Radiant Church
It has been many cycles since I have received a vision from you, Sunfather. But I do not come to you in complaint- rather to praise you and your gratitude for blessing such an insignificant fool as I with your divine powers. I am not worthy and yet as your sun rises and sets every day with constance, so too is your grace and love constant.
The vision you have blessed upon my eyes shows me the true fate of our people on Arethil, and, father, I must admit- it is not one that brings me joy. I pray that you weave the threads of fate and destiny to your will, and that you console my mortal soul. I need not concern myself with foolish Arethilian treasures when you await those who are faithful above just beyond the stars. I pray that you take from me my questions and allow me to rest more surely in my faith. Give me trust in you, I ask, for then I shall better carry out your will among your people.
Forgive me my sins, O Lord of Light, so that I might do penance and strive to see your kingdom on Arethil as you will it.
- First Cardinal Beltrané Cano, in his revered Journal of Prayers
Hierarchy
The Radiant Church is organized by rank, the ranks being the same and holding the same meaning no matter the branch of the church.
Acolytes- Acolytes are the magically inclined children recruited to be in The Solar Choir.
Postulants- These are those who are not gifted with magic but are still seeking a place within the Radiant Church. Most of them will go into convents. They are technically equal with Acolytes, but the magically gifted children are more valued.
Priest/Priestess- A priest/priestess is a full fledged member of The Solar Choir. They are the eyes, ears and hands of the Radiant Church and serve as emissaries, diplomats, executioners, and even as soldiers should the cause arise. They refer to each other as Sister and Brother.
Monja- (moan-hah)Equal in rank with a priest/priestess and perhaps just as revered, a monja is a woman who was either ungifted with magic or cast out of the Solar Choir. She worships and prays to the Sunfather multiple times on a daily basis in the abadía (aba-dee-ah), therefore most monjas can wield divine magic where the Sunfather sees fit. They refer to each other as Sister.
Bishop- Bishops are in charge of the priests and priestesses in the Solar Choir and are also magically inclined. They refer to other bishops as Brother and Sister, but those ranked below them refer to them as Mother or Father.
Abadesa- (aba-day-sah) Abadesas are the women in charge of the prioresses. They are equal in rank to bishops and have complete control and authority in their abadía. They are refered to as Mother by monjas, and Sister by other abadesas.
Archbishop- An archbishop is in charge of the abadesas and bishops. They are usually the head of a branch of the church. Archbishop Velasco de Rebina is in charge of the Radiant Church on Kortes, below Cortos.
Cardinal- The highest rank in the church, the cardinal has authority over everyone else in the church. He/she is viewed as a direct branch to the Sunfather, and is very highly revered. The current leader is Fifty-First Cardinal Bartolome Hortega.
Acolytes- Acolytes are the magically inclined children recruited to be in The Solar Choir.
Postulants- These are those who are not gifted with magic but are still seeking a place within the Radiant Church. Most of them will go into convents. They are technically equal with Acolytes, but the magically gifted children are more valued.
Priest/Priestess- A priest/priestess is a full fledged member of The Solar Choir. They are the eyes, ears and hands of the Radiant Church and serve as emissaries, diplomats, executioners, and even as soldiers should the cause arise. They refer to each other as Sister and Brother.
Monja- (moan-hah)Equal in rank with a priest/priestess and perhaps just as revered, a monja is a woman who was either ungifted with magic or cast out of the Solar Choir. She worships and prays to the Sunfather multiple times on a daily basis in the abadía (aba-dee-ah), therefore most monjas can wield divine magic where the Sunfather sees fit. They refer to each other as Sister.
Bishop- Bishops are in charge of the priests and priestesses in the Solar Choir and are also magically inclined. They refer to other bishops as Brother and Sister, but those ranked below them refer to them as Mother or Father.
Abadesa- (aba-day-sah) Abadesas are the women in charge of the prioresses. They are equal in rank to bishops and have complete control and authority in their abadía. They are refered to as Mother by monjas, and Sister by other abadesas.
Archbishop- An archbishop is in charge of the abadesas and bishops. They are usually the head of a branch of the church. Archbishop Velasco de Rebina is in charge of the Radiant Church on Kortes, below Cortos.
Cardinal- The highest rank in the church, the cardinal has authority over everyone else in the church. He/she is viewed as a direct branch to the Sunfather, and is very highly revered. The current leader is Fifty-First Cardinal Bartolome Hortega.
Principals
The Radiant Church is centered around one diety- known as the Sunfather, the Lord of Light and other assorted names. The Sunfather is sacred and all worship and prayer is directed to Him. He is associated with the rising and the setting of the sun.
The entire religion and church is centered around the light- praising it, having faith in it, and spreading it to everyone else.
As far as morals go, they believe in mirroring the Sunfather's eternal grace and love for all beings. They believe they are tasked with the helping of the world, which has led to them spreading their belief systems across Cortos and beyond.
The entire religion and church is centered around the light- praising it, having faith in it, and spreading it to everyone else.
As far as morals go, they believe in mirroring the Sunfather's eternal grace and love for all beings. They believe they are tasked with the helping of the world, which has led to them spreading their belief systems across Cortos and beyond.
