Editing Acrozatarim/Icons (section)

==The Solitary Flame==

''The fire that burns in the darkness''.

'''Usual Location''':  Those in the know say that the Solitary Flame probably spends most of its time in Zhatan and the shadow of the Black Tower, but it's hard to tell what is the truth with a near-mythical figure.

'''Common Knowledge''':  Shadow-prince of a network of spies, smugglers and criminals, the Solitary Flame is some sort of being that has its fingers (or talons or tentacles) in innumerable pies across the Drakkath and Huron.  The general assumption is that the Flame isn't even human; certainly few have ever met it.  Its grasp over its web of vassals is strong, and it certainly possesses some sort of supernatural capabilities, but exactly what those capabilities may be are disputed amongst those who discuss such topics.  There's an almost religious bent to the inner circle of the Solitary Flame's organisation, and some believe it to be a servitor or cultist of the Elders.

'''Characters and the Merchant Prince''':  Most hirelings and agents work at some remove from the Solitary Flame.  Some rare few, however, are granted personal audience when a particularly important task or duty needs to be performed and the Flame needs to know that they are trustworthy.  It needs messengers and couriers more than it needs mercenaries and murderers, and often dispatches such hirelings to other Icons, rapidly bringing them to the attention of the powerful figure who they are delivering to.

'''Allies''':  The Solitary Flame has had reason to send messages, warnings or gifts to many of the Icons at one time or another, although few seem to appreciate this. The Truth-Seeker is perhaps the closest the Icon could claim to being an ally. The Eagle King seems to have some sort of understanding and mutual respect with it, as long as the Solitary Flame's schemes don't cause disruption in Grum-Tarath.

'''Enemies''':  In a rare act of personal intervention, the Solitary Flame actually infiltrated and stole from the Great Vault of Killanon - something that the Vault-Keeper will never forgive.  The Lord-Commander has little patience for what is essentially a criminal overlord operating in his lands.  The Merchant Prince and the Solitary Flame are wary, respectful rivals.  The Silver Warder would like to detain and imprison the Solitary Flame, but she doesn't seem convinced that it's actually a physical entity at all.

'''The True Danger''':  If the Solitary Flame turns out to have a genuinely nefarious agenda, it has the network of minions and the personal capability to cause a massive amount of damage.