Church of Arva
Arva is the daughter of Danu and Melethis, known as the Goddess of the Sun and Light. She is venerated as one of the most important deities of the Valenorian pantheon, particularly by the Garowians, a people of lion-shaped humanoids, who call her the "White Lion". Her priests are considered brave and are on the front lines in the fight against the Darkness and demons. It is said that the light emanating from Arva can heal wounds and protect from darkness.
Dogma
Followers of Arva believe that the life-giving sun is the best cure for all of Valenor's ills. Justice and freedom are achieved through charity, modesty, perseverance and self-denial. The priests of Arva teach that those who are really strong do not need to demonstrate their power. Arva's faithful strive to do so many good deeds that evil has no room in which to exist, although they will fight if necessary. The main manifestations of the forces of evil are the demons of darkness, the undead and the shape-shifters, against them the Clergy of Arva acts every day. However, Arva urges his followers to remember that excessive attention to the deeds of evil can blind us to true values: compassion and goodness. These are the things to pursue for the path of the faithful of Arva.
The ancient enmity between the two sisters Arva and Sela reflects the contrast between day and night, between the creatures of light and those of darkness and between two different balances in the heart of each creature. only by renouncing dark impulses can the faithful of Arva continue his radiant journey and inspire those who meet him.
According to the dogma of Arva, the energy and power of life originate from the sun.
Scriptures
"In the Sun Hand" is a controversial text currently accepted by only a handful of temples in Arva. It was written around 476 OE by a woman named Tephos. Tephos was not a priestess, but she believed she was Arva's chosen representative on Valenor. She somehow she performed miracles, including curing an entire village from the plague, before writing about her beliefs about her and vanishing before her disciples in a flash of golden light. Tephos taught that all property had to be shared, that society had to return to a more "natural" state such as it was assumed to exist before the spread of civilization, and that clerics were unnecessary; Arva could intervene directly. Most of Arva's branches of faith regard Tephos as a delusional visionary.
"The Light of Arva" is the most common sacred book of Arva, which begins with the creation of the sun by Melethis and Danu and tells how Arva took to heart the fate of mortals and became their defense. Some have turned against her teachings, thus embracing evil, and this evil spirit has grown and prospered over time. Some versions (the oldest) portray Arva as the sun (Sol) itself and tell of Arva's attempts to win back those who have strayed from the light of her, while for those who fall into darkness only punishment remains. The "Light of Arva" has only minor variations and all are considered canonical despite these small discrepancies. The book is often enchanted to shine with a soft solar glow when closed and some versions are in solid gold.
Worshippers
Arva is a popular deity, much loved by the common people. She is especially revered in the elven lands, by the Garowians and in the kingdom of Sobral. The Prelature of Orenil was founded by a paladin of Arva after the Battle of the Fall, and although the nation was ruled by an ecumenical council, it remained the largest center of the faith of Arva until the old Orenil was destroyed during the invasion of Phan empire.
Although the church of Arva has had some heresies and schisms, currently the clergy of its powerful temples maintain close contact with each other and are united in their doctrine. The general leadership of the church maintains close contact with major temples, and itinerant and militant clerics travel from one region to another very often.
Clergy
The clergy of Arva heal the sick, bless those who undertake new activities, help those in danger and destroy evil, darkness and the undead. They are caring and polite, with backbones of steel. The Arva priesthood attracts many naive young men to its service, but the training is rigorous enough to send many back to their farms. Arva's elite priests are called Radiant Servants. Arva's favorite weapon is the Kopesh sword, mace (heavy or light) and longbow (whose rain of parabolic arrows symbolizes the sun's rays). The vestments are usually yellow or gilded.
Some clerics are itinerant, in search of evil and Darkness, always ready to help those who are threatened by them. Inside fortified monasteries, in the regions where Arva is most revered, the novices of the order are trained and then sent to those places where the presence of Arva is considered most necessary. Each fortress or temple is commanded by a Prior, the Prior is appointed by the First Defender of the Region, in turn the First Defender is chosen by all the Priors of the same region who meet in the Luminous Council. The supreme head of the church of Arva is the Avatar, in which the very spirit of divinity resides. Upon his death, the First Defenders choose one of them who will become the new Avatar during a secret ceremony.
