Helene Starenhold

Helene Starenhold
Full name	Helene Starenhold
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Biographical information
Date of birth	21.V.1670 AN
Place of birth	Esterhold, Elluenuueq
Residence(s)	Chryse
Nationality	Benacian Union
Allegiance(s)	Nationalist & Humanist Party
Occupation	Community organiser, medium, occultist, philosopher.

Helene Starenhold (1670 AN – ) is a prominent figure in the Nationalist-Humanist movement in the city of Chryse. As an esoteric philosopher, she attained a measure of respect among her peers who sought after for her unique insights and teachings.

Biography

Born in the small town of Esterhold in the Elwynnese countryside, Helene was always drawn to the mysterious and unknown. From a young age, she was fascinated by the hidden truths that lay beyond the veil of ordinary perception, and spent much of her time studying the works of ancient mystics and occultists.

Like many, Helene's family was touched by tragedy and loss during the Second Elwynnese Civil War, and it was the abiding psychic wound inflicted upon the collective Elwynnese nation by the Scouring which fuelled the growing desire for the bereaved to communicate with the deceased. In this environment, Helene began her studies of the occult and claimed for herself the aptitude for serving as a psychic medium, one capable of addressing the concerns of the living to Celestial Temple and of receiving answers.

As she grew older, Helene became increasingly interested in the teachings of the Nationalist-Humanist movement, which held that humanity was the culmination of all creation and that the individual was the highest expression of this divine potential. She was particularly drawn to the idea that humans had the power to shape their own destiny, and saw in the movement a way to break free from the constraints of traditional society and forge a new path for themselves.

Between 1702 and 1713, Helene self-published a series of works expounding her developing worldview. Although the books achieved scant notice outside of her narrow occult community, the works came to be investigated at various times by the United Ecclesiastical Corporation of Benacia, the Magisters-Carnifex, and the Benacian Censorate. It would appear that the suspicions of heresy were ultimately insufficient to warrant action against her by these overburdened organisations before she had finally left the realm of Elluenuueq.

In 1715 AN, Helene moved to the city of Chryse, where she quickly became a fixture in the local esoteric community. She began to host regular meetings and workshops, drawing large crowds of like-minded individuals who were hungry for her teachings. Through her work, Helene became a well-known and respected figure within the Nationalist-Humanist movement, and her ideas soon began to spread far beyond the walls of her workshop.

As her fame grew, Helene became more and more involved in the political and social movements of the time, using her influence to promote the ideals of the Nationalist-Humanist movement, despite facing resistance from traditionalists and skeptics.

Published works

• Lest Unveiled: Messages from the Beyond (1702 AN);
• Veracity of Meaning (1704 AN);
• The Synthesis of Scientific Humanism and Philosophy (1708 AN);
• The Architecture of Transcendental Humanism (1710 AN);
• Anthropogenesis (1711 AN);
• A Treatise of Humanist Meditation and the Celestial Flame (1713 AN)