Rokudes

Rokudes was an important and generally evil figure in Pre-Abdication Andorith. He was also the grandfather of Theodora the Trident, the 2nd to last monarch of Andorith.

Early Life

As an acolyte of The Ominous Mysteries, Rokudes was lackadaisical, almost unbelieving, and enjoyed the worldly aspects of his posting. This changed, however. after his union with Aditi Murali.

Relationship with Aditi Murali and the Founding of the Silk Coin

Aditi and Rokudes first started spending time together when Aditi convinced him to supply her forming mystery cult (dubbed the Eye of the Silk Coin) with the drugs she craved. In order to keep the Eye of the Silk Coin supplied and keep the church off their back Rokudes became increasingly involved in the workings of the church. This means to an end increasingly became an end unto itself, as Rokudes got hooked, on power. This wasn't made any better by Aditi having a series of bad trips, which left her increasingly paranoid, especially after Marliss was born. She demanded escalating security from her religious lover, pushing him further towards violent power.

Church Legacy

Rokudes' pursuit of power, resources for himself, and protection for Aditi led this once lackadaisical acolyte to climb The Church's hierarchy.

Power

Rokudes' pursuit of power greatly expanded the role of the church into more aspects of society. In many ways Rokudes was the architect of the church policies that were then eagerly and aggressively enacted at a large scale by Gregor the Pious. In this partnership Rokudes provided theological underpinnings and rationales for activities that would strengthen Andorith and the Church's power within Andorith, and Gregor pursued these activities with fundamentalist zeal.

Resources

Rokudes' pursuit of resources led to an expansion of drug use within The Church, and was part of his motivation to introduce multiple children to Gregor the Pious in an effort to find a way to exert more influence within the monarchy. Although Gregor's connection and marriage with Marliss the Silent did not provide the influence that Rokudes hoped due to Marliss' independent mindedness, the connection between church and state nevertheless increased as Rokudes sought greater personal connection to monarchical power.

Protection for Aditi and her Followers

Despite Aditi's deepening drug addiction and wildly heretical views, Rokudes successfully prevented any persecution of her or her religious organization the Eye of the Silk Coin. After Aditi's death, in the face of deepening persecution for followers of the Silk Coin Rokudes intervened to contradict Gregor's wishes (a rare break between these two), and elevated the Eye of the Silk Coin to an official order, going so far as to even officially endorse them. Marliss the Silent's miracle prophecy during proceedings played a role in this decision, as well as a personal connection with Parth, the surviving member of the Eye of the Silk Coin and old friend of Rokudes and Aditi. Many scholars think Rokudes felt some remorse over the recent death of Aditi and persecution of Parth, leading him to make this decision. By recognizing and endorsing this sect Rokudes created a precedent that allowed for rapid fracturing and segmentation of the Ancient Andorith Church.