The Dawnfather

### Portfolio

The Sun, birth, creativity, dawn, renewal, self-perfection, summer, vitality, time, agriculture

### Worshipers

Artists, nobility, aristocrats, merchants, the young, athletes; most common folk

### Sacred Colors

Blue and Gold

**The Dawnfather**, also sometimes known as the Morninglord, is the god of sun, healing, time, summer, and renewal, is a patient deity who is popular among commoners, nobles, merchants, and the young. Pelor is seen as wise and unyielding, though sometimes given to abundant enthusiasm. He is an optimistic and perseverant deity who blesses new ventures and crops, provides healing and comfort, and destroys undead with his holy light.

Most depict him as being the Head of the Pantheon.

## Overview

A powerful, exuberant god, the Dawnfather is known as the Morninglord and the Keeper of the Light. He is a god of compassion and is typically seen as wise, patient, and just. As the god of renewal and beginnings, he traditionally receives prayer from many people at the start of a journey or endeavor. His name is often invoked to seal alliances and start new ventures or companies.

Known across the world as the Dawnfather, his faith is one of the most altruistic and welcoming churches in civilized lands. The primary goal of the Dawnfather is to ensure the well-being of his people, as well as all of the mortal beings who dwell in Tyrind. Often, his temples serve as a center of spirituality and a place of sanctuary. His church is not warlike, but they build many remote churches with the purpose of protecting and defending nearby communities in the event of attack.

He is the keeper of the good in the world, a supporter of those in need, and an adversary of all that is evil, especially undead. He is the most commonly worshiped deity among humans, and his priests are generally well-received wherever they go.

Though widely revered as a peaceful and gentle god who alleviates suffering, he also has more martial aspects. He brings his wrath to bear on darkness and evil, and he invigorates and heals those who champion the cause of good.

## Dogma

Followers of the Dawnfather believe that the life-giving sun is the best cure for Tyrind's ills. Justice and freedom are brought about through charity, modesty, and perseverance. His priests teach that the truly strong don't need to prove their power. Those who worship the Dawnfather strive to perform so many good acts that evil has no room in which to exist, though they will fight if necessary.

All living things are manifestations of Creation's light and love, and all mortals are to be treated with equal honor and respect. Undead, however, are abominations in his eyes--the antithesis of light and light, and incapable of redemption. But the undead are not the only evils that threaten good, innocent people; the Dawnfather teaches that protecting those who cannot protect themselves is one of his most important values, and he encourages his faithful to go out and help the needy in his name.

The strength of the Dawnfather is spiritual strength, opposed to the physical strength of the **Stormlord**. His strength is the power of will and hope, the need to face evil int he face of insurmountable odds. He is wrathful against the forces of evil, corruption, and darkness, and he is especially opposed to the undead. However, the Dawnfather urged his followers to remember that excessive attention to things of evil can blind one to the truly important things in life: compassion and goodness.

The Dawnfather teaches that the energy of life originates from the sun. This light brings strength to the weak and health to the injured, while destroying darkness and evil. He urges his followers to challenge the forces of corruption aggressively, but also to remember that just as staring at the sun can cause blindness of the eyes, relentless attention to the destruction of negative forces can blind the heart to kindness and mercy.

### The Eight Tenants of Faith

1. Watch each sunrise, for each day is a gift.
2. Always aid. Strive to always aid, to foster new hope, new ideas, and new prosperity for all.
3. Nurture life. It is a sacred duty to foster new growth, nurture growing things, and work for rebirth and renewal.
4. Perfect yourself. Be fertile in mind and body.
5. Bring hope. Wherever you go, plant seeds of hope, new ideas, and plans for a bright future in the minds of all.
6. Think ahead. Consider the consequences of your actions so that your least effort may bring the greatest and best reward.
7. Avoid negativity. For from death comes life, and there is always another morning to turn a setback into a success.
8. Rules are secondary. Place more important in actions that help others than in strict adherence to rules, rituals, and the dictates of seniors.

## The Church

### Worshipers

The Dawnfather is possibly the most well known and widely-worshiped gods in human lands, especially in Dharrenal. Everyone from smallfolk working in the fields, to artisans and craftsmen, to medical professionals, to the nobility, most humans worship the Dawnfather, or at least recognize the basic tenets and iconography of the church.

