View source for The History of the Temple

== Chronology of the Temple ==

*''571'' : Revelation of Arcavius
*''572'' : Meeting between Heïan and Arcavius
*''573'' : First battle of Arcavia, foundation of Akkylannie
*''575'' : First battle of Carthag-Fero
*''585'' : Battle of the Last Raiders and pacification of Akkylannie. Foundation of the Order of the Temple
*''602'' : Foundation of the actual Temple of the North
*''675'' : First battle of Kaïber
*''676'' : Heresy of Dirz, foundation of the Inquisition
*''677'' : First crusade
*''679'' : Battle of Dawn
*''680'' : Foundation of the actual Temple of the South
*''710'' : Foundation of the actual Temple of the West
*''994'' : Second crusade
*''995'' : Foundation of the actual Temple of the East Battle of the Marauders
*''998'' : Sack of Kylaë
*''1000'' : Battle of the Old Wall
*''1003'' : Shurat lands in Akkylannie
*''1004'' : Battle of the Ivory Dunes
*''1004'' : Battle of the Mourners Gorge
*''1004'' : Battle of the Temple of the South, fall of the Temple of the East
*''1005'' : Battle of Arcavia
*''1007'' : Return of Arkhos
*''1008'' : The Black Day
*''1009'' : Battle of the Braziers


== The prophet Arcavius ==

The history of Aarklash begins in Barhan territory, in the
barony of Laverne, a century and a half after the foundation
of the Kingdom of Alahan. Arcavius de Sabran was already a
middle-aged man. He was a famous baron who had managed
to finish building the fortresses north of Alahan, thanks to his
military skills and leadership qualities. Yet he aspired to some
peace at last, and felt his world was about to change, without
knowing exactly how.
One evening, after a meeting with other barons, Arcavius
took his time to wander through the forest. Th ere an angel of
fire appeared before him and spoke: “You are the chosen one,
you have been chosen by Merin. You have inherited His conscience; may it be your reward and your burden.”
Th e angel then revealed many secrets concerning Creation
and Aarklash in particular. After this encounter with the god’s
envoy, Arcavius became an Incarnate.
Shaken by these events, he made it back to his castle. For
a whole week, he checked the scriptures of any human civilization that shared the ideal of the Ways of Light, as well as
the work of the scientists of Tir-Nâ-Bor, to verify the igneous
angel’s words. On the seventh day, he gained the certainty that
the angel had spoken the truth. Arcavius had to admit that all
these cults shared similarities that could only be explained in
one way: these peoples had been in fact worshiping a single
god, Merin, under diff erent names. Confi rmed in his quest,
Arcavius was rewarded by Merin and experienced his second Incarnation. Aware of his role and his responsibility, he
realized the task lying in front of him: unifying the diff erent
peoples into one faith, belief in Merin.
Th at day Arcavius made a great public speech. He shared
the revelations of the angel concerning the genesis of
Creation by Merin. He invited the crowd to follow him for
the glory of the One God: only those who prayed to Him
would be allowed into the new Creation. Some servants followed Arcavius, and with them Jen, his faithful squire, Ze-
lios, his best friend, Karl, his chamberlain, and Honorinus,
his eldest son. Neither the supplications of his family, nor his
lordship could prevent Arcavius
from leaving. Th e prophet and his
entourage became beggars and
pilgrims that exact same day.
Arcavius’ journey, “the march
of the blazing”, led the pilgrims
across Alahan. Piece by piece,
Arcavius sold his knight’s armor
to pay for his journey and he purchased a book to write down the
revelations of the angel of fi re: the
Codex of Merin.
Along his voyage Arcavius rallied many Barhans to his cause.
After only a few months his disciples already numbered in the
thousands. Arcavius reached the
gates of the capital of Alahan in
Kallienne. He was arrested and
imprisoned by Baron Kelgar de
Kallienne. However, after reading
the
Codex of Merin
, the baron
appealed to King Heïan to meet
Arcavius to allow him to plead
his cause. Arcavius spoke for
hours with the king. An angel of
Light then intervened to give its
divine blessing to Arcavius’ quest.
Convinced by the angel’s appearance, the king freed the prophet
and gave him somewhere to settle with his followers. He offered
lands abandoned by the crown, including the Akhylahn Mountains and the land beyond.
Arcavius took to the road again. A new follower had joined
him: Kelgar of Kallienne.
The pilgrims left for the peninsula beyond the Akhylahn
mountains. Halfway there, Arcavius entrusted Jen with the
conduct of the convoy while he followed another road alone,
to meditate. He could feel the end of the journey approaching
and was realizing that the fate of his followers was about to
be sealed. Soon they would no longer be simple pilgrims, but
the founders of a new society. Although Arcavius was ready to
become their spiritual leader, he did not wish to be in charge
of their worldly lives. With doubt gnawing at his soul, he wandered aimlessly for over a day and a half, until he reached a
riverside where he met a fabulous creature: a griffin. The hawk
eyes of the half-bird half-lion beast scrutinized him for a while
before it eventually took off . Everything became clear in Arcavius’ mind. Just like the griffin, Arcavius’ new nation was
to combine the strength of the lion and the vigilance of the
bird of prey: a strong secular leader and a vigilant spiritual
guide. He tore his Elixir in half: the Fire of Merin and the Eye
of Merin. Only a few instants after this terrible trial Arcavius
was found by Honorius who had followed him from a safe distance. Thanks to the Eye of Merin Arcavius knew his son was
worthy of the Fire of Merin and gave it to him.