Rimvold and continued planning the war against Raphael and Eremion. He distributed recovered god cores to Ignatius and Zero, while declining one himself. His role depended on retaining access to Helena's abyss rather than accepting another shard.

He named Isandriel as the Order's leader after his departure and ordered him to destroy the remaining traces of Malverand. Different members received regions in which to remove its history, including Helena in the east. He expected Isandriel to keep recruiting people who shared the Order's goals.

In the fleet battle with Raphael, Xarion withheld Ignatius's strongest power until they had tested the guardian's response. Ignatius's plasma and John and Tianlei's lightning broke Raphael's defenses. Xarion signaled the fleet to divide, sending a detachment with Ignatius toward Maraveth, while his flagship pursued Eremion before he could reach Isandriel's expedition.

The war again drew him into repeated courses of events through Helena's abyss. He remembered enough to alter tactics, although the accumulated memories left him disoriented. He intended to send her away to Thalassai, where she would eventually meet Cassian, while struggling with the prospect of their separation.

Ozaith, Abraxas, and Earth

Through Tal’Massar, Ozaith came to help Xarion against Abraxas. Their pact gave Xarion aether and cosmic magic. He initially concealed Helena's identity from Ozaith, her father. To repeat the battle and learn how to oppose Abraxas, he destroyed his own flagship with Helena aboard, triggering her abyss.

Ozaith could evade the reversal by retreating into the God Realm, but the struggle depleted his reserves. Xarion held back Abraxas's void long enough for the fleet to escape. Abraxas's attacks and Xarion's crash destroyed Qarezh, despite his attempt to veer away from the city. Speaking Oktlix’s name triggered Horol’Khai’s freezing spell. When Abraxas broke the freeze, Xarion pulled him toward a rift with gravity, stabilized it, and drove them both through. The rift carried them away from Valrindor.

In the void, Xarion learned from Abraxas that the stolen object was an essence core. The conversation also led Ozaith to recognize Helena as his daughter. Xarion forced an opening through the veil and eventually reached Earth, guided by Ozaith. They learned the local language, encountered stories of sky people and lightning worship, and worked on a pyramid gate. Xarion used divine enchantments to help workers and shaped materials for its construction.

Eira found him on Earth in 2114 AX. She brought him and Abraxas home through a timerift. After their return, they crossed Jorhan’s darkness veil; Abraxas lost his memories when he entered it without protection. Xarion hoped to restore him. On reaching Stormbrook and then Rimvold, he found that years had passed for the people he had left behind.

Stasis

The Order's survivors prepared to sleep until the age from which Xarion and his companions had come. Rhyz, Theia, Sylvia, and Benedict remained behind. Xarion forced Gren, Viviana, and Igor to accompany the sleepers rather than let them stay.

Eira designed the temporal stasis, while Xarion helped heal people and prepare their shards. He and Eira became lovers. His attachment to her did not remove his love for Xelora or his concern for their other relationships. Eira periodically checked the sleepers. In 5369 AX, she emerged from her final stasis and prepared to awaken the others.

Relationships

• Cassian: Xarion's closest friend and longtime companion. Cassian's strength supported his rise in Teryndal, but Xarion's attachment was also personal and possessive. He feared being displaced by Cassian's other relationships. During his separation in ancient Valrindor, he hoped to see him again.
• Xelora and Xirane: His wife and daughter. He continued to love them while separated, although his new relationships made him question whether he would return from love or obligation. His concern for their future shaped his actions in the Order.
• Xandor and his mother: His father was a divine enchanter and his mother a Keldaran lightning mage. His mother's death against darkness shaped Xandor's political ambitions. Xandor supported Xarion's government and cared for his family during his absence.
• Thalena: His lover, known to him as the young Helena in ancient Valrindor. He cared for her after her childhood abuse, commanded her in the Order, and exploited her dependence on him and the abyss. She remembered him as her first love, took her name to preserve his memory, and concealed the Order's history in her private records. He knew she would eventually meet Cassian, but feared what separation would mean for their relationship.
• Eira: She found him on Earth, brought him back to Valrindor, became his lover, and sustained the sleepers until they could return to their own age. Their intimacy did not remove his love for his wife or their concerns about Kaelion, Cassian, and Thalena.
• Tianlei: His temporary divine partner and teacher in golden lightning. They came to rely on each other through the reversals at Jazarel. Xarion ended their pact so John could wield him, retaining both his own lightning and their friendship.
• Ozaith: Granted him aether and cosmic magic and accompanied him through displacement, Earth, and stasis. Xarion concealed Helena's identity from him while exploiting the abyss. Ozaith remained awake to oversee the sleepers with Eira.
• Aelius, Isandriel, and the Order: Aelius helped found the Order and offered to carry out the violence Xarion struggled to accept. Isandriel became a trusted friend, opposed his killing of Thamrielle, and accepted responsibility for the Order after his departure. Xarion offered its members protection and belonging while requiring obedience and secrecy.