In most human communities, from hamlets to sprawling cities, one can almost always find at least a modest church dedicated to the Dawnfather. The church of the Dawnfather is often active in the local community, providing soup kitchens, aid for the needy, and other community outreach and support. In times of trouble, a church of the Dawnfather often acts as a sanctuary and place of safety, providing safety, food, shelter, and medicine to the desperate.

### Clergy

Priests of the Dawnfather are usually kindly people with backbones of steel. They are primarily nurturers and protectors, but when the time comes to bear arms they are not afraid to do so. They use their powers to heal, nourish, and otherwise aid the needy, while practicing the skills needed to protect their charges should they be threatened. Many clerics of the Dawnfather leave their pastoral duties an go to explore far lands in an effort to drive off harmful beings and spread the sun's light to all who need it.

Healing is something the church is well known for, and most smallfolk trust in the power of the church to cure their ailments and look after their health, rather than trusting medical professionals like doctors or surgeons. Most priests of the Dawnfather are trained in at least basic medical treatment and first aid. In times of war, the church will supply clerics of the Dawnfather to bolster military forces if the cause is just.

#### Ranks

Because the Dawnfather's clerics spend a lot of time tending to the sick, blessing crops, and providing for the basic spiritual needs of their communities, they attract a number of earnest, forthright youths who want to make the world a better place. While not unduly harsh, training among the followers of the Dawnfather is rigorous enough to send many well-meaning youths back to their farms and cobbler-shops.

* **Noviate**
* **Journeyman/Crusader:** Clerics are often given the title Journeyman, while Paladins are called Crusaders.
* **Prior:** These priests are often the head of an individual church or temple.
* **Bishop:** A bishop is an elder of the church that oversee multiple churches of the Dawnfather within a given region.
* **High Priest:** A high priest is often the highest-ranking priest in a given nation.
* **The Burning Divine:** The highest-ranking priest of the Dawnfather. There is one in the world, who serves in Seraphel.

### Temples & Shrines

Temples to the Dawnfather tend to be tall, airy, and made of white stone; they are rarely made of wood or clay. Churches and temples are usually constructed in so that the sun shines into most of the rooms throughout the day. They often feature open, sunny courtyards as well. The Dawnfather's temples are always kept scrupulously clean, and many of them have wings that house hospitals.

Another famed feature of these temples and churches is stained glass, and they often include fonts of running water.

### Holy Texts

* ***The Light of the Dawnfather:*** The most common holy book, beginning with the Dawnfather's creation of the sun and telling how he instructed the first mortals. Some turned against his teachings, creating evil, and this spirit has waxed and waned over time. The text tells of the Dawnfather's commandments and his attempts to win back those who have strayed from his light.

### Holidays

The Dawnfather's holy days generally take place on or around the solstices and equinoxes.

* **Breadgiving Day:** On this day, taking place on the winter solstice, clerics of the Dawnfather distribute food to the poor.
* **The Feast of Edoira:** Followers of the Dawnfather join followers of the Everlight in this interfaith celebration.
* **Midsummer's Day:** This day, also known as the Holy Day of the Morninglord, takes place on the day of the summer solstice.

## Orders of the Dawnfather

* **The** **Healing Ray:** An order more focused on finding and destroying undead and necromancy. They are somewhat controversial among the faith, given their tendency to seek out violence over trying to help people.
* **Lion's Legion:** A holy order of the most skilled, fearless, and powerful paladins and clerics of the church. They march against demons, dragons, and the most dangerous evils lurking throughout Tyrind in the name of defending those who cannot defend themselves.
* **Lords of the Dawn:** An ancient order who defend the wilds and rural communities from the evils of the dark. Members are often wandering warrior-priests, providing light and healing where they can.
* **Most Holy Order of the Sacred Light:** This order functions much like the Lords of the Dawn, though they are based in Maezar.
* **The Order of Aster:** Warriors who protect temples and shrines, often leading large militia orders. They roam the land seeking to do good and promote the Dawnfather's worship. Temple guards are often counted among the Order of Aster. Saint Aster herself was said to be a Crusader who died defending a temple from a horde of orcs in ancient days.
* **Order of the Golden Cup:** Devoted to the healing and defense of the innocent, the weak, and the sick. They focus primarily on healing and medicine, though they are not pacifists and do not hesitate to fight back against evil. But it is not their primary goal.

## Lore

The sun is the source of light, warmth, and life, and all living creatures embody some degree of its energy. If you embrace that light and make it part of yourself, you can use it to illuminate the dark corners of the world, where evil and death lurk.

