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SIGMUND: VE ULTENPROFYET SIGISMUND: THE FINAL EXALTED Emperor Sigismund Carrion, the Final Exalted 68 A.E.S. - 0 E.S. | 1379 - 1447 Authored by Patriarch Josef of Jorenus PREFACE Josef, Patriarch of Jorenus I have served as Patriarch of Jorenus for close to fourteen years now and, over the years, I have prayed many times to the Exalted Sigismund for guidance and wisdom. Despite my tendency to call upon Sigismund for his intercession and blessing, it occurred to me that if I do not know many details about the life of this Prophet, then neither would my flock or those under my spiritual care. This accounting of the events of Sigismund’s life has been compiled from official documents dated to his reign as Emperor and from written accounts of companions of the Exalted. It is my hope that during the 500th anniversary of Sigismund’s revelation, my Haeseni flock will finally come to know the Prophet from whom their Kings descend, whose tomb lies within their Everardian Basilica, and whose intercession makes their prayers come true. Exalted Sigismund, pray for us. THE BEGINNING A scene from the Raev-Nzech war, c. 47 A.E.S. _______________ The once-glorious Raevir people have witnessed their prosperity crumble, decimated by the Undead in the wake of Aegis's collapse. The once-thriving Duchy of Raev now stands as little more than a shantytown, its former grandeur obliterated along with the rest of the continent. It is within this grim backdrop that Sigismund is born, the third child and second son of Duke Boris Carrion of Raev. A rather insignificant Duke, Boris was notorious for his opportunistic social behavior and frequent infidelity, often straying from his marriage to Lady Julia Towers, naturalborn daughter of King Aislin Hightower. This reputation garnered him no respect, and his noble status found acknowledgment among only a select few beyond the confines of the Duchy. As a second son, and therefore the “spare”, Sigismund was treated with little respect by his father and little still to look forward to in life. In an attempt by Duke Boris to curry favor with the Renatian nobility, he would send the young Sigismund to ward under Count Augustus Blackmont. This was seen as a disgrace, as Count Blackmont held a reputation throughout the human realms as a street urchin and a bandit (owed to his origins as a Flay) while Sigismund, despite being a second son of the Duke of a ruined duchy, could still claim a historical pedigree to great men of the past. Sigismund made the best of the situation he was in, taking part of the Wars of Conquest against the Kingdom of Seventis as a man-at-arms under Count Blackmont and Baron Divinius von Xiphias. The war has Sigismund prove his skill at fighting, though the young man remained a recluse and was often noted as seeming uncomfortable in the war camps. Despite his discomfort as a ward for Blackmont, his absence from his home had saved his life. Nzech knights, a pagan noble clan from Old Ruska that had converted to Canonism and served the Carrions as men-at-arms, had risen up against their Carrion lords and slain most of the house, including Sigismund’s older brother and sister. With his father and brother dead, the responsibility to deliver justice to the Nzech fell upon Sigismund’s shoulders. Close comrades of his note that Sigismund was particularly conflicted during this time. In addition to losing a majority of his family, he had come to despise the game of politics that the nobility played, and so considered for a time the possibility of resigning his responsibility and serving as a man-at-arms for the rest of his days. This inner turmoil would soon dissipate when his bastard brother Diedrik Barrow, who had survived the initial massacre, brought to him news that his nephew, his beloved sister Ipera’s son Heinrik van Roy, had not been killed during the uprising and was instead held as a captive for ransom. With a newfound determination, Sigismund pleaded with Augustus for soldiers to avenge his house and reclaim his lost estates; a plea that would be answered and granted under the condition that Sigismund swear fealty to Blackmont once the war was over. To swear fealty would be to forfeit his Duchy and become a Baron under the Holy Orenian Empire, but Sigismund had no choice other than to agree to the terms. With the armies of Blackmont and von Xiphias behind him, and his bastard uncle Hogmund Barrow to command the Raev