The spiritual center of the church of Arva, the Cathedral of Dawn, which was destroyed in the fall of Orenil against the imperial invasion, was recently rebuilt in the city of Orenil and the Avatar now resides permanently in the cathedral.
Paladins
Paladins of Arva, known as Lightbringer, are rare, having appeared in large numbers only after the Great Crusade. They are as common as Sardar's paladins, although the War God church is much smaller than that of Arva. The paladins of Arva see themselves as the burning light of the sun that sweeps away the darkness and evil and brings strength and comfort to the innocent. Although not common, they can be found in almost all nations of Valenor, their clothing varies according to the local culture.
The Lightbringers believe that laws are useful, but that at best they are a secondary goal and should be tempered with mercy. Their slogan is Fairness for the meek with perseverance and strength.
When not in formal dress, Lightbringers prefer light colored tunics, especially white, pale yellow or gray. Some dress in ordinary clothing, especially when serving as community healers or undercover. Those who refer directly to the clergy of Arva wear, on formal occasions, a black cloak decorated with the symbol of the sun. Thus when they fight in the territories of Darkness, only the luminous symbols are visible to their enemies.
An ancient order of paladins, prior to the invasion of Darkness, the Lords of the Sun, are now extinct, but their history is closely linked to that of the kingdoms wiped out a millennium ago by the arrival of the Phans. By the time of the flight from imperial fury, this order had gained great popularity and largely assumed the traditional roles of cult priests in communities hiding from imperial control. Over time, the surviving religious communities gave life to the current version by the clergy of Arva.
Currently the most important military order in the church of Arva is that of the Knights of the Blazing Suns, who have assumed an increasingly important role after the failure of the Great Crusade.
Monks
Inspired by the image of Purity linked to the cult of Arva, a Sacred Order of the Sisters of Purity was spontaneously created, composed only of women and dedicated to this aspect of divinity. This order was later officially recognized by the Church of Arva and also took part in the Great Crusade.
The Sisters of Purity are committed to freeing Valenor from the miasma of Darkness. For some time they have been studying ways, remedies and spells suitable for eliminating the Taint from people, creatures and the territory, so that they can bring back to life and joy, territories and people now considered "lost".
Currently, the Sisters of Purity are present in various outposts and monasteries near areas contaminated by Darkness or in large cities where dark plots often lurk.
The sisters are divided between Orants and Militants, while the former are involved in research, contracting and purification of corruption, the latter are fanatical warriors used when corruption is too deep and requires to be rooted out. With strength.
The monks of the Shining Fists are a monastical/warrior sect, often charged with the role of protecting the faithful. To carry out their mission, the Monks of the Shining Fists often leave their monasteries to travel into the Outdoors and to places where the faithful of Arva may be oppressed or in danger.
Clothing and Symbols
The symbol of Arva is the sun with its own rays. For the Garowians she is the White Lion, while for the Arboreans she is the White Shining Lady who together with the Mother Goddess Danu is the protector of the realm.
Priests and members of the clergy wear warm and bright colors, in which Yellow and White often dominate. Rich gold ornaments and decorations are well regarded, while silver is considered impure (as it is associated with Sela) and cannot be worn or used as a material in the temples of Arva.
One of the lines of thought of some cult members is that their body should be exposed to the light of the Goddess as much as possible. To do this they prefer to wear as little clothing as possible during the day, thus offering the greatest possible body surface to the Goddess. Conversely they cover up their body when the moon shine in the night, to deny the influence of the hated goddess Sela.
Rituals
The rites of the church of Arva take place 3 times a day for the priests in the city churches: First Sun (dawn), Full Sun (noon) and Last Sun (sunset). Itinerant clerics are exempt from all functions except that of dawn, even if they are indoors or in places where no sunlight reaches them. Arva's services include communal prayer, singing of hymns, and giving alms. Prayers in Arva are often first-person affirmations, for example: "I am merciful, just as the Sun of Mercy shines on me."
Weddings and rites of passage often take place at the start of a new season. Anyone who starts a business or construction often requires a ritual known as a Sun-Kissed Birth Blessing.
Blessing of the Light - It is a ceremony of renunciation and protection from the Dark, officiated every time a faithful or a priest of Arva comes into contact with the Dark. Officiated in a preventive manner, it protects those who receive the blessing for 24 hours.
