1. Characters

Krozen

High Cardinal
NPC (Politician)
Flamekeep in Thrane

Most theocrats manage to maintain their humility and virtue in the face of temptation, but some stray from the path. In a nation whose paragons are paladins and clerics, a sinister few have managed to mask their true allegiances and agenda—and even their true alignments.

In his youth, Krozen was an idealistic crusader. His single-minded dedication to the Silver Flame and willingness to stand behind his convictions earned him the position he holds today. Unfortunately, the power corrupted him, and now he treats Thrane like his own personal kingdom. Since the destruction of Cyre, however, Krozen has become unusually paranoid, conducting extensive correspondence in secret and seldom leaving Flamekeep. Claiming concern for his safety, he holds audiences with his peers only in private chambers, and only then after forcing courtiers to submit to elaborate security protocols. When Krozen does fi nally meet someone face to face, he is always armed, even if his visitors aren’t. Some suspect that he has fallen from grace. His caution, however, has not diminished his power. Despite all investigations, allegations of his misdeeds remain unproven. He is either a brilliant mastermind behind a conspiracy of evil in Thrane or a diversion for the genuine evils in his country. Until the truth is revealed, investigations continue.

A few zealous cardinals aspire to take Krozen’s place, so he must constantly deal with rivals. Most who cross him live to regret it.

ECG Info

Common Knowledge: High Cardinal Krozen is the most powerful individual in Thrane. He, like other senior religious officials, climbed through the church’s ranks, serving for a time as a holy warrior and priest, attaining the rank of archbishop for his zeal and unmatched piety. When a senior member of the Council of Cardinals died a decade ago, conservative officials in the government succeeded in getting Krozen appointed to replace him. The hardliners viewed then-Keeper Tagor’s attempts to moderate Thrane policies as a threat and wanted to strengthen their hand in his final days. In truth, it was hard to object to Krozen’s appointment—few could match his knowledge of the sacred texts or his passion for the church.

In the early years of his tenure, Cardinal Krozen worked tirelessly to strengthen the church in the lives of the common people of Thrane, and to keep Thrane’s military strong. In a few short years, he assumed the position of High Cardinal. Peaceful times and the ascension of a young, tolerant, and highly compassionate Keeper of the Flame, however, were not to his liking. Indeed, this situation seemed to quash his idealism. Krozen turned his attention toward consolidating his control over the council, using his network of allies to bend his peers to his way of thinking.

Religion DC 15: Krozen’s rise to power did not come without casualties. He has made numerous enemies over the years, usually officials he removed from office or slandered to render them powerless. His critics spread a slew of accusations about his methods and motives, ranging from dirty tactics all the way up to consorting with fiends. These claims have spawned investigations now and again, but each turns up nothing that calls into question Krozen’s service or loyalty.

Rumors also circulate about the extent of the High Cardinal’s influence, questioning his deference to the Keeper of the Flame. During the final years of the Last War, the nation did little without Krozen’s assent, and most military initiatives came from his office. More than one Thrane official worries that the High Cardinal views himself more as the nation’s ruler rather than as a loyal advisor.

Religion DC 20: For the most part, the accusations against Krozen are true. Ever the pragmatist, he simply removed those he saw as obstacles to achieving his goal—attaining complete power. Although he was ruthless, his loyalty and devotion to the Silver Flame remained true . . . at least until the Mourning. Cyre’s destruction rocked Krozen to the core, leaving him reeling with fear. The nation’s destruction inflamed the seeds of paranoia that had already begun to blossom in his shadowed mind. Krozen rarely meets with other cardinals in any great number, demanding that his few visitors treat with him in private chambers under the watchful eyes of his loyal guards.

Krozen’s eccentric behavior has done nothing to diminish his power and influence. When the council meets, Krozen sends a proxy to explain his views and represent his interests. Since his representative is rarely the same person from meeting to meeting, he reinforces the mystique and suspicions about his true character, leading many officials to wonder what he is hiding. For several years now, his power has gone unchallenged. His peers submit to his demands out of fear of the reprisals they have seen occur time and again.

Secret Knowledge: The Mourning changed everything for Krozen, though not because he gave one whit for the Cyran people. Rather, he sees the Mourning as a grave risk to the nation he considers his to govern as he pleases. If a weapon caused the Mourning, Krozen must find it and claim it for himself. If the Mourning was a magical phenomenon, he must find the trigger and control it to ensure that Thrane remains secure and to force his enemies to their knees. Krozen makes full use of the church’s power, particularly the Argentum—a secret society of treasure-hunters who retrieve relics for the church—to seek out clues to the nature of this catastrophe.

