Il-Yannah

## The Great Light

* Appearance
* Temple
* Symbol

Il-Yannah, also known as the Great Light and the Shaper of Halycon Fancies, is a deity that occupies Dal Quor, the Plane of Dreams.

## Commandments

* Life can be filled with darkness. Find the path that leads towards the light.
* Act with compassion and courage, each will give strength on the journey all must make.
* Hone your body and mind alike, both must be as strong as your convictions.

## Customs

### Daily Ceremonies

The rising of the sun in the morning is of great reverence in the faith of the Great Light, symbolising the deity's steadfast dedication to renewed return. Priests wearing white robes with golden hoods led the services each morning, with features of their sermons commonly featuring references to cycles of light and dark, although with the former always appear again, pledges to disciplined lives bound by convention and conviction alike, as well as reinforcement of the deity's tenets of compassion and courage as pillars upon which to find strength and guidance.

### Holy Day

The most notable service associated with il-Yannah takes place on the longest day of the year, the *Shining Solstice,* which varies in timing slightly through the calendar, but always falls within the Highreign month of Carrast. As part of this festival, followers of the faith of the Shaper of Halycon Fancies fashion crowns of pale paper or fabric complete with a circular disk that sits behind the head just large enough so if viewed from the front the wearer appears to have a corona of light sprawling beyond. Wealthier followers may have such ornamentations forged by finesmiths from precious metals, while those less well-off fashion them from whatever white, grey or yellow materials may be at hand.

### Rituals

By the standards of much of the rest of Ahlus, the customs followed by the faithful of il-Yannah are prone to invoke at least a somewhat curious glance. Particular focus is placed upon meditation and strict physical discipline - with rules such as when to wake and rest relative to the rising and setting sun, guidance on waiting at least 30 minutes after food is prepared to prove their lack of dependence on such things and banning of consumption of assorted items such as mushrooms, alcohol, honey and shellfish.

The number eight is considered holy amongst the followers of il-Yannah, who see the value - at least when written in the Common script - symbolising harmony and balance. When spoken in Celestial, the number eight also sounds phonetically similar to that of the word for infinity, fitting given the perpetually looping nature of the Common script symbol utilised. Octagonal glyphs feature throughout holy texts, vestments and artworks dedicated to il-Yannah as a result, as well as being seen clearly in the design of the Legacies of Distant Reverie.

Funeral rites associated with il-Yannah tend to be a celebratory affair, building upon the idea that the individual's light, or soul, has now returned to the Great Light to be added into its own. A pious, dedicated and good individual glows with a brighter light, contributing more to the sweltering brightness of il-Yannah, a concept that many theologians have compared passing similarities with the beliefs of the Ahlusian Pantheon, in which departed pass through the Beacon of Souls, either enlivening or dimming the flame as they are judged by Yaldin.

### Sects

Those individuals that dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to il-Yannah are usually assigned one of three orders of monastic priesthood, all framed within a predictably strict hierarchy ascending to a trio of High Priests, usually powerful clerics.

* The Bearers of the Bright - most numerous of the orders, the Bearers of the Bright focused on serving as personal exemplars to the community, splitting their time between observation of meditations and personal rituals with offering aid in their local communities. They spread the tenets of the Great Light through demonstrating their god's ideals.
* The Voice of the Light - preachers, missionaries and elders in temples and monasteries, the Voice of the Radiance concerned themselves primarily with spreading the teachings of il-Yannah. They spread the tenets of the Great Light through evangelising their god's ideals.
* The Sentries of the Night - with bodies and minds honed through discipline, the Sentries of the Night hunt down denizens of the dark, the Eternal Night finds significant overlap with this group. They spread the tenets of the Great Light through vanquishing the dark in the name of their god's ideals.

## History

An independent entity from the Ahlusian Pantheon, the worship of il-Yannah has been a long troubled one. Associated curious customs, alongside a stubborn persistence from the zealous that il-Yannah was not simply a variation of Aita or Taranis ultimately resulted in tragedy. Whether the Ivory Emperor Utultar, King Gilbert III Goldlor and Duke Bertrand Bromont met in person is unknown, but their actions were unified. Chapels, churches and other places of worship were torn down brick by brick, the worshippers in their quiet and isolated settlements forced to convert - or cut down the blade. Holy relics and artifacts were smashed under foot and otherwise disposed of. Over the course of a few months in 103AG, the followers of the Path of Light dropped in population from hundreds of thousands to little more than dozens, a genocide known as The Cleansing of the Glare.

Unbeknownst to most however, il-Yannah, Shaper of Halcyon Fancies created three objects with which the last of his faithful could continue their worship, in secret. Said to be his legacy made material, working to remind the zeal that while their salvation may be far and seemingly unattainable, it would linger nonetheless. They granted means to hide away religious sects with illusionary magics, communicate across great distances to warn of impeding danger and a route through which they could visit Dal Quor directly to bathe and rejuvenate their souls in the light of il-Yannah.

The tale of il-Yannah has since changed with time. Individuals that claim to be touched of spirits from Dal Quor have been since recognised as a subspecies of the Principal Races created during Aita's Second Gift, although in the centuries since the nature of their deity - supposedly renounced in favour of those faiths and beliefs less likely to cause conflict - has changed. Il-Yannah once ruled as a benevolent force in the Dal Quor, granting all creatures capable of dreams pleasant experiences of enjoyment and reflection during their restful hours. Spirits reached into the minds of the dreaming, guiding them on the path so as to not find themselves lost in the otherwise inhospitable darkness of the night. Since however, it seems that il-Yannah has been supplanted, consumed and otherwise diminished in power by the incursion of a darkness known as il-Indlatavar, the Thirsting Gloom.

These Legacies of Distant Reverie were later involved in a series of efforts by Hadar the Cinder Star to return to the Material Plane through the Plane of Dreams. After a great struggle, Hadar was defeated and the artifacts sequestered away. Although having reclaimed Dal Quor, il-Yannah is yet to return to their original level of power, but their mortal following continues to grow - though not without controversy.