Saint Aurian
Long before he became one of the most beloved saints of the Divine Empire, Aurian was simply a priest of Pelor and one of the original companions of Emperor Innocence. When Innocence gathered those who would challenge the tyranny of the Mad Emperor Kaegor XIII, Aurian was amongst the very first to answer his call. Beside them stood Orlan Decolay, Priestess of Lastai, together with a small fellowship of warriors, priests, and loyal companions whose names have since become woven into Imperial legend. Though they came from different backgrounds and worshipped different gods, they were united by a common belief that the Empire could be redeemed rather than destroyed.
Aurian was never the greatest swordsman amongst them, nor the most celebrated commander. His strength lay elsewhere. Wherever Innocence's company travelled, Aurian tended the sick, comforted refugees, buried the dead, and reminded even the hardest soldiers of the ideals for which they fought. He carried both a mace and a healer's satchel, believing that whilst evil sometimes had to be opposed by force, every life preserved was a victory greater than one won through bloodshed alone. Throughout the Civil War he became renowned for refusing to distinguish between friend and foe once battle had ended. Any wounded soul who came within his reach received the same care, whether Imperial loyalist, rebel, or innocent civilian. Many commanders found this unsettling, yet Emperor Innocence defended Aurian's actions, declaring that mercy shown after battle was the truest measure of civilisation.
His final deed became one of the defining legends of the Divine Empire. During the Battle of the Ashen Ford, the armies of Innocence had all but secured victory when panic and confusion shattered an agreed truce to recover the wounded. As frightened soldiers renewed the fighting, hundreds of injured men and women lay helpless between the battle lines. Whilst others sought cover, Aurian walked calmly into the chaos. Holding aloft the radiant symbol of Pelor, he called upon both armies to remember their honour and cease the slaughter. Some lowered their weapons. Others did not.
Aurian refused to abandon those in his care. Shielding the wounded with his own body, he continued to pray and minister to the dying until he himself was struck down. By the time the fighting finally ceased, dozens of wounded soldiers, many from both sides, owed their lives to his sacrifice. The sight of his broken body silenced the battlefield.
Veterans later claimed that soldiers from both armies carried Aurian from the field together, laying aside hatred long enough to honour a man who had shown compassion to all. When Innocence learned of his friend's death, he is said to have wept openly before his assembled commanders. Following his victory and coronation, one of Innocence's first acts was to proclaim Aurian a saint of the Divine Empire.
Today Saint Aurian is honoured as the Patron of the Wounded, the Helpless, Physicians, Field Healers, and all who place mercy before glory. His memory lives on through the Order that bears his name, whose brothers and sisters continue his work wherever suffering is found.