Krozen’s strength comes from the vast network of agents in his service and a coalition of loyal supporters within the church. As he gained power, he was ever watchful for anything he might use. Sometimes, he would use damning information to remove his enemies, but more often he would tuck away the tidbit for later use. With spies, assassins, and loyal fanatics spread across Thrane, he can use these agents to blackmail his enemies, discredit them, or otherwise have them removed from power.

The High Cardinal also employs sinister means to attain his information and treasures. Bit by bit, he has succumbed to the temptation of using dark magic, calling up foul demons, dealing with devils, and employing other hideous creatures to tease out the secrets of his enemies. He conceals these activities well, destroying anyone who would dare bring these acts to light. Still, whispers abound, and Krozen’s minions are ever watchful for those who would delve too deep into the High Cardinal’s business.

April 20th, 2019

Keith

Source: http://keith-baker.com/dm-krozen-and-zerasha/ 

People have lots of questions about Cardinal Krozen of Thrane. What’s his first name? Does he realize he’s evil? Does he believe in a greater good—or for that matter, does he even believe in the Silver Flame? What makes him more important than the other 11 High Cardinals of the Church? These are all good questions. I’ve always liked Krozen, but my vision of him is quite different from how he’s evolved in canon sources. I know what I originally planned for him when we first created the character, and that’s how I use him, so I’ll lay that out here. Keep in mind that this directly contradicts multiple canon sources (which, admittedly, contradict themselves on some points). This is MY interpretation and I am not going to reconcile it with what other authors have done with the character; it’s up to you to decide which version you prefer.

My original vision of High Cardinal Thrane was loosely inspired by Cardinal Richelieu as depicted in The Three Musketeers—a ruthless man who is engaged in sly intrigues, but who is nonetheless an extremely capable leader, perhaps moreso than the king the protagonists serve. It was always my vision that Cardinal Krozen was devoted to Thrane and that he performs his duties exceptionally well—that he is a brilliant strategist and a charismatic orator. But this is tied to the idea that he truly believes that he knows what is best for the nation. The basic dictate of the Silver Flame is to protect the innocent from supernatural evil. Where Jaela recognizes that this applies to ALL innocents, regardless of their faith or nationality, Krozen believes that you aren’t innocent unless you’re a Thrane and a servant of the faith, and don’t oppose him. He DOES fight to protect the innocent—but only those HE decides are innocent.

So I see Cardinal Krozen as a remarkable man—one of the player characters of his generation. He’s human and I see him as being about fifty years old. The details of his youth—and, in fact, his first name—aren’t generally known; the general story is that he lived on the Aundairian border and that the Flame granted him the power to perform great deeds, first in the defense of his village and then as a templar. He was always charismatic and intelligent, but beyond that, his divine power was always remarkable; when he called on the Flame, he gained the power to smite his foes. In his early twenties he rose out of the templars and into the hierarchy of the church, turning his gifts to leadership behind the scenes rather than fighting on the battlefield. From there, his star rose and rose; those who opposed him were either won over by his charisma or driven from his path, one way or another.

Part of the core idea of Krozen is that he represents the danger of Thrane becoming a theocracy—that in doing so it drags the church into the management of temporal matters and political concerns. The idea of Thrane is that Jaela Daran represents the pure ideals of the faith—while Cardinal Krozen deals with political realities. Again, Jaela does believe that “protect the innocent” applies to all people—that Krozen believes that it can only be applied to the faithful and to Thranes. It’s not that he is a vile, selfish person; but he has blended his faith with his devotion to his nation and places the good of Thrane over all others. Beyond this, Krozen very much has a Chosen One mentality. He possesses immense divine power, and in his mind this proves his righteousness. He believes he was given this power to serve the interests of Thrane, and the fact that he still wields that power proves that he is right to do so. He will crush others who get in his way—even other priests or templars—because he believes, again, that those who oppose him aren’t innocent.