Places of Worship
The Temples of Arva are tall, with large windows; many are stained glass cathedrals. They are arranged so that the sun shines in most of the rooms during the day and many have large courtyards. They tend to be airy and dazzling white. Temple ornaments are typically yellow or gold. They are always kept very clean. Many temples of Arva have hospital wings.
Holy days
The main public holidays of Arva generally take place on the solstices and equinoxes of the Valenor Calendar.
- The Day of Bread. On this day, which takes place on the day of the winter solstice), the clerics of Danu and Arva distribute food to the poor.
- The feast of Elesium. Arva faithful from all over Valenor also join in this interreligious celebration in remembrance of the dead, which takes place at the autumn equinox.
- Midsummer day. This day, also known as the Holy Day of Arva, takes place on the day of the summer solstice.
- The Feast of the Rising Sun, at the spring equinox, in which couples exchange marriage vows, all kinds of enterprises are started and mainly novices are accepted in the clergy and in the knightly orders of Arva.
Relics
The famous relics of Arva include the Mace and Hammers called Dawnstars and the sacred symbols known as the fragments of the sun.
- There are four Dawnstars. They were gifts from Arva to four Solar who saved a paladin from the bowels of hell.
- The Fragments of the sun are described in the sacred texts of Arva as "gift of Arva, which I carry with me in the darkness: a sun that never sets", these crystal fragments illuminate in the presence of evil or undead, wounding them with its pure light. The crystals are said to be fragments of the mirror given to Arva by Melethis and broken by Sela in contempt.
- The Rod of Ajira is a relic of a legendary paladin named Ajira. Some of his bones were placed in the hilt of his Kopesh, becoming its relic. He lights up, removes diseases and regenerates whoever wields him.
- The Rogan icon is named after a cleric from Arva who had been an apprentice to a blacksmith. He created his own sacred symbol; he was imperfect, a crude thing of mere bronze, but he wore it as a rebuke to those who worshiped only beauty. The icon has special qualities against the undead and its sun rays can turn into gold to use to feed the needy. It has been lost since 594 NE, when cleric Devlin Hardstone disappeared during a raid into the lands of Darkness.
Myths and legends
Parable of the Hungry Man. This myth tells of a man who was driven to crime by a combination of desperate poverty and foolish pride. His community forgives him, nourishes him and dresses him when they discover that he has renounced his wickedness.
Punishment of the undead. This myth tells the origin of vampires, who are said to have been cursed by Arva after giving up her light in their quest for dark magic. The myth suggests that Arva would forgive them, if only they asked him.
The Silver Eclipse. This parable is about the plague of lycanthropy and the monsters that prowl the night. Interpreted as what would happen if Arva's light was missing.
Gift of Eternal Light. This is an epic saga of an ancient kingdom threatened by deadly, demonic and undead evil. Though severely tested by their enemies, the people of the kingdom had their spirits restored every morning by the sight of the rising sun. In a culminating battle, the sun's rays helped defeat the demons and the undead, and brought victory to the faithful of Arva. An interesting detail is that this myth claims that the sun's rays (clouds of arrows) are the wrath of the spirits of the righteous, a claim that no other Arva text makes.
Granted Divine Powers
Each day, as they recite the First Light prayer, they bestow on all faithful attending (and on the priest) a Heal Serious Wound spell and a Bless spell.
Once a week, reciting the special "Blessing of the Light" ceremony, a priest of Arva can remove 1 Taint Point from a creature infected by Darkness. This removal is very painful and not always appreciated.
These spell do not come from the cleric officing the prayer, but from the god herself (no spell slot are expended).
The first worship is the "First Light" prayer, each day at dawn. If a Cleric miss this prayer it loses all spells casting for the day. Priest going underground or where they cannot see when the dawn occur will receive a "sensation" of when the dawn is happening. Priest with wealth often buy clock and timepieces with the sun-up function.
Fiat Lux
| Clerics of Arva |
|---|
| Symbol | A Blazing Sun |
| Favored weapon | Maces, Longbow, Kopesh Sword |
| Deity Domain | Sun Domain
Healing Domain Purification Domain |
| Rituals | |
| Granted Powers | When officing the First Sun, all faithful present get a "Cure Serious Wound" and a Bless spell cast on them. |
| Holy Items | The Holy Symbol of Arva is a Sun image with the solar rays. |
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