Post by Avvy on Oct 28, 2011 17:20:57 GMT -5
The Morninglord
Greater Deity
Symbol - Sunrise made of Rose, Red & yellow gems.
Home Plane - House of Nature
Alignment - Neutral Good
Portfolio - Atheletics, birth, creativity, dawn, renewal, self-perfection, spring, vitality, youth.
Worshippers - Aristocrats, artists, athletes, merchants, Monks (Sun Soul), the young.
Cleric Alignments - CG, LG, NG.
Domains - Good, Nobility, Protection, Rewewal, Strength, Sun.
Favoured Weapon - Light or Heavy Mace.
Whenever humans embark on a new journey, enter a contract, or start a political or romantic relationship, chances are good that they whisper a prayer to Lathander (Lah-than-der), deity of dawn, renewal & vitality. Though he is among the oldest of the Faerunian pantheon, the Morninglord nonetheless retains the cheery optimism of youth that makes him the perfect symbol of beginnings. Ever willing to pass over the defeats of today to focus on the victories of tommorow, Lathander preaches a doctrine of proactive good works & constant re-evaluation of society's traditions & mores. He also urges the destruction of undead, which he fiews as vile corruption that mocks creation & true life.
Critics suggest that Lathander's aggressive altruism often gets in the wya of his good sense. His vanity & enthusiasm cause him to discount the consequences of his actions: He simply hopes for the best & attacks a problem head on, regardless of ramifications. Never was this character flaw so clearly illuminated than during the Dawn Cataclysm, a catastrophe second only to the Time of Troubles, in which Lathander attempted to reshape the entire pantheon in his own image & thereby triggered a major divine struggle. His ultimate failure resulted in the destruction of several deities & powerful outsiders, led to the collapse of a half-dozen theocracies & presaged the fall of Myth Drannor.
Despite the failures of the distant past, Lathander's faith remains extremely popular & powerful today, especially among idealistic young nobles (though seldom their parents). They claim to be personally tasked by the Morninglord to see to the affairs of their lessers, as though their fortuitous accident of noble birth granted them a writ to serve as Lathander's mortal representatives. For many young aristocrats, a foray into Lathanderism represents a last act of rebellion before acepting the responsibilites of nobility. Those of truer heart, however, remain in the church & often end up making a profound difference in their community. Commoners appreciate such treatment, making the Morninglord popular among all social classes.
Clerics of Lathander pray at dawn. Most holy services take place just as the light of the sun breaks the horizon, with secondary gatherings occuring at highsun & sunset.Ceremonies are joyful but dignified & feature singing, offerings & ritual drinking of well water touched by the light of dawn. On Midsummer morning & on the mornings of the vernal & autumnal equinoxes, Lathanderian clerics perform the Song of the Dawn, a popular & complex musical ceremony that attracts even nonworshippers to the Morninglord's cathedrals. Lawful clerics often multiclass as Paladins. ((And Paladins of Lathander may multiclass freely as Clerics, as may Monks.))
History & Relationships;
Lathander's friendly demeanor makes him almost as popular among other deities as he is among the mortals of Toril. The deities, however, tend to have longer memories than their followers; Many appreciate Lathander's calls to action & altruistic rants, but try to keep him from doing too much damage to the status quo. He gets on well with other idealistic deities such as Eldath & Lliira, or with those such as Lurue & Siamorphe, who prefer to focus on the pleasurable and good things in life. The Morninglord's command over creativity brings him into friendly contact with Oghma, Mlil & Gond, & his unflinching hatred of the undead has made him a fast ally of Kelemvor. Chauntea seems to appreciate his exuberance more than any other member of the Faerunian pantheon, perhaps because it brightens her ancient soul. She & Lathander believe that their fates are intertwined, and while their romance has faded & flared intermittently over the centuries, they always seem to return to each other.
