Dahlia Povi

You expect me to pay that much for this sorry collection of fabrics? I'd be the laughingstock of all of Nomura.   But I do acknowledge their quality. Throw in another half shipment for free and I'll meet your asking price for these.

— Dahlia Povi

  Dahlia was a shrewd business woman prior to her selection as a Regional Speaker and subsequent election to Chief Speaker after the death of her predecessor. She quickly gained renown among her clientele for the uncompromising quality of her wares, which only served to raise her bargaining power with her suppliers.  

Good help is hard to find these days. And worth their weight in gold.

— Dahlia Povi

  Yet Dahlia was also kindhearted. She would push to maximize her profits during business hours, but she remained careful not to push for too much at the expense of her suppliers' livelihoods. She was demanding of the skills in her own employees, but always paid them generously above standard rates and insisted they never bring work home with them. After her selection as Chief Speaker it was also discovered that she had also been a major donor for many of her local charities, as the Heathen Church itself began to assume many of her charity commitments.

It is not enough to remind the population of the mission of the Heathen Prophet. We must awaken their passion for His message, make them claim His goals as their own and, by extension, reignite their support of the Church and its needs.

— Dahlia Povi, Address to the Regional Speakers, 294 KP (3507 CFE)

  Dahlia was named Chief Speaker during a financial crisis within the Heathen Church. Followers has turned from the Church, seeking sources of assistance closer to home. Donations to the Church had waned as a result, and the future of the Church was in jeopardy.   Dahlia recognized that change was needed, and determined the best way to address this problem was to return to the source of the Heathen Church itself. She sent her personal scholars to the Fillimet Magical Archives to research the life of Sarkav Borskalux, the Heathen Prophet, as well as the early history of the Church. Their instructions were to identify any information which could be used to renew the excitement and reverence towards the Heathen Prophet from the early days of the Church.   While most of these scholars returned merely with countless copies of droll texts detailing the historical events of the Church with a few lists of the Heathen Prophet's clients and the methods in which he assisted them sprinkled throughout, her young cousin-apprentice returned with a single piece of parchment, a letter to the Heathen Prophet written by his aunt, Moria Salviax.   The letter itself appeared of little consequence, a collection of petitions to the Heathen Prophet with travel locations and contact information, except for a small mention of a remote private retreat in the woods used by the Heathen Prophet to find peace from the constant demands and petitions of his devout followers.   Her other advisers protested the document's authenticity, correctly asserting that the Heathen Prophet and his Aunt mainly communicated through magical means rather than written word, but Dahlia brushed off their concerns. An effort to locate the secret retreat of the Heathen Prophet was exactly the quest to rekindle faith in the Heathen Church, and the references to travel destinations within the letter provided just enough of a riddle to entice adventurers.   She made an announcement, offering funds from the Heathen Church's own dwindling coffers to help fund genuine expeditions to locate the hidden retreat, and requesting assistance from the devout in funding the cause. The Heathen Prophet and his Church once again returned to popular conversation, with donations pouring into the Church from across the continent and wealthy patrons sponsoring their own adventuring teams in the hopes of finding it first.   After years of profitable searching a privately-funded band of adventurers discovered a crumbled foundation within the Nomuran Forest. Dahlia announced the Heathen Prophet's secret retreat had been found and directed for a small red chapel to be built at the site, using the same foundation. The faithful were encouraged to visit the siteto seek the Prophet's blessings and assistance. Church participation surged, as did donations to the chapel's upkeep. A booming tourism grew to support the pilgrims traveling to the site, eventually resulting in a town christened Red Chapel after the small building at its center.   Dahlia Povi siezed her chance, constructing an annex on the chapel to house the top Church administration and declaring Red Chapel the center of the Church of the Heathen Prophet. Through persuasion of key officials throughout the area she also affected the renaming of the Nomuran Forest to the Prophet's Woods, further raising the profile of the Heathen Prophet and his Church. Thus began the true expansion of the Church throughout the Prophet's Woods, and eventually all of Nomura.

Dahlia strove to improve the lives of those around her, and wholeheartedly embraced the teachings of the Church of the Heathen Prophet. She believed that if everyone adopted these tenets of faith the people of Fillimet would then work together to end all suffering. As a result, the Rebirth of the Heathen Church became her primary focus upon assumption of the role of Chief Speaker.

Some darkness is best left to the dark.

— Dahlia Povi

  Dahlia did not speak much about her family. She did allude to those within her closest circle that she had no contact with any members of her family, but would quickly change the subject if anyone attempted to press further. Rumors said her entire family died in some horrific accident, others claim a business rival hired an assassin to send her a message, and still others believed her absence from her family was her choice, to separate herself from some terrible action or abuse.