Order of the Lightsworn

The Order of the Lightsworn is a monotheistic religion that worships a divine being known as the Holy Light. The Light, while mainly worshipped in its purest form, which is the body of light that commands the daytime, can be found in three different forms known as Aspects of the Light, as well as all objects that produce light, such as torches, lanterns, glowstone, and more. The Order of the Lightsworn is practiced primarily in Seligard, with plans for a holy city being developed as well.

### War of the Ancients:

At the dawn of time, there existed many primordial deities who created the universe and everything in it. As time passed, these deities split into two factions with very different ideologies: The Eternals and the Infinites. The Eternals believed their project had failed and they needed to destroy all life and start anew, and to do it they would enslave the Infinites and utilize their powers to do so. The Infinites saw the potential in the universe and wanted to preserve it, not yet willing to give up on what they had created. Since no agreement could be made, the leader of the Infinites, Ren, gathered his followers and marched upon the forces of Innia, the leader of the Eternals. The war commenced, and after many bloody battles, the Infinites were able to claim victory by casting the 'Everlasting Rest' on the Eternals. This was widely effective, but only one resisted the spell: Innia. In a final attempt at defeating the Infinites, Innia absorbed the power of all her fallen comrades, looking to release it all at once in a devastating explosion of primordial energy that would obliterate the universe. With no option left, Ren and his most powerful warrior, Yinir, sacrificed themselves to contain Innia's power, and instead of releasing a devastating explosion, a new entity was created known as the Holy Light. The Light was then born and as a single deity holding the power of all the Infinites and Eternals, began to repair the ravaged, war-torn expanse that was the now barren universe.

### Novum:

With the War of the Ancients resulting in the creation of the Holy Light, the deity searched the universe for promising worlds to give life, when it came across a world known as Ilistrus. Ilistrus was blanketed with darkness, and in order to create balance, the Holy Light came to the world, casting the darkness to the edges of Ilistrus in an event known as Novum, or ‘light’s dawn’. Once the Light had beaten back the darkness, it began work on an experiment, which would be the beginning of mortal life once more. The Light created all things: the sea, the land, plants and animals, but the creation it was most proud of was us. Sentient life, such as humans, dwarves, and elves, quickly began to show the Light their capabilities, working together to build things, utilize the resources around them, and make the first settlements. The Light saw that sentient life had proven its worth, so it revealed advanced knowledge to them, teaching them how to mine, fish, hunt, harvest crops, and build structures. Over time, these civilizations grew to impressive heights, and once again the Light revealed to them advanced knowledge, such as the ability to harness the different magics of Ilistrus and the ability to learn at a higher level. With this knowledge, sentient life began to ascend to a golden age, developing languages, architecture styles, creating art, poetry, music, good customs, and more. Now, sentient life has solidified itself as a worthy endeavor of the Light, and through their versatility, ingenuity, and free will coupled with the infinite wisdom of the Light, sentient beings continue forth into the unknown, achieving more and more great things despite any setback.

### The Pillars of Light:

   One of the revelations the Holy Light granted its people was the Pillars of Light, a set of morals to guide one's life. During this revelation, the Holy Light manifested in its humanoid form, a tall, muscular man with glowing skin, long, flowing blonde hair and deep blue eyes. The Holy Light walked among the people, and taught them how to live in the image of the Light. The Holy Light gave five pillars of morality to its people, and historians recount what the Holy Light commanded as follows:

**Faith**: The Light is the one true power of this world. Through the Light, all things were made, and no other idol or false god can rightfully claim this. Keep faith in the Light, and you will be blessed with peace and good fortune, but hold another power above the Light, and you shall be left to the darkness.

**Honor**: The righteous path is one that is walked with honor. In order to live honorably, one must do two things: The most important of the two 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.

**Justice**: To bring justice to those who embrace evil is the noblest of causes; the forces of darkness are cunning and insidious, and it is the duty of all Lightsworn to enact justice wherever they set foot. Not only is it the duty of all Lightsworn to mete out justice, but also to hold their Order to the same standards. Being of good character is very important to practitioners of the faith, and if any wish to succumb to the darkness by wreaking havoc on peaceful people, manipulating others for their own gain, and warmongering when unnecessary, among other transgressions, they shall be exiled, never to be welcomed to the Order again.

