Steros Merroand
Steros Merroand, a human from central Fresia, was the first Arch-Warden and nominal "founder" of the Alexandrian Church. He was a member of the First Stand and one of the two chief mentors of Alexandria in the years following the razing of Tragidore. Originally a firebrand priest and justicar of Tarlos, the demi-god of justice and retribution, he served as the general of Alexandria's armies during the Prophet's War, and assumed leadership of her generals and allies when she left for the West. At the conclusion of the War, with the general religious collapse that came after Alexandria ascended to the Omnity, Steros and his Dwarven allies pushed the creation of a new, central religion to fill the void left by the death of the demi-pantheon. Steros, along with Mythrian, was also responsible for organizing the Crusade and served as one of her chief generals in the Realm of Shadow. After the Martyrdom, Steros returned to the mainland and redoubled his effort to unite the clerical orders of the mainland administratively, if not doctrinally. He spent the rest of his years developing the young church's organizational infrastructure, eventually establishing the Arch-Wardenship and being the first to hold the office. His testimonal, published late in life, became one of the four Testimonals that make up the Canon of Orthodoxy.
Origins and Pre-Tragidore Life
Steros's early life was one of tragedy and loss. His mother died in childbirth when Steros was very young, and he was raised by his father in near poverty. While still an adolescent, his father was killed defending the family's few remaining possessions from a desperate burglar. Steros, young and angry, found refuge in the Church of Tarlos, and he grew up, fixated on revenge, amongst the monastic warrior-priests of the faith. When he was satisfied with his martial and clerical training, he left the refuge of the church to hunt down the man that killed his father. Steros returned to the town where the murder occurred and, finding the man still destitute and bound to a life of crime, quickly executed him and fulfilled his Oath of Vendetta.
It was soon after finding his vengeance that Steros was accosted by a holy man in the town square, who prophesied that Steros was to serve the Gods in their time of need. Steros, believing the encounter was divine reward for his act of dedication to Tarlos, readily accepted, and was sent to Tragidore. His three traveling companions, who shared the holy man's prophetic quest, were the Petran merchant Sayid ibn Maimun, the elven princess Marrwyn Teldandilion, and the dwarven craftsman Dadtim the Elder. The four traveled to Tragidore, slew the spawn of the Black Wyrm, and rescued the children of Tragidore only to have them orphaned when the town was razed.
Alexandria and the Orphans of Tragidore
Steros, having lost been orphaned after the tragic death of his own parents, was deeply moved by the plight of the orphans of Tragidore. He adopted the lion's share of these children, housing them in the barracks of the church of Tarlos. He raised them in the monastic, militant manner reflective of his own time in the church, and honed a great many of them into holy soldiers bent on avenging the wrongs the suffered in Tragidore. Chief among them was Mythrian Arabelle, a disciplined, charismatic, and athletic boy who would become a son to Steros. Although a strict and fierce master, Steros cared deeply for the orphans and dedicated many years to their upbringing and training.
The Prophet's War
The Second Crusade
Building the Church of Alexandria
Personality and Testimonal
