Amaunator,God of the Sun (ah-MAWN-ah-tor)

Title(s)

The Yellow God Keeper of the Yellow Sun Keeper of the Golden Sun Keeper of the Eternal Sun Keeper of the Sun Keeper of Law Light of the Law

Adjective(s)

Amaunatori

Aspects/Aliases

At'ar the Merciless (Bedine) Lathander

Pantheon

Faerûnian pantheon

Gender

Masculine

Alignment

Lawful neutral

Symbol

Golden sun

Portfolio

Law, the sun

Domains

Life, Light

Worshipers

Farmers, travelers, lawmakers

Favored animals

Birds of prey, especially sunfalcons Cream-colored cats Pure white wolves Tan dogs White stallions

Favored plants

Golden lilies Sunflowers Yellow-eyed daisies

Favored monsters

Dragons (emerald, sapphire, and steel) Golems Takos

Favored minerals

Any red-colored gem Topaz

Miscellaneous

Thirteen giant hyenas Woman dressed in a dress with a scale on it

Hear ye, O warriors and wizards of the land! Amaunator, the solar deity of order, the sun, law, and time, was a harsh but just god, revered by many a ruler, soldier, and mage in the days of old. In time, 'twas revealed that Lathander, god of the sun in Faerûn, was but an aspect of the long-dormant Amaunator. By the Year of the Ageless One, Amaunator was worshiped as both Lathander and his own name, a deity of great power and ancient wisdom.

History

Amaunator was a deity revered by many rulers, soldiers, and powerful wizards in ancient Netheril. He was the Netherese solar deity of order, the sun, law, and time. Amaunator was viewed as a harsh but fair deity, and his followers believed in his strict sense of justice and order. However, when Netheril fell, the common people who were not killed by the fall of the enclaves (the only living worshipers of the deity) largely abandoned Amaunator, believing that he had done nothing to prevent the disaster. His followers were right, but contractually, his hands were tied. Magic in all its forms was under the exclusive control of Mystryl, and Amaunator had no lawful right to interfere in any way, even when a magical catastrophe, such as Netheril's fall, was in the process of occurring. Over the centuries, many theories were put forward by later religious scholars as to what ultimate fate Amaunator met. Some insisted that he died, but others (notably the Sunmasters of the Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun) argued that he was reborn as Lathander.
Still, others believed he survived as the vengeful Bedine deity known as At'ar the Merciless and yet others asserted that he turned his back on Faerûn and entered the pantheon of the lands of Kara-Tur, or simply moved on to other planets (such as Oerth). The truth was that with the loss of nearly all his followers in Netheril after its fall, Amaunator began the long, arduous, and painful process of dying of neglect. After about a millennium, he did not have enough power left to maintain his power base in the Outer Planes and was exiled to the Astral Plane.
Despite his exile, at some point, Amaunator reappeared in the Faerûnian Pantheon, in the form of the greater deity Lathander. He gathered strength and allies to himself and became Faerûn's dominant sun god once again. Sages began to predict a clash between Lathander and the Mulhorandi sun god Horus-Re (assuming the merging of the Faerûnian and Mulhorandi pantheons), but such a fight never came. Even if the pantheons had had time to intermingle and merge before the Spellplague, the fight may not have occurred anyway: Lathander liked Horus-Re.
In the years before the cataclysmic Spellplague, high-ranked clerics and paladins of Lathander began to receive messages regarding a mysterious event called the "Deliverance", leading them to begin an aggressive recruitment campaign. Another major step came when the sunmaster Daelegoth Orndeir became the high priest of the Temple of the Morn. On Midsummer of 1374 DR, he performed a miracle, creating a second sun over the city of Elversult that never sets, viewable from 150 miles away. Converts flocked to the city in droves while the church of Lathander pondered on what to do.
In the Year of Blue Fire, just after the Spellplague, Lathander revealed himself to be Amaunator. It was eventually revealed that Lathander, the Faerûnian god of the sun, was an aspect of the long-dormant Amaunator. By the Year of the Ageless One, Amaunator was worshiped both as Lathander and by his own name.

