Solari

The Solari are the dominant religious order of Mount Targon, holding sway over the Rakkor tribes who dwell on its slopes. Among these tribes the sun is sacred, and none venerate it more devoutly than the Solari, who raise their children from birth to honor it and to shed blood in its name until the return of its Aspect, an event that heralds a grave threat all must face. Initiates undergo rigorous physical and religious training, serving as acolytes in the Solari infantry. The order's holy warriors are the Ra'Horak, golden-armored soldiers who defend the Sun and Her chosen in what the faithful call the war of Sun and Darkness, while its priests wield mystical fire and its high priests guard the dogma. Central to that dogma is the persecution of the Lunari, the ancient moon-worshipping order the Solari brand as heretics. Over generations they drove the Lunari into hiding, tore references to the moon from their texts, and buried the faith so thoroughly that most forgot it had ever existed. Their Burning Ones scorch out suspected moon-worshippers by night while their priests deny the moon by day, and the Ra'Horak have slaughtered entire settlements suspected of harboring the heresy. The order's most revered warrior is Leona, an exemplary acolyte chosen by the Aspect of the Sun and sworn to protect the Solari as their guiding light. Her closest friend, an inquisitive orphan named Diana, questioned the order's teachings, uncovered evidence of the erased Lunari, and climbed to Targon's summit, where the Aspect of the Moon claimed her. Denounced as a blasphemer by the high priests, Diana killed many Solari elders and their Ra'Horak guardians in a burst of moonlight before fleeing. The order now endures with two Aspects among mortals and the balance between sun and moon fractured, as Leona works to preserve the Solari's dominance while seeking the friend she lost.