The Light

## The Divinity of all things Good

There once used to be many individual churches worshiping many different Gods (Whether they be Good or Evil) but the collective threat posed by the the Dark Gods was so great that it spurred a response which shook the foundations the the world. The Gods of Good unified as one grand and overwhelming existence know simply as **The Light**. Thus, The Light is not one single god but a whole pantheon of good aligned gods that is being worshiped as one and no differentiation is made or any specific god worshiped directly - as opposed to the evil Dark Gods.

The Light Gods reside in their own realm. Like the Dark Gods They cannot (or want not) influence the physical realm outside. Their temples directly but use servants such as priests to make Their will known and channel Their power through them. The priesthood of The Light excels at healing, protection, blessings and restoration of all kinds.

The Light is responsible for the creation and maintaining The Great Barrier, which keeps the Dark Gods from manifesting on Divinal.

## Their Temples and Priests

Ever since the Light Gods came together all of their temples and churches have been turned form the polytheism of old into the the centralized church that it is now. The holy script known throughout Divinal as the "*Teachings of The Light"* have been written down countless times over and spread far and wide - despite the wishes of the servants of the Dark Gods.

It is possible for any believer to commune with the Light Gods directly in any sufficiently consecrated temple or church. Even evil creatures that wish to pray to the Light Gods at a temple are allowed to do so, for The Light also proclaims forgiveness and giving people who repent a second chance. Though this process does require that the evil creature in question get a patron to negotiate on it's behalf to prevent being hurt by any automatic defense (for the Light and it's followers may be forgiving but they are not foolish).

### The Church Hierarchy

Because of the threat that Dungeon Keepers and the Dark Gods pose on all of reality the Church of the Light is a very tightly knit organisation. Order is maintained trough hierarchy and procedure that has been worked on for hundreds of years. Only those strong in their belief and virtuous in their actions will be able to find themselves high up in the church hierarchy or wielding any real power.

The servants of The Light can be classified in roughly five levels. Them or rough equivalents can be found in all nations on Zyreema.

1. Novice, Student
2. Acolyte, Initiate
3. Priest, Cleric, Inquisitor, Abbot
4. Anointed Priest, Bishop, Anointed Cleric, Anointed Inquisitor
5. High Priest, Archbishop, High Cleric, High Inquisitor

After receiving their ordination to the priesthood a young priest has to decide which arm he wishes to belong to.

By far the biggest group are the **priests**. Their job is to take care of the temples and to provide services to the community. While most priests spend their whole life serving in one location some travel between several smaller communities to provide a minimum of clerical services even in remote areas. Most towns will have a priest while Anointed Priests can only be found in certain cities. Only anointed priests are given responsibilities for larger cathedrals or abbeys which makes them bishops or abbots respectively. The number of all High Priests and Archbishops on Zyreema is small with two dozen, not counting High Clerics or High Inquisitors.

**Clerics** serve a special purpose. They are not bound to one location or temple. Their task is to go to war against Evil and to support the soldiers fighting the Good fight wherever they go. Thus it is not uncommon for a cleric to pick up some fighting skills. Before a priest can become a cleric, he or she is typically required to serve at a temple for a few years to strengthen their belief.

**Inquisitors** also have no temple to take care of and no services to render to the community. Their only task is to keep the own house clean of agents of Evil. Thus they often are not well liked, but without them, many an Evil plot would have created great misery.

Aside from these there are many holy orders such as **paladins** or holy knights. But while they often act independently from the main body of the church, their members schooled in the use of divine magic often perform similar rites of passage and thus their divine might can often be compared to that of one of the five ranks introduced above.

## Teachings of The Light

Within the church of The Light there are 8 Holy Virtues that all of it's believers strive to live by (or in some cases embody). They follow the principles of Love, Truth and Courage. They are:

* ***Honesty*:**Truth
To never cheat, lie or deceive. To never twist facts and what is right to serve your own goals.
* ***Compassion*:**Love
To feel empathy for others. To care for and do right by all others.
* ***Valor*:**Courage
To stand tall in the face of adversity and to face each challenge proudly.
* ***Justice*:**Truth and Love
To be fair in all things. To offer a second chance to all those who seek it and judge villainy, but to temper such judgments with wisdom.
* ***Honor*:**Truth and Courage
To live righteously and to always stay true to your word.
* ***Sacrifice*:**Love and Courage
To put some things even higher then oneself and to act on those feelings when the time is right, even at cost to oneself.
* ***Spirituality*:**Truth, Love and Courage
To seek enlightenment and closeness to The Light and it's teachings.
* ***Humility*:**None, though it is considered the root of all virtue.
To always understand your roots and understand that all under the Light are equal.

## The Avatar of Light

Unlike the Dark Gods and their Dungeon Keepers, The Light only ever chose one champion at a time and that champion becomes known as *The Avatar of The Light.*

Despite being mortal (as The Light almost never gives immortality to it's followers under any circumstances) The Avatar is blessed with a wide manner of powers and abilities, honed by his own faith, wisdom and skill, making him more than a match for even the most veteran Dungeon Keepers and the strongest of the Demons of the Dark Gods.

And while it is true that The Light does not grant immortality, it's chosen is granted amazing longevity and can easily live several times the normal lifespan of his race.

Rumors even exist that The Avatar could (and did on numerous occasions) single-handedly take down entire Dungeons without any assistance. Should there be any truth to these rumors then this would easily put the Avatar as one of the most powerful existences in The World.

However, The Avatar is not only some kind of Holy Juggernaut. He is also the rightful ruler of Avatar Island, which is located east of mainland Zyreema.

He is famous for being a wise and just monarch and he is adored by all the citizens there as not just a Hero of immense power but as a symbol of everything The Light stands for. His very presence inspires many devout people of Avatar island to take up the Teachings of the Light and the Code of Chivalry, making Avatar Island the birthplace of many renowned Heroes, Paladins and Knights.

He ruled over Avatar Island and protected it all the way till to the event recorded in history only as The Fall of Avatar Island.

The current Avatar is: Amadeus Peacenote.