The Sunfaith

The Sunfaith is a religious order that follows the beliefs
of the First Flame, often called the Teachings of Ember. Religiously they are
quite open and embracing toward other beliefs, as they consider theirs to simply
be the way the world works, and as such can be followed alongside the beliefs
of others. They simply see unbelievers as people who have not been enlightened
or cannot be, but not in a bad way. Their strong belief in destiny means they
do not force their beliefs upon anyone, because if they do not accept it that
is not their destiny, and their own destiny lies elsewhere. They all seek
enlightenment over all else, and often embrace any knowledge with open hands so
long as it is not considered heretical or evil. Often their view of heretical
or evil corresponds with many other good-willed religions and ideals, so there
is rarely a problem. And even then, as long as the knowledge is not harmful,
all knowledge is considered valuable even if it is not considered fact.

In general, the details of the Sunfaith are kept secret from
those who are not part of the priesthood. It is taught to the citizens of
Kaz’Arann from a young age as any parent would teach a child about the world,
and while it is encouraged to pursue faith and enlightenment, it is not taught
as a faith that everyone needs to follow. As such, the details of the practice
and rituals are kept secret to all but the priests and the initiates, including
people from other countries.

The Sunfaith is the only truly established religion still
widely practiced in Leratia. It is generally accepted by the Coalition and the
rest of the people of Leratia, although it might be more accurate to say *tolerated.* As it does not believe in the
existence of deities and does not encroach on non-believers, it is generally
not seen negatively. However, many still think that while the beliefs of the
Sunfaith are deeply rooted in history, they are mostly stories and fairy-tales.
Public opinion can vary between respect for the cultural heritage of the
Kaz’aranni, to loathing of the savages that still believe in made-up nonsense,
and includes everything in between.

## The Origin

In the beginning of the world, there was only darkness. A
Void, lifeless and without either form or conformity, where no feelings; pain, joy,
or love, existed. Existence was just that, a timeless toil of nothing. That
time is known as the Dark Age, and one day, it would come to change. A light
would set the world ablaze, and all that we know would one day spring from this
light that came to be known as The First Flame. The Age of Light started at
that very moment, but it was still not the world as we know it. The world was a
torrent of uncontrolled flames. Flames born of wrath and chaos, unrefined and
primal. Over time, the Days of Fire passed, and the Flame waned and settled
into a more refined, gentle state. Such a state that would give birth to the
first life. When the world we lived in was finally formed, it was like the
void. Cold and empty of any life. Even with the Eternal Warmth shining upon it,
it was barren. It remained barren until the first Cinders began to fall upon
the Earth, granting the blessing of life upon the world.

*Of note is that the*
First Flame is not referring to the Sun. The sun is believed to be the part
that can be comprehended. The physical manifestation of the Flame that sheds
light and warmth. However, the First Flame is much more, and exists beyond (at
least our) comprehension.

## Cinders and the Ember of one’s Soul

Magic, Plants and Creatures were all formed from such
Cinders, some possessing a larger part of the Flame than others. The strength
and intensity of one’s Ember, granted by the Cinder of the First Flame, defines
a living being’s traits and, to some extent, its capabilities. A single straw
of grass might have a stronger Ember than a human, although that is rarely the
case. Its intensity can be defined by, and therefore define, physical factors
such as strength. Just as a human would have strong muscles, a flower would
have a strong stem. It can also be defined by other factors like intelligence
and willpower, something that plants cannot have and therefore intelligent life
often has a stronger Ember. Since magic is born and fueled by one’s Ember,
magical potency can also be said to define a being’s strength of ember. The
final, and most important factor, is one’s feelings. A strong Ember defines a
person with equally strong feelings, and as such is limited as to that person’s
potential for feelings. Feelings such as Empathy or Love are signs of a strong
Ember, while feelings like Rage and Jealousy are signs of weakness. Still,
these cannot be measured by one’s Ember as the Ember simply represents the *potential* of a person. Potential is also
referred to as Fate or Destiny, although believers of the Sunfaith call it
Potential.

