The Prophet

To commit a sin is not the end of the soul. Perfection is the opposite of human, after all, and to expect eternal vigilance a fool's hope.

— Words of the Prophet, Tome 1 of the Hy-Rend

Many strive to be something greater. To be a force of change. To make others greater. To fulfill duty and destiny. Few ever manage to do so. Even fewer are remembered. And only a handful affect the lives of people all over the world. A simple man named Vodarn had never had any such goal. Yet he would succeed where a million million others had failed and etched his name into eternity.

Humble Beginnings

Excerpt from "Life of the Prophet" - Tome 1 of the Ta-Rend by Hestin of Anrak.
"The Prophet was a great man, even in his early years. A spirit wise beyond his years and filled with conviction from the moment his soul entered the earthly realm. But even the greatest of minds cannot work without purpose and so the Prophet wandered about, lending his patience to many a cause in both peace and strife."

A Mission

"After many years of such a life, the Prophet found himself frustrated at his own lack of aim. No matter what he did, nothing truly seemed to fulfil. Then, on the third day of the third month of that year, when he was resting in a field after a long day's work, there appeared before him a winged being clad in light. It told him of a mission, of a being that was three and yet one and that had searched far and wide for a herald to their voice. Then it vanished, replaced by three more beings, each of which told him of his mission:

Wrath

"The first was a warrior, full of might and grand in appearance. He told him of the Father and the people he had chosen. A tribe of great warriors, proud and strong, which would serve as the hammer of the Three and vanquish all that dared to threaten them."

Mercy

"Next was a healer, soft and caring. She told him of the Mother and the people she had chosen. A tribe of healers and scholars, knowledgeable and wise, whose hands would support those protected by the Three in body and mind."

Endurance

"Lastly, there was a shapeless mist and when it spoke both man and woman seemed to speak. It told him of the Spirit and the people it had chosen. A tribe battered by fate, whose sheer will to endure would see them serve as the heralds of the Three."

"When the Prophet woke as if from a trance almost three days later, he had finally found the purpose he had been searching his entire life. Cleansing himself in the dust of the very field he had worked not even three days prior, he rose reborn as the Herald of a new God. It is with this act that the new age of the world began."

Failure and Damnation

by lie setiawan

"Four decade would the Prophet's western journey last and failure would haunt him at every step. For the people of the Anranar were a treacherous lot, their many gods envious of the message and power of the Three. Knives hidden in word and cloth followed the Prophet wherever he went, his end assured if not for their guidance."
"But so did many of the poor and destitute, who sought a better life in the light of a new god. But the Prophet spurned them, for they were not of the Chosen People, not those he had been tasked with finding. And so he cast them away and their hope turned to hatred and many became his most vicious pursuers."

The Wrathful

"The first of the three tribes he found where the Oskitan and he quickly saw them to be those chosen by the Father. Powerful warriors of ancient lineage, they had built themselves a great kingdom in northern Anranar. When he arrived, they found themselves in a great war with the warlord Braghan. The Prophet quickly recognized him as a vile creature of the Great Enemy and ceaselessly aided the Oskitan in their great struggle. But when the war was won, they turned on him for a false god had already captured their hearts and minds. They spurned the light of the Three and chose the shadow. And with a grave heart, the Prophet departed."

The Merciful

"Off the coast of the western lands, the Prophet would find the second tribe. Save out on the waters of the Great Divide, the Yarol had lived in peaceful seclusion within their island realms for centuries. Knowledge beyond count was gathered in their libraries and the Prophet spent many a year basking in the wisdom of ages past. But ages of wealth and knowledge had made the Yarol arrogant and lazy. Whenever the Prophet tried to relay his message, they would contend with shouts and insults of the vilest sort. Years of fruitless effort finally compelled the Prophet to turn away yet again, his heart a hole filled with grief."

The Enduring

by Aleksander Karcz

"Almost broken, the Prophet finally arrived at the third tribe. Born on a western wind, he came to the Ferans of Venagar. He found them in crisis, broken and destitute and of a soul so very similar to him."
"Although his body grew weaker with every year, he fought on. Fought for the Ferans and their soul. And in time, he succeeded and won their hearts and minds. He battled with the Great Tyrant and the King of Chains and brought the Ferans north to their promised land."
"But even there danger lurked and hostile men fought with steel and blood to keep the Chosen away. And while Ferankind fought the Prophet fought alongside them. Until at last his body could no longer endure. Safe in the knowledge that victory had finally been won he passed silently into the next life."

One cannot force someone to believe. Such acts will always provoke resistance and violence. Even the Prophet on his divine mission had to acknowledge such.

— Thane Kenrik Marten (1209-1243 DA)

Life

771 DA 853 DA 82 years old

Circumstances of Death

Ascension to Heaven

Affiliated Organisation/s
High Kingdom of Feranar
Vodarian Church

A Failure

Vodar was a failure. A man without much talent for anything. Someone that failed at pretty much every venture he tried and barely managed to get by on a daily basis. His very name gave credence to his low status, for among Illigarans those of the lowest cast may not wield a family name. His name is still kept in old Illigaran archives, a rare case where mythology can be traced back to history. Why this man chose to be the Prophet of an entire race can only be speculated about. Greed, ambition, delusion, genuine faith...many a theory has been put forward over the millennia. But perhaps the only true answer is that it was finally something he could believe in.

An unusual choice for a prophet. But who has ever made sense of the acts of the divine?

— Lucian Antias, Vardanian Poet

Three Tribes

Of the "Chosen Tribes" of the Trinity only the Ferans remain. In what many a priest has called divine retribution both the Oskitan and the Yarol met terrible fates after they rejected the Three. For the Oskitan, who chose their war god Bytos over the Trinity, death came in the form of Braghan's successors who lead a genocidal campaign against them. The Yarol, arrogant in their paradise, would drown when a gargantuan wave washed away their island kingdoms.

Honoured Friends

The Feran people never forgot the service a man of Illigaran stock rendered them. A strong reverence for the western people has remained with them to this day. Illigarans have always been friends, allies and partners of the Feran people. In return, the Knights of Feranar have crossed the sea to aid them, most recently in their great Wars of Reclamation.

by Martin Deschambault