**Stoicism**: During difficult times, it is easy to break against the pressure, but a Lightsworn is steadfast against adversity. As a member of the Order of the Lightsworn, it is important that one should strive to be stoic no matter the situation. The darkness manifests in many forms, such as doubt, rage, sadness, and more. To allow emotions to take control is dangerous, so it is paramount to always be patient and process all difficult situations with a calm mind and steady heart.

**Fraternity**: Your brothers and sisters are your strength. Your fellow Lightsworn support you in this vast, untamed world, and without them, you are alone. 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.

### Leadership Structure:

The Order of The Lightsworn is broken into six individual ranks organized into three tiers, with the Paragon, Grand Crusader, and Oathkeepers making up the highest tier, the Priests and Crusaders making up the middle tier, and Acolytes making up the lowest tier. A description of each rank is shown below:

**Paragon**: The Paragon is the Holy Light’s vicar on Ilistrus, and as a result is the head of the Order of the Lightsworn. The Paragon organizes religious events, approves or denies declarations of war, anoints deacons the title of priest, and inducts squires as Crusaders into the Brotherhood of Qin'dor.

**Grand Crusader**: The Grand Crusader is second-in-command to the Paragon, and is the head of the military arm of the Order known as the Brotherhood of Qin'dor. The Grand Crusader is responsible for declaring crusades, which can be denied by the Paragon, and is in charge of all military affairs of the Order.

**Oathkeepers**: The Oathkeepers are a congregation of devout, loyal members consisting of Priests and Crusaders, who are selected by the Paragon. There are five Oathkeepers, and they are sometimes joined by the Grand Crusader and the Paragon when discussing more important issues. Their role is to allocate resources, deploy missionaries, recruit new members, and aid the Paragon in maintaining the religion.

**Crusader/Priest**: Crusaders and Priests both hold the same status within the Order, as defenders of the Order are just as important as those who preach the good word at home. These two positions have more simpler roles than the three listed above: Priests are the heads of a shrine/chapel of their own, with Priests in training being known as Deacons. Deacons remain as such until they either succeed a Priest as head of their chapel, or create a chapel in land of their own. Occasionally, Priests will be called to join the Paragon in a religious service. As for Crusaders, they are responsible for defending the interests of the Order, be that through defense or offense if necessary; Crusaders are also responsible for maintaining their own equipment, thus always being ready for battle. A Crusader in training is known as a Squire, and they remain as such until they prove themselves in combat and are inducted by the Paragon.

**Acolyte**: An Acolyte is the most basic of ranks within the Order, as they have no responsibilities apart from upholding the Pillars of Light and worshiping the Holy Light.

### Aspects of the Holy Light:

While the Holy Light is one singular entity, it can manifest itself in many ways, with three aspects being the most prevalent. The Lightsworn believe that each aspect is the embodiment of a portion of the Holy Light's will, as well as perfect representations of certain Pillars of Light.

**Qin'dor**: Most recognizable is Qin'dor ('the blessed' in Old Cataegan), who is represented by what most call the Sun. Qin'dor is the most powerful of the three aspects since it is the greatest source of Light on Ilistrus. Qin'dor represents the best of the Light's will, such as charity, goodwill, loyalty, and faith. Qin'dor is the most recognizable of the three Aspects, as the Holy Light manifests itself in this form the majority of the time, since the power of the Holy Light is invoked most often in the name of peace. As such, the Pillars of Light associated with Qin'dor are Faith and Fraternity.

**Vali**: Vali, meaning 'light's wrath' in Old Cataegan, is represented by what most call the Moon. Vali is the contrast to Qin'dor, representing the small, but powerful portion of the Light's will reflecting its bellicose and vengeful side. Vali is the most dangerous and unstable Aspect, and as a result, has never granted any Lightsworn access to the near limitless font of divine strength that it possesses. For this reason, Vali is not generally considered the strongest aspect since the true potential of its power is rarely seen, whereas Qin'dor and Yinir are at full strength at all times. The Pillar of Light associated with Vali is Stoicism, as Vali is not inherently good or evil, just simply a perfect embodiment of the emotionless, untamed strength the Holy Light can unleash when its power is utilized purely for battle.

