Osmand is a young Pilgrim of Yarrianne from the Ferns and one who has had an up and down career throughout the short years of his life. He was born in 1991 and entered into the guildic training community when he was six years old under placement by his parents. His Father is a politician working in the Norfell council and community called Armund West and his Mother who was born to the Trent Family, a noble line of the Shadowmane family who spent much time in community projects and works. Whilst both were deeply altruistic their work took precedence over their son and their friends which forced a young boy who was showing strong tendencies towards an artistic and expressive nature into a life of hard and militant training.
Osmand, as an only child, found it difficult to forge connections at first, lacking an assertive nature and soon took to the physical side of training to try to fit in. For the first six years of his time at the Academy he worked to be a swordsman with a hope to being a member of the Oath in the days that followed. However his heart was not in the role and in truth he wanted nothing of the life of bloodshed that this might bring him. His techniques were sloppy and his instructors believed that, whilst he certainly would not fail, he was not cut out for the life of a Guilder and would retire early after a potentially poor career.
Around the age of twelve he met a young man called George Kandamar who was two years his senior and a training member of the Oath. He was of the Order of Craftsman and one who found expression through painting and sculpture and almost immediately saw the potential in the handsome young man. He introduced him to his friends, none of whom followed the paths of warrior or the like but fell into the role of Priests, Hawkshaws and other Craftsman and through the care and tutelage of these people he soon began to feel another path for himself. Within two years he was training as a Priest of the Oath with strong beliefs towards Yarrianne, Naed and Terref, his instructors much happier with his progress and attitudes.
When he came to his passing out in 2007 his excellence in the arts of Focus Casting and the pure reliance of his chosen Faith to Yarrianne brought the attention of the Holy Order. With a few weeks to go before his final guild choice was made Lady Catherine Hamerinshire personally visited him to speak about his future. What she spoke of had a lasting impact on the man and it was with her that he left the Academy to join the Holy Order. This led to a further two years of retraining in the roles and responsibilities of the faith where his path seemed to be taking him to a role of service to Zutor, instead he took himself to the service of Aroseria, of beauty and despite his practice with weaponry, gave up the path of the warrior.
Once his training was finished he made several changes to his life; Firstly he began a relationship with George Kandamar, the two of which had been in love for many years. Secondly he successfully lobbied for the formation of a small but successful new order called the Order of Artists and Poets that would sit alongside such Orders a Politicians and Battle in the training process. Thirdly and finally he swore to dedicate his life to the inspiration of the people for a better and freer life from the obligations of their current society through expression and through art. Some of these attitudes were to test the resolve of much of the church particularly the older members of the faith and the members that made up the Clergy.
His attitude seemed to speak out against the regimes of the government and in many ways the traditions of the Churches and the Clergy. His beliefs that the people should be free to worship as they wish, through whatever medium that they wished. These expressions often came in the form of imagery that spoke of a populace that was free of the control of the Tables and the Clergy and that feared the Colleges to a degree that they were portrayed as Daemons themselves. To this degree the Clergy took a slightly extreme approach and promoted him, at only the age of 22 to the position of Master of Novices and set him to training so that he could start training others.
This next position found him successful but stymied, he was 23 by the time he started teaching and the curriculum that he was pushed into kept him away from the policies that he had been pushing. However he indulged himself in after class activities – Teaching and running art classes and becoming involved in philosophical and ethical groups and meetings which gave him a strong following among the followers of Misholo. His beliefs and teachings soon gave him a strong following among the younger pupils of the faith and by the time he was 25 many of the groups that were calling themselves The West Outlook attended his wedding to George which descended into a great gathering of open doors to the people of the township of Golmun where all felt equal.
Just before the Shadow Wars Osmand was in the process of being investigated as being a cult leader that may have had Devourite connotations but then the Omar effect came. When the war was over the land was so shell shocked that Osmands sins were forgotten and he came to the front of the rebuilding efforts bringing art and happiness to the people as much as the hope of new buildings. He has caused a swelling in the ranks and has a huge following of the younger generations and newer followers. With the death of Lady Hamerinshire the elder statesmen of the Church gathered to discuss matters, finding it difficult to chose her successor. This was not an issue for the majority of the Church however.
As the new Primus neared its new leadership it became obvious to the Church that a new leader simply must be elected and they called for candidates and a vote. To the surprise and perhaps horror of the elder statesmen of the Church it was Osmand that won the vote with a huge section of the younger church voting for him in the name of change. Whilst he is a fresh leader of the Church his beliefs and ideals are strongly felt among the church and his Naedite and Terrefian values are still strong among them. As the days unfold so we may well see many changes among the Church of Yarrianne and the way that their belief is interpreted.
Holly Goodall
Leave a Reply