The Cleansing of the Glare

The Cleansing of the Glare is a book discovered among the treasure looted by the Legion of the Black Hand.

## Description

A large historical report bound in thick plates of black leather, the cover of Cleansing of the Glare is decorated simply. The pages are written in a careful practiced hand with impeccable accuracy in both spelling and grammar, detailing a period of heavy religious persecution against followers of the Path of Light in 103AG.

## Research

### Completed by Bren

*Shortly after the end of Aita's Second Gift, the time in which mortal understanding and existence upon this Plane began, the time came for the gods to return to their Celestial Citadels and so with it the Principal Races were left to continue without the presence of the divine at their very side. Still receptive to worship, praise and prayer, there were a few that instead saw this time period as an abandoning, the mortals of the Prime Material Plane being cast aside and now clearly of little interest to the Pantheon above. Such was a time of numerous short-lived faiths, religions and spiritual sects - some harmless such as the whimsy of the Band of Iiado, others more hostile, the Anorcorian Faith being a primary example. Regardless of their personal relations, few can deny that the Path of Light was amongst those that lasted the longest, and generated the most debate.*

*Many saw the faith as a focused version of worship to the Sixteen with attention being given near exclusively to those Divine Beings fulfilling portfolios and domains pertaining to light - Aita the Dawn Matron and Taranis the Burning Eye therefore most so. Instead they considered these deities to be one and the same - a being called il-Yannah, translated simply to "the Great Light". Particular focus was placed upon meditation and strict physical discipline - with rules such as when to wake and rest relative to the rising and setting sun, guidance on waiting at least 30 minutes after food is prepared to prove their lack of dependence on such things and banning of consumption of assorted items such as mushrooms, alcohol, honey and shellfish - certainly seeming strange to outsiders. It has been speculated that it was indeed this discipline was what ultimately brought their widespread downfall, not from within, but by external fear. Whether the Ivory Emperor Utultar, King Gilbert III Goldlor and Duke Bertrand Bromont met in person is unknown, but their actions were unified. Chapels, churches and other places of worship were torn down brick by brick, the worshippers in their quiet and isolated settlements forced to convert - or cut down the blade. Holy relics and artifacts were smashed under foot and otherwise disposed of. Over the course of a few months in 103AG, the followers of the Path of Light dropped in population from hundreds of thousands to little more than dozens.*

*Unbeknownst to most however, il-Yannah, Shaper of Halcyon Fancies created three objects with which the last of his faithful could continue their worship, in secret. Said to be his legacy made material, working to remind the zeal that while their salvation may be far and seemingly unattainable, it would linger nonetheless. They granted means to hide away religious sects with illusionary magics, communicate across great distances to warn of impeding danger and a route through which they could visit Dal Quor directly to bathe and rejuvenate their souls in the light of il-Yannah. Despite it, each of the artifacts would be lost in time with the ongoing hunting of those of the faith and have been yet to rediscovered.*