Aine (r)

Aine was a human peasant that lived during the middle of the The Cruel Age. While his beginnings were humble, his life and death lead to the formation of the most prominent human religions in the world -- and subsequently, the first case of human ascension.   He is now the hero-God of mankind, with representation in several different religions across Tregaron.

History

During the Cruel Age, Aine and thousands of other humans lived through terrible times. Warfare was daily, Kingdoms rose and fell to prominance, and stability wasn't possible thanks to the rampant lawlessness brought by the mercenaries that preyed and profited from this hostile landscape. Aine, like so many others, saw these wars as terrible; they witnessed the other races, like the Elves, living harmoniously and whole despite their separate clans. In Aine's eyes, humans were killing their fellow brothers and sisters at the whims of monarchs that had little interest in actually aiding their fellow men.

The Peasant Parade

Aine lead the Peasant Parade; a famous protesting march where he gathered peasantry from across the borders with the intention of uniting mankind under one banner. He wished to see a day where humans could live in peace and prosperity with each other. After leaving his homeland, Aine gathered peasants, commoners, mercenaries, and even soldiers and Knights that dedicated themselves to his cause. Monarchs often called him the wandering kingdom from the support he rallied.   Monarchs were not fond of Aine at the time; while a few smaller fiefdoms have sworn fealty to him in hopes of seeing the world prosper under a unified kingdom, many others saw him as a threat to their power.   This culminated in his martyrdom in what is now Ignan.

Martyrdom

After five long years of marching around Tregaron, Aine was captured and forced to sit on a chair of hot nails and bore a crown of spikes in front of his followers. There, he continued to preach his faith despite the spikes cracking past his skull. Some faithful believe that his preaching continued even long after the spikes dug into his brains.   His Martyrdom lead to the rise of the most prominent faith in the world; Aine was ascended into a hero-god, and the sheer faith given to him lead to a strong foundation for Miracles.   The remaining Kingdoms all eventually fell with time until the last remaining vestiges were three great Kingdoms that remained devoted to Aine;   Mordencrast was always fiercely loyal to Aine and had secured itself long before Aine had even begun his parade.   Villish Warrior-Kings were incensed after hearing of his death, and campaigned across the north in his name.   The Vanks rose to prominance following a revolution after Aine's martyrdom; they dragged the despot responsible for Aine's death to the streets, where they beat, battered, and broke him on a wheel until he and his supporters were all paraded on high stakes through the streets of Ignan.

Worship

Worship of Aine is a very common practice across all humans; however, his faiths differ based on different kingdoms. All humans universally accept that Aine was a hero that helped rally and unite mankind under a new era to live free and prosper under the safety of their homes. He was the greatest mercy the Cruel Age offered; an end to it.