Appearance

Roland appears to mortals as a bearded human male with glowing golden eyes. He is a beacon of strength and power, fully armoured in glowing white plate mail that intensifies the light of the sun. At his command golden wings extend from his back, giving him flight when needed. He carries a large magical bastard sword called “Patience” which smites evil with every swing. On his back or on his arm sits his fabled golden shield, “Virtue”, said to deflect any evil weapon that would dare strike the god of honour.

Tenets

Five things a Roland follower should do:

1. Live and fight with honour.

2. Obey, establish and respect lawful authority. Follow the chain of command.

3. Protect the weak and innocent without regard to your own safety.

4. Spread the word of the Light through action and leadership. Suffer not those who practice the dark arts or bargain with demons.

5. Try the unlawful through due process and accept the lawful verdict of their trials. Exonerate the falsely accused, regardless of their morality or affiliation.

Five things a Roland follower should not do:

1. Break a law unless it contradicts a tenet of Roland. Lawmakers who rule without honour are tyrants and should be deposed.

2. Turn your back to a foe in battle or a friend in life.

3. Break your word. You are bound by your oaths.

4. Be motivated by base emotions such as greed, envy and pride.

5. Leave an innocent or fallen comrade behind on the field of battle.

Celestial Heaven

Roland’s Celestial Heaven lies on the precipice that marks the gateway between all heavens and hells. From this vast and towering stronghold he and his angels protect both the realms of Light and the mortal realm alike. The Oathkeeper’s shimmering city is built in a spiral, which sprawls upwards towards the sun, each building standing taller than the last, with those at the center peak standing tallest of all. Only true followers of the light can step into Roland’s city without being permanently blinded by its radiance. Every surface of the city is polished to a mirror sheen, reflecting the glow of Kael’s sun above it and magnifying the light so that not a shadow exists within the whole city. “There will be no darkness here!”, Roland swore long ago, and the light obeyed.

Deep within the Abyss, the Pit Lord’s demonic army sends forth an unending onslaught of Demons that threatens to overrun the celestial and mortal planes if the city were to fall. At the edge of this cliff an immense army of heavily armed warriors stand eternally vigilant, their golden shields interlocked in perpetuum. These warriors, known as The Unyielding, served Roland faithfully in life. Now they serve him still in death, their sole purpose to fend off the ceaseless threats which rise from the chasm below. These warriors, locked in eternal combat with the infernal forces, fight endlessly to protect not only Roland’s heaven, but the heavens of every Light God. The fighters in the front line switch out often to rest within the city, as new warriors join the line. Roland himself often fights alongside them, as no one is above the duty to protect their fellows.

Past the shield wall, the city is protected by a colossal stone wall, with gates worked from the pure light, enchanted to turn any demon that touches it to ash.  Throughout the city there are countless watchtowers, providing the city’s guardians a view that spans both the celestial and mortal planes. The two tallest watchtowers not only grant a view of the heavens of both Cassandra and Kael, but also guard the bridges that are the only entrances to each realm. Most of the watchtowers, however, look over various areas of the mortal plane. A great many of the spirits that live on in Roland’s heaven keep watch from these towers, advising Roland and his angels of if, and where, their assistance is required. Roland’s favoured serve as his eyes and ears on the mortal plane, but in places where he has no influence, he has no eyes. These watchtowers serve to ensure that Roland has knowledge of all that happens on the mortal plane, even in the lands without order and honour, so he can plan his strategies accordingly.

The streets are lined with living statues, the occupants of Roland’s heaven who require rest and recovery from the shield wall. Each statue a spirit who has earned a respite from their duties, standing vigilant should anything ever breach the walls or should Roland overwise call upon them. Beyond the gates, the city itself is divided into three levels: the forge, the court, and the basilica. Each level is a marvel of legendary craftsmanship and built from the finest white stone, with gold and silver inlays distinguishing each building from the next.

Within the walls of the Forge, skilled smiths forge pure light into weapons and armour for Roland and his warriors. This craft is only possible within these forges, which are magically enchanted and are only capable of forging light. Many other gods, including Magnora, have attempted to replicate the process and failed. The streets of the Forge are abundant with joyous singing, laughter, and storytelling, as for every soul present within the city’s walls, there are many stories to be told, each one honoring a moment in history. Roland’s angels walk the streets among the people, offering training to those spirits who wish to continue Roland’s work on the shield wall or the watchtowers but did not have a chance to learn these skills in life.

