Calais

## Guru Calais Lux

Calais is a 6'10'' androgynous human, and chosen avatar of the sun god Pelor. Pelor has granted Calais many boons, including resistance to sacred fire and the ability to command the very heavens themselves in His name. Calais' power works through a combination of song and prayer, making him / her a powerful supporter to all worthy allies.

### Early Life

Calais was born in a small village high in the Yatil Mountains. The village and the surrounding lands had, at one time, been cured of plague by Blessed Tephos, Pelor's chosen representative (and some would say literal incarnation). Tephos' teachings in *The Sun Father's Hands* were treated as gospel in the region, at least equal to the more common holy book, *The Light of Pelor*.

Tephos taught that all property should be held communally, that society should strive for a simple and more natural balance, and that clerics and religious structure in the Church of Pelor were redundant; Pelor could act directly through His most devout. She performed great miracles, and eventually vanished in a burst of sunlight.

In Tephos' absence, her disciples began to seek the next incarnation of Pelor. They brought a relic of Tephos to all the houses where children of the appropriate birth date lived, and placed it among dozens of mundane objects to see which child chose correctly. Many reached for pretty baubles - sun catchers or holy symbols - while others gravitated toward toys or soft textiles. But when they brought the objects to the home of the child who would one day be called Calais, the baby went straight to a rather plain and well-worn sitar. The child chose poorly.

But the disciple administering the test was so wowed by the baby's grace and beauty that she took the child anyway, and two weeks later, the next incarnation of Pelor was presented to the community.

Calais Lux - meaning the shattered fragments of colored light or, more figuratively, Rainbow - led a charmed life. The baby astounded all who saw him, playing music and singing beautifully before he even took his first steps. And what steps they were! Women wept to see his chubby little legs dancing to the hymns they sang. To hear her laugh was to feel the sun shine, and - like the sun - the people flocked for miles to bask in the divine radiance.

### The Cult of Pelor

Calais' commune held firmly to the simplest tenants of Pelor worship. If a man stole food because he was too proud to beg charity, that man was clothed and fed, his family cared for, and he did not have to steal again. They rose each day at dawn to greet the rising sun, its beams known by all to be the spirits of the righteous dead returned to bless their friends and family again. They healed the sick and performed devoted service, maintaining the blindingly white and shining stained-glass temple at the heart of their valley.

Calais received their devotion each day at noon, and spent the rest of her time alternating between memorization of *The Sun Father's Hands* and working in the hospital. Though they did not formally organize under clerics and priests, they were happy to hear the holy words of Tephos' one-time disciples. For Pelor to work directly through His followers, those followers had to spend serious time in devoted worship to the Sun. It was unwise to stare directly into the sun, and - as any wise servant will tell you - diffidence in the face of God is second only to coming when called. So, it was appropriate for them to dedicate their worship to the child-deva, and Calais' days slowly became more and more occupied by long periods of sitting, idol-like, at the temple shrine.

As the child grew, he felt that he understood many of the higher mysteries. But more than that, she knew that her current role at the head of the flock was not in keeping with Blessed Tephos' teachings. His mentors cautioned patience, so he waited. Three times Calais spoke to them about leaving the valley to spread Pelor's glory, and three times she was denied. Then, at the age of 20, he announced his intention to go forth on Breadgiving Day. A few disciples joined the young bard, and they set off to establish more communes throughout the mountain range.

### Weathering the Storm

When The Storm threatened to rip the planes apart, Calais found herself powerless to stop it. He and his disciples elected not to join Alister's pocket dimension, certain that any survivors would need the guiding hand of Pelor in such dark times. However, the disciples decided among themselves that it was more important for the avatar of Pelor to fulfill her destiny and spread the Light into whatever new worlds await, so they drugged the bard and sent him through with the rest of the envoys from the Temple of Light.

Calais never saw any of them again.

### A Light in Dark Places

Now, in this new world created by dark and scheming forces, Calais finds herself trapped between the teachings of her Commune and the grim reality of life in a complex and organized mishmash of societies. Compared to chaos - true chaos - Calais feels compelled to err on the side of law; and if the alternative is discord, suffering, and strife, then Calais will even go so far as to support governments and clergy - as long as they put their people first. This has made Calais a Hero of Frostholm.

In this new world, Calais adapted and became a cleric (at least nominally), and he has gathered a strong group of allies. The holy book of Calais' teachings, *Children of the Light*, is coming together slowly but steadily; it is more informally called *The Book of Calais*. His 30th birthday is approaching - the age Tephos was when she vanished in a burst of light - and Calais needs to collect a flock of devotees and pass on his teachings. Just in case it will soon be too late.

## The Miracles of Guru Calais

* A Light of Civilization
* Holy Purification of Northport
* Salvation of Lungdespair
* Pelor's Warmth
* The Temple of Pelor at Frostholm
* Victory at The Pelor Plunge
* The Great Eclipse
* The Founding of Puerta Cosa
* Annointing of Lady Lissan

## Calais' Greatest Hits

* Warden Puddle-Stomper
* The Pit. That One, Specific Pit.
* The Sun Will Come Out Right the Fuck Now
* Here Comes the Sun
* Pelor is Good to Me
* Walking with the Sun

## Notable Possessions

* The Heartwood Violin
* The Gnomeaphone
* The Symbol of Radiance
* The Tiara of the Sun
* The Statue at Sunspar