Church of the Holy Light

The Church of the Holy Light celebrates the divine grace of the Light. The religion is monotheistic, but it does worship the different manifestations of the Holy Light known as the Avatars of Light, and anywhere that light is present, (i.e. from torches, lanterns, the Sun, etc) the Light can be called upon by its followers. At present the only place of worship is Gaia´s Garden, home to Sir Ulrich "Lightspeed" Von Gaia the last Paladin of the Order still active, but since the Light can be found in so many places in the world, it is very easy for followers of the Light to come together and worship. The official order disbanded, but in many ways the Holy Light has believers. Be it the Miner that lights his path with torches or the lone warrior who staves off monsters with the light of a campfire, the Holy Light is present in many ways, everywhere.

### **Incipiam:**

In the beginning, there was only darkness, but then, to create order, the Light willed itself into being, casting the darkness to the edges of the universe, and this event was called Incipiam. Through its divine power, the Light created all things: our world, all the animals and plants, and of course, us. The dawn of man meant that humanity had to figure out how to survive in a vast, untamed world, but the Light revealed to them how to harvest the world's resources through agriculture, mining, and fishing, and eventually they would go on to create the first civilizations. As time passed, humanity began to develop, and they began practicing science, created art, poetry, and a plethora of literature...they even began recording their own history. Despite all of these great achievements, the darkness was still at play, and it manifested itself into all of the evils that mankind faces: war, famine, subterfuge, etc. Humanity remains in constant struggle against the evil machinations of the darkness, but through devout faith to the Light and the ingenuity, versatility and free will of humanity, mankind moves forward to a brighter future despite any setback.

### **The Divine Orders**:

In humanity’s infancy, the Light bestowed upon them a set of morals to govern their cities and uphold within their lives. During this event, the Light descended from the heavens in its purest form, and all of its followers could feel the presence of the Light within their minds. Without a word being spoken, the followers of the Light had the Divine Orders revealed to them, and just as suddenly as it descended, the Light returned to its empyreal home. The Divine Orders are as follows:

1. **Faith:** The Light is the one true ruler of all things. Hold the Light in the highest regard, and you shall be blessed with peace and prosperity. Worship any other false gods or idols, and you shall be forsaken to the evils of the darkness.
2. **Honor:** To uphold honor is to uphold righteousness itself. In order to live honorably, one must do two things. Of chief importance is to honor his neighbor, which means respecting their possessions, their property, and their interests. Secondly, one must honor himself, which entails maintaining a respectable reputation, giving charity to his brothers and sisters in need, and be both truthful and loyal to his brothers and sisters.
3. **Justice:** To bring justice to Eldham is to execute the will of the Light. The minions of darkness are both plentiful and insidious, so it is the duty of all followers of the Light to enact justice whenever necessary. This also means holding the Church to the same standards you would hold others to. Being of good character is very important to your faith, and if any wish to usher in the agents of darkness through wreaking havoc on peaceful people, manipulating others for their own gain, and warmongering when unnecessary, among other transgressions, shall be exiled, never to be welcomed to the Church again.
4. **Stoicism:** With this world comes a multitude of issues, but a follower of the Light never breaks. As a member of the Church of the Holy Light, it is important that one should strive to be stoic in the face of adversity. The darkness manifests in many forms, such as doubt, rage, sadness, and more. To allow emotions to control one's thoughts and actions is dangerous, so one should always be patient and process all difficult situations with a calm mind and steady heart.
5. **Fraternity:** Your brothers and sisters are your strength. Without your fellow members of the Church, you are alone in this huge and unpredictable world. For this reason, it is important to develop a strong relationship with your fellow members, as a tight-knit group acting in the interests of said group at heart can achieve great things.

### **Domu'sancta:**

The Domu’sancta is the one belief that all followers of the Holy Light hold closest to their hearts, which is the belief that one day, the Light will create a new world free from darkness. The followers of the Light believe that, so long as they uphold the morals of the Church, they will ascend to this new world and be given great prosperity and power, leaving the evils of the darkness behind.

### **Leadership Structure:**

Below lists the leadership structure of the Church of the Holy Light in descending order (most significant to least significant).

