Name: Norzen Karmada Age: 82 Nationality/Region: Tharsian Plateau, Olympus Mons Role: 106th Incarnation of the Supreme Custode of the Fire Monastery Class: Monastic Lord -Sees time and self as cyclical illusions. Acts with cosmic patience -Occasionally speaks of ancient Martian ages and planetary destinies. -Holds his monks to exacting standards, as befitting those who serve fire. -Will spare ten thousand but burn one, for balance. Norzen Karmada is the 106th incarnation of the Fire Custode, a position that has been reincarnated for over 900 Martian years. Identified at the age of three by Fire Monastery monks through divination and symbolic item selection, young Norzen was taken from a nomadic herder family near the summit basin of Ascraeus Mons and raised as a divine child. His predecessors’ writings and mannerisms were ritually tested through dialog and object handling; the monks declared the confirmation unanimous. Despite being a prophesied vessel, Norzen did not develop as a passive figurehead. He challenged the caste’s stagnation and restructured the monastery’s hierarchy, subtly merging the four elemental orders under an unwritten doctrine of “Unified Flame.” His rule brought efficiency, ritual austerity, and unrivaled planetary influence. Beneath his saintly calm lies a molten conviction: Olympus is the divine heart of Mars, and its breath, the volcanic fire, must never be forgotten. -Refers to himself in both the first and third person, depending on if he speaks as Norzen or as the Custode. -Spends hours alone in ancient lava tunnels, where no one else is allowed to enter -Collects each incarnation’s ceremonial shoes, kept in a silent hall. -His prayer beads are said to date back to the 1st Custode and are never set down. -He descends and ascends Olympus on foot every 10 years.