militia, Sigismund wages a guerilla war against the Nzech usurpers of Raev. The war saw few major confrontations, though these were not avoidable over the course of the conflict, and was resolved primarily through minor skirmishes and ambushes. Just before the conclusion of the war, Hogmund Barrow learned of the deal Sigismund made for the soldiers they fought with, a price that Sigismund had managed to keep secret for fear of alienating the militiamen. Soon after this revelation, Hogmund would be mortally wounded by an arrow during the Skirmish of Vsetsk near the village of the same name. As he died, the Barrow would curse Sigismund for beginning the war that cost him his life and for betraying Raev to the Blackmonts. Though he was not close with his uncle, the bitterness of Barrow’s dying words struck deep with Sigismund, and this is said to be the origin of the grim and melancholic temperament that would come to define him throughout his life. With the war over, Sigismund returned his Renatian soldiers to their lords and, in accordance with the deal he had made prior to the war, forfeited his title as Duke of Raev and became a Baron under Count Blackmont and Holy Orenian Emperor Godfrey. Though a relatively minor accomplishment compared to all that Sigismund would eventually accomplish, the Nzech war had burned in him a hatred for knights and bastards; the former he saw as hypocrites who broke their own sworn values, the latter for reminding him of his uncle’s curse as well as his father’s licentious ways. CRUCIBLE OF WAR A Raevir Warband returns with Teutonic prisoners from the Battle of Crowfield, c. 37 A.E.S. _______________ As a Baron of the Holy Orenian Empire, Sigismund embarked with his fellow Imperials to the Island of Kalos after the destruction of Asulon. During his brief time on Kalos, Sigismund crossed paths with several notable companions, including Toveah Goldman (who later became Saint Tobias of Sarkoz), Baron Adrian Sarkozy, and Orlik, his half-orc retainer who would create the renowned Carrion Black brew. It was also on Kalos that Sigismund lost his eye when Count Blackmont punished him for public drunkenness by stabbing it out. (Author’s note: This severed eye has since become a relic of legend, rumored to grant clairvoyance to its owner.) After several months on Kalos, the Empire and Sigismund set sail once more, discovering the continent of Anthos. This would become Sigismund's lifelong home and the stage for his legendary achievements, which would forever alter the fate of mankind. Shortly after landing, Sigismund encountered two more of his father's illegitimate children: Vladimir Barrow, an intelligence officer for the Teutonic Order and whose records on the war against Setherin in the north would later be used to defeat the Daemon, and Heinrach von Stahl, who was a well renowned warrior of the time and would become one of Sigismund’s greatest generals. Together with his companions, Sigismund would establish the city of Kralta and the fortress of Krelmstad as his noble holdings. Controversially, both of these were built on lands claimed de jure by the Teutons, though Sigismund himself was a vassal of House Blackmont. Despite the ongoing tensions with the Teutons, Sigismund’s attention would soon be captured by Lorin Chivay, the niece of the famous Brothers Chivay and the betrothed of Count Blackmont. The risk involved was great, but so enamored was Sigismund by Lorin that the two began an affair and conceived a child out of wedlock to be raised in Kaedrin in secret. This bastard, Saint Tuvya ‘Rosebud’, would go on to be Holy Orenian Emperor and is a direct ancestor of the Barbanov line. After their affair, Lorin Chivay married Count Blackmont and secured an alliance between Chivay and Flay. Believing himself strong enough now to fight the Teutonic Order, Count Blackmont declared war and began what historians have dubbed “The Blackmont War against Hansetian Tyranny”, pitting the Flays of Blackmont, the White Rose of Chivay, and the Strelts of Carrion against the coalition of Teutons, House Hightower, and House Green. With the war in full swing, Sigismund found himself close to the frontlines and in the thick of the fighting, with Teutonic raids going as deep into Blackmont territory as Kralta, though these raids were minor and mainly meant to disrupt supply lines. In an effort to hasten the war's conclusion as a Blackmont victory, Count Augustus ordered his coalition army to march along