Church of the Sun

The Church of the Sun, it is believed, rose from the Cult of Rhettos. Rhettos was one of the more popular gods of a pantheon of gods who, along with ancestors and a plethora of sprites and nature spirits, were worshipped throughout the continent of Doma in the First and Second Epochs. Thought to embody the sun, Rhettos and his sister-wife Rhea, the moon, were worshipped together, thought to be invoked in the spring rites in an effort to ensure fertitily, both for the crops and for couples hoping to conceive.

There are ruins of shrines to the divine couple Rhettos and Rhea throughout Doma, with a greater concentration in Karas Strem. This should not come as a suprise, as the Church of the Sun seems to have first gained traction in Karas Strem.

How the dual deities, the divine couple, was eventually abandoned in favour of a singular masculine god responsible for all life is unclear. However, according to the dogma of the Church, Ashur, a priest of Rhettos lay dying after a bandit attack on his temple. He lasted the night, if only to see the sunrise one last time. In that sunrise, Ashur beheld a voice proclaiming himself to be Rhettos, the only god of the universe, who begat all life with his burning seed. As Ashur lay, listening to the first sermon, he felt the sun warm him and was, it is said, miraculously healed by the rays.

Ashur abandoned the old cult and began then to 'speak the truth' to the masses, banning the 'overly familiar' addressing of Rhettos by name. Though the majority of the people rejected Ashur and his teachings, he did manage to gather about himself a small, if fanatically devoted, group of devotees, from whom his chose his four disciples. In this way, the Church of the Sun slowly gained popularity. By the end of the Second Epoch, it was one of the fastest growing cults on Doma.

It was in the Third Epoch that the Church of the Sun rose to prominence on the continent. The teachings at this point had turned from acceptance of the 'truth' to enforcing belief of the 'truth,' calling on followers to put adherents of other cults to the sword if they refused to convert. Perhaps this antagonistic doctrine drew Isha Del, who himself was struggling to enforce his rule of High King with the other rulers of the continent. Seeking the High Cantor's support, Isha Del offered to help the Church ensure it was the only cult on the continent if they would help ensure his place as High King. Together, they launched a terrible offensive, a secular and religious inquisition, that left millions dead and devestated their mutual enemies. The years of war and the famine, plague and death that followed in its wake is known as the Strife.

When the dust settled, Isha Del was the undisputed High King of Doma, and the Church of the Sun was the only cult practiced... openly.