Saint Aratar the Shattered

Saint Aratar the Shattered, 438 - 495 AS, is the founding figure of the High Path, one of the dominant religions of the western world, and thus one of the most influential historical figures of the region.
== Life ==
Aratar was born to the family of a shipwright in Deici in 438 AS. He was expected to learn this trade and eventually take over the family business when his father passed away or retired. During this early part of his life, Aratar was quite enamored of the trade and of the city, of life near the sea.
In his young adulthood he married a woman of similar social rank to himself, and found himself quite happy. Life itself was all he wanted--a loving wife, followed soon by children; the satisfaction he gained from his work; the beauty of the sea and the rolling lands of the island.
All of this was to change--in 472 AS his wife was stricken suddenly with illness, presumably brought to Deici by traders from other lands. While this plague was quickly contained, Aratar's wife and two children were quarantined, along with others so afflicted, to prevent any further spread. Tragically, his wife and children did not survive the illness, and Aratar was broken, inconsolable. In his grief he could no longer apply himself to his work, he found no joy in life, and chose to leave the city and wander the island, desperate for solitude and some kind of relief from his pain. He wandered as a beggar, asking for and taking no money, and nothing save the clothing on his back.
In 474 AS he took the road from Deren towards the slopes of Mount Tahir, in the central region of Deici. In the evening he set himself to sleep for the night, unaware that the region was currently being plagued by a party of bandits, making their living through robbing travelers. They soon found the wandering Aratar, being initially willing to leave him be, as he clearly had nothing of value. However one of them was a former dock worker from Deici, and recognized the man, and knew the wealth of his family. This was enough for the bandits, who decided to take him hostage and hold him for ransom. Angry, Aratar grabbed his walking stick and attacked the nearest man, cracking his jaw with a mighty swing, then turned towards the second. He was no match for them, and was beaten severely.
He awoke abandoned on the site of the road--bloody, wounded, barely alive; his attackers, assuming they'd killed him, had fled. Slowly, he crawled into the wider grassy plain at the feet of the mountain, having finally given up, and welcoming death as release from the pain of the world. 
It was not to be--as he laid beneath the sun, he heard a voice call his name, and opened his eyes to see a brilliant figure made of light, vaguely human in form, calling to him, telling him to live, to heal, to be. The vision faded, and he found a small spring had bubbled up from the ground beside him, bringing him water. He fell into slumber, only to awake the next day to find a small pile of berries and nuts beside him, the birds and mice of the field bringing them to him. Slowly he gained a little strength. Each day, he gained a little more, and every few days the figure from his vision returned, instructing him, encouraging him, guiding him. He was given the central knowledge of the High Path, showed how each person has a path through life, and can align with it to achieve growth, happiness, and peace. And through this, over weeks and then months, Aratar found his own healing and peace.
Following his revelations from the One, Aratar began to wander through Deici to spread his teachings and preach the Path the One had taught him. His first such journey took him to Alando, Belgarn, and Rassos. His second began in Alando as well, and accompanied by a growing group of followers he traveled tot he west of the island, to Malisi and Ilyin. Marith, a future saint of the faith, was among those who followed him on this journey. Among his teachings was that of sainthood--that a person who lead an exemplary life and achieved perfection of purpose, would become in death a maged, a saint, who would become a touchstone for others whose purpose aligned in whole or in part with theirs.
By the end of his life Aratar had spread his faith throughout Deici, where the island's inhabitants adopted it vigorously. He passed away at the small home he had constructed at the foot of Mount Tahir, on 7 High Sun, 495 AS, and was buried there by his followers, on the site that is now the Pearl Spire.
Category:High Path
Category:Magedar
Category:Deici
Category:Deician people
Category:Historical Figures