Ascension of Hillen

A Tale of Sacrifice and Eternal Devotion

Silence! Let me tell the story our most holy Hillen and how he saved your worthless hides from eternal slavery. Pay attention to the story and recognise its purpose. Even useless lazy bums like you can achieve something if you're willing to work for it.

— Preacher Bert the Brazen

The Ascension of Hillen is the well-known legend of how Gilei Hillen, a poor follower of Aprēa, ascended to serve directly by his goddess' side as an eternal reward for his sacrifice in life. His heroic journey and sacrifice not only saved the free peoples of Lethea from slavery and death, but also spawned Hillenēq Hūril, a brand new branch of the Aprēan faith that exploded in popularity, its influece spreading far and wide across the continent.

Legend

Around two centuries after the start of the Invasion, a fisherman's daughter died whilst giving birth to a healthy son on lake Clēqhuap. The girl's father refused to feed the child that had killed his daughter, but the Kireseria of Setaik intervened and offered to take the child from him. The old man, still grieving his daughter, agreed without hesitation.
The clergy had become the newborn child's new family. They gave him the name Gilei and cared for him until his fourteenth birthday when the kireseria that had brought him in and saved him from his grandfather offered him an opportunity. He could leave and start his own life with a reasonable amount of money as a parting gift from the kirevassa, or he could stay and join their ranks officially. Hillen, although torn on the issue, ultimately decided to remain after mulling over his options for over a week.

Setaik in 608 BA by Midjourney

Preacher and Protector

After officially joining the clergy, Gilei Hillen started working side-by-side with his fellow preachers to spread the news of the Invasion, reporting on towns laid to waste, vailant heroes slaughtered in vain, and the dreadful horde that grew ever closer to their lands. Every week he saw hundreds of new refugees fleeing from the unending war, striking fear into the hearts of every man, woman, and child in town. He, like everyone else in Setaik, dreaded that the aberati-infested armies of their enemy—their forces cruel and eager for senseless death—would arrive sooner than expected.
On the night of his twenty-second birthday, Hillen contemplated his purpose in life next to the holy lake on which he was born. Though doubts had clouded his mind, a voice still spoke to him. Sweet and caring, the omnipresent voice comforted him, informing the young man of a cold and mountainous land far to the north where nestled between towering heights lied a small inconspicuous village, hidden from the dangers of the war. Images of a pitch-black rock flashed in his mind, and the voice encouraged him to do what he thought was right.

Gathering the Faithful

The next morning Hillen gathered around the bustling marketplace of Setaik. What had once been a vibrant place that smelled of spices, pastries, and perfumes, had been reduced to a crowded area for the refugees to inhabit in tiny tents and makeshift shacks. The preacher spoke to the foreigners who had come to his hometown, and in their eyes, he sensed fear and anger. He used their feelings to further his own goals by talking to them, turning them into faithful practitioners of Aprēaq Hūril. After several months he had gathered a force of loyal men and women who were ready to strike back and defend their freedom and faith.

Divine March

Hillen used his recruits to spread the news of what he called a Divine March, a great holy war to liberate the world from the enemies of mankind. Thousands flocked to his banner, but his actions gained the attention of his enemies who promptly renewed their invasion of the South Tellaiti. The marchers conducted raids and sabotaged their enemy's supply lines all while making their way further north, toward where Hillen believed the Lady of the Lake had directed him.
After years of fighting and surviving, Hillen's army had lost three-fourths of its manpower. Out of supplies and teetering on the edge of ruin, they conducted a plan to ambush the enemy on the outskirts of Athe, a small settlement hidden away in the mountains. While scouting the area, Hillen spotted a black rock the length of a sturdy oak tree and as wide as a typical well. Its edges were sharp and the top pointy. As he approached it, a loud horn echoed from whence he had come.

Sacrifice

The enemy had arrived far earlier than they'd estimated and all of Hillen's men were out of position. Recalling the voice that had led him down the path of courage and resistance, Hillen dashed toward the stone and dropped to his knees, begging Aprēa for guidance. Within moments a bright beam shot out of the top of the obelisk and merged into the vague shape of a human who offered a hand to Hillen.
He closed his eyes and placed his hand on hers as the echoes of the horns closed in. A sudden flash and a loud screech followed, vaporising the enemy, the marchers, and the landscape itself. As Hillen opened his eyes, he realised that his corporeal form had died in that blast, but the sacrifice had ensured the destruction of the aberati forces, bringing a decisive end to the war. Those few fortunate survivors were forever marred from the sights they witnessed—the pain their bodies endured.

Historical Basis

Most historians believe that Gilei Hillen was a real person but how historically accurate the rest of the legend is has remained a mystery. The date on which the explosion happened is considered inaccurate by most scholars as the mid-winter snow would have made Hillen's journey through the mountains nearly impossible.
The explosion itself did happen. Witnesses, many who claimed to be scouts from the army, spoke about the event. The bright beam and high pitched screeching that occurred right before the blast had left all witnesses blinded and severely disfigured. Whatever happened had corrupted their minds, and all of their tales had a different ending.
The black obelisk is also real, but the explosion had damaged it, and by now only a small chunk of the bottom remained. Years after the explosion, a massive Kiretaev was built on top of the stone to protect it from the elements.

Gilei Hillen by Midjourney

Date of First Recording

1 AA

Date of Setting

0 BA

Related Species

• Aberati
• Human

Related Locations

• Athe
• Lake Clēqhuap

Related People

• Gilei Hillen

Survivors and the Schism

After Hillen's death and ascension, the scouts who had survived the event began spreading the tale and what Hillen had taught them on the long march to Athe. Many of the free peoples of southern Lethea felt gratitude toward the man and freely accepted his version of Aprēanism.
Hillen's ideas were more militarist and slightly more conservative than what normal Aprēanists believed. Not only did he advocate for holy wars to spread the faith to the heathens, but he also said that there should be a single head of the religion who could lead the Kiretiati of Lethea.
Four years after the explosion at Athe a group of devout followers of Hillen's teachings met the Kireseria of Setaik and demanded her to accept the role of the entire religion's leader and Aprēa's representative in the land of the living. She refused, denounced Hillen's heretical beliefs, and banned the Hillenist from the Setaik's Kirevassa, causing the first Aprēanist schism.

Victory and Rebirth

Victory Day is on the 1st day of the year and its for celebrating the end of the year and the start of the new one. Victory Day is focused more on the soldiers who died in the explosion at Athe.
Rebirth Day happens a few days after Victory Day, and it serves a similar focus but unlike the previous holiday, its about remembering the deeds of Gilei Hillen.