Extracts from the book of Holy Anethion.

[In your hands you hold a pocket-size book bound in black leather; modest in appearance with nothing to adorn it save a small white cross outlined in gold on the spine. Over four-hundred pages in length and penned in beautiful, captivating caligraphy; the words seeming to shimmer a faint gold as you lay your eyes upon them. At certain points throughout the book, vivid and detailed illustrations accompany the text in which the splendour and divinity of One Man is described, a Half-Elf - graceful yet stern, his frame covered from head to toe in flowing robes of black and white, a golden halo sits on his head that stays with him from youth to old-age: Holy Anethion]

Holy Anethion 15:1 - 6

1 And so, Anethion looked out across the gathered before Him, humans of all walks of life - gathered in the small, cramped Abbey in Tyr's Hand- looked up at Him, some in awe, some in distrust and others in in nervous anticipitation. The man they had been calling the Prophet, the Shepered, the One - stood in silence,
2 His hands held out in a gesure of peace and compassion while his eyes burned with a zealous fervour, appearing humbley resplendent in the way only those truly touched by the grace of the Light can. Anethion's lips parted, from which came the authortitive and powerful tenor-voice so many had spoke of in Lordaeron; thusly Anethion's first sermon in the Tyr's Hand abbey began:

3 "Turn to to the Light and be saved, all of you Humans of Azeroth, for I come bearing It's message
4 By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity, a word that will not be revoked:
Before the Light every knee shall bow. Every tongue shall confess.
5 Everyone shall say of the Light: "In the Light alone do we find deliverance and strength,"
All who have raged against It, will come before it It in the here-after and be judged accordingly.
6 But the Souls of the Pious, they shall be embraced by the Light, illuminator of the World.
And they shall rejoin their friends and family and all those they hold dear to them in the Light's kingdom, the here-after,
That which has a Glory so many manifold, speech and words could never do it justice."

Holy Anethion 15:23 - 29

23 And it was with the words: 'Hail Anethion' that those who had watched the sermon began to say to themselves as they left the Abbey.
Holy Anethion having finished His sermon, bolstering the courage and spirit of any that lay their eyes upon Him, or listened to His words.
24 With yet more men, women and children converting and joining his band of Believers, his flock of Faithful,
Holy Anethion withdrew to the Abbey's library quarters, a smile spread across his patriarchal features. Followed by an adolescent, named Cornelius.
Cornelius was an inquisitive young man, swayed by Anethion's speech yet he held doubts in his heart.

As he stumbled into the library quarters, Holy Anethion turned suddenly, holding out his hands in the same manner as he did before the sermon.
25 "I have some questions... your Grace..." Cornelius spoke, his gaze lowered in reverence but his voice clouded with embarrassment.
Anethion held out a single hand, his palm facing outwards, "Please child, raise your gaze and speak to me as if I were your friend,
for if you come here with sincerity in your heart, that is what you are to Me"
26 Cornelius' lips parted as he raised his gaze to meet that of the Prophet's, a faint smile breaking out on his lips as he began to speak, the words rolling off his tongue with renewed vigour: "Anethion, how I adored your sermon... I have heard the sermon's of those in Stratholme and those in New Avalon and they do not compare, yet questions still plague me"
"Speak child, and I shall answer unto thee" said the most Holy Prophet.
"I wish to know what it feels like to be divinely inspired, so I should know if the Light speaks to me,
you say It does not discriminate, and I believe You, so I must prepare myself" Cornelius said with a child-like glee and naivety, though with an underlining seriousness.

27 Anethion smiled warmly, reaching out with one hand to place on young Cornelius' shoulder,
"There is no miracle save one meditated by a believer, child, you are just as likely to receive divine inspiration and grace as any other, regardless of title, name or class
as long as you walk the righteous path, guided by the betterment of this world and the Sacred Duty,
and how you shall know? Allow me to tell you,
28 Our mind can be likened to a room at nightfall, like any room, without light it will be dark inside, yet with candles and lamps we can brighten the room,
these candles and lamps to our mind is Faith, faith enlightens our minds, yet Divine inspiration, it is like,
the room being brightened by sun from the outside, light cascading through the windows of a chapel, all the rainbows heavy tones,
like the Light lifting up our lifeless bones and granting us divine knowledge; so clear and pure like the waters of the Shining Strand,
you shall know It when It speaks to you, have faith in that, my child"

29 Cornelius bowed to Anethion without a word, and left the Abbey,
upon which he screamed, his head held back, gazing towards the heavens so that the Light may recognise his submission to It's wisdom and Sacred Authority:
"Light lifts up these lifeless bones!"

Holy Anethion 39:10 - 23

10 Anethion walked across the dew-soaked grass, his silvery grey hair blowing in the wind, rain spattered across his elderly features,
His gaze stern and imbued with purpose as he entered the small village, walking briskly, flanked by two members of the militia Holy Anethion had created to combat the shadow that had set over Blessed Lordaeron, towards a solitary house some distance from the others, a large Cross painted on the door in white paint.

"This is the place - wait outside and guard this house from intruders, my brothers" Anethion said unto the two militia-men with a respectful nod,
Anethion wrinkled his nose at the smell that met him as he entered the house, the smell of a disgusting and putrid rot unimaginable,
11 A smell of death so profound it was as if the air it self was clawing at your nostrils, in an attempt to reach your brain and make you one with it, before Anethion lay a decrepit man, whatever youth he had was now stolen from him by the ravages of plague,
bulbous growths sprouted on his neck and his teeth were like gravestones.

