Heliod, the Dawnfather

Domain: God of the Sun

Heliod radiates pride and self-assurance onto Taridad like the sun radiates light and warmth. The Dawnfather takes an interest in the bonds of family which tie people closest together. He is described to be cheerful and sociable and tends to form bonds easily. However, these bonds can be as easily broken. Ancient texts say the Dawnfather opposed the Horizon Gate the most among the Prime Deities.

Physical Description

Heliod is depicted as a sun-bronzed male human with streaks of grey in his flowing brown hair. He displays a strong chin and a short, well-groomed beard. Most tapestries have Heliod dressed in a flowing tunic of fine golden cloth.

Highsummer

Highsummer is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month, which is always the summer solstice - as Heliod intened. The celebration is of Heliod himself, rather than an aspect of life. These celebrations typically consist of grand communal feasts and gift-giving. In Noyatu the celebration starts on the 7th and lasts until the 13th, the day that the Free Peoples defeated the Rifaguud Dynasty.

Tales and Myths

Origin of Catoblepas

When a herder boasted that his cattle were the finest in Mokuwai because Heliod and Melora had created them, the gods grew angry at this falsehood. Heliod persuaded Zehir to curse the cattle, transforming them into the first catoblepases. As a result, many animal breeders prove excessively modest to this day, with humble boasts being common and well-understood among both buyers and sellers.

The Lost Spear of Heliod

Khrusor, the spear of the Dawnfather, is fabled to be able to strike any point on Taridad. One tale details how Heliod smote a human settlement whose people angered him by denouncing him as a false idol. Olantin sank beneath the sea when Heliod struck it. Melora pitied the humans granting them the ability to breathe water and withstand the pressures of the oceans. This is said to be the origin of the triton race. During the Divine Crisis, the spear was lost and is speculated to still be somewhere on Taridad. Since Oprynkyst was the battlefield of Heliod’s last battle against Auril during the end of the Crisis, it is suspected this is the final resting place of the lost spear.

Ideals and Commandments

• Face the horrors of the darkness so the common people don’t have to.
• The law is enacted to establish fair and equitable relationships among peers.
• Nobly and always keep promises under Heliod’s name.