Azure Dawn

The Azure Dawn is a cult that belongs to the Llysian religious system known as the Sophos. They are by far the largest and most influential organization in Llysos, and serve (in a roundabout sort of way) as the nation's government.
Like all Llysian cults, the specific practices of the Azure Dawn are largely unknown to those who are uninitiated. However, due to the cult's political significance, it serves as something of an intermediary between the concept of the Sophos and the everyday people of Llysos - as well as a liaison between various other cults - and it is thereby that some knowledge about the cult's inner workings and beliefs can be gleaned. 
==History==
The Azure Dawn is believed to be of considerable antiquity, and is - for all intents and purposes - nearly as old as Llysian civilization itself. It dates at least as far back as the time of Arkresan the Exalted, since records describe the cults as being already pervasive throughout Llysia during that period.
It is sometimes said that Llys herself was the founder of the Azure Dawn, while others suggest that her daughter was the founder. Neither of these claims have been substantiated (and similarly neither has the claim that Llys even had a daughter at all). Nevertheless, the Azure Dawn is heavily ingrained in Llysian cultural identity. This extends even to the cult's eponymous symbol: blue being the colour symbolic of Llys, and the sun featuring heavily in proto-Llysian mythology and iconography.
It would seem, though, that as the Azure Dawn grew in power and influence it likewise began to expand its portfolio and activities, and may have merged with similar but smaller organizations (whose names are now presumably lost). This is a possible explanation for why the modern Azure Dawn has such reach and runs such a wide variety of 'projects'.
==The Cult==
It is generally held that the Azure Dawn has always been foremost of the Llysian cults, and that its original purpose was to interpret and disseminate the Sophos to the rest of the Llysian people. As such, it could be said that the other Llysian cults merely 'branch off' of the Azure Dawn's philosophical system, like limbs to the trunk of a tree, although in practice other cults such as the Mages' College and the Trochon Aius are functionally - if not idealogically - independent. In truth, however, the precise extent of the Azure Dawn's control over the other cults' leadership is unknown.
The rituals and methods used to read the Sophos are heavily guarded secrets, and all that is known is that such rites are carried out by a reclusive caste of Azure Seers. About the actual content of their scryings we know somewhat more, despite its metaphysical nature, since the wisdom produced by the Seers is distilled by numerous strata of Llysian theocracy until it is delivered to the public consciousness via the Synedrion. It is believed that the Sophos, when interpreted correctly, is similar to the concept of fate, but less definite: actions and events can alter the outcome of events, and the Sophos only provides a notion of the outcome if 'all things are left to their own devices', whatever that means. Acting such that such prophecies (though they are not true prophecies per se) are fulfilled is seen as doing 'the will of the world', and thus brings the universe closer to some sort of vaguely-defined, eschatological 'completion' (sometimes alluded to as "The Aletheia").
==Politics==
Histories of Ancient Llysia record that Arkresan the Exalted employed the Llysian cults as mediators and intermediaries between the tribes to cement what would go on to form the First Llysian Empire. The Azure Dawn, in turn serving as the mediator between the cults, quickly became a significant administrator in Llysia. Due to its existence as a religious rather than political entity, the Azure Dawn more or less maintained its significance despite the numerous conflicts and redistributions of power in the region.
The Azure Dawn in modern Llysos still technically fills the same roles it did during the time of Arkresan, though its relative influence has grown substantially. When Llysos proper was established in 60AE, the Azure Dawn's reach as a power broker was so extensive that the Llysian government is sometimes referred to metonymically as the Azure Dawn. Additionally, the Azure Dawn's representative on the Synedrion typically fills the role of Archon.
Category:New Voldrania Category:Llysos Category:Politics Category:Religion