Rakkatan's Rays

Summary

It is said that when the world was young, the gods used to communicate with the mortals of Xyvener on a daily basis. The most notable deity being Rakkatan - The Lightdame, who shared her wisdom, her better world and her ideals though rays of sunshine.

Historical Basis

When the gods used to walk the earth before the Lacuna , these rays were actually Rakkatan's direct influence and also her prime weapon, though this, like most happenings before the Lacuna, is not publically known.

Cultural Reception

As part of the worship of Rakkatan, her clerics and priests are trying to reestablish this sunshine-based way of communication with her. To achieve this, her cathedrals are built with glass-paned domes in the center, which work as lenses. On sunny days, these lenses concentrate and direct the sunlight towards one point - the altar in the middle. Every morning, the headpriest arranges an easily flamable pile of wood in a firebowl on the alter. If the sunlight manages to alight the fire, the day is considered blessed by Rakkatan and seen as a good day. The amount of days that the fire was alight are counted each year. At dawn after the Springshift Night the headpriests lead a longer prayer to thank Rakkatan for the sunny days of the past year. They then use the counted number of days, where the fire burned, to predict how successful the new year will be for the city. Generally, anything above half is considered a good omen. It means that Rakkatan was happy with the way society is headed. If it is above three quater, the new year shall be a blessed in her name. If it was less than half, the headpriest will request of the people to be especially generous with kind gestures and words for the year. And if the results were absolutely dreadful, they can even talk to the local governement about changes in strategy.