The Twin Suns

**The Twin Suns**

Sarenrae appearing before one of her faithful, flaming scimitar in hand.

￼Before the Madness,
Sarenrae was a solar/stellar deity of the Everstar, a focal point of
navigation, and she taught temperance and patience in all things. Even now,
compassion and peace are her greatest virtues, and if enemies of the faith can
be redeemed, they should be. Yet there are those who have no interest in
redemption, who glory in slaughter and death. From the remorseless evil of
fiends to the cruelties born in the hearts of mortals and gods alike,
Sarenrae’s doctrines preach swift justice delivered by the scimitar’s edge. To
this end, she expects her faithful to be skilled at swordplay, both as a form
of martial art promoting centering of mind and body, and so that when they do
enter battle, their foes do not suffer any longer than necessary.

Sarenrae is known to be
among the early gods that battled in the defense of this creation. During this
magnificent war, the Dawnflower cast down Illir to the center of the world. It
is believed that after Asmodeus bound the Dark Sun there, Sarenrae placed therein
the raging flames of the previous sun as an eternal torment for the treacherous
god.

Sarenrae counts all
non-evil gods as companions, and even communicates with evil deities in the
hopes of converting them from their dark ways. She has some distrust for
Asmodeus due to arguing over the souls of the dead. Her only true enemy is the
Mad God.

Sarenrae manifests as a
bronze angelic beauty, with golden hair composed of flowing flame. From one
hand emits a holy light which trickles down like liquid luminescence, whereas
the other holds a scimitar emblazoned with radiant fire. Her holy light
provides healing and sustenance, while the scimitar creates gusts of winds that
remove disease and fear.

***Source***: Pathfinder

***Pantheon***: The
Twelve

***Alignment***: Neutral Good

***Favored Weapon***: Scimitar

***Symbol***: An angelic, female figure with wings framing a
corona that is behind the figure’s head; the arms of the figure are spread to
each side or an angelic ankh

***Sacred Animals***: Dove

***Sacred Colors***: Blue and Gold

***Domains***: Agathion, Day, Fire, Friendship, Glory, Good,
Healing, Heroism, Light, Restoration, Resurrection, Revelation, Sun

***Inquisitions***: Banishment, Chivalry, Clandestine, Fervor,
Final Rest, Heresy, Illumination, Order, Redemption, Reformation, Restoration,
Revelation, Sedition, Truth, Valor

***Mysteries***: Flame, Heavens, Life, Solar, Succor

***Blessings***:
Fire, Glory, Good, Healing, Sun

**Worship of Sarenrae**

The church of Sarenrae is
mostly composed of altruistic priests who are also ready to be stern should it
be warranted. The church is known for blessing crops, healing the sick, and
reforming criminals and evil doers. They are often consulted to solve feuds and
disputes among neighbors and family. The Empire of Kelesh holds her as their
patron deity and is responsible for spreading her faith throughout the Inner
Sea.

A large portion of
Sarenrae’s priests are composed of clerics, but within their ranks are also
paladins and rangers, as well as a few druids and bards. Some priests work as
personal retainers or healers for the wealthy, while others survive on
assistance from congregational worshipers. A common form of worship by priests
is to awaken with the dawn and give thanks and praise to the rising sun. The
scimitar is a favored weapon and its use is held in high regard. In battle,
Sarenrae’s clerics become dervishes, ready to destroy irredeemable corruption.

The temples of the
Dawnflower are open-air buildings. Priests often travel from one temple to the
next. The Everlight Oasis in Kelesh is a popular site of pilgrimage for
followers of the goddess. Church services are held outdoors and are joyous
affairs that feature singing, dancing, and music.

The one book common to
all churches of Sarenrae is The Birth of Light and Truth, is the principal holy
book of Sarenrae. This text is unusual because it includes stories from times
before Sarenrae was a true goddess, describing the creatures she faced and
including a long list of names of fiends and horrors she destroyed long before
mortals learned writing. The rest of the book is more practical than
historical, explaining the beliefs of the church, offering advice on dealing
with sin and temptation, and many parables of evil creatures seeing the light
of the Dawnflower and turning to good, productive lives thereafter. The book
also contains simple folk remedies for common illnesses and injuries, as well
as helpful hints for dealing with common supernatural or monstrous evils, such
as that vampires are vulnerable to garlic.