12 "A great shadow is falling over this land, Jeremiah. Only with hearts sets solely on the Sacred Duty shall we beat back the Scourge that seeks to bring upon the Light and It's Children,
for if we loose our faith, if we abandon the Light, an empire of darkness shall reside over these lands,
one that will be replaced by only another empire of Darkness until Man is brave enough to take back what is rightly his" said Anethion,
talking to the plagued man in a stern, concerned voice, though keeping his gaze as if he were but any ordinary man.
"I have never lost faith, Anethion.." said the plagued man, Jeremiah
"You have sought my administration, to guide you and counsel you in a time of great suffering"
"I have"
"What is it then, my brother?"
"I fear death, Anethion..."
Anethion smiled faintly, responding rapidly: "Do not,"
13 "Death is the moment in which we ascend to stand before Light's Holy trial and judgement, Jeremiah, that which is never unjust and is forever benevolent"
"But I will remain here, and I am suffering"
"Do you not remember what I told you to remember, brother - outside the Chapel in Southshore?"
14 "I may not get better, but some day I will be free,
because I am not this body which imprisons me"
15 "You will not remain here, your spirit is eternal and shall ascend to where only the Light and It's favoured dwell"
"Anethion, I must say it... I may still fear death, but I shall not fight fate, I know that it awaits only around the corner,
to this end, I must say to you, since your first sermon in the Tyr's Hand abbey my life has been renewed, my vigour restored,
16 Mankind's only path to the highest salvation is the Sacred Duty, I shall pray, on my death bed,
that only the future sons of the Light and Mankind shall recognise it too,"
17 "Let me praise you for the good times, Anethion, let me hold Your banner high
Until the hills are flattened and the rivers all run dry"
18 "Please, Jeremiah, let none before me, nor none after me praise but a mortal - praise only the Light'
19 "You lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. You set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along"
"I did it only for the Light and for you, Jeremiah",
"Praised be the Light!",
Anethion nodded, turning on his heels to face away from Jeremiah, moving towards the door, to leave.
20 "Light, send this man a mason if he is not beyond repair"
"What of Lordaeron though, Anethion?"
21 "Do not doubt, Jeremiah. If not by faith,
then by the sword, we are going to be restored"

22 It was with those words that the illuminator of Men left Jeremiah's side, looking to either side of Himself,
nodding solemnly to the two Militia-men standing guard, He pointed west gracefully,
23 "It has fixed It's sign in the sky,
It has raised us from the pit and It will set us high"
And so they set off towards the Holy city, Stratholme.

Holy Anethion 12:5 -15

6 Holy Anethion stood atop a mound in the tranquil forests of Tyr's Hand, seven of His most reverential and obedient followers gazing up at him in prostration as he spoke aloud, his words seemingly improvised; the Light flowing through him in a stream of consciousness and clarity, his voice travelling throughout the nearby lands, all those within the providence were able to hear the impassioned tone in His voice, the righteous fervour with which He spoke unto those that would hear the Word.
7 Cloaked in the humblest brown-linen robes and cowl, Holy Anethion gestured with his hands rapidly as he spoke, moving them with a graceful zeal; some sweat breaking out across his youthful, regal features.

8 "As the moth goes to flame, my brothers and sisters, so shall we go forth with the Sacred Duty in our hearts. As the farmer reaps his crops, so shall we reap the rewards of faith,
9 The Light shall allow us to overcome any challenge we face! Do not fear of those that wish to do us harm,
10 the man without Light is like the one that plows the sea: he harvests nothing but failure! They shall cry out to their false gods and find naught but silence,
11 but the after-life holds no uncertainty for us, for he who has faith and humility, he that does not know of greed, he that does not boast nor gloat, or revel in the misfortunes of others, but submits themselves to the Light's Sacred authority, accepts the Light's infinite wisdom and guidance and recognises knowingly that the Light's goals are Just and Benevolent, he shall know of the Light's approbation and shall be protected from the whispers of the Nether-spawn, the root of all evil - demon-kind - and so, he will not fear death,
12 for the Light shall be the shield in his hand, the plate on his chest, the girdle about his waist and the cloak on his shoulders!"

Anetion paused briefly, the chirping of birds now heard in the silence before He continued, his movements less wild as he did so.

13 "Evil seeks to corrupt and subdue, my brothers, my sisters. Just as every good deed is recognised and loved by the Light, so it every evil deed known and hated by the Light. Do not presume, my children, that arrogance is unlike the sin of idolatry... stubbornness unlike the evil of Witchcraft, laxity unlike the sin of wanton violence without provocation or disobedience unlike the evil of lies. All of these actions are evil and contribute to the decay of the community and the world! He that commits any of these evil deeds will only find repentance in the justice and compassion of the Holy-Light,
14 which sees all, our thoughts and deeds alike, and It shall weight our lives accordingly - and should they be found wanting, eternity of torment awaits..."
And so, Holy Anethion concluded his sermon, raising his hand in a blessing to all those that attended, still prostrated across the dry forrest floor in prayer,
15 contemplating the words of Holy Anethion, their humble prophet, guide and shepherd, the illuminator of Man.