Akarat was an ascetic from Xiansai. It was he who would develop the faith that would give rise to the Zakarum church.
By all accounts, Akarat was kind, generous, and unassuming, and exuded selflessness and compassion.[1] He believed human existence was unique, and that humans had the power to overcome darkness using a special light within them.[2]
Biography[]
Akarat was born on Xiansai, though his mother originated from Nahantu. She spoke about the inner conflict between the angelic and demonic sides of humanity.[2] Akarat's mother and many others from Nahantu had fled their homeland due to Mephisto's Hatred corrupting the land.[3]
Akarat's childhood friend was Ysevete, who was also the child of a Nahantu refugee, and the two were bonded like sister and brother.[3] When Akarat left Xiansai, Ysevete went with him and became his first disciple, or Dedicant, and remained with him throughout his travels.[3]
The Coming of Yaerius[]
- Excerpt from a mystic’s account of the life of Akarat(src)
According to historical accounts, Akarat was a wandering ascetic from Xiansai. Having become disillusioned with society and its incessant conflicts, he joined the ranks of a humble meditative order that sought enlightenment and peace. One night, while deep in meditation, he envisioned a spectacular flash of light and energy cascading across the sky.[1] According to most accounts, this was the coming of an angel named Yaerius,[4] or "son of light" in Akarat's native language.[1] It is said that Yaerius revealed to Akarat the tenets of what was to become the Zakarum faith. These teachings stressed the necessity of resisting all things evil, and embracing, with total devotion, the Light. The angel appointed Akarat to be the prophet of these new teachings, and bade him take the word to the people of all lands.[4]
A theory postulated by Deckard Cain diverged from this account however. He believed that Akarat had instead seen an echo of Uldyssian's sacrifice at the end of the Sin War, as there had been reports of mystics with similar experiences. Thus he theorized that while in meditation, Akarat had seen the same phenomenon and attributed it to a being named Yaerius, which meant "Son of Light" in his native language.[1] Whatever the truth behind the matter, Akarat came from the experience with a belief that humans were powerful vessels of light, and that all should seek their "inner light" in order to live good lives.[5]
Word of the Prophet[]
Akarat and his acolytes
Moved by what he'd seen, Akarat set out on a grand journey to the cities of Kehjistan, intent on enlightening his fellow men about the divine Light he claimed existed within everyone.[1] Harkening back to the teachings of his mother, he claimed that human existence was unique, and that humans had the power to overcome darkness by using their inner Light.[2] He claimed that his words were not new, that the Ancients had also embraced the Light.[6] He travelled all across Sanctuary spreading his beliefs,[2] and over time, a number of local disciples flocked to his side.[1]
When Akarat Came to Nahantu[]
Akarat pierces the veil
Akarat vowed to one day return to his mother’s homeland, and he was accompanied by four of his Dedicants: Ysevete, Adavin, Istabela, and Guilla.[3] They found Nahantu to be a land infected by Hatred.[3] Seeds of Hatred had corrupted the lush rainforests and fruitful fields, even the animals had turned wild and ravenous.[3]
The choking miasma of the hostile jungle made the Dedicants hesitant to enter, but Akarat strode forth bare-foot through the poisonous swamps to embolden them. He instructed them to reach for the Light within themselves and look for the Light within Nahantu, which they found wanting to flow much like a great river, but it was effectively being strangled and dammed by corruption. Akarat and Ysevete sensed something else, the Spirit Realm, though they did not know what it was.[3] Akarat thought the two of them perhaps had a deeper connection to the land because his mother and Ysevete's father were from Nahantu.[3]
On their first night in Nahantu, Akarat and his disciples were attacked by hellish rodents, and before they could be overwhelmed an Umbaru warrior named Tusega arrived to help.[3] After the rodents fled, Tusega interrogated Akarat at spearpoint and, satisfied that they were not evil, told them that he had been seeking his brother, who had traveled to a nearby village but not returned yet.[3] Ysevete volunteered to help, and Tusega was convinced they were sincere.[3]
Tusega revealed that the rodents used to be peaceful creatures but they had been twisted by Seeds of Hatred.[3] This troubled Akarat, and he realized that his great and final enemy would be the origin of this corruption: Mephisto.[3] Akarat believed that the Light had guided him to Tusega, and that it had also brought Tusega to Akarat, and they stayed the night at Tusega's village.[3]
At daybreak, the party set forth, with Tusega sharing his survival skills so they could better traverse the jungle. Tusega was asked why he stayed in Nahantu, and he said it was because he could still feel the spirit of the land, and Akarat said that he too could feel the spirit, though he was not sure what it was other than it likely was not the Light.[3] They came upon an isolated homestead and found a scene of horror; Tusega's brother had been butchered while defending the family that lived there.[3] After helping Tusega prepare to lay the fallen to rest, Akarat invited him to join them in their quest to cleanse Nahantu of corruption.[3]