## One’s Original Cinder

An Original Cinder is the Cinder from which one’s current
line of Embers originated. There are thought to be 17 Original Cinders, each
with their own line of Embers. It is also thought that, depending on one’s
Original Cinder, one’s Ember has certain characteristics and tend to choose
hosts of certain types. For example, the Cinder Baam is thought to be every
humans Original Cinder. Some Cinders have been attributed to certain types of
other living beings, but it’s a long and arduous process to investigate and
prove that even one race or plant is attributed to one Cinder, so much so that
it can take a lifetime to attribute a single straw of grass. Over its long
existence, believers of the Sunfaith have attributed certain beings to three
Original cinders; Humans and Humanoids to Baam, Leaf-based plants to Belm, and
Aquatic animals to Baqe. The known Cinders that exist are as follows: **Baam**, **Belm**, **Baqe**, Brim, Bygh,
Bhin, Bvrn, Buhw, Blto, Btrm, Btim, Bcrt, Bhar, Bzxn, Blei, Baio, and Bkzk.

An offshoot can be created on an Ember’s path by the
ignition of an Ember, that creates a new Cinder. The Original cinder remains,
but this offshoot has what is called a Diverging Cinder. These are also named,
but their names are less relevant and often serve as homework for young
priests, as simply being pieces of history.

## Passing the Ember and Reincarnation

Life comes from the ember in one’s soul, as the Ember comes
from the Cinders of the First Flame. Since the first Rain of Cinder, there has
been no other such event. As such, all life in the world should be finite. But
that is not the case. During one’s lifetime, the Ember in one’s soul typically
grows in strength as you start fulfilling your potential. Once one reaches the
end of one’s lifecycle, the Ember disperses and finds new hosts. Typically, it
splits, creating new Embers and several new lives. In each of these lives, the
Ember lives on, and as does the person or being it originated from, tracing all
the way back to the First Life. This means that, while a Vessel dies, the Soul
never does. That is, if the Ember is properly passed. For the Ember to pass,
one must either at least fulfill one’s potential in life or a certain ritual to
free the Ember must be performed on a deceased. As such, Embers are also lost,
but almost never at a rate that out scales that of its creation.

Women are held in higher regard in Kaz’arann, partially since
it is believed that they pass on their ember to their children more directly,
while the men’s ember is more inclined to disperse into nature. It is as such
with all life. This does not mean that women always pass it on, or that men’s
always disperses, it is more of an inclination toward one or the other.

### The Void

One belief as to where the Soul and Ember goes after an
incomplete death is that it returns to the void. The Void is still believed to
exist beyond the light of the First Flame. Beyond does not mean far away, rather
*beyond its reach* or *beyond one’s perception of it*. Simply
put, beyond one’s understanding or comprehension. The void is a dark place,
where life once again is as it was before the First Flame. A meaningless,
endless toil. Certain practitioners of the Sunfaith can walk the edges of this
void through the dreams of others, to peer into what lies beyond, as well as
peer closer into the First Flame itself. They can use that to aid in a person’s
recovery and spiritual soundness, but such practitioners are rare.

### Soulmates (Pieces of Self)

A very strong and prominent belief in the Sunfaith is the
belief in Pieces of Self, or Soulmates. This is usually the final extent of
most believers’ knowledge of the Teachings as deeper knowledge is only gained
by the most devout believers, like how commoners might *believe* in a religion while priests are the only capable of *practicing* it. The belief of Soulmates
(as I will refer to it as) is the belief that *one was meant for each other*. While often connected to love and
romantic relationships, the Sunfaiths beliefs are a bit deeper. Simply put, a
Piece of One’s Self, a Soulmate, is any living being with an Ember close to
one’s own Embers state. An Embers State is what kind of connection it has:
First State is an Ember that originates from the same Host as one’s own Ember,
after that each state is further removed. Typically, Soulmates occur among the
first three states.

The definition of a Soulmate is the unusual resonation between
two Embers. It does not always happen when two Embers of the same state meet,
but it is often the case. The resonation always happens between both hosts, and
it can stir emotions such as Love, Trust, and Loyalty. A Soulmate is not always
a lover, as mentioned, but that can be the case. One can also love someone else
more than one’s soulmate, and it is not rare, although Soulmates often stick
together after having met. A soulmate to a human could be a cat, or an elephant,
a shark, another human, or even a tree or flower, so long as the embers
resonate. Finding a Soulmate is something many believers spend their life
doing, and is often what sparks their journey of pilgrimage. One of the most
holy and greatest acts of trust and devotion to each other is the act of
Conjoining. It is the act of two Soulmates, merging their Embers into one, to
exist together. However, this has since a long time ago become considered
taboo, and is in many temples a crime, because of the emergence of Fusing.