Most copies contain
extra pages for the owner to record uplifting stories he experiences or hears
in order to repeat them to others, and any copy containing a firsthand anecdote
from a great priest or paladin is especially prized as a family or church
heirloom. It is customary for a hero of the church who performs some great deed
for a person or temple to write a brief account in or at least sign a local’s
copy of Light and Truth (as it is commonly known) as a memento and historical
record.

The most commonly celebrated holidays celebrated by the followers
of Sarenrae are Burning Blades on the 10th of Sarenith, and the Sunwrought
Festival, held on the summer solstice.

## Lathander

Lathander greets each new life as if they were his own offspring.

## Physical description

### Gender

Male

Lathander is a deity of creativity, dawn, renewal, birth, athletics, spring, self-perfection, vitality and youth. He favors those who dispelled the undead and blesses those who planted new life. Lathander is also the god called upon to bless birth and fertility related ceremonies.

Lathander was the
central figure in the Dawn Sedition, an ill-fated attempt by the Emperor
of Dawn to reshape the
Thousand Oceans pantheons and place them under his rule. Several of
the displaced deities of the newly created world were killed during the events
of the betrayal, including the human goddess of the heavens, Anshar, a death
for which her brother, Neroth, never forgave Illir. When the dust settled and
the Twelve were victorious, Illir’s powers were split amongst the two nearest
stars, Lathander, the morning star, and Sarenrae, the ever star by which
sailors all navigated.

***Source***: forgotten Realms

***Pantheon***: The
Twelve

***Alignment***: Neutral Good

***Favored Weapon***: Light or heavy mace, Lathander’s personal mace
is called Dawnspeaker

***Symbol***: Sunrise made of pink, red, and yellow gems

***Sacred Animals***: Rooster

***Sacred Colors***: Red and Gold

***Domains***: Aristocracy, Blood, Community, Competition,
Cooperation, Day, Glory, Good, Growth, Healing, Judgement, Law, Leadership,
Light, Nobility, Protection, Redemption, Restoration, Resurrection, Seasons,
Soverignty, Sun, Time

***Inquisitions***: Banishment, Chivalry, Clandestine, Fervor,
Final Rest, Heresy, Illumination, Order, Redemption, Reformation, Restoration,
Revelation, Sedition, Truth, Valor

***Mysteries***: Flame, Heavens, Life, Solar, Succor

***Blessings***:
Fire, Glory, Good, Healing, Sun

**Worship of Lathander**

Novices in the
Lathanderian faith are called the Awakened, while clerics are known as
Dawnbringers. The full priests take a new name in his service when they were
ready to signify that Lathander personally recognized and accepted them. This
new name could either be used instead of their old name or simply used only
when addressing other Dawnbringers and when in solitary prayer. All followers
were required to be of neutral to good alignment.

All of Lathander’s
clergy respect art, liberty, nature, and culture; promote betterment of
oneself; and strive to bring hope to their followers and others. Many of these
followers worked in various creative arts prior to taking vows. They are
intolerant of evil, especially evil undead and inaction that caused evil to prosper.
Most ceremonies of Lathander were held at dawn and actions and contracts agreed
to at sunrise were said to be blessed by him. Funerals, among his followers,
are held at dusk, and followed by a wake that lasts until dawn.

A small facet of the Morninglord’s power is as God of Judges. All
clergy members have to learn, understand, and know how to reap the benefits
from (or exploit) the laws of the land, the city, and the province they live
in. In order to completely understand the nuances of law and legislature,
Awakened constantly drill each other, practice law in court whenever possible,
and rehearse law in practice courtrooms before being accepted into the
priesthood. Many Dawnbringers can not resist investigating the scene of a crime
or taking part in the construction of new laws in their locale, and do so with
great intensity and fervor. This has led to the uncomfortable respect between the Dawnbringers of Lathander and the Oathkeepers of Sarish, the two most legalminded of the faiths on A'tuin.

Images courtesy of
DeviantArt

Edit of Pike and
Sarenrae by Surugamonkey

Lathander from a Forgotten Realms sourcebook