The Church of the Broken Sun

On a planet in as dire straits as Venus, hope can be a rare thing, but whether or not that hope has been misplaced can be difficult to see.

Structure

The Apostle of the Morning watches over the Altar of the Morning, a large temple built entirely within the trunk of a petrified tree from a Dead Grove within the Eternal Desert. Both the starting and ending place for the Pilgrimage, the Altar of the Morning is both a beautiful and harrowing place. The current Apostle of the Morning is Clar’dsol, a cha’ari who has only taken on the role in the last few years after his predecessors passing.
The Apostle of the Evening watches over the Altar of the Evening, a magnificent temple constructed of ebony, obsidian, and oily black stone. It sits upon the shores of an inland sea where the salty sea air permeates through the entire interior of the temple. This temple was actually co-opted by the church after discovering the temple abandoned with no records as to its history or purpose prior to the Church of the Broken Sun. The current Apostle of the Evening is Annalucia Noc, a human woman who has served as the Apostle for several decades now, but in all that time her appearance remains unchanged.
Lastly there is the Ikon of the Sun, a position which has only been filled three times in the entire history of the church. On three separate occasions during the Final Blessing where upon the pilgrim throws themself into the Morning Flame, the Flame sent something back. Though similar to the pilgrim in body, they act wholly different than their prior personality. While they wield no formal power, their influence within the church can not be overstated. Often traveling between the two altars, the Ikon advises the apostles on matters great and small. The current Ikon is a human answered only to “Lena”. They are covered in burns, seldom speak, and are never seen without their golden mask.

History

When the planet stopped spinning so did the cycle of day and night on Venus. After millennia of people knowing nothing but either day or not, some began to believe that if they could somehow get the planet to start rotating again, that many of the world’s problems would begin to fix themselves. While some think advanced technologies or magicks could be the solution to this, the church has turned to something that, in a way, can be much more powerful: belief.
The Church of the Broken Sun was founded centuries ago by a Thora known simply as Varas. Deep within his soul, he could sense the pain of the entire planet. Not just the beings living on it, but the actual planet itself crying out in pain. It was then that the revelation came to him, interpreted by these screams. If he could somehow simulate the rotation of the planet enough times, he could ease the suffering of the planet. Also, maybe, just maybe, even get the planet to turn yet again.
And so, over the centuries, the church developed. When Varas passed, his responsibilities were split in three: The Apostle of the Morning, the Apostle of the Evening, and the Ikon of the Sun.

Worship

The members of the Church often preach the “virtues of the sun”. Those being of nurturing and kindness. Of warmth and growth. They will often go out of their way to help those in need and as such are often looked upon as eccentric, but largely harmless. Every year, the Church sends a follower on a Pilgrimage to take the fire from the Altar of the Morning and take it across the globe to the Altar of the Evening and back again, completing a symbolic rotation of the planet and hopefully healing the planet in the process. Only one pilgrim makes this journey a year, but in the event that the first pilgrim fails, the Church will send out another and another until it is done. The Pilgrimage is the highest priority.
When a pilgrim is selected, as every year there are an abundance of willing volunteers, they will often be accompanied by several guards and or guides to ensure the journal is completed. With their massive torches leading their journey, they are easily recognizable. Along the way to the Altars, they will also stop along smaller communities to restock supplies, spread the word of the Church, and see what assistance they may be able to provide to the community.
Perhaps the most important part, both symbolically and in terms of their beliefs, of the Pilgrimage besides the transfer of the flame is the “gift of the self”. During any blessing after helping a community, the Pilgrim will often sever a finger, toe, or other extremity as part of a gift of the flesh to bring prosperity to the community. The more in need the community, the greater the sacrifice, from full limbs, eyes, tongues, and even organs if the need is dire enough. This all culminates in the Final Blessing in which the pilgrim will immolate themselves in the Flame of the Morning as their last gift to the planet. Hopefully bringing the planet that much closer to salvation.

Type

Religious, Cult

Demonym

Suntouched

Controlled Territories

• The Altar of the Evening
• The Altar of the Morning

Notable Members

• Annalucia Nox
• Clar'dsol
• Lena