#### Fusing (Forbidden)

A very obscure and forbidden art is the art of Fusing. Long
ago, a corrupted scholar of the Sunfaith was on a hunt for power. Strengthening
his ember in abnormal ways, he kept seeking more knowledge, more power, and it
was never enough. Being a devout believer, he of course believed in soulmates,
but disregarded them as weaknesses. Until one day, when he was researching ways
to empower himself, he realized: The Ember that spawned his, spawned many
others, usually equal, Embers. While his had increased in strength it was not
comparable to the power of his original ancestors if it had been whole. So
instead, he became obsessed. Obsessed with “recreating” his “rightful Ember”,
he started hunting for Soulmates, to force them to conjoin with him. After
fusing with many of his soulmates, brimming with power, he realized he could
fuse his Ember with any ember of any state, regardless of it resonating or not,
with the right power and rituals. As such he started fusing with everything.
Nothing was too much, until it was. No one had been able to stop him as his
strength was immeasurable, some believe it to equal that of an Awakened, but
his end came abruptly. Fusing with another’s Ember means fusing with their very
Soul. Usually, souls can coexist by choice when they conjoin, but the corrupt
scholar was forcing them into servitude. He thought he could control any number
of Embers, but in the end they overwhelmed him from within and scattered. His
death caused *enormous* devastation,
but in the end his evil was gone. A person to practice such arts came to be
known as a Consumer, and they are hunted down swiftly and without mercy for
fear of another evil rising. This lead to widespread banning of Conjoining, but
it has lightened over time as the number of Consumers declined, although they
still exist.

## One’s True Flame

All prior information is considered general knowledge, that
most believers know and were taught by parents and during Summits, and that
defines the religion. But like most religions, the Teachings of Ember have much
hidden knowledge, granted only upon priest and those truly devout to the
religion. One such teaching is the teaching of One’s True Flame. It differs
from one’s Ember but is the same. The True Flame is one’s Ember, ignited. When
an Ember ignites, it regains the properties of a Cinder of the First Flame.
What this means for the Host is the reestablishing of the connection with one’s
prior lives (Embers), all the way back to the First Life and the Cinder that
spawned the current hosts Ember. A host that has lit their True Flame has
access to all memories, knowledge and skills of every host that preceded it.
They also gain a true understanding of the First Flame and the world, although
much of that is already required for the ignition itself. A simple person
cannot ignite his Flame in a few years, the Ignition of a Flame happens only
very rarely, and has never occurred more than once a hundred years. It takes an
incredible amount of generations for a single Ember to ignite, and each
generation must work toward that goal or all progress is lost. Since new
generations have none of the previous’ knowledge, it’s all up to chance. Therefore,
many priests are encouraged to aim for their Ignition regardless, because even
if they didn’t succeed they will have furthered their chain. Generally, not
much is known about what truly happens when one reaches Ignition, since someone
who has been Awakened rarely conveys such information in understandable ways.
With the change of one’s perception of reality, comes many other changes. An
Awakened is known to have great, miracle-like powers, and have always been
known to lead the Kaz’Aranni forward in great ways, often to just disappear.
What happens after that, or why it happens, no one knows, and no one will ever
know unless they Ignite and become Awakened themselves. That is why this is the
biggest goal any devout believer has and is another large cause for pilgrimage.

However, during the later years of the Void Age, this belief
was dwindling as there had been no such Awakenings in over 350 years. But, the
belief remained even through this time, as there had been written in texts and
records that more than 300 years could pass before a follower of the Faith
achieved an Awakening, and that only continued perseverance and dedication to
this cause is what will make it happen once again.

Note: Any being can Ignite their Ember, but it is often
achieved by intelligent species.

