First Stand

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The friends and first followers of Alexandria, most of whom were witnesses to the razing of Tragidore. Given the name because they stood most closely by Alexandria, literally and figuratively. Though the name might imply a unified front in Her name, in fact the Stand was anything but: conflict and disagreement was commonplace, and they cycled in and out of each others lives over the course of several decades before the final Crusade.

History of the Stand

Forming the Stand

The widely acknowledged formation of the stand occurred in a long-forgotten (???) port city. As the legend goes, a prophetic holy man addressed a crowded square with a vision of a great evil arising to challenge the Demi-Pantheon and a call-to-arms to aid them. An insolent Peteran merchant-prince Sayid ibn Maimun stepped up and loudly mocked the holy man and the Demi-Pantheon, claiming that true gods wouldn't need the help of mortal man. His blasphemies attracted the immediate ire of the firebrand priest of Tarlos Steros Merroand, who accosted and berated the merchant. The holy man barely averted a fight and challenged the two men to travel to Tragidore and seek the root of his vision. Either for want of adventure or faith, both men accepted, and along with the Sayid's traveling companion the truant Sidhe-Praxen princess Marrwyn Teldandilion, set off to Tragidore.

The rest, as they say, is canon. In Tragidore the nascent Stand picked up Dadtim the Elder and Kivan Elyryn, and set out to rescue Alexandria and the Children of Tragedy from the Black Wyrm. After Alexandria's sacrifice and resurrection and the razing of Tragidore, the stand was virtually complete. At this point, the stand relocated to Madros-on-the-Tinryll to search for the extended families of the orphans. While some were returned to family homes, many remained under the care of the elder Stand members, who adopted and educated individual orphans in their own styles. Alexandria floated between the Elder members, receiving tutelage primarily from Steros and Sayid, but receiving a diverse education from all of the stand members--eventually participating in full-fledged adventurers with their mentors.

Stand and Antioch in Hakan

Alexandria, obsessed with the Prophecies of Alabar Tremaline, eventually pushed the stand to relocate to Hakan Free City to consult with its Sorcerer-King Antioch. Antioch, who was an expert on the Prophecies, believed himself to be the chosen one they talked about, and under Sayid's council she was happy to encourage this belief. Shortly after their arrival in Hakan, however, the stand divided, when Sayid, Marwynn, Mikos, and several of the Orphans set out for Petera to investigate the recent troubles of Sayid's family. Alexandria, Steros, and the rest of the Stand remained in Hakan to aid the Sorcerer-King and study the prophecies. This marked the end of the united Stand, and it would not reform until the beginning of the Second Crusade.

The Stand spent many years in Hakan collecting information on The Prophecies and executing quests for Antioch. While The Stand publicly acted as assistants to the Sorcerer-King, they were in reality acting on behalf of Alexandria and themselves. That said, their ruse was comprehensive, and they aided Antioch in the creation of the Thorn of Midnight and his unsuccessful assault on the Kingdom of Shadow. After Antioch's failed assault, The Stand revealed the truth of their nature, revealing Alexandria as the chosen one of The Prophecies. At this point, The Stand achieved its final configuration, as Antioch officially joined the stand and recognized Alexandria.

The Prophet's War

With The Prophecies thoroughly researched, The Stand moved on to deal with the growing threat of Arak and the Dark Oracles. They returned to the western mainland and set about striking alliances in the comprehensive war that was to come. However, while Alexandria was present to set the wheels of war in motion, she soon left The Stand and traveled to the homeland of The Lost. This left the stand to manage the main body of the battle with Arek and the relationships with the many nations and organizations involved in the war.

This left the remainder of The Stand to manage the Prophet's War in Alexandria's absence, with the brunt of the work falling on the shoulders of Steros Merroand and Mythrian Arabelle. While Sayid and Mikos remained absent for the entire war, Marwynn returned near the end of the war. With her return, Antioch and The Stand had the magical expertise to orchestrate one of the most significant acts of the War--the breaking of the first Obelisk. With the power of the broken Obelisk, and the eventual return of Alexandria with the Lost Fleet, the stand was able to overcome the Darkling Prophets and emerge victorious.

Second Crusade

Post-Martyrdom

Leadership of the Stand

Given Alexandria's status as the central point of the entire Alexandrian faith, it is easy to mistakenly assume that she was also the leader of the Stand. In practice, this is not the case. While she was most certainly the central focus of the Stand and was responsible for deciding their major campaigns, she typically only set this agenda with the broadest of strokes. In general, Alexandria was far more concerned understanding and executing on her destiny than managing the day-to-day decisions of the stand. It is also extremely significant that for long periods of time Alexandria was not in a position to lead. During her mentorship at the formation of the stand, while she was studying with The Lost, and after the Martyrdom, the Stand operated with little-to-no guidance from Alexandria. As a result, the leadership of the stand fell largely to members beside the godhead.

For much of the early history of the stand, its leadership was defined most as a power struggle between Steros Merroand and Sayid ibn Maimun. This conflict was, in fact, the formation of the stand, as the initial quest to Tragidore was in reaction to a public fight between the two members. Both were incredibly strong personalities with dramatically different principles and lifestyles, and conflict between these two was unavoidable. This persisted until the stand separated, with Sayid returning to Petera and Steros traveling to Hakan and Antioch's court.

From this point onwards, Steros became the clear leader of the stand, and served as the figurehead and general throughout the remainder of Alexandria's life and the formation of The Church. During this time, he served as the chief military leader during both the Prophet's War and the Second Crusade, the political figurehead in the conquered lands, and eventually the patriarch of the religious hierarchy. He was a commanding and visionary leader, and was responsible for setting both the short-term and long-term ambitions of the stand (at least insofar as the many powerful members were able to be led). The only challenge to Steros' absolute leadership would come from his adopted son and lieutenant Mythrian Arabelle, but as the second-in-command, Mythrian could only be described as the leader of the stand when Steros was unable or unwilling to lead.

Accepted Members of the First Stand

Elder Stand

Children of Tragedy

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