Discription

Behold the mighty Amaunator, the Netherese solar deity of order, the sun, law, and time! When he was not taking on the guise of Lathander, he appeared as a lanky man with a commanding presence that could bring even the boldest of warriors to their knees. His silver-white hair flowed like a river of pure light, while a short, week-long growth of white beard graced his chin. His skin glowed with a quiet golden radiance, a symbol of his divine power. In his hands, Amaunator wielded the "Scepter of the Eternal Sun," a staff that radiated with the power of the sun itself, and a large legal tome, symbolizing his mastery of the laws of the universe. He wore the clothes of a magistrate, a long, black or purple gown trimmed with silver or gold, befitting a being of such immense power and authority. To be in his presence was to feel the awesome power of true law, to be humbled before the might of a god.
When Amaunator spoke, his voice thundered like the crashing of waves against the shore, resonating with a power that could shake the very foundations of the earth. His eyes, deep and piercing, shone with the unyielding light of the sun, revealing a depth of wisdom and knowledge beyond human comprehension.
Few mortals had the honor of standing in the presence of Amaunator, for he was a deity revered by many rulers, soldiers, and powerful wizards. Those who had the courage to approach him did so with a sense of awe and trepidation, for they knew that they were standing before a god of immense power and unfathomable knowledge.
With his unyielding sense of justice and his mastery of the laws of the universe, Amaunator was a deity to be both revered and feared. He was a harsh but fair deity, and those who followed him knew that they would be held to the highest standards of morality and ethics. Yet, for those who lived their lives with honor and integrity, Amaunator was a beacon of hope, guiding them through the trials and tribulations of mortal existence.
Truly, Amaunator was a deity of immense power and authority, a god to be both feared and respected. To stand in his presence was to feel the weight of the universe on one's shoulders, to understand the true meaning of law and justice. For those who followed him, Amaunator was a guide and a protector, a symbol of all that was good and just in the world.

Personality

Amidst the pantheon of gods, Amaunator stood tall as the epitome of law and order. His meticulous nature and unwavering adherence to legal procedures earned him the respect of many who saw him as a fair, yet harsh deity. To be in his presence was to be struck by the awesome power of true law, a power that he wielded with the utmost care and responsibility. Amaunator was a deity who believed in the power of the written word, and he took great care in ensuring that every agreement, every contract, was written down, contracted, signed, sealed, and witnessed. He was a deity who followed the letter of the law, not necessarily the spirit of it, unless the spirit was more to his liking. This expectation of exactitude extended to his followers, who were expected to follow the letter of the law in all their dealings.
In addition to his role as a god of law and order, Amaunator was occasionally revered as the keeper of time. This, however, was not by design, but rather the result of a mispunctuation in a contract between himself and another deity. The contract, which stated that "Amaunator shall be responsible for all time, any misrepresentations of his or his followers, if so deemed the fault of Amaunator," led to Amaunator considering himself responsible for all time. However, he did not officially take over the portfolio, as he was not willing to step on the toes of Mystryl (the Netherese deity of magic, now known as Mystra), who was the unofficial keeper of the timestream in Faerûn.
As a deity, Amaunator's appearance was striking. When he was not taking on the role of Lathander, he appeared as a lanky man with silver-white hair and a short, week-long growth of white beard. His skin glowed with a quiet golden radiance, and he carried the "Scepter of the Eternal Sun" in one hand and a large legal tome in the other. He wore the clothes of a magistrate, a long, black or purple gown trimmed with silver or gold. In his presence, one could not help but feel the weight of his authority and the power of true law.

