Sun Circlet

"Imagine no longer needing to fear the sun - to march through the desert from dawn to dusk, wearing a tunic and kilt, with no ill effects. To have that power is surely the sign of Venderus' favour upon us."
-a Solar Priest relating the legend of the Sun Circlets to prospective Kalriv Guardians

Sun Circlets are holy relics of Kalriv origin, important to the Solar Faith and owned by the Solar priesthood caste. They are silver circlets on which is mounted a single golden gem. It is said that when one of these circlets is worn by one of the faithful of the sun god Venderus, they are able to walk underneath the sun for as long as necessary with no ill effects upon them. Sunburn, heatstroke, and any other side-effects of too much sun exposure simply do not occur.
The first Sun Circlets were said to be worn by Mikos, the first Prophet of the Sun, and Kalros, the first chief of the Kalriv tribe, when they searched the Venderan Desert for the site that would eventually become Var Kalriv.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

There does not appear to be an activation mechanism or anything similar for a Sun Circlet. It is simply placed upon the wearer's head. When this is done, users describe a sense of coolness over their skin, like a thin coating of water, while the stone on the front of the circlet ignites with a golden light from within. When the user steps out into the sun, they can still feel its warmth, but do not feel the effects of sunburn when out unprotected in the sun. They can also walk under the sun without feeling light-headed, nauseous or any other similar effects associated with heatstroke. When the circlet is removed, the effect stops completely.
There are rumours that the Sun Circlets previously had other powers, all tied into either protection from or abilities to harness the power of the sun. However, these do not appear to have been seen in the present day or for thousands of years.

Manufacturing process

Whatever the manufacturing process of the Sun Circlets may have been, they have been lost to history. Attempts have been made to create replacement Sun Circlets with wrought silver or gold, and using a number of gemstones with a yellow light, but all attempts to replicate them so far have failed.
It is believed that in addition to the materials, Venderus himself must imbue a circlet with his divine power, and for whatever reason, this does not seem to be something he carries out any more. Rumours abound as to why - a grievous sin the Kalriv carried out in the past, the belief that walking in the sun with no ill effects makes a Kalriv weak and thus Venderus withdrew his powers, and other rumours, but regardless of the reason, they do not seem to be able to be created any more.

Significance

Sun Circlets are extremely rare - it is believed there are only sixteen in existence, and none have been found in the wild for centuries. All of these are currently held in the Venderan Ziggurat, under the direct purview of the High Solar. Due to the risk of one being lost, they are only very rarely given out to individuals, and usually only in dire circumstances, such as the need to scout in the Venderan Desert in a time-sensitive manner.
As either an ancient technology or an item created with the direct intervention of the sun god himself, Sun Circlets have great significance and value to all Kalriv. Just the opportunity to see one is considered a once in a lifetime experience, much less the honour of being chosen to wear one. They are usually kept under constant guard, and the penalties for taking one without permission are harsh - instant enslavement or even death are possible.
The Solar and Guardian castes particularly stress the importance of keeping the relics out of the hands of any non-Kalriv, with even their knowledge concealed from any non-Kalriv who visit the Empire.

Item type

Jewelry / Valuable

Current Location

Var Kalriv

Related ethnicities

• Kalriv

Owning Organization

Solar Faith

Raw materials & Components

The Sun Circlets appear to have been created from wrought silver and an unspecified, golden-coloured gemstone. Topaz and beryl are most commonly speculated to be the stones used.