The Sunlit Path

[Valannor 6349]

[!] The following document may only be found within Xannic strongholds across the realm, where’er they may be located. Wrought of crisp parchment and bound in gilded tome, it would be scribed of azure inks - carrying with it an impression of warmth and grace, a sacral weight about its countenance. 

 

The Sunlit Path

Authored by Tarathiel Asul’onn.

 

𝄞𝄞𝄞

Tracing their legacy back to the elder days of ancient Sheerok, the doctrines of Light and Order have long been held by the Paladins of Xan as values of utmost sanctity, transcribed from the sacred halls of the Order of the Golden Lance as the interpretation of the Lord of Sunlight’s very words. To follow the Sunlit Path and adhere to the Golden Mandate is to harken to the words uttered upon the sunbroken isles where Order made manifest once proclaimed His dominion, and to gird oneself against the whispers of The Betrayer - to steel the spirit and resolve oneself to withstand the temptations of Ruin that gnaw at the souls of mortalkind. It is a discipline not of personal gain, but of self-sacrifice and abstention from the corruption that runs rampant throughout the world; to bring about Order eternal for the good of all, to walk in the footsteps of the Empyrean, & transcend the caustic din of mortal fallibility. 

 

The Sunlit Path has been followed dutifully for centuries, e’er since the first Prophet was elucidated by the Lion’s portent of Order, and His grace touched the sunlit isles. Although most prominent within the Order of the Golden Lance, the philosophy Order bestowed unto Sheerok was woven into the fabric of the land, and its people, intrinsically; for the Lord of Sunlight demanded from the isle’s folk servitude alone - in fealty and faith was this asked, but never that Sheerok’s people would worship the Lion above the maker of all. The Aengul of Order, though sworn to safeguard creation as the maker’s direct hand and shield, is adamant in His insistence that his mantle is not placed before worship and reverence is paid to the Creator. Those who deem themselves adherents of the Sunlit Path are to dutifully abide by this decree, and worship only the Creator as the true king of all, the lord of creation and forger of our reality - for this is the TRUTH, irrefutable and ironclad in its certainty. 

 

So it is decreed, and has always been, that the Path of Sunlight is the only path to salvation for mortalkind; to refute the horrors and evils of the hungering maw, foul and profane in malefic and voidal taint. To guard oneself against the influences of mortal tyrants seeking to usurp the throne of all Creation, and proclaim mastery over the mortal realm, and all realms beyond - and to protect your fellow descendants from that which would scourge our land of all life, and strip mortal man of its sovereignty. The intricacies of the Light, the principia of the Sunlit Path, and the Golden Mandate are detailed within this tome - for all who come upon it to learn from, and hopefully, swear like all who have come before never to let the Sun set upon our people.

 

---

The Principia

Serving mainly as the core tenets of the Sunlit Path, the three Principles are the obligations and oaths one makes to themselves when they pledge themselves to the doctrines of the Lion. While every adherent varies in how strictly they apply these values to their day-to-day life, they remain crucial components of Xannic philosophy and worldview. 

 

 

I. Abstinence

Spoiler

To walk in the path of the divine is to turn one’s cheek to both fonts of worldly corruption, and those which may come from beyond. Sin, vice, and corruption are the tools of the Betrayer to ensnare descendant-kind into eternal division; to tempt mortals into the depths of moral and magickal depravity offered by forces such as those from the infernal Hells, the hungering maw of the Void which lingers just beyond the everlight of Creation, the forlorn Abyss, and all other powers that would see mortalkind as but a chess piece in the cosmos. It is through the Lord of Sunlight’s creed that these influences are rebuked, that through the refutation of chaos and taint, mortalkind may one day find salvation from the eternal wars and games played by higher beings - Order once more being restored in totality within our realm. Celibacy from undue sources of corruption and fel magicks is to shield oneself from the insidious hiss of Ruin in the shadow, and a virtuous life free from sin is to find victory against even the eternal curses that have been inflicted upon all descendants. The primordial TRUTH of the world is shrouded behind the taint and smear of mortal and immortal meddlings, behind magicks hallowed and profane, in the chess game of gods and demons; The Lion promises Order, and through Order shall this truth be revealed. 

 

II. Sacrifice

Spoiler

Nothing may be gained without something being lost - power, traded for power, as was spoken by the Herald of the Lance in ages yore. Sacrifice is a central tenet of the Sunlit Path, that one would martyr themselves in the name of the greater whole, and give their all for the good of the many. The Sunlit Path is not one walked with an expectation of living to see old age and rest on laurels of victory and vainglory, but that one shall be battered and broken on white shores by the waves of adversity - and built anew, with Sunlight as your guide. To walk the Sunlit Path is to put yourself in the ranks of the Light within the eternal war, to place your faith wholeheartedly in the Lion’s desire and mission to safeguard mortalkind; for He loves them as if they were His own children, in warmth and wrath of equal measure. In the adherence of this principle, one would give of themselves unto the world in earnest generosity and selflessness, as to make the world whole is to make whole of oneself - that by Sacrifice alone can apotheosis be achieved, and salvation be delivered unto the worthy. It is natural for one to waver in their devotion, to want and desire for the self in politics or prestige, but the Path shall always be there for one to return to in proper repentance. To die for another is the greatest honor one can bestow upon themselves - that through the actions of those upon the Path, generations and generations shall be born to live in the Light.

