Church Of The Light

[Old Man Boiendl 1454]

Hundreds of years ago... before the arrival of the survivors of Iblees wrath from Aegis... the area that is now Renatus was not unoccupied...

Little is known of those people that vanished. The ruins of Arethor have revealed little that could help determine what they believed in, how they lived, what they were like to the land around them... except for a few clues.

Soon after arriving in Asulon the Renatans claimed the ruins of the city as their own and began restoring the crumbling walls, fixing the damaged houses and planning a new city. In the hustle and bustle of clearing debris, razing forests and creating a new civilization one place became a center of calm...

In the very southwest of the city stood the ruins of a cathedral of enormous size. It had decayed over the many years that it stood without human occupation, so that the roof was missing, glass lay broken with shards strewn about and vines covered the stone walls. All those who saw the ruins were surprised that the ancient peoples could have created such a large and beautiful structure. But the people had more pressing matters than the restoration of a church. They built houses to live in, farms to work and machines for war. No one wanted to restore the place of religion... save for a few.

As the necessities of the city took shape and the people of Renatus grew more comfortable a small group began to restore the cathedral. It took the skills of many to melt the rough cobblestone mined from the ground into smooth stone for building, take the sand from the beaches and smelt it into clear glass, chop down and replant trees to supply wood and raise sheep for their valuable wool. The cathedral began to take form, as it would have looked hundreds of years ago when the ancients were still worshiping their gods. But what gods were they? No one could find anything in the ruins if the cathedral that indicated any specific god had been worshipped there at first. Then, a few strange artifacts turned up in the restoration. Pieces of gold, none larger than a fist, were turned up in the dirt around the cathedral. Very old pages from ancient books were unearthed, but with no way to decipher the ruined tatters. Finally... a stone tablet was found, with words etched into the hard rock. Ch f Li t, it said, but no one knew what it meant. Even as the finishing touches of the cathedral were installed, still no one knew why it had been built, or who had done so...

Behind the church was a small graveyard that had been converted into a tree farm, sheep pen and wheat farm as the church was being restored. With the restoration nearly complete, the graveyard was also rebuilt so that it could serve as a place to dispose of the dead of Renatus with dignity. When digging of a crypt began... it was discovered.

A small box, hidden in the dirt for ages, was removed carefully by hands that brushed the dust off the top. The hinges were rusty and the wood rotting along the edges, but it was still well preserved. With trembling hands, it was opened. Inside, on a layer of red cloth, laid a book. It was as ancient as the pages found in the cathedral, but far better preserved. It was carefully taken out and examined by those present. To their surprise, the words were not entirely illegible through a different language or the decay of time. The text that they found shed light on the former peoples of the lands, and part of it revealed what they believed...

We again give thanks for the harvests that have been given to us bye the gods. The land was rich this year, and the wheat flourished under the sun. The plains were yellow with the waving rows of wheat, all for our hands. We give thanks to the one who gave us this gift. Every morn with the break of the sun, we know that we are watched most favorable...

The Renatans were amazed by this, reading it with delight. The ancients, it seemed, were a peaceful farming people. They were grateful for the sun and all that it gave to them. Night must have been oppressive to them, the Renatans declared, with the monsters rampant and lack of light creating a hostile environment outside. But by day, they could live their lives to the fullest.

As word spread throughout Renatus, the people realized that the words of the ancients still rang true. The fertile lands around Renatus provided some of the strongest wheat in all of Asulon, and at night the city was plagued by monsters. As the story was read and re-read, it became accepted by many in Renatus. The sun drove and guided Renatus, a symbol of stability and life. When the monks of the Cloud Temple heard this, they were amazed that such ancient words still held such sway over a modern population. They went to Renatus and discovered that the people did not have a name for the sun. The monks who worshiped Lord Keldrith already had a god of the sun, and offered their spiritual guidance to the peoples of Renatus.

The cathedral was declared the Church of the Light and dedicated to Lord Keldrith, the lord of the sun and protector of Renatus. So long as the sun rises each day the threats of night will extinguish and Renatus will continue to flourish,..

[Old Man Boiendl 1454]

[Reserved]

[Eledyr 85]

((just to check, are you aware that there is already a religion called the church of light?)

[Old Man Boiendl 1454]

((GAAAAAAAH :3 Thanks Ill think of a name and change it))

[steelersfan1221 300]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.