### The Strengthening of one’s Ember beyond their Potential.

While the Ember in one’s soul represents one’s potential,
one is never limited by their Ember. To ignite one’s Ember, one must rise
beyond its potential and reach the potential of their Original Cinder.
Strengthening one’s ember is incredibly difficult. It requires a lifetime of
training. One must master control of their feelings and give themselves to the
First Flame to become one with their Original Cinder. The road to strengthening
one’s ember is in majority the road to enlightenment and to knowing one’s true
self. Of course, young priests are taught in their religion and in the use of
gifts and other things that help, but those are just stepping stones on an
infinite stairway, the rest of which must be discovered by oneself.

#### Path of Cinders

An important part of the truly devoted to the teachings is
walking the Path of Cinders, a sort of Pilgrimage. There are several reasons to
walk the Path, and the Path differs from person to person. Some walk it in
groups, some alone, and some don’t even leave their homes. It’s all about
self-enlightenment and the path to reach it. Some walk their Path for their
entire lives, choosing to interpret the teachings as a goal to find their
Soulmates, and some simply walk it to visit different cultures and learn their
customs. Before embarking on the Path, one must have a clear vision of their
goal. This is not as simple as deciding on a goal: it is something like a
vision or message, a goal with true conviction that comes from realizing your
own self and realizing what you need to develop as a person and believer of the
Faith.

The pilgrimage is an important part to the most devoted to strengthening
their Ember. As noted, each individuals path varies greatly. Very few walk
Paths that take them out of Kaz’Arann, and those who do usually walk Paths that
last large portions of their lifetimes, and some never return home.

## The Priesthood

The priesthood has only three real ranks: Initiate, Priest
and High Priest. Within these there are roles, such as Teachers and Scholars among
the Priests and different duties and responsibilities of the High Priests.

The priesthood consists equally of both genders, but female
priests are held in higher regard like they are in general among the
Kaz’Aranni. As they are the mothers of the people, they are believed to have
purer qualities that are important to the priesthood.

The initiates of the Sunfaith undergo teaching in the faith
and history, as well as rigorous physical and martial training. The martial
part of this training is mostly tradition but helps serve the purpose of
teaching discipline and self-control. This training takes different time for
every initiate; some may take only a few years while others take as many as 10,
and some remain Initiates for life.

The Priests have a wide variety of duties. Most are
scholars, who conduct research or write philosophy. There are teachers, lore
keepers, healers and emissaries, among many others. All priests have certain
duties they must perform for the Faith, but once initiated as a priest one is
generally free to choose what to do oneself.

High Priests, on the other hand, are only chosen among the
priests who excel at their area of work or who are truly devoted to the Faith.
They usually have big responsibilities, as they are chosen as much by the
people as by the priesthood itself. Some spend all their time pondering and
searching for the answers of questions too deep for most to understand, while
others simply have the responsibilities to handle the education and teachers at
one of the temples. Usually, one or two High Priests also serve as personal
advisors to the Monarch, and some High Priests may be the ruling judge in
trials of the law.

## Rituals

There are a few major rituals that followers of the Sunfaith
perform. They have a multitude of different daily or weekly rituals, as service
to the sun and to the stars. As the religion doesn’t really revolve around the
service of a deity, most rituals that ordinary people might attend are more
like history lessons and readings of stories.

### Summits

The most common ritual performed twice per week and open to
uninitiated, as well as non-believers. During the summits, there is no actual
teaching of the religion or encouragement of belief or dedication. They are
like history lessons, where the leading priest reads from books and scrolls of
lore to educate the masses on the important parts of history, often taking
stories or events that have something to teach such as compassion, life, and
conflicts. They usually cover either the most important and iconic pieces of
history from the country in the last 350 years or the few stories that survived
the Purges. The rest of history and the teachings of the religion are reserved
for schools and priests.

#### The Purges

The Purges started happening around 400-350 years ago as the
work of the Coalition and are the biggest reason for the rift between them.
Many important archives were destroyed and all the scrolls and books of history
from before this time were burned, stolen, or otherwise destroyed. The most
important of written stories and accounts including the original religious
texts were important enough to have been kept safe in vaults or personal
libraries, but almost everything except word-of-mouth accounts have been
forgotten from the time before the Purges. What knowledge remains is
inconclusive and as such, knowledge from those times is considered forgotten
and lost. This event is shared among every civilization in Leratia and can also
be known as the *Erasure*.

