Valon

Valon, the First King, is revered as a god by the Cult of Valon and its numerous followers within the empire. Foremost among them is the Imperial House Otrese. When Valon departed the world, he named one of his most trusted followers, Ulrich Otrese, King of Adana. In the current day, the empress, as well as ruling Sanctuary, is Guardian of the Empyreal Gates, the cult's most holy site.

The cult preaches that Valon was a man once. He was a mighty warrior and great leader who anticipated the Third Greytide - an invasion by a swarm of fell beings, reputedly from the Abyss, which swept across the continent - and led many people to shelter in the fortress he had prepared at Sanctuary. Within the citadel of that fortress are the Empyreal Gates. Two years into the Greytide, Valon traversed the Empyreal Gates, departing the world, and weeks after, the Greytide ended.

The foundation of Sanctuary marks the first year of the Elthosian calendar, used even by those polities beyond the bounds of the empire.

At the core of the cult's teachings is that strong leadership is paramount, that it is the duty of the nobility to rule with the firm hand that it states is necessary to prevent chaos, and that evil must be faced at every turn. This is according to edicts made by Valon before he left the world and in keeping with his own example.