* **Divine Vicar**: The Divine Vicar is the most senior rank within the clergy, and is considered to be the conduit between the Holy Light and its followers. The Divine Vicar is in charge of organizing religious services (i.e rituals, ceremonies, etc), approving declarations of war/crusades, and crowning new crusaders into the Order of the Golden Hand (see below).
* **Grand Crusader**: The Grand Crusader is the head of the Order of the Golden Hand, which is the military arm of the Church of the Holy Light. The Grand Crusader is in charge of calling crusades (can be denied by the Divine Vicar) and organizing the protection of the interests of the Church.
* **The Sacred Council**: The Sacred Council is a group consisting of the Divine Vicar’s most trusted priests. This group of five priests, sometimes joined by the Grand Crusader and Divine Vicar, forms a council known as the Sacred Council, and it is their job to execute the Light’s will. This includes things such as allocating funds, deploying missionaries, and basically anything that the Divine Vicar does not organize himself.
* **Priest/Crusader**: Priests and Crusaders both hold the same status within the Church, as those who protect the interests of the Church of the Holy Light on the battlefield are just as important as those who preach the good word back home. The role of these two are more simple than those listed above, with the Priests assisting the Divine Vicar during any religious services, as well as keeping close contact with the Divine Vicar to ensure the needs of the people can be communicated. As for the Crusaders, they are in charge of defending the interests of the Church through both defense and offense if necessary.
* **Acolyte**: An Acolyte is the basic rank for any member of the Church. This rank has no responsibilities but to uphold the values of the Divine Orders and worship the infinite grace of the Holy Light.

### **Important Figures:**

**Grand Crusader Andimides**: After humanity had gotten itself established and had begun to obtain riches and power, the forces of darkness began to recognize the growing strength of mankind, and sought to wipe them out in one quick action. At the time, the Church of the Holy Light consisted of mainly priests and few warriors. Sure enough, during the first few battles, the priests of the Church were outmatched in terms of melee combat ability, so they were pushed back deep into their territory. Thankfully, all hope was not lost, as a knight named Andimides rose to the challenge, and began teaching priests how to wield the Light alongside martial weapons, creating the first ever paladins. With this new development, the forces of the Light were able to best the agents of darkness in both magical power and melee combat ability, forcing them to retreat back from where they came. The battles that followed humanity's first victory against the darkness were known as the First Holy Crusade, and thanks to his contributions in ensuring victory, Andimides was given the title of Grand Crusader, and he would go on to develop the military arm of the Church: the Order of the Golden Hand.

**Sir Ulrich "Lightspeed" Von Gaia:** One of the last Paladins of the Order of the Golden Hand after its dussolution, Ulrich stands vigil as a lonely beacon of Light in Eldham. Keeping to his Oath, the lone Knight watches over the land to raise the banners and bring back the Order if the need presents itself.

**Avatars of the Light:** While the Holy Light is one sole entity, it often manifests itself in different ways, with these different manifestations being believed to watch over different parts of the world of Eldham. Avatars of the Light are often symbolized by certain items which produce light, such as torches, lanterns, glowstone, and the Sun. Furthermore, these Avatars of the Light are also often associated with certain Divine Orders, with followers often praying to certain Avatars when they need guidance.

* **Ban'dinoriel**: Ban'dinoriel, meaning 'the divine radiance,' is the name for the Avatar of Light that others call 'The Sun.' Due to its presence in the daytime sky, many followers of the Light consider this Avatar to be the most recognizable of the three. Due to its size and intensity, Ban'Dinoriel is the strongest avatar of the three, with its physical form being the purest manifestation of the Light, as seen at the top of this page. Ban'dinoriel is in constant battle with the forces of darkness in order to preserve order in the universe, which is the cause of the day and night cycle. Because of Ban'dinoriel's righteous duty to preserve order, it is often associated with the Divine Orders of Honor and Justice.
* **Tenal'ur**: Tenal'ur, meaning 'the dweller', is the contrast to Ban'dinoriel, as this Avatar watches over the deep places of Eldham such as caves and the ocean depths, as well as different dimensions such as the chaotic Nether. Tenal'ur is associated with torches, as well as any light sources found in the ocean or the Nether. Since Tenal'ur is found in the darkest depths and most foreign dimensions, it is always the closest source of the Light to the forces of darkness, and for this reason, Tenal'ur is associated with the Divine Order of Stoicism. When one pushes the limits and ventures into the dark places of Eldham, they may take comfort in knowing that the strength and courage of Tenal'ur is with them.
* **Qual'dir**: Qual'dir, meaning 'the wanderer,' is the Avatar of Light that watches over those who travel across Eldham, whether they are lost, without a home, or seeking purpose in this vast, unknown world. Qual'dir is associated with the lantern...a beacon of hope when all seems hopeless. Qual'dir guides those who are alone towards the Light, helping them find peace, prosperity, and community, so Qual'dir is often associated with the Divine Orders of Fraternity and Faith. In fact, it is common to see the most devout followers of the Holy Light carry a lantern in their offhand, representing their everpresent connection to the Light.