Solradianism

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"Luminous Faith, Thunderous Might, Eternal Light."

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## Etymology

The Solradian religion’s name derives from the Latin words Sol and Radiatum, which mean Sun and radiating respectively. Aswell as the Egyptian Sun god Ra.

## Gods

* **Leofulgor, The Radiant:** He is the god of light, purges, wars, illusions and thunder. He represents the light in the world and is on an eternal quest to purge it from darkness. He is believed to have given humans the ability to think and reason. He is a very demanding and cunning god, which has led to the building of gigantic temples and monuments in his honour. He manifests himself into the world through the sun and objects that emit light.

* **Selenfunus, The Obfuscator:** She is the god of darkness, waves, opulence, truth and rain. She, opposingly, represents darkness in the world, which seeks to absorb and consume light. Her gift to humanity was everything material, as she is believed to have given form to the world through water. She is a tumultuous god that exerts her force from the shadows, hence she keeps a lower profile than Leofulgor and is only venerated directly by seafarers and those others who wish to gain her favor. She manifests into the world through the moon and her presence is known by everyone at sea, since her very emergence makes the tide rise and boats sink.

* **Other deities:** Every once in a while, if you look out into the gloomy night sky, you will see it illuminated by little sparks of life. These stars are the souls of humans who were chosen by the gods to be permanently engraved with them in the night sky, in order to guide those who have lost their way. These deities are the patrons of things related to how they lived, and hence are able to bless people and are objects of prayer, but aren’t fully gods, hence they are referred to as Demi-Gods or Stellars. They can be proposed to be canonized by clerics of the Solradian Church. The idea of Stellars is for members of the church to be able to express their creativity and add stories/deities to their religion. It could also work to integrate already pre-existing religions into the Solradian faith.

## Mythology

### **Creation**

Since the world existed, two forces have been fighting for control over it. These two gods seek to goad humanity into their own way of life, so they can exert total power and transform the world into a paradise, each in their own way. A very long time ago, before humans existed, Leofulgor and Selenfunus made a contest to see who could make the best creation. Selenfunus used the water that once fully engulfed the world and created giant waves, which crashed against one another, leading to the creation of land and mountains, which were then slowly molded by the waves into creatures, known as humans. Meanwhile Leofulgor, seeing his counterpart's creation, decided to not create something himself, and instead improve upon her creation. He decided to entrust them with thought. And since then, humanity was able to reason and think for themselves.

Selenfunus became furious, as she felt Leofulgor had stolen her own creation, therefore she started to destroy them, using floods to disassemble the human’s buildings and hopefully end their existence. Leofulgor, seeking to gain humanity’s favor, fought with Selenfunus through lighting, leading to a great thunderstorm known as The Eclipse, during which gigantic landmasses were created and more creatures than just the humans came to be, as the combination of light and darkness produces life.

The battle ended one day, when lightning struck a human by accident, killing him instantly. Although, because of the rain that was pouring over a flower grew on top of his corpse, it wasn't like any other. It was a white flower which had an interesting effect, the thunderstorm wouldn’t dare get close to the flower, almost as if it emanated peace itself. Hence, the humans started growing many more and named them Lilies of the Valley. Eventually the gods became aware of the flower, which allowed them to come to their senses and form a peace treaty of sorts, upon which light and darkness would equally rule over the world, during different times. This cycle eventually gained the name day and humans sided with the light, deciding to be active by the day and sleep during the night, so they could connect to Leofulgor through dreams.

## The Church

### Hierarchy

* **Grand Priest:** They are the highest power in the whole hierarchy (below the gods obviously) and as such have the authority to command anyone in the organisation. They are advised by the Holy Viziers, who must inform them about any occurrence, problem and project. The Grand Priest is responsible for hosting any special ceremonies such as festivals, inaugurations and especially holy events. They are also responsible for emitting any official statements from the church, unless they specifically delegate the task to anyone else. They also reserve the right to start a crusade and or war against any specific entity or organisation in the name of purging darkness from the world.

* **Holy Viziers:** The Holy Viziers have the most important role for the unison of the church, as they are the connection between the three Orders of the church and the Grand Priest. They are responsible for keeping the Grand Priest informed and administering the Orders (Architecture, Clergy and Military). There can only be two Holy Viziers at a time. They also play a critical role in the election of a new Grand Priest, since if the current Grand Priest were to die, then he must have elected a Holy Vizier to replace him before death. Similarly, Holy Viziers choose the chief of a church body to replace them if they were to die or be ascended to Grand Priest.

* **Chief Builder:** They are responsible for managing any architectural structure being built by the church, be it a temple, monument or something of the sort. They must make a petition to the Holy Viziers in order to get approval for a build and inform them of the materials needed, as well as the progress on builds. They are also responsible for commanding the church’s architectural crew and treading the way forth for the glory of light. The number of Chief Builders is proportional with the number of architects in a 1:5 proportion. New Chief Builders are voted for by the current ones.

* **Architects:** They are the literal building blocks of the church and are directly responsible for building any architectural structure needed by the church. They are eligible to become Chief Builders. Can and are encouraged to give ideas for builds, which can be discussed with a Chief Builder. Architects can also be drafted into war if necessary.

* **Illustrious Cleric/Chief Cleric:** They are responsible for commanding any members of the regular clergy in order to correctly spread the light of faith. They’re encouraged to work closely with the Chief Builders and inform them of any needs the church has to preach the way of luminance. Each Chief Cleric is responsible for a specific Church and its upkeep, be it in any nation. The number of Chief Clerics is proportional with the number of clerics in a 1:3 proportion. New Chief Clerics are assigned by the Grand Priest, in case the Grand Priest decides not to choose, then it will be voted by the current Chief Clerics.

* **Clergy:** They are responsible for preaching the Solradian faith to common folk and just like Chief Clerics are completely entitled to give guidance, counsel and perform rituals approved by the Holy Viziers/Grand Priest. They are the most essential part of the whole church, as it's their duty to spread the faith through every corner of the world, therefore recruiting new members for the church.

* **Supreme Commander:** They are responsible for managing the military forces of the holy church. They are the closest body to the Holy Viziers, as they must inform them of any possible threat to the church, be it political, social, religious, military, etc. Supreme Commanders reserve the right to organize and deploy military forces according to the needs of the church. The number of Supreme Commanders is proportional with the number of Crusaders in a 1:5 proportion, which is called a Holy Battalion. Each Holy Battalion must receive a name (given to them by their Commander and approved by a Vizier) and is independent from any other Battalion. A new battalion is formed when a single battalion exceeds the 1:5 proportion. Then the Commander of said battalion must remove 5 Crusaders, who will form a new Battalion and democratically elect their Commander.

* **Crusaders:** They are the protectors of the church and are the most devout to it, since they don’t just choose to live by it, but to die for it. They are an essential part in maintaining the faith and obtaining information valuable to the faith. When not at war, they are responsible for the protection of the Grand Priest and Holy Viziers, as well as safeguarding any area assigned by their Commander. When at war, they will be carefully organized by their commanders and deployed on the assigned outposts in order to strike like thunder and shine like the sun.