St. Andrew

St. Andrew is one of the most influential saints in the canon of the Church of Axiom, and his teachings serve as the foundation for much of the church's primary beliefs. Primarily, St. Andrew is known for teaching self-sufficiency and independence from magic, which dominated everyday life during the Age of Deception.

The Basilica of St. Andrew is named for him.

History
Not much is known for sure about the life of St. Andrew. Church teachings and some available records remaining from the time indicate that St. Andrew was a person of some means near the end of the Age of Deception. Though his teachings were largely at odds with the societal norms established by the Alitheian Empire, it appears that the church and government of the time did not take particular issue with them, perhaps viewing the teachings as a more secular lifestyle instead of a competing religion. However, it is believed that St. Andrew's community served as a refuge for the first worshipers of Axiom.

According to Church of Axiom tradition, Roderick the Evangelist (later St. Roderick) received a vision from Axiom to seek out four heroes in the frozen north. Andrew received the same vision, but also saw in it his own death. Andrew did not reveal this to Roderick, and the two traveled together to island of Pagos to seek the four heroes who would defeat Immaru -- St. Thoril, St. Alelion, St. Kolyani, and St. Aelena. They indeed found the heroes, who agreed to fight Immaru if Axiom gave them victory over Iborighu, whom they were battling at the time.

In the end, Andrew sacrificed himself to defeat Iborighu, and this selfless act inspired the four knights. Eventually, the four knights and Roderick faced down Immaru, struck down his Great Tree, and brought an end to the Age of Deception. The four knights were sainted but are often referred to as Sir (or Lady) to emphasize the role they played as champions of Axiom.

Records remaining from the Alitheian Empire show that St. Andrew lived in a small community of like-minded followers in what is now Tir Newyd. There is some evidence to support the Church of Axiom's assertion that the group of saints who killed Immaru the Deceiver -- ending the Age of Deception -- stayed, at least for a time, at St. Andrew's enclave.

Most historians agree that St. Andrew was wise, but what set him apart was his down-to-earth personality. St. Andrew was renowned for his ability to relate to anyone. The Church of Axiom attributes this to St. Andrew's ability to see the light of Axiom in anyone's eyes.

The death of St. Andrew marks the end of the Age of Deception, and the beginning of the New Dawn era.

Beliefs
According to his writings included in the Book of Axiom, St. Andrew taught that people should strive to be more self-sufficient, rather than reliant upon magic, as most were during his time. During his lifetime, his beliefs were not very popular, but after the destruction of Immaru the Deceiver -- and St. Andrew's part in it -- his teachings reached a wider audience, though it came after his death.

During the Orichalcum Wars that followed the end of the Age of Deception, the Church of Axiom formed around the tenets St. Andrew laid down: chiefly, St. Andrew's belief in the necessity of self-sufficiency without magic. In a world suddenly without magic, this idea found a great deal of popularity.

Heretical Theories
It had been rumored by some heretical scholars who claimed to have viewed rare, early writings that eventually were included in the Book of Axiom, that it was the dragons -- not the Four Knights -- who instigated the rebellion against Immaru.

According to these heretical and discredited early versions of the holy writings, the remaining three breeds of dragons had meticulously planned for centuries to kill Immaru, and came to the conclusion that killing Tiamat -- and therefore, themselves -- was the only way to rid the world of Immaru's deception. These writings state that it was actually the dragons -- as opposed to the prophets St. Roderick and St. Andrew -- who sought out the Four Knights to help them with their task.

Yet another theory holds that the Bronze and Brass dragons were not exterminated at all, but instead faked their own extinction as the first phase in the centuries-long plan to destroy Immaru.