Lathander somewhat naively holds evil deities such as Bane, Cyric, Loviatar & Talos personally responsible for the majority of Toril's ills. He particularly dislikes Shar, whom he views as an eternally corrupting force, the foul cancer at the heart of every shadowy intrigue against him & his church. Lathander believes that the Dawn Catacylsm occured because spies of the Lady of Loss corrupted his efforts, & his is hatching plans to ensure that does not happen again.
Helm harbours ill feelings toward the Morninglord that date back to the Dawn Cataclysm, when Lathander indirectly caused the destruction of Helm's lover Murdane, a lesser deity of reason & pragmatism. No doubt the Vigilant One would be chargrined to learn that Lathander has, since the Time of Troubles, been working on some of the incantations & machinations that brought about that catastrophe so long ago. Oghma, Chauntea & Lliira know of Lathander's plans, but so far each has remained silent. With the return of Bane, many progressive deities belive that direct action must be taken to destroy evil once & for all, and that no unintended consequences of Lathander's plans could be as threatening to the world as simply standing by & doing nothing.
Dogma;
Strive always to aid, to foster new hope, new ideas & new prosperity for all humankind & it's allies. It is a sacred duty to foster new growth, nurture growing things & work for rebirth & renewal. Perfect yourself, and be fertile in mind & body. Wherever you go, plant seeds of hope, new ideas & plans for a rosy future in the minds of all. Watch each sunrise. Consider the consequences of your actions so that your least effort may bring the greatest & best reward. Avoid negativity, for from death comes life, & there is always another morning to turn a setback into a success. Place more importance in activities that help others than in strict adherence to rules, rituals & the dictates of your seniors.
Clergy & Temples;
Clerics of Lathander tend to be ebullient utopists, "morning people" in every sense of the phrase. They encourage social, cultural & political progress as agents of personal liberty, artistic expression & racial harmony. Lathander's clerics sponsor athletic & artistic competitions to showcase the talents of the community, and they often finance the recovery of lost treasures or important symbols to give the people hope & encourage further good works. The tenets of Lathanderism urge respect toward one's fellows & the natural world & intolerance for evil or those who unwittingly aid evil through slothful incation. Militant followers stand at the vanguard of efforts to clear the civlised lands of harmful beasts or purge the taint of undead from the world.
Powerful members of the church protect their communities from malign extraplanar interests by acting as exorcists or fiendslayers. The church recognises no central authority; the head of each temple is afforded similar respect by followers everywhere. Clerics refer to one another as Dawnbringers.
The ostentatious cathedrals of Lathander, with their abundant statuary & gaudy stained-glass windows, reflect the order's great wealth. All temples include a mass hall that faces eastward, allowing the congregation to watch the first rays of the rising sun. In crowded or walled cities, temples are built for height with ceremonies held on the third or even fourth floor of the structure.
When such construction is impossible, a complex series of mirrors channels the sun's rays. Lathanderian architecture is dominated by elaborate fountains that often spill into shallow moats of holy water winding throughout the temple complex.
Within the last year, Lathander's most trusted servants have recieved word of their deity's secret plan. Dawnbringers refer to a mysterious event known as the Deliverance, which will have important consequences for the world, especially those who are anithetical to Lathanderian beliefs. No mortals know the details of the Deliverance, but the prospect of the Morninglord taking a more active role in the affairs of Toril fill shis already excitable worshippers with an almost unsettling glee. They have initiated an aggressive proselytizing effort to encourage others to join their church before it is too late.
Lathander's avatars appear as young, gold-skinned, athletic human men ready with a calm smile & pleasant demeanor. They wear the richest of robes, splendid crowns & dawn-coloured robes when on missions of diplomacy & beautiful but nonetheless effective fluted silver & gold armour when conducting violent business. Very rarely, Lathander eschews his favoured human form for his favourite nonhuman form, that of the Sunpeacock, a light-coloured bird with an enormous decorated tail numerous in the southlands. Whatever the form, Lathander sends an avatar to the Prime to teach important lessons, reveal divine truth & on rare occaisions, personally ressurect a stalwart friend of the Church.
