Sun's Grace

To believe is to gain inspiration to overcome the sentence.
Mournful Sun, Watchful Natrash and Blissful Bolo are guidance for those lost in void.
Witness to all the terrible things, Sun silently suffers.
Yet the act of Four Friends brought it to bliss momentarily...

— Eldersky - 1st Act.

Sun's Grace is a god of sadness, inspiration, healing, and rewards. Despite being dubbed Mournful in the title Eldersky - possibly the oldest existing collection of tablets in the world - its followers honor the Sun by showing it the joys of life and thus hopefully alleviating the terrible burden of having to witness all the crimes, terrible events, and suffering of the world. Air dragons and Diurnal Gryphons share reverence to this solemn god and by extension both are reluctant to perform any important deeds after dusk. Sun's Grace takes upon himself the form of a massive fire-red colored rooster, oftentimes engulfed in flames or sending sparks as he flies.

Summary

Despite our best efforts, the construction of your habitat cannot be completed before dusk. To honor Tyrth and Sun's Grace, we will postpone the roofing works for tomorrow morning. Sincerely, Rafth.

— Message left on a leaky house during rainstorm

While "Sun's Grace" is his official name, he is most commonly only referred to as "Sun" in common speech. The actions performed by this ancient deity have been recorded in the legends as a provider of guidance to those that are lost, appearing before them in his rooster form to lead them away from danger, which seems to indicate that this deity is actively trying to avoid bringing misfortune to his followers and likes to reveal secret paths or items to them. It is said that Sun's Grace shares some kinship with roosters of the animal world, as they are the heralds of his arrival, which in some tribes makes Air dragons and Diurnal Gryphons revere chicken as sacred and are thus forbidden from being killed or eaten.

Prayer

Dear, hurry up. We are already going to be flying in late for our leader's proclamation.

— Diurnal gryphon trying to convince his mate to speed up her daily reverance of the Sun.

Honoring the Sun's Grace is performed in a rather orthodox fashion, as each follower is asked to spend at least a minute or two of their time, each day, in the morning to bask in the sunrays before taking flight. This can be accompanied by the follower closing their eyes and muttering a silent prayer for the day ahead, hoping for favor and safety during their assigned work or assignments.
Shrines to Sun's Grace exist all throughout The Continent and are always built without roofs with only a statue of the god's rooster form semblance and a bowl for offerings. Should something miraculous, lucky or otherwise positive happen to the follower, they are compelled to place a gem on the offering bowl. Before the sun sets, a priest appointed to the shrine will collect all - if any - gems that are there and is allowed to keep them. In most tribes, this is the only source of income for these priests.
Speaking of priests, each shrine tends to have from 1-3 individuals that reside nearby and provide a solemn ear to those in need of sharing what troubles them. While they rarely perform any sermon, they are taught and share plentiful tips on how can one stay healthy of mind and soul. These priests tend to live quiet and humble lives, dedicating themselves to absorb the sadness of others, hoping to in turn make their lives more joyful.

Historical Basis

Sun's Grace has appeared before the first Kateraks far before Dragons or Gryphons even came into existence. The first cave-paintings exist depicting both the Sun and the Divine Rooster with many Kateraks bowing before him. The exact details of his emergence into prominence are lost to time, but it is clear that this God made several appearances before groups of individuals in the past, showing off the facets of his personality early on.
While widely respected, there was never truly a great following behind this deity, despite having an ever-present reminder in the sky every day from dawn to dusk. This is partly because for most Midrastians, living the selfless life of helping others was not very appealing, nor is the idea of living humbly or spreading joy. And while some may visit the shrine here and there, throughout the ages, the most dedicated individuals are steadily on a decline, replaced by newer deities and cults.

Spread

Originates from the ancient homes of Kateraks, mostly throughout East and Center of The Continent. Currently widely outspread but not very popular.

Variations & Mutation

Certain mutations of the original believes have resulted in several cults and sub-divisions of Sun's Grace.
Currently, the most prominent one exists amongst inhabitants of Minh Toi, who show off the best aspects of life to the Sun's Grace is through orgies and public sexual acts. While there is some truth that intimate contact may help against sadness, this shrine is the only one that actively promotes their priests to engage with their followers in this way - and is quite profitable and popular as a direct result.
Other cults, lesser-known ones even find solace in causing themselves pain and suffering. The Order of Red Sun interprets Eldersky differently and encourages their own followers towards methods of sadism and masochism. Suffice to say, this cult has secret followers that do not practice their beliefs publicly and only meet at a predetermined place and time away from society, usually in early mornings as many tribes do not take the members of this cult kindly.

In Literature

Referenced in Eldersky