*Priest of Thorns, Lightgiver* ![[S_Paelos.png|100]] **Greater Deity** **Home Plane:** Sun Tower, The Great Beyond **Alignment:** Lawful Good **Portfolio:** Healing, Purity, Sunlight **Worshipers:** Field workers, doctors ### Follower Benefits **Ability:** Strength, Charisma **Domains:** [[Healing Domain]], [[Sun Domain]], [[Truth Domain]], [[Zeal Domain]] **Divine Font:** Heal **Sanctification:** Holy **Skill:** Medicine **Spells:** 1st: [[Sanctuary]], 3rd: [[PF2 Character Building/Spells/Holy Light|Holy Light]], 7th: [[Sunburst]] **Favored Weapon:** Trident or Morningstar ![[P_Paleos_Alt.jpg|alt=right]] **ART:** [Jason Engle](https://www.jaestudio.com/) **Edict:** Illuminate darkness with the light of the sun, heal the suffering, and uphold the purity of life. **Anathema:** Spread darkness or despair, refuse to heal those in need, or allow corruption to thrive unchallenged. ## Dogma In the holy passages of the White Book, the origin of the universe is revealed, with the beginning of a celestial story at its core. From the luminous embrace of the sun, a youthful godling called Paleos appeared, floating through the celestial void with a deep feeling of isolation. As the heavenly traveler searched for companionship in the expanse, the kind sun felt compassion for him and created twins to join in his divine life. The initial being, Ferdin, referred to as “the first dwarf,” utilized the void of space, intertwining dispersed fragments into the cosmic fabric called Merovia. The second, Mish, the sun's first daughter, merged the essence of life in the cosmos, granting the gift of organic existence to Merovia. The White Book depicts Merovia as a divine present, granted to Paleos by his younger brothers, Ferdin and Mish. A holy commitment echoes through these celestial writings, as Paleos pledges to protect the Earth while the sun continues to illuminate. As time passes, the relationships between the gods change, causing each deity to establish their role within particular realms. Paleos rises as a cohesive power, organizing the pantheon into two divisions: those residing in the Underworld and those scattered across the universe. For numerous individuals, Paleos emerges as the de-facto leader, and his supporters are regularly met with kindness and respect under his compassionate governance. Within the celestial beings of Merovia, Paleos is recognized as the most famous god, his impact resonating throughout the territories and fostering steadfast allegiance. The temple dedicated to Paleos shines with divine light, a holy place where the faithful assemble to revere the sun god. The Harbingers of Light, often revered as “Brighters,” take a solemn vow of celibacy, a sacrifice made to shield themselves from the corrupting influences of the world. The tenets of Paleos serve as guiding principles for his devoted followers: **Darkness must be brightened:** This foundational tenet calls upon the faithful to illuminate the shadows, dispelling darkness with the radiant light of the sun. **Heal the wicked:** In an act of benevolence, followers are called to extend healing to those deemed wicked, offering redemption through the power of Paleos. **The power of the Sun is unparalleled:** This declaration underscores the supreme and unmatched power vested in the sun, symbolizing Paleos’ divine authority and the source of life and illumination. As the Brighters embark on their sacred duties, their actions resonate with the teachings of Paleos, dispelling darkness, offering healing to the wayward, and acknowledging the unparalleled power that emanates from the radiant sun. In the realms of Merovia, the influence of Paleos transcends the celestial, shaping the destinies of mortals and gods alike with the brilliance of his divine light. --- ## The Legend of Aurelia, the Brighter _The Beacon in the Darkness, The Sun’s Devoted Flame_ Before light kissed the world, before warmth filled the hearts of mortals, there was only night. The world existed in constant twilight, its heavens burdened with gloom, its territories enveloped in a never-ending dusk where dread thrived and optimism waned. Paleos, the Priest of Thorns, the foremost and most radiant among the gods, gazed upon the world and perceived the affliction of its inhabitants—not a physical ailment, but a spiritual one, a subtle hopelessness that infiltrated their very essence, rendering them feeble, submissive, and oblivious to the power embedded within them. Light alone could not lift them from this despair. They needed faith—not faith in gods, nor faith in kings, but faith in themselves, in their power to rise from the dark and become light themselves. So from the core of the sun, Paleos took a fragment of his own radiance, shaping it not into a star, nor a blade, but into a soul of unyielding brilliance. Thus was born Aurelia, the Brighter, the first of the Harbingers of Light. She descended not as a queen, not as a ruler, but as a flame in the hands of mortals, a voice carried upon the first dawn. And her first words to them were not commands. They were a challenge. **"You are not creatures of shadow. You were made for light. Rise, and let the darkness fear you."** Aurelia walked among mortals not as a deity, but as a sister, clad in silver robes, a radiant halo ever burning at her back. She did not command, nor demand worship—she lifted, she taught, she showed mortals the light that had always been within them. She found the broken and the weary, those who had given themselves over to the weight of despair, and to them, she spoke: **“Rise. Walk with me. Carry the light, even when it burns.”** She guided them into the world's depths, to areas where the sky had never reached, where the lost and abandoned murmured prayers to deities that had overlooked them. And in these places, Aurelia set fire to the dark. She healed the sick, but only those who vowed to heal others. She fed the starving, but only those who swore to feed their neighbors. She defended the weak, but only those who learned to stand and defend in return. Her light was not given freely—it was earned, kindled within those who chose to rise, who chose to become Brighters themselves. But light has always had its enemies. There were those who feared what Aurelia had given to mortals—the power to stand without gods, the will to burn brighter than kings. Among them was Strix, the Night Talon, a being born of hunger, who thrived not on worship, but on despair. Where Aurelia lifted, Strix dragged down. Where she taught mortals to shine, he taught them to fear their own brightness. He whispered to them that the light would betray them, that the gods would abandon them, that hope was a lie told to make the fall hurt more. And in time, there were those who listened. Thus began the **War of False Dawns**, a battle not of armies, but of belief, of fire against shadow, of faith against despair. It was a war fought in the hearts of mortals, a war where every soul was a battlefield. Aurelia did not wield a sword. She wielded conviction. She stood before the broken and told them they were not weak. She walked into the mouths of darkness and brought light where none dared tread. And in the end, it was not gods who won this war. It was mortals. For Aurelia had never sought victory for herself—she had only ever sought to make others strong enough to claim it for themselves. Aurelia never ascended. She never claimed a throne among the heavens, never carved for herself a place among the gods. Instead, she walked into the sun. Not as a sacrifice. Not as an ending. But as a promise. For as long as the sun rises, her light will rise with it. It is said that when the night feels longest, when despair threatens to take root, one need only stand in the dawn’s first light, and there, in the warmth upon their skin, is Aurelia’ touch. She does not answer prayers. She listens to vows. And for those who dare to rise, for those who refuse to let the dark steal their fire, she walks beside them, unseen but ever present, a flame that never dies, never dims, never yields. And when the final battle comes, when the last night threatens to swallow the world whole, **Aurelia will return, burning as bright as the first dawn.**