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.
That 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, Zelios, 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 fire: 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. Arcavius and Honorius returned to the convoy and guided
their “people” towards the peninsula. When Arcavius told of
his encounter with the griffin, his followers saw it as a good
omen. Adopting this symbol, they painted griffins on their
shields and standards. The travelers they met soon came to
call them the “Griffins”. An army of legend was born!

== The Land of the Sun ==

When the Griffi ns arrived in the peninsula they discovered
that it was still wild and wider than the Barhan texts had indicated. It was inhabited by many warlike factions: human
clans, greedy goblin colonies or adventurous dwarven trading
posts. At fi rst Arcavius and his followers simply avoided the
most warlike bands and traded with the most peaceful, such
as the dwarves. However, by avoiding any kind of confl ict, the
Griffi ns never found anywhere to settle. They carried on journeying to the north of the peninsula, hoping to fi nd a more
welcoming land there.
Arcavius’ followers discovered a region of fertile plains and
wide forests, irrigated by a majestic river. Under the orders of
Honorius they built their town there and began erecting the
first fortifi cations in the forest by the riverside. Unfortunately,
the goblin raiders operating in the area did not appreciate seeing such a stronghold being built on their territory. Only
days after the Griffi ns had settled the goblins struck
the community hard. But the Griffi ns were determined and united by their faith. Not one of them
stood down: this land would be the cradle of their
nation...or its grave. Th e battle for the future
Arcavia sealed the sense of belonging that
still unites the people of Akkylannie
Through this victory the Griffi ns earned the
respect of the neighboring communities. They
were then able to found their first town, which
was called Arcavia in honor of their prophet.
They built the first temple of Merin and finished the fortifications. The day of the first official mass Arcavius had a vision and locked himself away to meditate. When he
came back among his people, he showed them maps and technical drawings of fabulous inventions: Merin had sent him the tools
to make Arcavia the most prosperous city on Aarklash!
Thanks to these inventions Arcavia prospered. The Griffins thrived and extended their influence, even if it sometimes
meant having to take to the battlefield. They converted a
great number of humans and dwarves living in the area. Soon
they had become so many that some of them set out towards
the north of the peninsula, following the trails used by the
dwarven settlers only years before.
On the northern coast of the peninsula they found more
dwarves. They tried to convert them, but the only answer
they were given by these dwarves was the sharp edge of
their blades. At dawn, after some fierce fighting, the faithful of Merin were the only ones left alive. They seized
control of the site and founded their second city: Carthag-Fero.

{{encadré texte|align=left|width=400px|texte='''575, site of the future Carthag-Fero (province of Carthag-
Fero)'''

On the evening of the Griffins’ arrival the dwarven settlers gathered and discussed how to welcome their new neighbors. Soon
tension rose in the small community. Some Griffins tried to step
in to ease the fears of the dwarves, but it only made things worse.
The dwarves and the Griffins started scuffling and soon weapons
were unsheathed. Within minutes, the small community sank into
war.
Following Honorius’ example during the Battle of Arcavia, the
Griffins regrouped and closed off the streets to channel the aggressors and eliminate them one by one. The losses were heavy on
both sides, due to dwarven stubbornness, and no-one was willing
to negotiate anymore. The Griffins massacred their enemies..|légende=THE FIRST BATTLE OF CARTHAG-FERO}}