In considering all this, take a moment to think about the Shadow in the Flame. There are those—the Whispering Flame cultists—who knowingly choose to serve Bel Shalor. But the true power of the Shadow in the Flame is its ability to piggyback on the Voice of the Flame and to pour poison in the ears of the truly faithful. Bel Shalor loves to erode empathy and to convince people to do evil when they only seek to do good. The Shadow in the Flame reveled in the suffering caused by the Silver Crusade, and Bel Shalor undoubtedly sees Cardinal Krozen as a valuable tool. The question for the DM to decide is how much of a hold does Bel Shalor have over the Cardinal? In MY Eberron, Krozen KNOWS the dangers posed by the Shadow of the Flame; all the faithful do. And with that in mind, he does his best to resist those impulses; he knows that he does questionable things (like, you know, torture and murder…) but he truly believes that he is acting for the greater good and that he’s NOT a tool of the Shadow in the Flame. But in your campaign you could decide that he HAS fallen prey to Bel Shalor’s whispers and no longer realizes the evil he is doing… or even go further and decide that he is a priest of the Whispering Flame. Personally I prefer to follow the shades-of-grey model, to say that while Krozen does evil things, he only does them when pursuing the interests of Thrane—that he always believes his actions are justified. I like the idea that Krozen knows he walks a dark path, but that he believes it is the path the FLame has set him on, and that at the end of the day he is protecting the innocent—even if he has had to sacrifice his own innocence to do it.

Now, some people may be say “That’s all fine, but who IS he?” Krozen is one of the high cardinals of Thrane. Per the original Eberron Campaign Setting…

This group of powerful church leaders administers both the workings of the church and the functions of the government. In theory, the cardinals answer to the Keeper of the Flame. In practice, they run the church and the government, only dealing with the Keeper on issues that require divine attention and interaction with the Voice of the Flame. The cardinals believe that they know best when it comes to running the government and the church, and they leave the Keeper to deal with the well-being of the spirit of the nation. This arrangement has led to problems between the Council and the Keeper in the past, but the current Keeper seems interested more in divine and spiritual matters than the intricacies of secular administration.

There may be twelve High Cardinals, but Krozen is the effective leader of the Council—and thus, of Thrane. If you have a divine problem, talk to Jaela. But if you’re looking into the deployment of Thrane troops or about getting more resources for Rellekor, it’s Krozen who can get things done. The general idea is that Krozen is in many ways the opposite of Jaela. Where the Keeper is compassionate, the Cardinal is ruthless. The Cardinal is a master of political intrigue, while Jaela prefers honest dealing. Jaela wants what’s best for all innocents; Krozen cares only for Thrane.

The final thing I’ll call about about Krozen is this: If there’s twelve high cardinals, why is he the leader? What makes him special? The short answer is that what makes him special is that he IS special. Again, not all priests are spellcasters at all, and in a world where everyday magic goes to 3rd level, a 12th level spellcaster is remarkable. He can raise the dead! Those who oppose him are struck down by flame strikes! You’ve seen him shape celestials from the pure power of the Flame! And as I said, while I don’t just let him cast commune three times a day, he hears the Voice of the Flame in ways that others do not (and, of course, potentially the Shadow in the Flame as well). There’s surely other spellcasters among the cardinals, but Krozen stands out; if you look to the 3.5 statistics, he’s notably a more powerful spellcaster than the high priest of the Host and Archierophant Ythana in Sharn: City of Towers. Power alone isn’t everything, but the whole idea is that this power is matched with passion and charisma—that just like a player character, Krozen is remarkable. With this in mind, he doesn’t command the Council of Cardinals, but he has won the loyalty of the majority of its members and thus is the EFFECTIVE leader of the council. In my opinion, there’s four cardinals who are utterly devoted to him; three who believe he’s doing what’s best for Thrane; and four who don’t support him. Of these four, all believe that the Keeper shows the proper path for the nation and that Krozen’s actions are concerning; one or two may have deeper concerns, or believe that he is serving the Shadow in the Flame. So Krozen DOESN’T have absolute control of the council, but he’s effectively the leader.

Krozen as a Villain

As I’ve just spent a lot of time insisting that Krozen believes he’s acting for the good of Thrane and that he is an effective leader, you might wonder if I actually see him as a villain. I do, generally—just a villain with many layers. He performs evil deeds in pursuit of the greater good, and more than that, he is only concerned with the greater good of THRANE. When I use Krozen, I want it to be clear why people support him. I want Thranes, in particular, to feel conflicted because Krozen IS good at his job—that if the nation was guided purely by the idealistic Jaela, it would be easy prey for the machinations of Kaius, the Royal Eyes of Aundair, and the Dark Lanterns. Krozen is effective; but is that enough to justify his methods? And IS he a tool of the Shadow in the Flame, even if he refuses to see it?

July 21st, 2020 October 7th, 2021