Metellus Arciatus

Metellus (born 'Metellus Arciatus') is the High Priest of Palaven and head of the Council of Clerics. Unlike many of his peers, Metellus was not born into one of the prestigious Old Military Families. Through years of hard work and dedication to his duty, he managed to rise to the rank of High Priest, the highest religious rank in the empire.

Born in Aventinus, Palaven's second-largest city, he was the turian equivalent of a commoner. His mother was a member of the Merchant Marine, transporting essential supplies to the colonies, while his father worked in an Armax Arsenal munitions factory, manufacturing weapons for the turian military. He received a standard state education and graduated from Bootcamp with average scores. He served the state by becoming a nurse.

The Reaper War fundamentally changed Metellus as a person. His mother's ship, which was transporting military supplies to bolster the front line, was destroyed in a reaper attack. His father was killed when the reapers began targeting Palaven's military installations, wiping them off the map with orbital bombardments. Metellus was tending to injured civilians and assisting in the evacuation of Aventinus when he was informed of his parents' deaths. He instinctively repressed his emotions for the sake of his duty. Only after he was lifted off-world did he allow himself to finally grieve.

He was transferred to the medical ship THV Asclepia, where he began assisting as a triage nurse. Having worked all his adult life in a civilian hospital, Metellus psychologically struggled with many of the cases he was asked to treat aboard the military vessel. The injuries he encountered were often horrific and the chances of survival were extremely slim. Several times his patients died before he could properly assess them, leaving Metellus feeling empty and inadequate. The final straw came when a sixteen-year-old boy, fresh out of Bootcamp, died in his arms, bleeding out from shrapnel injuries. Watching him die broke Metellus and he finally snapped.

Granted medical discharge by his superiors, Metellus went from being a staff member to a patient. He began receiving anti-depressant medication and psychological intervention but proved to be a difficult patient, having developed a nihilist outlook on life. Death on such a colossal scale had forever changed him. He felt like his efforts to save lives had been utterly futile, as the people he patched up had often been killed by reaper forces anyway, despite all he had done. In the face of death he crumbled, giving up the fight for survival and wishing for death to take him.

It was the intervention of the ship's priest that began to bring Metellus back from the brink. A kindly man who reminded Metellus of his father, he managed to create a connection with Metellus and encouraged him to open up about his trauma. Metellus broke down, recounting the events of the past several months; the deaths of his parents, the destruction of his home city, and the stress of treating civilians and soldiers alike whom he knew he could not save. But the most pressing issue was that of perceived failure; Metellus felt like he had failed those who had died in his care. It was the priest who showed him that he had given them a great gift: the gift of compassion in their final moments of life, making their spirit's departure from their mortal bodies more peaceful. He also reminded Metellus that death was not the end and that those spirits would forever honour his name in Eternity.

After the war, Metellus quit the medical profession and entered the priesthood, surrendering his family name of Arciatus upon taking his vows. True to his vows, he took no wife and fathered no children, dedicating himself entirely to the dead. He soon garnered a reputation for having a soothing presence and specialised in the spiritual nourishment of people receiving palliative care. Having learned from his past, Metellus chose not to focus on the person's mortal loss but rather their spiritual transition, with death as a doorway and an end to their suffering.

Metellus anointed Fidellion Victus as Primarch of Palaven following the slaying of Antraxes. Metellus initially declared for Achaeus Corinthus but changed his mind after hearing Achaeus' speech on why Fidellion should rule instead. He supported Fidellion's legal reforms, which aimed to protect Aurelion's laws of succession and increase the severity of the punishment for those who commit murder for meritocratic advancement. He also supported the creation of the Succession Council, which consists of the primarchs, the high priests and preeminent lawyers whose specialise in succession law, the purpose of which is to verify the successions rights of the next-in-line following the death of a primarch.

Metellus would have a close relationship with Marcia, Fidellion's second wife, and their son, Gaius, acting as a spiritual counsellor for both mother and son. He attempted to mentor Gaius, teaching the boy that martial strength was not the only means by which to measure a person's character and encouraging him to focus on what he could do rather that what he could not. Gaius however struggled to accept his lessons, still unable to accept who he was. Despite this, he still very much enjoyed Metellus' company and spent a lot of time with him.