Mharvin Spas'vilir
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Mharvin Spas'vilir | |
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| Born | 6-6 289 TT North Sthampa (now Ishiq) |
| Died | 7-12 210 TT |
| Occupation(s) | Religious scholar, philosopher |
| Notable work | With the Stars, Acts of Faith |
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Mharvin Spas'vilir was a prominent T'vaqi literary and religious scholar. He was the pioneer of the Aqali faith, and is considered to be one of the most influential T'vaqi philosophers to have lived.
Early life
Mharvin Spas'vilir was born in 289 TT in the North Sthampa faction-state, located in present-day Ishiq. His parents, both electricians, raised him with the intent of bringing him into the family trade; Spas'vilir received no formal education. He nonetheless took special interest in reading and writing, and his earliest works, published anonymously as a child, were poems describing the night sky. Unsatisfied with generally accepted spiritual beliefs in water, Spas'vilir speculated frequently about the possibility of a higher power. After reaching adulthood, he began attending a local literature school.
Religious philosophy and literary career
Spas'vilir authored several untitled works during his time at the literature school, each outlining basic aspects of what would become the Aqali faith. Though this collection of passages began as speculation, Spas'vilir would grow more and more convinced of his writings as he continued to author them, eventually combining his papers into a book titled With the Stars (Pin to Qali). Over the course of his writing, he befriended fellow student Hrso Vinshasi, who encouraged him to publish his work once it was complete.
With the Stars was mostly unpopular; the majority of its small audience mistakenly believed it to be a work of fiction rather than a philosophical and religious treatise. Spas'vilir nonetheless continued developing his beliefs, undeterred by their generally negative reception. He began attending and participating in public debate sessions, becoming adept at persuasion. He would often place bets with his opponents, stating that he would immediately abandon his beliefs if they could definitively prove him wrong. No opponent of Spas'vilir was documented to have done so, though Spas'vilir also did not typically win the arguments in which he participated.
At the age of 44, Spas'vilir published a second book. Titled Acts of Faith, the book did not immediately begin with religious speculation; instead, it introduced the reader to various convincing arguments for fundamental philosophical truths, which were then used to justify principles of Aqali later in the book. This book garnered significant attention at the time and succeeded in attracting a small following for Aqali, especially among the citizens of inland areas. With the help of Hrso Vinshasi, Spas'vilir submitted Acts of Faith to the Unification Committee during the Second Unification of T'vaqi as the basis for a new island-wide system of beliefs. The work was rejected, but Spas'vilir nonetheless gained notoriety and respect as an eloquent and intelligent philosopher. Vinshasi offered him a position as a High Institute professor, but he declined the offer, instead dedicating his life to spreading awareness of his philosophy.
Death
Spas'vilir died of heart complications at age 79 shortly after delivering a guest lecture at the High Institute of the Sciences. It is attested that the subject of the lecture was the ultimate purpose of human life; the lecture supposedly greatly compelled its listeners despite its basis in speculation and pseudoscience. His last known words are commonly held to be the following: