Kavin of the North

Archpriest of Ancepolis Kavin (a.k.a. The Chosen One)

He was a rare man, brave and benevolent, untouched by the evils of the world. Of this there is no doubt. But he was foolish, and had too much confidence in his own abilities.

---

Sir Crecorn to Lady Faria

Kavin (c. 783 - 827), also referred to as Kavin of The North, or The Chosen One in the northern regions, was a late eighth-century/early ninth-century missionary of The Faith of Alikando , aswell as the founder of the religious organization, Followers of Kavin. He's a very famous religious martyr, whose death caused the largest and most horrible war of the Third Age. A lot of mystery surrounds the legend, as southern historians believe that The Kingdom of Noros and Icarsa posthumously created propaganda about Kavin, to create more war support. The Northern Historians however, argue that propaganda would not have been necessary, as the people's blood was boiling after his death.
Apart from effectively starting the most destructive war, Kavin introduced tons of reforms to the Faith of Alikando, and prevented the religion from dying out, in a time where it failed to adapt to modern times, unlike the southern and eastern religions, that therefore saw massive succes in the Kingdom of Noros. Kavin is credited as the saviour of Northern Culture, which historians all over Thiva rightfully believe, completelly altered the fate of the modern society.

Life Before Noros

Not much is known of Kavin before he left Icarsa, and went on his great religious travels. Nevertheless, we have much evidence to back up the theory of him being the father of Hilda "The Warrior of Icarsa" , the famous female warrior, who fought during the great war. Later, many northern lords have claimed descendance from Hilda, and in turn Kavin, to gain more legitimacy.

We know that Kavin left Icarsa in 812, after having lived his whole life in Ancepolis . During his 29 years there, he had risen to the rank of Archpriest. It was against his vows to have children, but he had failed, just 1 year prior. Now his punishment was to go to Noros, on a great pilgrimage. During this century, the Faith of Alikando was losing power and followers in Noros, as the The Oracles of Nerenia from the south, was spreading north and east, due to the very outdated ideas of these older religions. The Alikandios were just that: Outdated. Their beloved faith had failed to adapt to the changes of the world, unlike the two religions of the south.
The only region of Thiva, where the Faith of Alikando was still unchallenged, was Icarsa. This is where Kavin grew up. He had only known the faith, and had blindly followed it for years, until he fell in love with an unknown woman, and had Hilda. Historians believe that this is when he became disillusioned with the faith. When he was sent to Noros, he started realising how much was actually wrong with the religion he had obeyed for his entire life.

The First Religious Venture

He arrived in summer 812, at the port city of Seraith . From there he went to the city of Elyson , where the first account of him appears. At an inn, a traveler mocked his religious tattoos. He proceded to talk about his tattoos, and why he wears them. By the end, he had preached about the Alikandos for an hour, and had converted everyone inside the inn. Some claim that he used spells to speak so eloquently, while other accounts tell a story of a young and skilled orator, who was simply born with a rare gift with words. No matter what method he used, these civilians started following him, as he traveled across Noros, holding several speeches about the right faith. Nevertheless, many were disillusioned with Alikando, and his words could not sway them. So he created his own version of the Faith, called the followers of the light. This was posthumously changed to "The Followers of Kavin". He attracted much attention on his 6 months long expedition. Eventually he returned to Elyson, having amassed a large following.

The Second Venture

And by the gods, a man was sent
Oh so brave and benevolent
And from his side, he drew a sword
We thank you, gracious Kavin of the North

Old Aacethian Folksong

The Second Venture, is covered in much more mystery than the first one. Up until this point in 813, everything we know is believeable. But all the legends of Kavin, begin here. It's from here that ridiculous tales arrive, such as the one about Kavin founding the city of Eroudin . This is of course impossible, as Eroudin is one of the oldest cities still in use, dating all the way back to the beginning of the Second Era.
The most legendary tale, is the tale of The Founding of the Aacethian Empire , far north of Thiva. It is said that he came across a fortress to the South-East of Trakon , owned by an old man, Lord Eric. Many men and women worked for Eric, and were basically slaves. They were treated awfully, and had to work nearly all day, without rest. Kavin was allowed to stay for the night, and that's where he met the brothers, Rhuke and Thain , who came from beyond the great Desert of Acros . They explained how mistreated they were, which angered Kavin greatly on their behalf. The next day, he went to confront Lord Eric, alongside Rhuke and Thain. Eric felt threatened by him, and ordered him to leave the city, aswell as the two brothers. Thain spoke up, and demanded to atleast get payed for all the hard work. Eric just laughed, and commanded them to leave. Before they did so, Kavin told him not to underestimate the power of the gods. He proceded to draw a weird symbol on the floor. After Kavin went back to the brother's hut outside the fortress, Lord Eric talked to the priests, who told him that the symbol was a bad omen, and a curse from the gods.