Intent
In the Solar Choir, children born with innate magical abilities are recruited. There they are trained in their magic and in how to wield a weapon. Once official members of the Solar Choir, the men and women in their ranks act as the eyes, ears, and blade for the Church. Their intent is to spread the light of the Sunfather to all of Arethil.
In the abadías, the women there focus on inward reflection. They wield divine magic since they are almost always born without magic abilities They focus on healing rather than fighting, and act as the heart and mind of the church.
In the abadías, the women there focus on inward reflection. They wield divine magic since they are almost always born without magic abilities They focus on healing rather than fighting, and act as the heart and mind of the church.
Lore
The Radiant Church was founded by Saint Elian. The Book of Light, Saint Elian's Journal of Prayers and the holy scripture of the Radiant religion, records Elian's activities, teachings and prayers. In it, Elian also claims to be the son of the Sunfather. The Radiant Church teaches that Saint Elian's death, known as the religious holiday Muerte de Santo, signaled the beginning of the public ministry of the church.
Not much about Elian beyond his writings is known. In the Book of Light, he writes about his life, and also includes writings from others he influenced on his travels. According to his book, he was born to mortal human parents, whom he claims were his parents only in the nature that they raised him. Elian displayed magical abilities from a very young age, and had an affinity for light and fire. From the age of twelve, his mother and father told him that their union was blessed and in reward had been given him from the Sunfather, God of the light and everything it touches.
When he was sixteen, Elian struck out on his own, leaving his home in what is today Cortos City. He traveled along the modern day Cortosi coast, recording his interactions with others as he spread his teachings and beliefs about the Sunfather. He experienced multiple visions from the Sunfather, one of which he believes led him to his second greatest love (besides the Sunfather). It was during his stay with the elves in modern-day Falwood when he met Liluth, the female elf who would later bear his only child, Beltrané Cano.
He returned to Cortos with Liluth and his young son, only to discover his parents slaughtered by Vel Anirans for their beliefs. Wrought with sorrow, Elian retreated inward, and wrote perhaps the most studied chapter of the Book of Light: La Revelación de Elian. In it he grew closer to the Sunfather, and wrote not only his philosophies of the world and the meanings of life and death, but also his vision for the world in the future, and how clouded it was.
The Vel Anirans who killed his parents heard of their son's ramblings, and, believing him to be a madman, hunted him down and killed him in a fantastical display of power. Moments before his death, as Elian lay bleeding out on the dirt ground, his son Beltrané, only six at the time, ran to his side and cried over his father's wounds. In his journal of prayers, Beltrané claims his father did not die like any mortal; rather his body turned into pure light and ascended to the heavens, much to the awe of those watching.
Beltrané read his father's journal and made his father's vision into a reality by establishing the Radiant Church. The followers he gathered named him the First Cardinal, and his own Journal of Prayers is revered almost as much as The Book of Light itself. It has been common for members of the Radiant Church, especially higher up members, to keep a Journal of Prayers in which to record their prayers, visions, and lives.
Since then, the Radiant Church has steadily grown from its small beginnings, and is now a force to be reckoned with.
Not much about Elian beyond his writings is known. In the Book of Light, he writes about his life, and also includes writings from others he influenced on his travels. According to his book, he was born to mortal human parents, whom he claims were his parents only in the nature that they raised him. Elian displayed magical abilities from a very young age, and had an affinity for light and fire. From the age of twelve, his mother and father told him that their union was blessed and in reward had been given him from the Sunfather, God of the light and everything it touches.
When he was sixteen, Elian struck out on his own, leaving his home in what is today Cortos City. He traveled along the modern day Cortosi coast, recording his interactions with others as he spread his teachings and beliefs about the Sunfather. He experienced multiple visions from the Sunfather, one of which he believes led him to his second greatest love (besides the Sunfather). It was during his stay with the elves in modern-day Falwood when he met Liluth, the female elf who would later bear his only child, Beltrané Cano.
He returned to Cortos with Liluth and his young son, only to discover his parents slaughtered by Vel Anirans for their beliefs. Wrought with sorrow, Elian retreated inward, and wrote perhaps the most studied chapter of the Book of Light: La Revelación de Elian. In it he grew closer to the Sunfather, and wrote not only his philosophies of the world and the meanings of life and death, but also his vision for the world in the future, and how clouded it was.
The Vel Anirans who killed his parents heard of their son's ramblings, and, believing him to be a madman, hunted him down and killed him in a fantastical display of power. Moments before his death, as Elian lay bleeding out on the dirt ground, his son Beltrané, only six at the time, ran to his side and cried over his father's wounds. In his journal of prayers, Beltrané claims his father did not die like any mortal; rather his body turned into pure light and ascended to the heavens, much to the awe of those watching.
Beltrané read his father's journal and made his father's vision into a reality by establishing the Radiant Church. The followers he gathered named him the First Cardinal, and his own Journal of Prayers is revered almost as much as The Book of Light itself. It has been common for members of the Radiant Church, especially higher up members, to keep a Journal of Prayers in which to record their prayers, visions, and lives.
Since then, the Radiant Church has steadily grown from its small beginnings, and is now a force to be reckoned with.