worshippers

In the lands of Faerûn, the followers of Amaunator were a force to be reckoned with. They were not only powerful spiritual leaders but also shrewd political figures who wielded immense influence in the realm. These devout priests were bound by strict hierarchies and regulations, with each Court (high priest of a temple) overseen by a Righteous Potentate who ruled with an iron fist. No member of the clergy could perform their duties or even take a leave of absence without the approval of the Righteous Potentate or one of his seven Monastic Abbots. The ranks of the church were numerous and varied, with each member specializing in a specific aspect of law and legislature. At the top of the hierarchy were the High Jurists, who served relentlessly and executed whatever duties were assigned to them. Beneath them were Jurists, High Magistrates, Magistrates, Defenders of the Law, Lions of Order, Radiant Servants, and Clerks. But there was one group that stood above all others - the elite sect of clerics and holy warriors known as the Sunmasters.
These Sunmasters were the true champions of Amaunator's church, feared and revered in equal measure. They were the ones who enforced the law with deadly precision, meting out punishment to those who dared to break it. With their unwavering devotion to the Eternal Sun, they were the living embodiment of justice and order. Even now, they continue to serve as a branch of the church of Lathander known as the Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun.
In their daily lives, the members of Amaunator's church were steeped in the intricacies of law and legislature. They spent countless hours drilling each other, practicing law in court, and rehearsing legal arguments. They were obsessed with understanding the nuances of the law and exploiting it to their advantage. They could often be found investigating crimes or participating in the construction of new laws in their locale, driven by their unyielding passion for justice.
The Amaunatori were not above using their knowledge of the law to make a tidy profit. They were frequently hired to settle merchant disputes over contracts, agreements, and trade practices, earning themselves and their church a comfortable living as arbitrators of all sorts of commercial and personal claims. Their influence extended far beyond the realm of religion, and their words carried weight with even the most powerful figures of authority.
However, like any religious order, the church of Amaunator was not without its heresies. Two of the most notable ones were the Risen Sun heresy and the Three-Faced Sun heresy. The former centered on the idea of Amaunator's return, a belief that later proved to be true. The latter was a more radical departure from orthodox doctrine, centered around the idea that Amaunator had three distinct faces, each representing a different aspect of his divinity. While these heresies were eventually suppressed, they serve as a reminder of the complex and multifaceted nature of Amaunator's church.

Orders of the church

Brotherhood of the sun

Listen to me, weary traveler, for I will now regale you with tales of the two mighty orders that emerged from the church of Amaunator. First, let us speak of the Brotherhood of the Sun. These were a band of wandering monks, walking the land to bring hope and faith to the common people. They were the ones who kept order in the countryside, where the long arm of the law could not reach. They were the ones who held the hands of the dying, and gave them comfort in their final moments.
But alas, when Netheril fell and Amaunator passed, the Brotherhood was left without a true leader. So, they turned to other deities to serve, with many of them turning to Lathander or Selûne, and a few even pledging themselves to the goddess of love, Sune. As time passed and the Age of Humanity dawned, the Brotherhood became known as the Order of the Sun Soul. And though they had forgotten their roots in the church of Amaunator, they continued to serve the common folk, regardless of their chosen deity. Men and women were welcomed into their ranks, as long as they had the strength and determination to walk the hard path of the itinerant monk.

Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun

Now, let us speak of the Brotherhood of the Glorious Sun. These were the chosen few who saw the truth that others could not. They knew that Lathander was the one true incarnation of Amaunator during the Era of Upheaval. And with this knowledge, they gained great power, and became the sun priests of legend.
Those who could acquire an original holy symbol of Amaunator had the chance to become a sunmaster, a divine spellcaster with the ability to channel the power of the sun. They were the ones who brought light to the darkness, who burned away the corruption of the world with their divine fire. They were the ones who could call forth the sun itself, and use it to strike down their enemies.
These were the two orders that emerged from the church of Amaunator, each with their own unique path to follow. And though their ways may have diverged, they still shared a common goal: to bring hope, light, and order to a world that was too often shrouded in darkness and chaos.

Astronomy

The constellation of Amaunator's belt was a rare sight to behold, a celestial display of intricate star patterns that illuminated the night sky like a fiery jewel. The people of the north gazed up at this majestic spectacle with awe and wonder, for they knew that it marked the height of summer and the arrival of the god of law and order. Ancient texts of Mystryl spoke of this constellation and its significance, for it was said to hold the key to unlocking the secrets of time travel. According to the legends, the stars of Amaunator's belt marked the location of a time gate, a portal to other realms and other eras that only the bravest and most skilled adventurers could hope to pass through.
Many sought to uncover the mysteries of this time gate, but few returned from their perilous journeys unscathed. The journey was fraught with danger, for the gate was guarded by powerful entities and dark forces that sought to keep the secrets of time travel hidden from mortal eyes.
But for those who dared to venture forth, the rewards were great indeed. The time gate offered a glimpse into the past and the future, a chance to witness events long forgotten or yet to come. It was a chance to gain knowledge and power beyond measure, and those who returned from their journeys were forever changed by the experience.
The constellation of Amaunator's belt shone bright and true, a beacon of hope and possibility in a world of darkness and uncertainty. And for those who dared to follow its light, the rewards were beyond imagining.