### The First Day

The First Day, the exact moment that marks the beginning of
the Age of Light, is the day that marks the new year in the calendars for
believers of the teachings. It occurs on summer solstice, with the sun of its
highest peak. The summer solstice is celebrated grandly in Kaz’Arann. The
priests parade down the streets, giving out food and aid to those they pass
before high noon. Once the sun is at its highest, they return to their temples
to perform some of the most important rituals while the rest of the populace
engages in festivities for the rest of the day. It is a day of giving and
sharing, and it is customary to give gifts to your closest.

### Rites of Ember

The followers of the Sunfaith believe in the cleansing fire,
and that offering a part of oneself to the fire is not only a sign of
dedication and conviction, but also an important step to strengthen one’s Ember
and to gain greater understanding of the Flame.

#### Rite of Initiation

The initiates of the Sunfaith undergo teaching in the faith
and history, as well as rigorous physical and martial training. The martial
part of this training is mostly tradition but helps serve the purpose of
teaching discipline and self-control. This training takes different time for
every initiate; some may take only a few years while others take as many as 10,
and some remain Initiates for life. The most important part of this training is
the physical endurance, as it is vital in the *survival* of the Rite of Initiation.

The Rite of Initiation is one of, if not *the*, most important of the Rites of
Ember. The initiates chest, right over the heart, is subjected to intense flame
as the initiate rests on a heated brass altar. The symbol of a sun is branded
into the chest. The purpose of the ritual is two-fold; it is a way to test both
the will, dedication, and endurance of the initiate, important to their future
as a priest. Secondly, it also serves to cleanse the body by subjecting it to
the searing, cleansing heat of true flame.

Most initiates survive, as they are only allowed to
undertake it if the priests deem them capable of passing. There are, however,
some cases of death where unforeseen circumstances were present, or the
evaluation of the initiate was faulty. After the ritual, they are considered a
priest of the Sunfaith.

#### Rite of the Hand

As initiates, members of the Sunfaith are not taught to
harness the gifts of the Sun. That training starts in theory after they are
first initiated as priests. However, before they can use the gifts in practical
they need to undergo the Rite of the Hand, to become a Hand of the Sun. Many
priests do not seek this, as their goals either end at priesthood with the
access to knowledge and libraries for contemplation or they simply do not have
the aptitude. Those that do undergo it are first subjected to intense exercises
in will and mental integrity, as the privilege of wielding the gifts carries
immense responsibility.

The Rite of the Hand involves subjecting one’s hands to intense
flames while the sun is at its highest. During that moment, the participant
must of his own accord learn to apply what he has been taught in theory to
envelop his hands in the flames without destroying them. The rite can fail in
one of two ways: either the participant removes his hands from the fire, and as
long as they are not overly damage he can try again later. If the priest
lingers to long however, his hands can be ruined. This doesn’t necessarily mean
he has failed however: one can still succeed in the rite as the hands are not
entirely necessary. But usually, one’s will is broken after such a failure.
But, as with the Rite of Initiation, the rate of failure is low due to the
strict requirements before even attempting it.

Most priest’s hands remain gravely scarred after the ritual,
but this is a sign of the success in most cases. Since the nerves have been
burned out, priests that are recognized as Hands of the Sun have no feeling and
thus cannot feel the pain of channeling the gifts through their hands. This is
a secondary, more practical reason the rite is necessary, as the channeling of
the gifts can otherwise be painful and break concentration, which can be fatal.

#### Rite of the Stride

This rite is more optional than the others and is only
really undergone by those with the strongest of faith. Its purpose is to help
the priest walk the path of their Ember, and the path of the First Flame. In
the rite, the priest burns his feet as with the Rite of the Hand. This serves
no great practical purpose but is supposed to aid in the spiritual learning
that the priest undergoes on his path to understanding. It symbolizes a
connection between the Flame and the Stride; that every step one takes, every
day it takes to learn to walk with no feeling in the feet, is a step toward
understanding and a day toward enlightenment. Such a priest walks bare footed
at all times and keeps in mind with which purpose it is he takes each step,
what devotion it is that keeps him walking.