Xarion Morvayne, also known as Thalion Zenith and Xarion Starforger, is the founder of the Order of Thalion Zenith and the leader of the Valrindor Council. He formerly served as high arbiter of Teryndal. His displacement into ancient Valrindor led him to rename Astralem as Rimvold, fight the guardians of Malverand, and direct the destruction of their surviving history. He now works to unite Valrindor against the darkness.

Appearance

Xarion has golden hair and blue eyes. His eyes were formerly teal, and his pact with Tianlei rejuvenated him. Although he was over sixty when he met the young Helena, he appeared much younger.

For the Valrindor Council, he wears a gray leather jacket and pants reinforced with essence. Ice and air artifacts control their ventilation.

Personality

Xarion is an eloquent speaker and a careful strategist. He gathers people around a common purpose, studies possible enemy responses, and assigns tasks according to his companions' strengths. His ease with speeches also appears in affectionate teasing, public duels, and the embraces he gives his friends.

He is deeply attached to Cassian, his family, and the people he came to know as Thalion. Protecting their future drove him to accept civilian deaths, erase history, threaten those who disclosed the Order's secrets, and use Helena's abyss to repeat battles. He struggled with the knowledge that preserving the lives he loved meant taking lives and futures from others.

The repeated deaths at Jazarel left him unable to endure reminders of the battle. A gong could provoke an uncontrolled release of magic, and concern for missing companions could bring him to tears. He continued to lead, but needed reassurance and care after returning from stasis.

Magic

Xarion possesses divine, lightning, aether, and cosmic magic. His divine and lightning abilities preceded his pact with Tianlei. Ozaith later granted him aether and cosmic magic; he retained both after their connection was severed, although his power diminished.

Divine enchantments strengthen his body, increase his speed, reinforce his defenses, and empower people fighting beside him. He can heal injuries and amplify his voice to address a crowd. His close combat combines enchanted strength with shields and concentrated strikes.

With Tianlei, he developed golden lightning by combining divine and lightning magic. He could strike individual opponents or gather a storm large enough to destroy an army. These attacks could exhaust his reserves, requiring allies to protect him while he cast. Ending the pact did not remove his own golden lightning.

His aether magic lets him manipulate gravity, propel himself through the air and space, move other people, and tear openings through the veil. He uses cosmic barriers and beams alongside this movement. Even with Ozaith's power, traveling through space required a supply of air. The surviving Malverand heart he placed in his chest replenishes him and repairs his body.

History

Teryndal and Cassian

Xarion was born to Xandor and a lightning mage from Keldara. His mother died fighting darkness, a loss that drove Xandor to seek the high-arbiter position. Xandor was an accomplished divine enchanter and later served in Teryndal's Assembly. He was distinct from the ancient founder of Teryndal.

Xarion met Cassian after a devastating battle in Velundra, when Cassian was in his early twenties. He introduced himself with the ambition of becoming high arbiter and asked Cassian to join him. They became close companions. Xarion rallied people and developed plans, while Cassian's healing and strength put those plans into practice. Xarion eventually became high arbiter, with Cassian beside him.

He married Xelora, and they had a daughter, Xirane. His closeness to Cassian remained central to his life. When Cassian's attention returned to Eira, Xarion feared losing his loyalty and wanted to persuade him that he needed Xarion alone.

In the Celestial Games, Xarion competed as Lightning Spear. His enchanted speed and strength carried him into combat with Kaelric, who defeated him and broke his staff.