the Bub River and advance into Teuton lands. Their force, however, was intercepted by an approaching Teutonic army, resulting in the Battle of Crowfield in 1410, where Sigismund commanded his personal force of 20,000 soldiers to defeat and pursue the fleeing Teutons and their allies. Sigismund’s role in the victory at Crowfield made him a primary target for the Teutons, with Hochmeister Mirtok DeNurem charging his brother Lion DeNurem with incapacitating or killing him. The plot came to a head with an attempted assassination in the streets of the city of Abresi, where Sigismund was inflicted with a near mortal wound. It is claimed that only through the holy magic of High Pontiff Pius I did Sigismund survive. This encounter, from the assassination, to the holy magic that saved his life, would be the spark to set Sigismund on a path of piety and religious grandeur. After recovering from the attempt on his life, Sigismund rejoined his army at the Dreadfort: the true target of the Hochmeister. The army that had been bested at Crowfield had been a distraction, meant to mask the real army’s march to the Dreadfort. Only through luck did the Blackmont coalition discover this true target; personal correspondence had been found on the corpse of a Teutonic officer describing his whereabouts and his role in the Teutonic strategy to his mistress. The army had then turned around and marched with haste to garrison the Dreadfort before it was surrounded and besieged, though they would not have to wait for long. The Siege of the Dreadfort began in early 1412 and was the defining battle of the entire war. Hochmeister Mirtok, who had previously led the Teutons through the war, had disappeared to the north to combat the threat of Setherin, leaving Jonathan Black to take up the mantle of Hochmeister. Though the new Hochmeister had served for many years, he lacked the finesse and attention to detail of DeNurem. Lacking the patience to continue the siege and starve out of the garrison of the Dreadfort, Hochmeister Black began an artillery barrage to destroy the walls of the fort and create a breach through which the Teutons could assault the fort. The Hochmeister’s attack, however, would be his undoing. The artillery barrage and the destruction it wrought revealed a newly created sally port, discovered by Thomas Denims, a ward of Sigismund’s. After relaying this information to Peter Chivay, who then ordered a total charge through the sally port, Sigismund joined his men in the final push and the Blackmont coalition would go on to rout the besieging Teutons. Despite being a great victory for the Blackmont coalition, it was pyrrhic for both sides. His failed command cost Hochmeister Black his title, and with no suitable successor for the Teutonic Order, Emperor Horen V disbanded it. Count Blackmont, victorious in war and with all the glory that comes from it, succumbed to old age just days after the siege. With the leaders of both factions dead or discredited, Emperor Horen ended the war in favor of the Blackmonts and promoted Sigismund from Baron to Marquis. Now with his focus on peacetime development, Sigismund married Helaine Sarkozy, with whom he would have his legitimate children. A SHIFTING WORLD A lone Raev rider inspects a memorial stone erected following the Exodus, c. 27 A.E.S. _______________ A newly appointed Marquis, Sigismund sheathed his sword to dedicate himself to building his home. He focused on strengthening Kralta, steadily enhancing its prosperity and House Carrion's power. However, he found no satisfaction in his accomplishments. Instead he is drawn to Godan, and receives what he described as a religious calling compelling him to leave home and journey north in search of the Godani Scrolls. Much of the information regarding this pilgrimage comes from the notes of Sigismund's sole traveling companion, Saint Bogdan the Pigeon. Their mission, as Sigismund's calling had dictated, was to locate the Ivalyos, a splinter group of the Burgundian Cossacks known for preserving the Holy Scrolls in both Flexio (a language readable only by the Horens) and Classical Raev (a language known to Sigismund and his family). Sigismund's task was to retrieve the scrolls in Raev, known as the Godani Scrolls, and bring them back to Kralta. The journey was arduous per Saint Bogdan’s notes, with the pair travelling through horrible snow and sleet, fighting illness and hunger and wild animals, traversing thick forests, and climbing the