Tusega was skeptical that Akarat had the power to stand against the Hatred, but agreed to lead them to one of the Seeds of Hatred.[3] Akarat and his disciples channeled the Light onto the Seed and not even its great evil could withstand their strength and it was destroyed.[3] Tusega immediately became Akarat's Fifth Dedicant upon witnessing this feat, and the group began hunting down Seeds of Hatreds to purge.[3]
News of the miracle that was happening in Nahantu spread to Caldeum, and a young merchant named Jualin headed south in search of trade. When Jualin learned of Akarat, he immediately sought him out.[3] Through the Light, Akarat could tell that Jualin was like a caged bird, and he laid his hands upon Jualin to show him the Light and provide the key to his own cage.[3] After finding the Light and seeing the world anew, Jualin became the Sixth Dedicant, and the youngest of the disciples.[3]
Akarat and the Dedicants were able to heal and cleanse Nahantu and restored the land back to the way Tusega had heard of it in the old stories.[3] Despite this progress, Akarat's heart sat ill at ease as he knew such a great evil would not be easily vanquished.[3]
Akarat believed that he and his disciples still had much to learn from Nahantu, and that the Light would guide them.[3] Akarat silenced the doubts that crossed his Dedicants' minds, and they began fasting for eight days while listening to the Light within them.[3] On the ninth day they set out into the jungle, with an upwelling of spirit guiding them, until they arrived at a glade which was not on any maps, and was later known to Spiritborn as Nahantu's Gift.[3]
After much contemplation, Akarat discovered a veil between the Spirit Realm and Sanctuary, a realm uninfluenced by angels and demons. It had been with him since he arrived in Nahantu, but had been hidden until he was ready to see it.[3] Akarat became the first mortal to cross the border into the Spirit Realm, within he found a land that was not a land, a place that was nowhere and everywhere.[3] The Spirit Realm was populated with animals, plants, and all manner of beings, some looked familiar, while others had stretched beyond the bounds of their earthly forms.[3] Awestruck, Akarat wandered into the Spirit Realm until he realized he may not be able to leave, but the Light guided him back to Nahantu.[3]
The Dedicants struggled to comprehend what Akarat described, and began asking him questions about the origin of the Spirit Realm.[3] Akarat believed it was part of Sanctuary, bound together while also being distinct from each other. He did not know for certain when it may have been formed but he knew that it was ancient, and not without danger.[3]
Akarat began teaching the Dedicants how to travel into the Spirit Realm, and they then spent days exploring this strange new land, with the knowledge they learned becoming the origin of the Spiritborn.[3] While they had their attention elsewhere, the Hatred had begun to reinfect Nahantu and Seeds of Hatred began to regrow.[3]
Akarat and the Wolf[]
Akarat had wondered why the Light had brought him to the Spirit Realm, and over time he had conversed with the powerful beings who guarded the Spirit Realm. One day, a spirit guardian named Ah Buran delivered a warning to Akarat and told him that Nahantu was being corrupted again and that the only way to stop the Seeds of Hatred would be to destroy their maker.[3] Akarat knew then what he must do for his final tasks on Sanctuary, though he kept this knowledge from his disciples.[3]
Akarat instructed the Dedicants to begin construction on the Vault of Light[7]. It would be a bastion that was simultaneously in both Nahantu and the Spirit Realm.[3] The Vault of Light would serve as a place where those who sought the Light would find protection, peace, and safety from all evil.[3]
On the eve before the Vault's completion, Akarat gathered his disciples for a celebration, and they all let the Light flow through them as they sang and danced.[3] Akarat delivered a speech known as the Valediction of Akarat, in which he spoke against Hatred and reminded his followers that the Light was within all of them, and even if they were parted from him they would still be together through the Light.[3] This speech left Ysevete unsettled, and she watched over him that night out of concern that he was going to be leaving them.[3]
Akarat left before dawn, with Ysevete following discretely, and headed out into the jungles.[3] Akarat used the Light to purge Seeds of Hatred wherever he could find them, and healed the wildlife that tried to attack him. Ysevete remained hidden, to her shame, but would have helped Akarat if he had needed it.[3]
Deep within the jungle, the corruption was stronger and the Hatred was so vile that Ysevete nearly fled in fear, but the Light gave her strength.[3] Akarat headed into a cave of darkness which Ysevete knew contained the source of corruption, she had never felt an evil so powerful, and she feared for Akarat's life.[3]
Within the cave Akarat met the Bloodied Wolf, an avatar of Mephisto, the Lord of Hatred.[3] When the Wolf spoke, it caused so much agony for Ysevete that she was paralyzed, though she felt an even greater pain that she wasn't standing besides Akarat.[3] Some would later believe that the Light itself had kept Ysevete back so that she could witness Akarat's sacrifice.[3]
