Pope Triumphan

Pope Triumphan is a character in The Fearsome Encounter.

Biography:
Above all, believe in your god. Over your friends, over your family, over your life. – The Wise Pope Viazzi V

Kragnek Kull, a religious day where one looks to the past and celebrates past victories and studies past mistakes. It was on this glorious day, that His Holiness would broadcast his glorious voice to all of the worshipers of the Only True Lord and God. They would listen intently as the Glorious Pope would recite the Origin Tale of their God. And it was on this day, that the entire known and conquered universe would witness the most shocking moment in the history of the church.

Triumphian rises, motioning for a silence. Today is the day, here, in the Holy Capital of the Chosen Planet, his planet, Lagran, he would recite the glorious Origin Tale. With every eye on him, he begins.

"Ages and ages into the past, a God existed. He was cruel, He was forceful, He was exactly what was needed for life to rise up from the desolate planet. The resulting beings were powerful, survivors, resourceful, and like their God, cruel to all. The god looked at all it had created and it was pleased. As the various species grew, they began to fight. To the god, none of these races stuck out, they had differences, physical and mental, but in the end, to him, they were all simply playthings. But as time went on he noticed one race in particular had done something that no others had. This race had honored him. And so the god decided to grace them with his presence."

Lagran everywhere boomed in excitement at their mention, while each of them knew the tale in its entirety, none of them felt any less excited. Triumphian, still not finished, simply motioned for silence. And it was quickly given to him.

"For a time, the God and his chosen race lived on the same plane, he would ask for sacrifices and worship, and in return, they would gain technology, power, and standing in the world. Eventually, they rose up as the race, subjugating all others under the rule of the God. The entire planet was theirs, and they wouldn't stop. With the help of the god they would take to the stars. However, one day, the God left the mortal plane. The God, having grown fond of the race who had worshiped him without question, gave them a gift. Upon his glorious ascension past the plane that we reside, he left a fragment of his power on the planet, to be given to one of his worshipers, his representative. That chosen one would lead in his stead. A holy leader of an empire ready to take on the world. Our God flew into the stars... and we followed!"

The crowd exploded. There was no reason not to. This was their tale, the story of how they came to be. Triumphian raised the Holy Staff and made it emit a shining light. As the staff shined with holy power, he roared to his people. "I am Triumphian the First. I am your leader. Blessed by the power of our God, together, we will conquer in His name!" The light shined brighter than before as the words of Triumphian reached each of his disciples across the cosmos.

"Brothers and Sisters. Today is Kragnek Kull, our first of many together. If you will allow me, I shall tell you my history, my story." Triumphian smiled as the crowd clamored for his tale. They wanted it not out of curiosity, as most actually knew it, but out of reverence for the past and for their faith in him. Their faith that he was the best. A faith that most of them thought unbreakable.

"I was spawned from the blackest pit of The Concavum, the only one to survive it’s toxic properties in over a thousand years. From the very moment that I rose out of that wretched tar pool, I was marked for greatness. I was trained to be as strong and resilient as our warrior ancestors, fighting the very beasts that once tried to rule the lands as we now do. I was taught by apprentices and descendants of the prophets who had spoken with Our Lord. Yes, my growth was a careful and steady rise to greatness, and simply the prequel to a greater story. Upon the end of my training, I was immediately added to our Holy Empire’s military forces. It was here, under the command of the great General Garug, that I proved myself to truly be of worth. As I fought in each battle, I not only showed exceptional force, but swiftness and skill as well. I quickly rose through the ranks becoming the youngest commander in history. As my military conquests grew, so did my popularity, and with it, a chance of a lifetime. I was offered a place in the Holy Order, one that was immediately accepted with honor. And then, when my predecessor, the Observant Pope Ultarros the Fourth, met his unfortunate end, I was Chosen. And from that moment, we, the citizens of the Holy Empire of Lagran were under the command of I, The Glorious Pope Triumphian the First, who led us to victory in over six star systems in only 4 sweeps. Who has single handedly fought five Terrastians without a single grievous injury. Who has mastered each the Holy Arts in only one sweep. Today is our day. I am your leader, and together, we shall spread our glorious reign to the edges of the universe. Kast Fur Tore!"

The universe shook. The great crowds bellowed back, each yelling "Kast Fur Tore" back, with more force than they had for any other. But their holy leader did not hear them. For it was then, at the end of his speech, the one calling for the greatest series of victories in recorded history, that Triumphian was lost. And with him, possibly his entire empire.

Description:
On average, Lagran are large, scaled, reptilian creatures. In adulthood, they average five feet in their normal arched position and seven feet standing up. Their hand and feet are clawed and their arms are of variable length depending on a series of chromosomes. The head area and their skin color similarly vary. They all have nice and sharp pearly whites. Their stomach area and head have exceptionally strong scales, tougher than their claws, which can already cut through most known minerals. Lagran society, as you may have guessed, is a Theocracy, led under a Pope and his Holy Order of subordinates. The Lagran religion revolves around a single god who visited their planet and then empowered them to rise above all as the dominating race of the planet. After the god left the planet, the Lagran, who had already conquered all other races in the planet and united as one under the Pope’s rule, began to explore space. Upon the discovery of another race on another planet, the acting Pope, the Uniting Pope Ebongru the Sixth immediately made it his life’s goal to convert these off-planet heathens. After developing the proper technology, all future popes followed suit. Slowly, they took planet after planet, either with force, with faith, or, in some planets with a more divided population, both. As it turned out, when your head of state can perform miracles and shoots out lightning, it is pretty easy to keep up a universe wide empire and religion.

Now, Pope Triumphian is not the average Lagran. He is at six and a half feet tall arched and a whopping nine straight up. Triumphian has powerful, medium length arms, capable of reaching around him with ease. His pyramid-like head has a mouth full of very well kept teeth and two slightly angled eyes. His shoulders are garbed in the holy white robes, as is customary of the pope, and his head has the gold and white hat that initially held the holy power of his God. His body, like all those blessed by the gift, is colored a burnt red and his eyes are fully white.

Pope Triumphian believes in quick, careful conquest. He hits fast and he hits hard and he hits you in a bad place. As a master of many trades, he knows the best tricks for taking someone out. However, he has the foresight to not act until he is certain, preferring to use his powerful speaking skills and holy powers to win victory via indirect means, be it converting the masses, or fooling them into falling into a trap. When he is not plotting the domination of planets, he mediates in order to channel the will of his god. He is devoted to his god and will stop at nothing to spread his word to each and every sentient being, under His Holy Empire.

Items/Abilities:
As His Holiness, Pope Triumphian has been blessed with powers beyond any other, holding a fragment of his Gods power until his death. As a result, he can bless and empower others, emit a holy light, and ignite things with a holy flame, amongst other ‘miracles’. He holds a rod made up of the bones of the first Pope. The rod is extremely durable and stores the holy power of the first 10 Popes. In addition, Pope Triumphian has his race’s durable scales and sharp claws and teeth. Strong and intelligent from his training and subsequent military tour, Triumphian is a testament to his race.