>I've wondered about this: Avivath was a real-life one-armed bandit;
>the son of a street sweeper, born in the slums of Raibanth, a beggar
>and a thief, the descendant of mere half-citizens with no property.
>So how did he ever come to be a worshipper of Yelm? Surely Yelm would
>not sully Himself by granting His powers to such a vile and lowly
>individual?
The only possible clue is the enigmatic "Knot of Antirius" which Avivath discovers and unties. In some religious traditions (Sufism IIRC), the process of getting to know God is equated with the untying of a knot.
Hence Avivath, even though he was a vile and lowly individual, has had some transcendent experience (finding the "Knot of Antirius". As a result of this, he reforms himself and engages in meditation to untie the Knot, thus transforming himself into an avatar of Antirius.
How Avivath discovered the Knot is unknown. But since he "taught his secrets to the people", it seems probable to me that he founded a path of Solar Mysticism which might still survive in the Empire.
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