Curse of the Crimson Throne
Aroden
The Last Azlanti
The last survivor of the ancient and mighty civilization of Azlant, Aroden was once an immortal mage who walked the surface of Golarion performing a hundred miraculous tasks in his efforts to lift humanity out of barbarism.
It was Aroden who raised the Starstone from the bottom of the Inner Sea where it had fallen to its current resting place at the heart of the city of Absalom on the Isle of Kortos. Aroden was the first mortal to pass the test of the Starstone and ascend to godhood.
From his divine perch, he sought to protect and guide humanity, supporting first the Empire of Taldor and then—after Taldor grew decadent—shifting his divine mandate to the rulers of Cheliax. Aroden often took an active role in combating the enemies of humanity, such as the Whispering Tyrant and the demon lord Deskari.
Over the millennia, Aroden’s direct manifestations on Golarion grew rarer and rarer, as he increasingly left such tasks to his divine Heralds, the ill-fated Arazni and the righteous Iomedae. But the Last Azlanti issued a prophecy that he would return to Golarion in AR 4606, manifesting in the Chelaxian capitol of Westcrown to lead humanity into a new Age of Glory.
Instead, when the appointed hour arrived, terrible storms and earthquakes ravaged Golarion for months. When the calamities ceased, the priests of Aroden found that their connection to the god was lost. Even his Herald, Iomedae, could not reach him. Since then, most have assumed the Last Azlanti is dead—though a dwindling flock of believers hold out hope that he will return someday.
Aroden’s mysterious disappearance and the breaking of his divine prophecy inaugurated the Age of Lost Omens. In the century since he vanished, the shadows have lengthened over Golarion while the future seems more uncertain by the day.
Aroden in Korvosa
There are a number of old temples to Aroden in Korvosa, dating back to the ancien regime when the Last Azlanti was the patron of Cheliax. The old temples have largely been converted to other uses—most notoriously, one such former temple now serves as the theater of the grotesque known as Exemplary Execrables.
However, a rundown temple to Aroden in Old Korvosa is still maintained by a small band of true believers who pray each day for their lost god’s return.
by:
StakeTheLurk