Outraged, Eric sent a few of his loyal men out to kill the three, but they managed to escape. Thain and Rhuke told Kavin that they were planning on mobilising an army of the servants, and overthrow Lord Eric. Kavin told them that he could not participate, as he was a pacifist. Nevertheless, before he left, he gave them a blessing. The brothers would go on to win the uprising. They would later go north, and found the Aacethian Empire, the largest empire in the world, by 1455.
We don't know how much truth there is to this story. We know that the two brothers that founded the Aacethian Empire, did indeed come from the south of Acros, and later Noros. But the parts about the gods cursing and blessing people, cannot be verified. It is far more likely, that the slave army was just far more numerous than Lord Eric. Lastly, we don't even know if a fortress ever existed in the area where the legend tells us it was. With no proof of the fortress ever existing, we can't verify whether or nor there is any truth to the legend.
On his way south to the capital of Noros, Thultbook , he was abducted by a group of barbarians from the east. They hid him in their wagon, and brought him towards Eyrar . On the way, they were attacked by a large flying creature. This large flying creature, was a dragon. A rare creature, that rarely showed itself. They came from the underworld, and came through usually locked gates, into the overworld. From there they would destroy small villages, until a knight took care of them.

After the attack, only a few of Kavin's captors remained. He could've easily escaped, and run away, but he decided to offer them his help in taking care of the dragon. They were suprised, but accepted nonetheless. Kavin went up to the mountains, were he encountered the dragon. He managed to trick it into returning to the underworld, before he locked the gates behind it. Despite meeting one of the most dangerous mythological creatures, he still remained a pacifist, and used his wits to defeat it.
After visiting every city in Noros, and preaching his faith, he was finally allowed home in 819. There he stayed for 2 years, while raising his daughter, Hilda. He settled down for a normal life, until he in 821 was approached by the Priests of Alikando. They told tales of the Eastern Tribes uniting under one heathen banner. The Faith believed that they should attempt to convert the new kingdom to the Faith of Alikando, which Kavin eagerly supported. As much as he wanted to stay with his daughter, he was certain that he could convert King Dengan , king of the united tribes.

The Great Religious Venture

The great religious venture, would unfortunatelly be the last venture Kavin embarked on. He arrived at the port of The Delta city of Enir Bas and intended on going through the south first, before he headed east. However, upon his arrival, he was banished from the south, and he had to go north. He entered Noros, and travelled around in the region, visiting many cities. He decided that he would go even further north, and visit the old legendary religious building of the Faith. The furthest he got, was Merkhron , before he finally headed south, towards Arephet , to then cross the mountains into the region of Eyrar. Immediately upon crossing the border, he was seized by a small military party from Eyrar. They beheaded all the guides from Arephet that he brought with him. He was then brought to Eyrar, and put in a cell. After two months, the news finally reached Noros and Icarsa. The countries didn't know what they could do, apart from demanding his release.

Due to the lack of action taken by their country, the people of Noros gathered together in an army, 10.000 strong. It crossed the border at Tybert , and was met by a 6 thousand strong army. The army was beaten, but the people's army suffered heavy casualties. Nevertheless, they continued east towards Eyrar, but were intercepted 60 kilometers north of Kromin , by a cavalry force, 1 thousand strong. The few thousand peasants were overrun, and all of them were killed or captured. Noros sent an ultimatum to King Dengan, demanding the release of the few survivors, or war would come. Dengan killed the captives. After a few days, Noros declared war on the tribes.

Death and Legacy

As response to the declaration of war, Kavin was publicly humiliated. He was stripped naked, and forced to walk from Eyrar to Salykan , while civilians would throw rocks and rotten food at him. When he arrived in Salykan, he was beheaded by King Dengan, after extensive torture. His death called Icarsa in on the war aswell, and the Great War began. The war would end up calling the rest of Thiva into it, and lay waste to the continent.
Apart from being remembered because of the war, he was also remembered for saving the North, culturally and religiously, aswell as introducing tons of reforms, and creating his own religion. But perhaps his greatest accomplishment, and what he is most remembered for, is being the father of Hilda, the Warrior of Icarsa, the legendary shieldmaiden. His life and death changed the world more than anyone else after him. It's possible he has had the biggest impact on the world, of anyone in the Third Age.

Descendants

FAMILY TREE NOT AVAILABLE

Kavin in Aacethian Mythology

Kavin is also mentioned in Aacethian Mythology, and holds the title of a lesser god. Nevertheless, in Aacethia, he is a warrior, a brave and gracious god, that cam down with his sword, and saved Rhuke and Thain. They claimed that he helped them in their battle, and fought side by side with them. Despite being a lesser god, he is the most beloved god. Apart from being a warrior god, he is also the god of destiny, and speechcracft.

Relationships

Kavin of the North

spouse

Towards Unknown

0

0

---

Unknown

spouse

Towards Kavin of the North

0

0

---

Date of Birth

76. of Spring

Life

783 AM 827 AM 44 years old

Circumstances of Death

He was imprisoned, humiliated in public, and then executed by the Glocians because he was a missionary of the Followers of Alikando

Spouses

Unknown (spouse)

Siblings

Children

• Hilda "The Warrior of Icarsa"

Gender

Male

Eyes

Light blue

Hair

Long, blond and slightly grey

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

White

Height

1.8 m

Weight

66 kg