Aldones di Sarvos
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==Aldones in Play== | ==Aldones in Play== | ||
Aldones is a paragon of Ambition whose actions changed the world. | |||
Aldones' physical ascension is sometimes contested by theologians and historians. As [[Emperor Frederick]] himself wrote "''the man is remarkable enough without needing to tack on the suggestion that he was somehow spirited away from the mortal world at the height of his triumph!''" There are nearly as many theories among such scholars about what ''actually'' happened to Aldones after his apparent disappearance as there are scholars interested in the matter. | |||
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===The Golden Circle=== | |||
Stories of the Golden Circle first appeared in 18YE, and have resurfaced periodically since. According to these rumours, there is a secret society of League citizens dedicated to the preservation and expansion of Aldones' legacy - the League itself. If the Golden Circle exists, it is a very informal group made up of merchant-princes, bishops, and Free Company captains from all four League cities. They maintain a network of connections dedicated to ensuring that the League remains unified as a nation, while each city maintains its individual character. A member will sometimes appear as a mysterious benefactor in a play or story, nurturing the ambition of the central character with good advice, funds, or access to opportunities. | |||
As well as maintaining the League, the Golden Circle seeks to expand it - by encouraging other cities to become part of the League. Some suggest that the conspiracy involving [[Empress GIselle]] to encourage [[Mitwold#Meade|Meade]] and [[Madruga#Siroc|Siroc]] to secede from their own nations and join the League was inspired by members of the Golden Circle - assuming Giselle was not herself a member of this secretive organisation. Those who believe this theory point to the flimsy evidence that Aldones himself approached the aldermen and dhomiro of these cities during the formation of the League, and was rebuffed. | |||
Cooler heads suggest that the Golden Circle probably does not exist - at least not in the way that the conspiracy theorists envision. It may well have its roots in the belief that the League is "up to something" - founded perhaps in the misunderstandings that other nations sometimes have about how the League works, and a general suspicion of economics and politics. Alternatively. it is possible that there are multiple Golden Circle societies, each with different goals and membership, each believing they are the original, but each in fact set up in mimicry of a society that never existed. | |||
Or, as other scholars claim, the Golden Circle is very real, and was established by Aldones to protect the League and pursue the long-term ambitions of a paragon committed to reshaping the world toward his own ends. | |||
===Inspirational Tomb=== | |||
Aldones does not have an [[inspirational tomb]]. After his disappearance, there was a movement to construct a memorial to him, but his early followers - supported by Emperor Giovanni - resisted. The argument was that to build an inspirational tomb in any one League city, even the city of Sarvos where he was born, would be to elevate that city above the others. After exentive wrangling a compromise was reached, and a cathedral built in the White City of Bastion to honour Aldones and his achievements. Today, smaller shrines, temples, and churches dedicated to Aldones' life and ambition are dotted across the League, with variable prominence. A common feature in any League church - even one dedicated to a different virtue - is a stained glass window depicting Aldones, as founder of the League. | |||
===The Basilica of Aldones=== | |||
Built in 28YE with the assistance of the [[Custodes Clavium]], the basilica of Aldones stands in [[Bastion#The White City|the White City]] of [[Bastion]]. It is one of the tallest structures in the city, with three great spires reaching over two hundred feet into the sky. Each spire is surmounted by a massive bell that rings every hour, as marked by the Grand Clocktower in Holberg. Great windows of stained glass commemorate the deeds of Aldones, surrounding a central hall where a thousand pilgrims can easily gather. The basilica is [[consecrate|consecrated]] with [[Liao#True Liao|True Liao]], and is a popular place of pilgrimage for followers of the Way across the Empire and beyond. | |||
There is no Imperial Title associated with the Basilica of Aldones, and when decisions must be made regarding it they are made by the [[Cardinal]] of Ambition. --> | |||
[[Category:History]] | [[Category:History]] | ||
[[Category:The League]] | [[Category:The League]] | ||
[[Category:Inspirations]] | [[Category:Inspirations]] | ||
Revision as of 09:26, 8 October 2017
There is only one true insult you can offer to a citizen of our League – 'unremarkable'
Virtue
Aldones di Sarvos was recognised as a paragon of Ambition by the Imperial Synod in 23 YE. He was also formally recognised as a paragon of Ambition by the Sumaah Republic in 186YE.