Greater Deity
Symbol - Sunrise made of Rose, Red & yellow gems.
Home Plane - House of Nature
Alignment - Neutral Good
Portfolio - Atheletics, birth, creativity, dawn, renewal, self-perfection, spring, vitality, youth.
Worshippers - Aristocrats, artists, athletes, merchants, Monks (Sun Soul), the young.
Cleric Alignments - CG, LG, NG.
Domains - Good, Nobility, Protection, Rewewal, Strength, Sun.
Favoured Weapon - Light or Heavy Mace.
Whenever humans embark on a new journey, enter a contract, or start a political or romantic relationship, chances are good that they whisper a prayer to Lathander (Lah-than-der), deity of dawn, renewal & vitality. Though he is among the oldest of the Faerunian pantheon, the Morninglord nonetheless retains the cheery optimism of youth that makes him the perfect symbol of beginnings. Ever willing to pass over the defeats of today to focus on the victories of tommorow, Lathander preaches a doctrine of proactive good works & constant re-evaluation of society's traditions & mores. He also urges the destruction of undead, which he fiews as vile corruption that mocks creation & true life.
Critics suggest that Lathander's aggressive altruism often gets in the wya of his good sense. His vanity & enthusiasm cause him to discount the consequences of his actions: He simply hopes for the best & attacks a problem head on, regardless of ramifications. Never was this character flaw so clearly illuminated than during the Dawn Cataclysm, a catastrophe second only to the Time of Troubles, in which Lathander attempted to reshape the entire pantheon in his own image & thereby triggered a major divine struggle. His ultimate failure resulted in the destruction of several deities & powerful outsiders, led to the collapse of a half-dozen theocracies & presaged the fall of Myth Drannor.
Despite the failures of the distant past, Lathander's faith remains extremely popular & powerful today, especially among idealistic young nobles (though seldom their parents). They claim to be personally tasked by the Morninglord to see to the affairs of their lessers, as though their fortuitous accident of noble birth granted them a writ to serve as Lathander's mortal representatives. For many young aristocrats, a foray into Lathanderism represents a last act of rebellion before acepting the responsibilites of nobility. Those of truer heart, however, remain in the church & often end up making a profound difference in their community. Commoners appreciate such treatment, making the Morninglord popular among all social classes.
Clerics of Lathander pray at dawn. Most holy services take place just as the light of the sun breaks the horizon, with secondary gatherings occuring at highsun & sunset.Ceremonies are joyful but dignified & feature singing, offerings & ritual drinking of well water touched by the light of dawn. On Midsummer morning & on the mornings of the vernal & autumnal equinoxes, Lathanderian clerics perform the Song of the Dawn, a popular & complex musical ceremony that attracts even nonworshippers to the Morninglord's cathedrals. Lawful clerics often multiclass as Paladins. ((And Paladins of Lathander may multiclass freely as Clerics, as may Monks.))
History & Relationships;
Lathander's friendly demeanor makes him almost as popular among other deities as he is among the mortals of Toril. The deities, however, tend to have longer memories than their followers; Many appreciate Lathander's calls to action & altruistic rants, but try to keep him from doing too much damage to the status quo. He gets on well with other idealistic deities such as Eldath & Lliira, or with those such as Lurue & Siamorphe, who prefer to focus on the pleasurable and good things in life. The Morninglord's command over creativity brings him into friendly contact with Oghma, Mlil & Gond, & his unflinching hatred of the undead has made him a fast ally of Kelemvor. Chauntea seems to appreciate his exuberance more than any other member of the Faerunian pantheon, perhaps because it brightens her ancient soul. She & Lathander believe that their fates are intertwined, and while their romance has faded & flared intermittently over the centuries, they always seem to return to each other.
