The Church of Bright

The Church of Bright is an institution following Belief of the One Light. This understanding of the One Light is mainly practised in Véllkros and certain parts of Astanya.  

Theory of the One

  The Church of Bright believes that the One Light is the manifestation of life, goodness and order. They do not believe it is a sentient being however. This is the biggest difference between the Church of Bright and Church of Light. The One is seen as a spiritual concept of goodness and justice that must be followed. Light magic is seen as a manifestation of this goodness. Dark magic on the other hand is seen as a manifestation of the absence of Light,of evil and injustice.   Whereas the Church of Light believes dark and light magic is directly derived from (the absence of) the One Light, the Church of Bright sees the usage of dark or light magic as a manifestations of a person's inherent evil or goodness. The more unjust and evil a person is, the more they will be tempted to perform dark magic and the stronger their magic use will be. The Great Disaster is seen as a consequence of the accumulation of the inherent evil of the Sarthanians practising dark magic.   By using dark magic, a person commits an inherently evil deed that is predestined to be punished. Rather than avoiding retribution by a 'sentient' One, the Church of Bright sees punishment as a mere consequence of a morally wrongful act. It is however not seen as an absolute evil deed. If justified by a higher good, dark magic usage is permitted. This is why certain military units are allowed to use dark magic. Using dark magic by commoners is also generally punished milder in regions where the Church of Bright is common than it is punished in regions following the Church of Light. Dark magic usage by commoners might even be tolerated in some areas.