Sun Worship

Solenara: The Center of All Worship

• All prayers begin and end with Solenara. She is the light that gives purpose to the rest of the pantheon.
• Her worship is conducted daily at dawn and dusk, with grand Sunfire Masses held in cathedrals across the Empire.
• The High Cleric of Solenara is the highest religious authority, ensuring her will is followed without question.

Orthodox Aspects of Solenara

Unlike the fluid interpretations embraced by reformers or heterodox sects, the Church defines four sanctioned aspects of Solenara. These are taught as facets of her singular divine will:

1. The Dawnmother — Nurturing Light

• Aspect of birth, healing, mercy, and creation
• Associated with fertility, sunlight, and sacred fire
• Worshiped especially by farmers, midwives, and healers
• Iconography: A woman wreathed in golden light, holding a flame in her palm

2. The Lawgiver — Sacred Order

• Aspect of law, judgment, and divine authority
• Patron of rulers, magistrates, and clerics
• Believed to have delivered the Solar Codex, the sacred laws of the Empire
• Iconography: A stern figure with a flaming crown and a scroll of light

3. The Flame of War — Holy Wrath

• Aspect of righteous violence, cleansing fire, and divine conquest
• Invoked by soldiers, inquisitors, and crusaders
• This aspect legitimizes military action as divine mandate
• Iconography: An armored maiden wielding a spear of fire, eyes burning with flame

4. The Eternal Sun — Timeless Light

• Transcendent, cosmic aspect of Solenara as unchanging perfection
• Represents the sun in its unyielding radiance and infinite power
• Rarely worshipped directly—reserved for contemplation by mystics and the High Clergy
• Iconography: A blinding orb surrounded by flame-wreathed wings

Regional Worship and Patron Deities

Though Solenara is supreme, different regions, professions, and military orders dedicate themselves to specific gods of the pantheon while still recognizing the Church’s hierarchy.

• Alarion is revered in military academies, among officers and knights, and in Templar fortresses, where his teachings of discipline and war strategy shape the doctrine of the Solari legions.
• Velanna is honoured in universities, libraries, and among imperial mages, where scholars seek truth and enlightenment under her guiding flame.
• Dureon is the patron of blacksmiths, craftsmen, and healers, ensuring that the fires of industry and home remain strong.
• Cyrath oversees courts of law and funeral rites, ensuring justice and the proper passage of souls.
• Serrathis is invoked in times of righteous vengeance or war, though his worship is viewed with caution by the Church.

Faith in Society

The Church of the Radiant Flame

The Church is the greatest power in the Empire, dictating doctrine, appointing leaders, and sanctioning military actions. The clergy serve different gods based on their role:

• Solenara’s clerics lead the faith, ensuring purity and unity.
• Alarion’s paladins form the Solari Templars, enforcing order and holy war.
• Velanna’s priests oversee education, records, and prophecy.
• Dureon’s clergy serve as healers, builders, and caretakers of the faithful.

The Church defines heresy—any worship that strays from Solenara’s order is considered dangerous. While minor disputes exist between sects, no part of the Church openly questions its divine authority.

Governance and Law

The Pantheon shapes the Empire’s laws, with each god representing a different aspect of justice and order:

• Alarion’s laws govern military conduct and honourable combat.
• Cyrath’s doctrine influences the legal courts, criminal punishments, and inheritance laws.
• Velanna’s teachings ensure that knowledge is protected, but also controlled—forbidden knowledge is seen as a path to corruption.

The Emperor, elected by the Elector Houses, is always anointed by the High Cleric of Solenara, symbolizing divine approval. No ruler may sit upon the Sunfire Throne without the Church’s blessing.

Military Doctrine and the Crusades

The Empire’s military doctrine is built on faith, with Templars, Inquisitors, and legions following the will of the gods:

• Alarion dictates tactics, honour, and battlefield discipline.
• Kaelira represents protection and righteous defense.
• Serrathis is invoked when vengeance is sanctioned.

Before any major war, the High Cleric consults Velanna’s priests for divine omens, and Cyrath’s clergy oversee battlefield burials. Every battle is considered a holy act, and warriors go to war believing they fight not just for the Empire, but for the gods themselves.

The Role of the Pantheon in Daily Life

Faith is not just a ceremonial practice—it is woven into every aspect of daily life in the Empire.

Worship and Devotion

• Solenara’s temples dominate every city, and her priests light sacred fires at dawn and dusk.
• Dureon’s shrines are built near workshops and homes, ensuring prosperity.
• Cyrath’s statues stand in every courthouse, overseeing justice.
• Alarion’s war-chapels bless soldiers before battle.

Every family has an altar, where daily prayers are made to their household’s patron deity.

Birth, Life, and Death

• Children are blessed by Velanna’s or Isora’s clergy, ensuring wisdom or vitality.
• Marriages are conducted in Solenara’s light, with Dureon’s blessings for hearth and home.
• Cyrath’s priests oversee funerals, ensuring that souls pass into the afterlife without corruption.

