Light of Arkland

*"All bow to the Light of Arkland, for he guides us away from the darkness and stands as our beacon of light."* - **Prayer of the Priests of Light.**

The Light or Arkland is the highest position held in the Priests of Light. The Light of Arkland is the religious leader and acts with undisputed authority within the organization. There have been four Lights of Arkland to date, and the current Light of Arkland lives and works out of the great monastery in King's Crossing.

The Light of Arkland as a powerful religious leader but is also an astute politician. As the Priests of Light are the official religion of Arkland, the Light of Arkland maintains a seat of power that is close to the monarch and is often thereby invited to attend the Council of Barons when it is in session. The flocks of the Priests of Light stretch all over Arkland, being greater in same baronies than other, but some portion of the population, both commoners and nobility, in all baronies follow the religion. As such, the tremendous political power the Light of Arkland wields is largely established by the people of their populous religion.

As the authority of the priesthood, the Light of Arkland also controls the overall business of the priesthood, using an order of High Priests to spread control of the religion to all temples in all baronies. The Light of Arkland is far beyond the simple day to day operations of the priesthood, instead focusing on the macro-scale of expansion, directions, and the future purpose of the priesthood.

## History of the Lights of Arkland

**Alexis Duclos** - The First Light of Arkland. Alexis never assumed the role of leader of the priests. Indeed, Alexis was never apart of the order, and he was killed trying to stop its formation. That being said, the order believes that Alexis was tainted by the Trickster, and that was what caused his lack of devotion. Even so, they still laud him as the First Light and bringer of Light Magic to all that follow him.

**Sebastian Aveline** - (died in 927 AF) The Second Light of Arkland. Sebastian, also known as the Prime Disciple as he was a powerful disciple of Alexis, founded the Priests of Light. As a powerful magic user and Light of Arkland, Sebastian essentially created the Priests of Light and spread the religion all throughout Arkland. He is the considered the greatest of the Lights, responsible for the monastery in King's Crossing, the proliferation of the priesthood, and the creator of the establishment.

**Abraham Cailloux** - (died in 986 AF) The Third Light of Arkland. Abraham, moreso than Sebastian, brought the fury of the militant arm of the priesthood to the forefront. He established the already standing belief that the true purpose of the priesthood was to rid the world of the darkness caused by the Trickster. Much of the hostility that outsiders have towards the Priests of Light was caused by the teachings of Abraham.

**Matthias Gardet** - Fourth and current Light of Arkland. As the handpicked successor of Abraham, Matthias has continued with the teaching that Arkland's true, divine purpose is to extinguish darkness in the world. His current teachings are that the Cataclysm and subsequent discontinuation of the Spirits trade are all evidence that the Trickster is manifest on the world and that Arkland need muster the forces of the priesthood to extinguish the darkness. In Matthias's term, the Priests of Light have continued to harden into an extreme religion.

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--Neil (talk) 18:28, 21 October 2016 (AST)