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{{character
|image=Sel-5-Hrathen.jpg
|died=[[Battle of Teoras]]{{book ref|Elantris|62}}
|bonded=[[Hrathen's seon]]
|profession=[[Derethi]] {{tag+|Gyorn}}
For most of his life, he was a devout follower of the Derethi religion, although his devotion was more a product of logic than of faith.
Hrathen was a graduate of [[Ghajan Monastery]],{{book ref|Elantris|36}} and rose quickly in the ranks of the priesthood. His talent for public speaking made him an invaluable tool of [[Wyrn (title)|Wyrn]] [[Wulfden the Fourth]] in
== Attributes & Abilites ==▼
Due to his training in various monasteries, Hrathen is a skilled unarmed combatant, capable of disarming a seasoned soldier and disabling several attackers with ease. His official gyorn's set of full plate armor, unlike that of many of his colleagues, was fully functional, and since he wore it at all times he was in public--most of his waking hours--he was in excellent physical condition.▼
Hrathen is also a talented speaker and strategist, capable of winning people to his cause and accurately predicting his
Hrathen's only power linked to the Dor is a bone in his forearm, the only remnant of being trained at the Dakhor monastery, although the abilities of this bone are not extensively revealed, it was shown to be practically indestructible and granted him the strength to break the neck of a full Dakhor monk.{{book ref|Elantris|62}}▼
== History ==
Little is known of Hrathen's youth. He was a citizen of Fjordell, and from a young age was determined to enter the priesthood. While still a boy, he appeared to have an intense ardor for Shu-Dereth. This passion would define the rest of his life, although it would be extinguished in his first experience at a monastery.
===
[[Dakhor]] monastery was the most elite of Fjordell's Derethi monasteries. Hrathen proved both his talent and devotion by being accepted into its ranks. However, the experience there was not the one he had expected.{{book ref|Elantris|36}}
The priests of Dakhor wielded a power not unlike that of the Elantrians, though the monk's powers were much more adapted to battle. The most remarkable difference, however, was in the requirements to gain powers.
Where the Elantrians gained their powers in a seemingly random fashion, the priests of Dakhor used human sacrifices and strange rites to alter themselves.{{book ref|Elantris|58}} For some powers, such as the ability to travel great distances instantaneously, a secondary sacrifice was necessary to activate the power.{{book ref|Elantris|60}} In many ways, their powers are similar to [[Hemalurgy]].
Hrathen weathered the early stages of the training with mixed success. He was able to complete the beginning stages of the transformation -- a reshaping of the bones in his right forearm.{{book ref|Elantris|15}} The exact powers that this bestowed are unknown, though it seems likely that it enhanced his physical capabilites, given the prowess he demonstrated later in life. His time there deeply scarred his psyche, however, and when Dilaf, the
===
After leaving Dakhor Monastery, Hrathen was still resolved to progress in the priesthood. Accordingly, he went to Ghajan Monastery to finish his training as a Derethi priest.{{book ref|Elantris|36}} Not one of the three specialized monasteries, his training there was a combination of religious instruction and military training. Hrathen excelled at both disciplines, and rose quickly in the ranks of the priesthood. In a relatively short period of time, he ascended to the rank of gyorn. As a gyorn, he was one of a group of twenty men that stood nearly at the top of the religious hierarchy of Shu-Dereth. Only the leaders of monasteries and Wyrn, considered the voice of God, stood higher than Hrathen, and neither was often a presence in Hrathen's day-to-day actions.
He conducted sermons denouncing the Elantrians as Svrakiss and being unholy, damned by Jaddeth, working to make the people hate them. His intention being to unite the people in their hatred for Elantrians and use that to convert them. He began preaching atop the Elantrian wall and this is where he first encountered [[Sarene]]. She was able to ask questions that would embaress him in front of the gathered nobles he was preaching to. Rather than be annoyed he was actually very impressed by her shrewdness and felt invgorated by the promise of a worthy opponent.
Despite his humiliation, several of the nobles still agreed to attend his private meeting where he offered them vague promises of power from Fjordell should they convert to Shu-Dereth. The most
Wishing to closer inspect the Elantrians, he bribed the captain of the guard at the Elantrian wall to bring him an Elantrian. He questioned the Elantrian and decided that he couldn't allow the populace to actually get close to the Elantrains and see how mundane they really were. He ordered for the Elantrian to be put back into Elantris but Dilaf instead tortured the Elantrian to madness and tried to burn it alive during one of Hrathen's sermons. Fearing retribution from Iadon, Hrathen interrupted the sermon, swayed the audience to his side and burnt the Elantrian to death later in private to end it's suffering.
Whilst satisfied with Sarene's removal he hoped she came to no harm and knew that the potion would be temporary. During her internment in Elantris, he contacted her father - King [[Eventeo]] of Teod - and claimed he could heal Sarene if Eventeo swore an oath to convert to Shu-Dereth. The king did and when the potion wore off, Sarene was released from Elantris and distraught to realise her father's decision. Hrathen tried to shake her hand as a sign of respect for her cunning but his ultimate victory but she was confused and repulsed by him. Eondel drew his sword and held it at Hrathen's throat to make him back off. Hrathen effortlessly disarmed the elderly general but decided it best to leave.
