Ashra

God of Law

Any who live in accordance with order and structure, no matter how morally virtuous, are in good favour with Ashra.

Ashra, the Sun and the God of Law, Justice, Fire and Air , is one the of two celestial deities in the dualistic Syzygy Cosmology . The twin brother of Boda the Moon, Ashra and his sister are jointly responsible for the creation of the planet Cynos, albeit inadvertently.

Boda's death at Ashra's hand during a solar eclipse.

As the God of Law, Ashra strives to foster order, stability and structure, and is prepared to impose these ideals by conquest if necessary. It is the view of Ashra that Chaos is the source of all conflict in the Universe, and that if lawful order could be established and maintained, lasting peace and prosperity would be achieved. This makes his sister Boda, Goddess of Chaos, the single obstacle in his path towards peace. Everywhere he casts his light, Boda casts shadows. Wherever he fosters order and structure, Boda undermines him and coaxes nature to do as it pleases. Left with no choice but to eliminate his sister, Ashra gave chase, but for millennia was unable to catch Boda. In the year 0 BDB, when a solar eclipse left Boda vulnerable, Ashra succeeded in killing his sister, shifting the cosmic balance in unimaginable ways. Inadvertently, Boda's death at Ashra's hands also caused The Impact, which stopped his sunlight from reaching Cynos for centuries.

Ideals

Even if they do not actively practice religion, most civilized races on Cynos adhere to the principles of Ashra. As the God of Law, Ashra smiles on cities and settlements, and the law-abiding citizens who live within them. He smiles on farmers who grow crops and grains, and on metalworkers who shape minerals into metal tools and equipment. However, since he is a morally-neutral being, Ashra also smiles on cruel dictators and ruthless bureaucrats. He smiles on the drow, whose institutional Great Houses keep, abuse and profit off of slave workers. Any who live in accordance with order and structure, no matter how morally virtuous, are in good favour with Ashra.

Clerics of Ashra

With ideals that align so congruently with the expansion of society, it is no surprise that Ashra has an enormous following of mortal worshippers on Cynos. To reward and encourage this behaviour, Ashra blesses devoted acolytes with limited access to his divine power. These individuals, usually priests, clerics and paladins, can channel his divinity and affect the material world around them in a manner akin to spell-casting. Many such holy warriors use their power to defend the weak and do good in the world, but this is not required of them. All they need do is live lawful lives to keep favour with Ashra.

True Fire

After Boda's corruption of the Elemental Plane of Fire, Ashra became the only source in the Universe of radiant fire, or true fire. Originally, fire was a tranquil strong source of light and warmth, as stable as Ashra himself. Boda lured the flames toward her Planes of Chaos with promises of absolute freedom. As a result, the previously serene and beautiful Plane of Fire was transformed into a raging inferno, unquenchable and unstoppable. The volatile, unstable fire to which mortals have access on Cynos is a perversion of its original form. Clerics and paladins who worship Ashra are blessed with access to his true fire, and it is the primary source of their divine magic.

Celestial Planes

Ashra commands the two Lawful Outer Planes: the lawful-good aligned Mount Celestia, and the lawful-evil aligned The Nine Hells. The former is a place of serene peace and unparalleled beauty, and the latter is a progression of increasingly terrible and inhospitable mini-Planes, ruled and inhabited by devils. The souls of lawful-aligned mortals will be delivered to either Mount Celestia or the Nine Hells upon their death, in accordance with the Divine Judgement.