Shining Sun

A faction within the Seyrian church which believes that only through a theocracy can people be led down the correct path

History

The First Age

Since the beginning of the organised worship of Seyr there have been those who have believed that it would be getter if the church ruled rather than the ignorant laypeople. The idea sfound much favour during the first age withe the Holy Kingdom of Caresnas being in effect a theocracy. The enthusiasm for the cencept was driven by ambition and honest faith, though usually not at the same time.

If we are to guide the faithful to Seyr's Light our influence must be above any mortal authority

The idea of the church ruling fell out of favour for a time following the corruption and restoration, but within a century it was firmly back in the forefront of at least some peoples' minds. Those who espoused the idea of another theocracy gathered together in a faction known as the Shining Sun.
This faction was frequently countered by both the nobility of Caresnasn and the Church of Tarin which had taken on the responsibility for watching the Seyrians after the corruption. As a result the Shining Sun worked on gaining influence on the nobles rather than trying to take direct control. In time the faction became the controlling power within the Seyrian church and by the 700s they had regained effective control of Caresnas. With their first goal achieved the Shining Sun turned their attention to attempting to bring the neighbouring lands under Seyr's guidance. Unsurprisingly this was met with fierce resistance and in the aftermath of failed invasions of the Empire of Trem and the Kingdom of Filishar the members of the faction were removed from the church's hierarchy.
By the end of the Age of Strife the faction had once again regained it's hold on the church and Caresnas. Having learned from previous failures the faction avoided trying to start another war, but a different threat revealed the flaws in the group's approach. When the Necromancer War started the members of the Shining Sun made high-handed demands of both the nobles they advised and the adjoining lands. Though few would have objected to the demands if they had been phrased as requests and delivered with at least a hint of humility, the members of the faction, convinced that only they knew what was best for everyone, took an arrogant approach which turned the leaders of other lands against them.

The Second Age

With no real power base left after the undead were defeated the more ambitious members of the Shining Sun moved on to other things and the Seyrians gradually rebuilt as small independent groups rather than one large organisation. Some centuries later the growing power of the Colleges of Magic caused the Seyrians to reevaluate their approach and the Shining Sun once again became a dominant force in politics.
As had happened a few times previously the Shining Sun became concentrated in larger settlements were the wielding of influence was more obvious, and more impotantly could be used to counter the faithless wizards. Concerned that this split between rural and city guides could cause a rift in the church the leaders of the Shining Sun made some efforts to persuade the rural guides of the rightness of the church taking a more active role in leading people.

Do you not advise the Mayor? Do the people of your village not come to you with their questions? Do they not expect you to know what is the right way to live? Those of us in the towns do the same as and have the same expectations placed on us, but we have to find ways to deal with ten times the number of people.

Despite their efforts a rift appeared in the church and when The Alliance intervened they came in gainst the Shining Sun and once again the faction was suppressed. The same pattern happened several times during the Age of the Alliance, only ending when the years of darkness arrived. Members of the Shining saw the oncoming demon hordes as less of a threat, and more of an opportunity. Gathering the faithful in Shaon they achieved their aim of a (small) theocracy which they believed could be protected from the demons. They were wrong.

Third Age

The Age of the Empire was a poor time for the Shining Sun. Though the faction enjoyed a fresh resurgance and once again gained influence with the church their goals were thwated. The imperial authorities seemed constantly on watch for any increase in the power the church had over anyone outside the church hierarchy. High ranking members of the faction seemed to grow sick, were arrested, or simply disappeared when Seyrian influence grew so the members of the faction were forced to hold their tongues and wait for the inevitable end of the Empire, as any organisation without faith is doomed to end.

The Light to Guide

When the Shining Sun come together to meet they general do so under banners bearing their variation of the Seyr's Sun. Some of the more prominent members also display this variation in their chambers, and there have been times when some temple guards have worn tabards and carried banners with this crest.

Type

Religious, Sect

Parent Organization

Church of Seyr

Location

Shaon