# Intro Former Flamekeeper [[Lucretia Mathias]] Allegiances: [[Followers of the Falling Fire]] Location: [[Chapel of St. Brenna]], [[The Crater#Edge]] Associations: [[Nathaniel Flint]], (see others in [[Followers of the Falling Fire]]) “One day soon, we will near the end of our world — an age where great heroes will be needed. These holy stones were heaven-sent so we might prepare our spirits to meet the all-consuming shadows. In our darkest moment, the Sacred Flame will set alight our blazing hearts as one.” — Lucretia Mathias, Book One of the Testament of the Falling Fire # Appearance [[ Lucretia Mathias]] is a willowy and wizened woman with piercing eyes and pursed lips. She is in her early nineties, and keeps her greying black hair in a coiled bun beneath a linen shawl. She wears simple grey robes, and clutches a heavy leather-bound tome. A glowing golden crystal dangles from a silver chain around her neck. Her garb lightly conceals the [[delerium]] shard embedded in her heart. %% # Characteristics **Personality Trait** I speak in proverbs and quote scripture when I speak, inspiring others to interpret my cryptic words and come to their own revelations. **Ideal** The brightest lights shine in the darkest of places. None are beyond redemption, and all may find their inner truth and purpose by following the Falling Fire. **Bond** I have foreseen the inevitable end of our world, but through our sacred self-sacrifice we shall set alight the [[Sacred Flame]] to bring enlightenment and salvation to the universe. **Flaw** I only reveal the greatest truths I have seen to those I am certain can grasp them fully, and will understand them as I do. %% %% # What has Lucretia Mathias foreseen? Within the quotation at the start of this section, the entire truth of [[Lucretia Mathias]]’ visions are laid bare. While it might seem like she is speaking in metaphor, she is actually being quite literal. [[Lucretia Mathias]] has seen how [[the Haze]] will consume the world, but also knows that the spread of [[delerium]] through comets has continued for untold eons. She intends to break this cycle. %% “From the deepest darkness comes the brightest light.” is a core doctrine for the [[Sacred Flame]], and [[Lucretia Mathias]] believes the chaotic and destructive energies of [[the Haze]] and [[delerium]] can be re-made into a vessel for light and order. %% One must only plant the seed of righteousness within. Thus the purpose of the [[Sacrament of the Falling Fire]] is only realized when participants die and their souls are drawn into the [[delerium]] crystals in their chests. [[Lucretia Mathias]] believes that if enough of these sanctified stones are gathered by the time the world ends, a divine apotheosis will result in a new generation of harbingers of light and salvation, rather than chaos and doom. Whether or not this will actually happen is impossible to say. Since Drakkenheim is a world of distant and unknowable gods, there is no way to prove or disprove her claims. It is entirely a matter of faith %% # Image ![[Attachments/NPCs/Lucretia Mathias.png]]