**Yinir**: Yinir, meaning 'the justicar' in Old Cataegan, is represented by the presence of both Ren and Vali in the sky. Whenever this phenomenon can be observed, one who has transgressed against the Holy Light is being judged. Yinir is the embodiment of the morality-driven part of Light's will; the never-ending pursuit to bring those who embrace evil to justice. For this reason, the Pillars of Light associated with Yinir are Justice and Honor, as Yinir judges all with integrity and fairness.

### Reinheim:

Reinheim, or 'pure domain' in Old Cataegan, is the belief that one day, the evils of this world may become too great, and cause a terrible calamity to shatter the lands. When this happens, the Holy Light will open the gateway between Cataega and Ilistrus, and will come through in its purest form. The Holy Light will then construct a new world called Reinheim for its followers to go to in order to escape the calamity. The Lightsworn believe that so long as they uphold the Pillars of Light, they will be able to ascend to this new world and be given great prosperity and power, leaving the evils of the darkness behind.

### Cataega:

One of the most prominent mysteries of the Holy Light is where it originates from. The leading theory, brought forth by Hauser and Emyr Albrecht, and believed by the majority of the Lightsworn, is that the Holy Light originates from a sacred land called Cataega, a land of divine radiance where the sky cracks with storms of holy power. Not much else is known about this world except what is recounted from some members of the Albrecht family, as they are the only known residents of Ilistrus that can trace their ancestry to the sacred land. It is believed that the Holy Light can manifest itself across the cosmos, but the source of its power is found in Cataega. In fact, when wounded and subsequently poisoned in a battle years ago, Emyr Albrecht, father of Hauser Albrecht, managed to open the gateway between the two worlds in search of the source of the Holy Light's power, believing that was the only thing that could heal him. He has not been heard from since, but the Lightsworn believe that one day, he will return with the source of the Holy Light, revitalizing Ilistrus.

### Important Figures:

**Grand Crusader Andimides**: After sentient life had gotten itself established and had begun to obtain riches and power, the forces of darkness began to recognize their growing strength, and sought to wipe them out in one quick action. At the time, the Order of the Lightsworn consisted of mainly priests and few warriors. Sure enough, during the first few battles, the priests of the Order 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 Crusaders. 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, pushing them out of Ilistrus. The battles that followed humanity's first victory against the darkness were known as the War of Light's Reach, 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 Order: the Brotherhood of Qin'dor.

### The Sun Elves and the Brotherhood:

In the Order’s infancy, the first followers of the faith sought to spread the good word to other denizens of Ilistrus. During one of their missionary ventures, they discovered a race of people known as Sun Elves. These elves were devout followers of the Sun, but did not know its name nor its origin. The sun elves were so devoted to the Sun because it empowered each of them with some of its essence, so in return, they swore to defend it at any cost. After hearing the history of the Sun Elves, the Lightsworn spoke with them and revealed the mysteries of the Holy Light to them, and with this new knowledge, the Sunists began to worship and fight in the name of the Holy Light, especially Qin’dor. Following the Order’s victory in the War of Light’s Reach, Grand Crusader Andimides ventured to lands beyond in order to spread the Faith. Following the guidance of Vali in the night sky, they arrived to the home of the Sun Elves, which is today known as the Emirate of Alykhia. That night, an irradiant shard descended from the sky, and its latent power left the host of Crusaders and Sun Elves in awe. Taking it as a sign from the Holy Light, both the Crusaders and Sun Elves agreed to protect this holy artifact, and so the Brotherhood of Qin‘dor was formed, uniting man, dwarf, and elf in defense of the interests of the Holy Light in the battle against the darkness. The shard was then safely secured in a fortress under control of the Brotherhood in the capital of The Emirate of Alykhia - Akkada. Now, the Sun Elves make up a large percentage of the Brotherhood’s soldiers, and their devotion to protecting the interests of the Holy Light are rivaled by no one, with the sun elves swearing to protect the Holy Lands in order for Qin’dor to shine further and brighter.