The very land of Nahantu trembled as Akarat and the Wolf battled; trees fell, rivers changed their courses, while animals cried out in a terrifying cacophony.[3] Akarat fought hard, but he was but a mortal while his foe was deathless, and so as the battle wore on, and he felt his strength ebbing, Akarat chose to end the battle in his own fashion rather than risk the evil going undefeated.[3] Akarart lured the Wolf to bite him, and after it had sunk its teeth into him he trapped it in an embrace from which it could not escape.[3] Akarat unleashed the Light from within himself, which poured over the Wolf in an unforgiving splendor, as if the sun itself had left the sky and appeared within the cave.[3]
The Light burned the Wolf, searing away the flesh and fur and charring the bones. The Wolf had never known such pain, nor such fear, and when Akarat's strength waned the demon Wolf fled deep into the caves until returning to the Burning Hells.[3] The Wolf would remember what happened there in the cave, and this memory led to a festering hatred of Akarat and Nahantu.[3]
Ysevete rushed forward and took the dying Akarat into her arms. He gazed up at the face of his beloved friend and smiled in joy, a smile that remained on his lips even after death.[3]
Ysevete carried Akarat's body back to the Vault of Light.[3] She and the other Dedicants were overwhelmed with grief and a sense of failure. They questioned how best they could honor Akarat's legacy, and Ysevete was enraged when Guilla and Jualin proposed writing scriptures to bring Akarat's teachings around the world.[3] Tusega suggested that they could mimic the old stories of Nahantu, which had been passed down from generation to generation, and Jualin proposed placing the teachings into stories, fables, songs, and art.[3] This too displeased Ysevete, as she believed there was nothing other than the Light which would be resistant to Hatred, but with all the other Dedicants against her she put aside the conflict so that they could see to Akarat's burial.[3]
Dawn of the Spiritborn[]
When it was time for Akarat to make his final crossing into the Spirit Realm, it would be under the watch of his devoted followers. Ysevete had decided that they should entomb Akarat within the Vault of Light, where his body would be safe from any who would try to desecrate it.[3] The Dedicants brought his body into the Spirit Realm, and finished constructing the Vault of Light around him.[3] Istabela protected the tomb with wards and spells to guard it.[3] Ysevete was the last to leave, after spending much time alone in sorrow.[3] The tomb was sealed and Akarat's body remained safe in the Vault of Light, beyond the reach of corruption and decay.[3]
Back in Nahantu, Ysevete's cries of sorrow would reach the Spirit Realm and were met with support from the spirits. Ysevete, also originally from Nahantu, would go on to form the basis for the Spiritborn culture using the tenets she and Akarat created.[2]
Legacy[]
- Elder Owen(src)
A possible carving of Akarat
Akarat was one of the most important figures in the history of Sanctuary.[7] However, outside his circle of acolytes, Akarat's fate was unclear—all that was known was that he had disappeared in the jungles of Kehjistan (of which Nahantu was then part of).[8] Some say that his tomb was located in the Vault of Light.[7]
While Akarat's teachings had left their mark, they would flounder in obscurity for a millennium. It was not until Emperor Tassara's codification of the Zakarum faith that it became an actual church, and subsequently, the dominant religious force on Sanctuary.[8] Shortly afterwards, when the Sons of Rakkis were sent to bring the Light to the West, the Crusaders traveled east on what was rumored to be the path Akarat took before his disappearance.[5] People may pray to Akarat at times,[9] along with giving thanks.[10]
Zebulon I claimed to have received visions from Akarat when he initiated his reform of the Zakarum faith.[8]
The Paladin Akarat was named after the ascetic.[11]
Even thousands of years later, the Spiritborn continued to operate in Nahantu, using the tenets Akarat and Ysevete had created.[2] The Zakarum Remnants similarly remained dedicated to Akarat.[12]
In-game[]
In Diablo III, several Legendary items bear Akarat's name, including the Relic of Akarat Templar Relic and the Akarat's Awakening Crusader Shield. The Akarat's Champion ability also exists.
Trivia[]
- Akarat appears to be a pastiche of real-world religious figures within Abrahamic faiths.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Book of Cain
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2024-7-18; AWAKEN THE FEROCITY OF A NEW CLASS: SPIRITBORN. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2024-7-18
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 3.33 3.34 3.35 3.36 3.37 3.38 3.39 3.40 3.41 3.42 3.43 3.44 3.45 3.46 3.47 3.48 3.49 3.50 3.51 3.52 3.53 3.54 3.55 3.56 3.57 3.58 3.59 3.60 3.61 3.62 3.63 3.64 3.65 When Akarat Came to Nahantu
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Zakarum Zealot, The Arreat Summit. Accessed on 2013-09-27
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 2014-03-11, The History Behind the Crusade. Diablo Fans, accessed on 2014-06-30
- ↑ Diablo III, Fanaticism
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 2024-09-18, Diablo IV | Vessel of Hatred | The Next Chapter. YouTube, accessed on 2024-09-18
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Book of Tyrael
- ↑ Hatred and Discipline
- ↑ Diablo Immortal, Ashwold Cemetery
- ↑ The Order
- ↑ 2024-10-03, Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Developer stream — Everything new in Season of Hatred Rising: A returning enemy from Diablo 3, a new Loot Goblin, class changes, and more. Windows Central, accessed on 2024-10-03