After the cataclysm, Xarion blamed Aurion and organized the survivors and their defense. He demanded that Aurion be removed from power and helped assemble the coalition that marched against him. After diplomacy failed, he ordered the coalition to subdue the king. Eira destroyed the armies blocking their advance, and Cassian protected Xarion during the fighting.

Xarion enchanted allied fighters as they confronted Aurion and Astheron. Aurion protected him from a descending meteor, and he also strengthened Aurion and Astheron against a shadowed attacker after the battle. Rhyzmar and Renneth helped rescue the survivors. In the aftermath, Xarion worked with Xandor on governing, investigating old records, and negotiating cooperation among Xalmyrra's nations.

The northern expeditions

As Teryndal recovered, Xarion worked with Sarine to settle laws and distribute resources. He left Xandor and Sarine to govern during his absence and traveled with Maric to explore beneath Lythenmere. Divine enchantments helped him force open the metal doors of the old facility, where they found and freed Ilyra. Their discoveries raised questions about Xalmyrra's repeating history.

He attended Aurion and Renneth’s unsuccessful attempt to open the gate beneath Irrathis and later joined Thalvian’s preparations for another attempt. He continued to organize support for the expeditions while trying to keep Teryndal stable.

When he met Thalena, he asked after Cassian and welcomed someone who cared for his friend. He promised to visit them in Chronasis once his responsibilities in Teryndal allowed it.

Tianlei and the displacement

A timerift carried Xarion and several companions into ancient Valrindor. There, Tianlei offered him a temporary pact. The god recognized that Xarion already possessed divine and lightning magic, and they began training to combine it. Xarion's eyes changed to blue and his body became younger.

In Varnhallow, Xarion and Aelius tried to use the divine patriarchs' authority to secure influence and gather allies. After securing Wilfred’s endorsement as patriarch, Xarion and Aelius ambushed him on the road. Xarion hesitated to attack the man who had supported him. Aelius released white fire; Wilfred overloaded before the attack struck him. His death devastated Xarion, who had promised himself after the cataclysm that he would stop killing.

Xarion took the name Thalion as he built a new position among the patriarchs. At Varnhallow's arena, he wore Eltaru's mask, defeated Kren and Svanhild, and persuaded Aurelia and Zayren to join their escape. When the city's barrier trapped them, Eltaru drained civilians and his own life to break it. Xarion gave him time, rescued unconscious competitors, and ordered the others aboard their ship. They waited for Zayren to bring Dorian and Rowenna before leaving.

The escape cost many lives. Xarion mourned the deaths while insisting that his companions call him Thalion in this period. Although Aurelia sought him romantically, he refused her, remembering his wife and daughter.

Rimvold and the Order

The fugitives reached the homeland recognized by Isandriel and Svanhild. Xarion renamed Astralem as Rimvold and declared Skarnheim independent of Malverand. He appointed Benedict as a patriarch, placed Aelius and Svanhild in charge of the army, and began the Order of Thalion Zenith. Its members were to influence rulers, guard their shared history, and protect the future that had brought Xarion and his companions there.

Knowing that Dorian and Rowenna were Cassian's parents made their safety important to him. He arranged for Vianna to take them away from the fighting and protect them.

When Rimvold faced an army, Xarion summoned an immense storm of golden lightning. Frederick shielded him while he cast, and Aelius, Zayren, and Aurelia made their own attacks. The battle left few losses among their forces and established Rimvold's ability to resist its enemies.

Xarion then began a mission toward Jazarel under Uriandel's colors. He also ordered the removal of Malverand's records and threatened death for disclosing the history the Order concealed. He wanted to preserve the future of his family and companions, even while recognizing what that choice cost the people of ancient Valrindor. Aelius offered to carry out the violence he found difficult to bear.

Xarion recruited Helena when she was seventeen. His test of obedience asked whether she would kill innocents if he ordered it. She accepted, and he brought her into the Order. He gave her food, rest, care, and companionship after the abuse of her childhood. Their relationship became romantic. He knew she would become Thalena, but she did not share his knowledge of her future.

