Church of the Sun

The Church of the Sun is a religious organization based on Solarism, or faith in the Sun as the source of life and only viable protection against Miasma.

At the time of the player's story, Solarism is the primary and only extant religion.

## Lore

Very little is known about Solarism. The length and age of the scripture followed by the Church, its hierarchy, count of existing followers, and number of congregations are unknown.

Followers of the religion (known as Solarists or "the Sun's Children"; *Father Benjamin: On Farming* topic response letter) believe that the sun (stylized as "Sun"; also called Sol; referred to in third-person feminine "She") is a deity that protects humans from Miasma and controls crops. Some ascribe to it the power to judge those who do not adhere to the religion and consider the Miasma to be divine punishment exacted on those lacking faith.

Besides regular townsfolk, followers of the Sun also exist among Academy Scholars, whose leaders mention it in official documents and correspondence using similar terms of deference and turns of phrase. Journals use verbiage like "Sun bless," "if Sun wishes it," "it's a sign from the Sun" (*Letter From Home #6*), and "may Her rays shine on you" / may the Sun shine her Rays upon you and your garden" (*Re: Re: Alms For Solarists* quest mail). Other notable phrases are "Sun cast her rays and may the Miasma stay clear of thee" (Little Rock City Council) and "Black suns!" used as an exclamation in journals.

### Origins

It is plausible that Solarism originated after the fall of The City. In a letter, the player learns that "those before us [ancient people who inhabited the City] didn't lay their faith in the Sun ... [and that] Their disturbing lack of faith led them down a path of darkness, eventually resulting in the unleashing of the Miasma" (*Father Benjamin: On The People Before Us* topic response letter). Solarism may have been invented in response to this natural disaster in the hope of keeping the Miasma at bay, since it is generally seen as a darkness or shadow, possibly unable to spread where the sun shines.

### The Book of Sun

Solarism is based on a religious text, *The Book of Sun*. Similar to real-life religious texts, *The Book of Sun* consists of verses.

#### Excerpts

* *"The Sun will deliver all those who are faithful from annihilation."* — Aumbrations 6:16
* *"Only the blessed light of Sol is capable of liberating us from the Miasma."* — Canticles I 3:03
* *"The Miasma is nothing more than punishment, wrought from humanity's past."* — Canticles II 8:08

These excerpts appear in the only journal found in the wild that references the religious text, *Thoughts About The Book of Sun,* penned by a certain Markus Plumtree in the spring of 198 Y.F.. In the journal, Plumtree writes about his gradual loss of faith and growing doubt regarding the Sun's protective powers. This ultimately results in Plumtree delving into the Miasma to "see Sol fighting it back for myself" (first entry), leading him to remark in the third and final entry: *"The only way forward is to embrace the cloud*."

### Organization

The Church of the Sun has several congregations, one of which is based in Little Rock (player's hometown) and it aids sister churches in neighboring towns, Pine Bluff and Redfield, when they are in need of supplies. The Hermit mentions in a conversation outside the Forest that there are at least two branches, or "sects" -- Orthodox and Reformed.

Several side quests under the title *Alms For Solarists* involve an exchange of letters between Father Benjamin, who presides over the Little Rock congregation, and the player, and require sending resources to rebuild The Field of Worship and help neighboring towns.

#### Controversy

Another side quest leads the player to find four ancient Cultist Artifacts in the wild. Upon finding the first Artifact in the Petrified Forest, the player learns a conversation topic for use with Abraham, who finds an interested buyer in his network. The buyer, who goes by S.K.S in letters, pays the player a handsome sum of money for the first Artifact and gives the quest to find the remaining ones. S.K.S. mentions ancient inscriptions on the Artifacts and refers to them as "lost remnants of humanity," possibly landing their origins to the times of The City's heyday (*Inquiry About Artifact* quest mail).

When the player mails the remaining three Artifacts to S.K.S., they receive a letter from Father Oakburrow, who labels the Artifacts "contraband" and proclaims that they are "riddled with the unholy energy of Shadow" (*Stop This WIckedness* quest mail). The player learns that S.K.S. is a "straying member" of Father Oakburrow's congregation, and is then admonished by Oakburrow, who concludes: "I hope this letter shines a light on your sins and you seek forgiveness from Sun."