Saul Paul Maul

Saul Paul Maul was a dwarf zealot barbarian best known as a member of the adventuring party Vox Solaris, and eventually the first high priest of Kotimism. He became one of the first core believers in Kotimi Behr’s divinity, after Kotimi supposedly resurrected Saul Paul’s daughter Breenera Maul after she died from the Black Bend.

### Early Life

Saul Paul Maul was born in Ragehammer in 272AE to a dwarven family historically associated with the Cult of Identity. Saul Paul’s father, Meriden, and his mother, Meredith, were both deacons in the small Ragehammer church of Identity, locally known for the zealousness. Being the only child, Saul Paul was raised with great expectations from the entire Maul family to become a holy man of Identity, a role Saul Paul took on with great enthusiasm. Eventually, Saul Paul became a pastor in training for the local church of Identity in Bloodhammer, where he was known to be an intensely religious man of venomous fervor. He would hold weekly protests in front of the Identiformer Clinics, harassing the employees and customers, and proclaiming Identity’s superiority over every other god.

### The Blindness

In 337AE, Saul Paul Maul was invited to Jonurian Point by the Moctar Church of Identity, who were hosting their annual week long religious training conference at the Shagol Convention Center. On his way to Jonurian Point by auto-wagon, however, Saul Paul experienced a blinding vision by an unknown divine force. His account states that, “[he] fell from his leather seat and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul Paul, your zealousness is commendable but your philosophy is despicable. You will meet a mortal in four days that will help you get on the right moral path, that you will stop persecuting the innocent and the weak. Until then, you will need help staying on the literal path because you’re now blind.”

When the vision finally faded, Saul Paul discovered that he had indeed gone blind, and had to rely on the assistance of locals and guards for three days to get to Jonurian Point. During those three days, Saul Paul took no food or water and spent his time in deep thought inside his auto-wagon.

When Saul Paul finally arrived at Jonurian Point by the fourth day, he stopped by the Crooked Wand tavern to catch his breath, and ran into Kotimi Behr and Goldern Pitchtilt there. When Kotimi saw Saul Paul, she laid her hand on him and said, “Brother Saul Paul, your misguided zealous pursuit of moral truth has sent you this way to me. Follow me, and set your straight and narrow path course toward a new direction of compassion and love.” With that, Saul Paul’s sight was restored, and he immediately pledged his allegiance to Kotimi, becoming the second member of her party.

### Vox Solaris

Due to the Torrid Terror in 338AE, the Vox Solaris remained in Jonurian Point and added the hobgoblin wizard Zol Andrer and the half-elf gunslinger Walril to their party during their stay. In 359AE, the party officially adopted the party name Vox Solaris when they were employed by the Jonurian Point government officials to kill the aberrations attacking the city domes.

Despite the civilians’ initial hesitancy to accept the former hateful zealot, Saul Paul Maul and the rest of the Vox Solaris were quickly elevated as heroes and protectors for their daring combat against the aberrations. Their popularity reached national levels in 391AE, when the Vox Solaris defeated the mutated Sun and brought regular temperatures back to Esterra.

### Post-Vox Solaris

After soaking in the fame, popularity, and love that rained downed on them for a good year after their defeating the Sun, the Vox Solaris amicably decided to retire from their aberration hunting days and focus on individual interests. Saul Paul Maul met his wife, Amelia Bedelia, in New Cresdale in 393AE, and decided to settle down in New Cresdale into a quiet, academic lifestyle. Saul Paul had his first and only child, Breenera Maul, in 395AE, and he immediately quit his jobs to become a househusband and care for his child. However, the childbirth took a health toll on Amelia, and she died of an unknown illness in 398AE.

After Amelia’s death, Kotimi moved to New Cresdale next door to Saul Paul to watch over the Maul family during their grief. During her stay, Kotimi grew very close to Breenera, with Breenera considering Kotimi as a second mother. In 402AE, Saul Paul Maul published his first nonfiction work, Come Back, Amelia Bedelia, a memoir mostly focused on his family. Initially the book was a national bestseller due to it being advertised by the Hilftek Publishing Press as a memoir about the Torrid Terror, but readership declined sharply once readers discovered that the Torrid Terror was but a footnote in the beginning of the memoir.

### The First Resurrection

In 404AE, while Saul Paul Maul was at the Dhantiya National Library working on his next book, Breenera suddenly came down with a violent a rapid case of the Black Bend, and died in her babysitter’s arms just as Saul Paul arrived back home. Inconsolable in his grief, Saul Paul tried to jump off the Vecktimest-Jonurian Bridge before he was stopped by Kotimi. Holding on to the dangling Saul Paul by the collar of his neck, slightly choking him, Kotimi told Saul Paul, “Why are you in so much grief, my friend? Your daughter is only sleeping, she will be up in good health very soon!”

With that Kotimi let Saul Paul back on the bridge, and sent him back home, where he had left his daughter’s body with the babysitter, who was also inconsolable. When Saul Paul came back home, he fell to his knees when he saw his daughter wandering around the house, munching on a tarobi jerky. He also found that the babysitter was dead with a shocked look on her face, but he was so enthralled in his joy that he lifted his daughter on his shoulders and ran outside, proclaiming that Kotimi resurrected his daughter.