Greywynn mountains. It would be atop these mountains that Sigismund would again receive a calling from Godan, this time asking him to submerge himself into the ice springs at the top of the mountains. It is said that this submersion was Sigismund’s official call to prophecy; with the Creator revealing this destiny to Sigismund directly. Sigismund and Bogdan soon found the Ivalyos and returned to Kralta with the Godani Scrolls. The world they returned to, however, was not the one they had left. Emperor Horen V and his court had exiled themselves to the lands of Aeldin, leaving the Empire in turmoil. To survive, the Empire was forced to release many of its vassal kingdoms. Emperor William, who succeeded Horen V after exile, had been convinced by his court that the Raevir people were inherently evil. He attempted to bestow Carrion lands upon House Green. High Pontiff Owyn I, a distant relative of Sigismund and the King of Savoy, challenged this order and brought House Carrion under his vassalage. Shortly thereafter, the Dwarven Grand Kingdom of Urguan seized the opportunity presented by the chaos among humanity and vassalized many kingdoms, including Savoy. Enraged by the Dwarven dominance, Sigismund conspired with the High Pontiff to free humanity from Dwarven rule and reunite the kingdoms under one banner. As the closest kin to Owyn, he became the crown prince of Savoy and used his newfound prestige to command the Kingdom of Galahar to join Savoy. He also granted land to the House of Ruthern, earning him the title of the Prince in Black mentioned in the Canon. With Galahar under his rule, Savoy grew in strength to rival the other human kingdoms. As Sigismund continued to improve Savoy’s standing in the world, Owyn abdicated the kingdom to Sigismund. He rebranded the Kingdom of Savoy into the Kingdom of Ruska, representing the now resurgent Raevir people who had made it their home. As King, Sigismund welcomed his sons to his court, including his bastard son Tuvya, who formed a close friendship with Sigismund's first legitimate heir, Ostromir. Other notable figures in his court at this time included his son Fyodor (the progenitor of the Basrid line), Franz-Joseph (the infamous King of Oren killed by the Decterum in his own throne room), and his daughter Milena. Ostromir and Tuv earned great renown during this period, honing their skills against the neighboring Adunian kingdom, which had been placed there by the Dwarves during the Exodus. After a series of minor raids and with Emperor William refusing to assist Adunia, Sigismund successfully incorporated Kaedrin into his territories. Only Salvus and the fledgling Empire remained independent, with Salvus later pledging allegiance to Sigismund. Emperor William, abandoned by his allies and isolated in his struggle, attempted to invoke Horenic divinity to excommunicate Owyn. This endeavor failed, and William was compelled to abdicate to Silus Horen, an ally of the Carrions. Silus, in turn, abdicated to Ostromir, who swore loyalty to Sigismund and, in doing so, reestablished a united Empire. EXALTED EMPEROR A sketch of the Exalted Sigismund as he received the Scroll of Auspice, c. 0 E.S. _______________ Now Emperor, Sigismund faced his first domestic crisis when the nobles of Renatus rose up against Ostromir. In response, Ostromir and his brother Tuvya initiated a purge of the excess nobility in Renatus. Their purge particularly targeted nobles with elven or Adunian ancestry or those with family ties to past rebellions. Consequently, all nobles in Imperial society were now of primary human lineage for the first time in human history. After quelling the rebellion, Sigismund set out to re-establish the Imperial capital and ordered the reconstruction of Abresi, which eventually grew into the largest city on the continent. To enhance House Carrion's power, he entrusted prestigious roles to his many sons and allies. His nephew, Heinrik van Roy, was tasked with preparing for the war against Setherin in the north, following the demise of Heinrach von Stahl a few months earlier. Sigismund's illegitimate son, Tuvya, was appointed as Imperial Chancellor for his administrative skills. After High Pontiff Owyn's passing, Sigismund's son, Franz-Joseph, succeeded him as High Ecclesiarch. Former Emperor William, once an adversary of Sigismund, now served as his spymaster and confidante, a role that would prove invaluable to the Exalted. As an elderly man, with the day-to-day functions of