The Cathedral of the Sun

An excerpt from the letters of the Shensa Lestra to her husband the Shenso Plavro during her stay in the capital city.

Like a wild tapestry made by a hundred different weavers, the famed Cathedral Square of Heliene is a confusing mix of the very different and exotic as well as the bland and mundane. Functioning as the spiritual center of the city and the surrounding countryside, the Square holds the single largest concentration of belief systems in the country if not the continent. Purposefully built to expand and forever hold the hearts and souls of the people above anything else, the Square gladly makes room for any faith that is both good and accepting of other religious paths. It would be easy to assume that one group might attempt to rise above the rest and promote their own religion above others, but the founders of the square had thought of this eventual problem as well.

Their solution lived in the beautiful blue and marble cathedral at one end of the square. Literally gilded, and maintained by all descendants of the original Lions of the Sun who had signed the original Treatise of Verissamore, the Cathedral of the Sun shines at all hours of the day, lit by torches and magic. No one religion lives here, instead, an order founded on harmony and choosing the people of Verissamore above any and all Deities is installed. From this order come the leaders of the Square- one man and one woman chosen by ways both magical and mundane to be incorruptible by man or god. These leaders, called Servants of the Sun, serve for life, forswearing all other vows and binding themselves to the greater good of all beings- human or not, sentient or not- in ways that cannot be broken by anyone. When one of the members of this pair passes on either due to old age and natural causes or very rarely the nefarious machinations of evil, a group called the Hands of the Servants sets out with a magical relic that leads them to the best candidates for the job. Should any candidate deny this post for any reason, the relic will lead to the next most appropriate person.

These leaders govern the square separate from the rest of the city as well as from the Kingdom itself. Deciding who can practice their faith in its encompassing boundaries and thus be given the stamp of approval for the rest of the country, what each faith can do, and how each faith can best work together for the greater good, these leaders are almost universally revered by anyone of a faith that is truly good at its core. Some very controversial religions have found a permanent home in Verissamore by successfully passing the tests of the Servants of the Sun.

Understandably as they are separate from the kingdom entirely but viewed as trusted authorities on all matters earthly or spiritual, the Servants of the Sun hold a high rank in the socioeconomic ladder of the city of Heliene. Some pairs of Servants through the ages have tried to remain aloof of all possible political matters while others have gotten heavily involved. None but the Servants themselves can judge which way if any is correct in the grand scheme of things.

There is a saying in Heliene, though, that goes "How goes the Servants goes the Hall." Whether or not the Servants of the SUn truly hold that much influence over the Hall of Lords is truly unknown, but given the safeguards in place upon these people, it might be for the best if it is true.