Jazarel

Xarion pretended to serve Uriandel while working against the guardians. He deliberately allowed Jeremiah to escape an earlier confrontation, maintaining the deception. Isandriel, a former guardian, became his close friend.

To break the armies at Jazarel, he helped arrange the release of a vast lake. Igor and earth mages reshaped its shore, while Benedict, Sylvia, and ice mages held back the water. Isandriel unmade the glacier that restrained it, and Xarion carried him clear. The flood destroyed the city and armies below. Xarion accepted the destruction to protect the future he knew.

Helena's abyss repeatedly reversed the ensuing battle. Xarion and Tianlei remembered successive attempts, watching allies die and changing their plans to save them. Xarion coordinated the defense, sent Ignatius to the fleet, and brought Isandriel to oppose Thamrielle's volcano. Repeated attempts to rescue Helena failed until Mia sacrificed herself to save her. Mia's death did not bring another reversal.

In his anger, Xarion brutally attacked Thamrielle. Isandriel stopped him from killing her, insisting that she was needed alive. Thamrielle was restrained, while Isandriel executed Uriandel and Jeremiah. Eremion and Raphael escaped. Xarion collapsed in grief despite the victory and apologized to Theia for Mia's death.

He recognized Jarin as the man who would become Jareth. Knowing their future hostility, he nevertheless asked him to watch over Helena.

With Sephara, Xarion later brought a storm to relieve a drought in eastern Thundermarch. He introduced Tianlei as the Stormbringer and told the god that this was where he would be born. Their actions helped establish the worship that would sustain Tianlei.

Helena and the patriarchs

His affection for Helena became entwined with his command over her and his reliance on her power. He recognized that he was exploiting her vulnerability and need for him, even as he loved her and feared losing her.

He also helped Theia after Mia's death, offering her the Order as a family. On visiting Dorian and Rowenna in Morozkaya, he found them dead and attended their funeral with Zero's support. Ignatius joined Pyrathalor in their cremation.

Later, he deliberately let John defeat him in a duel, believing John needed Tianlei more. He ended his pact, and the god formed a new bond with John. Xarion kept his own golden lightning and continued speaking with Tianlei during their later meetings.

The war against the guardians

Xarion made Sylvia ruler of Rimvold and continued planning the war against Raphael and Eremion. He distributed recovered god cores to Ignatius and Zero, while declining one himself. His role depended on retaining access to Helena's abyss rather than accepting another shard.

He named Isandriel as the Order's leader after his departure and ordered him to destroy the remaining traces of Malverand. Different members received regions in which to remove its history, including Helena in the east. He expected Isandriel to keep recruiting people who shared the Order's goals.

In the fleet battle with Raphael, Xarion withheld Ignatius's strongest power until they had tested the guardian's response. Ignatius's plasma and John and Tianlei's lightning broke Raphael's defenses. Xarion signaled the fleet to divide, sending a detachment with Ignatius toward Maraveth, while his flagship pursued Eremion before he could reach Isandriel's expedition.

The war again drew him into repeated courses of events through Helena's abyss. He remembered enough to alter tactics, although the accumulated memories left him disoriented. He intended to send her away to Thalassai, where she would eventually meet Cassian, while struggling with the prospect of their separation.

Ozaith, Abraxas, and Earth

Through Tal’Massar, Ozaith came to help Xarion against Abraxas. Their pact gave Xarion aether and cosmic magic. He initially concealed Helena's identity from Ozaith, her father. To repeat the battle and learn how to oppose Abraxas, he destroyed his own flagship with Helena aboard, triggering her abyss.

Ozaith could evade the reversal by retreating into the God Realm, but the struggle depleted his reserves. Xarion held back Abraxas's void long enough for the fleet to escape. Abraxas's attacks and Xarion's crash destroyed Qarezh, despite his attempt to veer away from the city. Speaking Oktlix’s name triggered Horol’Khai’s freezing spell. When Abraxas broke the freeze, Xarion pulled him toward a rift with gravity, stabilized it, and drove them both through. The rift carried them away from Valrindor.

In the void, Xarion learned from Abraxas that the stolen object was an essence core. The conversation also led Ozaith to recognize Helena as his daughter. Xarion forced an opening through the veil and eventually reached Earth, guided by Ozaith. They learned the local language, encountered stories of sky people and lightning worship, and worked on a pyramid gate. Xarion used divine enchantments to help workers and shaped materials for its construction.