Hrathen's plan was coming together but he forgot to account for the foolishness of King Telrii; he refused to convert unless Wyrn paid exponential amounts of money and he had Duke Roial killed. Eondel, his sense of
Hrathen was present at Raoden's coronation and was disgusted when the Arelene nobility still accepted him as king after he was revealed to be an Elantrian, realising if he had continued his plan to make the Arlenes hate Elantrians this never would have happened.
At this point he learnt Dilaf was actually a Dakhor monk and that several of them had infiltrated Kae. Dilaf revealed that Wyrn never wanted Hrathen to succeed, instead sending him in as a distraction. Their enemies spent so much time focused on Hrathen and foiling his schemes to convert Arelon they did not notice the monks preparing to commit genocide, wiping out the people of Arelon and Teod to prevent any more dissent from Shu-Dereth and stopping anyone else from becoming an Elantrian. Hrathen was horrified at this, having wanted to save souls not cause a massacre. But before he could take any action, the monks began the [[invasion of Arelon]].
===
{{for|Invasion of Arelon}}
Accompanying the monks during their assault on the city, Hrathen was in a constant state of disgust and shock. He was witness to Sarene being taken captive by the monks and learnt Dilaf's beloved had been driven mad by an incorrectly drawn Elantrian Aon causing Dilaf's hatred for Elantrians.
Dilaf and Sarene were placed in a circle with Dilaf and several monks. A monk in the centre was burnt up, body and soul, to allow magic to transport them to [[
===
{{for|Battle of Teoras}}
Meeting with Eventeo under the
Eventeo escaped while his guards fought the monks and Hrathen and Sarene retreated into a alley. They managed to avoid the monks and disguise themselves as peasants. Walking among the masses, Sarene questioned why Hrathen chose to change sides. Hrathen revealed that he still followed Shu-Dereth, still prayed to Jaddeth, and still thought the Derethi teachings were correct,
▲Meeting with Eventeo under the pretence it was time for him to convert to Shu-Dereth the monks prepared to assassinate the King of Teod. Hrathen became aware that Dilaf planned to murder Sarene in front of Eventeo before they killed the king and finally realising that his feelings of respect and rivalry with Sarene were in fact love he saved her life by attacking Dilaf.
Hrathen died in Sarene's arms, his final thoughts being: ''"Goodbye, my princess. Jaddeth be merciful to my soul. I only did the best I could."''▼
▲Eventeo escaped while his guards fought the monks and Hrathen and Sarene retreated into a alley. They managed to avoid the monks and disguise themselves as peasants. Walking among the masses, Sarene questioned why Hrathen chose to change sides. Hrathen revealed still followed Shu-Dereth, still prayed to Jaddeth and still thought the Derethi teachings were correct, he just couldn't agree with Wyrn and his interpretation of them. At that point, Hrathen was stabbed in the chest by Fjon who had been sent by wyrn to assassinate the gyorn.
However, Hrathen got back up and saved Raoden and Sarene from Dilaf
▲Hrathen died in Sarene's arms his final thoughts being: ''"Goodbye, my princess. Jaddeth be merciful to my soul. I only did the best I could."''
▲Hrathen got back up and saved Raoden and Sarene from Dilaf. He used the reshaping of the bones in his forearm to block Dilaf's sword strikes and expresses no pain when stabbed in the side. He grabs Dilaf and snaps the monks neck. His eyes are unfocused and look to the sky and his arm begins to glow. With Dilaf dead, Hrathen tosses his body aside and topples forward lifelessly. Sarene theorises that both the wounds inflicted by Fjon and Dilaf should've been instantly fatal but Hrathen clung to life through his Dakhor markings.
=== Legacy ===
Hrathen's body was ferried back to Elantris and buried in the memorial barrows for heroes who fell during Fjordell's invasion. He was buried alongside Eondel, Karata, Saolin and Roial with his bloodred armour stacked alongside it and his cape draped over his sword. His funeral was performed last. Sarene speaks at his funeral saying that she thought she understood the man as her enemy by his sense of duty, his powerful will and his determination to save people through religion but she had no knowledge of his internal conflict or that he'd place the lives of everyone else over his own ambitions and how if it hadn't been for him then Dilaf would have killed both her and Raoden. She implores the people to remember Hrathen not as their enemy but as their saviour.
▲== Attributes & Abilites ==
▲Due to his training in various monasteries, Hrathen is a skilled unarmed combatant, capable of disarming a seasoned soldier and disabling several attackers with ease. His official gyorn's set of full plate armor, unlike that of many of his colleagues, was fully functional, and since he wore it at all times he was in public--most of his waking hours--he was in excellent physical condition.
▲Hrathen is also a talented speaker and strategist, capable of winning people to his cause and accurately predicting his opponents motives and creating potent counters to such moves.
▲Hrathen's only power linked to the Dor is a bone in his forearm, the only remnant of being trained at the Dakhor monastery, although the abilities of this bone are not extensively revealed, it was shown to be practically indestructible and granted him the strength to break the neck of a full Dakhor monk.{{book ref|Elantris|62}}
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{{Elantris}}
[[category: viewpoint characters]]
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