The Court is surrounded by a lush and well groomed garden, filled with intricately built fountains, perfectly trimmed hedges, topiaries, and high reaching sunflowers. The Court consists of three towers. The first tower contains meeting rooms in which the occupants of Roland’s heaven gather to discuss matters of law and order. The rooms, identical on each floor, are simple halls containing long tables with chairs; the furniture itself is carved from heartwood and cushioned with blue silks. Tapestries line the walls and are embroidered with stories of heroic and honourable deeds from across Arthos. The remaining two towers contain archives of laws. The second tower hosts a record of every promise that Roland has ever spoken. Deep within the heart of the third and final tower, The Book of Shattered Oaths magically transcribes and keeps an ever growing record of every broken vow, and unkept promise, and forgotten pledge that has ever been spoken. When a soul first arrives in Roland’s heaven, they are led to the third tower and asked to lift the book. For each soul, the weight of the book is dictated by their deeds in life. Souls that successfully lift the book are welcomed into Roland’s heaven. Souls who are unable to lift the book must pay off their oath debts and serve 100 years for each of their entries in the book. They are confined to the court towers and tasked with guarding the records within, unable to enter the city until their debt has been served. Though all souls within his heaven must lift the book, it is strictly forbidden for it’s pages to be read by any but Roland himself. Roland considers this a scared law and woe to any who break it.

In the heart of the city, rising above all but the bridges from which one can access the heavens of Kael and Cassandra, is a final, massive marble basilica. The intricate stonework within this grand structure serves as a gallery which celebrates the triumphs not of Roland, but of his champions on the mortal plane. Each new carving, accented with the finest gold and silver filigree, is chiseled carefully into the stone by those who were artisans in life, and serves to retell events observed from the watchtowers. Each of Roland’s favoured are presented with at least one carving, of the moment that they solidified themselves as a true champion of honour, and earned Roland’s favour. Roland’s throne room is situated atop the highest spire of the basilica. The room serves both as a place of judgement and a place of gathering. It is here that all the Gods of Light meet in times of dire need. Double doors standing fifty feet tall open to Roland’s throne room, where a wide blue carpet leads to the throne itself, forged from the same light from which Roland’s personal armaments were forged. To the left and right of the carpet, a smaller throne exists for each of the gods of light, with Cassandra and Kael at his left and right sides, respectively. The back of each seat is carved with the holy symbol of the god for which it is meant. While some chairs remain uncarved, saved for gods who have not yet revealed themselves; others appear cracked, the seats of deceased gods or of those who have fallen from the light. There is a gap denoting where Ll’yandra’s chair was removed. The walls of this room consist entirely of stained glass. Each pane of glass depicts a god of Light, although the pane reserved for Roland himself portrays only his sword “Patience” and his shield “Virtue”. No god would ever dare to harm the Lord of Light in his own throne room, for it is known that the fall of his Kingdom would precede the fall of their own realms.

Angels of Note

Zasalmel – The Shield

Zasalmel swore an allegiance of friendship to Kazailen & Zimiray, and when he learned of what they were planning, he informed Roland, though it was already too late. He shared in Araythae’s punishment and spent ten years on Arthos in a mortal form before returning home. He is the angel of the Shield. He is the primary leader of the shield wall and is called upon to protect the weak and the defenseless.

Gizaylah – The Sword

The angel of the sword is sent to smite the evils that threaten Roland or his followers. The only angel that does not carry a shield of her own, she fights with a bastard sword with such prowess that she has never been struck in battle.

Asra – The Judge

Though Roland sits in judgement for many things, not all matters are brought to him. Asra is the angel of judgement. He resides in the first tower of the court and passes judgement on that which does not need concern the Lord of Light.

Fallen Angels

Kazailen & Zimiray

Kazailen and Zimiray were lovers who desired to end the fight with the abyss. They believed that using dishonourable tactics in war would allow them to succeed. When their god refused to budge on his tenets, they betrayed Roland and collapsed a section of the cliffs, a tactic that sent many of Rolands defenders into the Abyss along with the demons. When Roland demanded they be reprimanded, they fled to Daelrion’s realm and swore fealty to the dark god.

Araythae

Araythae was tricked by Kazailen and Zimiray into helping them with their plan. Although he played no willing part in the slaughter, he insisted that he share in the punishment meant for the other two. He was banished to Arthos to live out 10 years as a Gargylen. However he was murdered by Kazailen & Zimiray before he was able to return home.

Ziya

When the Gods left their celestial heavens to manifest on Arthos to deal with the threat of Gamore, Roland left his angels in command of his kingdom, leaving them clear instructions and plans. Ziya watched the mortal plane from the watchtowers and feared an invasion without his master present. He watched other gods fade from existence and chose to defy his instructions. He closed the gates and allowed no soul entry until Roland’s return. The demonic invasion over the following days was the largest incursion ever. Although the sealed gates prevented the city from being overrun, many of the souls trapped outside the gates were dragged into the abyss. Regardless of the outcome of his actions, he had gone against Roland’s word and therefore had broken the law. Roland was furious and cast him out for his disobedience. Ziya accepted his punishment, and was escorted to the gates. Before he could descend to the mortal plane, however, Kael stepped in to stop the angel’s exile. Kael took the angel into his own ranks, much to Roland’s chagrin. He now serves the god of Justice, believing his actions may have stopped the fall of the celestial plane.