 

 

III. Sacrosanctum

Spoiler

Reverence of the divine, and those who came before, is how one finds absolution of the self, and the purgation of the dark within. For while it is true that those sworn to the Path must forever march onwards, ne’er must we forget those whose footsteps we walk in, those whose legacy we follow - for every breath we take is but the dying gasp of Sheerok, taken into our own lungs to give us life, and agency, as we push forwards. Never shall another power, be they mortal or divine, be placed upon the pedestal of the Creator, nor shall they bear his crown; they are as Kings and Lords to GOD almighty, creator of all - nay, they are the revered shepherds of mortality, each holding a fraction of the agency and dominion once held by the Creator, and unto them we must pay proper dues and respect. As one would pray to a Saint, so too do we offer prayer to the Heavens, in hopes of guidance and sacrosanct ablution from the sins of past and present. Within sacred halls, with candles lit to draw their gaze, we honor the warriors and vestals of ages yore with hymn and canticle, that but a kiss of their greatness would touch us, and give us the strength to persevere over all that is borne of Ruin. Hold to thy vows, the oaths once sworn before the rising sun, and bask. In the light of the Sun, under the gaze of the Impassive Eye, you shall find enlightenment - there, you shall find Order. 

 

---

The Light

Both literal and metaphorical, the Light may be interpreted as many a thing; the essence of goodness and divinity, the power of the High Heavens, or merely Virtue incarnate. It is on this first example that we shall focus - the Light not as divinity made manifest, but as philosophical stricture. Often held amongst the servants of the divines as the guiding hand towards a world free of foul and abhorrent taint, it is an ideal that all should strive towards, and give their all for. It is in every unsullied fibre of the world, not merely gestures of grand and awesome power; for it is not only great power that can drive back the coming dark, but the small doings of ordinary folk - mere acts of love, and charity, that combat the influence and whispers of Ruin. To give bread to the poor, to share a tender moment with kith and kin, or to take up arms in defense of the innocent against the will of the hungering maw - this, too, is the Light. It is a subtle influence, not presenting itself tangibly as the forces of Ruin often do, tempting mortals with its offers of power and grandiosity; The Light does not need such tactics, for the true and faithful know it to be with them in even the darkest pits and loneliest mountain peaks. The Light is Warmth. It is Love. It is Compassion, Mercy, and Virtue free of malice or ill-will. The Light is all one needs, to keep the darkness at bay for but a moment longer, be they bound by oath to an Aengul, lofty king, or lowly peasant. All may know the Light, if they but invite it into their hearts. 

 

---

The Golden Mandate

 

The Mandate issued to all who swear fealty to the Lord of Sunlight is a simple thing, in premise; but in execution, more complex than even the most winding labyrinth. A single demand, made with the health of all mortalkind in mind, for the good of all that might fall beneath the sun’s warming rays - beneath the throne of creation itself, and the abjurer of all that is fel and profane.

 

Do not let the Sun set.

 

A single utterance, laden with the weight of the world upon it. To keep the Sun aloft is to strive for the re-establishment and maintenance of Order within the realm at large, no matter how big or small. To refute chaos in all quarters, until all is left within perfect and impermeable Order. Not order as mortal man may understand it in full, but primordial and divine Order within the planes. To silence the incessant ken of chaos, of demonkind and all that is foul, so that the descendants may reside in a world free of calamity. It is by the grace of the Lion that empyrean salvation will be achieved. 

 

Spoiler

Another installment in what has been dubbed the 'Culture Project,' aiming to bring a more tangible meaning to what many Paladins have coined 'The Sunlit Path' throughout the years. I hope all reading this enjoy what has been written. 

 

[Jentos 6976]

Spoiler

26 minutes ago, Valannor said:

Although most prominent within the Order of the Golden Lance, the philosophy Order bestowed unto Sheerok was woven into the fabric of the land, and its people, intrinsically

now where have i seen this one before

 

[Valannor 6349]

22 minutes ago, Jentos said:

  Hide contents

now where have i seen this one before

 

Spoiler

 

We were the Elden Ring before it was cool. gitfukt, nihilist lizard. 

 

[rukio 8911]

A very pallid Paladin would read over the missive from the sunny beach she was attempting to tan on. A hand lazily rises to her darkened glasses, lowering them before taking a sip of coconut water. 

 

"Tarathiel." She'd begin, rising to get a quill, writing a letter. "Come relax. We'll do some deep sea hunting for krakens while the smelly old senile dragon huffs and puffs in your bed for a week or two. -Love, Ezyl" 

 

In reality, Adelith would awaken to find she was still washed up on shore in some distant land. "****." Was all she would utter, continuing her efforts to repair the ship and sail home. The Sunlit Path was her past, present, and future after all. Never could she let the sun set.