the Empire managed competently by his sons and councilors, Sigismund shifted his focus to deciphering the mysteries of the Godani Scrolls. Unfortunately, as he began his meditation, exiled nobles, led by Huron Silverblade and Slade Tarus, joined forces with the Grand Kingdom of Urguan and claimant Sophia Horen. They launched a naval invasion on Shadowcastle, then the seat of House Stafyr in the south. Amid the chaos, Tuvya disappeared in the Kaedreni wilderness, Ostromir was suspected of being assassinated, Fyodor departed to Ba’as, Milena left the Orenian court to travel the continent, and Franz-Joseph nearly caused the Stafyrs to defect by having them punished for a religious offense. The Imperial apparatus constructed by Sigismund faltered, and he found himself with Heinrik, his nephew, as the sole support to defeat this claimant coalition. Donning his armor and the famous Boyar’s Cap, Sigismund led his forces in one final battle. Assisted by a young band of Rovins (who would later become the Order of Saint Lucien), the orcs, the Strelt armies of the Carrions, and various other loyal noble houses, Sigismund repelled the Dwarven-Silverblade invasion. It is worth noting that during the battle, an Aengul in the form of a tortoise was seen flying during and after the battle, providing inspiration and Divine blessing to the Orenians. Although the invasion was thwarted, Sigismund was left without any of his family except Heinrik, for whom he amended his will to ensure Heinrik would inherit the throne after him. In this will, Sigismund declared that the Empire should be dissolved, with only a chosen Divinity deemed suitable to bear the title of Emperor. His final days were devoted to religious study while Heinrik ruled in his stead. The young van Roy continued to confront the dwarves for their aggression, simultaneously contending with the threat of Setherin in the north. It was in Sigismund’s final moments that he was raised to the status of an Exalted. In great old age, he received the Scroll of Auspice from Godan and transcribed it perfectly in Flexio, despite never having learned the language. He passed away immediately after completing the scroll, having seen the face of Godan and the binding of time. His funeral was held in the former lands of House Green, where a pilgrimage site was erected by his eldest son Tuvya (who re-emerged after the Battle of Shadowcastle) and his brother Diedrik. Both were legitimized in Sigismund's will, indicating the Exalted had overcome his earlier mistrust of bastards. Heinrik inherited the throne after Sigismund as the King of Oren and dissolved the Empire as per Sigismund's will. Many years later, Sigismund’s descendant, High Pontiff Daniel I, completed the adaptation of the Holy Scrolls from Flexio to Raev to Common using Sigismund’s Godani Scrolls and the Scroll of Auspice he had received. Sigismund's legacy has endured to this day, with his descendants through Tuvya being the Barbanovs, who lay claim to their royal lineage through their connection to the Exalted. When we consider Sigismund as a man, he can be characterized as the last of the true Raevir Boyars: pious, stern, somber, distant from his family yet beloved by his people, and unwavering in his pursuit of prosperity and piety. The author firmly believes that the Raevir people and their descendants, particularly the Haeseni, owe a great deal to Exalted Sigismund. Though many have tried to wipe the Exalted from our faith and our history, through conflicts like the Schism War, our ancestors stood their ground and defended their heritage and their Exalted from any who challenged them. Therefore, it remains our responsibility to continue their defense and ensure that the memory of the Exalted lives on eternally, and that his contributions to Humanity and our faith are never forgotten or diminished.

EXALTED SIGISMUND’S DAY FAIR Haeseni Canonists celebrate a religious festival, 342 ES To the faithful Haeseni flock, The Reverend Archbishop Yaromir of Henrikev and Grand Maer Franz Barbanov invite all believers to join in the Exalted Sigismund’s Day celebrations! The High Pontiff shall begin the day with a prayer over the Exalted Sigismund’s grave, which shall then be followed by festival games which offer prizes, free food and drink, and a Haeseni Saints trivia! GODANI JEST WIELKI Signed, The Most Reverend Yaromir, Archbishop of Henrikev His Highness, Franz Leopold Barbanov, Duke of Schattenburg, Grand Maer of Karosgrad