As we all know, many of those who we nowadays consider saints started as pagans and came to the Lord’s light only later in life. Such was the case of Saint Mihai.
A warrior hailing from some distant lands, Mihai arrived at Vale Sangora with one mission on his mind: to protect the defenceless from threats lurking in the darkness. For some time he travelled through the valley, killing Devil’s spawn wherever he encountered it. He was tireless in his pursuit and demanded no reward for his work. These qualities must have spoken volumes to a Christian he met one day – a monk named Tobias.
Tobias saw that it was Providence that drove the pagan warrior’s actions. Not only did he join Mihai in his quest, but was also able to persuade him to forsake his godless ways and accept the one true Faith. For months the two of them travelled across the valley – and wherever they went, Mihai’s sword shone brightly, dispersing shadows of evil.
But he finally met his end, somewhere deep in the swamps near Maragir. There, he battled a terrible monster, a creature whose evil was so great that even speaking its name was considered blasphemy – and so, it is no longer known to us. Mihai slayed the beast, but in doing so sustained mortal wounds himself.
When the ever loyal Tobias, who himself lost an arm in the ordeal, brought the warrior’s body back to Svartrau, the gathered people couldn’t help but cry out – both in gratitude and anguish. Mihai’s sacrifice was not left without a reward – he was anointed and became Saint Mihai, the patron of the Svartrau Cathedral.