Born the son of a Jewish poultry dealer, it was nonetheless clear Sabatai was destined for some higher purpose, since the day of his birth conincided with that of the Holy Day of Mourning. His name, in fact, meant "Saturn", and that very same planet was linked with the advent of the Messiah.
As was usual at the time, his father enrolled him in school, where he had his first contact with the Kabbalah. Though religious law didn't interest him, he had a keen mind for mysticism.
He lived a simple life until the year 1648. That was the year of which many Jews were convinced the Messiah would arise, based on a prophecy made in the Zohar.
He grasped this opportunity, leaving the ascetic life he had lead so far and becoming a demagogue. He began proclaiming the Tetragrammaton, something forbidden to all but the High Priest of Jerusalem itself.
Gaining support beyond his wildest dreams, he travelled from place to place, being excommunicated here and being chased off elsewhere but gaining adherents every way. He even married a former prostitute, as was expected of the Messiah.
However, he made one fatal mistake. He became so sure of himself he attempted a stunt which was to cost him everything: the conversion of the Sultan himself.
He became close to the man, but failed to convert him in the end, and was put to make a decision between three choices. He could test his divinity by undergoing a hail of arrows, he could be impaled, or he could get off easy by converting to Islam.
He chose the last, and the man once hailed as the Messiah became a laughing stock. Most of his followers left when they heard the news; the few still faithful were convinced he had only joined Islam so he could more easily convert them to his Gospel.
But after that moment, his place among the stars had gone. He tried and tried, but never enjoyed widespread attention of the level he used to receive. In the end, he died in isolation. Even so, his followers, the so-called Donmeh, would carry on his legacy.
His greatest wish is to undo that moment; that choice. Should he get the Grail, he would ask it to somehow travel back to that moment and set right what once went wrong; if possible, he would face death with open eyes rather than disgrace.
Originally Posted by asterism42
