The Church of Solasne

The Church of Solasne is the largest organized religion on the continent of Crestfall, as well as the flagship religion of the Hegian Empire. As the name implies, the Church is dedicated to the service of Solasne, the goddess of light, fortune, ambition, and humanity.

History

While the Church of Solasne did not emerge as a fully organized religion until the advent of the Modern Era, prototypical evidence of Solasne's early worship can be found dating back to the Pre-Vancian Era, originating in the first human hunter-gatherer societies that emerged on Crestfall during this period. By studying artifacts from this time- including cave art, crude idols carved in stone and petrified wood, and other primitive religious symbols- religious scholars have been able to piece together evidence of a "proto-worship" of an unknown and unnamed goddess figure that is presumed to be either an early incarnation or aspect of Solasne. In this early depiction, this proto-goddess was seen as a deity of not just life but also death, and may have been associated with primitive funerary rites performed by humans at this time to venerate their dead. Depictions of miraculous events associated with shamanistic figures in cave art suggests that worship of this proto-goddess may have led to humanity's first discovery of divine magic.
As humanity began to abandon the hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the form of static agricultural communities, their spiritual needs changed as well: while still a goddess of death in this period, the patron deity of humanity also became a goddess of fortune, as her followers began to pray to her in the hope of receiving bountiful harvests and to protect their crops and lifestock against weather, disease and predation. It is during this period that the name "Solasne" first appears in religious records, appearing on a copper tablet uncovered in present day Zholia dating back to approximately 1200 PV.
During the invasion of Crestfall by the elves and the subsequent Millennium War, humanity turned to Solasne, begging the goddess to free them from their capture and enslavement at the hands of their elven invaders. It is believed that the prayers of humanity were answered with the emergence of Vance, an escaped human slave who was able to steal the elves' secrets of arcane magic, becoming the first human wizard in the process. Through the actions of Vance and his followers, the Millennium War came to an end and humanity was freed once again; as a result, Vance was posthumously named as Solasne's champion, becoming the first individual to ever receive the title of Saint.
In the Modern Era, the Church of Solasne has expanded to become the official religion of the Hegian Empire, and by extension the dominant religion on the continent of Crestfall. The Church's main seat of power is the Zholian capital Luxthroni, serving as both a religious mecca and as a training grounds for clerics and paladins of the Church to continue their expansion across the continent and spread the word of their patron goddess.

Symbols

In religious artwork, the goddess Solasne is most commonly depicted as a human woman with fair skin, light hair and a flowing white dress. In nearly all depictions, her eyes are closed in an expression of serenity; in depictions where her eyes are open, artists render her eyes as pools of yellow or white light, with no visible pupil or iris. Additionally, three pinpoint of light is usually depicted shining on Solasne's chest, one over the heart and one for each lung; these light over the heart is meant to symbolize Solasne feeling the heartbeat of all humanity in unison, while the lungs signify the breath of life that Solasne imbues into humanity as her creation.
Common holy symbols associated with Solasne include the bluejay (considered a holy bird among members of the Church) and the snowdrop flower; depictions of a bluejay in flight with a snowdrop in its beak are commonly incorporated into the holy symbols of Solasne's followers. Some artwork of Solasne depicts her standing with two such bluejays encircling her head; each symbolizing one of the two moons in the night sky over Teranuz.

Structure

The religious base of the Church of Solasne is located in Luxthroni, the capital city of Zholia which in turn is part of the Hegian Empire. The leader of the Church, known as the Pontifex, is said to have as close to a direct connection to Solasne as humanly possible, and as such is viewed as the final arbiter of all religious matters within the Church. As part of the Empire, the Pontifex works closely with the current Hegian Emperor, both as an advisor and as a collaborator when the situation arises.
Below the Pontifex is the rank of Archbishop, followed by Bishop, and finally the rank of Cleric. Paladins, existing as soldiers dedicated to the service of Solasne, are considered technically independent to the ranking system of the Church, and most commonly serve as part of the Hegian army or as Reclaimers for the Empire. Also existing independently of the ranks is the role of Inquisitor, serving as a secret police for the Church, dedicated primarily to weeding out enemies of the Church and the Empire in a covert fashion. While Paladins and Inquisitors are considered on the same rank as clerics for the purposes of ascension, ascending the ranks is considerably harder to do so from these starting points.

Followers

Solasne is the patron goddess of humanity, and as such is predominantly worshipped by humans. However, due to the dominating political influence of the Hegian Empire in Crestfall, conversion to the Church from Solasne by other races is not uncommon, usually to curry political favor and strengthen ties to the Empire. It is estimated that anywhere between 20-25% of Solasne's followers consist of non-human converts, including dwarves, halflings, gnomes and tabaxi.
Within the Church of Solasne, human-born aasimar are highly venerated, believed to be humans who were personally blessed by the power of Solasne at the time of their birth, and therefore destined to accomplish great things. A special program within Luxthroni, known as Les Ascendants, is dedicated exclusively to training aasimar recruits to serve the Empire as paladins, with most graduates of this program being appointed as leaders of their very own division of Reclaimers.

Sainthood

One of the highest honors one can receive by the Church of Solasne is to be posthumously awarded the title of Saint; Saints are considered to be the personal champions of Solasne, having been chosen directly by the goddess as representatives of her faith due to their contibutions to the Church and Empire. These Saints are sometimes considered to be the patrons of specific clerical domains within the Church, based on their past deeds and any areas of expertise they may have had in life. Some Saints of Solasne and their associated domains include:

• St. Vance, the first human wizard and the liberator of humanity (Arcana, Knowledge)
• St. Gondra, the forgemaster and creator of the crown worn by the Hegian Emperor (Forge)
• St. Ilmet, protector of the sick and wounded (Life)
• St. Helm, champion of the weak and first Paladin of Solasne (Order)

Type

Religious, Archidiaconate

Structure
Monotheistic
Chief Deity
Solasne
Domains 
Arcana
Forge
Knowledge
Life
Light
Order
War