Eira found him on Earth in 2114 AX. She brought him and Abraxas home through a timerift. After their return, they crossed Jorhan’s darkness veil; Abraxas lost his memories when he entered it without protection. Xarion hoped to restore him. On reaching Stormbrook and then Rimvold, he found that years had passed for the people he had left behind.

Stasis

The Order's survivors prepared to sleep until the age from which Xarion and his companions had come. Rhyz, Theia, Sylvia, and Benedict remained behind and died before the others returned. Xarion forced Gren, Viviana, and Igor to accompany the sleepers rather than let them stay.

Eira designed the temporal stasis, while Xarion helped heal people and prepare their shards. He and Eira became lovers. His attachment to her did not remove his love for Xelora or his concern for their other relationships. Eira periodically checked the sleepers until their awakening in 5369 AX.

Awakening and the return home

Eira, Brynor, and Lysander awakened the sleepers. Ozaith restored cores, and Xarion released golden lightning from the core of stars and galaxies in his palm. Learning that Helena was missing overwhelmed him. Ozaith temporarily controlled his body while he recovered, and Eira took responsibility for the Order.

He proposed a council that would bring the Order into the open. Yet the memories of Jazarel remained close: the sound of a gong provoked a surge of golden lightning and aether that burned Eira. His fear of losing people persisted despite reassurance that his family was well.

Benedict's concealed flagship survived and was recovered. Xarion also warned Virel about the danger to Rimvold, recounting Jazarel to explain what a guardian's forces could do. His reduced strength made another immediate confrontation difficult.

When he returned to Teryndal, Xandor planned to retire from governing and spoke of Naryon as a successor. Xarion embraced Xelora and Xirane, who was now a young woman. He was relieved that his family had survived, but worried about how they would receive all that had happened during his absence. He no longer held the high-arbiter office.

The intergalactic empire

Xarion traveled with Eira and Ozaith to the Malverand Intergalactic Empire, using aether movement and Ozaith's rifts across space. There, he chose the name Xarion Starforger.

He made another visit to Earth with Rafe. Rafe brought devices and transport technology, while Xarion helped shape the pyramid and assisted the expedition. They found Helena, Ozaith's divine daughter, through Rafe's equipment. She was distinct from Thalena, who had once also been called Helena.

The goddess assumed human form and became intimate with Xarion. She wanted a child and a legacy. On his departure, Rafe supplied transport capsules, and Xarion parted from her in tears. He later suspected he might have fathered a child, but did not know what had become of the goddess or their son.

Helena returned from Earth and raised their son, whom she named Thalion, in a small village. He died when he touched the handles of the core at Maraveth and was drained. She preserved his body. Later, Isandro's healthy brain was placed in that body with an artificial heart. Xarion was absent from his son's upbringing and the procedure.

At Proxion, Xarion helped Kaelion oppose the Spiral Mandate. He accelerated through space with gravity and helped shield Kaelion. When Kaelion's air supply failed, Xarion shared his mouthpiece until an imperial ship recovered them. The empire honored them for their actions. Xarion then tore an opening through the veil and returned to Valrindor.

The end of the guardians' rule

Back in Valrindor, Xarion helped Kaelion descend through the veil and stabilize his immense sun. He comforted Eira after the deaths of Cassian and Aldar. During the final struggle, Garrik caught the falling Cassian; Xarion took him from Garrik and carried him to safety while Azarion made the last attack on Gabriel. He delivered Cassian back to Garrik, then returned to Chronasis to help restore Thalena.

He brought Jareth to activate the gate. Amos supplied capsules containing the missing people, and Ozaith restored their bodies with help from Xarion and Nethira. The work exhausted Xarion, but brought Thalena back.

Alistair subsequently made the gods human, and Cassian severed their connections and destroyed the galaxy core. Xarion regrew his severed hand. He lost his bond with Ozaith while retaining weaker aether and cosmic magic. Their friendship remained after the pact ended.

