Sædyl

## **The Religion of the Sjurkala**

**Sædyl** is an ancient Kivasæl term that roughly translates to “worship” and refers to the Sunborn faith that stems from their reverence for the sun. In early Sunborn society, Sædyl was one of the few binding philosophies that kept many of the disparate tribes from engaging in all-out warfare, as the shamanic leaders of these tribes taught of the common heritage that all Sunborn had with the Mother Sun, Sjuryni, who’s energy was imbued in each of them. Over time, with the formation of the Solar Priesthood and gradual unification of the Sunborn tribes, Sædyl doctrine evolved to incorporate more teachings beyond heritage, acting as a true religion by detailing disciplines and virtues the ensure that each Sunborn led an orderly, humble, and good life.

Following the Second Collapse, Sædyl was one of the few cultural artifacts of the Sunborn which survived during their transference to Agaroth, as many of its teachings were preserved by oral tradition. While some important aspects of the faith have been lost, including the presence of Sjuryni and Sjurath, the philosophies which bound the Sunborn together remain an integral part of their lives.

## Icons of Worship

### **Sjurath: The Sun Shard**

As is the case with all angels, the Sunborn were created by the Emphanim consumption of a star. However, unlike most angels, this star was not wholly swallowed, with only a fraction of it “bitten” off of the main celestial body. This star was the sun of the Realm of Pyke, and the fraction which was consumed was to act as the vessel for the Sunborn’s arrival upon the surface of the Realm – the Sun Shard, Sjurath. This solar mass crashed into a barren expanse in the southeast of the continent of Krayt, tearing apart the landscape and breaking open geysers which flooded the now calcified fields.

Just as Sjurath imbued life into the land, so too did it bring with it the first of the Sjurkala (the Kivasæl word for 'Sunborn'), who over time built their societies around this region which they deemed to be blessed by the sun itself. A temple was built around the crater which encased Sjurath, the Sunstruck Temple, which remained in constant use until the destruction of the Realm some three-thousand years later.

Sjurath itself was seen as more than just a piece of their mother – to the Sunborn, it was a piece of them as well, and was so deeply imbedded in their faith that they ensured that no creature could lay eyes upon it for fear that harm would be brought to it. In establishing the Solar Priesthood, the Sunborn created a grand order of Solar Paladins whose sole duty was in the tireless, constant protection of the Sunstruck Temple, guaranteeing that the Sun Shard was under constant care and supervision.

With the Collapse of Pyke, thousands of Sunborn flocked to the temple to seek protection from the calamity at hand. While many of these Sunborn did indeed survive the Collapse and arrived in Agaroth, it is unclear what fate befell Sjurath. Some of the Priesthood who were attending to the Sun Shard at the time were able to recall the Shard’s brilliant, blinding light in their final moments of consciousness, and believed that Sjurath’s energy was protecting the temple from destruction.

### **Sjuryni: The Mother Sun**

While other races do not often attribute intelligence to the stars, the Sunborn maintain that these celestial bodies possess a consciousness, and that the sun of Pyke was among one of the most brilliant and beautiful of them. Sjuryni, their mother sun, was the beacon of light which greeted every morning upon the Realm, casting her light upon the darkened corners of the world and dispelling the bitterness of night with her warm rays. The Sunborn knew her as their creator; as the very entity whose energy and gaze ensured that her children would grow and prosper.

Throughout Sunborn history, countless poems and depictions of Sjuryni have been artistically crafted in humble attempts to mimic Sjuryni's beauty. In this way, along with feats of architecture, the Sunborn made remarkable strides in the arts early on in their cultural development, as great care and diligence was put into the design of each of these pieces.

Similarly to Sjurath, the fate of Sjuryni following the Second Collapse remains a mystery. Curiously, the Shomyr of Sædyl, Vashonn Raukan, has begun to manifest the markings of a third eye upon his forehead, a feat which was long believed to only be imbued upon a Sunborn directly from Sjuryni herself. This leaves the implication that perhaps, somewhere in the vast cosmos of Vaktas, Sjuryni may still be intact.

## The Solar Priesthood

### Shomyr: The Great Seer

Head of the faith, the Shomyr is a prophetic figure whose third eye has opened and received revelatory images of events to come.

### Clerics of the Faith

Sjerilim are the monks and nuns of the Sjerilimis Sjuros, who occupy the hospitals and abbeys of the Sjurkala countryside. Though many practice medicine, others are scholars of different arts, sciences, and magics.

### The Zealots of Sædyl

The highest priestly order of Knights, the Palyrdu Sædylos, or Paladins, act as the guardians of the faith and soldiers of the Order.

## Tenets of Sædyl

(*I am currently writing these in-game and will copy them here after they are published -**V***)

Koritiom Sædylos: *The Sædyl Rites*

Shomyru Synuos: *Eyes of the Shomyr*

Sjuryni'it Sjurath