### Appearance

Tapestries of old depict the Dawnfather as a fatherly figure in silver and gold mail, his head a shining beacon of light and fire. Many statues in holy places treat the head as a brazier, lit with each dawn and extinguished with the dusk.

### History

Long ago, the world was hewn together by Creation, but it was a dark world. There was no light and no law. Fell things dwelled and thrived in the dark. It was then that the Dawnfather, eldest child of Creation, awoke and saw the dark. He spoke and said, "I bring you the dawn, but now also must come the dusk. My light will hold the dark at bay, but it cannot always hang in the sky. My light will sail the sky, but as all things it must set, and in those times, the dark will return. I promise you this one thing: Always The Dawn Will Come.

He said no more. And the Dawn did come.

The Dawnfather, as he would go on to be called, continued to gently guide and protect the mortal peoples with his warmth and light. During the Dawn Age, he nurtured the ambitious spark found within the human peoples, and he fostered their ingenuity and courage. It was the Dawnfather who inspired the other gods to rise to the challenge and take up arms against the Primordials in the Dawn War. When the gods dwelled in Seraphel, the Dawnfather was seen as the lord of the Pantheon and was revered and worshiped above all gods.

When the gods warred with the Titans, the Dawnfather led his brothers and sisters into battle. It was the Dawnfather who struck down the Deceiver and bound him in the Abyss, and he led the efforts to imprison the Chained Oblivion. At the end of the war, it the Dawnfather who declared that the gods must leave the material plane forever, to protect it from the return of the Titans.

### Relationships

The Dawnfather is almost universally respected and worshiped on the surface of the world, but is reviled in the dark places beneath the ground. While members of the church loathe the undead, such creatures typically do not present an organized threat--they are numerous but scattered. They tend to be far more concerned with orc warbands, goblin raiding parties, and the drow that dwell in the lightless lands of the Xandir Imperium.

The church maintains close ties with many other good-aligned deities, and have organized joint ventures with the clergy of the Platinum Champion and the Lawbringer. Among the gods, the Dawnfather is allied very closely with the Everlight, who some sources claim to be his daughter. His other allies include the Wildmother, the Platinum Champion, the Lawbringer, the Allhammer, and the Stormlord.

### Prayers

#### **Prayer to the Dawn**

*We welcome you, Morninglord, and we honor you this day. Celebrating your light, as we partake in our journey once more. Great and powerful, the sun is your blessing and shows us your loving ways. Thank you for your gifts, thank you for your warmth that touches us, shining down on land and sea, allowing all to grow and bloom. We honor you, Morninglord, for you are the beacon who casts away the gloom. And we devote our days in your holy name, and the darkness we shun.*

*I shall hold high the Holy Book that the Sun might bless it.*

*I shall reflect on the glory of the Light as it conquers the Dark.*

#### **Chant of High Noon**

1 -

*O Lord of Light, forever in our hearts.*

*Always inspiring our arts.*

*Seal our hearts with your blessed sun*

*O joyous day, when the heavens open.*

Refrain -

*Zenith of the Sun*

*We thank thee for all thou hath done*

*We raise our palms to the holy star*

*Hear our chanting from afar.*

2 -

*O Lord of Light, illuminating our path*

*Saving us from the darkness and from wrath*

*We carry your will, O Morninglord*

*Your light, your loving ways forever adored.*

Refrain -

3 -

*I shall rise my hands to the sun*

*I rejoice at the dominance of Light*

#### **Verse of Dusk**

*Farewell, Illuminated one, until we meet again*

*We carry the shining warmth of the sun in our hearts until then*

*Give us the strength to carry on*

*For you are never truly gone*

*Remind us that there is always another dawn*

*Fare thee well, till dawnrise, precious sun.*

#### **Elegy for the Dead**

While one of the Eight Tenants of faith state not to be saddened by death, the faith of the Dawnfather know that the grieving process is important. It is important to mourn your loved ones and then recollect the joyful memories made with them. In death, life. The elegy is meant to reflect on the good deeds of the fallen. Wreathes of flowers are placed on the heads of the deceased, and sunstones placed on their hearts.

"*Your last sunrise and sunset has come. Go to the waiting arms of the Dawnfather, be in his eternal warm, soothing light. We will miss [a quality; even if evil, you must find one], and we will forever cherish the moments we shared with you. Your legacy will continue through your good works, and through them you will live on. For in death, life."*