Lathander somewhat naively holds evil deities such as Bane, Cyric, Loviatar & Talos personally responsible for the majority of Toril's ills. He particularly dislikes Shar, whom he views as an eternally corrupting force, the foul cancer at the heart of every shadowy intrigue against him & his church. Lathander believes that the Dawn Catacylsm occured because spies of the Lady of Loss corrupted his efforts, & his is hatching plans to ensure that does not happen again.
Helm harbours ill feelings toward the Morninglord that date back to the Dawn Cataclysm, when Lathander indirectly caused the destruction of Helm's lover Murdane, a lesser deity of reason & pragmatism. No doubt the Vigilant One would be chargrined to learn that Lathander has, since the Time of Troubles, been working on some of the incantations & machinations that brought about that catastrophe so long ago. Oghma, Chauntea & Lliira know of Lathander's plans, but so far each has remained silent. With the return of Bane, many progressive deities belive that direct action must be taken to destroy evil once & for all, and that no unintended consequences of Lathander's plans could be as threatening to the world as simply standing by & doing nothing.
Dogma;
Strive always to aid, to foster new hope, new ideas & new prosperity for all humankind & it's allies. It is a sacred duty to foster new growth, nurture growing things & work for rebirth & renewal. Perfect yourself, and be fertile in mind & body. Wherever you go, plant seeds of hope, new ideas & plans for a rosy future in the minds of all. Watch each sunrise. Consider the consequences of your actions so that your least effort may bring the greatest & best reward. Avoid negativity, for from death comes life, & there is always another morning to turn a setback into a success. Place more importance in activities that help others than in strict adherence to rules, rituals & the dictates of your seniors.
Clergy & Temples;
Clerics of Lathander tend to be ebullient utopists, "morning people" in every sense of the phrase. They encourage social, cultural & political progress as agents of personal liberty, artistic expression & racial harmony. Lathander's clerics sponsor athletic & artistic competitions to showcase the talents of the community, and they often finance the recovery of lost treasures or important symbols to give the people hope & encourage further good works. The tenets of Lathanderism urge respect toward one's fellows & the natural world & intolerance for evil or those who unwittingly aid evil through slothful incation. Militant followers stand at the vanguard of efforts to clear the civlised lands of harmful beasts or purge the taint of undead from the world.
Powerful members of the church protect their communities from malign extraplanar interests by acting as exorcists or fiendslayers. The church recognises no central authority; the head of each temple is afforded similar respect by followers everywhere. Clerics refer to one another as Dawnbringers.
The ostentatious cathedrals of Lathander, with their abundant statuary & gaudy stained-glass windows, reflect the order's great wealth. All temples include a mass hall that faces eastward, allowing the congregation to watch the first rays of the rising sun. In crowded or walled cities, temples are built for height with ceremonies held on the third or even fourth floor of the structure.
When such construction is impossible, a complex series of mirrors channels the sun's rays. Lathanderian architecture is dominated by elaborate fountains that often spill into shallow moats of holy water winding throughout the temple complex.
Within the last year, Lathander's most trusted servants have recieved word of their deity's secret plan. Dawnbringers refer to a mysterious event known as the Deliverance, which will have important consequences for the world, especially those who are anithetical to Lathanderian beliefs. No mortals know the details of the Deliverance, but the prospect of the Morninglord taking a more active role in the affairs of Toril fill shis already excitable worshippers with an almost unsettling glee. They have initiated an aggressive proselytizing effort to encourage others to join their church before it is too late.
Lathander's avatars appear as young, gold-skinned, athletic human men ready with a calm smile & pleasant demeanor. They wear the richest of robes, splendid crowns & dawn-coloured robes when on missions of diplomacy & beautiful but nonetheless effective fluted silver & gold armour when conducting violent business. Very rarely, Lathander eschews his favoured human form for his favourite nonhuman form, that of the Sunpeacock, a light-coloured bird with an enormous decorated tail numerous in the southlands. Whatever the form, Lathander sends an avatar to the Prime to teach important lessons, reveal divine truth & on rare occaisions, personally ressurect a stalwart friend of the Church.