Superstition and Religious Fear

While the Empire is unified in faith, there is still fear of divine punishment:

• A flickering temple flame is a bad omen, a sign that a city’s faith is wavering.
• Serrathis’ storms are seen as divine wrath, punishing the unworthy.
• A Velannan priest refusing to give prophecy is a sign that darkness looms on the horizon.

Many believe the gods speak through dreams, omens, and the flames themselves—and so diviners, inquisitors, and priests are always watching for signs.

Heresy, Punishment, and the Inquisition

Heresy and Blasphemy

• Worship of any god outside the Pantheon is forbidden, punishable by death.
• Questioning the Church’s authority is treason—even minor deviations in doctrine are considered dangerous.
• Independent sects are seen as a threat—those who claim to have "new revelations" or "personal visions" from the gods are often accused of heresy.

The Role of the Inquisition

• The Inquisition exists to root out heresy, enforcing faith through fire and steel.
• Public trials are common, where accused heretics must repent or face execution.
• Inquisitors have nearly unchecked power, able to overrule local lords if heresy is suspected.
• "Witch Hunts" occur in times of crisis, when the Empire believes dark forces are at work.
• The Inquisition ensures that worship remains pure, hunting down heretical sects, unregistered mystics, and forbidden relics.
• Cyrath’s law is absolute—those found guilty of heresy are given one chance to repent, or face execution by fire.
• The Church fears independent worship—even deviating from the accepted interpretation of a god’s tenets is considered dangerous.

The Structure of Worship

The Supreme Authority: The Church of the Radiant Flame

• The Church is the highest power in spiritual and moral matters, second only to the Emperor in governance.
• The High Cleric of Solenara rules from the The Grand Solar Basilica in Solinthar, interpreting divine will and overseeing doctrine.
• Each god has their own priesthood, but all ultimately answer to the Church’s hierarchy, ensuring unity of faith.

Local Worship and Temples

• Every city and town in the Empire has at least one temple to Solenara, where the daily sunfire masses are held.
• Each major god has shrines in places where they are most revered:
• Alarion’s war-chapels in garrisons and barracks.
• Velanna’s archives in universities and libraries.
• Dureon’s forges and hearth shrines in workshops and homes.
• Cyrath’s judgment halls in courtrooms and execution squares.
• Village priests act as judges, teachers, and spiritual leaders, ensuring that even the poorest farmer remains faithful.

Holy Days and Rituals

The Empire’s calendar is marked by sacred days, where festivals, fasts, or ceremonies are held in honour of the gods.

• Dawn’s Ascension (First Day of the Imperial Calendar) – A grand festival honouring Solenara, where temples light eternal flames that burn all year.
• The Warrior’s Oath (Alarion’s Holy Day) – Knights and soldiers swear their oaths before battle, seeking Alarion’s blessing.
• The Day of the Ember (Athyra’s Celebration) – A feast of luck, trade, and gambling, where merchants and craftsmen give thanks for fortune.
• The Mourning Eclipse (Cyrath’s Ritual) – A day of silence and funeral rites, when the dead are honoured and souls are guided to the afterlife.
• The Trials of Fire (Serrathis’ Rite) – A holy duel day, where grievances are settled by combat, overseen by priests of war and judgment.

While some holy days are celebratory, others are harsh reminders of duty, sacrifice, and war. The people of the Empire are taught that life is fire, burning brightly until it fades into the afterlife—and only through faith can they endure.

The Gods’ Role in Imperial Life

Nobility and the Divine Right to Rule

• The Elector Houses rule by Solenara’s blessing, chosen not by bloodline alone but by divine favor.
• The Emperor is crowned only with the High Cleric’s anointment, symbolizing that secular and religious power are one.
• Nobles are expected to be pious, attending Church councils and funding grand temples.
• Falling from faith is the greatest scandal—a noble accused of heresy is stripped of title and lands, cast into fire .

The Military: Faith in the Flames of War

• Alarion is the patron of war, but all warriors swear allegiance to Solenara first.
• Before battle, soldiers kneel before war-priests, receiving holy blessings and cleansing rituals.
• Templars believe their armour is sacred, forged in Dureon’s fire and blessed by Velanna’s wisdom.
• Enemies are seen as heretics, their deaths a righteous act rather than mere bloodshed.
• Those who die in battle are said to be taken to Solenara’s embrace, their ashes carried in sacred urns to be placed in temple crypts.

The Common Folk: Faith in Work and Community

• Farmers, blacksmiths, and merchants pray to Dureon and Isora, seeking prosperity and protection.
• Marriage is sacred, overseen by priests of Dureon and Velanna, who bless unions for strong families and wise children.
• Funerals are overseen by Cyrath’s clergy, ensuring that souls pass properly into the afterlife—cremation is common, as burial is seen as defying Solenara’s light.
• A fire is kept burning in every home—to let it die is considered an ill omen.

The Role of Magic and Knowledge

• Velanna’s doctrine allows magic, but only through the Church’s approval.
• Arcane study is controlled—those who wield magic must be trained by the Church or the state, lest they be seen as heretics.
• Forbidden knowledge is locked away, hidden in sealed vaults beneath Solinthar, where Thaelron’s secrets are kept from unworthy eyes.