Church of Light
The Church of Light is the official church of Aethon Sol, The God of Light. The church's headquarters are located at the Solarium, a chapel made of glass on the cliffs of Procampur. The Church officially controls the city of Procampur due to its involvement of the city's restoration after a terrorist attack in 750 PU left it destroyed. Aethon's church is the most common of all sentients across The Civilized West.
Induction and Ranks
No official induction is needed for allegiance to the Church of Light; in fact, the church commonly encourages beings of all backgrounds to worship the Sun God. All large cities and most smaller settlements have local churches, even where other gods may not be represented. However, joining the church as an official priest is a long and arduous process, and one that is typically reserved for those that have met Aethon Sol at least once in their lifetimes. Collectively, the church is led by the High Priests Reyven and Kenyatta Solander. A member of the Church of Light may request ascension into priesthood once they have been called to the church by a vision of Aethon Sol. Typically, a member's request must be verified by an established priest who is capable of confirming the vision with Aethon himself. Once confirmed, the priest-to-be is assigned several tasks by their local church, which may involve healing, mission trips, and occasional material sacrifices in flame. Once the initiate's mentoring priest feels that they are ready, the priest must submit a letter of recommendation to one of two High Priests, Kenyatta or Reyven Solander. The High Priest will commune with Aethon Sol and confirm the god's blessing for the initiate's ascension into priesthood. Receiving Aethon's blessing takes considerable dedication and, often, several decades. Because of this, priests tend to be of longer-lived races such as elves and dwarves. The title of High Priest is reserved for the current leaders of the church; those that have been chosen by Aethon himself. Historically, several High Priests of Aethon Sol lived around Faerun, but the church was officially united in 750 PU and now has only two High Priests. Traditionally, the title of High Priest is passed through family lines, as certain families appear to have a naturally stronger connection with Aethon than others.Tenets and Rules
The Church of Light first and foremost preaches the idea of 'moral cleanliness' through compassion and selflessness. It is common belief that a 'clean' soul is more likely to be chosen for reincarnation by Palana, the Goddess of Death. Reincarnation is believed to be rare, but possible, as Aethon Sol, sometimes known as the Celestial Phoenix and the Pure Soul, claims to have been reincarnated. Therefore, traditionally a sentient's goal in life should be to achieve reincarnation, purify their soul as much as possible by emulating Aethon's beliefs. The church encourages physical manifestations of this goal in the form of sacrifices purified by light. For example, if alcoholism threatens the purity of one's soul by tempting immorality in the form of lies, cheating, or greed, they may repent by burning all of the alcohol they own. In some cases this idea may be taken to its extreme, where an unclean soul may attempt to repent by burning their own flesh. In the years since the Union, the idea of soul purification has become noticeably more aggressive within the Church of Light. In recent years the church has decreed that purifying one's soul should no longer be a follower's only concern; instead, they should pride themselves in assisting others in doing the same. Bringing one to The Light is in itself seen as an act of compassion, as it allows another the opportunity to pursue reincarnation. Some claim that this expansion has manifested as racist ideology, as the church often insinuates that, because high elves have traditionally been chosen as High Priests by Aethon, the race is inherently pure in soul.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Leader
Location
Notable Members