Biography
Aldones di Sarvos is both the founder of the League and a paragon of Ambition. According to legend he began life as an orphan before becoming the most powerful merchant prince of the city of Sarvos. As one of the earliest supporters of the First Empress and one of the the richest men in the world at that time, his silver flowed everywhere the Empress and her troops went. Early on, Aldones recognised a clear problem; while he and his fellow Sarvossians considered themselves the most civilised people in the world, a single city could not compare with the power of the nations that were drawn to the Empress' banner.
Demonstrating his great vision and pragmatism when it came to achieving his goals, he met with his fiercest rival, the Merchant Prince Barrell of Tassato, and with Maria Ivanova, Boyar of Temeschwar. He introduced them to the Empress, and together they persuaded the two that their future lay with the Empire. In private meetings following the more public meeting with the Empress, Aldones convinced the other two that as the greatest cities of the world, they had more in common with each other than with the nations that surrounded them. He persuaded them to join together into a single League and thereby create an entirely new nation.
Several years after the foundation of the Empire, Aldones took True Liao. He received a potent vision of which he would not speak but the priest he had a chosen to accompany him, Bishop Catertina de Sarvos, indiscreetly revealed the truth of the matter; Aldones had received a vision of having been the Highborn cultural hero, Atuman the Navigator. This caused an immediate uproar in the Synod, because they argued that it made it impossible for Atuman himself to have attained paragonhood.
The political furore that ensued badly damaged Aldones' plans but grudgingly the Synod were forced to agree that Atuman must have been an exemplar, and accept that Aldones was at least as virtuous as the founder of Highguard - both had created new nations out of nothing. For the rest of his life, Aldones attempted to downplay this revelation as much as he could - he took no pleasure in it, and stated several times that the revelation of the true liao had been "a tree that bore only bitter fruit" and that he "had aimed for sky but hit the sun".
He disappeared from history shortly after a keynote speech to the newly-united League. Some maintain that he transcended at the defining moment of his greatest success. Others maintain that he simply stepped back into the shadows, refusing to become a figurehead for his new nation, and continued to observe the League from behind the scenes. Historians and theologians are divided on the matter.
His private life is largely a closed book, but he is often quoted as saying "surround yourself with exceptional people, and make them love you." His cadre of friends, allies and supporters are often seen as the blueprint for the guilds that form the basis of League society. The son of his fiercest rival, later one of his closest friends, Giovanni di Tassato, went on to succeed the First Empress to the Imperial Throne, and claimed several times that he was inspired to make the sweeping reforms he enacted by the example of Aldones.
Aldones Today
For many followers of the Way Aldones represents an aspiration to be "all that you can be." Historical reports say he never stopped trying to improve himself, and by doing so inspired those around him to do the same. The list of his many accomplishments appears excessive - he was recognised as a skilled swordsman, general, poet, painter, sculptor, actor, economic theorist, playwright and politican who demonstrated extensive education in history and the arts. He famously said that "talent is no substitute for hard work", and spent most of his spare time training his body or studying to improve his mind.
to inspire them.
Signs
The Assemby of Ambition cited the following signs as proof that Aldones was a paragon.
- The circumstances surrounding his disappearance were used to claim that he had Ascended and was thus Liberated from the Labyrinth.
- His personal past-life vision of having been the Navigator Atuman, for all the controversy that surrounded it, is a sign of Recognition.
- His work in founding the League, bringing prosperity not only to Sarvos, but also to Temeschwar and Tassato, was a sign of his Benevolence.
- The League continues to endure four-hundred years later, and along with assorted relics and writings is considered part of his Legacy.
- At the time of his Recognition it was already clear hat he was an Inspiration to people from all nations and walks of life, including at least one Imperial Throne. Aldones is held up as an example of the power of Ambition by followers of the Way throughout the Empire and beyond.
- This powerful legacy of inspiration has certainly had significant success in bringing many people to the Way and the path of Ambition in particular - granting them Salvation.
- While Aldones travelled to Bastion more than once, and certainly spoke with priests and proponents of the Way, the Assembly of Ambition did not present this as proof of a Pilgrimage at the time of his recognition. Indeed, they made much more of the fact that he made a personal study of the Way and its Virtues, and came to his own conclusions rather than simply accepting the teachings of others.
Aldones in Play
Aldones is a paragon of Ambition whose actions changed the world.
Aldones' physical ascension is sometimes contested by theologians and historians. As Emperor Frederick himself wrote "the man is remarkable enough without needing to tack on the suggestion that he was somehow spirited away from the mortal world at the height of his triumph!" There are nearly as many theories among such scholars about what actually happened to Aldones after his apparent disappearance as there are scholars interested in the matter.