#### Rite of the True Sight

And finally, the Rite of the True Sight is the final
milestone of only the most devoted of all the priests in the Sunfaith. It is
the most secret and holy of the Rites of Ember, and it involves the complete
burning of the priest’s eyes, nose, ears and upper hear. This finalizes the
destruction of the priest’s sensations. During the ritual, the priest focuses
on separating his mind from his body, to perceive the world through the help of
the Flames themselves. This requires extremely fine control of both body, mind,
and the gifts. Once the ritual is complete, if successful, the priest perceives
the world with eyes of flame. The world is seen as fine variations in heat and
temperature: it is as detailed as normal sight, but more complete and
enlightened. They can perceive the world as it truly is, seeing and hearing
things that no ordinary human could dream of.

Almost exclusively High Priests perform this ritual, and if
the priest isn’t already one of them this is often the final step.

*Rite of the True Sight*:
You lose normal sight and gain Blindsight 120ft., that is interrupted by 1 foot
of stone or wood or 1 inch of any metal. You also automatically detect
illusions within this distance.

## Other

### Houses of Fire

The Sunfaiths version of a Church or Temple is called a
House of Fire. Its purpose is simple, as opposed to being a place of worship it
is simply a place of gathering and collective contemplation and teaching. The
most important part of the building is the central gathering hall. Built in a
style similar to a gazebo, although larger. They are always built on high
ground, often being the highest point in a city in Kaz’Arann, sometimes being
built on the top of towers or built *as* towers.
In the center is a large Brazier, made to be filled with different types of
wood, depending on the time of year, rituals, and special days important to the
Sunfaith, such as the celebration of The First Day. There is nothing else
required except the Brazier Room, but there are a few more important parts of
larger Houses. One such part is the Sun Gardens. The main part of a House is
designed to be completely omni-directional, with no indication of directions or
differences on either side compared to the others. One of the first things that
break this are the Sun Gardens, two balconies built to always face the sunrise
and sunset. These are built in order to make the Sun Ritual easier to perform,
and is the biggest reason that Houses are built on high ground. After the Sun
Gardens come the Archives, an integral part of Houses built in central cities,
as this is where they gather scrolls and other information. These parts make up
most Houses, but larger Houses that are built as places of learning often
feature classrooms and halls of teachings and they double as public schools.

### Aspect of the Moon

The practitioners on Crescent Island follow a different
aspect of the faith, that is the same but focuses on the second aspect of the
Moon. It follows the exact same religion, but simply focuses more on a
different aspect, choosing to search for enlightenment in different ways. They
focus on the part of the religion that deals with death and the Void, the
afterlife. They are more connected to nature, and as such tend to be more
similar to Druids than Clerics.

## Mechanical

Priests of the Sunfaith are Clerics or Paladins. Clerics are
the typical priests and by far the most common, and Paladins are much rarer
specially trained warriors that usually hold positions as Royal Guard or guards
at the True Flame Temple in the capital on mount Jaziratti. The Paladins are
known as the Flameguard.

Among the people on Crescent Island, some priests also
practice the faith in a way more similar to Druids. They belong to the Circle
of Dreams. There are some practitioners of this Circle among the main followers
of the Faith as well, but they are exceedingly rare.

### Clerics

The main priesthood consists of clerics. Mechanically, the
clerics consist of four Divine Domains, depending on the training of the
Priest. By far, most are members of the First Flame domain, following the
unique practices of the Sunfaith. There are a few others, from more specialized
Houses and regions, that follow the Life, Grave and Light Domain. They do not
practice the Sunfaith in entirely the same way, and do not channel their power
raw through their body. They are rare, and mostly come from the same regions.

Life Clerics mostly come from the Kaz’Arann that live on
Crescent island and the practitioners in the more remoted cities and villages
of Kaz’Arann. Light clerics come mostly from the nomadic tribes in the Karazhan
desert, where the Sunfaith is practiced a little bit differently. The
practitioners on the Crescent Island also belong to the Grave Domain, as they
focus more intently on the aspects of death and afterlife in the Sunfaith.