Harbinger of Menoth

Harbinger of Menoth
Race	Human
Gender	Female
Weapons	Providence
Birth	588 AR

The Harbinger of Menoth is the first great prophet of Menoth in thousands of years and a direct conduit to the god. She has proven this claim by performing miracles, calling for pilgrimages to see her holy presence, and even sacrificing herself to stop Asphyxious' bid for godhood in the Thornwood before being resurrected. She is a direct adviser to Hierarch Severius, as she was to Hierarch Garrick Voyle before him, and is currently serving with the Northern Crusade.

History

The earliest history of the young woman known only as the Harbinger of Menoth is a mystery. Though in appearance she is somewhere between being adolescent and a young woman, her actual age is unknown. There is no mention of her parents, though she has been called the daughter of Menoth.

What is known is that, in 603 AR a teenaged girl appeared in the village of Jahalin, in the province of Icthosa, north of Icthier. The young woman floated above the Earth and declared that her feet were too holy to touch the Earth. She also blindfolded herself, but is completely able to see, declaring that she sees only with visions from Menoth.

Initial reports of the young woman were treated with some doubt by the Synod of Visgoths. Consequently, 20 Knights Exemplar and three scrutators were sent to bring her back to prove her claims in the Sovereign Temple in Imer. News of her miracles spread as she was escorted, and nearly 30,000 people gathered food and water to follow her in an impromptu pilgrimage as she traveled. Her trial began at sunset. The Harbinger described her visions and the voice she heard, revealed the secrets that the visgoths kept even from each other, and, after ten hours of trials, turned to Hierarch Voyle and pointed to her shadow. The shadow had not moved as she gave her testimony. Voyle bent the knee and requested that she become his advisor.

Voyle asked the Harbinger to speak with him in private and reveal the prophesies Menoth had given to her. While the content of most of those conversations remains unknown, Voyle did reveal that she had forseen an upcoming war between Khador and Cygnar that will consume Llael. While Voyle had already been preparing for a war against Cygnar, this prompted greater efforts and provided a time line for the Protectorate's plans.

After she ends her seclusion with Hierarch Voyle, the Harbinger stated her intent to tour all the towns and villages of the Protectorate. A group of young paladins of the Order of the Wall was sent to serve her as bodyguards. For reasons unclear to any except herself, the Harbinger chose out only Dartan Vilmon to remain, and the rest were dismissed. After being attacked by Tharn during such a pilgrimage at Suthra, the Harbinger accepted a larger escort for the rest of her pilgrimages that included Grand Exemplar Baine Hurst and a full phalanx of Knights Exemplar.

When Khador invades Llael in 604 AR, the Harbinger's prophecy is proven correct. This provides the space Voyle needed to declare Protectorate independence and the start of the Great Crusade. The Harbinger supports and reinforces this call so that, by Solesh of 605 AR, faithful Menites have built an army ready to march to war. The Harbinger's existence, therefore, has largely been viewed as an endorsement and support of that crusade by Menoth himself.

In Casteus 605 AR, Lich Lord Asphyxious sends Goreshade to infiltrate the Protectorate in order to retrieve information about the Harbinger's true nature from the skull of a deceased scrutator. When the Harbinger is ambushed by Goreshade, Baine Hurst gives his life to delay the eldritch, while ordering Dartan Vilmon to get the Harbinger to safety. As this was the reason for bringing Goreshade back to the mainland of Immoren, it could be argued that Goreshade's later encounters with the Retribution of Scyrah and the god Nyssor may, inadvertently, have been a consequence of her very existence on Caen.

Near the beginning of 606 AR, the Harbinger renames the High Reclaimer the Testament of Menoth upon his return from Urcaen, having crossed from the Bloodstone Desert and retrieved the Omegus from the City of Man. When the construction of the Avatar of Menoth is completed, the Harbinger sanctifies it and wakes the giant warjack into life.

In Trineus, the Harbinger takes up arms, driven by visions of a great evil gathering in the Thornwood. After informing Hierarch Voyle of her purpose, the Northern Crusade, led by Grand Scrutator Severius, is initiated to facilitate her holy trek and then to establish a northern stronghold. Accompanying the Harbinger are Dartan Vilmon, Amon Ad-Raza, the Testament and the Avatar of Menoth.

In the Orgoth Temple Garrodh, the Harbinger is ambushed by Lich Lord Asphyxious and his minion, Wraith Witch Deneghra. Asphyxious nearly manages to kill the Harbinger, which would have opened a gate to the City of Man, allowing him to steal the souls of the faithful from the domain of Menoth. As Vladimir Tzepesci deflects Asphyxious' blow, the Harbinger turns to him and invites him to strike her down, apparently to prevent Asphyxious from completing his ritual. Vladimir impales the Harbinger on his blade, seeking to inflict a swift death.

Calling on the power of the Omegus, the Testament opens a gateway to Urcaen and claims all the Menite souls within the Umbral Cairn, including that of the Harbinger herself. This creates a tremendous blast, shaking the very foundations of the Temple of Garrodh and causing incredible damage. High Paladin Dartan Vilmon joins the Testament, the Avatar and Amon to retrieve the Harbinger’s body and soul and return her to Imer. Before hundreds of thousands of witnesses, Hierarch Voyle channels Menoth's will and wakes the Harbinger from death.

As the war between the armies of Sul and Caspia progress, Hierarch Voyle decides to take command of the armies of Imer and march on Caspia. The Harbinger reminds Voyle of Hierarch Sulon's dying prophecy: doom would befall any hierarch who entered Caspia before the divided city is made whole, though Voyle is too blinded by the dream of uniting Caspia to heed her warnings and presses on.

Hierarch Voyle marches into the inner part of Caspia, with the Harbinger beside him, crushing the bulk of Caspia’s defences almost single-handedly and effortlessly carving a tremendous path of destruction through the ancient capital. Lord Commander Coleman Stryker asks Voyle personally for a ceasefire; in return he would release all of the Menite prisoners that the Cygnaran army had taken. The Harbinger advises Voyle that accepting these terms would work to the greater good of the Temple, bringing yet more converts and weakening the will of the Caspian defenders against the proof of Menoth’s miraculous intervention. Once again Hierarch Voyle ignores her words, going so far as to order Feora to fire on the walls where the offered Menite prisoners are positioned. The Harbinger silently martyrs her flesh to provide succour for the injured, while Dartan Vilmon steps out and calls out against Voyle. Voyle prepares to execute Vilmon, but the Harbinger interposes herself, taking the killing blow and saving Vilmon.

Hierarch Voyle then turns towards Coleman Stryker and easily overwhelms him in single combat, knocking his sword off his hands and sending him skidding across the stones of the street, near where the Harbinger lies. She silently offers him her holy sword Providence, allowing Stryker to kill Voyle. Mikael Kreoss orders the Protectorate army to retreat to Sul and then to Imer, where the Harbinger names Grand Scrutator Severius as Voyle's successor to the position of hierarch.