Xarion took Raphael's former Malverand heart and placed it in his own chest. Thalena later asked him to father a child she would raise with Cassian. He initially refused out of loyalty to his friend. When Cassian confirmed that the request had been his own idea, Xarion accepted. Their daughter, Leonora, was named by Cassian and entrusted to him to raise.

The Valrindor Council

Xarion accepted leadership of a new council bringing together Valrindor's nations. He chose neutral Melandor for its meeting and sent invitations to leaders and representatives, including the intergalactic empire. He set up headquarters in Melandor, with the Order's headquarters across the street. The Order would continue gathering intelligence, defending people, and recruiting. Xarion invited Seralyth to join.

He welcomed former opponents, including Ravira and Rahmavir, into cooperation. He proposed shared resistance to darkness, trade, and arbitration between nations. The council's work would extend beyond military affairs, including rapid communication and transport. He also planned to explore space again.

Cassian greeted him with affection. Thalena introduced Leonora to Xarion, Xelora, Xirane, and Xandor, and Xarion apologized to his family for neglecting them. His interest in Lucilla added another personal connection, while his visits to Theryssa also brought him into contact with the ancient inscriptions there.

At the first council meeting, he presided over the gathered delegations and their votes. The members supported a common force against darkness and chose aid to Ithyreon as its first mission. Thalena volunteered to lead it. Xarion remains alive and leads both the council and the Order.

Thalena's account

In Thalena's Shores of Eternity, later losses brought Xarion into another emergency council meeting. At Melandor, he died shielding Cassian when Gabriel’s crystals detonated after a solar flare.

Relationships

• Cassian: Xarion's closest friend and longtime companion. Cassian's strength supported his rise in Teryndal, but Xarion's attachment was also personal and possessive. He feared being displaced by Cassian's other relationships. Their affection survived his absence, and Cassian supported his renewed relationship with Thalena and the birth of Leonora.
• Xelora and Xirane: His wife and daughter. He continued to love them while separated in ancient Valrindor, although his new relationships made him question whether he would return from love or obligation. Their reunion brought him relief, and he later apologized for neglecting them.
• Xandor and his mother: His father was a divine enchanter and his mother a Keldaran lightning mage. His mother's death against darkness shaped Xandor's political ambitions. Xandor supported Xarion's government, cared for his family during his absence, and welcomed him home.
• Thalena: His lover, first known to him as the young Helena in ancient Valrindor. He cared for her after her childhood abuse, commanded her in the Order, and exploited her dependence on him and the abyss. She remembered him as her first love, took her name to preserve his memory, and concealed the Order's history in her private records. They reunited after her restoration, and he fathered Leonora with Cassian's agreement.
• Eira: She found him on Earth, brought him back to Valrindor, became his lover, and sustained the sleepers until they could return to their own age. She cared for him after his awakening and led the Order while he was unable to do so. Their intimacy coexists with his attachment to Thalena and his family and with her relationship with Kaelion.
• Tianlei: His temporary divine partner and teacher in golden lightning. They came to rely on each other through the reversals at Jazarel. Xarion ended their pact so John could wield him, retaining both his own lightning and their friendship.
• Ozaith: Granted him aether and cosmic magic and accompanied him through displacement, Earth, stasis, and recovery. Xarion concealed Helena's identity from him while exploiting the abyss. They remained friends after the god became human and their pact ended.
• Helena and Isandro: The divine Helena became his lover on Earth and bore their son Thalion. The son died, and Isandro's brain was later placed in his preserved body. Xarion was absent from his son's upbringing and the procedure; his relationship with the goddess is distinct from his relationship with Thalena.
• Aelius, Isandriel, and the Order: Aelius helped found the Order and offered to carry out the violence Xarion struggled to accept. Isandriel became a trusted friend, opposed his killing of Thamrielle, and accepted responsibility for the Order after his departure. Xarion offered its members protection and belonging while requiring obedience and secrecy.
• Kaelion: A companion through imperial space and the return to Valrindor. Xarion protected him at Proxion and shared his air when Kaelion could no longer breathe. Their cooperation continued through the fight against Gabriel and the formation of the council.
• Leonora: His daughter with Thalena. Cassian named her and will raise her. Thalena brought her to the founding of the council, where Xarion first held her and welcomed the chance to share in her life.