I got the impression from some writings (can't remember which, was it Gods of Terror?), that Arkat, in some cultures, is even confused with Gbaji. This may be in a literal sense or it may be in the sense that he went so far in his quest to kill Gbaji that in the end there was little difference between them. Either way, the name the Deceiver fits the bill.
He's the classic example of someone who started out trying to achieve something for a common good and got so caught up in his quest that he lost sight of all else, to the point of giving up his humanity. To the Heortlings he's "the man who gave up his humanity to beat his enemy". To them, I guess, it's a step too far.
I've always had a vaguely soft spot for Arkat (not that I know too much about him), he always struck me as more of a tragic figure than a figure to be despised. I mean, in his quest to prove that Nysalor's illumination is evil and wrong, he became illuminated himself.
"He who fights with monsters might take care
lest he thereby become a monster.
And if you gaze for long into an abyss,
the abyss gazes also into you." -Nietsche
Harry.
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