Saint Peregrin

Father of the Purashran Church

Pontiff Sosem Peregrin, also known as Saint Peregrin or sometimes Peregrin the Prophet, was as an integral figure in the worship of the Sun God Ashra on Cynos. Founder of the Purashran Church, Peregrin set sail from his home in Intaria to discover the Holy Land of Ashraeli prophecy, which he would go on to name Deusolom. He and his followers built a church upon Deusolom's southern coastal cliff, believed by Peregrin to be the location on Cynos upon which the Sun shone most brightly. This church would grow and expand into what is now called Pontificalis Basilica, or the Reverential Palace, the crown jewel of the sprawling city of Castradeus. Peregrin is also the original author of the Cartus Astrum, the holy text of the Purashran Church. The writings within were inspired by angelic visions and are considered by Deusolites, as well as many other Ashraeli around the globe, to be the word of Ashra himself. Peregrin's initial congregation consisted only of those who followed him to Deusolom, but word of his divine favour with Ashra spread quickly; in only a few short years, hundreds of would-be devotees travelled to Deusolom to worship under Peregrin's guidance. The following decades would see the construction of the great city Castradeus with Peregrin, the first Pontiff, as its ruler.

Reputation

Peregrin was admired by all who knew him, and disliked only by those who envied him. Though present-day Pontiffs carry a considerable amount of prestige and ceremony at all times, there were no such customs in Castardeus during Peregrin's reign. He was widely known to be a paragon of the people, living modestly and ruling justly. Three times each day, Peregrin would deliver sermons in the beautiful Chapel Solaris, before following his congregation outdoors to talk and interact with his people—not as their Pontiff, but as their peer. After his passing, the gardens in front of the Reverential Palace were named Peregrin Court in his honour, and a statue of the prophet still stands there to this day.

The Nearly Accurate Theology

Of all the Ashraeli worshipers that had ever lived, and their many different interpretations of Ashra's will, Peregrin's Purashran Church is by far the closest to a complete understanding of the Sun God's doctrine. Where other religious factions might make compromises or blur certain lines regarding law and punishment, the Purashran Church devotes itself to the idea of Law fully. This has lead to outsiders viewing them as religious extremists, but it has also granted them the unique favour of Ashra that allowed them to survive The Impact more easily than any other civilization on the planet. There is only one point on which Peregrin was off the mark with his interpretation: Since he believed Ashra to be ultimately benevolent, he equated being Lawful with being Good. He, as well as his church for millennia to follow, was able to rationalize certain acts that were morally questionable or even downright cruel because they adhered strictly to the letter of the law. He believed that, by being as lawful as possible, one would earn their place in the Seven Heavens, and that the Nine Hells were a place of punishment for blasphemous behaviour. Peregrin, along with most other Deusolites, was indeed welcomed into the Seven Heavens after death. Those whose cruelty exceeded their benevolence, despite the lawfulness of their actions, would instead find themselves in the Nine Hells, not as punishment, but as simple consequence of nature.

Death

Peregrin was long-lived, surviving long past the expected life-span of any human. When he finally did pass, it is said that his body disappeared in a flash of golden light, confirming his ascension to angelic status in the eyes of his followers. By the time of his passing, the hierarchal structure of the Purashran Church had been firmly established, and the system was already in place for the Cardinal bishops to choose the next Pontiff—and so began the longest-lasting theocracy that Cynos would see for millennia to come.