Sunpriests

Sunpriests worship the Sun Lord Vkandis. Although the Sunpriests are based in Karse, they also have churches within Valdemar. They have one leader, a High Priest called the Son of the Sun, who is supposedly chosen by Vkandis himself. Several are mages and have the ability to call demons.

Foreign Relations

Despite being Karse being their hereditary enemy, Valdemar's principle of "there is no one true way" permits the existence of Temples of Vkandis and worshipers of the Sunlord. In fact, King Valdemar's prayers that resulted in the arrival of the first Companions were directed towards all the gods, including Vkandis.
Fathers Henrick and Gerichen lead a Temple of the Lord of Light in Haven and have befriended Alberich. Father Gerichen theorizes that the problems with corruption actually began with the worshippers starting to demand absolute certitude from sunpriests rather than thinking for themselves. This could theoretically be why Vkandis became inactive in Karse: the Will of the people wanted answers from the priesthood, which gave them power, which corrupted them.

Worship

The Writ of Vkandis is the book used in Karse to educate worshippers. Traditionally, Free Will is a cornerstone of the faith and thinking things through for yourself is another. In addition to rules, it also contains the liturgy.
The Writ (basic tenants):

• demanded that a person learn how to think, and come to the Sunlord having thought through everything for himself

• spoke against witch-powers that tried to predict the future, not for being "evil," but because "knowing" a future might close people's eyes to other possibilities and curb Free Will"

• says the future is mutable

• says that "when Vkandis wished the future to be revealed—or steered—He would find a way to do so."

• tells us that a man’s home is where his family is, and that friends are the family one can choose

Quotes from the Writ

• If thine eye gazes upon the forbidden, put it out with thine own hand, lest ye be tempted.

• "And lo, I was a stranger, and in a strange realm, and no man knew me. Every man’s heart was set against me, and every man’s hand empty to me."

• "And the good shall be sorted from the evil; no spirit shall escape the sorting. The evil will be cast into darkness and great despair, into fear and pain, to repeat their errors until they have learned to love and serve the Light of Vkandis. And the good shall be gathered up into the rich meadows of Heaven, to sing His praises in the everlasting rays, to drink the sweet waters and bask forevermore in the Glory of the Sun."

• "He who does good in the name of another god, does it for Vkandis, and he who does ill in the name of Vkandis does it for the darkest demons in hell. Let those of good will bring succor to one another, and dispense with the naming of Names."

Worship services in every village are led by local priests at dawn and dusk, called on some occasions Rising Sun and Sun Descending. The corrupt clergy frowns upon anyone who misses services, putting the person's loyalty under scrutiny.
Before corruption began to fill the ranks of the priests, worship of Vkandis was generally benign and warm. For example, a Karsite religious festival, the Feast of the Children, was originally a time for all children to be celebrated and receive blessings from a Sunpriest. The children were tested for Gifts and talents, so that they might be trained as they grew into their abilities. The festival was also a rite of passage, from childhood into adulthood. To represent that passage, each child who was coming of age would toss a cherished childhood possession into the fires, symbolizing leaving childhood behind. It was a joyous festival, and all looked forward to it.

Priesthood

There are several levels within the Sunpriest hierarchy which are designated by the primary color of the clerical robes: white, blue, black, red and the Son of the Sun wears gold.
Mage-Priests, typically the black-robed priests, summon demons to patrol the lands at night, ensuring that the people will stay indoors. This is another measure for controlling the populace. The demons can kill and also corrupt the minds of those they encounter, causing them to act like demons themselves. The demons are referred to as "Dark Servants" or "Vkandis' Furies".

Political Influence & Intrigue

It was apparently during King Randale's time that corruption among the higher ranking Sunpriests rose and a false Son of the Sun, Hanovar, was selected, starting a trend that lasted for centuries.
"Far more interested in temporal power, Hanovar had gathered priests around him who told him exactly what he wanted to hear, all eager to increase whatever powers and positions they thought were rightfully theirs."
Under Hanovar, magic became outlawed as heresy and witchcraft, yet the newly-powerful black-robed priests were summoners of demons and possessed evil magic. They took over the Feast of the Children, formerly a rite of passage into adulthood, coming to each village to check the children for magic abilities. Anyone displaying magic or Mind Magic was taken by the priests to be burned; cleansed by the Sunlord. If they had committed sins against Vkandis of their own free will they would perish in the flames; if they did not, they would rise unharmed. Unknown to the rest of the country, if a child young enough to be manipulated and controlled displayed any power, exceptional intelligence (or potential Mage-Gift), they were taken by the Priests and trained to be weapons; they were never allowed to see their families again.
Also during this time, the False Son declared war against Valdemar for dealing with witchcraft and summoning demons. Ironically, during the war, the same Sunpriests did this themselves. They used the demons they summoned not only against Valdemar but against their own country, to keep it locked in a state of fear.
The firecats, Avatars of the the Sun Lord and apparently former Sons of the Sun themselves, disappeared during this time. Many of the signs of Vkandis' presence among his people became faked by magic in order to control the population. Many of the old traditions of the Sunpriests were thrown away and eventually forgotten during the reign of the False Sons.
The corrupt clergy has terrorized Karse for centuries, burning children with magical abilities, torturing and executing those accused of heresy or witchcraft, summoning demons against the populace, burning battlefield survivors, and so on.

Type

Religious, Primacy

Leader Title

Son of the Sun

Economic System

Traditional

Deities

• Vkandis Sunlord

Location

Sunhame

Related Ranks & Titles

• Son of the Sun

Controlled Territories

• Sunhame