Challabahn

Challabahn is a man from early history, the first Oolbat, who is believed to have achieved enlightenment before founding Oolbatism.

Early Life
Very little is known of Challabahn's early life, largely because the Batsi do not actually hold the period before his enlightenment as a true period of history. Historians and archaeologists working in the area have turned up a few clues, and now date his birth to roughly -1665 Reformed. He was raised somewhere in the vicinity of modern-day Refuge, in western Frindar, and apparently had the means to spend significant time in contemplation.

Enlightenment
While Challabahn himself used the term "Awakening," standard practice for Batsi today is to refer to it as enlightenment. Either way, Challabahn's experience of it occurred in -1617, when he was in his 40s. He described his experience as glimpsing the True World, and walking the path to it, marking the way as he went. As he neared his destination, he claims to have encountered a being he refers to as Illusion (though it did not give a name for itself in his account). Illusion attempted to prevent Challabahn from progressing, and, using his knowledge of truth and of how to access the True World, he was able to bind Illusion and claim two artifacts from it: the Gilded Dagger and the Staff of the Oolbat. Upon reaching the True World, he was gifted with "knowledge that would take centuries to explain in full" and the power to hold Illusion's sway over Khadaka at bay so the True World could influence it and become more accessible to those who sought after it.

Early Oolbatism
After his awakening, Challabahn set about teaching his revelations to others, describing his experiences and encouraging others to follow his path to the True World. One way he helped to prove his claims was by showing off his influence over reality, though details on how he did this are sparse. He was already old for his time and place, however, and realized quickly that he would not have time to enact the changes he sought with the time he had left. Once he had a small group of disciples, he founded a temple and named it Refuge, after its intended role in helping people weather the rigors of Illusion and their quest to achieve the True World. He ensured that they understood the basic premises of the new religion, then promised to reincarnate so he could continue explaining what he had learned and guiding people to enlightenment. He died in -1605. The term 'Oolbat' was coined and applied to him seven years later, by a caretaker of his first reincarnation.

Other Views
There are two aspects of Challabahn's life that have been historically interesting to those outside Oolbatism. The first is his enlightenment itself. His description of the journey and of the True World have led to comparisons with the Higher Realms, and the possibility has been explored in hundreds of texts that he may have actually been the first human to travel there. If this is the case, he would have preceded the earliest known expedition to the Higher Realms by nearly 400 years. Due to the nature of the Higher Realms, however, this speculation has evaded confirmation.

The other is his manipulation over reality, possibility including granting himself a functional immortality through sentient reincarnation. This has been often tied to suggestions that he was (and may still be), in fact, a Fatebinder. The religion's high view of Fatebinding and support for any such connection has helped keep this theory afloat, even though the Batsi do not believe that the Oolbat's influence over reality works in the same way most cultures view Fatebinding.