Pelor (PAY-lore)

(a.k.a. The Sun Father, the Sun God, the Sun Lord, the Shining One)

Pelor is the god of the Sun, Light, Strength, and Healing. He is known as the Shining One, and the Sun Father. He is known as the creator of much that is good. His holy symbol is a face in a sun.
Pelor is a popular deity, much-beloved by the commonfolk. He is worshiped on at least one other world other than Toril and Greyhawk, Ghemjana. The Prelacy of Almor was founded by a paladin of Pelor after the Battle of a Fortnight's Length, and though the nation became ruled by an ecumenical council, it remained the greatest center of Pelor's faith until Almor was destroyed during the Greyhawk Wars. Although Pelor's church has a few heresies and schisms, the head priests of his powerful temples are in contact with one another and with the religion’s overall leadership. If the secular leaders of one nation place an onerous tax on Pelor’s temples, word will spread through Pelor’s hierarchy. Other nations might be persuaded by their Pelorians to apply diplomatic pressure to get the tax repealed.
Clergy Pelor's clergy heal the sick, bless crops, help the needy, and destroy evil and the undead. They are caring and nurturing, with backbones of steel. The Pelorian priesthood attracts many naive youths to his service, but training is rigorous enough to send many of them back to their farms. Pelor's elite priests are called Radiant Servants. Pelor's favored weapon is the mace (heavy or light). Vestments are typically yellow or gold.
Druids Pelor is served by a small number of druids, who behave in ways similar to his clerics, but with a greater emphasis on the care of plants and animals. They usually associate themselves with settlements rather than living as hermits, aiding the community with their hands, spells, and animal companions wherever they can. They are considered to have priest status within the Pelorian church, though they have a separate hierarchy. Pelor is also worshipped in the Old Faith, where he is considered the god of summer.
Paladins Pelorian paladins, known as Crusaders, are rare. Pelor's paladins see themselves as the burning light of the sun which scours away darkness and evil and brings strength and comfort to the innocent. Though uncommon, they can be found in nearly every nation in Emjarren, the Southlands, Svilgard and Hestoria, their dress varying according to the local culture. Crusaders believe that laws are helpful, but that they are at best a secondary goal and must be tempered with mercy. Their slogan is Equity for the Meek with Perseverance and Strength. When not in formal dress, Crusaders favor light-colored tunics, particularly sky blues, pale greens, or grays. Some dress in commoner's clothing, especially when serving as community healers or in disguise. On formal occasions, they wear a black cloak emblazoned with the symbol of the sun. They blend into the darkness, only the shining symbols visible to their foes.
Rituals Pelor's services involve communal prayer, the singing of hymns, and the distribution of alms. Prayers to Pelor are often affirmations in the first person, for example, "I am merciful, just as the Sun of Mercy shines on me." Weddings and rites of passage often take place at the beginning of a new season. Farmers often request a ritual known as the Blessing of the Sun-Kissed Field.
Temples Pelor's temples are tall, with large windows; many are stained-glass cathedrals. They are arranged so that the sun shines into most of the rooms during the day, and many feature large courtyards. They tend to be airy and blindingly white. Temple trappings are typically yellow or gold. They are always kept clean. Many Pelorian temples have hospital wings.

Divine Domains

Sun, Light, Strength, Healing

Artifacts

Famed relics of Pelor include the maces called Dawnstars and the holy symbols known as the Shards of the Sun. Both are described in Complete Divine. An artifact of Pelor's is hidden in the Caves of Deadly Shadows.
There are four Dawnstars. They were gifts from Pelor to four solars who rescued a paladin from the bowels of Hell.
The Shards of the Sun are described in Pelorian holy texts as "Pelor’s gift,which I carry into darkness—a sun that never sets." Ajira's Rod is a relic of a legendary paladin called Ajira. Some of his bones were placed in the hilt of his mace, becoming the relic. It glows, removes disease, and regenerates its wielder.

Holy Books & Codes

In the Sun Father's Hand is a controversial text accepted at present by only a handful of Pelorian temples. It was written about 1476 AE by a woman named Tephos. Tephos was not a priest, but she believed herself to be Pelor's chosen representative on Ghemjana. Somehow she performed miracles, including curing an entire village of plague, before writing about her beliefs and vanishing in front of her disciples in a flash of golden light. Tephos taught that all property should be held communally, that society should return to a more "natural" state like that assumed to exist before the spread of civilization, and that clerics were unnecessary; Pelor could intervene directly instead. Most branches of the Pelorian faith consider Tephos to be gifted but delusional.
The Light of Pelor is the most common Pelorian holy book, beginning with Pelor's creation of the sun and telling of how Pelor instructed the first mortals. Some turned against his teachings, thus creating evil, and this evil spirit has waxed and waned over time. Some versions portray Pelor as the sun (Liga) itself, rather than its creator, and tell of Pelor's attempts to win back those who have strayed from his light. The Light of Pelor only has minor variations in it, and all are considered canonical, despite these small discrepancies. The book is often enchanted to glow with a soft solar radiance when it's closed, and some versions are gilded.

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Pelor is described as a man whose head is just a sun, burning. His holy symbol is a sun with a face in it.

Tenets of Faith

Pelorians believe that the life-giving sun is the best cure for all of Ghemjana's ills. Justice and freedom are brought about through charity, modesty, perseverance, and self-sacrifice. Pelor's priests teach that the truly strong don't need to prove their power. Pelorians strive to perform so many good acts that evil has no room in which to exist, though they will fight if necessary. Pelor is wrathful against the forces of evil, and is especially opposed to the undead. However, Pelor urges his followers to remember that excessive attention to things of evil can blind one to the truly important things: compassion and goodness. These are what must be emphasized above all. Pelorian dogma has it that the energy and power of life originates in the sun.

Holidays

Pelor's major holy days generally take place on the solstices and equinoxes of the Ghemjana Calendar.
Breadgiving Day. On this day, taking place on the 25th of Doden(the Winter Solstice), clerics of Pelor distribute food to the poor.
Midsummer's Day. This day, also known as the Holy Day of Pelor, takes place on Shay 25th, the day of the Summer Solstice.

Divine Classification

Greater Deity

Religions

• Church of Pelor

Alignment

Neutral Good

Current Location

Ghemjana

Realm

Ghemjana

Church/Cult

Church of Pelor