The Light
May the Light guide you to seek greater truths
For its gaze will turn aside the Darkness that blinds you
And in its purity, you shall see eternity in all its splendor
So be forgiven, that you shall bring the brightest eternity tomorrow
- 3.7.10 Third Book of Magnus
The Light is the other side of the Darklight religious war. The Light shares many of the central beliefs of the Darkness, yet is almost diametrically opposed to the Darkness, which it sees as a corrupt and evil heresy.
Both the Darkness and the Light believe in a form of reincarnation where the individual’s death leads to his being reborn in the same life, with what is essentially another chance to live the same life, perhaps differently this time. Where the Light differs is that it believes that this is a form of forgiveness granted by the Light, with which the person should try to accomplish the Eternal Mission, which is the Will of the Light, and to achieve the highest potential they can. To the Light, the Cycle of the Temporal is a process by which the person strives to achieve sainthood, and at the End of Time, they shall see Heaven on Earth, while those in the Darkness will perish.
The Light believes that the nature of humans and other sentient races is good, because the Gods of Light will that the created beings exist, and the Gods of Light are good. Thus, it is only a matter of helping us embrace this inherent goodness and resist the corrupting influences of the Darkness.
In general, the Gods of Light are closely aligned in their values and morals and as such are often called the Aligned Gods.
Churches
Church of Aeon
Aeon is the God of Eternity and Fate. He is a timeless being that has existed since the beginning and is possibly the Creator (the Church seems to think so). Aeon is considered Omniscient, and by corollary Omnipotent and Omni-benevolent.
Unlike other gods, Aeon is not known to answer prayers directly. In fact, to pray to Aeon is considered an insult, since Aeon set your fate in motion, and asking for anything that you don’t already have is to insult Aeon’s perfect divine plan. Nevertheless, Aeon occasionally speaks to and through prophets who carry out His will.
Aeon’s most famous prophet was Xenos.
Aeon views creation as good and destruction as evil. As such, he only creates and never destroys. Thus, he spares even his most evil creations. Followers and servants of Aeon are expected to obey a vow of pacifism in keeping with Aeon’s will, and never intentionally kill.
Church of Athaeria
The Church of Athaeria worships the first emperor of Athaeria, Markus Athaerius, who was arguably the most powerful paladin to walk the land. They believe his eternal spirit mediates with the Gods of Heaven on their behalf.
Church of Lavender
“May the blessed sanctuary bring peace to all who seek it.”
Surrounded, yet left alone by the three great empires, the Holy Protectorate of Lavender, also known as the Sanctuary of Lavender, was created by mysterious circumstances. Legends say that St. Aylia the Peacemaker was killed at the hands of the Obsidian Legion, in a field of lavender flowers during the First Lavender Crusade. In the ensuing pandemonium that erupted, an entire undead army of the Obsidian Legion and its summoned fiends were completely annihilated, and a mass resurrection occurred that raised every last slain person of the last one hundred years in a ten mile radius. In addition a powerful field of holy energy saturated the land, such that one attempting to harm another within this area would be unable to complete the task. Undead cannot enter the hallowed land of Lavender, for one step on the sacred soil turns them to ash. This event, known as the Awakening, brought an end to the First Lavender Crusade. Over time, the area affected became known as St. Aylia’s Sanctuary, and later as the legend fell to obscurity, simply the Sanctuary of Lavender. St. Aylia of Lavender was a devoted follower of Solace throughout her life, and so the church raised in her honour is too. Though the protectorate of Lavender itself is small, it has many adherents who follow St. Aylia’s words outside of the sanctuary lands.
The Prodigal Child of Lavender is a girl who is found at an early age to show signs of the power of St. Aylia, and is sent to the Cathedral of Lavender to manifest her abilities. It is said that the child has the power to heal any ailment or wound, even those that normal divine magic cannot. Unfortunately, it is also said that the child can never leave Lavender or else she will die the moment she touches unsanctified soil. The child lives only to the age of 30, after which St. Aylia’s blessing becomes a curse.
Church of Magnus
Magnus was a prophet of Solace who became so powerful he ascended to the heavens. During his time in the world, he befriended Markus Athaerius, the paladin emperor of Athaeria, and served him as guide, philosopher, and later advisor. Magnus believed that the Churches of the world had been corrupted by human meddling, and sought to deconstruct these religions in search of Truth. The Church of Magnus teaches the Truths he uncovered before his ascension.
Recently the Church has begun calling itself the Magnus Church of Peace to differentiate itself from other more traditional religions.
Church of Solace
Solace is the Goddess of Light. She is believed to be Aeon’s daughter. Once long ago, she was a physical being, but in a battle with the forces of Darkness, sacrificed her body to remake the sun. Her soul still rests wherever light shines, and she takes the form of a being of pure light.
The Church of Solace believes that Aeon has lost interest in the world and that Solace now governs it. Solace is said to answer wise and compassionate prayers.
Solace’s most famous prophet was Magnus.
Church of Xenos
The Church of Xenos is a strange almost cult-like religion. Xenos was a prophet who predicted the fall of the Dorian Empire, proclaiming humans successor to the elves. Actually he really wanted say that humans were equals to the elves, but his successors were all too used to the Dorian caste system to recognize this, and interpreted him to mean that humans would replace the elves atop the system. He vanished one day, and his followers helped overthrow the Dorian Empire, and formed the isolated theocracy known today as Xenodoria.